Podcast Sermon for December 25, 2011: The Signal

Sermon for December 25, 2011: The Signal

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text for this Christmas morning is from the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 52, verses 7-10:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.
Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     Merry Christmas! In the interest of full disclosure, this is my very first Christmas morning service. At least so far as I can remember. So, if my sermon this morning lets you down, if it disappoints you, it’s likely only because I have never heard a Christmas Day sermon. I will just attempt to do what I can do, and that is to preach the Word of God.

     You see, the Word of God is not a sermon on why it’s better to say “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays,” though this is debatable for sure. The Word of God is not a sermon that is going to tell you to focus on Jesus alone and not Santa Claus. The Word of God is not a sermon that is going to tell you that we should be out giving to and serving others rather than receiving and taking gifts from our family and friends. In fact, the Word of God is proclaimed in a sermon when that sermon focuses on Jesus Christ, when that sermon tells you what a wretched person you are, when that sermon tells you what an amazing and forgiving God we have, when that sermon proclaims to you the salvation and forgiveness won for you by Jesus Christ Himself. And God willing, that is what this sermon, that is what the Word of God, will proclaim here.

Repentance and Our Need for Advent, with Pr. Matt Harrison, 12/14/2011

Issues, Etc. had on their program President Harrison on December 14, 2011 (you can hear the program by clicking the link below).  He was speaking of the mistreatment of pastors and how it's related to the idea that the Gospel disappears quite quickly. The full quote of President Harrison is below and I love this. Ah, American Christianity... (Think not we Lutherans are immune, for the mistreatment of pastors brings about this same problem, this absconding of the Gospel.)

“Let us remember our former misery, and the darkness in which we dwelt. Germany, I am sure, has never before heard so much of God’s word as it is hearing today; certainly we read nothing of it in history. If we let it just slip by without thanks and honor, I fear we shall suffer a still more dreadful darkness and plague. O my beloved Germans, buy while the market is at your door; gather in the harvest while there is sunshine and fair weather; make use of God’s grace and word while it is there! For you should know that God’s word and grace is like a passing shower of rain which does not return where it has once been. It has been with the Jews, but when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have nothing. Paul brought it to the Greeks; but again when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have the Turk. Rome and the Latins also had it; but when it’s gone it’s gone, and now they have the pope. And you Germans need not think that you will have it forever, for ingratitude and contempt will not make it stay. Therefore, seize it and hold it fast, whoever can; for lazy hands are bound to have a lean year.”

~ Pastor Martin Luther (LW 45:352)

Repentance and Our Need for Advent, with Pr. Matt Harrison, 12/14/2011

Podcast Sermon for December 7, 2011: It's Time to Wake Up

Sermon for December 7, 2011: It's Time to Wake Up

     Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
     The text this evening is from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, chapter 13, verses 11-14:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     Perhaps for many of you, the concept of oversleeping is something that is in the past. However, for me, I am constantly afraid of oversleeping, especially when school is in session. I hate the idea of being late for something. I like the old adage: “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, don’t even bother showing up.” Unfortunately, I like it so much that it often scares me.

Podcast Sermon for December 4, 2011: Comfort, Comfort

Sermon for December 4, 2011: Comfort, Comfort

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

     The text this morning is from the Old Testament lesson, the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 40, especially verses 1 and 2 and 6 through 8:

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins…

A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?"
All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     “Comfort, Comfort, my people.” The Isaiah text this morning is one of my favorite texts in Scripture, as it speaks poignantly to the human condition. We are sinners, this is true, and yet God desires that we are His, so He brings comfort, salve to a hurting people.

Podcast Sermon for November 23, 2011: Thanking the Priest

Sermon for November 23, 2011: Thanking the Priest

     Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
     The text this evening is from the Gospel lesson, the book of Luke, especially verses 14-16:

When Jesus saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     Happy Thanksgiving! Well, a day early anyway. Perhaps many of you would be surprised to know that Thanksgiving Day is not a religious holiday, although it has always been celebrated by religious people. In America, it was a holiday probably started by the Pilgrims after watching such thanksgiving celebrations in the city of Lieden in the Netherlands. They had taken shelter there from religious persecution before they had set out for America. Contrary to popular belief, the first thanksgiving likely had no American Indians, but was a celebration by the Pilgrims at the anniversary of their colony’s founding and because they had such a bountiful harvest.

     We like to think of Thanksgiving, certainly, as the time we give thanks for the things that we have received. In fact, if you’re on Facebook or have an internet presence, you may have seen, as I did, many people participating in what they call a month of thanks, where each day they give thanks for the things they appreciate in their lives. Children, family, jobs, traditions, faith, God, all these and more have been recognized as something for which we should give thanks.

Relationships or proclamation?

Just a fantastic quote from Dr. Kim Riddlebarger on the White Horse Inn podcast from June 15, 2008.  I didn't want to lose it, so it's being posted here. We hear so much about "relational ministry:" get to know people and slowly gain their trust enough so they can be evangelized (or some other definition where relationship trumps proclamation). Riddlebarger basically reminds us that the way most churches seem to encourage ministers and people to share the faith is not the way of THE Church. You can listen to the (shortened) podcast at this iTunes link or at their website.  The episode is called "The Gospel of Pragmatism."  It's quite excellent.

"What [evangelical] ministers don't seem to have any category for is the fact that in their job, in their office as minister, it's their job to proclaim the Gospel, the objective truth of the Gospel, from their pulpits.  And I think they forget that the primary way that evangelism takes place in the New Testament is not relational [ministry] but it's the proclamation of the Gospel by those to whom God has called and sent for that specific purpose."

- Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

Podcast Sermon for November 20, 2011: The Last Sunday

Sermon for November 20, 2011: The Last Sunday

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

     The text this morning is from the Gospel lesson, the Apostle Matthew, chapter 25, especially verses 33-39:

He will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     This day is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. So what? I’ll tell you so what. Today is the day that we celebrate the end of our earthly lives. It’s a pre-death funeral of sorts. You see, we have just come out of the great time of the Church. Seriously, this vocabulary is how we as the Church speak of such things. The whole of the Church Year is set up to reflect the entire message of the Gospel and the life of the Church, and we are the Church. To get that full musical reflection on the Christian life, we are singing a broad range of hymns today. That’s why we are singing Easter and Christmas and Church militant hymns together.

Podcast Sermon for November 13, 2011: Putting on Our Own Clothes

Sermon for November 13, 2011: Putting on Our Own Clothes

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

     The text this morning is from the Old Testament lesson, the prophet Zephaniah, chapter 1, specifically verses 7 through 16:

Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near;
the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.
And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice— "I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire.
On that day I will punish everyone who leaps over the threshold,
and those who fill their master’s house with violence and fraud.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     In these days of November, when our daylight savings have run out, the days are getting darker as the setting sun comes earlier and earlier. This now is the forerunner time of the great season of waiting, the season of Advent, when the Son of God brings His light into the world, first as a new born child and soon again as the coming king of the universe. But it is a time of waiting and we struggle to see the light.
We see that we are living in dark times, not only in the setting of the sun, but also in the world. We have wars, rumors of wars, famines, plagues, earthquakes, and floods. The world is not getting any better. In fact, the world appears to be getting darker and darker.
     The Old Testament text today is a grim warning against the people who have rejected God. The prophet Zephaniah was a man with a dark message. He wasn’t one of these modern day prophets who’ll tell you that God spoke to them in the night that He wants you to be happy and wealthy. If such a prophet is around you, cast him out! No, a prophet like Zephaniah speaks the Word of God. He speaks of sinners and He speaks of God’s forgiveness.

Reformation Day

One of my favorite hymns for Reformation Day is the "Built on the Rock the Church Shall Stand" (the text is below with two good renditions of the song). It points us to the fact that God is not found in a church building, though He is found there in Christ in His promised Word and Sacrament. It points out that God dwells in Heaven, but chose to dwell on earth in Christ and continues to dwell on earth through His most holy Sacraments.

It shows us hope that even when the whole world is falling apart (when I sing the song, I imagine large earthquakes shaking the foundation of the whole land, with everything around crumbling), Christ still protects and defends His people. He has promised to come to us in His grace with His holy meal and baptism. These contain and deliver to us the grace by which we're saved, won for us on the cross of Calvary by the vicarious, atoning death of Jesus Christ. These are the body and blood of our Lord, broken and shed on that same cross for the forgiveness of ALL your sins.

And this is what the Reformation sought to reclaim: God's free grace promised to His people for all time. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

How may we be assured of that grace? How may we be forgiven? And since we may not actively work to attain salvation, for that would be the very works righteousness of the Roman church which Luther and the other reformers fought against, and we continue to fight against it, how may we passively receive His salvation? Very simply: through Word and Sacrament.

This teaching of Word and Sacrament, the Church has had from its inception; 2000 years of Church history point us very clearly to this end. Anyone who stands in the way and says that the Sacraments are not efficacious are denying the very promise of God and stand against those years. Moreover, those who deny God's grace in this way are the very cause of the steeples crumbling, for the people who are convinced by this Satanic argument fall away with nothing to assure them of their salvation, save their own, sinful, damning works.

This Reformation Day, set free your doubts, not by your own work, but by the Holy Spirit's conviction of you in Truth. Cling to Christ. Cling to the Cross on which Christ won your salvation. Be free from your sin, not by your own works, but that the Son of the house has set the slave to sin free (John 8:25-26). Cling to the physical God, the physical Christ still in our presence in His Word and Sacrament.
The very Word of Christ is spoken to you and comes to you through your ears. The very body and blood of Christ is given for you and comes to you through your mouth. This allows us to see that the very communion of the body of Christ is among you and comes to you through your eyes. As well, the very Truth of Christ then comes to you in your mind and soul.

This is to what we cling, not because we have earned it or are holy, but that Christ is holy and these are His gifts, His continuing gifts to us.

Amen.

1 Built on the Rock the Church shall stand

Even when steeples are falling.

Crumbled have spires in ev'ry land;

Bells still are chiming and calling,

Calling the young and old to rest,

But above all the soul distressed,

Longing for rest everlasting.

2 Surely in temples made with hands

God, the Most High, is not dwelling;

High above earth His temple stands,

All earthly temples excelling.

Yet He who dwells in heav'n above

Chooses to live with us in love,

Making our bodies His temple.

3 We are God's house of living stones,

Built for His own habitation.

He through baptismal grace us owns

Heirs of His wondrous salvation.

Were we but two His name to tell,

Yet He would deign with us to dwell,

With all His grace and His favor.

4 Here stands the font before our eyes,

Telling how God has received us;

Th'altar recalls Christ's sacrifice

And what His Supper here gives us.

Here sound the Scriptures that proclaim

Christ yesterday, today, the same,

And evermore, our Redeemer.

5 Grant then, O God, Your will be done,

That, when the church bells are ringing,

Many in saving faith may come

Where Christ His message is bringing:

"I know mine own, My own know Me,

You, not the world, My face shall see.

My peace I leave with you. Amen."

Podcast Sermon for October 16, 2011: Trying to Trap God

Sermon for October 16, 2011: Trying to Trap God

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

The text this morning is from the Gospel lesson, from the Apostle Matthew, chapter 22:

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar’s." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

            We have for so long thought to ourselves that the Word of God is nothing more than simple stories.  Isn’t it so easy to distance ourselves from the text of the Bible?  The story of Adam and Eve is just a simple fable in which we discover some truth about how we find ourselves in trouble now and then.  The story of Abraham and Isaac makes for a beautiful painting, but we cannot believe that our Lord God would ever ask that one His followers sacrifice his son, so we see only that God provides His angels to take care of us.  The story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho makes for a great Veggie Tales video with vegetables marching incoherently around some city in the middle of nowhere.  The story of David and Bathsheba becomes yet one more story about how we should not commit adultery.

God's Wrath is Satisfied

My very good friend, Adam Buzard, tweeted a link that led to this video:





On Twitter, I would have had 140 characters. I had more to say than I wanted to just put there.

Driscoll didn't go far enough, in my opinion. God hates sinners, and I, even as a Christian, even as a man training to be a pastor, am chief of them. He must damn me because He is just. God hates all sinners, and there are no perfect people... save one.

And yet, God poured out His wrath on the only one who never deserved God's hatred, the perfect God-man, Jesus Christ, who takes God's wrath to Himself, accepts it's vengeful flow, and dies.

It's not fair, it's not right, it's not good that Jesus was judged as Sin itself, because you yourself deserved it. But He has granted His perfection to us so that God does not pour His wrath on us who deserve it. He has granted His righteousness to those who believe and are baptized into His death and raised to new life, not by their own power (since how can a dead man come back to life by his own power), but by God's own power and Holy Spirit.

Therefore, while we are sinners and deserve judgement, only those in Him may expect and even demand salvation since judgement has already been carried out for their sake on the person of Jesus Christ. God must hate me, since I am a sinner. But instead of hating me, He hated Christ for me.

That's more than 140 characters, too. But I needed to say it. =)

Podcast Sermon for October 2, 2011: The Wild Vineyard

Sermon for October 2, 2011: The Wild Vineyard

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

Dear friends in Christ,
The text for this morning’s message is from the Old Testament reading, from book of Isaiah, chapter 5.

Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!

Thus far the text.
At the outset, the text this morning seems fairly straightforward, doesn’t it? This is the prophet Isaiah, perhaps one of the best-known, most well-respected prophets with some of the greatest and most beautiful words concerning Christ. Isaiah here begins singing a song of His God, who is our God, the Lord. It is not Isaiah’s song, but a song that God has given Isaiah to sing. This is straight from the mouth of God Himself. And in this song, we see that God has a vineyard. It is on the choicest of hills. Already the soil is fertile and is ready for planting, but God is not yet satisfied.

The Message Stays the Same

Why does a company change its message? For instance, when the Apple computer of the 1990s geared up a new campaign in the early 2000s, which demonstrated not the clunky desktop computers that had been the only and every computer of every thinking, hip, creative person, but a mobile computer, which heretofore had been the companion of many a businessman (or woman), used only for accounting and spreadsheeting and word processing, it was to accompany one of the most revolutionary devices. Ever. The iPod.

They had a new product, so they had to change their message. They had to change their marketing. Their new product demanded it.

Why does the Church require pastors to be trained? (See Titus 1:7-9)

I have been listening to an awful lot of bad pastors lately. Not just bad sermons, but bad pastors. They are leading people astray. They have awful doctrine. They have awful ideas. And they are risking leading their people straight to Hell, not because the name Jesus doesn't come up, but because the name of Jesus comes up to get them prosperity or power or health or miracles or what have you. THEY ARE SELLING A NEW PRODUCT. And I have to tell you, this product, this new message of Jesus, isn't going to do jack for you but send you to Hell because it's a different Jesus, it's not the Jesus of the Scriptures, it's not the Jesus who came to earth to die for sinners.

The Jesus that some pastors preach, this faker Jesus (like those that annoy me here or that grieve Chris Rosebrough (for the sake of the people who are fooled by them) on Fighting for the Faith and the guys at Issues, Etc. abhor), call people like me haters because they believe I don't like their innovation. They call people like me haters because I don't like their message. They call people like me haters because we don't believe in a Jesus that promises to make you a ruler over the temporal earth. They call people like me haters because we don't believe in a Jesus that comes to that individual pastor and gives them a vision for their "church." They call people like me haters because we don't believe in a Jesus that comes to tell you what to do now because he wants to "resurrect" you in this life so you can be a "conqueror for God."

They call people like me haters because we believe in a Jesus that IS offensive, because God bloodied Himself and died on a cursed tree, that IS offensive because He redeems sinners, that IS offensive because He condemns people who believe they can save themselves or that they can somehow merit His favor (which only comes through JESUS alone!).

The Church requires that we train pastors because JESUS IS NOT A NEW PRODUCT! The product of Jesus, if I can be so coarse, has never changed. The product is the message: Jesus comes only for sinners, of which I am chief, to redeem them from sin, death, and the devil, those consequences which the sinners have brought on themselves, giving Himself to death fully for all so that we might never die and gives us the promise of everlasting life with Him. This message has never experienced, and will never experience, change.

The Church requires that we train pastors because we are not called to innovate! We are not called to find new understandings of doctrine! Read Titus! It's the doctrine that the Apostles themselves taught that pastors are trained in, found clearly and simply in Scripture, and only that, nothing more, not even our own reason. That's why the Church trains pastors, we must teach what Jesus taught the Apostles to teach! Not that we apply our own reason to the ways and revelation of God. Not that Jesus demands you sacrifice your money so He can bless you. Not that Jesus demands we dumb things down so as to not teach parts of the Scriptures or Creeds. Not that Jesus can't work a miracle in your life because you're not ridiculous enough. This is, excuse me, horse poopy!

The Church requires that we train pastors because we are not selling anything new. Sometimes, depending on context, our "advertising" may need to change, like the language we speak to people or the hymnody with which we praise God. But the things that the Church has always and will always teach is that which the Apostles of Jesus Christ taught. It always will be.

The Church is not a company. The Church does NOT change its message. Our Jesus Christ is eternal, thus He never changes. That which is eternal never needs to be reimagined because it can't be! And the pastors the Church calls MUST be trained to know the doctrine of the Apostles and the eternality of Christ and His one message, which indeed never changes. A change to this doctrine is against Christ, it's true, and will lead people to Hell, not because the doctrine is so sacred, but rather that Christ Himself is the chief telos of that doctrine and anything else misses the mark.

As cool as Apple is, the Church is not Apple, and we won't be changing our message, we won't be compromising it. And if a church does indeed change its message from what is found in the Scriptures, then it's not part of the Church, but is being led astray by Satan, who is behind the ideas that are preached in that "church."

Podcast Sermon for September 18, 2011: A Hard Life

Sermon for September 18, 2011: A Hard Life

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

The text for this morning’s message comes from the Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Chapter 1.  Allow me to read some key portions for you, where Paul is speaking about his suffering in bondage to the authorities:

 Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain…  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again… For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Dear Friends in Christ,

            There is a story of a boy who had a bad day.  First off, he went to sleep with gum in his mouth, which then got in his hair.  Then this boy tripped on his skateboard getting out of bed, soaked his sweater in the sink getting ready, and his brothers both found prizes in their cereal boxes but he found none.  To make it worse, on his school carpool, he got the hump in backseat, squeezed between warm bodies with no window to enjoy the ride, then his teacher judged his ability to engage in art and criticized it in front of the whole class.

Whose faith is it?

I find it interesting that some pastors push their expectation of faith onto people as if it were something that one could do, as if you could figure out how to make it a commodity.

What about the whole idea of each person having their own measure of faith? I think the problem is that it comes down to the idea of who owns faith? If you own the faith, then it was yours before you were even converted, and then, yes, people should be able to be molded into who a bad pastor wants them to be.

However, if your faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit (Oh yeah! Ephesians 2:8, right?), then it is up to Him what happens to your faith, the way it grows, the way it develops, the way it changes. Your faith can't be demanded to anything because it really isn't your faith. It's His.

Moreover, it is the faith that is assuaged by the good news of Jesus Christ. Why? Because it's His in the first place! It's a faith that, no matter the circumstance, is always able to be comforted. For this argument, it doesn't matter what you're going through, all that matters is whose faith it is.

So, the takeaway lesson: if a bad pastor is going to preach the Law to Christians, to demand that they do something the right way or at the right time or in whatever else they think is best, then he should just be avoided. His "gospel" is not the Gospel, it is not anything that helps a person grow, except in the eyes of that bad pastor. He doesn't care about how the Spirit actually works in his congregation, only that he sets the terms of how he wants the Holy Spirit to work (which won't ever, ever happen - the Holy Spirit is even more stubborn than I am, holding Himself only to the promises that Scripture tells us He makes).

Podcast Sermon for September 4, 2011: Jesus, Our Watchman

Sermon for September 4, 2011: Jesus, Our Watchman

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

The text this morning is from Ezekiel Chapter 33. Allow me to read the text again for you, starting at verse 1:

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.

"So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

A Pastoral Approach

My name is Lewis Polzin and this is my blog. I don't intend it to be a place of great traffic, and I hope to never, ever focus on that.

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