Mid-Week Lenten Service. 7 PM Central

The third temptation of Christ, by Norma Boeckler.
"Bow down and worship me, and all this will be Yours."

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 6 PM Phoenix Time

The Hymn #            558                 All Praise             4:44     
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody                  
The Lection                            The Passion History

The Sermon Hymn # 657            Beautiful Savior                    4:24   

The Sermon –  Access to Grace

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn #538   Now the Shades                4:53

Access to Grace

KJV Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

In the last 50 years, the word used most has been peace. Many times it referred to world peace, to the point of becoming a joke in movies. But the other emphasis has been upon inner peace. From the hippies of the 1960s to the Indian gurus of the present, inner peace has been a goal.

This passage teaches us about inner peace, something far more important than outward peace, since many people feel anguish and turmoil while everything seems to be going well for them. Celebrities are good examples. The moment they become famous and rich they start worrying about when they will lose it.

Davy Jones just died of a heart attack. He went from fame to obscurity to a bit of fame again. He was most famous in a group, but the group could not operate together in peace, so peace is quite important, by any definition.

The ultimate meaning of peace is peace with God. The Bible uses peace in relation to forgiveness of sin and salvation.

The other dominating word in the last 50 years has been grace. Everyone is in favor of grace, and Amazing Grace is a popular (if vague) hymn, appropriate for almost any occasion, including the burial of a Vulcan in a science fiction film.

Apart from the superficial use of grace, there is a real longing. The Biblical meaning of grace is complicated, because it means so much at the same time. Grace means God’s favor and love, but it also means a divine favor and love that is given away free rather than earned.

In these two verses we have the entire Gospel message summarized, but summarized so that we want to know more. That is how the Gospel works. When God teaches us the Good News, we want to hear even more, know more, and pursue even more knowledge about it.

When we follow Luther’s method of reading the Bible, we see the unity of the Biblical message, because the Holy Spirit is the unity. Every Word of the Bible comes from human authors speaking through the Holy Spirit. As one pope said so eloquently, the Bible has a human nature and a divine nature, like Christ. The human nature we can see in Paul’s personality. This is an ordinary human being, with flaws and faults and sins, but the Holy Spirit speaks through him in this apostolic letter. Because it comes from the Holy Spirit, the harmony of the Scriptures is evident. The Bible is like Jesus in having a divine and a human nature, yet free from error, as Jesus was free from sin.

Paul, as a perfectionist  and follower of the Law, had no peace. He was restless and sought peace by persecuting the Gospel.

So this opening to Romans 5, which is also the conclusion of Romans 4, is deeply person as well as being apostolic and Spirit-inspired.

Let’s start with grace. How do we enjoy the grace, favor, love, and forgiveness of God? That can come only through the Spirit/Word. I use the slash to express this because one cannot be separated from the other, as Isaiah 55:8-10 reveals (supported by many other passages).

God’s grace can only come through God’s Word, specifically the Gospel Word – Scriptural passages of forgiveness, blessing, comfort, and hope.

For that reason the Word is called a Means of Grace. Sometimes an Instrument of Grace. I like the second term, because Instrument is even more concrete.

God’s grace comes to us only through the Means of Grace, because the Holy Spirit is bound to the Word at all times and never works apart from the Word.

That is the origin of so much confusion and false doctrine, separating the Holy Spirit from the Word.

The Word can be invisible in teaching and preaching, visible in the Sacraments. Non-Lutherans get their chasubles in a bunch, saying, “Why so many means? Isn’t one enough?”

Why so many Gospels? Isn’t one enough?

Who so many Epistles? Isn’t one enough?

Why so many Gospel Promises and blessings and comforting passages? Why not one, good, easy to memorize passage? People are always grabbing God by the shoulders and telling Him to do things differently, better, their way.

Luther subordinated himself to the Word, the Word that belongs to God alone and not to us.

Therefore, the peace that people long to have is there is the Means of Grace. It comes to us through the forgiveness that is objectively true because Christ died for our sins.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

We could say – Having been justified by faith… That is important, because believing is forgiveness.

That is saying – We have peace with God the moment we believe in Christ as our Savior and Redeemer.

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Faith in Him gives us access to this grace, favor, love and forgiveness – so we stand upon this Truth and rejoice in all future glory accomplished by God.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

The “dear holy cross” (as Luther expresses it) is placed in the midst of this great Gospel passage.

We glory in tribulations because they produce patience.

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

The cross, attached to the faithful adherence to the Gospel, produces good effects in our lives.

Many do not want the cross or to teach the cross, so the divorce the Gospel from the cross. In avoiding the cross they also lose the Gospel.

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Paul was able to see the Gospel spread throughout the Roman Empire in the midst of persecution and all the other bad experiences of Paul, including imprisonment, which served to glorify God and serve His purpose.

This passage should bring the greatest comfort to anyone, because Romans 5:1-5 teaches us the truth of the Gospel, the grace of forgiveness, and the blessings of the cross.

Fuller Seminary Is the Favorite School for WELS and LCMS: Rick Warren Is Their Idol

LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "The Difference Between Apostasy and Confession of ...":

"The Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and one of America's most influential Christian leaders, has embarked on an effort to heal divisions between evangelical Christians and Muslims by partnering with Southern California mosques and proposing a set of theological principles that includes acknowledging that Christians and Muslims worship the same God."

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/muslims-341669-warren-saddleback.html

Rick Warren, Larry Olson, and Kent Hunter
have drive-by DMins from Fuller Seminary.
WELS Seminary Professors David Valleskey and Frost Bivens
studied at Fuller -
and denied it, and admitted it.

From article:

Warren has faced criticism from some evangelicals for his outreach to Muslims. Late last year, he issued a statement flatly denying rumors that he promulgates what critics term "Chrislam," a merging of Islam and Christianity.

The "rumor is 100 percent false," Warren wrote at Pastors.com, a website he founded that provides practical advice to church leaders. "My life and ministry are built on the truth that Jesus is the only way, and our inerrant Bible is our only true authority."

***

GJ - Mrs. Ichabod and I stopped at Rick Warren's church, which we passed by accident on a business trip. We went inside and listened to Warren clown around a bit. The woman at the door did not want to let us in because it was a "paid-for conference."

Saddleback Community Church is a Babtist church, but they deny that in their congregation's name. Now they deny it in their rush to unify two opposing religions.

Thank you for the link, Joe Krohn.

Storms Damage Country Music Resort Town, Kill 9 | NBC 4i

Storms Damage Country Music Resort Town, Kill 9 | NBC 4i:


BRANSON, Mo. -- A powerful storm system that produced multiple reports of tornadoes lashed the Midwest early Wednesday, roughing up the country music resort city of Branson and laying waste to small towns in Illinois and Kansas. At least nine people were killed.

An apparent twister rolled through Branson just before 1 a.m. and seemed to hopscotch up the city's main roadway, ripping roofs off hotels and damaging some of the city's famed music theaters dangerously close to the start of the heavy tourism season. More than 30 people were reported hurt, mostly with cuts and bruises.

"If it was a week later, it'd be a different story," said Bill Tirone, assistant general manager for the 530-room Hiltons of Branson and the Branson Convention Center, where windows were shattered and some rooms had furniture sucked away by high winds. Hotel workers were able to get all guests to safety as the storm raged.

John Moore, owner of the damaged Cakes-n-Creams '50s Diner, said the tornado seemed to target the city's main strip, moving down the entertainment district, through the convention center, across a lake and into a housing division. He said the tornado appeared to "jump side to side."

"The theater next to me kind of exploded. It went everywhere. The hotels on the two sides of me lost their roofs. Power lines are down. Windows are blown out," Moore said. "There's major, major destruction. There has to be millions dollars of damage all down the strip."


'via Blog this'

***

GJ - We had several tornado warnings. One was having the locked front doors blow open - twice. Another was the Internet going down. That means Precious hid behind the desk and knocked the power cord of the router out of the socket. The third warning was Precious hiding under my feet. We had a few gusts of wind and a little rain - nothing like the night Joplin blew away, about a year ago.

Precious hides near the power cords when loud storms arrive,
often knocking me off the Internet.
Photo by Norma Boeckler

From Rogue Lutheran - "And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple and turned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, 'It is written, 'My house show be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers.'" Matt21:12

Thrivent is more than ELCA-WELS-LCMS.
It is pan-religious.

"And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple and turned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, 'It is written, 'My house show be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers.'" Matt21:12:

'via Blog this'

Ooooh! This is what you pay for with Thrivent dollars -
a pan-religious stained glass window.
They publish their own satire.

I think the last figure I saw was $160 million
for Habitat for Humanity.
Jeske is involved there, too.

The Difference Between Apostasy and Confession of Faith

Some people try to fit in with the Andy Stanley/Craig Groeschel
clown ministry model.

Apostasy is falling away from the Christian faith, predicted in the pastoral epistles and 2 Thessalonians.

KJV 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith [verb form of apostasy], giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

KJV 2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away [apostasy] first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

A Baptist is opposed to infant faith and infant baptism, most of all to baptismal regeneration. Baptists and associated groups always use immersion.

Many Lutheran pastors are ga-ga
over Rick Warren. Why?

Andy Stanley and Rick Warren are both Baptists, but they avoid the term like herpes. They think their confession of faith might hinder the numerical growth of their congregations, so they hide what they believe.

Crypto-Babtist Andy Stanley sold a bunch of WELS workers
on attending his worship conference.
Glende's pal, Ski, blogged about the awesome worship at Northpoint Community Church.

Andy Stanley has a big D-Day event for dedicating babies, which includes a designated professional photographer. Apparently that is their imitation or mockery of infant baptism. Imitation is sincerest form of flattery, but out of place with Biblical doctrine.

What does a congregation believe or not believe? My friend wanted his baby baptized at an Evangelical Free congregation. The minister said, "We do not believe in infant baptism, but we will baptize babies for those who wish."

Doctrine and practice merge, so a church's practice says more about its beliefs than any formal statement. How many WELS congregations have "Christian Academies" that are really day-care businesses for the pastor's wife and friends?

"Jesus is my rice,"
says WELS Church and Changer Jeff Gunn.

First, the name goes. Robert Schuller pioneered this by making his Dutch Reformed congregation "Garden Grove Community Church." All the big Fuller clones have community churches or oddball names that avoid the term church.

Next, the statement of faith turns generic. As David Becker wrote in Christian News, Time of Grace is completely generic, fitting the nickname I gave it long ago - Time of Generic Grace. Is it Lutheran? No one could accuse them of Lutheran doctrine. The TV show is listed as Mark Jeske on Daystar, and Mark Jeske never stops promoting Mark Jeske.

I gave up matching all the WELS congregations with Rick Warren generic confessions. That is one certain sign of apostasy. A congregation wants to be LCMS or WELS or something else for the base of members, but they are nothing distinctive for the general population.

The apostates answer, "But look at how well we do!" Yes, they are skilled at turning large populations into indifferent worshipers of the Old Adam, excellent preparation for Unitarian-Universalism.

Bishop Katie sent a Tweet where she rejoiced over finding former members of Jeske's congregation (where she worked with Ski) at Granger Community Church (where she and Ski were learning how to "do church," something missing at Mequon).

The big laugh--or sob--will be the populations of all these generic emergent churches leaving Holy Mother Synod. The strength of the current generation is leaving quickly because those Lutherans were raised on a catechism (not Kuske's) and taught something of substance.

May you prosper like Schuller,
may you leave an indelible bad impression on everyone,
and may you take your minions down the same road to perdition.