The Sanctus p. 26 The Lord's Prayer p. 27 The Words of Institution The Agnus Dei p. 28 The Nunc Dimittis p. 29 The Benediction p. 31 The Hymn #370My Hope Is Built
In Our Prayers
Dr. Lito Cruz, Pastor Jim Shrader and his wife Chris, Kermit Way, Callie and her mother Peggy; those with stress and metabolic disorders; Lynda Roper. BibleJohn Ewing.
The son of our Lutheran friend died overseas suddenly at the age of 49 - Clinton Michael Roberts. His mother Virginia helped greatly with the Luther books reprinted and posted various ways.
1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
The Spirit of Truth
John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
So many learned professors make fun of the Trinity - or - deny these simple words. Nothing churns up reaction to the Trinity more than this simplicity. Harvard Divinity School has libraries worth, but no truth. The emphasis of the Spirit is especially strong in John's Gospel, and this will show the listener why. Jesus is teaching His disciples about the Spirit managing the Father and Son. What was there in the beginning (Genesis 1 and John 1) is the energy of the Spirit, the direct power of God moving faithful ministers, organists, teachers, members, and parents.
As described many times, in John 16:8 -
8 And when He is come, He will reprove [expose or convict] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on Me;
Sin is not the sins of the flesh, our egos, or many alternatives - The Spirit convicts unbelief. The Word is always energized through the Spirit - even when people are hardening their hearts against the Truth and blinding their eyes to Jesus Christ.
John 15:27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended [scandalized, set off by the trigger in the trap].
Notice how early Jesus teaches, warns, and strengthens the disciples. They were right on the edge when they gathered inside locked doors. Fear overcame faith, and through Jesus faith overcame fear. That was so strong with the risen Christ that it led them into the opposition and rejoiced in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ - the Good Shepherd, the True Vine, the Way the Truth and the Light.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Like Jesus, the disciples would be removed from the synagogues. They would be pursued and even killed for teaching the truth. Like Paul, who came along rather early, some of the most antagonistic toward Jesus also became His followers. The crowds were overwhelmed by the witness of Stephen, and his death by stoning opened up the Heavens to Christ and His glory.
Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
These things had to happen because the Antichrist was stirred up by the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
This passage - look at how much more needs to be said, up to and including John 21. The events, discussions, and conflicts are quite condensed. They have remained the Word of God over the centuries. Many people speak or write from their perspective, but that does not mean they are correct. Luther called them "wolf preachers," who are eagerly followed by many. When people complain about this, it is a reminder of what Jesus described in John 10. Those who hear His voice follow Him - He leads them out to the pure water and green pastures. Those are the three elements most needed - His voice, food and water.
They listen to His Voice but many do not. I can count four churches I served, where the buildings are either empty, a small business, or demolished. Bethany began from members of two congregations, moved to Phoenix, and then to the Internet. We used phones at first, handed a video camera (with great reluctance), and moved from ancient IBM video streaming, then to Vimeo, finally to Zoom.
The foundation is not in creating a building. That arrived with the papacy, priests, bishops, and the pope.
The foundation is the Word of God, as clearly portrayed (but often ignored) in the KJV. This has been turned upside-down, with the unscrupulous moving from the Word itself to interpretations and endless puerile arguments about the footnotes and other highways and byways.
The Spirit is always in the Word and will not make the gimmicks of the day fruitful. The gimmicks devour themselves, as they are doing now, because they are no better than the ashes and poisons of the past.
John 16:8 And when He is come, He will reprove [expose or convict] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on Me;
The Preface p. 24 The Sanctus p. 26 The Lord's Prayer p. 27 The Words of Institution The Agnus Dei p. 28 The Nunc Dimittis p. 29 The Benediction p. 31 The Hymn #409 Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus
In Our Prayers
Dr. Lito Cruz, Lynda Roper, Sarah Buck; Tom Fisher, Kermit Way; Pastor Jim Shrader and Christine.
The Little Great Event
If we measured this as a great event today, very little would be said. The non-religious majorities have many different thoughts, not very focused. It is strange about how often people use the Name of Jesus, but not its meaning.
Here we have a perfect example of the use and splendor of Jesus' Ascension. The last days after the Resurrection solidified and confirmed the confused believers and began the miracles that we have with us today. He let a few ascend into heaven before their eyes, the angelic hosts enhancing this and asking - Why stare into the heavens?
From that time on, the bedrock of the Empty Tomb and the Ascension farewell (but only in a sense) backed and strengthened Jesus in His supreme ministry for all of earth, which spread the Gospel to every corner, every race, every type. As Luther wrote, Jesus did not go to Heaven for the Savior's need but for those who needed Him...prayedto Him...and shared the Gospel that came from Him.
If you do not believe in Him - faith dwindles away. The many declarations of the Good Shepherd are aimed at helping and healing us. The old ways are never going to work:
Shunning
Getting even
Revenge
Hurting others.
Those four traits above do not accomplish anything and instead make people more bitter or worse on both sides.
Kindness is just the opposite of the list above and it comes from the Shepherd.
Understanding another's emotions and sufferings.
Helping with losses, whether personal or material.
Offering humor, levity, and personal parallels.
We cannot fully explain the nature of Christ and His will for each and every one of us, but we can marvel at what He has already done, even in the worst of circumstances.
Since I was teaching about Acts 12 today, I thought I would add up all the Luther Melanchthon Chemnitz videos. The readers have added up 65,000 views. That is a small amount compared to millions churned out by big media methods. But the Word of God is the power, not the showmanship and the glitter.
With the voice of singing declare ye and tell this:
utter it even to the end of the earth. Hallelujah!
The Lord hath redeemed His servant Jacob: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Psalm. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
sing forth the honor of His name; make His praise glorious.
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
O God, from whom all good things do come, grant to us, Thy humble servants, that by Thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be right and by Thy merciful guiding may perform the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Christ, who hath redeemed us with His blood:
is risen and hath appeared unto us. Hallelujah!
V. I came forth from the Father and am come into the world:
again, I leave the world and go to the Father. Hallelujah!
Monday Memorial Day. The Veterans Honor Rose is on the altar.
The Ascension Holy Communion Service is Thursday, 7 PM Central Daylight.
Prayers and concerns - Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Sarah Buck, Kermit Way. Lito Cruz is getting better. Those suffering from emotional distress and those with metabolic disorders.
Thursday is Ascension Day, 7 PM Holy Communion.
KJV James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
KJV John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. 29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. 30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
Enchanted Peace
Mark 1:34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. 35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
This passage and many more like it are examples of His prayer and its priority. Many prayers are formalities and many more prayers are mocked. However, this is concentrated in one exceptional passage -
KJV John 16:8 - And when He is come, He will reprove [convict] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
The basic errors of these days and the past are based upon the problem of unbelief.
Many priests and clergy start and end on law and order. Pay the price.
The law is broken so it must be absolved.
How about emotion, being really, really sorry?
Or ice cream names on fancy new chapels, libraries, and buildings?
Luther was trained in the forces of the priesthood. He struggled to understand and practice forgiveness. He felt guilty and felt the weight of all his sins, no matter how minor, and therefore felt no grace. The monasteries badgered their victims with Law and more Law. They inflicted pain on themselves and knew - at the same time - that their struggles were a lot of tommy-rot. There was no relief.
The interior life is quite powerful. Our brains are at work at all times and places, so we find ourselves in one arena or another or several at once. Concentration is a struggle because God has endowed us with so much mental energy.
But we do have one great asset from the Holy Trinity - the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin because we do not believe in Him. Although we have a great emphasis - Justification by Faith (St. Paul, Romans 4-5 etc), on this Johannine passage directly from Jesus Christ is even more clear.
We can go through all the Scriptures and academic books without believing in Him. That was and is the great struggle. The rationalists, scoffers, and deniers can flaunt their knowledge but it is tied up in their lack of faith and therefore in all the follies of this world.
However, if we continue with a child-like faith, the blessings of Jesus Christ come to us in many different ways. As Jesus said, Let the children come to me and do not forbid (reject) them - the Kingdom of God belongs to them.
Prayer - Faith in Jesus
The greatest gift the Savior offers us is a complete knowledge of His kindness, compassion, spiritual wisdom, and trust. Even the disciples had their failings in three years and even after the Resurrection. But they were encouraged to take on the work of Jesus on earth while He managed from beyond, as Luther observed. Jesus did not stop His work but elevated it to a greater number, like the millions of stars predicted to Abraham, greater than all the sands of the sea.
There is no sorrow, trouble, or pain which the Good Shepherd is unable to heal. John 10 and Psalm 23 encourage and comfort us in many ways.
Individual prayer is the great blessing, because we can communicate with the Savior as easily as He can talk to us. It is a sin not to believe in Him. If we let the truths of the Bible take over our thoughts, many refreshing waves of joy can roll over us. We remember the disciples asking in fear in the dark raging storm, "Don't You care if we die?!" But when fear takes over, faith flies out the window. That is why the heavenly forces - Jesus and His angels - watch over us to prove their efforts and their love.
The Confession of Sins The Absolution The Introit p. 16
Introit
Oh, sing (cantate) unto the Lord a new song:
for He hath done marvelous things.
The Lord hath made known His salvation:
His righteousness hath He openly showed in the sight of the heathen.
Psalm. His right hand and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory.
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
O God, who makest the minds of the faithful to be of one will, grant unto Thy people that they may love what Thou commandest and desire what Thou dost promise, that among the manifold changes of this world our hearts may there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. The right hand of the Lord is exalted:
the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. Hallelujah!
V. Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no more:
death hath no more dominion over Him. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord! Praise be to Thee, O Christ! The Nicene Creed p. 22 The Sermon Hymn #132 O God of God
The Preface p. 24 The Sanctus p. 26 The Lord's Prayer p. 27 The Words of Institution The Agnus Dei p. 28 The Nunc Dimittis p. 29 The Benediction p. 31 The Hymn #657Beautiful Savior
In Our Prayers -
Treatment and recovery - Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris, Lori Howell, . Dr. Kermit Way, Sarah Buck, Dr. Cruz is doing better. BibleJohn is getting diabetic treatments.
The St. Louis tornado took 5 lives and much more to comprehend.
Pray for our country's leaders as the major trials continue.
Biblical doctrine is broadcast live on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 10 AM Central.
KJV James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
KJV John 16:5-15 5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Jesus Teaching the Holy Spirit
John 15:5-7 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
This puzzles many people in great numbers, because they assume or argue everything except the message given, the Spirit-Word combination.
Everyone has to be excited and entertained. No.
Everyone has to be learned, impressed by the most educated. No.
Everyone has to name the newest building as an honor to him. No.
Everyone has to be popular. No.
The Spirit works through the Word of God, so we are certain that gardens and fields, lawns and weeds will spring up, flower, fruit, and set seed. Jesus taught the disciples that they must mourn and be without Him as it was in their time together. These passages in John's Gospel show us what has to be so that a few hundred or thousand people can cover the earth with the Gospel of forgiveness and everlasting life.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe noton me;
This is the center of Jesus' work and cannot be escaped. Not only are denominations against faith in Jesus Christ, they openly ridicule the basics of the Good Shepherd's divinity - teaching, miracles, dying to atone for the sins of the world, rising from death and ascending to heaven. How is it that the Father of the Church Growth Movement - Donald McGavran - published his approval of Planned Parenthood? His book was the bible for all the Lutherans, including LCMS-ELS-WELS-ELCA.
That is the big picture, as they say, but it also covers the small one, down to the individuals, based on whether they believe the blessings, miracles, and divine help of the Savior. Some pick and choose.
I remember that my mother had me memorize the 23rd Psalm when I was in Sunday School. I was about 5 years old and we were at Plymouth Congregational Church, now gone, along with First Christian Church. I had her join the Lutheran Church later. Her last stay was in our sun-lit living room in Glendale, Arizona, not far from the venue of the ELCA convention in July. One final day I brought my Bible to her and said, "You taught me this, Mom." I read the 23rd Psalm to her and she passed into eternal life.
The foundational work of the Christian Church is to teach faith in Jesus Christ, in all aspects, from Genesis 1 to the end of time. The wife of my friend from Moline boasted about her studies at a joint-seminary - Unitarian and Disciples of Christ. "They work together, unified!" So Christina said, "How can you tell the difference?" The lady said this - about the Virgin Birth of Jesus and His resurrection - "Those items are not very important." I was removed from my friend's Facebook list. He had all the catechism lessons of our Augustana congregation and he attended a Lutheran college.
People feel the burdens of past errors, sins, and various difficulties. This issue is extremely important because the Bible is there for our healing and peace. "Access to His grace" is the key.
