You Have Just Won a Million Bucks!

You can earn 10,000 or more per week in the comfort of your own home by being on the internet 2 hours a day! Take these pills and you too can lose 80 lbs in 1 month without lifting a finger! Send us a gift and we will send you a blessed prayer cloth which will make you financially secure! So on and so on it goes. Believe us and by the way send us your money!

When it comes to promises given in a fallen world is healthy and desirable one should keep a tight hold on the credit card and checkbook. It may sound cliché but “if it sounds to good to be true it probably is” is the best response to much of what is touted as truth. Belief in things in no way changes your status. Unless we are speaking about the promises associated with the perfect life, innocent sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus.

John 20:31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. ESV

Belief in Jesus does indeed change your status. Instead of being a condemned sinner suffering eternal death the believer inherits life eternal. Pr Tom Baker, Law and Gospel Broadcast, states that is one of the areas which differentiates Christianity from every other religion. In all other religions that have a personal god it all depends upon the person to get right and make up for wrongdoing. In Christianity we have God in the person of Jesus fulfilling what we could not do and paying for the wrong we have done.

2 Corinthians 5:16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ESV

In this we see that the problem is our problem not God’s problem. In our inner brat we want to think we have an angry God to pacify with our corrected behaviour and sacrifices. We need to be reconciled to God not the other way round. This is such a radical departure from what many in Christendom, lamentably, hear in a given Sunday sermon. Away with this pointing men back at themselves for hope. Demand your pastor to proclaim you are a dead sinner and need Jesus or be lost for eternity. If your pastor reminds you of that constantly be sure to thank him for others will be asking him to move on to so called bigger and better things. Our hope comes from outside us which is where the only true peace and hope lies. The finished work of Jesus for sinners.

In the name of Jesus. Amen. †

Friends From Out of Town.

Luke 9:30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ESV

A few Sundays ago during the sermon on the Transfiguration of Jesus I found it interesting the subject that was discussed between Jesus, Moses and Elijah. We are not told what exactly the words used but it was about Jesus’ upcoming sacrifice for our sins. This, I suppose, is a natural subject since both Moses and Elijah looked forward to their Saviour and ours and what he would accomplish for us.

That is the golden thread from beginning to end in scripture. The entire reason for the second person of the Triune God incarnating was to give his life as a ransom. Years ago all churches except the very liberal or ones who should not be called churches had this as weekly fare. One could not leave worship without knowing how desperate his or her condition is without Jesus’ atoning sacrifice.

This all seems rather boring and passé to the modern mind. Minds condition by our culture to think that all we have to do is to muscle up against any difficulty and we can solve it. In the last election that was the recurring theme is how we can fix our country with enough effort. Certainly in the daily grind heroic efforts can result in progress. This is not only commendable but is indeed desirable. This however, will not work when it comes to our desperate condition in the sight of a holy God.

Matthew 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ESV

This is another summation of the laws requirements in a short sentence. Do you on your own effort want to fix your relationship with God? Very simple and easy to remember phrase covers it. All you have to do is never sin from the moment of conception forward till your death. What? Not so easy is it? No indeed it is not only not easy but it is impossible. So many will look at the Sermon on the Mount, out of which this phrase is taken, as marching orders to get right or remain right with God. Indeed much wisdom on how to carry on is found there. But this phrase does us in as far as God is concerned. This was Jesus’ other reason for coming was to fulfill in human flesh the requirements of the law. This active obedience accomplished for us the entire filling in all our law keeping requirements. There is no need to look at progress or lack thereof to know that we have forgiveness of sin and life everlasting. Jesus did the whole job of being right witht the law for us!

Thanks be to God. Amen

Ear Candy? Or is it a Grave Concern?

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Therefore, to avoid this vice we should note that no one is allowed publicly to judge and reprove his neighbor, although he may see him sin, unless he have a command to judge and to reprove. For there is a great difference between these two things, judging sin and knowing sin. You may indeed know it, but you are not to judge it. I can indeed see and hear that my neighbor sins, but I have no command to report it to others. Now, if I rush in, judging and passing sentence, I fall into a sin which is greater than his. But if you know it, do nothing else than turn your ears into a grave and cover it, until you are appointed to be judge and to punish by virtue of your office.
The Large Catechism of Martin Luther

In this section Dr Luther is speaking about the command against bearing false witness. This command is usually minimalized to excuse tale bearing. A person knows a sin of another and cannot wait to tell everyone who will lend an ear all about it. “How can X say he is a Christian and do something like that?”

For what purpose are those things brought to light? Is it to correct and erring brother? I fear due to our inner brat it is to show ourselves as superior to others. In this command we are given the gift of mutual peace and respect. When a person is bearing a tale and going on an on about it to others it causes one to think “what does this person say about me behind my back?” So that violation just keeps spreading and spreading so that the wars increase.

In his small catechism Luther says:

We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.

Here again we see our daily need for repentance and faith in the dead Jesus. For we in no way can fulfill that laws demands. It is great advice for mutual peace as stated above but it always accuses as well as informs. However, out of love for our loving Father we do strive to fight against tale bearing.

In the name of Jesus. Amen †

You Have Got to Be Kidding!

You have got to be kidding! That is the response a Christian friend had when the subject of loving God’s law came up. Yes I can understand that statement. When we read these demands the law makes of us we are necessarily concerned where we fall short. The third use of the law is for a guide for everyday living and in this way each of the commands, summarized in the 10 commandments, is a gifting to us by our Father. However, the accusation still remains.

Psalm 119:

97 Oh how I love your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,

for it is ever with me.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,

for your testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the aged,

for I keep your precepts.

101 I hold back my feet from every evil way,

in order to keep your word.

102 I do not turn aside from your rules,

for you have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through your precepts I get understanding;

therefore I hate every false way. ESV

Our custom over the past years is to start the day foraging through the word of God. Yesterday morning the above section was the reading. Verse 98 states that God’s commandment makes on wiser than the enemies. These enemies abound in the life of a Christian. If it is not the accusation of Satan to weigh us down and keep our eyes off the cross of Christ and onto our failures it is some bauble presented to us to make our life perfect. When we see what Jesus commands us “come to me and I will give you rest” we can say to Satan “What of it? I have also did this, that and the other.” Knowing that Jesus commands us “do not fret on the morrow” we can laugh at the advertisement and its empty promise.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. ESV

St. James is not giving us an empty promise of Wall Street but sage advice on carrying on in the empty and dying world. How wonderful to be gifted with the thoughts of God instead of blindly trying to find our own way and fulfillment! How reassuring the knowledge that Jesus bore our sin and we take, eat his body and drink his body and blood for forgiveness of sin rather than spend energy justifying ourselves! How glorious to be credited with Christ’s righteousness who kept it for us so when we falter we can rest in him rather than try to hide our failure!

Glory to you O Christ! †

Daily Dying and Rising.

In a conversation the other day I was asked by a brother in Jesus if I remembered my baptism that morning. I assured him I had and pointed out it was the promise associated with baptism rather than the mere receiving of baptism which is remembered. I did not get the chance to ask what brought about that question but he has been given different Lutheran resources which to listen and we have several mutual friends with which we speak on these things.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. ESV

Each and every morning rising from sleep we find ourselves in various states of relationship to God. Some mornings we have an attitude of thankfulness for the gift of a new day. Other times the realization we have to once again go to a place of employment which is becoming more and more of a challenge to meet the competing quotas and expectations. Still other times it is various degrees of those attitudes.

In addition during sleep we have been sinning. In our dreams and subconscious thoughts we have been falling short of the glory of God. This is the sad fact of still having our flesh active in our life in Jesus. Some would say; “How can God expect us to control our subconscious thoughts and feelings?” Needless to say we are by nature his enemies and are in just dessert of his punishment now and in eternity. To debate that point is fruitless and will not change the decree that “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

In the Romans 6 passage is a reminder that we received the forgiveness of sin in baptism. Also in there is a promise of death to the sinful nature which is an enemy of God. In addition is the promise of walking in Jesus’ resurrection. We no longer need wallow in our daily sins. The peace of having all our sins where Jesus was. Nailed to the cross and left in the grave. We are dead to them and they no longer hold sway and by no means need we continue to live in them.

Let us believe this good news and live in the peace that it offers.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen †

Saved! By Outstreached Arms.

In way too many circles of Christianity is a concerted effort to either hide the cross of Jesus or to change its purpose. In the more liberal side which includes the so called emergent church we have it as an example of how we are to sacrifice for others. In the so called conservative side we are presented with ever increasing how to be holy advice which is made possible by the death of the Christ. While it is true we are to serve our neighbour in various ways. And as God’s children we do resist sin both these viewpoints miss entirely what our Lord was doing nailed to the cross.

I fear it is more intentional than by accident. The radical nature of the Gospel if preached to its full sweetness will get one labeled as anti law. On the contrary we , because of the Holy Spirit, love God’s law. However, due to the sin nature, we want also to take some credit or comfort from those acts of service and resisting of sin. This in itself keeps us from being able to love the Lord our God completely and our neighbour as ourselves is equally impossible.

Exodus 6:6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. ESV

As in the Exodus when God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt he is releasing those who trust in him from the burden of the law. “In the day you sin you die.” This dying is separation from our creator. It is the loss of communion and sweet relationship with Our Father in heaven. With his arms outstretched on the cross Jesus endured separation from God for us. This is something that had never happened before and we cannot fathom what that separation was like.
Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ESV

Jesus suffered great acts of judgment by taking the sin of the world upon himself to the cross and by this has delivered us from slavery to sin and the burden of the law. These gifts of deliverance are delivered to us through preaching of the Gospel after execution of the law upon us. In addition this is delivered to us in a tangible way through the waters of baptism and the bread and wine of the Holy Supper of our Lord. However, like Israel of old we still tend to look for ways back into some type of slavery. Let us die evermore to this desire to credit ourselves with any part of our great communion with our Creator and let what Jesus finished be enough for you and me.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen †

Rejoicing God! Rejoicing Angels!

It is interesting what brings rejoicing to God and his angels. When we sin, which is all the time, admit to it and confess it to God to receive forgiveness is a cause of great joy in heaven. This is one of the ways that he shows his mighty power because of the perfect life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus he forgives us all our sin and looks upon us as dear holy children.

Luke 15:8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” ESV

This is a beautiful picture isn’t it. We are such treasure to Jesus that he came searching frantically for us. So much desiring to restore us in communion with him that he removed all the justly deserved penalty for our sin. And gives us the robe of his righteousness as additional gifting so we need not worry how our efforts at being holy fall short. In return we confess our sin of good deeds which is further rejoicing.

What a wonderful gift that we do not have to sit in wallow in our sin. We do not have to justify our actions by blaming others are our parents did in the garden of Eden. Rather we can go forth in joy to serve our neighbour in peace knowing that performing the tasks of our various callings is pleasing to our Father in heaven for the sake of Jesus our Lord. No more need to play one ups with other believers for we all have the righteousness of Jesus as our gift. Rather give all thanks and glory to God for the wonderful gifts he gives us.

Let us believe this good news and live in the peace that it offers.

In the name of Jesus. †