Thursday, February 27, 2014

Growing in Christ: Matthew 17:1-9

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 27, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 17:1-9. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Bible Study: Matthew 17:1-9, February 26, 2014

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 26, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 17:1-9. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 23 & 24

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 23, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Matthew 5:38-48, February 23, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 23, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:38-48. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon: Matthew 5:38-48, February 23, 2014

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 of Matthew, the fifth chapter:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil... You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you... You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     Here Jesus is saying hard words.  They’re difficult.  They’re difficult to understand, they’re difficult to do, they’re difficult to reconcile.  What if someone is threatening my life?  Do not resist the one who is evil?  What if someone beating me on the street?  If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also?  What if someone is trying to steal my things from me?  If they’d sue you, give him not only your tunic but your cloak?  Not only some of your money but all of your savings?  Not only your car but your house?

     These words are hard, and I’m not going to pretend that they’re not.  These things are expected of the Christian life.  These things should have really made us fear for what we’ve done, for indeed we do have faith.  If we have faith, we have faith to see that we have not lived up to these things, and that should indeed scare us.  If we did not have faith, if we did not believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, then I wouldn’t expect you to fear, because then you might say, “I’ve done pretty well with these things.  Surely it’s not meant to be taken literally to do ALL the time.  Surely, it’s just an ideal.”  They, without faith, have a false security.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Growing in Christ: Matthew 5:38-48, Acts 9:10-19

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 20, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:38-48, Acts 9:10-19. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Bible Study: Matthew 5:38-48, February 19, 2014

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 19, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:38-48. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 22 & 23

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 16, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Matthew 5:21-37, February 16, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 16, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:21-37. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon: Matthew 5:21-37, February 16, 2014

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

The text this morning is from Matthew’s Gospel the 5th chapter:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment… You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart… It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all… Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”
Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     I’m going to be honest with you.  This is a hard text to preach.  There is so much that is good in today’s Gospel reading, but the problem is that it is all Law.  Jesus is very clearly telling us that the problems He addresses at this point in the Sermon on the Mount are things that He expects Christians to do.  The Christian life, quite honestly, should look like this.  

     Not only should we not murder, but if we are wrongly angry with our brother or sister in Christ, if we call them names, if we wish in our heart for their death, or we wish them ill in anyway, we are breaking the Law. 

     And let’s be honest, this happens ALL THE TIME!  None of us listen to Jesus on this one.  We all grow unrighteously angry at others.  We, each and every one of us, think that we are so much better than another person, we know better, we feel better, we see better than they do.  They do something to make us upset.  They do something that causes us to rage.  They do something that just irks us the wrong way, and, man alive, we jump down their throats, we hold bitterness in our hearts, we call them fools and morons behind their backs.  We do every single thing that we can in order to NOT be reconciled with them.  We don’t want it, we won’t have it.  It only makes us crazy.  We have all broken this Law.  And Jesus says that it is worthy of the fires of hell.  So, there you are.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Growing in Christ - Matthew 5:21-26, Philemon

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 6, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:21-26 and the book of Philemon. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Bible Study: Matthew 5:21-37, February 12, 2014

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 12, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:21-37. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 20 & 21

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 9, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Matthew 5:13-20, February 9, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 9, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:13-20. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon: Matthew 5:13-20, February 9, 2014

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 of the Matthew, the fifth chapter:
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.  You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. …I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.“
Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     These verses often seem to be used in such a way that it denies the actual intent of the passage.  We’ll get to that in a moment.  But, first, haven’t you heard it this way?  “You must continue to be salt and light in the world.  You dare not lose your saltiness or your light, otherwise Jesus will throw you out into the street and darkness.  You must continue to shine your light into the world so that others can hear about Jesus.  You must do this.  You have to do this.  If you don’t do this, you are no Christian at all.”

     Even growing up in some Lutheran churches, I had heard this.  And this is disappointing.  Jesus Christ is not saying in this great Sermon on the Mount that this is all up to you.  Though indeed, dear Christians, you are salt, you are light, but this is not because of your own doing.  On what day did the sun in the sky wake up and say, “Today I am going to burn?”  On what day did salt decide for itself to be salt and not tin?  Never.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Growing in Christ - Matthew 5:13-20, Acts 9:36-43

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 6, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:13-20 and Acts 9:36-43. This Bible Study is based on the curriculum from Concordia Publishing House's Sunday School curriculum, "Growing in Christ," a curriculum for all ages, helping to teach parents and teachers the material God in Christ wishes His children to learn to trust more in Him.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Bible Study: Matthew 5:13-20, February 5, 2014

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 5, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 5:13-20. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday.

The Bible study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 20

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 2, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on The Book of Concord. This Bible Study uses Concordia Publishing House's Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions as a basis for our study. Please feel free to follow along.

The Bible Study recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Luke 2:22-40, February 2, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 2, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Luke 2:22-40. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Sermon: Luke 2:22-40, February 2, 2014

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 of Luke, the second chapter:
And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,
     Today is the ancient Church festival of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus.  You may wonder why it is that we, as the Church, decided to celebrate such a day.  After all, we don’t celebrate just anything that happens in the Scriptures.  We have festival days to remember Peter, John, all the apostles, Timothy, Titus, the Baptism of Jesus, the Transfiguration, Easter Sunday.  But this seems relatively minor in comparison.  Perhaps you even got bored during the long reading of today’s Gospel lesson.  It doesn’t seem exciting.  It just seems like another event.

     I can understand that, certainly.  It’s an over 1400 year old festival.  So, in that 1400 years, perhaps some of the meaning has been lost.  Today, though, through the text, we are going to work to regain the meaning.

     In this text, we have an incredible amount of Gospel.  We have an incredible amount of Good News.  And we have here an idea that the Lord Jesus Christ has come, not to abolish the Law, for that would accomplish nothing.  Instead, the Lord has come, and we needed Him to come, to fulfill the Law.