Help My Unbelief

Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV; Faith is a gift from God and not of our own doing.

Free From Sin Death And The Power Of The Devil

John 8:31-26 KJV; Reformation Sunday; By his sacrifice all who believe in him, Jesus has freed us from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

Fear And Love God

Revelation 14:6-7 Reformation Sunday; We should fear and love God.

Our Refuge And Strength

Psalm 46 1-11 KJV; Reformation Sunday; God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

Daily Confession

Colossians 2:10-15 KJV; Confess and receive forgiveness.

Happy Birthday USMC and Martin Luther

John 15:12-20 KJV; No greater love than someone willing to die for us. Jesus died for you! His perfect love is shown through the willingness to give everything for the sake of others.

Praise Ye The Lord!

Psalm 146:1-10 KJV; 25th Sunday after Pentecost; Praise the Lord for all things.

The Grass Is Not Always Greener

10th Commandment; Martin Luther's explanation; learn to appreciate what God has given you and seek not what belongs to your neighbor. 

Are You Sharing The Good News?

Revelation 14:6-7 KJV; Reformation Sunday; Martin Luther as well as other early reformers of the church opened the scriptures up to the people that they might hear and receive the Good News. Are we still sharing the Good News?

Love Mercy And Walk Humbly

Micah 6:8 KJV; The Lord has shown us what is good. Let us act with justice; love mercy and walk humbly with God. Do no harm.

A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV A time to do without as hurricanes attack; But, also a time to celebrate. Happy Birthday United States Marine Corps and Martin Luther; warriors all.

Christ Is Everything!

 

Tell Everyone About Jesus Who Saved Your Soul!

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Gal 2:20 KJV)

Not I; but, Christ in me. It is most reassuring to know that on the cross our sins have been wiped out and we have been given a new life. That new life is a life in Christ who abides in every believer. 

At one time (not so much any more) I attended a lot of group meetings and Bible Studies. It would make me a bit irritated as we were asked to go around the table and tell everyone something about ourselves. It would make me uncomfortable because it is not and should not be about me. My story is not about what I have done or will do because I can do nothing without the abiding presence of Christ in me. All that we say and think and do should be about what Christ has done and continues to do for us and through us.

I use to visit an elderly Finnish lady who was homebound. We greeted one another when I entered her home and went directly to receiving the Sacrament of Communion together. When I had finished the blessing she would say: "Now what should we talk about Jesus?" She did not want small talk about what she or I or anyone else was doing. She wanted to talk about what Jesus had done for us and  continued doing in the world around us. I often think of her and our talks about Jesus.

A song I've been listening to a lot lately is "Nobody" by Casting Crowns. It  is a reminder that who we should want everybody to know is not us but Jesus and what he has done for us. 

"Cause I'm just a nobody

Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody

Who saved my soul

Ever since You rescued me

You gave my heart a song to sing

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus"

Luther's Small Catechism teaches regarding Baptism. It indicates that we and our egos should die daily so that life in Christ emerges. That new life does not occur without the abiding presence of Christ. I have printed what Baptism is from Luther's Small Catechism because many of us who have been told may have forgotten. 

"What is Baptism?

Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word.

Which is that word of God?

Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Matthew: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt. 28:19)

What benefits does Baptism give?

It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

Which are these words and promises of God?

Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)

How can water do such great things?

Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Titus 3:5–8)

What does such baptizing with water indicate?

It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written?

St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six: 'We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.' (Rom. 6:4)"

The abiding presence of Christ is revealed in the new man that emerges. It is not we; but, Christ in us who is revealed and who does all things. We are nothing without Jesus. 

But, we are, as the Great Commission tells us, to go and tell about Jesus and make disciples of all people. It is not about us. It is about Jesus! Go and tell!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Saints

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

                                                                            (Rev 7:9-17 KJV)

Today we remember all the saints that have gone before us and those who still dwell among us. To think that saints are dead people (as many do) is a grave misunderstanding. Saints are those people whose robes have been made white in the blood of the lamb. No, this is not something that is done literally. We do not have to soak our clothes in the blood of anything. Nor can we do anything to become sanctified; to be made holy. Martin Luther's explanation of the third article of the Apostle's Creed reminds us that our sanctification (our sainthood) is the work of God the Holy Spirit.

III. The Third Article: On Becoming Holy

       I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the community
       of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
       and an everlasting life. Amen.

       Q. What does this mean?
       A. I believe that I cannot come to my Lord Jesus Christ by my own
       intelligence or power. But the Holy Spirit called me by the Gospel,
       enlightened me with His gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true
       faith, just as He calls, gathers together, enlightens and makes holy
       the whole Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus in the one, true
       faith. In this Church, He generously forgives each day every sin
       committed by me and by every believer.  On the last day, He will raise
       me and all the dead from the grave. He will give eternal life to me
       and to all who believe in Christ. Yes, this is true!

(The Small Catechism of Martin Luther)

It is God who makes us holy. We do not become holy by our good works; but, by the Spirit of Christ. Let us remember all of the saints: both the living and the dead who shared the word with us so that we might come to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit as well 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Know The Word; Know The Truth

And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

                                                                               (John 17:13-17 KJV)

On the night that he was betrayed Jesus prayed for his disciples. He prayed that they and we might be sanctified through the truth; that we might know the truth. 

There was a lot of heresy in the church of Martin Luther's day. There was a lot of superstitious nonsense promulgated by the clergy. I don't think that all of the clergy did this maliciously. I believe that they simply did not know the truth. Not all of them had regular and actual access to the word found in scripture. They taught and preached what had been taught and preached to them. A whole lot of that lacked truth.

Thankfully, much of that changed with the reformation. During that time period, Martin Luther translated the Holy Bible into German so that the pastors and lay people could read the word of God for themselves.

We have that access today in whatever language we speak. Yet, I often hear really crazy un-truths about what the word of God says coming from not just lay people; but, clergy as well. The lay people get many of these false ideas from the clergy.  They simply don't bother to read what the word has to say for themselves. 

I am not saying that you should not attend worship and hear the word of God through the clergy. You should!  Rather, I am saying that we all need to spend more time in daily devotions reading and meditating on the word of God so that we might know the truth. 

Thank God for the many saints who have come and gone before us. Thank God for the saints who have witnessed to the through the many generations since our Lord gave himself on the cross for us. Thank God and get to know him! Thank God for the word of truth who is Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Saved By Faith

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)

For years Martin Luther struggled with feelings of guilt. He could not accept that there was nothing that he could do to receive God's love and God's forgiveness for his many sins. He truly worked hard to do enough to earn God's grace. He finally understood. By reading and translating scripture into his own language he finally  understood and accepted that fact that he could do nothing; that there were no good works by which he could earn his own salvation. That is the work that Christ did on the cross for all who would believe. 

Martin Luther finally came to understand that by grace we are saved through faith and that is purely a gift from God. There are no good works that we can do to be saved. Christ did it all for us! 

Thanks be to God for his mercy his great!

God's Peace - Pr. J.