Grace Alone Online

In this weeks episode, enjoy the whole service.  The sermon, however, begins at minute 25:15 for those interested only in the message.

EAT YOUR PEAS is something probably most of us heard from our parents.  When commanded we begin to whine and negotiate with our parents about what we should do, compared with what we want to do.  We negotiate with God daily about what constitutes "following Him."  For instance, in today's Gospel, Jesus says nobody is worthy to follow Him if they cannot hate father, mother, sister, brother and even deny themselves.  What a change from "love your neighbor as yourself..."  Is this the same God?  Does He make such demands to frustrate us?  Our immediate response is to negotiate our limits as to what we are able and unable to do in following Him.  We want him to accept us as we are...by lowering His expectations of us.  "He'll understand..." we sometimes say.  Listen in as we discuss that God DOES demand complete obedience.....no negotiating...and why we can't.

When you think about the resurrection, do you always think in the future?  Most people think of the resurrection as something that occurs on the Last Day, when our Lord returns to create a new heavens and earth for his redeemed.  Why is it that we don't htink of the resurrection as something that has happened NOW; in the wake of Christ's own resurrection.  The question is, then, does Christ's message prepare you for the day you die?  or does it prepare you for the resurrected life.  Listen and find out...

What? Last week, we talked about peace, and Jesus said, “Do not be anxious; do not let your heart be troubled.” Today, Jesus tells us I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. Make up your mind. What can we make of this apparent turn about. Does Jesus bring peace or not? Does he bring comfort or a sword? In our Gospel text, Jesus offers us an object lesson about a sword, a cross and a life. They seem like separate things, but they are all related.

Our text is the Holy Gospel for today, from Matthew chapter 10. Jesus has been instructing his disciples in this chapter, preparing them for what they’re getting themselves in for. And it’s not going to be a bed of roses because some of these roses are going to have thorns. He is asking his disciples, “Are you ready for this?”

In today's Gospel, Jesus says, "Fear not, little flock..."  How easy it is to say these words, but how difficult it is to "feel" at peace.  Jesus words seem unrealistic, fantastical, un-real.  What with the mass shootings in Gilory, California; Dayton, Ohio; El Paso, Texas, it's enough to make you paranoid in any public situation.  Yet, in the midst of anxiety, Jesus invites us to have peace, and true peace; one that passes any peace that can be bought or made in our society.  Find out more about the evil that is in the world, and the peace which only Christ offers us.  Listen in.

Today we are celebrating the baptism of Ryan Alan Weaver.  He wants to be sealed with the Holy Spirit and receive the blessed assurance that God the Father is his true Father, and that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is indeed the brother that has redeemed him from sin, death and the power of Satan.  Water and the Word, Christ's words, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.."  Ryan is baptized in the name of the Triune God, as Scripture teaches.  Baptized into that name, Ryan receives the inheritance of sonship given to all who have gone before him and all who will come after him believing in Jesus Christ as His savior.  A little more than 5 years ago, however, Carrie Underwood wrote a song called "Something in the Water" - I wonder why 'something' was used?  Did she not know what was in the water?  Did she think it was a magical water only?  We dig deep into Scriptural teaching on Baptism today.

"Won't you be my neighbor?" Was a question (and song) made famous by Mr. Rogers at the beginning of his children's program, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.  This phrase has become popular in parodies, mocking, and making fun of its childlike innocence.  In the Bible, when the Jewish lawyer says to be saved you must "love you neighbor as yourself," he quickly adds the question for Jesus: "Who is my neighbor..."  Jesus' story of the good Samaritan follows and seems to answer that question.  But is that the question Jesus answers?  There is something more here than simply the encouragement that we should "love our neighbors..." Listen and find out.

In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul talks about freedom.  Being free, living free is what happens in freedom.  You don't HAVE freedom; you live in freedom, just like one lives in a king-dom, or feels like a star in star-dom.  Freedom means that you have have been freed FROM something that held you captive or enslaved you.  There is a consequence to freedom, however.  The consequence is that you are freed FOR another life - a life of different values than the one you formerly knew as a slave from which you were freed.  Paul goes one step further to teach us that we, all humans, are enslaved to things of the "flesh": selfish desires, immorality, self-serving, self-loving by our actions.  But, we are also enslaved by how the world defines us: ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, patriotic, etc.  Our society defines us with all these labels by  worldly (or fleshly) values - according to their standards or, as Paul puts it, "according to the flesh."

Those who believe and place their trust in Christ, follow Him, desire to be His disciple, however, we have been freed FROM these things by and through the death and resurrection of Christ. (And, this freedom is freely available to all, because Christ died for all.)  We are freed FROM these labels and fleshly, sinful self, and set free FOR Christ - to live and love as Christ has lived and loved us.  Freedom FROM sin and death, means freedom FOR love and Christ.  

Freedom in and for Christ is the only alternative because if you consider freedom as something which permits you to do whatever you want, whenever and to whomever, you have once again enslaved yourself to the standards of this world.  If you are not freed FROM the flesh and sinful world, including death, then you are not freed FOR love and Christ.  Listen to how this impacts your life specifically.

the great prophet Elijah is hiding in a cave.  He is hiding from King Ahab who wants to cut off his head for defeating his 450 prophets of Baal and then killing them.  King Ahab and Queen Jezebel want Elijah's head and all the prophets of the true God.  Hiding in the cave, Elijah tell God "I want out.  No longer be a prophet."  He has met constantly with spiritual batle against Baal and is tired.  He wants the Lord to retire him.

There are times we pastor, missionaries and Christians alike find it tiring and want out.  In our spiritual battle against forces that would have us reject God and follow pernicious roads to destruction, we find it hard to tell others that the battle is won in Jesus Christ.  That although there is evil, horrific evil, in the world there is but one God and creator of us all who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to reclaim all creation from the hands of Baal (Satan).

Instead of a WAY OUT, God provides a WAY THROUGH.  Find out how and ignite the Spirit's fire in you!

Jesus is revealing who He is, who sent Him, what His mission is, that He must die and rise from the dead.  The Pharisees challenge Him and cry blasphemy.  But, there were some Judean (Jews) who believed in Him.  Jesus addresses them, and as He continues teaching, a big argument ensues, and they repudiate Him.  But....how did they once believe in Him.  They wanted to choose what to believe about Jesus - fit Him into their belief system, instead of listening to the truth.  A similar problem occurs in our society today.  People are quick to jump on the Jesus bandwagon and believe about Him what they will - and still call themselves Christian.  Many people today, want to fit Jesus into their own construct of who He is and call themselves Christian.... What can we say about what WE believe and confess about Jesus.

We celebrate the gift and work of the Holy Spirit.  After Jesus' ascension into heaven, the promised Holy Spirit was gifted to the disciples.  It is through God's Holy Spirit is twofold; (1) we recognize that we are broken and in need of a savior for we are not perfect, nor can we hope to live up to God's righteous standards because of sin in our very being and (2) it is the Holy Spirit who then opens Scripture teaching us about the Savior of all, by whose death and resurrection we are no longer judged unrighteous and guilty before God because of Christ's sacrifice.  In fact, we can sum up the work of the Holy Spirit in this way: Earth, Water, Wind Fire.  We, made from the earth and to return to the earth, were washed with the water of salvation (Baptism), in which God' Spirit brings us life and salvation.  This is not merely a one-time job for He is constantly with us in the "winds of war" against sin and temptation in this world.  He is on the battlefield with us, when we cry out for forgiveness, when we seek strength and fortitude against violence, selfishness.  In this way, the Spirit is like fire.  Struggling with our sinfulness in this world, desiring to live God-pleasing lives and free to do so, our faith is tested and purified and tested as gold  ("fire" and "pure" share a common Latin root).  His work is not complete until we are finally with our Lord in Heaven.