Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 26

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 30, 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: Ephesians 5:1-14, March 30, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 30, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Ephesians 5:1-14. 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: Ephesians 5:1-14, March 30, 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 Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the fifth chapter:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving… But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     The reality that we face as Christians is knowing that we are called to be imitators of God.  Of course, this is difficult, if not impossible, but that is the call.  Paul in his letter this morning makes no excuses for you.  He calls you right into obedience, the obedience of his words and the obedience you must have towards God.

     But, of course, it is not just random obedience you are supposed to have.  It’s not just that you should go out and do generic good works.  It’s not that YOU get to decide what it is that you shall do this day to be obedient.  No, Paul tells us what this obedience is: to walk as beloved children of God, beloved of each other, giving ourselves up for the sake of our brethren, forgiving each other, just as Christ did.

     For indeed, is there anywhere in the entire world where we see a better example of what love is, or what love does?  Love caused Christ’s incarnation, love brought Christ down to us, His love of us caused Him to grow in strength, and wisdom, and stature, love caused Him to live a perfect life, love caused Him to die, to be crucified, love, love even caused His own resurrection from the dead.  But this is not some generic love; this is the love of God shown to sinners like us.  This is the love that causes someone to lay His life down for His friends.  This is love, and there is no greater love than this. 

Growing in Christ: John 9

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 27, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on John 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.

Lenten Sermon: Person of Interest: A Roman Soldier, John 19:23-30, March 26, 2014

    This sermon series will investigate some persons of interest in the death of Jesus Christ. Each sermon will ask if this person is guilty of the death of Jesus Christ.  As we listen and hear the case against each player in the death of Christ, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word.

     This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 26, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on John 19:23-30. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 26

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 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: John 4:5-26, March 23, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 23, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on John 4:5-26. 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: John 4:5-26, March 25, 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 John, the fourth chapter:

So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink… If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” …Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet… I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     What in the world is Jesus up to here?  He’s breaking every rule, breaking every taboo, breaking everything He possibly can think of by talking to this woman.  Not only is she a stinking Samaritan, she’s a woman.  This was a no-no back in Jesus’ time.

     We may have a hard time wrapping our heads around this, but men and women were fairly well separated in the Jewish culture, so much so that if Jesus was seen talking to this woman, He would’ve caused a scandal.  People would whisper, people would gossip, people would judge, but then again, Jesus was no stranger to that kind of thing.  Neither was this woman.

     For you see, this woman was used to being judged.  She was used to being gossiped about.  She was used to being the subject of hushed whispers as she would walk by.  That didn’t mean that she liked it, but it happened all the same.  After all, she was gathering her water for the day at the sixth hour, noon, the hottest part of the day.  They didn’t have tap water back then; you had to go to a community well to draw out your water.  You went early in the morning or near sundown so that it wasn’t so hot and tiring.  You would visit with others, share your stories, share some laughter, and then you’d head home before it got too warm and your water would splash out or evaporate.  

Growing in Christ: John 4:1-42

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 20, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on John 4:1-42. 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.

Lenten Sermon: Person of Interest: Paul, Acts 7:54-8:3, March 19, 2014

    This sermon series will investigate some persons of interest in the death of Jesus Christ. Each sermon will ask if this person is guilty of the death of Jesus Christ.  As we listen and hear the case against each player in the death of Christ, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word.

     This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 19, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on Acts 7:54-8:3. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 25

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 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: Romans 4:1-8, 13-17, March 16, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 16, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Romans 4:1-8, 13-17. 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: Romans 4:1-8, 13-17, March 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 Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the 4^th chapter:

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”…For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. …That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     This is one of the most joyous passages in the entire Scripture, in my humble opinion.  From Paul’s own, Holy Spirit-inspired hand, he writes to us that we are not justified by works, but by faith, just as Abraham was.  In this we know that there is nothing that we can do, nothing we need to do in order to win our justification.  God demands nothing from us for our justification, because it is all a free gift from His hand on account of Christ.

     Let’s take a look, however, at what it would be like if Christ’s whole plan to justify us were different.  Let’s suppose that you are justified by what you do.  If Abraham was justified by works, then he would have had to actually plunge the knife into his son as God told him to do.  For, in this case, obedience is what would matter, not the faith, belief, and trust in the promise that through Isaac, dead or alive, Abraham would be the father of many nations.  Abraham believed God when He told him that Isaac would be the one through whom many nations would come, including God’s chosen nation, Israel, Jacob, and the Church.  Abraham believed that God would do this thing for Abraham as he promised, whether Isaac was kept alive, or whether he needed to sacrifice him.  He would resurrect Isaac, if necessary.  Abraham trusted God.  After all, Abraham knew by faith that God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living, and is still even now the God of the living, the living Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Growing in Christ: John 3:1-21

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 13, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on John 3:1-21. 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.

Lenten Sermon: Person of Interest: Peter, Matthew 26:30-35, March 12, 2014

     This sermon series will investigate some persons of interest in the death of Jesus Christ. Each sermon will ask if this person is guilty of the death of Jesus Christ.  As we listen and hear the case against each player in the death of Christ, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word.

     This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 12, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on Matthew 26:30-35. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 24

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 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 4:1-11, March 9, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 9, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 4:1-11. 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 4:1-11, March 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 Matthew’s Gospel, the fourth chapter:

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. …the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil… said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down [from the temple and God will send His angels to you]…” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil… said to him, “All [the kingdoms of the world and their glory] I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him…

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     As we are now in the Lenten season, we can’t help but notice that there has been a seemingly significant shift in emotion here.  Not only is the color on the altar and other paraments significantly different than the white we had last week, the music is different, perhaps a little more deliberate and penitential, our attitudes seem different.  And this is rightly so.  For Lent is a penitential time in which we follow our Lord Jesus Christ’s journey to the cross.  We know that our sins are what lead Him to that tree.  Everything seems a little different in the church right now.  

     Yet, the only thing that remains the same is the Word of God.  For in this, the Word of God, we do follow Jesus to the cross, but we follow Him as He willingly goes, for the forgiveness of sins, your sins.  You may cry and weep this season, but also cry and weep in joy, for Jesus has taken your sins from you upon this cross.  Lent always brings us to Easter Sunday when we exclaim with loud voices and song what He has done for us.  The Church Year is great, for Lenten penitence leads to Easter joy, which leads to seeing what Christ has done for the Church, which leads to Advent expectation, which leads to Resurrection hope.

Growing in Christ: Matthew 4:1-11

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 6, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 4:1-11. 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.

Lenten Sermon: Person of Interest: John, Mark 10:35-45, Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2014

     This sermon series will investigate some persons of interest in the death of Jesus Christ. Each sermon will ask if this person is guilty of the death of Jesus Christ.  As we listen and hear the case against each player in the death of Christ, we also hear that the words are for us today. May the Lord bless us as we hear His Word.

     This sermon, preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 5, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, focuses on Mark 10:35-45. The sermon recording may also be accessed by clicking the title of this blog post and playing it in your browser.

Bible Study: The Book of Concord, Augsburg Confession 24

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 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: Matthew 17:1-9, March 2, 2014

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on March 2, 2014 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Matthew 17:1-9. 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 17:1-9, March 2, 2014

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

The text this Transfiguration Sunday is from the Gospel of Matthew, the 17^th chapter:

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Thus far the text.

Dear friends in Christ,

     Today is Transfiguration Sunday.  This day closes out the season of Epiphany, a season in which we have seen the Lord Jesus Christ’s miraculous works and words, a season in which we have heard of the Lord’s desire to extend His people from East to West and North to South, a season in which the Lord has declared His work to the Gentiles, and not solely to the Jews.

     This Transfiguration, we see fully the divinity of Jesus manifest in His humanity.  We have seen His human nature, His frailty, His weak flesh.  But, until now we have not seen His divinity.  We have seen Him born in a manger to sinful parents.  We have seen visiting Magi from the East bring this child presents.  We have seen Jesus circumcised, according to the Law of Moses, on the eighth day.  We have seen Jesus baptized in the River Jordan to fulfill all righteousness.  We have seen prophecies spoken over Him, we have heard songs sung about Him, we have seen old men hold Him in their arms.  We have seen Him call His disciples, we have seen Him teach marvelous things in His sermons and on the roads.  We have seen Him do many things according to His human nature, that human nature which He shares with each and every one of us, but we have not yet ever seen His divinity.