Salvation

Sermon teaser for John 9:24-41 with Psalm 23

/ The Pastor

The following are the closing two paragraphs from this Sunday’s sermon (March 26). For more, please keep an eye on the church’s website at: http://www.livingwordlutheranchurch.com for the complete audio version of this message. May God be praised.

If your eyes are wide open; seeing Jesus, and acknowledging him as Lord, then these two verses are incredibly awesome to your hearing: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff comfort me.”  And then, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  The darkest valley is not dark to Jesus and living among those who would want to destroy us is of no concern for Jesus, for he has our lives in his mighty hands.

And therefore, when your eyes are open; seeing the light of salvation that is in Jesus, you can confidently say, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Ponder that verse; for how can one not turn over everything they are to this Good Shepherd. Open your eyes and keep them open that you may full describe and proclaim the glory of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The world NEEDS your wide-open eyes. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Your Glory

/ The Pastor

Most awesome God,
Your glory is ever apparent,
from the beauty of the world around me to
the splendor of the heavens above.
But Your glory is most wonderfully shown
through Your Son,
Jesus Christ,
who was crucified and raised for us,
that we may have the hope of the resurrection;
worshiping in Your holy courts
and gazing upon Your glory forever and ever.
May I never take this glory for granted in my life as I strive to live for You.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Our Muddy Glory

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
the beauty of your glory is something to behold,
yet we seek after a glory that is dim in comparison;
a glory that only reflects from the muddy water of our sin.
And we have no idea how bad it is
until we drink from the water
and taste that we are drinking unto our death.

May we come to the well that is pure and life giving.
May drink that we may never thirst again.
May we seek to know Your Law better and better.
May we soak in Your precepts that we may shine forth Your glory.

Oh God,
You are the holy law giver
but you are also the glorious one
who redeems our lives through Jesus Christ.
May we taste and see that You are Good
and may we ever seek Your ways.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

The Mystery

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

The mystery is told,
the mystery is this,
through faith in Jesus,
we will live in bliss.

Our bodies will perish,
our bodies will decay,
but at the last trumpet
we’ll go by Jesus way.

Why can we proclaim this?
Why can we be joyous?
Death has been defeated,
and Jesus is for us.

All praises be to God.
All honor be to Him.
The vic’try has been won,
for through Jesus we will win.

The Pastor -|—

The Promise of Christmas

/ The Pastor

Holy Father,
You came bursting onto scene in holy Love
and You paved a way through the wilderness;
straight into Your holy courts
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Your power has defeated
Satan,
sin
and death
and Your love has redeemed your lost children.
May we cling to the promise of Christmas
as we bask in Your glory.
Through Jesus Christ we pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Reverberate

/ The Pastor

Father God,
may the song of my praise
reverberate throughout my being
and into all those around me.
May my words about You
reveal my deep love for You.
May my actions
reflect a faith that points to You.
May people know the joy of Your
love
through Christ Jesus my Lord.
And as people receive the Good News of
Jesus,
may the cares of this world
melt into oblivion
as we bask in the hope of the resurrection.
This is my prayer and hope as I being a new day.
All praise and glory and worship and honor
be unto You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus my Lord.
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Thanksgiving

/ The Pastor

Unless you live under a rock, you know that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. A day of over-eating with relatives (some of whom may drive you crazy), watching a parade with lame commentary and trying to stay awake for the football games. It’s a grand ole holiday that ushers in the unofficial start of the Christmas season (even though Christmas decorations and commercials started a while ago).

None of this is new information for you.

For me, this holiday is the unofficial start of my Christmas ranting; one where I lament how commercialized Christmas has become, but I will spare you the ranting rhetoric this year and simply refer you to the Word of God. As you gather with family and friends, let’s keep things in perspective and remember the reason we can truly be thankful.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
[Psalms 136:1-9]

And the list goes on and on. Give thanks to the Lord for Jesus Christ and the hope of the resurrection we have through faith in him. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good for His steadfast loves endues forever and ever and ever and ever and…

Have a safe and God-glorifying Thanksgiving.

The Pastor -|—

Christ is King

/ The Pastor

Christ is King
he is the ruler on high.
Christ is King
he is the ruler coming from the sky.

Christ is King
he has defeated death and sin.
Christ is King
we win when our faith is in him.

Christ is King
my life he has saved.
Christ is King
his precepts I will always crave.

Christ is King
for I know not what I do.
Christ is King
his forgiveness is for me too.

Christ is King
I will praise you everyday.
Christ is King
please help me walk in your ways.

Christ is King
to you I long to go.
Christ is King
it is you I long to know.

The Pastor -|—

Rejoicing in Victory

/ The Pastor

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What a powerful and reassuring couple verses. I wish more people would take this to heart and cling to this promise. There’s a lot of crap happening in our nation and our world today but our Lord and Savior and King reigns supreme. His victory did not happen through an election but rather through the cross. Seek JESUS and you will be found safe and secure. Seek JESUS and rest in him.

Holy Father,
words don’t and can’t adequately express my thankfulness,
as I gaze upon the cross and see
VICTORY.
I see my Lord suffering and dying there,
FOR ME.
I see my King reigning supreme,
OVER ALL.
I see my Savior with my life in 
HIS HANDS.
How can possibly express my thanks with mere words.
And so I worship
YOU.
I praise Your holy
NAME.
I rest in Your mighty
ARMS.
Holy Father,
may I not fear this world,
but rather,
rejoice the victory through
JESUS CHRIST.
Amen!

The Pastor -|—

Don’t be a Jerk

/ The Pastor / 1 Comment

I saw a Facebook post recently that said:

“Sometimes the best evangelism is simply telling people you’re a Christian and then not being a complete jerk.”

There is some truth to that but it definitely does not go far enough in today’s world. There are way too many people who claim to be a Christian but do not follow Jesus (which doesn’t make sense to me). For some, “Christian” is just a title to be used when it suits them but when opposition comes the title is abandoned. Then there are people who claim the title “Christian” but under a new and “relevant” definition. It’s like a Twitter post I saw recently,

“Saying you’re a new kind of Christian with a new kind of Christianity is basically saying you’re an old kind of heretic.” [Burk Parsons]

To “simply” say you’re a Christian doesn’t tell me much now days, which is kind of sad. “Christian” used to mean something but now it is just a watered down title. So now what? Well, you can’t simply tell people you are a Christian and then not be a complete jerk. In today’s world, Jesus-following Christians need to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead. That is salvation and that is the message that needs to be proclaimed.
Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus died for you.
Jesus was raised for you.
Through faith, when you confess your sins, you are forgiven.

So don’t “simply” stop at Christian, but confess with your mouth what you believe in your heart…and THEN don’t be a complete jerk.

The Pastor -|—