Mt Olive Lincoln: Lutheran Sermons and Teaching in the Christian Faith

Plan Your Life God's Way

Sermon preached at Mt Olive Lutheran in Lincoln, NE by Pastor Julius Buelow for Trinity 9 on August 2, 2026.

Sermon text: Proverbs 16:1-6

1A person may have thought things through in his heart,

but an apt answer from his tongue comes from the LORD.

2All of a person’s ways are pure in his own eyes,

but the LORD weighs motives.

3Commit what you do to the LORD,

and your plans will be established.

4The LORD has made everything for his own purpose,

even a wicked person for a day of trouble.

5Anyone with an arrogant attitude is disgusting to the LORD.

Be sure of this: That person will not go unpunished.

6Through mercy and truth, guilt is atoned for,

and through the fear of the LORD, one turns away from evil.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Pr 16:1–6.

God's Word Brings the Hammer

Sermon preached by Pastor Julius Buelow for Trinity 8 at Mt Olive Lutheran in Lincoln, NE on July 26, 2026.

Sermon text, Jeremiah 23:16-29:

16This is what the LORD of Armies says.

Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.

They are giving you false hope.

They proclaim visions that come from their own hearts

and not from the mouth of the LORD.

17They keep saying to those who despise me,

“The LORD has said that you will have peace.”

And to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart,

they say, “No harm will come to you.”

18But have any of them stood in the council of the LORD,

to see and hear his word?

Who has listened to his word and heard it?

19Look, a storm from the LORD!

His wrath has gone out,

like a whirlwind twisting down,

whirling over the heads of the wicked.

20The LORD’s anger will not turn back until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart. In later days you will understand it fully.

21I did not send these prophets, yet they ran.

I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.

22But if they had stood in my council,

they would have made my people hear my words,

and they would have turned them from their evil ways

and from their evil deeds.

23Am I a God who is only nearby, declares the LORD,

and not a God far away?

24Can anyone hide in secret places

so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD.

Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

25I have heard what the prophets who prophesy lies in my name have said. They say, “I have had a dream! I have had a dream!” 26How long will this be in the hearts of these lying prophets? These prophets proclaim the fantasies of their own hearts. 27They think they can make my people forget my name with the dreams each one tells his neighbor, the way their fathers forgot my name because of Baal. 28Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream. But let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully.

What has chaff to do with grain? declares the LORD. 29Is not my word like a fire? declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Je 23:16–29.

The Tension Between the Physical and Spiritual

Sermon preached by Pastor Julius Buelow for Trinity 7 at Mt Olive in Lincoln, NE on 7/19/2026.

Sermon text: Mark 8:1-9a

In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples and said to them, 2“I feel compassion for the crowd because they have already stayed with me three days and do not have anything to eat. 3If I send them home hungry, they will faint on the way. Some of them have come from a long distance.”

4His disciples replied, “Where can anyone get enough bread to feed these people here in this deserted place?”

5He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”

“Seven,” they said.

6He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, gave thanks, and broke them. He gave the pieces to his disciples to distribute to the crowd, and they did so. 7They also had a few small fish. He blessed them and said that these should be distributed as well. 8The people ate and were satisfied. They picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9About four thousand men were there.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Mk 8:1–9.

What the World Needs Now is God's Love

Sermon preached on Exodus 20:1-17 for Trinity 6 at Mt Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE on July 12, 2026.

Exodus 20:1-17

Then God spoke all these words:

2I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, where you were slaves.

3You shall have no other gods beside me. 4You shall not make any carved image for yourself or a likeness of anything in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. 5Do not bow down to them or be subservient to them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God. I follow up on the guilt of the fathers with their children, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren, if they also hate me. 6But I show mercy to thousands who love me and keep my commandments.

7You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not permit anyone who misuses his name to escape unpunished.

8Remember the Sabbath day by setting it apart as holy. 9Six days you are to serve and do all your regular work, 10but the seventh day shall be a sabbath rest to the LORD your God. Do not do any regular work, neither you, nor your sons or daughters, nor your male or female servants, nor your cattle, nor the alien who is residing inside your gates, 11for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. In this way the LORD blessed the seventh day and made it holy.

12Honor your father and your mother so that you may spend many days on the land that the LORD your God is giving to you.

13You shall not commit murder.

14You shall not commit adultery.

15You shall not steal.

16You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Ex 20:1–17.

Be Realistic... and Sing!

Sermon on 1 Peter 3:8-16, preached by Pastor Julius Buelow for Trinity 6 on July 5, 2026.

mtolivelincoln.org

Sermon text:

8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another. Show sympathy, brotherly love, compassion, and humility. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. Instead, speak a blessing, because you were called for the purpose of inheriting a blessing. 10Indeed:

Let the one who wants to love life

and to see good days

keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from saying anything deceitful.

11Let him turn from evil and do what is good.

Let him seek peace and pursue it.

12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their requests.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

Suffering for Doing Good

13Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14But even if you should happen to suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not be afraid of what they fear, and do not be troubled. 15But regard the Lord, the Christ, as holy in your hearts. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you. 16But speak with gentleness and respect, while maintaining a clear conscience, so that those who attack your good way of life in Christ may be put to shame because they slandered you as evildoers.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), 1 Pe 3:8–16.

How can a Loving God Send People to Hell?

Sermon preached for Trinity 1 on June 14, 2026 by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt Olive Lutheran in Lincoln, NE.

mtolivelincoln.org

Sermon text, Luke 16:19-31:

19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 20A beggar named Lazarus had been laid at his gate. Lazarus was covered with sores and 21longed to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides this, the dogs also came and licked his sores. 22Eventually the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. 24He called out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in misery in this flame.’

25“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in misery. 26Besides all this, a great chasm has been set in place between us and you, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27“He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s home, 28because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29“Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’

30“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31“Abraham replied to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Lk 16:19–31.

The Attitude the Triune God Gives

Sermon preached by Pastor Julius Buelow for Holy Trinity Sunday at Mt Olive in Lincon, NE on 5/31/26.

NOTE--the first bit of the sermon did not record properly, so this one starts about 5 minutes in.

Text: Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces. With two they covered their feet. With two they flew. 3One called to another and said,

Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Armies!

The whole earth is full of his glory!

4The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the temple was filled with smoke.

5Then I said, “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Armies!”

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”

8Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”

Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Is 6:1–8.

Man's Potential and God's Potential

Sermon preached by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt Olive in Lincoln, NE for Pentecost on May 24th, 2026.

Sermon Text: Genesis 11:1-9

The whole earth had one language and a single vocabulary. 2As people traveled in the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they settled there. 3They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used mud brick instead of stone for building material, and they used tar for mortar. 4They said, “Come, let’s build a city for ourselves and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

5The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people were building. 6The LORD said, “If this is the first thing they are doing as one people, who all have one language, then nothing that they intend to do will be too difficult for them. 7Come, let’s go down there and confuse their language, so that they cannot understand one another’s speech.”

8So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. 9It was named Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Ge 11:1–9.

The Vast Ascension Day Conspiracy

Sermon preached by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt Olive Lutheran Church on May 17, 2026 for Ascension.

Sermon text: Ephesians 1:16-23

You're Not Dreaming - God Answers Prayer!

Sermon preached by Pastor Julius Buelow for the Sixth Sunday of Easter on May 10, 2026 at Mt Olive in Lincoln, NE.

mtolivelincoln.org

Sermon text: Acts 12:1-16

At about that time, King Herod laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat them. 2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter during the days of Unleavened Bread.

4After arresting Peter, Herod put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. Herod intended to bring him before the people for trial after the Passover. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church earnestly offered up prayer to God for him.

6The very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. He was bound with two chains, while sentries were in front of the door, guarding the prison.

7Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood near him, and a light shone in the cell. The angel woke Peter up by striking him on the side, saying, “Quick, get up!” The chains fell from his wrists.

8Then the angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” So he did so. Then the angel told him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.” 9Peter went out, following the angel, but he did not realize that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. 10When they had passed through the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city. It opened all by itself for them. They went outside, walked down one street, and immediately the angel left him.

11When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”

12When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who is also called Mark. Many had gathered there and were praying. 13When Peter knocked at the entrance gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14She recognized Peter’s voice and was so overjoyed, she did not open the gate. Instead she ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

15They told her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept on insisting it was so, and they started saying, “It’s his angel.”

16Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking. When they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Ac 12:1–16.