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

Sermon preached for Easter 5 on May 18, 2025, by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. (mtolivelincoln.org.)

Theme: I'd Better Go

Text: John 16:5-15

5“But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6Yet because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth: It is good for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment: 9about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

12“I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears he will speak. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I said that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Jn 16:5–15.

Sermon preached for Easter 4 on May 11, 2025, by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. (mtolivelincoln.org.)

Theme: Pay It Backward

Text: 1 Peter 2:11-20

11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful flesh, which war against your soul. 12Live an honorable life among the Gentiles so that even though they slander you as evildoers, when they observe your noble deeds, they may glorify God on the day he visits us.

13Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the king as the supreme authority 14or to governors as those who have been sent by him to punish those who do what is wrong and to praise those who do what is right. 15For this is God’s will: that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. 16Do this as free people, and do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but use it as servants of God. 17Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

Slaves and Masters

18Slaves, submit to your masters with total respect, not only to those who are good and kind but also to those who are harsh. 19For this is favorable: if a person endures sorrows while suffering unjustly because he is conscious of God. 20For what credit is it to you if you receive a beating for sinning and patiently endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and endure it, this is favorable with God.

Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), 1 Pe 2:11–20.

"Six Godly Habits" is a course recorded to continue learning for students who completed our Bible Basics Class at Mt Olive. This is Godly Habit #2: Faithful Listening to the Word of God.

These videos/recordings are Pastor Buelow's summaries and thoughts based on the book "Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey" by William Weedon. It can be found here: https://www.cph.org/thank-praise-serve-and-obey-recover-the-joys-of-piety?srsltid=AfmBOopaLJkXIdUgz21x1TycN6pvxcB01T3SHFX5U5fqvBc-J-WVOe9k

Concordia Publishing House and Pastor Weedon have also produced a high quality online Bible study based on his book, available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOkt9R5uUwg

"Six Godly Habits" is a course recorded to continue learning for students who completed our Bible Basics Class at Mt Olive. This is Godly Habit #1: Faithful Listening to the Word of God.

These videos/recordings are Pastor Buelow's summaries and thoughts based on the book "Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey" by William Weedon. It can be found here: https://www.cph.org/thank-praise-serve-and-obey-recover-the-joys-of-piety?srsltid=AfmBOopaLJkXIdUgz21x1TycN6pvxcB01T3SHFX5U5fqvBc-J-WVOe9k

Concordia Publishing House and Pastor Weedon have also produced a high quality online Bible study based on his book, available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOkt9R5uUwg

Sermon preached for Easter 3 / Confirmation on May 4, 2025, by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. (mtolivelincoln.org.)

Theme: God Himself Will Shepherd You

Text: Ezekiel 34:11-16

11For this is what the Lord God says. Here I am. I myself will seek the welfare of my flock and carefully search for them. 12As a shepherd searches for his flock when his sheep that were with him have been scattered, so I will search for my flock and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own soil. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all the settlements of the land. 14I will lead them into good pasture, and their grazing land will be on the high mountains of Israel. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and they will pasture on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will shepherd my flock. I myself will let them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16I will seek the lost. I will bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured. I will strengthen the weak. I will destroy the fat and the strong, and I will shepherd them with justice.
Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Eze 34:11–16.

Sermon preached for Easter 2 on April 27, 2025, by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. (mtolivelincoln.org.)

Theme: The Key to Blessing

Text: John 20:19-21

19On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” 22After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Thomas Finally Believes24But Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26After eight days, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The Purpose of John’s Gospel Account30Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book. 31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Holy Bible: Evangelical Heritage Version (Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Publishing House, 2019), Jn 20:19–31.

Sermon preached for Easter on April 20, 2025, by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. (mtolivelincoln.org.)

Theme: Death Isn't Permanent

Text: Mark 16:1-8 (EHV)

16 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint Jesus. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 They were saying to each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb for us?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 He said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

8 They went out and hurried away from the tomb, trembling and perplexed. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Devotions preached for Good Friday on April 18, 2025, by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. (mtolivelincoln.org.)

Theme: The Seven Words from the Cross

Sermon preached for Holy Thursday on April 17, 2025, by Pastor Julius Buelow at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. (mtolivelincoln.org.)

Theme: Jesus Teaches about Love to the End

Text: John 13:1-15

13 Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved those who were his own in the world, he loved them to the end.[a]

2 By the time the supper took place, the Devil had already put the idea into the heart of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

3 Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God. 4 He got up from the supper and laid aside his outer garment. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus answered him, “You do not understand what I am doing now, but later you will understand.”

8 Peter told him, “You will never, ever, wash my feet!”

Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Lord, not just my feet,” Simon Peter replied, “but also my hands and my head!”

10 Jesus told him, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet, but his body is completely clean. And you[b] are clean, but not all of you.” 11 Indeed, he knew who was going to betray him. That is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12 After Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer garment, he reclined at the table again. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me Teacher and Lord. You are right, because I am. 14 Now if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 Yes, I have given you an example so that you also would do just as I have done for you.

Chapter 28 of the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ, a compilation of the four gospels by Aaron Jensen and published by Northwestern Publishing House.

Originally published as a Lent Reading Plan at Mt Olive in Lincoln NE.

https://online.nph.net/the-life-and-teachings-of-jesus-christ.html