SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after the Third Sunday after Trinity Sunday
not see and does not want to see the false pictures. Furthermore, we must encourage and strengthen ourselves with the Word of God as with the sound of trumpets… “And when did Christ do this? On the cross! There He prepared himself as a threefold picture for us, to be held before the eyes of our faith against the three evil pictures with which the evil spirit and our nature would assail us to rob us of this faith. He is the living and immortal image against death, which He suffered, yet by His resurrection from the dead He vanquished death in His life. He is the image of the grace of God against sin, which He assumed, and yet overcame by His perfect obedience. He is the heavenly image, the One Who was forsaken by God as damned, yet He conquered Hell through His omnipotent love, thereby proving that He is the dearest Son, Who gives this to us all if we but believe.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 42, p.106). Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after the Third Sunday after Trinity Sunday
*Scripture: Judges 6:25-40 (NKJV)* 25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night. 28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. 29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!” 32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.” 33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. 36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground. *Devotion* On the night after the Lord visited Gideon and strengthened Him with the Promise, God directed Gideon to remove the idolatry of his father, Joash, by tearing down the altar of Baal. Afterwards, Gideon was to build an altar to the LORD God and sacrifice a seven-year-old bull, showing forth the end of the seven years of oppression. By means of this sign the Israelites were to know that their punishment had come to an end and that God had accepted the sacrifice. Jesus made our sacrifice and atoned for the sins of the world. The announcement, “It is finished,” bears witness to the Father’s acceptance. Hanging on a cross, Christ was, in fact, cursed, so that we would be set free from an eternal oppression. In unbelief, the men of the city cry out to Joash asking for Gideon’s death, as did the Jewish leaders who handed Jesus over to Pontius Pilate. Unlike Pilate who gave in to their requests, Joash turns it all over to Baal saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.” Although Baal can do nothing, the cry of the chief priests, “He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” are answered on Easter morning. Romans 1:4, Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Like the dew of the fleece, Jesus is the only blessed One from Heaven, while we are dry and dead in sin. Yet through His Redemption, we are drenched with heavenly blessings and Jesus alone receive the curse of the Cross. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after the Third Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Virgin Mary, you, and I, the weak and lowly Gideon had found favor with God. That is, we are graciously blessed with the Promise of the Lord’s deliverance, which creates and strengthens faith in Jesus Christ. Gideon already knew what the apostles found out Easter evening, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” The LORD is peace. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after the Third Sunday after Trinity Sunday
said that this is the Lord’s commandment. Yet he knew that previously Joel [2:28f.] had proclaimed that God would pour out his Spirit also on handmaidens. Furthermore, the four daughters of Philip prophesied (Acts 21:9). But in the congregations or churches where there is a ministry women are to be silent and not preach [1 Tim. 2:12]. Otherwise they may pray, sing, praise, and say ‘Amen,’ and read at home, teach each other, exhort, comfort, and interpret the Scriptures as best they can.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 40, p.390). Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after the Third Sunday after Trinity Sunday
that we are forgiven through Christ, do good to your neighbor wherever God has placed you. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after the Third Sunday after Trinity Sunday
*Scripture: Judges 2:6-23 (NKJV)* 6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land. 7 So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel. 8 Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. 10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. 11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. 13 They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. 16 Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. 18 And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. 19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. 20 Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the LORD, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” 23 Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua. *Devotion* It was out of mercy and pity that the Lord raised up judges in order to deliver the children of Israel from oppression. However, when the judge was dead, the people reverted back to their old sinful behavior and even worse. They received the grace of God in vain. Rejecting the working of God, “They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.” The Lutheran Confessions describe the temporary “good” behavior of the Israelites under the judges as “works of the law” as opposed to “fruits of the Spirit.” The student who only behaves well when the teacher is watching is producing a work of the law. When the teacher turns her back, the student does what he wants. “But when man is born anew by the Spirit of God, and liberated from the Law, that is, freed from this driver, and is led by the Spirit of Christ, he lives according to the immutable will of God comprised in the Law, and so far as he is born anew, does everything from a free, cheerful spirit; and these are called not properly works of the Law, but works and fruits of the Spirit.” (FC SD VI 17) Similarly the Lord has not completely driven out our sinful nature, in order that he might test us whether we “will keep the ways of the Lord.” “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” (2 Cor. 6:1) Confess your sinful desires and trusting in free forgiveness of your Savior Jesus Christ, serve with a cleansed heart and mind. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
*Scripture: Joshua 23:1-16 (NKJV)* 1 Now it came to pass, a long time after the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua was old, advanced in age. 2 And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: “I am old, advanced in age. 3 You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has fought for you. 4 See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. 5 And the LORD your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you. 6 Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, 8 but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. 11 Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. 12 Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, 13 know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 14 “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. 15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16 When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.” *Devotion* In the reading for today it is obvious that Joshua loves the people of Israel a great deal. At the end of his life he wants them to continue in the Lord. He reminds them of how the Lord has blessed them so greatly. “Therefore,” he says, “be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left…but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done this day.” This love which God has for His people is still conveyed to them today by the pastor in the Baptismal service. He says, “Almighty and most merciful God and Father, we thank and praise You that You dost graciously preserve and extend Your Church, and hast granted to this child a new birth in Holy Baptism, and made him a member of Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and an heir of Your heavenly kingdom. We humbly beseech You to keep him in his baptismal grace, that he may be faithfully brought up to lead a godly life to the praise and honor of Your holy Name, and finally, with all the saints, obtain the promised inheritance in Heaven, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.” Indeed, like the Israelites of old, we have nothing to fear. We hold fast to our loving, merciful God. God is our Father; Jesus is our Brother! We have the victory! Sin, death, and Satan will not defeat us. Thanks be to our loving God. Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
, possessions and reputation, and finally when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.” And in the Conclusion he writes that the “Amen” means “that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen means ‘yes, yes, it shall be so.’” As surely as Joshua and the Old Testament Israelites had the victory over their enemies, so too, we have the victory over sin, death, and Satan by faith in Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord. Amen, Amen, it shall be so! Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
wrath because of the death of one man, Achan, reminds us of how God’s wrath is turned from us because of the death of Jesus Christ, Who became sin for us and absorbed God’s wrath at the transgressions of humanity. After Achan’s death, Israel is restored to the covenant relationship with the Lord, and the inheritance of the Promised Land proceeds under God’s direction. In the return engagement with Ai, God’s people are given the victory. That the Lord’s wrath is followed by His favor not only points to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it also is a reminder that sin and faithlessness may bring disaster on parts of the visible church—and eternal damnation for the faithless—but the Church of the resurrected Christ will be restored and will live on by His grace. The Lord’s mercy shines again on all who trust in Him. This chapter, like so many others, shows clearly that it is the Lord alone Who saves His people and leads them to victory by means of His Word and the faithful proclamation of that Word. Praise God, Who keeps His promises and gives His faithful people the eternal victory! Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Jericho the Commander of the Lord’s army had worked a great miracle. And what did the children of Israel do? They ignored God’s Word to “abstain from the accursed things.” (6:18). Many times in both the Old and New Testaments God’s chosen people chose to disregard God’s Word. Already in the Garden of Eden the words, “Did God really say…?” had a powerful effect on Adam and Eve. They ignored God’s Word, and sin came crashing into this world. Man ignored God’s Word and ate of the forbidden fruit. As a result, all mankind was infected with sin, and death came to all. In Ephesians 2:4-10 St. Paul writes: But God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Thanks be to God for His great mercy! Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
do the job. We need more attractive settings, more “feel good” music, and a more relevant message. But when the Commander of the Lord’s army is working through His Word and Sacrament, nothing more is needed. Indeed, despite appearances we have the victory and the Kingdom ours remaineth, now and forever. Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
*Scripture: Joshua 5:1—6:5 (NKJV)* 5:1 So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel. 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. 4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised. 6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD—to whom the LORD swore that He would not show them the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” 7 Then Joshua circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. 9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. 10 Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. 11 And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. 12 Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year. 13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” 14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” 15 Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so. 6:1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.” *Devotion* It must have been a great comfort to Joshua, to whom God had given the responsibility of leading His people into the Promised Land, to meet the Commander of the Lord’s army face to face. When the pre-incarnate Christ said to him, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy,” Joshua must have been reminded of Moses’ encounter with the same pre-incarnate Christ at the Burning Bush. Moses was certainly guided to do his mission, and now Joshua has this same promise that he will be guided to lead Israel to victory in the Promised Land. Joshua was given the reassurance to “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9). In Dr. Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” Luther writes: A mighty fortress is our God, A trusty shield and weapon; He helps us free from every need That hath us now o’er-taken. We have received the same promise Joshua did. Indeed, each time we hear the Word of God, each time we confess our sins and hear the words, “I forgive you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” each time we receive the Body and Blood of our Savior in the Holy Supper, we are the recipients of that same promise. We are forgiven. We hear and see our Risen Lord Jesus Christ say to us, “I
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after the First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
*Scripture: Joshua 3:1-17 (NKJV)* 1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” 6 Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7 And the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’” 9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.” 14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan. *Devotion* “Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.” (Josh.3:17) The Children of Israel had long wandered in the wilderness. Repeatedly they had sinned against the Lord, and He sent various punishments to chastise them and call them to repentance. At long last they were entering into the promised land. By the hand of God they miraculously passed through the water. It was a miraculous passage made possible by the real presence of the Lord, the Ark of the Covenant, which was with them. When John the Baptist came preaching and baptizing at the Jordan River, it was no accidental eccentricity. He was calling Israel out of the Promised Land, back into the wilderness, making them admit that they had not yet “arrived.” He was making them pass through the water all over again in preparation for the real presence of the Lord to come among them in the person of Jesus Christ! Christ has come, died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and is raised again for our justification. How was this delivered to us? We were buried with Christ and raised to newness of life as we passed through the waters of Holy Baptism and entered into the promised land of the Church. Dear ones in Christ, rejoice, for in your Holy Baptism the new man daily comes forth and arises, who will live before God in righteousness and purity forever in the Promised Land of eternal life. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after the First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
, Whose death and resurrection takes away the sin of the world, and opens to us the way to inherit the Promised Land of life everlasting. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after the First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
*Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31 (NKJV)* 10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates. *Devotion* “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” (Prov. 31:30) Oh, how often I heard these words as a young man! Oh, how often I thought, “Why not all of it? Why not the fear of the Lord, plus a good share of that beauty and charm stuff?” Of course, the point of the Scripture is to raise the issue of priorities, and the point of my youthful questions was to avoid that point! It is important, especially for our single people, to prioritize the fear of the Lord in the people they date (or court) and eventually marry. There is nothing wrong with a “Wow! Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” reaction. We should find our spouses desirable. But our homes are to be outposts of the Kingdom of God on Earth. Our homes are mission fields, and our children are those we are to bring to the Lord. Prioritize the fear of the Lord! Moreover, these words apply to the Holy Christian Church, the Bride of Christ, and to each of our congregations as miniatures thereof. It does not matter so much if we meet in nice sanctuaries with pews, or in a garage on folding chairs. It matters that we fear the Lord, that we repent of our sins, trust in Christ’s atonement for our forgiveness, gladly hear and learn His Word, and receive His saving gifts. God grant us His Holy Spirit, that we may trust in the Lord Christ with all our hearts. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after the First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
*Scripture: Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-30 (NKJV)* 1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: 2 Surely I am more stupid than any man, and do not have the understanding of a man. 3 I neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know? 5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. 6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. 7 Two things I request of You (deprive me not before I die): 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God. 18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand: 19 The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin. 20 This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done no wickedness.” 21 For three things the earth is perturbed, yes, for four it cannot bear up: 22 For a servant when he reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, 23 a hateful woman when she is married, and a maidservant who succeeds her mistress. 24 There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer; 26 The rock badgers are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags; 27 The locusts have no king, yet they all advance in ranks; 28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in kings’ palaces. 29 There are three things which are majestic in pace, yes, four which are stately in walk: 30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any. *Devotion* “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” (Prov. 30:5-6) We know how dangerous it is to take away from God’s Word. He did not speak one pointless word to us. Some truths of Scripture seem more important than others, but all of it points us to Christ. All of it is important; none of it is “safe” to omit. We know it is not safe to add a whole book to the Bible, but what about just helping God out a little bit? Repentance plus circumcision? Repentance plus tithing? Repentance plus spiritual gifts? Repentance plus psychological or corporate insights? Why not? The problem, of course, is not the godly use of human wisdom. The problem comes when we pretend our human wisdom carries the authority of “thus saith the Lord.” Whenever we add something to Jesus, we end up with less of Jesus. We treat Him as a Jesus Who is not enough all by Himself, a Jesus Who needs an invented “add on” before the salvation program will work. Dear ones in Christ, trust the Word of the Lord alone. Add nothing, subtract nothing. The Word of the Lord gives you Christ, and with Him comes completely reliable forgiveness and salvation. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after the First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
*Scripture: Proverbs 27:1-24 (NKJV)* 1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. 2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips. 3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them. 4 Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy? 5 Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 7 A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. 8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest Is a man who wanders from his place. 9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel. 10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. 11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me. 12 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; The simple pass on and are punished. 13 Take the garment of him who is surety for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he is surety for a seductress. 14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it will be counted a curse to him. 15 A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike; 16 Whoever restrains her restrains the wind, and grasps oil with his right hand. 17 As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 18 Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honored. 19 As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man. 20 Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied. 21 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, and a man is valued by what others say of him. 22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him. 23 Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds; 24 For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations. *Devotion* “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Prov. 27:17) How does one sharpen an iron blade? One way to do it is to rub it on another piece of iron. So our Lord imparts wisdom to us in the book of Proverbs. He uses “iron sharpening iron” as an illustration of how we can sharpen one another in our proficiency with what the New Testament calls the “Sword of the Spirit,” which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). Some Christians use this verse foolishly as an excuse to justify an argumentative spirit. This, of course, is not the point of the Proverb; we should seek not the “joy” of bickering, but only to help one another speak the Word of God more clearly. In speaking the Word of God clearly we can be of great service to each other. This is yet another reason to attend church and Bible classes, and not to limit your contact with the Word of God to home devotions. We know the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the good news that He died and rose again for the forgiveness of our sins. God grant us, then, to be a gift to fellow believers and to let them be a gift to us as we seek together to speak clearly the Word of Christ’s salvation to a world in desperate need of it. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
*Scripture: Proverbs 24:1-22 (NKJV)* 1 Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them; 2 For their heart devises violence, and their lips talk of troublemaking. 3 Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4 By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; 6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety. 7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate. 8 He who plots to do evil will be called a schemer. 9 The devising of foolishness is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men. 10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. 11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. 12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds? 13 My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; 14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, and your hope will not be cut off. 15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not plunder his resting place; 16 For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. 17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him. 19 Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked; 20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. 21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; 22 For their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring? *Devotion* All during this week we have heard words that encourage fleeing from our enemies and running toward God. And there is certainly nothing wrong with that advice. But we face another temptation in doing this: self-righteousness. We can become so proud of our self, that we look down on others who are not doing “as well.” We may have successfully fled from those who cause us trouble, but we should never gloat that we have repented and they have not. If we do become prideful, we are no better off than they are. Verses 17-18: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.” Beware of God’s wrath that now may be directed our way. It is a slippery slope. On the one hand, we can fall into the trap of sliding away from the sanctified life. This happens when we minimize sin and ignore our God-informed conscience. On the other side, when we repent of sinful attitudes and actions, we can begin to feel pretty good about ourselves. We think we are beginning to “figure this out,” that we have “finally arrived.” But in reality, we are only falling off the other side of the horse. The Christian life is a cycle of sin, confession, forgiveness, godly living, sin, confession, forgiveness, etc. Thanks be to God that our salvation does not depend on how well we struggle, but on how well Christ has struggled, and won. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
*Scripture: Proverbs 22:22—23:12 (NKJV)* 22:22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; 23 For the LORD will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them. 24 Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, 25 lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul. 26 Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who is surety for debts; 27 If you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you? 28 Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set. 29 Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men. 23:1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; 2 And put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. 3 Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. 4 Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! 5 Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. 6 Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. 8 The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words. 9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words. 10 Do not remove the ancient landmark, nor enter the fields of the fatherless; 11 For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you. 12 Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge. *Devotion* We have learned much this week about staying away from foolishness, which is hurtful to our soul. Many times it is easy to spot. For instance, we know from the Ten Commandments that we should not steal, lie, or use God’s name wrongly. They all sound very straightforward. But one of our verses today tells us to watch out for something neutral. Verse 5: “Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.” Riches themselves are not sinful, but they can easily become a problem. It is easy for us to get caught up in that vortex, putting riches as a priority where they have no right to stand. Once that happens, it becomes a First Commandment issue. Things that are neutral can easily become a false god if their place as servant is not kept in check. We need to constantly be on our guard, as Satan uses whatever he can to wrest God from being first place in our lives. So how do we combat this nasty temptation? Verse 12: “Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.” Listen and take to heart the instruction of God’s Word. Fill your mind with the pure knowledge that He alone can give. Immerse yourself in Holy Scripture on a daily basis. Be eager to enter God’s House on Sunday. Fill yourself with these good things, and there will not be room for riches or any other false god to enter. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
*Scripture: Proverbs 22:1-21 (NKJV)* 1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold. 2 The rich and the poor have this in common, the LORD is the maker of them all. 3 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. 4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life. 5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul will be far from them. 6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. 7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. 8 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, and the rod of his anger will fail. 9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor. 10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave; Yes, strife and reproach will cease. 11 He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend. 12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, but He overthrows the words of the faithless. 13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!” 14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there. 15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him. 16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty. 17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge; 18 For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them all be fixed upon your lips, 19 so that your trust may be in the LORD; I have instructed you today, even you. 20 Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, 21 that I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may answer words of truth to those who send to you? *Devotion* Ear, head, heart; they are all in today’s reading. But why are they there, and what do they have in common? Verse 17 sets the stage: “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge….” It all starts with the ear. Without it we cannot receive outside input. And without outside input there only exists “dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Matt.23:27). But we can not just listen to anything. Our readings earlier in the week cautioned us to stay away from foolish input. Rather, as verse 17 puts it, we are to “hear the words of the wise.” And what are “wise” words? They are simply words from Scripture. For only Scriptural words can make us wise unto salvation (see 2 Tim. 3:15). Through such input we become knowledgeable about our sinful condition and our redemption in Jesus Christ. But ears and minds are not enough. For even the devil knows the Bible, but does not take it to heart (see James 2:19). There must be faith. Again from verse 17, “apply your heart to my knowledge.” We need all three, ear, head, and heart. And once the Word is absorbed, it needs to come out in the right way: “For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; let them all be fixed upon your lips….” The Gospel is too great a gift to keep to ourselves. We should all be dying (and living) to get the Word out. God grant us a hunger to hear, and willing lips to speak. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
*Scripture: Proverbs 20:5-25 (NKJV)* 5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. 6 Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man? 7 The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. 8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters all evil with his eyes. 9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”? 10 Diverse weights and diverse measures, they are both alike, an abomination to the LORD. 11 Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right. 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both. 13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread. 14 “It is good for nothing,” cries the buyer; But when he has gone his way, then he boasts. 15 There is gold and a multitude of rubies, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. 16 Take the garment of one who is surety for a stranger, and hold it as a pledge when it is for a seductress. 17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. 18 Plans are established by counsel; By wise counsel wage war. 19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. 20 Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness. 21 An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end. 22 Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you. 23 Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD, and dishonest scales are not good. 24 A man’s steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way? 25 It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows. *Devotion* In today’s reading, we see a couple of verses that focus on children. One of them is verse 11: “Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.” What do we see in this verse? Accountability. So many people want to excuse children from accountability, which has lead to all kinds of trouble later on in their lives. Even certain Christian denominations are reluctant to hold children responsible for their actions until they reach the “age of accountability.” But Scripture sings a different song. In Psalm 51:5 we read: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Therefore, the Bible says we are accountable even from the time of conception, as we are all inheritors of the sin of our parents. How does this sin become manifest? “Even a child is known by his deeds…” A child does not only cry when he is hungry, wet, or hurt. He also cries when he does not get his way. It is our inborn nature to think solely of self, and that comes out very early in life. We need to be taught how to think outside of self, and toward one another. Enter the Christian parent highlighted in verse 7: “The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.” Through the godly examples of moms and dads children are blessed to walk in their footsteps. Let us pray for all Christian parents to encourage their children to walk in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (see Eph. 6:4). Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday within the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Trinity
*Scripture: Proverbs 17:1-28 (NKJV)* 1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife. 2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, and will share an inheritance among the brothers. 3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the hearts. 4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue. 5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished. 6 Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father. 7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, much less lying lips to a prince. 8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers. 9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. 10 Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool. 11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him. 12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. 13 Whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house. 14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts. 15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. 16 Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, since he has no heart for it? 17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. 18 A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, and becomes surety for his friend. 19 He who loves transgression loves strife, and he who exalts his gate seeks destruction. 20 He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, and he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil. 21 He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy. 22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. 23 A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back to pervert the ways of justice. 24 Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. 25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him. 26 Also, to punish the righteous is not good, nor to strike princes for their uprightness. 27 He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. 28 Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. *Devotion* In today’s text there is much attention given to the topic of foolishness. In verse 7 we read: “Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, much less lying lips to a prince.” Here we see the issue on both ends of the spectrum. The fool shuns wisdom, and the wise shuns foolishness. It sounds simple enough, but how well do we follow it? It is easy for us to place ourselves on the “wise” end, casting aside what is trivial, harmful, and foolish. And certainly, when we allow ourselves to be led by God’s Word, we indeed cast aside what may be harmful to our faith. But how often do we really find ourselves on the “wise” end of sanctification? If we take an honest look, and give an honest answer, we would be saddened at how often we play the role of the “fool.” The Old Man within us does not hearken to the “excellent speech” of God’s Word. The Old Adam does not like being examined by the reality of God’s Law that exposes us for the sinners we are. So what should we do? Stay away from dangerous company. Listen to verse 12: “Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.” The consequences of opening ourselves to the advice of the foolish sinful world can be catastrophic. Let us then direct our time and attention to the fruitful task, to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God’s Word. By that we may be filled with the “good stuff,” and have no room left for foolishness. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after the Feast of the Holy Trinity
*Scripture: Proverbs 16:1-24 (NKJV)* 1 The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. 2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits. 3 Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established. 4 The LORD has made all for Himself, yes, even the wicked for the day of doom. 5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished. 6 In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil. 7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. 8 Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice. 9 A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. 10 Divination is on the lips of the king; His mouth must not transgress in judgment. 11 Honest weights and scales are the LORD’s; All the weights in the bag are His work. 12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, for a throne is established by righteousness. 13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks what is right. 14 As messengers of death is the king’s wrath, but a wise man will appease it. 15 In the light of the king’s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain. 16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. 17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul. 18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he. 21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning. 22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly. 23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. *Devotion* If we confine ourselves to our own little world, we can become very content with our thoughts, words, and actions. Verse 2 of today’s text says: “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes…” It is always easy to “self-justify.” But in the objective mirror of God’s Law we see that God is not content with our thoughts, words, and actions. That is why verse 2 continues, “but the LORD weighs the spirits.” It is only through this independent and flawless perspective that we can rightly diagnose our condition. This diagnosis leads to exposing ourselves in what we should have done, and what we should not have done. Once we confess these sins of omission and commission, God is quick to forgive. By living according to His will, and confessing when we do not, we follow God’s plan for our lives. As His children we know that He will put all these pieces together—both good and bad—and use them for His good purpose (Rom. 8:28). This does not hold true for those who reject God. The brokenness they must endure, or the earthly prosperity they may experience, will not serve their eternal purpose. Verse 5 of our text says: “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished.” There is much we must endure in this life. We must bear the burdens of living in a broken world. Even harder, we must live with our sinful selves. Let us take consolation that our God is eager to forgive and guide us, and may we be eager to live lives that conform to His holy will. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday within the Octave of the Feast of Whitsunday
*Scripture: Numbers 32:1-6, 16-27 (NKJV) * 1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.” 6 And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: “Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?” 16 Then they came near to him and said: “We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17 but we ourselves will be armed, ready to go before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones will dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every one of the children of Israel has received his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.” 20 Then Moses said to them: “If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the LORD for the war, 21 and all your armed men cross over the Jordan before the LORD until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, 22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the LORD and before Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. 23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out. 24 Build cities for your little ones and folds for your sheep, and do what has proceeded out of your mouth.” 25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: “Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead; 27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, just as my lord says.” *Devotion* Today’s lesson is one of guarding against earthly distractions from God’s Word and will. The land that was before the people caused covetousness in the hearts of some, because of its perceived value in their earthly pursuits and its proximity. The prospect of material gain motivated the request by Reuben and Gad. Selfish interests prevailed over their sense of unity as the covenant people. They were inclined to shirk their obligation of faithfulness to God. Moses warns them against allowing immediate temporal gain and the immediacy of earthly pleasures to cloud their faithful following of God’s Word. This is not unlike our constant temptation from the fallen temporal world, our sinful flesh, and the devil. We are easily drawn to covet the things of the world if we do not keep our focus on Jesus Christ. This reality of our sinful nature causes us to fall under the same warning of Moses uttered against Gad and Reuben: your sin will find you out. In our text the bargain was struck, but not without strong warning of the consequences if the parties failed to live up to their word. We are God’s chosen people, His holy assembly, who have been brought into a holy covenant through grace. Our sins have been washed away by the atoning blood of Christ—but we must never underestimate the power of the world, our flesh, and the devil to draw us back into sin. There is only one sure defense against your sin finding you out: faith in Jesus Christ as your Redeemer from sin. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday within the Octave of the Feast of Whitsunday
*Scripture: Numbers 27:12-23 (NKJV)* 12 Now the LORD said to Moses: “Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. 13 And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. 14 For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.) 15 Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying: 16 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” 18 And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. 20 And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the LORD for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.” 22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses. *Devotion* The context of this narrative helps to greatly enhance its message because just prior to this text we read of Zelophehad’s daughters’ request for an inheritance in the land (verses 1-11). This in conjunction with the Lord’s words to Moses about his own exclusion from the land (verses 12-14) is important. In the case of Zelophehad’s daughters, provisions are made for exceptions and irregularities in the inheritance laws, but there is no provision for Moses. His sin at the waters of Meribah at Kadesh (20:1-13) was always before him. These facts and the Balaam narrative recorded in Numbers 22-24 help drive home how seriously God takes His Word and adherence to it, as well as faith in Him. Moses’ sin was striking the rock with his staff when the Lord had not mentioned any such striking with the staff, but directed him to simply command water to come forth by the power of God’s command. While our text shows God demands strict adherence to His Word, it also demonstrates His tremendous mercy toward those who look to Him in faith. Though Moses is not permitted to enter the promised land because of his stumbling, he is allowed to see it, as well as have the honor of commissioning his successor who would lead the people across the Jordan. While the Lord demands faithfulness from His chosen because He is a jealous God, He is far greater in showing abundant mercy and grace. This is clear from the cases referenced above, and especially in the sending of His Son to atone for our many failures to be faithful to Him. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday within the Octave of the Feast of Whitsunday
*Scripture: Numbers 24:1-25 (NKJV)* 1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 Then he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened, 4 the utterance of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open: 5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! 6 Like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the riverside, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters. 7 He shall pour water from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He shall consume the nations, his enemies; He shall break their bones and pierce them with his arrows. 9 ‘He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?’ Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.” 10 Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! 11 Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the LORD has kept you back from honor.” 12 So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13 ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD, to do good or bad of my own will. What the LORD says, that I must speak’? 14 And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.” 15 So he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, and the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened; 16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, and has the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes wide open: 17 I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult. 18 And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly. 19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, and destroy the remains of the city.” 20 Then he looked on Amalek, and he took up his oracle and said: “Amalek was first among the nations, but shall be last until he perishes.” 21 Then he looked on the Kenites, and he took up his oracle and said: “Firm is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock; 22 Nevertheless Kain shall be burned. How long until Asshur carries you away captive?” 23 Then he took up his oracle and said: “Alas! Who shall live when God does this? 24 But ships shall come from the coasts of Cyprus, and they shall afflict Asshur and afflict Eber, and so shall Amalek, until he perishes.” 25 So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place; Balak also went his way. *Devotion* The Spirit of God came upon Balaam and his eyes and ears were opened to the revelation of God unlike ever before. This coming by the Spirit is not to be confused with the filling of the Spirit mentioned in Acts 2, or with the anointing of the Spirit in Isaiah 61. This opening statement prepares the hearer for the heightened revelation that is about to come from the unwitting messenger. The theology of blessing and cursing in the promises made to Abraham in Genesis 12 is now a part of this blessing uttered through Balaam when he proclaims: “Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.” In this clearer revelation of the Lord’s Word and will delivered through Balaam we see even Balak acknowledging God’s ruling authority in the whole affair when he declares “the Lord” has kept Balaam from being rewarded. In his disgust with Balaam’s failure to curse Israel, Balak now dismisses him without pay—the ultimate insult to his greed. The star and scepter addressed in verses 17-19 are perhaps initially fulfilled in David, but we who are the New Testament Israel (the Church) see their more perfect fulfillment in the coming of the Messiah. Israel’s future Redeemer will be like a star and scepter in His royalty and will bring victory over the enemies of His people. That blessed victory is over our ultimate enemies of sin, death, and the devil. It is worth noting that the kings who had allied themselves with Balak do not escape God’s eye, for the Lord searches the heart and mind—and none can hide. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday within the Octave of the Feast of Whitsunday
*Scripture: Numbers 23:4-30 (NKJV)* 4 And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 5 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his oracle and said: “Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!’ 8 How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!” 11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!” 12 So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD has put in my mouth?” 13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.” 14 So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there.” 16 Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17 So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?” 18 Then he took up his oracle and said: “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor! 19 God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. 21 He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them. 22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox. 23 For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’ 24 Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.” 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!” 26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the LORD speaks, that I must do’?” 27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland. 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar. *Devotion* Whether or not Balaam believes does not change the reality that he is forced to acknowledge his inability to achieve that to which God is opposed. That which Balaam had been hired to do, he was unable to do. God kept him from pronouncing a curse on His people, who were unlike the nations of the world. Balaam’s request of “let me die the death of the righteous” seems to be a plea to be included among God’s chosen. He who had come to curse Israel desired to share in its blessing. Balak’s lack of faith is presented in his attempt to reduce Israel’s power by selecting a point where their numbers would be obscured. Men often attempt to manipulate and deceive, but it is not possible to manipulate or deceive the Lord. The text also reveals that God is not like a man, that He should lie. These words describe the immutable nature of the Lord and the integrity of His Word. In this regard Balaam is a foil for God—constantly shifting, prevaricating, equivocating, changing—a prime example of the distinction between God and man. Finally, Balaam speaks from his desperation. He has no means in his bag of tricks to withstand God’s blessing of Israel. Once again Balaam serves as that example of fallen humanity: How often people lament the desperate situation of their sinfulness and need for rescue, but refuse to acknowledge the Lord and His Word as the only solution to their predicament. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for Whit-Tuesday
points to the tremendous value of faith in the Lord as compared to simple knowledge of a God. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for Whit-Monday
*Scripture: Numbers 22:1-20 (NKJV)* 1 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. 2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” 7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’” 12 And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission to go with you.” 14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.” 15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’” 18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.” 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” *Devotion* Today’s text introduces us to the sad figure Balaam. This man whom Balak tried to engage in cursing Israel is one of the most mysterious and complex characters of Old Testament history. His nationality cannot be determined with certainty, and Balaam’s religious convictions are even more mystifying. On the one hand he acknowledged and obeyed the Lord, but he also persisted in heretical pagan practices. This non-Israelite went so far as to speak of the Lord as “my God,” but in spite of his professed recognition of the true God, he succumbed to his desire for rich rewards and repeatedly sought a way to comply with his benefactor’s nefarious request regarding Israel. The tension between Balaam’s self-determination and the will of God is a good example of the complexity of human perversity, as well as the dangers of mixing orthodoxy with heresy. His story is a warning against trying to serve both the true God and false idols or one’s own wicked desires. Balaam also serves as an example of the omnipotence of the Lord, for when he attempted to ply his trade as a clairvoyant or psychic to give Balak an advantage over Israel, God put true words of prophecy on his lips that delivered the opposite. Our text also presents the value of Scripture interpreting Scripture when the New Testament books of 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation refer to the story of Balaam as a warning against the sins of avarice and idolatry. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Exaudi
*Scripture: Numbers 20:22—21:9 (NKJV)* 20:22 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24 “Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. 25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; 26 and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.” 27 So Moses did just as the LORD commanded, and they went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. 29 Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days. 21:1 The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. 2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 And the LORD listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah. 4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. *Devotion* The trip was lengthy and God’s people had become greatly discouraged on this journey. They should not have been so discouraged, for God went before them, revealing His presence among His people daily in the pillars of cloud and fire. God prevented their clothing and sandals from wearing out. He provided them with food and water in the midst of the dreary desert. He protected them from the warring tribes that they encountered along the way. Shamefully, though, the Israelites lashed out in frustration against Moses, and against God Himself. They lacked trust in God to deliver them from death in the wilderness. God then began to give them exactly what they envisioned: death. God’s fiery serpents were directed at the turning of their self-pity into repentance over their sins. God used bronze metal to fashion another memorial, both to His wrath against sin and His mercy toward the faithful penitent sinner. The bronze serpent proclaimed that the fiery serpents were a manifestation of God’s anger, but that His wrath is appeased through faith in the sacrifice of God’s Christ, Who would be lifted up upon a Cross. Even as God’s people had to look with faith upon the serpent on the pole to see God’s salvation coming through it, so also God’s people use the eyes of faith to see the Crucified Christ, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Look upon Him, Faithful Israel, and live forever! Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Exaudi
*Scripture: Numbers 20:1-21 (NKJV)* 1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. 12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them. 14 Now Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom. “Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us, 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers. 16 When we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice and sent the Angel and brought us up out of Egypt; now here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’” 18 Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.” 19 So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20 Then he said, “You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him. *Devotion* “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2) This requires fidelity to God’s directives in all matters, great and small, at all times and in all places. God provides a clear, though painful lesson to Moses and to Aaron—and to us—about faithfulness in today’s reading. Although the Lord previously instructed Moses to strike a rock with his rod to produce water for His people in the desert, this time God instructed him to only speak the Word. Moses, however, took matters into his own hands and struck the rock. This small act of disobedience was no small thing in God’s sight (no sin ever is), and both Moses and Aaron received a harsh judgment: neither would enter the land to which God was bringing His people. Truly, being found faithful in all things matters to God. Indeed, God Himself is faithful in all matters, great and small, at all times and in all places. He is faithful to His promise of forgiveness and eternal life for the sake of His Christ to each one who believes. Our faithfulness is God’s own faithful work within us by His Holy Word and His Holy Spirit. Like Moses and Aaron, we abide in the faith through His enduring faithfulness to us, trusting in His forgiveness when we transgress our duties, and believing His promise that each of His faithful ones will be “gathered to his people” in the end and dwell with Him in the Promised Land of Heaven forever. Thanks be to God for His enduring faithfulness toward us! Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Exaudi
*Scripture: Numbers 16:41—17:13 (NKJV)* 16:41 On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.” 42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting. 44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces. 46 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun.” 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. 50 So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped. 17:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. 3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. 4 Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.” 6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses placed the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. 8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. 10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did. 12 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! 13 Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die. Shall we all utterly die?” *Devotion* Between death and life stands one man. The wrath of God against sin is advancing upon the people, bringing the death that each one deserves because of his sin against God. The man who stands between the living and the dead is God’s priest. God hears the prayer, sees the atonement offered on behalf of the faithful, and His wrath is appeased; the plague of death is over. By this depiction of Aaron, God gives to us a clear depiction of the life, and the death, of Jesus. In between death and life stands the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. Even as the wrath of God the Father is advancing against the sin of the world, the Son of God enters our world as man. Christ Jesus is the Great High Priest, offering the sacrifice that atones for the sins of all men; that atonement is Himself, laying down His life as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. He suffers the full wrath of His Father—even the death we deserved—to end the plague of death. All who believe in Him who was crucified—and is risen!—may dare to stand before Almighty God, laying claim to God’s mercy upon the faithful for the sake of the atoning sacrifice of His own Son. God has seen the atonement offered by our Great High Priest, and His wrath against you is appeased. You now stand among the living forevermore! Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Exaudi
*Scripture: Numbers 16:23-40 (NKJV)* 23 So the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’” 25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” 27 So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children. 28 And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 29 If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. 30 But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD.” 31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. 33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!” 35 And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense. 36 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 37 “Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. 38 The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, 40 to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the LORD had said to him through Moses. *Devotion* All things in the House of the Lord serve as memorials of God’s faithfulness. Following Korah’s rebellion, which God ended with a terrifying display of His wrath against sin, the bronze censers used for the rebels’ unholy purposes were reclaimed out of the ashes. God commanded that these censers be used for a holy purpose again. They were hammered into a covering for the altar of the tabernacle. The bronze covering on the altar would be a memorial of God’s unchanging condemnation of sin. At the same time, the altar itself–the place of sacrifice–was a memorial to God’s promise of forgiveness for the sake of the sacrifice that God would one day make for the sins of all people. For the sake of the Sacrificial Lamb, God’s Only-Begotten Son, Christ Jesus, those who believe would “not become like Korah and his companions,” but would receive forgiveness and life everlasting! The things in the House of the Lord today also stand as memorials of God’s faithfulness to His people. The Crucifix testifies to the wrath of God against sin, and His mercy upon us in the One Who bore our sin for us. The Font is a memorial to the flood of God’s wrath against sin, and His gracious washing away of all sin from us. The Pulpit is like the front of the boat from which Jesus proclaimed Law and Gospel, repentance and faith. The Altar still stands as memorial of His sacrifice for us, from which He now gives His Flesh and Blood for the forgiveness of your sins and life everlasting! Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Exaudi
*Scripture: Numbers 16:1-22 (NKJV)* 1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; 2 and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. 3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” 4 So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face; 5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. 6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company; 7 put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!” 8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? 11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?” 12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up! 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? 14 Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!” 15 Then Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.” 16 And Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow, you and all your company be present before the LORD—you and they, as well as Aaron. 17 Let each take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.” 18 So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation. 20 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” 22 Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?” *Devotion* Indeed, every member of the Holy Christian Church is holy, and the Lord is with each one. By virtue of the outpouring of Holy Baptism, the hearing of Holy Absolution, and the feasting upon the Holy Supper, each Christian is forgiven, saved from everlasting death, and given new life as a child of God in Christ. To be declared holy by God means is to be set apart by Him and sanctified for His purposes. One of those purposes is for each Christian to serve as a living temple in which the Lord Himself graciously dwells in order to bless, in many ways, the Christian and the Christian’s neighbor. Korah and his fellow rebels spoke truly of each true Christian therefore in saying, “All the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them.” However, Korah and his company drew a false conclusion and rebelled against those whom God had appointed to bless them. God calls His children “a royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9) but He does not call every prince to stand as a pastor or minister before His fellow princes in God’s Church. It is Christ alone Who calls a groomsman of His own choosing to attend to His bride. Christ issues this call through the voice of His Church to a man with whom the Lord dwells, a man who is qualified by proper training to be apt to teach the whole counsel of God, and who is recognized by the Church and her ministers as a faithful steward of the Word and Sacraments, as the Lord chooses. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Exaudi
*Scripture: Numbers 14:26-45 (NKJV)* 26 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. 31 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. 35 I the LORD have spoken this; I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’” 36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land. 39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!” 41 And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.” 44 But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop; nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah. *Devotion* Simply saying “I have sinned” does not cause the gates of Heaven to swing open to you. It is not the mere speaking of the proper words that makes a true confession. This is why Moses pronounces God’s enduring judgment against the evil members of the congregation of Israel, even though they have spoken the words “We have sinned!” While these words spoke truth, the people did not speak truly. For it is not just the words that make a true confession, but the spirit in which the words are spoken. The words of confession are true words of power when spoken in truth by the Spirit of Truth. The true Christian does not merely speak the words, but speaks the truth by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, who dwells within the heart of each believer. “I have sinned. I am heartily sorry for my sins, and sincerely repent of them. I earnestly desire to amend my sinful life, for so Your Holy Spirit leads me. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Who died for all sins and was raised to justify all who believe in Him, be gracious and merciful to me!” Such words, inspired in us by God Himself, open the very heart of God to pour out forgiveness, life, and salvation upon His true children. In Holy Baptism, at the Holy Supper, and in Holy Absolution He says, “I forgive you all your sins. Sin no more. Depart in peace!” Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Rogate
*Scripture: Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33 (NKJV)* 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. 21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. 26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.” 30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” *Devotion* When the Israelites had arrived at Kadesh, in the desert of Paran, Moses sent out spies in accordance with the wishes of the people. They found a land “fl owing with milk and honey” but, as they were frightened of the people who dwelt there in the general vicinity of Hebron, whom they described as giants, they spread tales about the nature of the land, that it “devours its inhabitants.” As those who were sent to spy out the land were leaders from each of the tribes, their word apparently had validity among the people. Only Caleb is recorded as having expressed confidence in the ability of the Israelites to possess the land for their own. There are times in our personal lives and in the life of the congregation when the odds against us seem insurmountable. The temptation to fear is great because the risks seem so high even when measured against great rewards. We may choose to “err on the side of caution,” but perhaps then that is exactly what we are doing—erring! We might then pause for continued prayer, keeping in mind that rashness is not the same thing as courage. But we do well to remember that, if it be according to the will of God, we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13) I will lift up my eyes to the hills— >From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1) Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Rogate
*Scripture: Numbers 11:24-29; 12:1-6 (NKJV)* 11:24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again. 26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, forbid them!” 29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” 12:1 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. 5 Then the LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.” *Devotion* Moses was by no means guilty of “turf protection.” He had asked the Lord for relief from the pressures of his task of leading the Israelites and God had, therefore, shared some of the Spirit that was on Moses with seventy elders in order to give them power and validity in their positions. Even when Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp, Moses responded by saying, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets.” Moses’ brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, had been given special gifts by God. There was no one among the women of Israel esteemed as a prophetess above Miriam; and Aaron, as high priest, was spiritual head of the whole nation. Not satisfied, they chose to become jealous of Moses and attacked him under the pretext of his having taken an Ethiopian wife. “Who made you the sole mouthpiece of God?” There may be any number of people in a congregation with better people skills and speaking ability, but the Lord has called only one to serve as Pastor. Granted, he does not see God directly, as did Moses, or receive visions and dreams, but is, instead fed and directed by the same Word of God which lightens the way for the entire priesthood of believers. Praise God that when he humbly utters the words of Holy Absolution, we may hear him as if Jesus Himself were speaking to us from the chancel. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Festival of the Ascension of our Lord
Moses sorely felt the weight of their grumbling on his own shoulders, the people’s bitterness was directed against God Himself. We pray regularly, “Give us this day our daily bread”; and God answers that prayer. “God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” (Lord’s Prayer, SC). “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6). We, as Christians, blessed to be recipients of grace in the kingdom of God, may call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks (Second Commandment, SC). Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Rogate
*Scripture: Numbers 10:11-36 (NKJV)* 11 Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. 12 And the children of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran. 13 So they started out for the first time according to the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 14 The standard of the camp of the children of Judah set out first according to their armies; over their army was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. 17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their armies; over their army was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. (The tabernacle would be prepared for their arrival.) 22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set out according to their armies; over their army was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 Then the standard of the camp of the children of Dan (the rear guard of all the camps) set out according to their armies; over their army was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 Over the army of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27 And over the army of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 Thus was the order of march of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they began their journey. 29 Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.” 30 And he said to him, “I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my relatives.” 31 So Moses said, “Please do not leave, inasmuch as you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes. 32 And it shall be, if you go with us—indeed it shall be—that whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same we will do to you.” 33 So they departed from the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the LORD was above them by day when they went out from the camp. 35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: “Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You.” 36 And when it rested, he said: “Return, O LORD, to the many thousands of Israel.” *Devotion* The Lord made His presence known among the children of Israel in their desert wandering with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When His presence lifted and moved on after varying periods of time the Israelites would break camp to follow Him, traveling tribe by tribe, grouped together behind four standards or banners, which were rallying and organization points for the people. Sadly, in our day the visible Church is divided. However, the real Church, the congregation of saints and true believers, rallies not around standards or banners but around the Cross of Jesus, our Savior. We follow where He leads, picking up our own crosses, trusting in a Lord Who has never, ever backed down on a promise. Our life journey can be arduous and fraught with danger. Although, of those who traveled 40 years through the wilderness only Caleb and Joshua survived, we go forward fed not with manna and quail, but with the Word of God, strengthened by the holy Sacraments and assured of our destination. The Israelites traveled toward the Promised Land. We travel toward that home that Jesus has gone ahead of us to prepare, so that where He is we may be also. He has promised, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10). “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5). Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Rogate
though I be, Jesus shed His blood for me; Died that I might live on high, Lived that I might never die, As the branch is to the vine, I am His, and He is mine. (TLH 342:1) Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Rogate
*Scripture: Numbers 8:5-26 (NKJV)* 5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 8 Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. 9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10 So you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD, like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the LORD. 12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the LORD. 14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. 15 After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them, like a wave offering. 16 For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel. 17 For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself. 18 I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.” 20 Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them. 21 And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them, like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. 23 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting; 25 and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. 26 They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.” *Devotion* The Lord spared the firstborn of Israel, taking instead for His own the Levite men from the age of twenty-five to assist the priests in the tabernacle of meeting. Their preparation for service included sprinkling with water. We would assume it to have been simply clean water, like that used by the priests to prepare themselves for worship. Also, a part of their dedication was the sacrifice of two young bulls; the one a burnt sacrifice, the other a sin offering. The Levites were thus sanctified to the Lord. We too were sanctified and set apart for the Lord’s service, regardless of our vocation on earth, when we were cleansed in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. As with the Levites, it was a washing with simple water, but water together with the Word of God. Through that blessed act of God we share in the death of our Savior Jesus Christ. As He rose again, victorious over sin and death on the third day, so also we emerged from the font not only cleansed, but also sanctified by God and blessed with the promise that we need no longer fear death. What a day it was—clean water, clean clothing, clean linens, and a clean little you and me—a day marked with joy and congenial company celebrating together! But it all means nothing without the sanguinary sacrificial suffering and death of Christ on the cross. Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace Or wash away the stain. But Christ, the heav’nly Lamb, Takes all our sins away; A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they. (TLH 156:1-2) Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Cantate
*Scripture: Leviticus 26:21-33, 39-44 (NKJV)* 21 “‘Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. 22 I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate. 23 ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied. 27 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, 28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you. 31 I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the fragrance of your sweet aromas. 32 I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste. 39 ‘And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; also in their fathers’ iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away. 40 ‘But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, 41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt—42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. 43 The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; they will accept their guilt, because they despised My judgments and because their soul abhorred My statutes. 44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.’” *Devotion* Today’s lesson is meant as a warning to Israel. To those who know the history of Israel through the Old Testament, it seems like a prophecy of exactly what would happen. Israel would walk contrary to the Lord. They would turn their ears away from the Word of the Lord and not listen to their Savior. Pestilence comes. Israel is delivered into the hands of their enemies repeatedly. Famine, war, disease, and sword perpetually follow Israel as divine punishment for their wickedness and apostasy. Yet, even exiled in a foreign land, if Israel confesses their iniquity and treachery and humble themselves, then the Lord will not abhor them, spurn them, or abandon them. The Lord teaches Israel that He will punish them for their sins in order to bring about repentance. Even in His chastisements the Lord will not abandon them completely. The Scriptures teach us that God disciplines His baptized sons and daughters for their growth, and also so that they learn to repent of their sin and flee from temptation. We pray with the Psalmist, “O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.” (Psalm 6:1). We know that though He chasten us, it is not in wrath, but to discipline us as sons. Hebrews 12:11 reminds us, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” We know that the Lord’s chastisement is a manifestation of His fatherly love and mercy and that, like Israel, the Lord will not abandon us completely. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Cantate
*Scripture: Leviticus 26:1-20 (NKJV)* 1 “‘You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God. 2 You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. 3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them, 4 then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land. 7 You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. 9 ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you. 10 You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new. 11 I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright. 14 ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you. 18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. 19 I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.’” *Devotion* “I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.” The Lord wants to walk with His people. The Lord walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden. Sin ruined that walking together and man became estranged from the Lord, choosing rather to be “like God” rather than be content walking as the “image of God.” When the Lord collected His people from Egypt He desired to walk with them. To do this He would need to forgive their sins and cleanse them from their impurity. He would need to give His holiness to them. He did these things through the Divine Service in the Tabernacle where He dwelt with Israel. This was not how the Lord would spend eternity with His people. He desired to walk with them again. He does this in the incarnation of the Son of God. The second person of the Holy Trinity assumes human flesh so that He may dwell with His people in a way far superior to the Tabernacle and Temple. Christ dies as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life. He gives the gifts of the cross to His people through the Divine Service of Word and Sacrament, thereby dwelling with us in time so that we may dwell with Him forever in Paradise once again. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Cantate
*Scripture: Leviticus 24:1-23 (NKJV)* 1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. 3 Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations. 4 He shall be in charge of the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually. 5 “And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6 You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. 7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. 8 Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 9 And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the LORD made by fire, by a perpetual statute.” 10 Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and this Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp. 11 And the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed; and so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 Then they put him in custody, that the mind of the LORD might be shown to them. 13 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Take outside the camp him who has cursed; then let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. 16 And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death. 17 ‘Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. 18 Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal. 19 If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him—20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. 21 And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death. 22 You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the LORD your God.’” 23 Then Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they took outside the camp him who had cursed, and stoned him with stones. So the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses. *Devotion* We live in a world in which the Lord’s Name is misused and blasphemed easily and often. To modern ears today’s lesson may seem harsh. A man blasphemes the Lord’s Name and curses. He is brought before Moses and then sentenced to death by stoning. The reason the blasphemer must die is because the blasphemer has cut himself off from his only source of absolution. The Lord says in verse 15, “Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.” To curse God is to disavow Him and His gifts and judge oneself unworthy of everlasting life. One cannot blaspheme God and simultaneously expect mercy and clemency from God. Since the blasphemer has no mediator to bear his sin, and disbelieves the Word of the true God, he must bear his own sin. The Name of the Lord is a gift for the Christian to treasure and hallow. God’s Name is hallowed “when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we as the children of God also lead holy lives in accordance with it.” (Luther’s Small Catechism). We are given God’s Triune Name so that we may call upon Him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. To blaspheme our Lord’s Name by cursing, false doctrine, and immoral living is to drive the Holy Spirit away from us so that we have no choice but to bear our own sin. May the Lord inspire thankfulness in our hearts for His Name and the proper use of His Name so that we may call upon Him, worship Him, and rejoice that He bears our sin. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Cantate
*Scripture: Leviticus 23:23-44 (NKJV)* 23 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.’” 26 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 27 “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. 29 For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.” 33 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. 37 These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day—38 besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD. 39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.’” 44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD. *Devotion* The Day of Atonement was not for Israel to do but for Israel to receive. No work is to be done, and the one who does any work is to be destroyed. By this our Lord wants to teach all Christians that our atonement is not the work of our own hands. During Lent, and every Sunday, we gather to hear of our atonement won by Jesus, and have that atonement applied to us in the absolution and in the Lord’s Supper. We have not earned that salvation. We have done nothing because atonement is the work of Jesus and its application the work of the Holy Ghost. So, the entire work of salvation is God’s work, not our work. Israel is also to afflict their souls. The Lord desires true contrition from them, which is to sorrow over their sins, repenting of them and wanting to be rid of them. St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 that “godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” The affliction the Lord desires from Israel (in both testaments) is the affliction which leads us to repent of our sins so that we can hear the Gospel. In the Gospel we hear that in Christ our sins are forgiven, our guilt covered, and our shame is taken away. In the Day of Atonement we see a picture of the Christian life. We are commanded to repent, cease our strivings for our own atonement, and receive the atonement of Christ by faith. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Cantate
*Scripture: Leviticus 23:1-22 (NKJV)* 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. 3 ‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. 4 ‘These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it. 8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.’” 9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD. 13 Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 15 ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD. 17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the LORD. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the LORD. 19 Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.’” *Devotion* The Israelites have a liturgical calendar. Sabbaths are holy and no work is to be done on them so that the Word can be heard and pondered. The Passover is to be celebrated by eating unleavened bread for seven days to remind Israel of her salvation from Egypt. No customary work is to be done on the first and seventh day of Passover. Of course, the Passover lamb, as commanded in Exodus 12, is to be slaughtered and eaten as well. Pentecost arrives and its fifty days culminate with the new grain offering and “with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams.” The liturgical calendar focused upon the sacrificial offerings and the grain/drink offerings. Israel was to seek atonement for her sins in the bloody sacrifices and give thanks to the Lord for His gracious provision in the grain and drink offerings. The Christian is not bound by Moses, so we are not obligated to refrain from work on the Sabbath. But we are to keep the holy day, which since apostolic times has been Sunday. We keep the holy Lord’s Day by being in the Lord’s house, hearing the Lord’s Word. Our worship also revolves around sacrifice, not the blood of bulls and lambs, but a once-for-all sacrifice of the blood of the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. Though foreign to us, the liturgical calendar of the Old Testament is much like that of the Church catholic, designed for our benefit, so that we might set aside days and seasons for gathering around the Word and Sacrament of our Passover Lamb, Jesus. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Cantate
*Scripture: Leviticus 21:1-24 (NKJV)* 1 And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, 2 except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; 3 also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. 4 Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. 5 ‘They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God. 8 Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire. 10 ‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes; 11 nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; 12 nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife. 15 Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the LORD sanctify him.’” 16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, 19 a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20 or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. 21 No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the LORD. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy; 23 only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the LORD sanctify them.’” 24 And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel. *Devotion* The Sons of Aaron are to be holy because the Lord Who calls them is holy. They will be touching holy things and offering holy sacrifices. They will be wearing holy garments and approaching the Most Holy Place where God dwells to offer the blood of atonement for the sins of the people. The priests, being sanctified by the Lord, must not come into contact with death and defilement. The priest cannot even have a physical defect himself. This burden teaches us about our Lord Jesus, Who is the High Priest of the New Testament, because the entire Old Testament priesthood is a portrait of Christ’s person and work for us. Jesus is the only one without physical or ceremonial defect. Jesus is not made holy by God as the Old Testament priests were; Jesus is holy because He is God in human flesh. He is the only perfect man, the only one Who is able to enter into the heavenly tabernacle and atone for the sins of the world fully and completely. “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Heb. 9:11-12). Let us give thanks that through faith our High Priest makes us holy, as He is holy before God the Father in Heaven, by forgiving our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Jubilate
*Scripture: Leviticus 19:9-18, 26-37 (NKJV)* 9 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God. 11 ‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12 And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. 13 ‘You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the LORD. 15 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. 17 ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. 26 ‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. 27 You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD. 29 ‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness. 30 ‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. 31 ‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. 32 ‘You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD. 33 ‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 35 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. 36 You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 ‘Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the LORD.’” *Devotion* Much of the subject for this week’s readings has been on blood and sacrifice, which foretell the love God shows us in Jesus Christ’s own bleeding and death on the cross. The commandments in today’s reading emphasize the love and concern that He would also teach us to have for our neighbors. Overall, it is important that we remember (and remind others who say differently) that God has always been loving and benevolent towards mankind. In godless societies it is easy to see that man naturally gravitates to selfishness and disregard for his neighbor’s well-being. God gives such commandments because we have to be taught and reminded not to be wicked. However, Satan’s goal is to turn such things away from our Lord’s order. The world tells us that God is mean and oppressive, bloodthirsty and vengeful, and that we can find true goodness and freedom when we remove him from our lives. But the wicked cultures that live by that lie are hardly loving towards their neighbor. Our society struggles with murder of the unborn, mistreatment of the old, animosity between social and economic classes, and embracing unnatural appearances and relations. When distanced from the benevolent teachings of God, man does not show that he is loving and benevolent. We are by nature selfish and vengeful. Our Lord is the One Who is loving, even in the holiness of His statutes and judgments. By His wise commands He teaches us how to truly love, even in the exercise of justice and discipline. And He truly shows us His own love for us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Who has redeemed us from our sinfulness. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Jubilate
*Scripture: Leviticus 18:1-6, 20—19:8 (NKJV)* 18:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. 3 According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. 4 You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the LORD your God. 5 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. 6 ‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the LORD. 20 ‘Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. 21 And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. 22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. 23 Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. 24 ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God.’” 19:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 3 ‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 4 ‘Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the LORD your God. 5 ‘And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD, you shall offer it of your own free will. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. And if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. 7 And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. 8 Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from his people.’” *Devotion* The Lord knows that sins of fleshly desire are a constant temptation to mankind. As with all of God’s commands, there is much wisdom and common sense to be considered in these ordinances. Abuse of physical relations can easily harm the mind and the body. Such harmful relations are understandably prohibited by our Lord because of these damages. God warns us against these things partly because of the immediate hurt they can cause, but He also judges against these behaviors because they can shape and define people’s very identities. If one’s identity is primarily a “ladies man” or a “homosexual,” then his identity is not first and foremost a “Christian.” Such people serve two masters, and if their physical desires are given a status anywhere near the priority that God should have, then they have already made God a mere second place. As Luther’s Small Catechism reminds us, we are to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. If one’s lifestyle is defined by things that are in disregard of the clear prohibitions of His Word, then that person does not hold God above all things. Our Christian identity is in Christ Jesus. Christ alone was the One Who walked perfectly according to the ordinances of God. He lived righteously so that we could live in Him. For all our sins against the commands of God He can grant forgiveness, but if we seek to ignore or rationalize our transgressions, then we reject that forgiveness and our true identity in Him. May He keep us steadfast in His Word so that we may walk according to the fullness of life that we have in Jesus Christ. Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Jubilate
*Scripture: Leviticus 17:1-16 (NKJV)* 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying: 3 “Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an offering to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD, the guilt of bloodshed shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people, 5 to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they offer in the open field, that they may bring them to the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to the LORD. 6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet aroma to the LORD. 7 They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.”‘ 8 “Also you shall say to them: ‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it to the LORD, that man shall be cut off from among his people. 10 ‘And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ 12 “Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’ 13 Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; 14 for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’ 15 “And every person who eats what died naturally or what was torn by beasts, whether he is a native of your own country or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. Then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt.” *Devotion* “It is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Again, the blood of animals itself did not accomplish forgiveness for God’s people in the Old Testament. They were forgiven because of God’s promise of Christ in connection with these sacrifices. The people were instructed not to consume the blood of the animals because they were not to see their life coming from these animals. Their life would come from the blood of the firstborn Son of God. This becomes a very significant point when Jesus declares that “My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.” (John 6:55). The importance of faith connected to God’s promises and instructions is emphasized when some do not believe our Lord’s Words and cling to the outward command of not drinking blood. The simple act of any ceremony can become an idol if it is divorced from the Word of God. But it is by faith that we understand Holy Baptism is not water alone, but water comprehended in God’s command and connected with His Word (see Luther’s Small Catechism). By faith we understand that the bread and wine of the Sacrament of the Altar are His Body and Blood indeed. And by faith we understand that the blood of His atonement on the cross is truly the sacrifice that saves our souls and gives us the hope of the resurrection of our bodies and the life of the world to come! Without His Holy Spirit creating this faith in us these blessings are missed or misunderstood. May He keep us steadfast in the true faith, and bless us according to the holy Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Jubilate
, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 It is a sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever. 32 And the priest, who is anointed and consecrated to minister as priest in his father’s place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; 33 then he shall make atonement for the Holy Sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tabernacle of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the LORD commanded Moses. *Devotion* “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.” (Heb. 10:1). True atonement comes only in Jesus Christ. All the sacrifices commanded by God served to point forward to the full atonement that our Lord accomplished for all mankind. He would finally make us perfect through laying down His own life to bleed and die upon the cross. However, the value of these sacrifices should not be underestimated. Such things taught faith, which is a necessary aspect of God’s work of salvation for us. The sacrifices and other observances that God commanded to His people in the Old Testament taught them, and us, the importance of faith. It is by faith that we believe that Christ has redeemed us and made us righteous as we were baptized into His death. It was also by that same faith that the people of God looked forward and trusted that His promises of atonement would be finished by His Holy Seed. But it must also be remember that this faith is not from us (see Eph. 2:8). True faith is from God’s own Spirit. Faith that comes from man’s own reason or assumptions is strange and profane like the fire that Aaron’s sons offered and brought about their death. That is why the signs and commands that our Lord gives to us are so important. They are the things by which He shows us our true life and righteousness in Him alone. To Christ Jesus be all the glory! Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Jubilate
*Scripture: Leviticus 10:1-20 (NKJV)* 1 Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. 2 So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 3 And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’” So Aaron held his peace. 4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.” 5 So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled. 7 You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses. 8 Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying: 9 “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, 10 that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.” 12 And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left: “Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings made by fire to the LORD, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy. 13 You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, of the sacrifices made by fire to the LORD; for so I have been commanded. 14 The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your daughters with you; for they are your due and your sons’ due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. 15 The thigh of the heave offering and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the offerings of fat made by fire, to offer as a wave offering before the LORD. And it shall be yours and your sons’ with you, by a statute forever, as the LORD has commanded.” 16 Then Moses made careful inquiry about the goat of the sin offering, and there it was—burned up. And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, 17 “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 18 “See! Its blood was not brought inside the holy place; indeed you should have eaten it in a holy place, as I commanded.” 19 And Aaron said to Moses, “Look, this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and such things have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD?” 20 So when Moses heard that, he was content. *Devotion* Rebelliousness and carelessness have consequences. Such sins are even more serious when they interfere with the teaching of our Lord’s salvation for us. The teachings of God are not trifles to be handled haphazardly, because if we obscure God’s holy Words we risk leading others astray from the true saving faith. The Lord dealt with the sons of Aaron in a serious way. However, consider the significance of their actions. The Lord used fire to show His power by which He takes the sacrifices of man. The “strange” or “profane” fire that Aaron’s sons brought before God showed that they disregarded God’s commands and gifts, and that they were foolishly relying on their own provisions, rather than that which the Lord had given them. The similar problem we face now is those false teachers who bring a strange or profane spirit before the altar of our Lord. False teachers seek to conform the Church to the world, or bring the idol’s institutions into the holy place of God. Their spirit is not of humility and obedience to God’s Word, but of carelessness, even rebellion. Such teachers should be removed from the place of feeding Christ’s lambs. The sins of all mankind have been paid for in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and He gives us this free gift of salvation and eternal life through the power of His own Holy Spirit and the real gifts of faithful preaching and the sacraments. These blessed gifts should not be confused or poisoned with profane things from sinful men. May He help us to always treasure, support, and grow in these holy blessings. Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Jubilate
*Scripture: Leviticus 9:1-24 (NKJV)* 1 It came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2 And he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 3 And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering, 4 also a bull and a ram as peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the LORD will appear to you.’” 5 So they brought what Moses commanded before the tabernacle of meeting. And all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6 Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded you to do, and the glory of the LORD will appear to you.” 7 And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the LORD commanded.” 8 Aaron therefore went to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9 Then the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him. And he dipped his finger in the blood, put it on the horns of the altar, and poured the blood at the base of the altar. 10 But the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe from the liver of the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11 The flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp. 12 And he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar. 13 Then they presented the burnt offering to him, with its pieces and head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 And he washed the entrails and the legs, and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar. 15 Then he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one. 16 And he brought the burnt offering and offered it according to the prescribed manner. 17 Then he brought the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, besides the burnt sacrifice of the morning. 18 He also killed the bull and the ram as sacrifices of peace offerings, which were for the people. And Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar, 19 and the fat from the bull and the ram—the fatty tail, what covers the entrails and the kidneys, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver; 20 and they put the fat on the breasts. Then he burned the fat on the altar; 21 but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded. 22 Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, 24 and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. *Devotion* The killing, the blood, and the burning in today’s reading is quite different from the violence that is called “entertainment” in our age. It is one thing to see a movie or television show where the wages of sin are illustrated in the behavior of people. Villains kill for pride or lust, heroes use force for justice, but the things we watch are typically special effects and parts of stories that have no direct connection to our lives. The bloodshed and violence against the sacrificed animals was real, and those beasts that were killed came from the very livelihood of the people who were gathered to see. Furthermore, these sacrifices were commanded by God, and He revealed His own glory to the people in connection with these things. In spite of what our “sanitary” society may want us to think, sin is not clean. It is not bloodless and detached from us. By our sinful hearts we are guilty of assault and murder just as much the criminals on TV. There is indeed blood on our hands, but Satan would rather keep us distracted by flickering lights and images rather than realize that fact. But our Lord calls us to see the truth. In our age we have the blessing of God’s glory revealed in the cross of Christ, to which all those bloody sacrifices of the Old Testament were a sign and preview. We are no longer called to gather around the blood of animals. We are gathered around the Body and Blood of the Lamb, Christ Jesus, Who gives us eternal life by the Gospel and Sacraments! Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Misericordia Domini
*Scripture: Exodus 40:17-38 (NKJV)* 17 And it came to pass in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. 18 So Moses raised up the tabernacle, fastened its sockets, set up its boards, put in its bars, and raised up its pillars. 19 And he spread out the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent on top of it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 20 He took the Testimony and put it into the ark, inserted the poles through the rings of the ark, and put the mercy seat on top of the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the Testimony, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the tabernacle of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil; 23 and he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lampstand in the tabernacle of meeting, across from the table, on the south side of the tabernacle; 25 and he lit the lamps before the LORD, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 26 He put the gold altar in the tabernacle of meeting in front of the veil; 27 and he burned sweet incense on it, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 28 He hung up the screen at the door of the tabernacle. 29 And he put the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 30 He set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water there for washing; 31 and Moses, Aaron, and his sons would wash their hands and their feet with water from it. 32 Whenever they went into the tabernacle of meeting, and when they came near the altar, they washed, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 33 And he raised up the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the screen of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the LORD was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. *Devotion* The glory of God was veiled in a cloud. The cloud acted as a screen to shroud the fullness of the divine presence from sinful eyes in order to prevent their death. In that cloud the Lord God willingly confined His gracious presence as He led Israel safely out of Egypt and through the desert. Now, with the tabernacle completed “the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Jesus is the glory of the Triune God, veiled in humanity (see John 1:14). Clouds appear in the Gospels to remind us of this. Whenever they appear big things happen. On the Mount of Transfiguration, from a cloud, the Father’s voice disclosed the glory of Jesus. The Father commanded Peter, James, and John to listen to Him, for He is the Incarnate Word through Whom the Father speaks. And as Jesus ascended into Heaven a cloud covered Him. Jesus’ humanity is the cloud that veils His divinity. The preaching of the Gospel delivers Jesus so that we come to discover “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6). Jesus is our place of worship. In Him the Divine Service is enacted. In Him we have access to the Father’s grace, for He brings us near to the Father and presents us to Him. His flesh is our new and living way into the Father’s presence. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Misericordia Domini
*Scripture: Exodus 39:32—40:16 (NKJV)* 39:32 Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished. And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did. 33 And they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; 34 the covering of ram skins dyed red, the covering of badger skins, and the veil of the covering; 35 the ark of the Testimony with its poles, and the mercy seat; 36 the table, all its utensils, and the showbread; 37 the pure gold lampstand with its lamps (the lamps set in order), all its utensils, and the oil for light; 38 the gold altar, the anointing oil, and the sweet incense; the screen for the tabernacle door; 39 the bronze altar, its grate of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the laver with its base; 40 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its sockets, the screen for the court gate, its cords, and its pegs; all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 41 and the garments of ministry, to minister in the holy place: the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons’ garments, to minister as priests. 42 According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. 43 Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them. 40:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 You shall put in it the ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the veil. 4 You shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be set in order on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and light its lamps. 5 You shall also set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the Testimony, and put up the screen for the door of the tabernacle. 6 Then you shall set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 And you shall set the laver between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 You shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen at the court gate. 9 And you shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it; and you shall hallow it and all its utensils, and it shall be holy. 10 You shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar. The altar shall be most holy. 11 And you shall anoint the laver and its base, and consecrate it. 12 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the tabernacle of meeting and wash them with water. 13 You shall put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. 14 And you shall bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. 15 You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may minister to Me as priests; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.” 16 Thus Moses did; according to all that the LORD had commanded him, so he did. *Devotion* In Exodus 29:45 the Lord had promised that the Tabernacle would be the place where He would graciously “dwell among the children of Israel and be their God.” He would speak to them through Moses and Aaron. Through the ritual sacrifices, meals, and other ceremonies of this place Israel would have safe access to His presence. There they would obtain the blessings of His forgiveness and His abiding protection and care. This was meant to point to Christ, Who “came with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.” (Heb. 9:11). “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14). Jesus Christ is Immanuel—”God with us.” Jesus has promised, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:20). And again, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20). God gave the tabernacle and its worship services to Old Testament Israel so that He could dwell with His people. In Christ, God now tabernacles among us. This is the basis of our worship, for in the Divine Service we, the baptized, gather in Christ’s name and He is present in our midst to act as our God. There He speaks His gracious word of forgiveness and blessing to us. There He feeds us with His own Body and Blood, covered in the tent of bread and wine, that we might share in His holiness and life. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Misericordia Domini
Baptism their robes have been washed and made white in the Blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14). Baptized believers are stamped with Christ’s holiness in the forgiveness of their sins. Thus they serve God the Father as His royal priests together with Christ, each according to his or her station and vocation. (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Misericordia Domini
*Scripture: Exodus 34:29—35:21 (NKJV)* 34:29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him. 35:1 Then Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said to them, "These are the words which the LORD has commanded you to do: 2 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day." 4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying: 5 'Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats' hair; 7 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 8 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 9 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. 10 "'All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the LORD has commanded: 11 the tabernacle, its tent, its covering, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; 12 the ark and its poles, with the mercy seat, and the veil of the covering; 13 the table and its poles, all its utensils, and the showbread; 14 also the lampstand for the light, its utensils, its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 the incense altar, its poles, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, and the screen for the door at the entrance of the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, all its utensils, and the laver and its base; 17 the hangings of the court, its pillars, their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle, the pegs of the court, and their cords; 19 the garments of ministry, for ministering in the holy place—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.'" 20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. *Devotion* Moses would go into the Tent of Meeting to receive the Lord's commands for Israel. When he came out to speak with the Israelites and transmit to them all that the Lord had spoken he needed to veil his face, so frightening was the Lord's glory which shined from Moses' face. In 2 Cor. 3:7-18 the Holy Spirit tells us what these things mean. Moses' face reflected the awesome glory of the God, Whose holy perfection no sinner can live up to. God's Law is the very standard of His own holiness, which no sinner can keep. The holiness of God's Law, above all, exposes our sin, even as it exposes Israel's sin. It leaves us helpless and hopeless. Thus the Law, given through Moses, is the ministry of condemnation that dooms sinners to die in their unrighteousness every time it is preached. There is, however, another word from God for sinners who are drawn to repentance through the preaching of the Law. This word shines with a far greater brilliance than the Law of Moses. It is the ministry of righteousness—the Gospel. The Gospel is the preaching of Christ, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world by His self-sacrifice. The Gospel says that in Christ all sin is forgiven. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Misericordia Domini
offered himself for punishment in their place. But he too was a guilty sinner, so his death could not atone for the sins of other sinners. Yet, Moses told Israel that God would send another Mediator, like him, only better than him (see Deut. 18:18). The better Mediator is our Lord Jesus Christ of whom Moses was a type. Jesus actually did what Moses could only offer. Though innocent, He became the guilty One as the sin of the world was imputed to Him. Because He knew that Jesus would certainly come and die for their sins, God was able to forgive the calf-worshipers at Mt. Sinai. And by the merits of His death and resurrection, He also delivered forgiveness to us in Word and Sacrament, by which we know for certain that our sins are blotted out too. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Misericordia Domini
*Scripture: Exodus 33:1-23 (NKJV)* 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2 And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” 4 And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.’” 6 So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb. 7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 9 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. 10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. 11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. 12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.” 17 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” 18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” 19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 21 And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.” *Devotion* God told Moses, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” If even the angels, who are pure and holy, must veil their faces in the presence of God’s face (see Is. 6), surely sinners cannot see the full force of God’s divine glory without being consumed. The Lord gave Moses a glimpse of His presence by placing him in the cleft of a rock, covering Him with His hand, and then passing by so that Moses would view just His back. Whatever part of the Lord Moses saw that day, he did not see what we see. He did not see Jesus. Jesus Christ is the express image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). Jesus is God’s full glory, manifest through His human nature so that we sinners can behold Him and receive His life in the place of our death. You must behold Him with the eyes of faith. You “see” Him, not with your eyes, but with your ears as you listen to His voice in the holy Gospel. This is the voice of the One Who promised Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” This is the voice of your Good Shepherd Who called out to you and claimed you as His own in your Holy Baptism. It is He Who says to you, “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) In the Word of Absolution and in the Supper of His Body and Blood he grants you His rest, which is the gracious forgiveness of all your sins. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Oculi
*Scripture: Genesis 41:1-27 (NKJV)* 1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: "I remember my faults this day. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him." 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it." 16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace." 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. 18 Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me." 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine." *Devotion* Pharaoh had had a troubling dream, and the butler whose dream Joseph had interpreted many years earlier finally remembered Joseph, and spoke of him to Pharaoh. Now he stands before Pharaoh, and Pharaoh wants him to work his magic and interpret the dream. Joseph makes it clear that he is no magician. The interpretation of dreams is not his, but comes from God. The self-centered arrogance of Joseph's earlier years is gone. He gives all glory to God alone. What a great standard by which to measure our own words and attitudes! Are we glorying in ourselves, or are we giving all praise and honor and glory to God? Selfishness seeks its own glory; faithfulness gives all glory to God. Faith recognizes that it is not just pious to give all glory to God; it's just plain honest. Whatever gifts and abilities we have, He has given them to us. Whatever we have accomplished with them, He gave us the drive to do that. And most of all, the forgiveness of sins and the eternal life that we have is also purely a gift from Him, given us by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. To God alone be the glory. Amen. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Oculi
*Scripture: Genesis 40:1-23 (NKJV)* 1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while. 5 Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man's dream in one night and each man's dream with its own interpretation. 6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. 7 So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his lord's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?" 8 And they said to him, "We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please." 9 Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, 10 and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. 11 Then Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand." 12 And Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. 13 Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler. 14 But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 15 For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon." 16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head. 17 In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head." 18 So Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you." 20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. *Devotion* A butler and a baker were with Joseph in prison. Joseph received a vision that the baker would be put to death, but the butler would be restored. He asked only that the butler would speak of him to the Pharaoh and get him out of prison. And the butler promptly forgot him. Joseph wanted freedom. He put his hope in a man, and the man disappointed him. We know what we want for our lives, and we too get disappointed if the people we're counting on to deliver end up failing us. There are two things wrong with this. The first is that we are really living a "my will be done" life, and second is that we are trusting in the arm of flesh. God gave Joseph a few more years in prison--years that he needed to repent of these things. So let us learn from him and repent of our "my will be done" attitude, instead praying with ever greater sincerity, "Thy will be done." And God grant us grace further to trust that even when people disappoint us, God has use of that too, to accomplish what He would have done in our lives. His will is always good and gracious, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Oculi
*Scripture: Genesis 39:1-23 (NKJV)* 1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. 6 Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" 10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. 11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, 12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me." But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. 13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside." 16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. 17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; 18 so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside." 19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper. *Devotion* Joseph was being tempted by Potiphar's wife. She wanted to have immoral sexual relations with him. Joseph refused. But it is important to know the reason. His first concern was not betraying Potiphar, or compromising his own virtue, or defiling this woman. His first concern was that he would be sinning against God. In our day and age all manner of sexual immorality is excused, simply by saying, "They're consenting adults. Who are they hurting?" And to an unbelieving world, that makes sense. But for us, our first priority is to honor God. So we repent, not only of what we have done, but of how we think. While it matters to us how we treat other people, it should matter to us even more whether or not we are honoring God. Thanks be to God, our Lord Jesus Christ honored God perfectly, and because of His death on the Cross, we are credited with Jesus' righteousness. God the Father grant us His Holy Spirit that we may live up to the righteousness He has given us in Christ Jesus. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Oculi
o down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his father wept for him. 36 Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. *Devotion* God had revealed His plans to Joseph. The dreams really were from God, but Joseph made sinful use of them, arrogantly boasting of God's special choosing of himself. His brothers responded sinfully to this sinful boasting, not believing the visions were from God, and resenting this younger full-of-himself sibling. When he went out to them, they threw him in a well and eventually sold him into slavery. Joseph ended up in Egypt, and only after years of hardship learned to receive God's revelation humbly and faithfully. We too have been blessed by God to know that we are His redeemed children through faith in Christ Jesus. This gift could make us arrogant, yet St. Paul says that this faith is not of ourselves, lest any man should boast. So we humbly acknowledge our sin and confess that God has been gracious to us in Christ Jesus. Also, we humbly pray that God would use us to speak His grace and mercy in Christ Jesus to others, that they may be made heirs of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Oculi
*Scripture: Genesis 35:1-29 (NKJV)* 1 Then God said to Jacob, "Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother." 2 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone." 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem. 5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother. 8 Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth. 9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. 11 Also God said to him: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 12 The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land." 13 Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. 14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel. 16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. 17 Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also." 18 And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day. 21 Then Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. 22 And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard about it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; 25 the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram. 27 Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. 28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. *Devotion* Jacob means "heel puller." He was literally born grasping the heel of his brother Esau. But "heel-puller" has a figurative meaning. Similar to our expression, "to pull someone's leg," only worse, it means to be a maliciously deceptive person. Jacob had spent much of his life living down to his name, bilking his brother out of his birthright, and then deceiving his father into giving him his brother's blessing. Then one fateful night a divine being wrestled with Jacob and put his hip out of place. Jacob was out of tricks. All he could do was hang on. And God changed him. God also changed his name to Israel, "the man who wrestles with God." In Holy Baptism God calls us by name and makes us His own. He changes us and makes us new creations. We still sometimes wrestle with what God is doing in our lives, but as those redeemed by Christ, we know we must hang on to God, and He will see us safely into the promised land of Heaven. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Oculi
*Scripture: Genesis 29:1-30 (NKJV)* 1 So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. 2 And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well's mouth. 3 Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth. 4 And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran." 5 Then he said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know him." 6 So he said to them, "Is he well?" And they said, "He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep." 7 Then he said, "Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them." 8 But they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep." 9 Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son. So she ran and told her father. 13 Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." And he stayed with him for a month. 15 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?" 16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. 18 Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter." 19 And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me." 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her." 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. 23 Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24 And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25 So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?" 26 And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years." 28 Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. 29 And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. 30 Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years. *Devotion* Can you imagine Jacob's outrage? He had been lied to, deceived, baited and switched. He had labored long and hard to receive as a wife the woman he desired, only to be given her sister. Isn't it ironic how Jacob, who had spent so much of his life deceiving other people, got so upset when someone deceived him? We are like that, aren't we? We sin against others in so many ways, yet when someone sins against us we go into "How dare they?" mode. They should not do evil against us, but as our Lord clearly teaches us, we should remove the log from our own eye before we try to remove the speck from someone else's. You can not repent of other people's sins for them. You can repent of your own. Therefore, let us examine our lives, see our own sins, and confess them to God our Father. Confessing them, we rejoice that God is ever merciful toward us for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ. And knowing that we have the mercies of God, it makes even the injustices of other people easier to bear. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Reminiscere
chosen to continue the Messianic line, would be above such things. But instead of questioning his mother's deceitful plan, he only worries about getting caught. How sad that these chosen people of God, these people of promise, behave so shamefully. How remarkable that God calls and uses them in spite of their sinfulness. And how amazing is God's grace that He does the same for you and for me. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Reminiscere
k to you either bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the LORD has spoken." Whatever opinions they may have about this startling proposal, they see this plan is from the Lord. Rebekah is consulted and she immediately consents to go with Abraham's servant to be united with her future husband. How remarkable and powerful God's Word and will are. We often take for granted what miracles are borne when His Word is spoken. Today's narrative might seem outlandish to us, yet it convinced the minds and hearts of an entire family. Let us rejoice in God's life-changing Word that also works on us, bringing us from the darkness of sin into His marvelous light. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Reminiscere
*Scripture: Genesis 24:1-31 (NKJV)* 1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. 2 So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; 4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac." 5 And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?" 6 But Abraham said to him, "Beware that you do not take my son back there. 7 The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. 8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there." 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 10 Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. 11 And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. 12 Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14 Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master." 15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. 16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher." 18 So she said, "Drink, my lord." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking." 20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. 21 And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. 22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, 23 and said, "Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father's house for us to lodge?" 24 So she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah's son, whom she bore to Nahor." 25 Moreover she said to him, "We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge." 26 Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the LORD. 27 And he said, "Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren." 28 So the young woman ran and told her mother's household these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran out to the man by the well. 30 So it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister's wrists, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebekah, saying, "Thus the man spoke to me," that he went to the man. And there he stood by the camels at the well. 31 And he said, "Come in, O blessed of the LORD! Why do you stand outside? For I have prepared the house, and a place for the camels." *Devotion* When Abraham was advanced in years he appointed his most trusted servant to choose a wife for his son, Isaac. It would mean a journey of many miles back to Abraham's old home in Haran. Abraham wants to ensure that his servant does not pick the wife from the Canaanites. Abraham had good reason to be wary of them, as their idolatrous religion would pollute the ideas of God''s people. Therefore, the warning against being "unequally yoked" is not a new concept. St. Paul shares Abraham's concerns in 2 Corinthians 6: "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? Wha
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Reminiscere
*Scripture: Genesis 22:1-19 (NKJV)* Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." 6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together. 9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided." Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son--17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. *Devotion* As difficult as it must have been to carry out the exile of Ishmael, Abraham now faces a much sterner test. Now God was asking him to give up his long-awaited son. This was no exile in the wilderness, it was to be a sacrifice of Isaac's very life. To further complicate matters, Isaac was not only Abraham and Sarah's promised son, he was the son of the Promise. Through his line the Messiah would come. God seemed to be breaking His own promise. And it was not just any promise, but the most important one of all. How could this possibly turn out well? Nevertheless, Abraham was given the faith to carry out God's command. We are given insight into his trust in the book of Hebrews. "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called,' concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense." (Heb. 11:17-19) With Abraham now fully committed to the task, God rescues Abraham and Isaac before the climactic act. The substitution of the ram will spare the life of the son. But there will come another time, another climactic act, where God will not spare the Son, but give Him up as a ransom for all. In giving up His Son, the Father will show His unconditional love for all men. Behold the real Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Reminiscere
*Scripture: Genesis 21:1-21 (NKJV)* 1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him--whom Sarah bore to him--Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me." 7 She also said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age." 8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed." 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. 16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, "Let me not see the death of the boy." So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation." 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. 20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. *Devotion* In God's way and time Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah. In contrast to the disbelieving laughter of Sarah in Genesis 18, today we see her faithfulness as she marvels at the miracle God has wrought. But there is trouble on the horizon. Ishmael, 14 years the senior of Isaac, is mocking the son of the promise, and even though Ishmael was born according to Sarah's wrongful design, she now recognizes that Isaac is the rightful heir according to God's Word. To protect her young son she wants Ishmael and his mother Hagar to be banished. Out of compassion, Abraham does not want to go through with Sarah's plan, but God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called." But God would not have Hagar and Ishmael sent out without protection and a future. God would make sure their physical needs were met, and promised also that a great nation would arise from Ishmael. How often God works in ways that are strange and foreign to us. Rarely do we see, in our shortsighted humanity, the wonders of His unfolding plan of salvation: *God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill He treasures up His bright designs and works His sovereign will.* (TLH 514:1-2) ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Reminiscere
*Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15 (NKJV)* 1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3 and said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. 4 Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant." They said, "Do as you have said." 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes." 7 And Abraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hastened to prepare it. 8 So he took butter and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. 9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" So he said, "Here, in the tent." 10 And He said, "I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh!" *Devotion* Today's text has an interesting progression of events. In the heat of the day Abraham is resting, perhaps napping. He is stirred by the appearance of three figures standing in front of him. First, he is startled by having company at such an odd time. Then he recognizes these are not your everyday passersby. We know this from Abraham's greeting: "So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, 'My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.'" Abraham begged them to stay for a meal, which they did. Abraham was surprised, yet delighted, that His Lord would come to visit him--and even condescend to share a meal with him. More was added to this momentous day when God promised him a return visit--and the miraculous gift of a son. Yet Sarah's laughter reflected her unbelief at God's promise. Was it all too good to be true? We are no less blessed today. Our Lord visits us repeatedly in His Means of Grace and shares a meal with us in His Supper. He promises to return to us whenever His Word is faithfully preached and His Sacraments rightly administered. Are we rightfully prepared to receive such bounty, or are we prone to laugh it off as Sarah did? May we be granted a clean heart every Lord's Day to receive His presence and His gifts with an attitude of faith, joy, and gratitude. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Invocabit
*Scripture: Genesis 15:1-21 (NKJV)* 1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." 2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. 7 Then He said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it." 8 And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" 9 So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." 17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. 18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates--19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites." *Devotion* The Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." Whether "shield" or "defense" is meant, the reference is to the Lord as Abram's sole protector. Though Abram was quite rich in earthly possessions, God Himself was also Abram's greatest treasure. After this most gracious proclamation of divine favor the Lord assures Abram of its validity through the granting of a special vision, demonstrating its great surety. God further declares "I am the Lord, who brought you out." Ancient royal covenants often began with the self-identification of the king and a brief historical prologue, and His Words here point to Abram's being brought out of the land of the Chaldeans by the grace of the Lord. In ancient times the parties to an agreement or contract solemnized a covenant by walking down an aisle flanked by the pieces of slaughtered animals. The practice signified a self-maledictory oath: "May it be so done to me if I do not keep my oath and pledge." Having credited Abram's faith as righteousness, God now graciously ministered to his need for assurance concerning the land. He granted Abram a promissory covenant, as He had to Noah. Abram's vision has a smoking fire-pot with a blazing torch (symbolizing the presence of God) passing between the pieces of the slaughtered animals. This is a vivid sign of assurance that God's declaration of "I give this land to you and your offspring" shall definitely be fulfilled. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Invocabit
*Scripture: Genesis 13:1-18 (NKJV)* 1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. 5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. 8 So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." 10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD. 14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are--northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you." 18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD. *Devotion* After being forced to face his sinful behavior, brought on by his failure to trust that the Lord would guide and protect him in Egypt, Abram returned to the altar of God. As if to make a new beginning, Abram returned to the place where he had made an altar. Here he again called on the Name of the Lord in order to seek strength for his weakness through renewed communion with God. Although his flight into Egypt resulted in his deceit, God stood ready to restore him and to give him continued assurances of His grace. Though God forgave the sin, it appears the temporal riches acquired in Egypt under sinful false pretenses turned out to be a source of trouble, rather than a blessing. This earthly abundance threatened to cause strife between Abram and Lot. After their separation Abram built an altar at Mamre. Abram once again sought strength to believe what day by day appeared a greater impossibility. Continual communication with God is essential to a life of faith, and necessary in order to rightly use the blessings, meet the trials, and discharge the duties of life. Contrast the actions of Lot on the other hand, who pitched his tents near Sodom. Since the men of Sodom were known to be wicked, Lot was flirting with temptation by choosing to live near them. Lot and Abram are a study in contrasts. The former looked upon the land selfishly and coveted; the latter looked as God commanded, and was blessed. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Invocabit
*Scripture: Genesis 11:27--12:20 (NKJV)* 11:27 This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. 32 So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South. 10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. 12 Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." 14 So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister'? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way." 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. *Devotion* Throughout Abram's life he passed through the promised land as a foreigner, for Abram held title to the land only by faith in the promise of God. During his entire life he passed through the land and moved his tent from place to place, always a landless sojourner in occupied territory because the Canaanites dwelt in the land. Though this is true, we are told that he built there an altar to God. So far only God had spoken. No words of Abram's response are recorded; he walked the way of obedience in "silence." Abram's compliance with the divine directive was not a grudging, sullen surrender to the power of a nameless fate though. At Shechem and Bethel he built altars in order to "call upon the name of the Lord" in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. Abram walked humbly with his God, in submission through faith, all his life looking exclusively to the promise yet unfulfilled that his offspring would possess the land of promise. Example of faith though he was, Abram was not a hero who gathered glory by feats of human prowess. No special physical or mental endowments of this hero of faith are mentioned. He was big or small in the measure that he responded to what the Lord said. His achievements exemplify what "vessels of clay" can do when God is their hope. Likewise, his failures exemplify what "vessels of clay" can do when God is not their hope, for God's way is perfect. The Word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him--but without God no good thing is possible.
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Invocabit
*Scripture: Genesis 8:13--9:17 (NKJV)* 8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dried. 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every animal, every creeping thing, every bird, and whatever creeps on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease." 9:1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man. 7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it." 8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 "And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 And God said: "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." 17 And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth." *Devotion* The rainbow becomes a sign of the covenant between God and man; the Lord promises never again to destroy the world with a flood due to man's wickedness. A covenant sign was a visible seal and reminder of covenant commitments. Circumcision would become the sign of the covenant with Abraham, and the Sabbath would be the sign of the covenant with Israel at Sinai. God's decision never again to destroy every living creature as He had just done by the flood was not prompted by a change in human nature. Man remained what he had been: evil from his youth, down to the source of his action and the roots of his thinking. Nor was God moved to leniency because Noah and his family had offered Him a sacrifice. We are told through God's Word recorded in the New Testament that in divine forbearance God passed over sins, reserving full judgment upon ungodly men until the Last Day. In the meantime, those who through Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant, confess their guilt and plead for reconciliation become a "pleasing aroma" to God by virtue of Christ's sacrifice. Through faith that looks to Jesus Christ, Who was lifted up like the serpent in the wilderness, whoever believes in Him is declared a new man, justified before God by His grace, and destined to have eternal life. ___ Sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Invocabit
*Scripture: Genesis 7:11--8:12 (NKJV)* 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark--14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. 17 Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days. 8:1 Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3 And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. * Devotion* The waters that were held in balance by God's ordinance of the second and third days of creation are now permitted to break those established barriers. As they poured upon the earth from above and below they produced a flood similar to the primeval deep. Within the context of this world wide flood the Lord shut Noah in. God kept His promise to Noah and his family to keep them alive by making them secure against the raging disaster. When God locks the door to danger, no power in Heaven or Earth can break it down and touch those who have entered the "ark" of His protection. God's protection comes to us through His chosen Means of Grace, found in Word and Sacrament. Martin Luther used a baptismal prayer that points to the flood as one of the Old Testament examples foreshadowing Christian baptism. God's righteous judgment condemned the unbelieving world through the flood, yet according to His great mercy He preserved believing Noah and his family. Luther saw this event foreshadowing the blessed flood and washing away of sin found in Christ's Holy Baptism. Throughout Genesis we see that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of His creation and His creatures. Noah and his family were graciously delivered from death into life through the means of the ark of wood. Likewise, we are graciously delivered from death into life through the ark of Christ's baptismal flood that washes away our sin, and presents us before the Lord justified by His grace. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Invocabit
*Scripture: Genesis 6:1--7:5 (NKJV)* 6:1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. 3 And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark--you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them." 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. 7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made." 5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. *Devotion* Today's text opens with the sons of God (most likely the line of Seth, which had to this point been faithful to God) engaging in marriage with the daughters of men who were defiant of God, as was the case in the descendants of Cain. The offspring of these mixed marriages degenerated ever more into sin. As a result wickedness became universal and every intention of the thoughts of man's heart was "only evil continually." However, Noah found favor in God's eyes. The cause of the difference between a good man and the openly wicked is not their natural disposition, but divine favor or grace according to the working of His Spirit. The fruits of this grace are piety toward God, integrity, uprightness, benevolence toward men. God further extends this grace in establishing a Covenant with Noah; He makes an agreement or pact between God and man. Although sinful man is in no position to bargain with God, His proposed transaction with man is like a contract because it stipulates what God, on the one hand, has pledged Himself to do on man's behalf and what man, on the other hand, is to do in response. In His covenant God extends undeserved mercy to man, and man continues in it (also with God's merciful provision through His Holy Spirit) by simply believing God's promise and expressing that faith in obedience to the terms of the covenant. By faith Noah constructed an ark for the saving of his household. In
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Fourth Day of Lent
*Scripture: Genesis 3:1-24 (NKJV)* 1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." 11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" 12 Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." 13 And the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." 17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; For dust you are, and to dust you shall return." 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"--23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. *Devotion* The Law shows us our nakedness before God. When the Law exposes our sinful deeds it strips us bare before God. When the Law says, "Thou shalt," we must confess that "we have not." When the Law confronts us with "Thou shalt not" we must confess that "we most certainly have." We have no defense before God. We can say, "We were born this way," and that would be correct. We are born sinful and unclean; but that is not an excuse. The Law confronts us just as it confronted Adam and Eve, who heard the voice of God in the Garden and fled in their guilt and shame. Their own excuses could not cover their sin. The Gospel covers our shame. In God's mercy He gives Adam and Eve the first statement of the Gospel. The Seed of the Woman will triumph over the seed of the serpent. The Seed of the Woman will not go through that battle unscathed, but the serpent will fare far worse, having his head bruised and his power destroyed. This is the first promise of Christ's death (the serpent bruising his heel) and Christ's defeat of the devil (the bruising of Satan's head). Through this promise the Holy Spirit works faith, and trusting in this promise brings salvation from the guilt of sins, even before the Lord accomplishes it in the Son's work. Our Lord Jesus truly covers man's guilt and forgives his iniquity. God then clothes Adam and Eve physically as a sign of what He does for all who believe the Gospel of the Promised Seed; He forgives us our sins and covers all who believe with robes of righteousness which endure forever. __
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Third Day of Lent
*Scripture: Genesis 2:4-25 (NKJV)* 4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." 18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." 19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. *Devotion* A river went out from Eden, parted, and became four riverheads, one being the Gihon (verse 13). These waters flowed from paradise to water the Earth. That paradise would be lost for all men due to the sin of Adam and Eve. Angels would bar the entrance into the Garden. Ten generations later the great deluge would wipe this paradise off the map entirely, showing it is impossible for man to regain paradise by his own ways. Years later in the city of Jerusalem there would be a small stream with a similar name and there God would show us a glimpse of the reopening of paradise for sinful humanity. We read in 1 Kings 1:45-46, "So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. Also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom." Once again there is a Gihon river, and at that spot God anoints His king whose name means "peace." Our Lord Jesus Christ is King Solomon's greater Son, Who is not only King of kings and Lord of lords, but also is the Prince of Peace who will "save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) By His perfect obedience, His bitter passion and His death, Christ atones for the sins of the world, earning for all mankind the forgiveness of sins. He gives us this treasure through the Word and Sacraments, so that we might believe, and by believing have life in His Name and enjoy the true eternal paradise with Christ Jesus our Lord. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Second Day of Lent
*Scripture: Genesis 1:20--2:3 (NKJV)* 1:20 Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. * Devotion* At the end of His creative work the Triune God rests. He rests not out of necessity, but to teach us about Jesus Who is our Sabbath rest. Some mistakenly demand that we must worship on Saturdays as God commanded the Hebrews. They make the day of rest another attempt to please God with works and superficial pious attitudes. The Judaizer and one who desires righteousness by works are the same. Neither will let Jesus be our true Sabbath rest. Jesus is the only rest for our weary souls. Only by faith in Christ do we find solace and peace from a conscience attacked by guilt over sin. Only by faith in Christ do we receive repose from disputation with the devil, who seeks to lead us into further temptation, despair of God's mercy, and other great shame and vice. Only through faith in Christ Jesus are we justified before God the Father. Our sins are blotted out by Him, removed "as far as the east is from the west," (Psalm 103:12) and we receive true consolation that God is for us and not against us. As God initiated His rest on the seventh day He initiates our rest by giving us faith through the proclamation of His Gospel in Word and Sacrament, so that we know that such rest is not earned, but given, and therefore can be enjoyed for the repose it truly is. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for Ash Wednesday
*Scripture: Genesis 1:1-19 (NKJV)* 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. *Devotion* The first verses of Genesis fill us with wonder at the creative power of the Word of God. The Lord speaks and His will is accomplished. His Word does what it says. The refrain "and God saw that it was good" teaches us that what God speaks is good. His creation behaves as it is created to do. The elements obey His voice and separate and divide as the Lord orders them. Light and darkness separate to form day and night. Waters separate to make firmament, sea, and dry land. The creation worships its creator by acting according to His Word. But this is not the case with humanity. Adam and Eve fall into sin. While the sun, moon, stars, and the rest of creation obey God's Word, humanity, at the temptation of Satan, does not. Adam and Eve's sin lives in each of us so that we too would live our lives according to our own word of imagination and opinion rather than God's Word. But God's Word still does what it says. God provided a Gospel Word to Adam and Eve, promising them the Messiah and salvation from sin. That Word of Gospel was used by His Spirit to create faith in their hearts and make them righteous before God. To you and me, the Lord's absolving Word of Christ crucified still is spoken loudly in the Divine Service and by the pastors who hear our sins confessed. That absolving word of God does what it says. By it your sins are forgiven before God in Heaven. As Lent begins, examine whether you are listening to God's Word or your own word, and repent so that you might hear and believe His absolving Word. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Quinquagesima Sunday
*Scripture: Job 36:1-21 (NKJV)* 1 Elihu also proceeded and said: 2 "Bear with me a little, and I will show you that there are yet words to speak on God's behalf. 3 I will fetch my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. 4 For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you. 5 Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding. 6 He does not preserve the life of the wicked, but gives justice to the oppressed. 7 He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; But they are on the throne with kings, for He has seated them forever, and they are exalted. 8 And if they are bound in fetters, held in the cords of affliction, 9 then He tells them their work and their transgressions--that they have acted defiantly. 10 He also opens their ear to instruction, and commands that they turn from iniquity. 11 If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. 12 But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. 13 "But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; They do not cry for help when He binds them. 14 They die in youth, and their life ends among the perverted persons. 15 He delivers the poor in their affliction, and opens their ears in oppression. 16 Indeed He would have brought you out of dire distress, into a broad place where there is no restraint; And what is set on your table would be full of richness. 17 But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you. 18 Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it. 19 Will your riches, or all the mighty forces, keep you from distress? 20 Do not desire the night, when people are cut off in their place. 21 Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, for you have chosen this rather than affliction." *Devotion* Elihu remains the voice of a "prosperity gospel," which says, "Do good and God will do good to you." The voice of Elihu condemns us when we suffer any sort of affliction in this life. "If you are suffering, what have you done to deserve such wrath?" The idea of what Elihu says today is that one suffers as punishment for one's sin, but when one turns from sin, the Lord will stop punishing. However, this is not the true gospel. The Scriptures teach us instead that suffering is part of the life of the baptized. If you are in Christ, you will suffer, because Christ your Lord suffered while in the flesh. Your suffering is not to atone for your own sins. Your sins have been atoned for in Christ's death, and that atonement is given to you by faith, which is itself a gift of God. Rather, your suffering is part your heavenly Father's good will to conform you into the image of His Only-Begotten Son. St. Peter says, "Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy." (1 Peter 4:13) St. Paul tells you that, "as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation." (2 Corinthians 1:7) ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Quinquagesima Sunday
*Scripture: Job 34:10-33 (NKJV)* 10 "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. 11 For He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way. 12 Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice. 13 Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? 14 If He should set His heart on it, if He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 15 all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. 16 If you have understanding, hear this; listen to the sound of my words: 17 Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just? 18 Is it fitting to say to a king, 'You are worthless,' and to nobles, 'You are wicked'? 19 Yet He is not partial to princes, nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands. 20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand. 21 For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps. 22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23 For He need not further consider a man, that he should go before God in judgment. 24 He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, and sets others in their place. 25 Therefore he knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, and they are crushed. 26 He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others, 27 because they turned back from Him, and would not consider any of His ways, 28 so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted. 29 When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, whether it is against a nation or a man alone?--30 That the hypocrite should not reign, lest the people be ensnared. 31 "For has anyone said to God, 'I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; 32 Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more'? 33 Should He repay it according to your terms, just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know." *Devotion* "O Almighty God" are the words that begin the Christian's confession of sins in the Divine Service. These words are also a confession of the authority and power of God. Almighty God has charge over all men because He created man. He maintains man's life--or ends it--according to His giving and taking of the very breath of life. The eyes of man's Judge see all that we do in and with our lives, leaving us no place to hide ourselves. Each of us is left without excuse for the sins and iniquities with which we offend Him. "O Almighty God, I...justly deserved Thy temporal and eternal punishment." Almighty God is also the end of the Christian's confession of sins, for the Almighty God to Whom we confess our sins uses His authority and power to bring to an end the power of sin over us. In today's reading Elihu rightly proclaims that the Almighty God will never pervert His justice--which means He will not break the promise He has made in Christ to do justice to the world. Almighty God indeed provides justice for all, by punishing the wicked as they deserve, and by forgiving the sins of penitent and believing sinners solely for the sake of His Crucified and Risen Son, Christ Jesus. Through Baptism, Confession, and the Supper, Almighty God uses elements of nature to convey supernaturally the Father's re-creation, the Son's redemption, and the Holy Spirit's sanctification to us poor, miserable sinners. It is by these gifts that we might live through the almighty power of His Word and His Spirit--for now and forever! ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Sexagesima Sunday
*Scripture: Job 33:1-18 (NKJV)* 1 "But please, Job, hear my speech, and listen to all my words. 2 Now, I open my mouth; My tongue speaks in my mouth. 3 My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge. 4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 5 If you can answer me, set your words in order before me; Take your stand. 6 Truly I am as your spokesman before God; I also have been formed out of clay. 7 Surely no fear of me will terrify you, nor will my hand be heavy on you. 8 "Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the sound of your words, saying, 9 'I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. 10 Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy; 11 He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.' 12 "Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. 13 Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words. 14 For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, 16 then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. 17 In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, 18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword." * Devotion* Elihu is more conciliatory in his rebuke of Job, being, for example, the only one of the "friends" who addresses him by name and acknowledging his own limitation and sinfulness. At the same time, he claims for his words purity and righteousness because he believes God is the source of his counsel for Job. Elihu chides Job for contending with God, who gives no accounting of any of His words (see verse 13). But the Word of God is not unknowable, and God stands by His Word. The psalmist writes, "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant." (25:14) "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." (Hebrews 1:1-3) It is with the confidence and humility towards the whole counsel of God that faithful preachers today do their work, trusting in the truth and power of the Scriptures. "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (John 20:31) ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Sexagesima Sunday
*Scripture: Job 31:1-12, 33-40 (NKJV)* 1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman? 2 For what is the allotment of God from above, and the inheritance of the Almighty from on high? 3 Is it not destruction for the wicked, and disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4 Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps? 5 If I have walked with falsehood, or if my foot has hastened to deceit, 6 let me be weighed on honest scales, that God may know my integrity. 7 If my step has turned from the way, or my heart walked after my eyes, or if any spot adheres to my hands, 8 Then let me sow, and another eat; Yes, let my harvest be rooted out. 9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, 10 Then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down over her. 11 For that would be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. 12 For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase. 33 "If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my bosom, 34 Because I feared the great multitude, and dreaded the contempt of families, so that I kept silence and did not go out of the door--35 oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, that my Prosecutor had written a book! 36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and bind it on me like a crown; 37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him. 38 If my land cries out against me, and its furrows weep together; 39 If I have eaten its fruit without money, or caused its owners to lose their lives; 40 Then let thistles grow instead of wheat, and weeds instead of barley." The words of Job are ended. *Devotion* Even though Job had done many righteous works before God, he was still suffering. Good works done in faith do not save us from suffering in this life. Job was a "good" man but he was still a sinner. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9) In our own tribulations we still must trust not in our own worthiness, but in God's mercy, which is revealed in Christ's bloody death on a Cross and glorious resurrection. It is only in Christ that we are thereby strengthened to remain steadfast in true faith, trusting that we too will ultimately see our Redeemer with our own eyes, even during the greatest suffering. Through Jesus' blood and merit I am at peace with God; What, then, can daunt my spirit, however dark my road? My courage shall not fail me, for God is on my side; Though Hell itself assail me, its rage I may deride. (TLH 372:1) Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Sexagesima Sunday
*Scripture: Job 30:16-31 (NKJV)* 16 "And now my soul is poured out because of my plight; The days of affliction take hold of me. 17 My bones are pierced in me at night, and my gnawing pains take no rest. 18 By great force my garment is disfigured; It binds me about as the collar of my coat. 19 He has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes. 20 "I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. 21 But You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You oppose me. 22 You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; You spoil my success. 23 For I know that You will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living. 24 "Surely He would not stretch out His hand against a heap of ruins, if they cry out when He destroys it. 25 Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? 26 But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness. 27 My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; Days of affliction confront me. 28 I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. 29 I am a brother of jackals, and a companion of ostriches. 30 My skin grows black and falls from me; My bones burn with fever. 31 My harp is turned to mourning, and my flute to the voice of those who weep. * Devotion* In the steely grip of affliction, cast down in the mire, Job grew desperate as his pleas for mercy seemed to be unanswered. Job was convinced God was being wrathful. Luther wrote that if we believe God to be wrathful, "this is to imagine another god and not to remain in the simplicity of faith that there is one God. Nor is God cruel, but He is 'the Father of comfort.' Because He delays His help, our hearts make a wrathful idol of God, who is always like Himself and constant." (AE 12:374) Far from being cruel, God is molding us for His loving service. "The fiercer our sufferings are, the greater and more wonderful are the things that are worked in the saints. It is a proof of grace and God's goodwill when they are disciplined by the cross and afflictions." (AE 6:355) When we find ourselves in distress, we do well to remember that God may have "enrolled" us for lessons in compassion. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer." (2 Cor. 1:3-6) Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Sexagesima Sunday
*Scripture: Job 21:1-21 (NKJV)* 1 Then Job answered and said: 2 "Listen carefully to my speech, and let this be your consolation. 3 Bear with me that I may speak, and after I have spoken, keep mocking. 4 As for me, is my complaint against man? And if it were, why should I not be impatient? 5 Look at me and be astonished; Put your hand over your mouth. 6 Even when I remember I am terrified, and trembling takes hold of my flesh. 7 Why do the wicked live and become old, yes, become mighty in power? 8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight, and their offspring before their eyes. 9 Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. 10 Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage. 11 They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. 12 They sing to the tambourine and harp, and rejoice to the sound of the flute. 13 They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. 14 Yet they say to God, 'Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. 15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?' 16 Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me. 17 "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, the sorrows God distributes in His anger? 18 They are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that a storm carries away. 19 They say, 'God lays up one's iniquity for his children'; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it. 20 Let his eyes see his destruction, and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21 For what does he care about his household after him, when the number of his months is cut in half?" * Devotion* "Laugh at me all you want," Job seems to say. "Taunt and mock me, but let me speak my piece first. Why is it that the wicked prosper while I have to suffer so terribly?" On top of the ghastly all-pervading pain and loss he is enduring, Job is wrenched by the seeming unfairness of life. But he goes on in verse 26 to say that all men, regardless of their life circumstances, whether in pain and misery or living a life of ease, "lie down alike in the dust, and worms cover them." We whom Christ instructs to love our enemies and pray for them (Matthew 5:43ff) must tremble as Job does when he considers his plight. "The ungodly will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish." (Psalm 1:5-6) Those who die not trusting in Christ, who died for the forgiveness of our sins to give us life and salvation, are like chaff blowing in the wind. Everlasting destruction is their recompense. For them we pray as we reach out with the Word of the Lord. In the meantime, always keeping in mind the suffering of Christ, we pick up our crosses to follow Him in the sure and certain knowledge that--by the grace of God, through faith in Christ--because Christ lives, we too shall live eternally. Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Sexagesima
*Scripture: Job 20:1-29 (NKJV)*
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2 "Therefore my anxious
thoughts make me answer, because of the turmoil within me. 3 I have heard
the rebuke that reproaches me, and the spirit of my understanding causes me
to answer. 4 Do you not know this of old, since man was placed on earth, 5
that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is
but for a moment? 6 Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, and
his head reaches to the clouds, 7 yet he will perish forever like his own
refuse; Those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?' 8 He will fly away
like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision
of the night. 9 The eye that saw him will see him no more, nor will his
place behold him anymore. 10 His children will seek the favor of the poor,
and his hands will restore his wealth. 11 His bones are full of his
youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust. 12 Though evil
is sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under his tongue, 13 though he
spares it and does not forsake it, but still keeps it in his mouth, 14 yet
his food in his stomach turns sour; It becomes cobra venom within him. 15
He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his
belly. 16 He will suck the poison of cobras; The viper's tongue will slay
him. 17 He will not see the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and
cream. 18 He will restore that for which he labored, and will not swallow
it down; From the proceeds of business he will get no enjoyment. 19 For he
has oppressed and forsaken the poor, he has violently seized a house which
he did not build. 20 Because he knows no quietness in his heart, he will
not save anything he desires. 21 Nothing is left for him to eat; Therefore
his well-being will not last. 22 In his self-sufficiency he will be in
distress; Every hand of misery will come against him. 23 When he is about
to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath, and will
rain it on him while he is eating. 24 He will flee from the iron weapon; A
bronze bow will pierce him through. 25 It is drawn, and comes out of the
body; Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors come upon
him; 26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. An unfanned fire will
consume him; It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent. 27 The
heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
28 The increase of his house will depart, and his goods will flow away in
the day of His wrath. 29 This is the portion from God for a wicked man, the
heritage appointed to him by God."
*Devotion*
Zophar accuses Job of being a wicked man. Job's former status as a father,
a wealthy man, and a man whose counsel was sought after has more than
crumbled. As successful and prominent as he had been, as far above the norm
as his position in life had been, that far below the norm had it now
fallen. Yet even in his assault on the beleaguered Job, Zophar makes a good
point: "In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress."
To continue yesterday's reference to Luther's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our
God": "With might of ours can naught be done, soon were our loss effected."
We can study hard, apply ourselves diligently, and become "successful" in
this world. Even the wicked can flourish. But the triumph of the wicked is
short. There are no guarantees that any of our efforts will ultimately be
anything but a chasing after the wind. The trappings of earthly life all
finally turn to dust. But we have the Scriptural promise that if we are
faithful we will receive a crown of everlasting life. (Revelation 2:10) By
being faithful we are anything but self-sufficient. We place our trust in
Jesus Christ. We, of ourselves, cannot prevail through all the changes and
challenges of life. "But for us fights the Valiant One, whom God Himself
elected." ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God")
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SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Sexagesima
*Scripture: Job 19:1-12, 21-27 (NKJV)* 1 Then Job answered and said: 2 "How long will you torment my soul, and break me in pieces with words? 3 These ten times you have reproached me; You are not ashamed that you have wronged me. 4 And if indeed I have erred, my error remains with me. 5 If indeed you exalt yourselves against me, and plead my disgrace against me, 6 know then that God has wronged me, and has surrounded me with His net. 7 If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard. If I cry aloud, there is no justice. 8 He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; And He has set darkness in my paths. 9 He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. 10 He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone; My hope He has uprooted like a tree. 11 He has also kindled His wrath against me, and He counts me as one of His enemies. 12 His troops come together and build up their road against me; They encamp all around my tent. 21 "Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! 22 Why do you persecute me as God does, and are not satisfied with my flesh? 23 "Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! 24 That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! 28 If you should say, 'How shall we persecute him?'--Since the root of the matter is found in me, 29 be afraid of the sword for yourselves; For wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment." *Devotion* How frightening the account of Job is. And how filled with hope at the same time! Job had suffered such tremendous loss--family, herds and flocks, his very health. And to add insult to injury, pouring salt on his festering wounds, his "friends" tell him that somehow he deserved his suffering, that he had it coming to him. They suggest some sin, perhaps long forgotten, had so angered God that He inflicted these awful woes on Job. It is a truly misinformed opinion that, if one sins against God, someday, somewhere, when he least expects it, God is going to "even the score." Still, in the very depth of his agony, Job confessed his faith in words that are spoken at countless funeral services, "For I know that my Redeemer lives." Martin Luther addressed loss like Job's in similar fashion in "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God": "And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife, let these all be gone, they yet have nothing won; the Kingdom ours remaineth." May we remain steadfast in our own times of testing, remembering always the words of Saint Paul: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after Septuagesima
*Scripture: Job 17:1-16 (NKJV)* 1 "My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me. 2 Are not mockers with me? And does not my eye dwell on their provocation? 3 Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me? 4 For You have hidden their heart from understanding; Therefore You will not exalt them. 5 He who speaks flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children will fail. 6 "But He has made me a byword of the people, and I have become one in whose face men spit. 7 My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, and all my members are like shadows. 8 Upright men are astonished at this, and the innocent stirs himself up against the hypocrite. 9 Yet the righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger. 10 "But please, come back again, all of you, for I shall not find one wise man among you. 11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart. 12 They change the night into day; 'The light is near,' they say, in the face of darkness. 13 If I wait for the grave as my house, if I make my bed in the darkness, 14 if I say to corruption, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'You are my mother and my sister,' 15 where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it? 16 Will they go down to the gates of Sheol? Shall we have rest together in the dust?" * Devotion * As Job's suffering has grown worse his words have turned more and more desperate until, in today's reading, he sounds like Jesus in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and other Messianic Psalms. Jesus suffered in the very same way as Job--as all the children of men suffer. The difference is that Christ suffered as the Righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. The comfort for the suffering Christian is that he is not alone; Christ has been where he now is, and His Spirit is there with him. Job asks, "If I make my bed in the darkness...where then is my hope?" The Psalmist answers in Psalm 139, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there." "Will they go down to the gates of Sheol?" Job asks. Jesus did, and vanquished the devil by His blood, which is shed for us. "Shall we have rest together in the dust?" Jesus rested for a whole Sabbath Day in the tomb. But the grave could not hold Him. He lives to walk with us through this valley of the shadow of death, and to give eternal rest to all who hope in Him. "Where is my hope? Who can see it?" cries the suffering Christian. Your hope is with Christ. It remains a promise, but a divine promise is as good as gold. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29) Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after Septuagesima
*Scripture: Job 16:1-22 (NKJV)* 1 Then Job answered and said: 2 "I have heard many such things; Miserable comforters are you all! 3 Shall words of wind have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer? 4 I also could speak as you do, if your soul were in my soul's place. I could heap up words against you, and shake my head at you; 5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief. 6 "Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; And if I remain silent, how am I eased? 7 But now He has worn me out; You have made desolate all my company. 8 You have shriveled me up, and it is a witness against me; My leanness rises up against me and bears witness to my face. 9 He tears me in His wrath, and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; My adversary sharpens His gaze on me. 10 They gape at me with their mouth, they strike me reproachfully on the cheek, they gather together against me. 11 God has delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over to the hands of the wicked. 12 I was at ease, but He has shattered me; He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces; He has set me up for His target, 13 His archers surround me. He pierces my heart and does not pity; He pours out my gall on the ground. 14 He breaks me with wound upon wound; He runs at me like a warrior. 15 I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, and laid my head in the dust. 16 My face is flushed from weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death; 17 Although no violence is in my hands, and my prayer is pure. 18 "O earth, do not cover my blood, and let my cry have no resting place! 19 Surely even now my witness is in heaven, and my evidence is on high. 20 My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God. 21 Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleads for his neighbor! 22 For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return." *Devotion* How do you comfort the one who is suffering? Job's friends are an example of what not to do. "Miserable comforters are you all!" They kept telling him he must have sinned against God and needed to repent of whatever it was, and that if he did, then his suffering would be taken away. The first problem with their "comfort" is that they could not identify any specific sin for which he ought to repent. The second problem is that even repentance does not necessarily bring an end to earthly suffering. So how do you comfort the sufferer? If there is indeed some obvious sin that has been committed--something identified by God's Word as sin--and if there is clear evidence of impenitence, then restore the one who is suffering by pointing out the sin "in a spirit of gentleness." Then direct the penitent to the Sacraments for God's comfort. The answer is in what Job yearned for: "Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleads for his neighbor!" Job yearned for an advocate, for a mediator between God and man. We have such an Advocate and Mediator, Christ Jesus. He, like us, suffered when He was tempted. He suffered pain and loss and anguish of soul, as we do. Now He sits at God's right hand, our Brother who sympathizes with us in our weakness and intercedes for us. The comfort for the one who is suffering is that we have in Christ an Advocate who pleads for us unceasingly. Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after Septuagesima
*Scripture: Job 15:1-35 (NKJV)* 1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2 "Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or by speeches with which he can do no good? 4 Yes, you cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God. 5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty. 6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you. 7 Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills? 8 Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? 9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us? 10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, much older than your father. 11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, and the word spoken gently with you? 12 Why does your heart carry you away, and what do your eyes wink at, 13 that you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth? 14 What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? 15 If God puts no trust in His saints, and the heavens are not pure in His sight, 16 how much less man, who is abominable and filthy, who drinks iniquity like water! 17 "I will tell you, hear me; What I have seen I will declare, 18 what wise men have told, not hiding anything received from their fathers, 19 to whom alone the land was given, and no alien passed among them: 20 The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden from the oppressor. 21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him. 22 He does not believe that he will return from darkness, for a sword is waiting for him. 23 He wanders about for bread, saying, 'Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand. 24 Trouble and anguish make him afraid; They overpower him, like a king ready for battle. 25 For he stretches out his hand against God, and acts defiantly against the Almighty, 26 running stubbornly against Him with his strong, embossed shield. 27 Though he has covered his face with his fatness, and made his waist heavy with fat, 28 he dwells in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabits, which are destined to become ruins. 29 He will not be rich, nor will his wealth continue, nor will his possessions overspread the earth. 30 He will not depart from darkness; The flame will dry out his branches, and by the breath of His mouth he will go away. 31 Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, for futility will be his reward. 32 It will be accomplished before his time, and his branch will not be green. 33 He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, and cast off his blossom like an olive tree. 34 For the company of hypocrites will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery. 35 They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit." *Devotion* Job's friends may have meant well, but they were pitiful comforters. They blamed Job for all the afflictions he was enduring, and then blamed him some more for not taking comfort in their "word spoken gently." Their argument went something like this: The righteous prosper, and the wicked suffer. You are suffering, therefore you must be wicked. Actually, their reasoning is reminiscent of Psalm 1, which makes a similar distinction between the righteous and the wicked. The problem is that Job's friends were viewing prosperity and suffering from a worldly point of view. What does the righteous life look like to God? It looks like Jesus' life. What does prosperity look like to God? It looks like Jesus, the Righteous One who endured the Cross and shame in this world, and afterwards received the crown of glory. On the other hand, the wicked, who live under God's condemnation, often prosper in this life, as Asaph notes in Psalm 73. The true prosperity of the righteous is the favor of God, which is ours by faith in Christ. But His favor is often hidden here on Earth behind suffering and will only be revealed in Heaven. Likewise, God's disfavor toward the wicked is often hidden here on Earth and will only be revealed later on. There is comfort for the Christian under the Cross--comfort about which Job's friends knew nothing. It is the comfort that suffering and the Cross are not signs of God's displeasure, but proofs of His faithfulness. They are the tools that He uses to purify our faith and mold us into the image of Christ, the Righteous One Who suffered for us. Call Send SMS Add to Skype You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after Septuagesima
*Scripture: Job 14:1-22 (NKJV)* 1 "Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. 2 He comes forth like a flower and fades away; He flees like a shadow and does not continue. 3 And do You open Your eyes on such a one, and bring me to judgment with Yourself? 4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one! 5 Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass. 6 Look away from him that he may rest, till like a hired man he finishes his day. 7 For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not cease. 8 Though its root may grow old in the earth, and its stump may die in the ground, 9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant. 10 But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last and where is he? 11 As water disappears from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dries up, 12 so man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep. 13 "Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, that You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, that You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes. 15 You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands. 16 For now You number my steps, but do not watch over my sin. 17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and You cover my iniquity. 18 But as a mountain falls and crumbles away, and as a rock is moved from its place; 19 As water wears away stones, and as torrents wash away the soil of the earth; So You destroy the hope of man. 20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes on; You change his countenance and send him away. 21 His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it. 22 But his flesh will be in pain over it, and his soul will mourn over it." *Devotion* The Psalmist asks in awe, "What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?" (Psalm 8:4) Job asks similar questions in agony. Why should God care enough about man to punish him? Job wishes that God would just leave him alone, just let him "hide in the grave," because he sees no end to misery in this life. But as much as Job has come to despair of this life, as much as he wants to die, he will not end his own life. His life remains in God's hands. He pleads with God to end it, expecting that one day his "change" will come, when God will call him from the grave. "And I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands." Why should God care enough about man to punish him? A better question would be, "Why did God care enough about man to become one and to share in our suffering?" Why indeed would He take the suffering of our entire race upon Himself, so that by the power of His resurrection we may be freed from sin and from the bondage to decay? Why? Because He so loved the world. For now, there may be misery and pain, but redemption has come, and Job was right. Our "change" will come too, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet." (1 Corinthians 15:52) The voice of the Son of God will call us out of our graves, even as His voice has already penetrated our misery and called us to life in the midst of death. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after Septuagesima
*Scripture: Job 13:13-28 (NKJV)* 13 "Hold your peace with me, and let me speak, then let come on me what may! 14 Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hands? 15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. 16 He also shall be my salvation, for a hypocrite could not come before Him. 17 Listen carefully to my speech, and to my declaration with your ears. 18 See now, I have prepared my case, I know that I shall be vindicated. 19 Who is he who will contend with me? If now I hold my tongue, I perish. 20 "Only two things do not do to me, then I will not hide myself from You: 21 Withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not the dread of You make me afraid. 22 Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then You respond to me. 23 How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin. 24 Why do You hide Your face, and regard me as Your enemy? 25 Will You frighten a leaf driven to and fro? And will You pursue dry stubble? 26 For You write bitter things against me, and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth. 27 You put my feet in the stocks, and watch closely all my paths. You set a limit for the soles of my feet. 28 "Man decays like a rotten thing, like a garment that is moth-eaten." *Devotion* You do not have to know the reasons why God allows suffering, but that does not mean you cannot seek an answer from God. Job does. He asks, not in unbelief, but in trust. He asks, not in defiance, but in confusion. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." He assumes that God has a reason, so he is bold to pursue the answer, trusting that, even now, God will permit the question. Job is not aware of any specific sin for which he is being punished, but he does not therefore insist that he is innocent. He pleads with God, "Make me know my transgression and my sin." Or maybe he is not suffering for a specific sin. Why, then? He yearns for an explanation, but receives none. So he asks, "Why do You hide Your face, and regard me as Your enemy?" It does not seem right to Job that God is spending so much time on him, making sure he suffers for whatever he is suffering for. Is he really worth so much trouble? These are reasonable questions--questions that the saints often ask in the inspired Psalms. This assures us that God permits such questions from His children. He encourages us to seek answers for the suffering in our life, as long as we seek them from Him and His Word. It is the devil who tempts us to look elsewhere, to produce answers from our own imagination or to stop seeking God altogether, assuming Him to be too cruel to care. But He does care. His Word reveals it. It is okay to ask your loving Father, "Why?" ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Monday after Septuagesima Sunday
*Scripture: Job 13:1-12 (NKJV)* 1 "Behold, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it. 2 What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. 3 But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. 4 But you forgers of lies, you are all worthless physicians. 5 Oh, that you would be silent, and it would be your wisdom! 6 Now hear my reasoning, and heed the pleadings of my lips. 7 Will you speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for Him? 8 Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God? 9 Will it be well when He searches you out? Or can you mock Him as one mocks a man? 10 He will surely rebuke you If you secretly show partiality. 11 Will not His excellence make you afraid, and the dread of Him fall upon you? 12 Your platitudes are proverbs of ashes, your defenses are defenses of clay." * Devotion* Job wanted desperately to know the reason why he was suffering. His friends gave him a stock answer: "You suffer because God is just, and you are sinful." In reality, that answer was only a small part of the reason and useless by itself, because Job's friends were no less sinful than Job was, and if God were to treat them as their sins deserved, they would be in agony together with Job. We who are privy to God's dealings with Satan in chapter 1 know the reason why, at least in part. But Job did not know it. Looking back on history, we can see how God has made Job the example to countless saints in their own afflictions, teaching them patience and trust through his book. But Job did not know that. Similarly, the man born blind from John 9 spent decades of his life in darkness while those around him speculated that it was either his sin or his parents' sin that led to his blindness. It was not until Jesus came that he learned God's purpose--that God might be glorified through him, and that he might come to know the Son of God. "You suffer because..." Be careful how you finish that sentence, whether it is for yourself or for someone else. God surely has a reason and a purpose for the suffering of His dear children. But unless He has revealed in His Word what that purpose is, you dare not assume an absolute answer. You do not have to know the reason why. God knows, and that is enough. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Saturday after the Festival of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ
*Scripture: Job 11:1-20 (NKJV)* 1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2 "Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated? 3 Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you? 4 For you have said, 'My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in your eyes.' 5 But oh, that God would speak, and open His lips against you, 6 that He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves. 7 Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than heaven--what can you do? Deeper than Sheol--what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. 10 If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, then who can hinder Him? 11 For He knows deceitful men; He sees wickedness also. Will He not then consider it? 12 For an empty-headed man will be wise, when a wild donkey's colt is born a man. 13 If you would prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands toward Him; 14 If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, and would not let wickedness dwell in your tents; 15 Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear; 16 Because you would forget your misery, and remember it as waters that have passed away, 17 and your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. 18 And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety. 19 You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; Yes, many would court your favor. 20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope--loss of life!" *Devotion* Zophar says, "Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?" His words are a stern reminder as we sometimes seek to probe the hidden God. There is much that the Lord has not revealed to us. We are to be content with His revelation in the holy Scriptures. We are not to forsake that pure and clear revelation that God makes about Himself, nor are we to seek other sources of knowledge about God and His will. The sinful flesh has always wanted to know the things that God has not given us to know. The serpent's temptation in the garden to be "like God" is the same lie he uses over and over. We are tempted to try to find God outside of His Word because our flesh is not content with the sacred Scriptures. There is much the Lord has not revealed to us. But what He has revealed to us in Scripture and in Christ Jesus is sufficient for salvation. It is also sufficient to create, build, sustain, and fortify our faith in the midst of suffering. We are confident that what God reveals to us is not contrary to what He has hidden from us. To think that God would say one thing in His Word and think another in His secret counsel would make God "two-faced." Faith trusts the Word of God written and enfleshed in the person of Jesus, Who was sent to make God the Father known. We know that what He tells us in holy Scripture and His hidden thoughts are the same in Christ Jesus. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Friday after the Festival of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ
*Scripture: Job 10:1-22 (NKJV)* 1 "My soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2 I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; Show me why You contend with me. 3 Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, that You should despise the work of Your hands, and smile on the counsel of the wicked? 4 Do You have eyes of flesh? Or do You see as man sees? 5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal man? Are Your years like the days of a mighty man, 6 that You should seek for my iniquity and search out my sin, 7 although You know that I am not wicked, and there is no one who can deliver from Your hand? 8 Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me. 9 Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? 10 Did you not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese, 11 clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews? 12 You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit. 13 And these things You have hidden in Your heart; I know that this was with You: 14 If I sin, then You mark me, and will not acquit me of my iniquity. 15 If I am wicked, woe to me; Even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am full of disgrace; See my misery! 16 If my head is exalted, You hunt me like a fierce lion, and again You show Yourself awesome against me. 17 You renew Your witnesses against me, and increase Your indignation toward me; Changes and war are ever with me. 18 Why then have You brought me out of the womb? Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me! 19 I would have been as though I had not been. I would have been carried from the womb to the grave. 20 Are not my days few? Cease! Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort, 21 before I go to the place from which I shall not return, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death, 22 a land as dark as darkness itself, as the shadow of death, without any order, where even the light is like darkness.'" *Devotion* Even in despair Job does not forget his place. He never claims to be God's equal. He is very much aware of how helpless he is before God. He acknowledges that God created him from clay, and that the Lord knit him together in his mother's womb. He even confesses God's abundant provision throughout his life. "You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit." In the midst of his suffering Job still confesses the first article of the Creed, that God has created him, given him his body and soul, eyes, ears and all his members. Job did not forget his place. If only Job could have continued on in that confession that the God Who created him would still preserve him in all situations and protect him from evil. Although the Lord had lowered the protective hedge around Job and allowed Satan to destroy his wealth and family, the Lord did not give Job over to Satan entirely. The Lord was still good and gracious in not letting Satan take Job's life. While this may seem like little comfort, this alone demonstrated that the Lord had not utterly forsaken Job. In our afflictions and sufferings we are to remember that God formed us from the clay. He knows that we are mortal. He also knows how much we can take when it comes to trial and suffering. He will also be gracious to us and spare us for the sake of Christ Jesus. And even should that cross kill our body, we know that we will partake in a glorious resurrection because he cares for us. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Thursday after the Festival of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ
*Scripture: Job 9:1-35 (NKJV)* 1 Then Job answered and said: 2 "Truly I know it is so, but how can a man be righteous before God? 3 If one wished to contend with Him, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. 4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? 5 He removes the mountains, and they do not know when He overturns them in His anger; 6 He shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; 7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; 8 He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; 9 He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; 10 He does great things past finding out, yes, wonders without number. 11 If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; 12 If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, 'What are You doing?' 13 God will not withdraw His anger, the allies of the proud lie prostrate beneath Him. 14 "How then can I answer Him, and choose my words to reason with Him? 15 For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge. 16 If I called and He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice. 17 For He crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause. 18 He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness. 19 If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court? 20 Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse. 21 I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. 22 It is all one thing; Therefore I say, 'He destroys the blameless and the wicked.' 23 If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent. 24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, who else could it be? 25 Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good. 26 They pass by like swift ships, like an eagle swooping on its prey. 27 If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,' 28 I am afraid of all my sufferings; I know that You will not hold me innocent. 29 If I am condemned, why then do I labor in vain? 30 If I wash myself with snow water, and cleanse my hands with soap, 31 yet You will plunge me into the pit, and my own clothes will abhor me. 32 For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him, and that we should go to court together. 33 Nor is there any mediator between us, who may lay his hand on us both. 34 Let Him take His rod away from me, and do not let dread of Him terrify me. 35 Then I would speak and not fear Him, but it is not so with me." *Devotion* Job laments of God, "For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him, and that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us, who may lay his hand on us both." Job understands that whatever righteousness he has before God would do him no good. A person can argue with God, but since you are arguing with God, who is there to declare the winner? Job can present his case but the Judge to Whom he would make his case is the Lord God. Job realizes the futility of trying to bargain with or confront God about an imagined injustice. Job needs a mediator between himself and an angry God. That Mediator is Jesus Christ. He is the propitiation for our sins. He is the one that turns away God's wrath. Christ dies for the sins of the world to atone for them, so that whoever believes in Him is justified before God the Father in Heaven. Faith clings to Christ as our Mediator with the Father, knowing that God the Father is pleased with the sacrifice Christ offered for the sins of the world. Now as the ascended and reigning Mediator, He continually intercedes for us before the Throne of God. In Romans 8:34 Paul writes, "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." When our consciences accuse us of our sins we are to look to Christ Jesus, our Mediator Who has quelled God's wrath and still speaks in our favor in the heavenly courtroom. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Wednesday after the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ
*Scripture: Job 8:1-22 (NKJV)* 1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: 2 "How long will you speak these things, and the words of your mouth be like a strong wind? 3 Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice? 4 If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression. 5 If you would earnestly seek God and make your supplication to the Almighty, 6 if you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you, and prosper your rightful dwelling place. 7 Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly. 8 For inquire, please, of the former age, and consider the things discovered by their fathers; 9 For we were born yesterday, and know nothing, because our days on earth are a shadow. 10 Will they not teach you and tell you, and utter words from their heart? 11 "Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water? 12 While it is yet green and not cut down, it withers before any other plant. 13 So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish, 14 whose confidence shall be cut off, and whose trust is a spider's web. 15 He leans on his house, but it does not stand. He holds it fast, but it does not endure. 16 He grows green in the sun, and his branches spread out in his garden. 17 His roots wrap around the rock heap, and look for a place in the stones. 18 If he is destroyed from his place, then it will deny him, saying, 'I have not seen you.' 19 "Behold, this is the joy of His way, and out of the earth others will grow. 20 Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, nor will He uphold the evildoers. 21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing. 22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing." *Devotion* Bildad the Shuhite assumes that God punishes the wicked for specific sins and rewards the righteous for their lifestyle. His is a prosperity gospel. "If you would earnestly seek God. If you were pure and upright," Bildad says. He tells Job that he is not as righteous as he thinks, otherwise God would be blessing him instead of being against him. "Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, nor will He uphold the evildoers." Since God afflicts Job, Bildad reasons that Job must have sinned terribly to deserve such a punishment. This is not the case, because the author writes of Job in the first chapter that Job "was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil." We can be sure that the Lord does not afflict us in wrath for our sins because "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) We do still feel the natural punishments for sins that are built into the created order. These punishments are meant to bring us to repentance for our sins. But we know that God does not afflict us as retribution for our sins, because Christ paid the entire price for the sins of the world by His death on the Cross. We can rest assured, knowing that our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west, they are buried at the bottom of the sea. The Lord has trod them underfoot in the absolution won for us by Jesus and received in faith. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
SERM: The Lutheran Herald for the Tuesday after the Festival of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ
*Scripture: Job 7:1-21 (NKJV)* 1 "Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man? 2 Like a servant who earnestly desires the shade, and like a hired man who eagerly looks for his wages, 3 so I have been allotted months of futility, and wearisome nights have been appointed to me. 4 When I lie down, I say, 'When shall I arise, and the night be ended?' For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn. 5 My flesh is caked with worms and dust, my skin is cracked and breaks out afresh. 6 My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope. 7 Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good. 8 The eye of him who sees me will see me no more; While your eyes are upon me, I shall no longer be. 9 As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. 10 He shall never return to his house, Nor shall his place know him anymore. 11 "Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12 Am I a sea, or a sea serpent, that You set a guard over me? 13 When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,' 14 Then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, 15 so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body. 16 I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath. 17 What is man, that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, 18 that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment? 19 How long? Will You not look away from me, and let me alone till I swallow my saliva? 20 Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? 21 Why then do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, and You will seek me diligently, but I will no longer be." *Devotion* Job seems to believe the Lord is set against him and that God is his enemy. Job assumes that he is the object of God's target practice. He desires shade and repose from the hard labor of life, yet his Master refuses to give him his wages or comfort. He wants relief from his suffering but that suffering is laid upon him by the same God Who is to be his comfort and hope. To whom shall Job go in the midst of such an entangling paradox? Where do we turn when God seems to be set against us? We are to look to the example of our Lord Jesus on the Cross. In the great mystery of our salvation, God the Father abandons God the Son since the Lord cannot tolerate sin. This causes Christ to speak the words of Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" Christ experienced the full wrath of God against sin and the Divine abandonment in which sinners would otherwise be lost. Christ understood that it was the Father who was afflicting Him. Where did Christ our Lord turn when God the Father became His enemy? He says, "Into Thy hands I commit my spirit." Christ trusts the same Father that is smiting Him in wrath for the sins of the world. This is our pattern in suffering. Though God may be smiting us, we are to turn to Him in confidence. He will not abandon us, because He abandoned Christ. He does not punish us with wrath, because Christ endured the wrath of God. This is the hope of all who believe and are in Christ by faith. ___ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
