Bible Study: Job 15:17-16:22, February 22, 2015

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 22, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Job 15:17-16:22. Play the audio by clicking here.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Genesis 22:1-8, February 22, 2015

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 22, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Genesis 22:1-8. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link and you may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Genesis 22:1-8, February 22, 2015

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 book of Genesis, the 22^nd chapter:

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

     This is perhaps one of the strangest passages in the Scriptures, and certainly one of the most difficult passages to explain to our children and grandchildren, much less even ourselves.  It brings up a lot of questions, but sometimes leaves us scratching our heads all the more.  Why would God ask Abraham to kill Isaac?  Why would an angel stop him?  Why doesn’t anyone ask any questions about the sacrifice?  

     You see, it’s weird, isn’t it?  But, if we understand this, that everything in the Scriptures point us to our Lord, then we more easily understand exactly what is happening here, and we understand then what this means even for us.

Sermon: Martin Luther on Matthew 4:1-11, February 18, 2015

This sermon series during Midweek Lent 2015 is taken from Martin Luther's Gospel Church Postils for the Lenten Season. These sermons have been amended for preaching at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on February 18, 2015. The citation for the sermon is found below. You may play the audio by clicking here.

Luther, M. (2013). Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent. In B. T. G. Mayes, J. L. Langebartels, & C. B. Brown (Eds.), Luther’s Works: Church Postil II (Vol. 76, pp. 365–374). Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Bible Study: Job 15:12-16, February 15, 2015

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 15, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Job 15:12-16. Play the audio by clicking here.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Mark 9:2-9, February 15, 2015

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 15, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Mark 9:2-9. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here and you may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Mark 9:2-9, February 15, 2015

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 ninth chapter of the Gospel according to Mark:

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

     This Transfiguration Day, the last day of the season of Epiphany, we begin to prepare ourselves for our journey through Lent.  And in this journey, we shall be penitent.  If we are not, we do not understand the season well.  We shall be penitent, for this time has been set aside for us to look upon the cross and see what our sin has wrought for our Savior.  Our sin has put Him to death upon the cursed tree, and we should even yet repent of that.

     But, we do not despair in our penitence.  We should not be so introspective and so pious that our sin and the cost of that sin causes us to doubt in our salvation, the very salvation won for us on the cross.  Glorious Day!  Jesus is dead!  There, and only there, and in that way, and only that way, salvation is won for you and for all humanity.  Your sin put Jesus on the cross, yes, and so did mine, and so did the whole world’s, but it is only through Christ’s death that payment is made for sin, and only through that death are you welcomed to eternal life.  For if there is eternal life, it is found in the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and that promise He has given even to you.

Bible Study: Mark 9:2-9, February 11, 2015

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on Mark 9:2-9 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on February 11, 2015. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday. Play the audio by clicking here.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: 1 Corinthians 9:16-27, February 8, 2015

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 8, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on 1 Corinthians 9:16-27. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here and you may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: 1 Corinthians 9:16-27, February 8, 2015

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 First Letter to the Corinthians, the 9^th chapter:

For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

     About 7 years ago now, while I was in Cincinnati and working with my congregation down there, a man approached me.  He gave me two choices.  He told me I had to either become an elder of the congregation or I would have to go to seminary and become a pastor.  I wasn’t given an option.  He didn’t leave me one.  It was one of the two.  Now, an elder is obviously not a pastor, or vice versa.  There are very different responsibilities in those jobs, but there is some overlap.  It involves the care of the Church.  But the decision was between those two jobs, without any other option, and I made my choice, and here I am today.

     For Paul, it’s not that much different.  He wasn’t given a choice in being an apostle.  It wasn’t as if Jesus came to him, dangling the carrot in front of him, and asked him if that’s what he really, really wanted.  Jesus just told him, actually even through Ananias, not even directly to Paul right off the bat, that Paul is Christ’s chosen instrument to carry the name of Jesus to the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.  That’s what Jesus says in the book of Acts.  And Jesus also says that Paul is going to suffer.  A lot.

Bible Study: 1 Corinthians 9:16-27, February 4, 2015

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on 1 Corinthians 9:16-27 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on February 4, 2015. This Bible Study will help to lay a foundation for the sermon that is preached the following Sunday. Play the audio by clicking here.

Bible Study: Job 14:18-15:11, February 1, 2015

A Bible Study taught by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 1, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Job 14:18-15:11. Play the audio by clicking here.

A Pastoral Approach: Sermon: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, February 1, 2015

A sermon preached by Pastor Lewis Polzin on February 1, 2015 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bemidji, MN, on Deuteronomy 18:15-20. The text of this sermon may be found by clicking this link here and you may play the audio of the sermon here.

Sermon: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, February 1, 2015

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 Book of Deuteronomy, the 18^th chapter:

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ 

Thus far the text.

My dear friends in Christ,

     Martin Luther called this passage the best passage of the entire book of Deuteronomy.  Now, if you’ve read Deuteronomy, full of its laws and regulations, you might be inclined to agree.  But, that’s not the reason why this is the chief passage here.  It’s chief, it’s best, because it is a distinct prophecy of the great prophet who is to come.  And that prophet, was, of course, Jesus Christ.

     But, Christ is not only a prophet.  He is no mere prophet, He is the fulfillment of all that prophecy ever said.  Christ came to give a new word to the people.  Moses, in this book has finished all of his teaching over the priesthood of Israel, the nation that Israel is to be, and how God demands to be worshipped.  But, here, Moses places this wonderful prophecy, this passage, to show that something new is coming.  There will be a new Israel, a new priesthood, a new worship of God, where, as David says, sacrifices and offerings God does not desire, but that the ways of God, the Law of God, is written upon our hearts.