Click on the link below to find out more about the installation of a Lutheran pastor in Spain. It has been nearly 400 years since Spain has had its own Lutheran pastor.
The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Lutheran church in Spain installs first pastor
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sermon: All Scripture is Able to Make One Wise for Salvation
21st Sunday after Pentecost, 2010
Rev. Brian L. Kachelmeier
2 Tim. 3:14-4:5
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Our gospel text ends with this question, “[W]hen the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8, ESV) The prompting of this question leads us to pray that the Father’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. We desire that the Father’s will would be done in our own lives and in the lives of many others.
In his first letter to Timothy, St. Paul teaches us that God our Savior “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4, ESV) From today’s epistle lesson, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, we learn that all scripture is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15, ESV) As disciples, we are called to continue and to remain in the knowledge of the truth revealed by the Holy Spirit in the written scriptures.
For this reason, the Lord has instituted the pastoral office to preach the gospel and to administer the sacraments. Likewise, He has instituted the local congregation in which His people gather around these means of grace. In this way, the Holy Spirit brings people to the knowledge of the truth making them wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Through these instituted means, we become acquainted with the sacred writings which make us wise for salvation.
To continue and remain in the written scriptures of the Old and New Testament is no easy task. First, the ears are itchy by nature and want to hear a different word than the one that comes from God. Second, the tongue is wild by nature and wants to speak a different word than the one that comes from God. Thus, we are taught to stay awake and be on guard. We are taught to pray asking that the Father would grant us His Holy Spirit so that we would believe His word and live lives according to it and that the church would teach His word in its truth and purity.
Our appointed epistle lesson begins with these words, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it…” (2 Tim. 3:14, ESV) This little word “but” references what Paul had said earlier in the same chapter. The Apostle is making a distinction between Timothy and those who are living lives in opposition to the Apostolic teaching.
Earlier in the same chapter, the Apostle noted that they, those other ones, are “lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, ESV) Here Paul is exposing the sin that such people are continuing in. On the contrary, Timothy is being encouraged to remain in the right teaching and the right living that Paul taught in word and deed.
Now when we hear such a list of false living, we are quick to say either, that it describes the life of someone else and it does not concern us or we try to change the words to mean something else and it does not concern us. Ever since the fall into sin, we don’t want to get bogged down in the fine details of the written text. Instead, we look with our eyes and rationalize what seems right. The devil has taught us to take the clear word of God and ask the question, “Did God really mean that?”
Yet, from today’s epistle lesson the Holy Spirit is teaching us that all scripture is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15, ESV) We are warned by the Holy Spirit so that we do not become like those who are “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7, ESV)
Now I don’t know about you, but when I open up a box containing something that needs assembling or something that needs installing, I don’t pay full attention to the instruction manual. I don’t want to get bogged down in the fine details of the written text. I just want to get the job done and move on to more important things. I have a tendency to just look at the pictures and interpret for myself what they mean to me. Sometimes I end up with extra parts or parts that just don’t fit right.
Now of course the Bible is not merely an instruction manual teaching us how we can put our own lives back together. No, it is God’s word which teaches how He is putting our lives back together. It is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15, ESV) This wisdom and faith is a gift from God that He delivers to us through the scripture. This is no ordinary written text. It is not a man made instruction manual about life. It is the very word of God. And for this reason, Paul instructs Timothy and all pastors after him to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2, ESV)
In order to understand the power of the word of God we are taught that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV) Likewise, in Hebrews chapter four we are taught that, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13, ESV)
Now, I don’t know if you are familiar with the story about the emperor’s new clothes. Well the story goes something like this: a deceitful tailor rolls into town and convinces the emperor that he needs a special set of clothes that only the most special people can see. So the tailor deceives him and tricks him into putting on these special clothes that are no clothes at all. Once the emperor is dressed in these clothes he cannot see them, but the tailor assures him that they look magnificent. Thus, the emperor pretends to see them also. Then he goes to his consultants and they claim that they can see them too for they want to be special likewise. But, they cannot see the clothes either. Although he is exposed and naked, he thinks that he is alright. To comfort himself, the emperor gathers around him a bunch of people who tell him what he wants to hear.
You see “ people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,” (2 Timothy 4:3, ESV) By nature we don’t want to admit that we stand naked and exposed before God. We want to assure ourselves that we are doing just fine. We want to feel that we are dressed splendidly. That evil tailor the devil has come in and convinced us that we are not naked and guilty before God. He deceives us by telling us that we do not need to confess our sins. In agreement with the devil, we accumulate people who tell us what we want to hear. We have itching ears by nature. We want to hear the word of man that comes from the devil which excuses sin.
On the contrary, the word of God comes to expose sin and give to us Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives to us ears to hear. The law comes to expose us and strip us of our own filthy rags that we think makes us special. The Holy Spirit uses His word to take off all of our unrighteousness and clothe us with the righteousness of Christ. The word of God is powerful. It changes us into God’s people making us holy in His sight for the sake of Jesus.
As those who are still in this world, who are of this world, we lack true knowledge. Therefore, the LORD gives to us His written word so that we can have true knowledge. He is renewing our minds. He gives to us faith to believe in what we cannot see. As those who are still in this world, who are of this world, we have evil desires and we are self serving. The scripture comes to correct these actions and focus our deeds upon our neighbor. The LORD loves us and creates love in us that flows from believing hearts in order to love others. As those who are still in this world, who are of this world, we are weak and frail. We cannot survive on our own. We are not independent. We are dependant upon God. Therefore, He gives to us the holy scriptures to comfort us and encourage us to endure all evil. It grants to us hope. It assures us that all though all these things are coming down upon us, that these things are only temporary. The LORD is eternal and He gives to us the gift of eternal life. The word of God comes to us it is able to make us wise to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ so that we may share in eternal life with God from this point in time into all eternity. Amen.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - LCMS, SELC conduct fellowship discussions
The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - LCMS, SELC conduct fellowship discussions
View the SELC Seminary link below:
http://www.lts.ru/index..html
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sermon: The LORD's Hand Upon Us
20th Sunday after Pentecost, 2010
Ruth 1:1-19
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
In our English Bibles, we find the book of Joshua located sequentially after the five books of Moses. In the book of Joshua the Holy Spirit teaches us about the securing of the Promise Land under the leadership of Joshua. In those days the people as a whole were faithful to the LORD their God who brought them out of Egypt. However, in the next book in order, we are told of the unfaithfulness of Israel at the death of Joshua. The book of Judges ends with this statement, "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25, ESV) The people of God had failed to listen to the word of God.
Today’s Old Testament reading begins with these words, "In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech… " (Ruth 1:1, ESV) These are the first words of the book of Ruth. As you recall, the people of God began worshiping the LORD their God in the way of their contemporaries. Thus, the curses of the covenant came upon them. The broken covenant resulted in such things as their fields, baskets, and kneading bowl being cursed. It brought heat and drought causing famine. The heavens above their heads were like bronze, and the earth under their feet was like iron. The precious rain was like powder. Thus, the famine came.
Like his fathers before him, Elimelech left the Promised Land for awhile during the drought. Abraham and Jacob had fled to Egypt during famines in the life time. Isaac fled to Gerar of the Philistines during the famine in his day. In such times, the ultimate goal of the LORD their God was not to keep them away from the Promised Land. Nor was it to make them forget His promises. Rather, this was a testing of their faith that the LORD their God would provide.
Now the Promised Land was to said to be flowing with milk and honey. The land was to be like paradise on earth with an abundance of food. Yet, Elimelech had to leave his city of Bethlehem because of the famine. The Hebrew word Bethlehem means, “House of Bread.” It didn’t seem like a house of bread during the days of famine. The house was empty. The baskets and the kneading bowls were cursed. This did not seem like the Promised Land. Also, note that Elimelech’s name means, “My God is King.” It did not seem like the LORD was King. Thus, Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and his two sons moved to Moab. But they continued to live in the promises of God. Then, Elimielch and his two sons die died outside of the Promised Land. Now Naomi had suffered the loss of land, food, and the lives of her loved ones. How is it that God was King? How could the King let His people go hungry? How could the King let His people die outside the Promised Land?
Naomi is extremely distraught under these circumstances. She tells her sons wives,“for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.” (Ruth 1:13, ESV) Yet, she has not given up her faith in the LORD her God. She returns to Bethlehem. Verse six states,“Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food.” (Ruth 1:6, ESV) Because of her faith in God’s goodness, Naomi returned to the Land of Promise. The LORD had come to His people to help them in their day of trouble. He visited them with His loving presence for their good.
There is a holy tension here between feeling the pains of affliction while at the same time trusting in the goodness and mercy of God. Through tragedy, we are tested and tried. The afflictions brought upon us teach us to rely upon the LORD our God all the more. When we are brought low, we are humbled and realize our need for a Redeemer. We live in a fallen world where there is death and famine, sickness, and hunger.
When we feel the pressure of the heavy hand of the LORD upon us, it is a call to constant repentance and trust in Him. He is the potter. We are the clay. He makes us and shapes us. He puts us through the fire to perfect us and form us into useful vessels for Him. He is the Master weaver and we are the tattered baskets. He is mending us. Through such calamities in life, we are learning to listen to His voice and be His bowls and baskets that He fills up with His good gifts.
By nature, we are cursed baskets and kneading bowls.We are earthen vessels prone to cling to the earth. We tremble because the devil comes to crack us, chip us, break us, and tear us apart so that we cannot receive the blessings of the LORD and be filled by Him. The LORD continues to assure us that His heavy hand upon us is applying pressure to make us firm in the faith. He is repairing us and making us solid.
The ten lepers recognized their need for healing. In afflictions, just like the ten lepers, the LORD is teaching us to pray, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” (Luke 17:13, ESV) Jesus tells the Samaritan that was healed from his leprosy, “Rise and go your way, your faith has saved you.” (Luke 17:19) We are learning that God’s hand is at work in the circumstances of our lives. We trust in his promises. In these circumstances, we are learning to trust in Him. He cares for the widows. He cares for the leper. He cares for us.
Look with me at Psalm thirteen. David writes,
"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me." (Psalm 13:1-6, ESV)
David asks, “How long?” while at the same time declaring, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love.” In our afflictions, we are being taught to trust in His steadfast love.
Now if you were to talk a piece of chalk as you go out the door after the Divine Service and place a mark on the sidewalk this would represent your life. Then, if you were to take that chalk and draw a line to your house and continue to draw a line wherever you go, that would represent eternity. There is no comparison. From an eternal perspective, the short afflictions that we face in this life are nothing. They are just a small speck of chalk.
In today’s Old Testament text, we see two different reactions to the afflictions of the world. Orpah kisses Naomi and leaves for her people and her gods. Ruth clings to Naomi and her people and her God. Naomi and Ruth gather together with the people of God in Bethlehem who wait on the LORD receiving His gifts. Eventually, Naomi is redeemed. Boaz her Kinsman Redeemer takes back her land and takes Ruth as a wife. The LORD gives Ruth the gift of a husband and a son. This son will become the father of Jesse who will become the father of David. David will become king.
The LORD does not forget His promises to His people. The way of the world is to forget the promises of God. As part of this fallen creation, we are drawn to deny Christ and return to the dust with no hope. However, that is not the will of the LORD our God. He has visited His people in a unique way in the birth of Jesus who takes upon our earthen bodies. Zechariah sings, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his peopleand has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.” (Luke 1:68-69, ESV) Jesus will be the descendant of David of the tribe Judah. He was born in the city of Bethlehem which is the “House of Bread.” He is the Bread from Heaven that gives us eternal life. He will suffer from the curse of the land becoming a curse for us so that we would be blessed in Him. Jesus is our King. Like Elimelech, we can boldly say, My God is King. He is mercifully overseeing the affairs of my life. His hand is upon us making us and taking us to be with Him forever. Amen.
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