Faithful Sermons from Ferndale, California

The ruler believed that Jesus could resurrect his daughter from the dead. Our King touched her, raising her to life. He does the same thing for you and for any of our rulers who put their trust in Him. This is my sermon for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity, 2024.

The celebration of All Saints' Day encourages the Christian in the midst of battle. The Church Militant is reassured of the gospel by reflecting on God's goodness toward the Church Triumphant. In this sermon I draw our attention to the blessings God gives to the martyred, persecuted, and all His people who are ridiculed. When the world says all kinds of evil against us falsely on account of Jesus, we are blessed!

Watch the replay of the live stream Bible study where I gathered my initial thoughts for this sermon: https://youtube.com/live/AbBWCuI5TBk

In John 8 Jesus tells us that He will set us free, and He has! This is our sermon text fore the festival of the Reformation. In an age of lies, knowing the truth is indeed to be free: free from sin, death, and the devil. Free according to the eternal Gospel.

In John 4 Jesus told the official, "Your son will live." He says the same thing to parents of baptized christians. There the sickness called sin is healed. The fever of unfaithfulness breaks and life is given. The sermon text for the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity is John 4:46-54

The parable of the wedding feast teaches us that we cannot enter heaven on our own terms. The sermon text for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity is Matthew 22:1-14.

Jesus forgave the sins of a paralyzed man, and then he healed his body. Which is easier? The sermon text for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity is Matthew 9:1-8. In this text we learn how difficult it is to forgive sins. So difficult that there is no forgiveness a part from God, who took on flesh to die for you on His cross.

What do abortion, angels, and God Almighty have to do with one another? The short answer is Jesus Christ. The longer answer is found in Matthew 18:1-11, and is the theme of this sermon on that text. This sermon is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels.

"And [Jesus] said to them, 'Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?'" Luke 14:5. In fact, our Father sent His Son on a cosmic rescue mission to do that very thing. He saved us who had fallen into our watery grave.

Jesus crashed a funeral procession near Nain, resurrecting the dead man with His touch. He does the same thing for you. He touches you with His same flesh and speaks the same resurrecting words to you in His Holy Supper.

Jesus teaches us that we cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve God and money. St. Lucy believed Him and the Holy Spirit enabled her to withstand horrific torture and die a martyr's death. How about you? Do you believe Jesus? He is your master. He has proven Himself trustworthy.