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.