Our Savior Lutheran Church - Muscatine, Iowa, USA

Jesus defends His teaching but not His life. Why?

First He says that it is not His teaching but His Father’s teaching. Our Father gave this teaching to Jesus who gives it to us. Jesus will defend His Father and what is given to Him.

Second, Jesus knows He needs to die to save sinners. Jesus will do this when the time is right. Our Father gave Jesus authority not only to teach but to lay down His life and take it up again. Jesus will lay down His life at a time of His choosing.

Listen to the podcast of our April 3, 2019 Matins Service. Matins is a morning prayer service used since the early church. The Lord bless you and keep you. Pastor Pautz

The Bible sermon series. Part 5 - No Errors

The Bible is inerrant (it has no errors in it) and the Bible is clear (you can understand it without a teacher).  Both these claims are unpopular. So let me explain it, in the name of Jesus.

It is true that the term inerrant was not used by Lutherans before the 1930’s. In fact no one used the term inerrant before the 1900’s.  Infallible the old term. An infallible Bible meant that the Bible itself had no errors in it.

Yale Divinity School, as late as the 1850’s, described the Holy Bible as infallible meaning that the Holy Bible has no errors.  And Yale is still a pretty prestigious American institution.

So what changed.

The term inerrancy was new for a reason.  Before the 1930’s Lutherans described the Holy Bible as infallible and they knew what that description meant. The influence of both higher critical and lower critical methods of reading the Holy Bible led Lutheran scholars to change the meaning of infallibility.  They read the Bible critically. They did not believe what was written until it could be confirm by another source. So, kept the term infallible but gave it a new meaning. Infallible came to mean there are no doctrinal errors in the Bible. The Bible contained all that was needed for salvation but not for the history and geography claims asserted within the Bible.

So infallibility was changed to mean no doctrinal errors rather than no errors.

Every denomination in the U.S. has experienced the War Over the Bible.  Does the Bible have errors or not?

Those who believe there are errors - describe the Bible as infallible (with its new meaning).

Those who believe there are NO errors - describe the Bible as inerrant.  Inerrant is the new term but the old meaning. Inerrant means no errors.

A former Bishop (David Preus) of the American Lutheran Church (the ALC) before it was merged into the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (the ELCA) once observed that Lutherans never used the word inerrant before the 1930’s.  He liked the new meaning of infallible. He wanted to use the old word infallible because the new meaning was that the Bible had no doctrinal errors and was the traditional term used to describe the Bible. He wanted the ELCA to adopt the word infallible because it meant the Bible had errors.

The LCMS Walkout in 1974 was our version of the infallible vs. inerrant controversy.  It was called the Battle for the Bible. Those seminary professors who believe the Bible has errors of history and geography and such, walked out of their teaching positions and formed a Seminary in Exile.  It’s nickname is Seminex. Those who believe the Bible has no errors is what the LCMS is today. But warning, the controversy continues.

What kind of errors could the Bible have?

Those who hate the word inerrant would give answers like these:

The Bible says, God created the earth in six 24 hour days.  The infallible group disagrees.

The Bible says, Adam and Eve are real people.  The infallible group disagrees.

The Bible says, Jonah was swallowed by a great fish.  The infallible group disagrees.

What else does the Bible say about itself?  Let’s hear it again:

Psalm 119:105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

John 10:34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: The the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Some say the Reformers did not teach inerrancy.  But hear this:

Quote from Large Catechism, “Because we know that God does not lie.  I and my neighbor and, in short, all men, may err and deceive, but the Word of God cannot err.”

So, the Word of God cannot err or deceive.  Anyone who excludes Biblical inerrancy from the Book of Concord is not agreeing with the Bible or the Book of Concord.  Teachers can be ignorant, in which case they err. Also, teachers can knowingly teach against inerrancy, in which case the deceive.  God our Father is neither ignorant nor deceitful.

Finally, a quote from C.F.W. Walther from our own Christian circles writes this: “That is the reason why nearly all of them reject the verbal inspiration of the Bible and subject all books of the Bible to criticism such as only enemies of the Bible would engage in. Of course, they are not conscious of being enemies of the Bible.  They have turned the Christian religion into a religious philosophy (Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel).

You can be certain that God has given you a full witness to Himself in the Bible you have in your hands or in your home.  You can be certain that God speaks the truth and cannot be mocked. You can be certain that upon you confession, He forgives you all your sins and gives you His righteousness; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God, which passes understanding, guard you and keep you through Jesus Christ, our Savior.  Amen.

Welcome to Our Savior Lutheran Church in Muscatine.

This sermon is on the Bible’s account of Jesus feeding the 5,000.

Early in the day, Jesus asked Philip about how they might get enough food to feed so many people. And then it is written that Jesus already knew what He was going to do. Jesus is giving Philip, the disciples, and us a test to strengthen our faith in Jesus. But how is a test different from a temptation? You will be able to answer this question by the end of the sermon.

The Lord bless and keep you,

Pastor Pautz

Jesus is stronger than the Devil.

Sermon Series: The Bible

#3 Modern Translations

March 20, 2019

Grace and mercy to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

This is the third week in our midweek sermon series called: The Bible.  We are taking a deeper look at The Bible in order to have a deeper appreciation of this Holy Book as well as how to use it to connect with God through faith in Jesus and with our neighbor in love.

Two weeks ago, we looked at the Holy Bible as an ancient book among many.  We learned that the Bible is reliable and accurate. In comparison to other ancient books such as the works of Homer, Plato, and even Shakespeare, the Bible has more copies (6,000 New Testament) and those copies were recorded within generations rather than centuries.  To dismiss the Bible as a fake we would also need to dismiss most if not all ancient books.

Last week, we looked at how we received the Bible in our own language.  William Tyndale was a student of Martin Luther. He translated the first Bible into English.  He translated from Majority Greek text into English but also relied on Martin Luther’s German translation.  The Majority text is the important part. The Majority Greek text feed the Eastern Church for a millenia at the time of the Reformation.  The Majority Greek text has fed all Protestant Christians since the Reformation. So the Majority Text was the basis for all English Bibles until the late 1800’s

Two new manuscripts were found were found in the late 1800’s.  Their names are Vaticanus and Sinaiticus. They are not very old only dating to the 11th or 12th centuries.  They don’t agree with the Majority text very well. They don’t agree with each other very well. However, they were hailed as superior to the Majority Text. The differences between the Majority Text and the newly discovered codices are illuminating when examined in the cool light of reason.  

The Majority Text manuscripts were dominant and in agreement with one another, but the Egyptian manuscripts were not used throughout the ancient church and were not in agreement with each other. Very few manuscripts agree with Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, and the Egyptian texts do not always agree with each other.

The Majority Text manuscripts were used in worship for centuries, establishing their acceptance in the early Christian Church, which was closer to the original events than we are. In contrast, the two Egyptian texts popped up rather mysteriously and were not distributed and used in a huge family of copies within the Christian Church.

The Egyptian texts were first used in an English translation in 1881.  The Bible is called the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

The ending of Mark is worth noting. Above Mark 16:9-20 it is written “[The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.]”  This is also true of the English Standard Version (ESV), which is our synod’s prefered Bible at this time. It is also true of the New International Version (NIV). It is even true of the Beck Bible.

Someone who has not read the research on the ending of Mark—and this material is fairly difficult to find —would conclude that Mark 16:9-20 does not belong in the Bible. You would not know that the only major manuscript unambiguously omitting the ending is Sinaiticus and that this “most reliable manuscript” suddenly appeared without a so-called family of copies to back it up.

When a faithful Lutheran reads this Bible, after being exposed to the King James Version, he is led to believe that the Christian Church was deceived for centuries. Luther was wrong. Tyndale was wrong. All the Reformers were wrong. How can the average Christian check the facts? In front of him is the latest Bible printed by a conservative Lutheran. He has no way of discovering, apart from a theological library, that the manuscripts favored in the new edition have no history at all. If a farmer bred cattle or pigs without knowing their genetic heritage, he would be considered lazy or foolish.  The ultimate result of rejecting the Majority Text has planted doubt about the entire New Testament text.

My point is this, if you want a Bible the same Greek text used by 15 centuries of Christians, pick up a King James Bible.  If you want an English translation of Luther’s German Bible, pick up a King James Bible.

OCULI. THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT



TEXT: Luke 11:14-23. And he was casting out a demon that was dumb. And it came to pass, when the demon was gone out, the dumb man spake; and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, By Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth he out demons. And others trying him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.



I. CHRIST’S DEFENSE AGAINST HIS BLASPHEMERS.

1. This is a beautiful Gospel from which we learn many different things, and in which nearly everything is set forth as to what Christ, his kingdom and his Gospel are: what they accomplish and how they fare in the world.

In the first place, like all the Gospels this one teaches us faith and love; for it presents Christ to us as a most loving Savior and Helper in every need and tells us that he who believes this is saved. For we see here that Christ had nothing to do with people who were healthy, but with a poor man who was greatly afflicted with many ills. He was blind, as Matthew says; also dumb and possessed with a demon, as Luke tells us here. Now all mutes are also deaf, so that in the Greek language deaf and dumb are one word.

By this act Christ draws us to himself, leads us to look to him for every blessing, and to go to him in every time of need. He does this that we also, according to the nature of love, should do unto others as he does unto us.

This is the universal and the most precious doctrine of this Gospel and of all the Gospels throughout the church year. This poor man, however, did not come to Christ without the Word; for those who brought him to Christ must have heard his love preached and were moved thereby to trust in him.

We learn therefore that faith comes through the Word; but more of this elsewhere.

2. Secondly, it is here demonstrated how Christ and his Gospel fare in the world, namely, that there are three kinds of hearers. Some marvel at him; these are pious and true Christians, who consider this deed so great that they are amazed at it. Some blaspheme the Gospel; these are the Pharisees and scribes, who were vexed because they could not do the like, and were worried lest the people should hold Christ in higher esteem than themselves. Some tempt him, like Herod desired a sign after his own heart, that they may make sport of it. But he answers both parties; at first, the blasphemers in this Gospel, and later on the tempters, saying that no sign shall be given this wicked generation except the sign of the prophet Jonah, of which we read in the verses following. He answers the blasphemers in a friendly way and argues five points with them.

3. In the first place, with honest and reasonable arguments he concludes from two comparisons that one devil cannot cast out another; for if that were so, the devils would be divided among themselves and Satan’s kingdom would indeed not stand. For nature teaches that if a kingdom is divided against itself and its citizens drive out each other, it is not necessary to go to war against it, for it will come to ruin soon enough of itself. Likewise a house divided against itself needs no other destruction.

Even the heathen author Sallust, teaching only from the light of nature and experience, says: “Great wealth passes away through discord, but through concord small means become large.” If now the devils were divided among themselves to such a degree that one should drive out the other, Satan’s dominion would be at an end, and we would have rest from his attacks.

4. What then were these blasphemers able to say to such clear arguments?

They were put to silence, but their hearts were hardened, so that they did not heed his words. A hardened heart will not be instructed, no matter how plainly and clearly the truth is presented; but the faith of the righteous is strengthened when they see that the ground of their faith is right and good.

And for the sake of such we must answer those whose hearts are hardened, and put them to silence. Even though they will not be converted nor keep silence still it serves to reveal their hardened hearts, for the longer they talk the more foolish they become, and they are caught in their folly, and their cause is robbed of the appearance of being right and good, as Solomon also says in Proverbs 26:5: “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” That is, answer him according to his folly that his folly may be put to shame for the sake of others, that they may not follow him and be deceived, thinking that he is right. Otherwise, where no such condition exists, it is better to keep silent, as Solomon also says in the same chapter, verse 4 “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.”

5. Nor could they say here that the devils only pretended to be divided among themselves and to yield to one another in order to deceive the people, for it is publicly seen how they resist and contend, cry and rave, tear and rage, when they see that Christ means to expel them. It is then clearly seen that they are opposed to Christ and his Spirit, and they are not united with him, to whom they must yield so unwillingly. Therefore it is only a flagrant blasphemous lie, in which they are caught and put to shame, by which they try in venomous hate to give the devil credit for a work of God. From this we learn not to be surprised when our doctrine and life are blasphemed and stubborn hearts will not be convinced nor converted, although they are overwhelmed, as it were, with tangible truth and completely put to silence. It is enough that through our arguments their obstinate folly is revealed, acknowledged and made harmless to pious people, so that the latter may not be misled by its fine pretension. They may then go whither they will, they have condemned themselves as St. Paul says, Titus 3:11.

6. In the second place, he replies with a public example and a similar work, when he says: “By whom do your sons cast them out?” As if he would say: “Is this not simple idiocy? Just what you praise in your sons, you condemn in me. Because your sons do it, it is of God; but because I do it, it must be of the devil.” So it is in this world. What Christ does, is of the devil; if some one else did it, it would be all right. Thus the tyrants and enemies of the Gospel do now, when they condemn in us what they themselves do, confess and teach; but they must proceed thus in order that their judgment may be publicly approved, when they are condemned by all justice. The sons, of whom Christ here says that they drive out devils, were, I think, certain exorcists among the people, for God, from the beginning, had given this people manifold spiritual gifts and he calls them their “sons,” as though to say: I am the Son of God and must be called a child of the devil, while those who are your sons, begotten by you, do the same things and are not to be considered children of the devil.

7. “Therefore shall they be your judges,” that is, I appeal to them. They will be forced to decide that you wrongfully blaspheme me, and thus condemn yourselves. For if one devil does not drive out another then some other power must do it that is neither satanic nor human, but divine. Hence the words: “But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.” This finger of God is called in Matthew 12:28 the Holy Ghost, for the words read thus: “But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons,” etc. In short, Christ means to say: If the kingdom of God is to come unto you, the devil must be driven out, for his kingdom is against God’s kingdom, as you yourselves must confess.

But demon is not driven out by demon, much less by men or the power of men, but alone by the Spirit and power of God.

8. From this follows that where the finger of God does not cast out the devil, there the devil’s kingdom still exists; where Satan’s kingdom still exists, there the kingdom of God cannot be. The unavoidable conclusion then is that, as long as the Holy Spirit does not enter our hearts, we are not only incapable of any good, but are of necessity in the kingdom of Satan.

And if we are in his kingdom, then we can do nothing but that which pleases him, else it could not be called his kingdom. As St. Paul says to Timothy: “The people are taken captive in the snares of the devil unto his will” 2 Timothy 2:26. How could Satan suffer one of his people to take a notion to do something against, and not for, his kingdom? Oh, it is a striking, terrible and powerful statement that Christ here admits such a dominion, which we cannot escape except by the power of God; and that the kingdom of God can not come to us until that kingdom is driven out by divine, heavenly power.

9. This truth is proved in the case of this poor man, who was bodily possessed of the devil. Tell me, what could he and all mankind do to free him from the devil? Without a doubt, nothing. He had to do and suffer just as his master the devil willed, until Christ came, with the power of God.

Now then, if he could not free himself from the devil as to his body, how could he, by his own power, deliver his soul from Satan’s spiritual dominion? Especially is this the case since the soul, because possessed of sin, is the cause of all bodily possession as a punishment, and sins are more difficult to remove than the punishment of them, and the soul is always more firmly possessed than the body. This is proved by the fact that the devil permits the body to have its natural powers and functions; but he robs the soul of reason, judgment, sense, understanding, and all its powers, as you readily see in the case of this possessed man.

10. He answers them in the third place, by a comparison taken from life, namely that of a strong man overcome by one stronger, and robbed of all his armor and goods etc. By this he testifies also that no one but God can overcome the devil, so that again no man can boast of being able of himself to drive out either sin or the devil. Notice how he pictures the devil! He calls him a mighty giant who guards his court and home, that is, the devil not only possesses the world as his own domain, but he has garrisoned and fortified it, so that no one can take it from him. He rules it also with undisputed sway, so that it does whatever he commands. Just as little as a house or court may withstand or contend against the tyrant who is its master, can man’s free will and natural powers oppose sin and Satan, that is, not at all; but they are subject to them. And as that house must be conquered by a stronger man and thus wrested from the tyrant, so must man also be ransomed through Christ and wrested from Satan. We see again, therefore, that our works and righteousness contribute absolutely nothing toward our salvation; it is effected alone by the grace of God.

11. He answers them fourthly, with pointed proverbs and teachings, as: “He that is not with me is against me,” and, “He that gathereth not with me, scattereth.” “The devil is not with me for I drive him out, hence he must of necessity be against me.” But this saying does not apply to the devil alone, but also to the blasphemers whom he here convicts and condemns, as being against him since they are not for him. “To be with Christ” is to have the same mind and purpose as Christ, that is, to believe in Christ that his works save us and not our own, for this is what Christ holds and teaches. But “to gather with Christ” is to do good out of love to him, and to become rich in good works. He that does not believe is, by his own free will, not with Christ but against him, because he depends upon his own works. Therefore, he that does not love, does not gather with Christ, but by fruitless works becomes only more sinful and drifts farther and farther from the faith.

12. In the fifth place, he answers with a threat, namely, that the last state always is worse than the first. Therefore we should take heed that we not only refrain from blaspheming the Gospel and Christ, who does such great things for us and drives the devil out of us; but with zeal and fear hold fast to them, in order that we may not become possessed of seven worse devils whereas one possessed us before. For thus it was with the Jews, who had never been so wicked as while the Gospel was being preached to them. So also under the papacy, we have become seven times, (that is, many times) worse heathen under the name of Christ than we ever had been before as St. Peter says: “The last state is become worse with them than the first.” 2 Peter 2:20. And if we neglect the great light which we now have, it will come to pass in our case also, that we shall become worse than we were before, for the devil does not slumber. This should be sufficient warning.

13. Finally, when the woman cries out to Christ and praises him, saying, “Blessed is the mother that bore such a son,” etc., he opposes her carnal worship and takes occasion to teach all of us the substance of this Gospel, namely, that we should not go gaping after the works or merits of the saints but rather see to it that we hear and keep the Word of God. For it does not concern or profit us in the least to know how holy and honorable the mother of this child might be, nor how noble this Son of hers may be; but rather what this Son has done for us, namely that, by grace, without any merit or worthiness on our part, he has redeemed us from the devil.

This fact is proclaimed to us through the Word of God, and this we are to hear and hold in firm faith; then shall we too be blessed like this mother and her child.

Although such a Word and work will be blasphemed, we should suffer it and give an answer with meekness, as St. Peter teaches, for the improvement of others.

II. THE ALLEGORICAL OR SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THIS GOSPEL.

14. This dumb, deaf, blind, and demon-possessed man represents all the children of Adam, who through the flesh are possessed of Satan in original sin, so that they must be his slaves and do according to his will. Hence they are also blind, that is, they do not see God. They are deaf, for they do not hear God’s Word, and are not obedient or submissive to it. They are also dumb, for they do not give him one word of thanks or praise, nor do they preach and proclaim Christ and the grace of God. But they are all too talkative about the teachings of the devil and the opinions of men. In these things they see only too well and are wiser than the children of light in their undertakings, opinions, and desires. In these things they hear with both ears and readily adopt the suggestions of flesh and blood. So then, whatever we do, in word and deed, as to both body and soul, is of the devil, whether it be externally good or bad, and must be redeemed through the work of God. We are in his kingdom and therefore we acknowledge him, see, hear, and follow him and praise and proclaim his name. All this takes place through the Spirit of God in his Word, which casts out the devil and his kingdom.

15. The Jews called the chief of the devils Beelzebub. The Hebrew word “sebub” means a fly; “baal” or “beel,” a man or ruler, as a householder.

When the two words form a combination, they mean an arch-fly or chieffly, or, in plain German “Fliegenkoenig oder grosse Hummel,” that is, kingfly or the great drone. They gave Satan this contemptuous epithet as though they were entirely free from him, secure against him, and lords over him. That is the way all conceited, corrupt hypocrites do; they imagine they are so pure and holy, that the devil is a helpless, feeble fly compared with them, and that they do not need the grace of Christ nor the Word of God.

Still they think he is strong enough for others, yet, that whatever godfearing people teach and do must be the devil’s own work, and they consider it such a trifling thing as though it were a dead fly. The devil can well endure such contempt, for by it he is placed above the true God in their hearts.

16. The tyrant in the court or palace is the devil, as I said before. He is in peace, however, as long as God’s Word and finger do not oppose him, and just like this deaf-mute, his people do whatever he wishes, for they know no better. His weapons and armor are the carnal conceit, doctrines and traditions of men, by which he terrifies the conscience and protects himself.

17. But when the stronger man, the Gospel, comes, peace flees, and he rages like a madman, for he resents being condemned, unmasked, punished, and publicly branded. Then he gathers up his armor, the powerful, wise, rich and holy people, and sets them all to attacking God’s Word, as we see in the persecution of the teachers of the Gospel. Such rage and persecution signify that the devil retires very unwillingly and raves in his whole body; for as he acts in the body and its members when he must depart, so he also behaves in the whole world, resisting with all his power when he is to give place to the Gospel; but it is all in vain, he must be expelled.

18. For a Stronger One, that is, Christ, comes and overpowers him and takes away his whole armor, that is, he converts some of those same persecutors, and to that extent makes him weaker, and his own kingdom stronger. He divides the spoils too, that is, those he converts he uses for various offices, graces, and works in Christendom, of which Paul writes in Romans 12:6. He is also in the court yard or ante-room of the palace, for the devil’s kingdom consists in outward appearances and pretences of wisdom, holiness, and strength; but when it is captured by the Gospel it is found to consist of pure folly, sin and weakness.

19. The text continues, “When the unclean spirit has gone out, he wanders through dry places, seeking rest,” etc. This means as much as the saying, “The devil never takes a vacation” and “The devil never sleeps,” for he is seeking how he may devour man. “Dry places” are not the hearts of the ungodly, for in such he rests and dwells like a mighty tyrant, as the Gospel here says; but there are dry and waste places here and there in the country where no people live, as forests and wildernesses. To these he flees in wicked rage because he is driven out. You will remember that the devil found Christ in the wilderness. Now, in Judea, there is not much water, hence we read that it contains many and wastes. In other countries, however, as in our own, which are well watered, the devils stay in rivers and lakes, and there they sometimes drown those who bathe or sail upon them. Furthermore, at some places there are water spirits, who entice the children from the shores into the water and drown them. These are all devils.

20. That he comes again and finds the house swept and garnished (Matthew adds “empty”) signifies that the man is sanctified and adorned with beautiful spiritual gifts, and that the evil spirit clearly sees that he can do nothing there with his familiar tricks, for he is too well known. Thus when the worship of idols was driven from the heathen, he never attacked the world with that device again. But what did he do then? He tried something else, went out, took with him seven spirits, more evil than himself, and entered in with them and dwelt there, and the last state of that man was worse than the first. So he has dealt with us. When Christ had become known in the world and the devil’s former kingdom with its idol worship had been destroyed, he adopted another plan and attacked us with heresy and introduced and established the papacy, in which Christ was entirely forgotten, and men became worse heathen under the name of Christ than before he was preached, as we can see now with our own eyes.

Such also was the lot of the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem, and of the Greeks under the Turks. And so all will fare, who at first hear the Word of God and afterwards become secure and weary of it. St. Matthew says, in Matthew 12:14, that Satan finds the house empty. And in Matthew 13:25, he sowed tares among the wheat, by night, while men slept. Therefore it is necessary for us to watch as the apostles always admonish us, especially St. Peter in 1 Peter 5:3: “Brethren, be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”; for wherever he overthrows faith, he easily restores again all former vices.

Hi everyone,

Here is our last service before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the first day in Lent. So let’s pack our bags with God’s grace, Word, and someone else. Enjoy and God bless you. Pastor Pautz