First Sunday after Holy Trinity

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First Sunday after Holy Trinity Sunday                                                                     June 18, 2017 

Title: I am your shield - Holy Scripture is the Inerrant Word of God by which God works in you saving faith.

Grace and mercy to you from God our Father and the Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

It is written in Luke 16 - 29 Abraham said to the rich man being tormented in hell, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And the damned man said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”  

Thus far the text.  Let us pray.  Heavenly Father, whose Holy Spirit wrote your inerrant Holy Scriptures through the prophets and apostles, grant us to so ….. Read, hear, learn and inwardly digest them so that… through You Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Summary: Holy Scripture (Moses & the prophets) is inerrant because it is inspired by God.  Therefore, Holy Scripture is God’s Word.  The difference between the rich man and Lazarus is not their outward appearance but their inward unbelief or faith.  The rich man is not an immoral man but highly respected by the world.  Yet he shows forth no fruits of faith or love.  His daily delight is in his expensive clothes and fine food, rather than the Word of God.  A fruit of this unbelief is his lack of love for his neighbor.  An example of rich men today are those who teach that Holy Scripture is errant or that only the Gospel is inerrant.  Lazarus is despised by the world. No one desires to be like him.  Yet he clings to the inerrant Holy Scripture which has the power to save him.  He would show love to his neighbor but has no opportunity.  And yet, he is teaching us the faith to this day.  Let us cling to Moses and the prophets like Lazarus.   

God is the author.  Therefore, Moses and the prophets are without error.  God’s Holy Scripture is beautiful because He is beautiful  God’s Holy Scripture is inerrant because God does not err.

Isn’t that fabulous.  You have in your hands the Book that God wrote. His thoughts and His ways are not hidden.  Open His Book and you hear God.  Open it here at church.  Open it at home.  Open it in your car.  Open it during a break at work.  Memorize beauty and truth as God writes to you.

Unfortunately, few Christians believe this.  I know the scoffer dismisses an inerrant Holy Scripture.  God hates scoffers.  But, Christians are following the fad.  Christians are denying what Holy Scripture says about itself.  Let them hear Holy Scripture again.  

For “All Scripture is God breathed and useful for rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).  

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

“Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me/Jesus” (John 5:39).

Now some say the Gospel is inerrant. They would say that has the power to save from sin.  However, these Christians would claim that only the Gospel is inerrant.  But also, the history has errors.  And also, the culture has changed. These Christians would also say that the Bible is full of errors and contradictions.

For example, this Christian who holds to an error free Gospel will believe that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, but will deny that God created everything in six days.  Another example, this Christian who holds to an error free Gospel will believe that God instituted marriage, but will deny that a wife should subordinate herself to her husband as the church subordinates itself to the Lord.   This denies the inerrancy of Scripture.  If you believe in the Gospel but reject an inerrant Holy Scripture, you have found your repentance for this morning.  Repent from your unbelief but rather believe that the Holy Lord could write clearly to you on any topic he chose.

The rich man and Lazarus show us the difference between unbelief and faith. Let’s take a closer look at these men to help illustrate a current crisis in the Christian church today.  But let us not look at outward appearances.  Let us instead look at their faith and love.

First, rich man.  The rich man is not an immoral man.  He is not an adulterer or thief.  He is a hard working and upright man.  He is the kind of man we would like to be.  He wears expensive clothes.  He enjoys fine food.  He invites many people to his parties.  He is respected by his many guests and members of the community.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Abraham, Job, and David were men of great wealth and fame.  So what makes these men different from the rich man?  

Abraham sought his wealth in the promises of God.  He refused to take any war plunder from other kings.  Abraham did not want anyone think he received his wealth from anyone but God.  He gave a tenth of all he had to Melchizedek. Abraham would give up his wealth to remain faithful to the Holy Scriptures and its God.  The rich man in our text loved his wealth more than God.

Job lost his wealth.  In Job’s poverty we see his faith.  Job mourns the death of his children and servants.  Job mourns the loss of his health.  However, Job remain faithful to the Holy Scriptures and its God.  The rich man didn’t mourn until he was in hell.  But that was too late.

King David would have preferred to remain a private citizen.  He would have preferred to remain a shepherd of sheep rather than king of a nation.  David would have gladly given up the kingship except God wanted David to serve His people that way.  So, David served the nation.  The rich man delighted daily in his public reputation.  He had no desire to become an unknown, private citizen.

 The rich man shows us the nature of unbelief.  Unbelief has no regard for Holy Scripture or its God.  And the only way God wishes to be regarded is through His commands and promises. And these God has put into writing through Moses and the prophets.  Holy Scripture is God’s Word.

Today, who are the rich men?  One example, seminary and college professors who teach that Holy Scripture is not to be trusted.  They teach that Holy Scripture contains errors.  They don’t agree what the errors are.  They argue that you need their knowledge to figure this out.  And who do they teach?  A second example, future pastors who sit at the feet of these unbelieving rich men.  And who do the pastors  teach? A final example, the mom’s and dad’s who are doing their best to hand the living Word of God to their children.

Every seminary in the U.S. has  gone through this controversy.  Is Holy Scripture God’s inerrant Word or not?  In each case except two, Christian seminaries have concluded the Holy Scripture has errors.  The two exceptions are the Southern Baptist Convention and the two seminaries of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  The Missouri seminaries continued to believe, teach, and confess the Holy Scripture is God’s inerrant Word.  The bad news is the controversy continues.

The rich man delighted daily in his worldly wealth and reputation.  Teachers experience the same temptation.  However, to hold to the inerrancy of Holy Scripture is to be looked on as a poor beggar in the academic community and to be covered in unsightly sores in a local congregation.  The two indications that a teacher does not hold to an inerrant Scripture is:

First, the refusal to teach a six day creation.  Each day being one evening and morning.  They argue that there are multiple uses for the word - day.  No, one day is one evening and morning cycle.  Regarding a description of God’s patience versus man’s, Scripture says that one day of man’s patience is like a thousand years of God’s patience.  God is more patient than you.  But errancy teachers have greater respect for man’s science of evolution than God’s inerrant and Holy Scripture.  

Second, the refusal to teach subordination is a Christian family.  Husband and wife are to subordinate themselves under God.  God promises to provide for both.  And also, the wife is to subordinate herself to her husband.  God promises to provide for both.  And finally, the man, subordinated to God, promises to care for his wife.  It’s not an excuse to be mean just as there is no excuse to teach against Holy Scripture.  God will provide His Word to strengthen the man in his subordination to God and his headship to his wife.  And God will provide His Word to strengthen the wife in her Godly subordination to both God and husband.  But errancy teachers have greater respect for man’s philosophy of feminism that God’s inerrant and Holy Scripture.

This is our repentance for today.  Repent of our unbelief.  Teach the inerrancy of Holy Scripture whether you are a seminary professor, or pastor, or a mom or dad.  

And you do.  This congregation has much in common with Lazarus.  You trust Holy Scripture is God’s Word.  You trust God created you.  You trust God to continue to provide for you.  

You also carry the sores of Lazarus.  You are accused of being old-fashioned because you love God’s Holy Scripture.  You are accused of being strict because you practice what God’s Holy Scripture teaches.  You are accused of foolishness because you trust God created you and provides for you in every time of need.

But there is nothing wrong with these sores.  The Lord has said you will not receive your good things here and now.  You, like Lazarus, will one day receive only good things.  Come quickly Lord Jesus.  It is written in Genesis, the Lord said to Abraham “I am your Shield.”  Abraham believed this.  God counted this faith as Abraham’s righteousness.

The world sees your sores.  They see a building that is not so worldly beautiful as to be a daily delight.  They see a congregation that is placed at the front gate of worldly success, but goes unnoticed by the rich men.  You feel the worldly poorness that is a result of holding to Holy Scripture alone.

You know the affliction of Lazarus.  Your delight is in your heavenly Father.  You interact with Him in the only way He has promised to come to you in grace and mercy.  You interact with God by hearing Holy Scripture.  Your faith comes by hearing.

And Jesus carries your sores in His crucified body.  All Holy Scripture is about Jesus. And Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.  One day, Gabriel the archangel came and spoke to the Virgin Mary.  Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in that speaking on that day.  Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary on another day, the day of Jesus’ birth.  Jesus suffered many sores on the day of Pontius Pilate and on that same day was crucified and died.  On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead.  Forty days after that Jesus ascended to the Father.  Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus gave the promised Holy Spirit just as He promised according to the written Words of Moses and the prophets. Jesus is the Lord of His church.  He governs all creation according to the commands and promises written by Moses and the prophets.  Jesus governs heaven and earth according to His Holy Scripture.  

The scientific method cannot give comfort in the face of sin and death.  Hear today that Jesus died for you in accordance with the Scriptures.  He gives His life to the weak so that they might not die eternally.

Feminism cannot give comfort in the face of sin and death.  Hear today that Jesus subordinated Himself to the will of the Father.  For “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to be the atoning sacrifice for them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4).  

It makes no difference whether you are strong or weak; male or female.  By faith in Christ, you are now first born sons of God; in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes understanding, protect and keep you in Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen.

Ascension Day Service 2017

The Ascension of Our Lord - Observed at Our Savior Lutheran Church 2611 Lucas Street Muscatine, Iowa 52761 www.oursaviormuscatine.org

Sunday, May 28, 2017

The Ascension of Our Lord - Observed

Title: What goes up must come down - He who believes and is baptized will be saved!

According to Mark 16:14-20

 It is written: 14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.  (NKJV)

 Thus far the text.  Let us pray:

 Creator Father, whose only-begotten Son Jesus Christ fulfilled what You sent Him to do for our salvation, give to us the Baptism and Faith of Jesus, so that we may remain remain saved from our unbelief and remain with you in body and soul both now and forever more.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

 Summary:  1. The long ending of Mark agrees with the Majority Text and with other major and clear passages of Holy Scripture so it should not be doubted that it is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  2. The miracles which are prophesied here were performed by the apostles to confirm the truth of the Scriptures to those yet unbelieving.  3  The Gospel is this: Those who believe and are baptized are saved.  4.  Jesus ascended to the right hand of His Father so that He might also descend with all the Father’s authority in heaven and earth to deliver and keep us by faith alone.  5.  Jesus is not far away but continues to do the miracles which He promised to those who believe in Him.  6.  His mission is for His church, with pastors, to baptize all nations in the Triune name and teach them all things which He has commanded by means of His Word and Sacraments.

 14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

 Thomas is the main disciple Jesus rebukes.  Thomas did not believe those who had seen the resurrected Jesus.  Jesus rebukes the unbelief and hardness of Thomas’ heart.

 Jesus rebukes the eleven disciples.

 Jesus rebukes us too.  We need a rebuke now and then.  A rebuke for our unbelief because we do not believe we are saved by the faith of Jesus alone.  We want to have some responsibility.  We need a rebuke for our hardness of heart because after the first rebuke by a pastor or friend with God’s Word we continue in our old ways.

15 And Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

 This is the Great Commission according to St. Mark.  Convincingly, it is at the same time and place Jesus met with the 500 in Galilee where St. Matthew records Jesus’ Great Commission in his beautiful little Gospel.

 In both cases, Jesus is not commanding people to go away.  The 500 will go back to their God-given vocations with the Gospel.  The 500 will return to being mom’s and dad’s and children.  They will return to be teachers and students, soldiers and civilians, governors and citizens, but they will go with the Gospel.

 Mark ends his Gospel where he started.  It is recorded that John the Baptist “preaches a Gospel of baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4).  Mark ends with the same proclamation given to the 500.

 Repentance has two parts.  Contrition and faith.  

 The first part of repentance is the gift of contrition given only in the good Law of God Contrition or being sorry for your sin is good.  But being sorry does not save.  King Saul was sorry for trying to kill David but died in unbelief.  Judas was sorry for betraying Christ and yet hung himself in unbelief.

 The second part of repentance is a gift of faith given only in the Gospel.  Peter sorry for denying Christ three times but he also clung to the faith of Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins.  Paul was sorry for persecuting Christ’s church but he too clung to the faith of Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins.

 It is written, 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

 The Law is good because it show us our sin.  This knowledge of good and evil is still the cause of our condemnation.

 But this is the Gospel.  The sinner who receives the faith of Jesus and is baptized will be saved from condemnation.  

 Let us receive this repentance from Jesus.  He offers you contrition with His good Law but offers you faith with His good Gospel.

 What happened to those 500 disciples in Galilee?  They went home.  They returned to their vocations with one glaring difference, they returned with the Gospel.  They went home and were baptized Jesus and had their children baptized into Jesus too.  They brought their children to Jesus on Sunday’s in the Divine Service and they brought their children to Jesus by reading the Bible to them and praying with them.  As persecutions drove those first disciples out of Jerusalem, they brought the Gospel with them wherever they were tossed and brought Jesus to a new town, a new church, and new families.

 What does the Great Commission have to do with the Ascension of Our Lord?  It has everything to do with the Gospel and your comfort in this Gospel.

 It is written: 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

 The right hand of God is all the authority in heaven and on earth given to Jesus.  It is not a geographical place in a land called heaven.  The right hand of God is the authority to baptize and teach all nations.  Having ascended, Jesus comes to earth because He loves you and continues to work for you.  

 Finally, it is written: 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.

 The disciples join Jesus in His work.  When a dad brings a child to hear a sermon, Jesus is doing the preaching and baptizing of the child unto salvation.  When a mom reads the Bible to her children, Jesus is preaching to those little children as well as to the mom.   Don’t find comfort in this?  Then check what God has promised to you.  Preaching and teaching is followed by signs.  Those who receive what they hear (faith) and are baptized (Water and Triune name), are saved.

 However, if you find no comfort in the ascended Christ who is preaching and baptizing through His people according to their mundane vocations, you and your false teacher need another rebuke.

 Enthusiasm is the term used by Luther and the Book of Concord to describe those who separate Jesus’ ongoing work from God’s Word.  Enthusiasm is the foundation of strategies to grow the church, for evangelism, and for mission work.  In plain language, Christian Enthusiasts hold that the Word of God is dead and lifeless unless the Christian makes God’s Word relevant and attractive.  The work of growing the church and evangelizing the lost is then the Christian’s work not God’s.

 What comfort does the enthusiastic Christian have when such great work is placed on his shoulders.  If God expects the church pews to always be full, what is the Christian Enthusiast to do when only 100 people show up in this sanctuary, or only 30 show up at St. Paul’s in Wapello, or 15 show up in Keosaukua?  What about all the small churches in Muscatine of various denominations that cling to God’s Word.  The burden is on the enthusiastic Christian because he separates the on-going work of Jesus from God’s Promises.  So if Jesus’ ongoing work among us using His Word does not bring you comfort and you feel compelled to build a big church to God, you have found your repentance for this morning.  Repent and believe that Jesus is continuing to build His church His way.

 Jesus is doing the work even as He invites you to join in.  He has called you to be moms and dads and children; teachers and students; governors and citizens; doctors and nurses and yes even patients who need to be cared for.  Jesus calls you to join in His work.  Jesus has the responsibility to keep and to build His church.  You join in as you do you the work of your vocations and pray for yourself and others, believing that Jesus has baptized you for this repentance unto the forgiveness of all your sins; in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Implanting the Word in You

Easter 5

May 14, 2017

James 1:16:21

Grace and mercy to you from God our Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Today’s text:

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruit of his creatures.  19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  Thus far the text.

Let us pray:  Father of Lights, you are the giver of every good gift and every perfect gift, protect us from being deceived but rather receive with meekness Your implanted word so that our souls be saved and we may be a kind of first fruit among your creatures; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior.  Amen.

Now why would our Father tell us to put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness?  But this text is addressed to Christians.  To you and me.  So maybe there is something more than crude filthiness and rampant wickedness that headline your favorite news outlet.

Filthiness is a temptation that Christians experience.  Of course pornography and drug abuse should be put away.  But the temptation of filthiness is also among Christians who, having heard the Gospel, think they know it and stop listening to it.  A filthy comment might be, “I was confirmed in this church and therefore, even though I haven’t attended in years or decades, I am a member of this church.”  A filthy comment might be, “I know the catechism so I don’t need to hear the Gospel anymore.”  Or, “What do and Bible study and daily Bible readings and prayer have to do with me?  I know all that stuff already.”  

The temptation of filthiness is to set aside the Gospel to pursue wealth and pleasure.  The Holy Spirit names this filthiness.

Rampant wickedness is a temptation that Christians experience that is more subtle than just fist fights and theft, although Christians should put that type of behavior away as well.  But the temptation of rampant wickedness  is among Christians who are wearied of the social stigma of being a Christian.  You give up property or reputation for the sake of Christ and you are teased.  It hurts.  No one likes to be considered a fool.  Especially, when those who tease you have more and more property or a better and better reputation or get along in greater and greater comfort.

The temptation of rampant wickedness is to say, ‘I would rather go with the crowd than endure these trials.  The Holy Spirit names this rampant wickedness.

Good people fall away from Christ because of these two temptations.

Even while they call themselves good Christians they have given themselves over to the pursuit of wealth and pleasure and comfort.

The Word God implanted in them dies.  Life and salvation do not grow.

This is our repentance for this morning.  Put off all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted Word.

And then how do we protect ourselves in the midst of these temptations?

It is written:  16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  

So count your gifts.  It might sound cliche but count your blessings.  Do no be deceived!  Your gifts, your blessings, far outweigh any hardship you are enduring.

James distinguishes good gifts and perfect gift.

Good gifts are all the good things you have now.  I’m not going to focus on these but some of the good gifts you have are your mom and dad.  Not perfect but still good.  Your wife or husband.  Not perfect but good.  Your son or daughter; house and home; food and drink, clothing and shoes; land animals and all that you have.  They are not perfect.  But they are good gifts.  You don’t have to be a Christian to count your good gifts.  The Father of lights is the Giver of all good gifts.

Then there are the perfect gifts.  Perfect gifts are your by promise.  Perfect gifts are implanted in you by means of Word and Sacrament.  Perfect gifts are received by faith in Jesus Christ only.  

Perfect gifts are the holy Christian church triumphant, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection from the dead, and the life everlasting.

Do not be deceive.  Do not fall.

The whole book of James seems to be an encouragement to Christians to be patient to the extent that you do not allow yourselves to be upset if others injure you, especially those who despise God’s Word and even those who persecute the church.

For the Father has given you good and perfect gifts that far outweigh your difficulties.  You have many good gifts.  Count them.  You are promised many perfect gifts as well; in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God, which passes understanding, guard and keep you in Jesus Christ, our Savior.  Amen.