If You Like Hymns - Try This Link to a Zillion of Them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BguyDb1xrrk

All styles of hymns are sung, with many arrangements.

Countering Synodical Thinking with Critical Thinking - Final Draft.

 The Intrepids met only once, because SP Schroeder,
who wanted a lobby on his side, to counter Mark Jeske,
was peeved that some members and clergy
were thinking on their own.

Many people reacted favorably to the post on critical thinking, a topic I taught many times. Training in critical thinking was required for other courses I taught at the undergraduate level. The subject often comes up in higher education, seldom in the Lutheran synods.

We take for granted what is normally practiced in the American legal system, but that is an outgrowth of many developments. In an absolute monarchy, officials could arrest someone, find him guilty, and punish him. Separating the police from the prosecution - having trials with evidence judged by juries, with a judge presiding - protected citizens against tyranny.

Language has a much longer history. Logical fallacies were examined and refuted in ancient Greece and the Republic of Rome. Many of them are based on the relevance of facts. When I told a learning team, "Oh, you're from Mesa? That explains everything," they went crazy. It had nothing to do with the discussion, but it played on their insecurities. My goal was to help them see through transparent fallacies so they could refute them, such as saying to me, "That has nothing to do with the topic."

Synod politicians often give in to manipulation, deception, and logical fallacies. They use the threat of force - or bribery - to get what they want.

Countering Synodical Thinking
For entertainment, one reader brings up my name - just to hear a ten-minute rant from WELS pastors. One layman heard that I did not know any Greek, so I asked him, "You have Thy Strong Word (first edition)?" Yes he did. "Is there a lot of Greek in the book?" Yes, there is. "How did I accomplish that, without knowing Greek?"

Now he could say, "I take Greek lessons from Bethany Lutheran Church, every Thursday."

Baptists at Baylor? Where?
The entire board - minus a few slots? No kidding!

ELDONUT Busted at Baylor
One ELDONUT priest claimed that Baylor Babtist University was not Babtist. (Note for northern liberals who talk funny - Southern Baptists call themselves Babtists.)

To refute this counter-claim, I went to the source. How many people do that today?

Baylor was founded as a Babtist school, and they call themselves Baptist. Of course, that is de-emphasized in their PR materials, but who uses PR as evidence? That is like believing the synod president's report - or worse - Lutheran Witness or Forward in Christ.

The best piece of evidence came from the Baylor site. They will now allow up to 25% of the board to be non-Baptist! I could picture a board meeting where someone like me makes a suggestion and 75% of the board begins ring-knocking with their school rings, thumping on the table to show the chairman, "We will decide this." That image tickled my funny-bone.

Ridiculous denials are easily countered today with a little searching on Google. That requires curiosity and a little practice.

Biblical Evidence
Those who study a good Bible translation (KJV) are trained by the Holy Spirit, as Luther wrote. False teachers cannot stand up to questioning from the Word of God, so they flatter others or have fits to intimidate them.

Several models of study are worth following. Luther's sermons and lectures are explorations of the Word itself, not a combination of claims from this expert or that. Likewise, the Book of Concord is a one-volume commentary on the Scriptures - rather than an effort to support a denomination.

Chemnitz and Melanchthon's works are also clear and compelling essays about the Word of God. As great as these authors all, we still have an obligation as ministers and laity to know the Scriptures ourselves and not enslave ourselves by comparing opinions.

The Two Rules
Some ancient epigrams about Scriptural study are worth following:

1. Scripture interprets Scripture.
2. The bright passages shed light on the verses we find to be dark.

If God teaches one matter so clearly in one passage that no one can deny this truth, then those verses will help us with other passages. For instance, the Holy Trinity is named and declared so clearly in the Great Commission that doubts and questions are easily answered in other parts of the Bible. That may seem to be an odd question for many, but the chief theologian of UOJ, Knapp, did not think the Trinity was Biblical. 

The same can be said about Justification by Faith. Paul leaves no doubt about Justification by Faith in Romans 4 and the opening to Romans 5. Does anyone think that in the midst of his inspired oration about Justification by Faith that the Apostle taught Justification without Faith? - as the UOJ Stormtroopers insist. To follow their schizophrenic path, one must conclude that the Holy Spirit moved Paul to contradict himself every few verses.

Shouting out a verse or a fragment of a verse to support a dubious claim is typical of the Evangelical sects and cults. I stopped seeing "Raised for our justification!" when I examined the phrase from Romans 4 in its context. So pitiful to find LCMS-ELS-LCMS clergy involved in such antics.

And no - it does not matter who your daddy was. Nor does it matter who has what degrees from what school and wrote which books. When clergy and laity play top-dog about their human authorities, it is time to back away, as we would from a herd of cows with bovine viral diarrhea.

Likewise, it is a grave mistake to speak as though a synod's edicts have some infallible claim on the truth. Those solemn pronouncements are the result of political scheming, like various statements from the LCMS crafted in the hopes of merging with the ALC. I understand that was the purpose of the 1932 Brief Statement from Missouri. But now, whatever the purpose, that 1932 B.S. is treated as the final word on the Scriptures, even though the citations about Justification are laughable.

Not Against Research and Human Authorities

The Babtists like to say "The Bobble Only" and "No Creed but the Bobble!" and even "The continuing revelation of the Bible" (Northern, liberal Baptists). Those efforts are attempts to enforce a pre-determined dogmatic outcome. "You must be born again" is equivalent to "Raised for our justification!" - a phrase not supported by careful examination of its context, as students of our congregation's Greek class realize.

The synods seem feverishly in favor of promoting their own magazines and their most recent, high-priced publications. WELS has an amusing fixation on its own Holy of Holies - The Essay File, now a websty with hundreds of dreadful works of self-praise and false doctrine. 

Essays by a confessed atheist, a former Missouri and WELS pastor? - no problem when its from a Church Growth advocate! 

What about a WELS professor caught in false doctrine who retired in The ALC? - no problem, he was fanatical for UOJ!

All research should be balanced, looking at opposing opinions and representing them fairly. That is why the best collection of UOJ statements can be found in a book against UOJ and Church Growth - Thy Strong Word. Nothing is quite so appalling as reading what the UOJists write to promote their hideous dogma.

As one obscure WELS pastor (E. Schaller) once wrote, it is not enough to deride false doctrine. One must examine the Biblical passages and teach them, not simply make grand statements, as Walther was fond of doing.

Retro Post from LaughQuest aka LutherQuest - A Websty Group Dedicated To Teaching Against Justification by Faith

False teachers are sharing this advice.

Question: A Lutheran friend is considering joining an Orthodox congregation. What are the most significant differences between Lutheranism and Orthodoxy?

Pastor Rolf David Preus: 
The Eastern Orthodox deny justification by faith alone. There are other differences, but this is the most signifant one.

***

GJ - Ba-da-bing.

 The Rolf Preus Synod broke with the ELDONUTs
because the ELS Pietists are opposed to Justification by Faith.
But at this point they got along great with ELDONA.

---

 "Does this beard look Eastern Orthodox?" -
Bishop James Heiser asked at the last ELDONUT conference.

 Yes.

Judica Sunday, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2017. John 8:46-59

Judica Sunday, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2017

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Savings Time

The Hymn #12                 This Day at Thy Creating Word                                     

The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #40            The God of Abram Praise

                          

The Great I AM

The Communion Hymn 311     Jesus Christ Our Blessed Savior - Huss

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 #410               Jesus Lead Thou On           

       

KJV Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Great I AM

KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 

As Luther said in his sermons, the Books of Moses are the goldmine from which the New Testament draws the divinity of Christ. There is no greater proof of that claim than this passage from the Gospel of John, which draws from the Exodus and from the stories of the patriarch Abraham.

The teaching of Jesus involved a lot of argumentation, but not the normal kind that rationalists expect. For that reason they miss the point and mock what He is saying. The arguments center on Jesus as the Son of God and source of righteousness. No  one lacking faith can follow them. That also alerts us to a simple fact - Many church leaders are like the Pharisees of the past, dealing with the Word all the time but never believing it. 

In these verses, hearing means more than the sound of the words. We all listen without hearing, or is it - hear without listening? That is why Chemnitz wrote about listening in sincerity, that is, taking in the truth of God's Words, concentrating on them and receiving them as the truth of God's revelation.

Since the Books of Moses are a goldmine, we should treat each fleck as a flake of gold, as the miners did in California, washing down hills to extract the gold found in flakes.

If we read the Fourth Gospel carefully and repeat this action many times, we realize how much John is completely rooted in the Books of Moses, from John 1 explaining Genesis 1 onward. The serpent was lifted up, so must Jesus be lifted up. Abraham was the example of faith in Genesis 15, for believing God's great promises (not just the promise of a son) and Abraham is the turning point here.

Unbelievers cannot tolerate these words and reject them with scorn. They may be condescending and flattering at first. I have warned people to be just as cautious about the sugary soft tones as the raging red-faced dictator - both are signs of falsehood. 

Luther:

1. This Gospel teaches how hardened persons become the more furious, the more one teaches them and lovingly stirs them to do their duty. For Christ asks them here in a very loving way for a reason why they still disbelieve, since they can find fault neither with his life nor with his teaching. His life is blameless; for he defies them and says: “Which of you convicteth me of sin?” His teaching also is blameless; for he adds: “If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?” Thus Christ lives, as he teaches.

2. And every preacher should prove that he possesses both: first a blameless life, by which he can defy his enemies and no one may have occasion to slander his teachings; secondly, that he possesses the pure doctrine, so that he may not mislead those who follow him. And thus he will be right and firm on both sides: with his good life against his enemies, who look much more at life than at his doctrine, and despise the doctrine for the sake of the life; with his doctrine then for the kind of life he leads and will bear with his life for the sake of his teaching.

3. For it is indeed true that no one lives so perfect a life as to be without sin before God. Therefore it is sufficient that he be blameless in the eyes of the people. But his doctrine must be so good and pure as to stand not only before man but also before God.

48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

This is a beautiful insult from the religious leaders, delivered with great skill. "Are we not correct in calling you a despised Samaritan, a pseudo-Jew, and possessed by Satan?" (Note the connection to the Parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus is the Samaritan.)

The purpose of a personal attack is to enrage the target, but Jesus responds calmly, knowing there is nothing to the charge. His answer involves several truths:

• I am not possessed  - I honor God the Father, because I am the Son.
• You dishonor Me by these words.
• I am not glorifying myself but God, who will and does condemn you.

When an unbeliever mocks Jesus or the Word of God, he is not attacking the person but the Savior. "He who receives you, receives Me; he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me." Matthew 10

 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 

This is the greatest possible Gospel Promise, because death is the sum of all fears 

1. the fear of losing everything and everyone
2. the fear of living a meaningless life
3. the fear of the unknown.

The response show how powerful this Gospel Promise is, because of unfaith to faith is bound to be volcanic, when the Promise comes directly from the Savior.

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

Although the response is boiling hot, every statement they deny is correct, so it is a type of warped confession, a confession in reverse, a denial of every point. The claims of Jesus prove to them He is demonic. That is important to realize in dealing with false teachers, because they react the same way.

Sometimes they run away and hide. At other times they use threats and bribery. When caught off-guard, they are clearly frightened. I confronted the two Fuller buddies in WELS, separately. One I asked, "Did you attend Fuller Seminary?" His face went all white and he was frightened. Valleskey denied it, but bragged about the fact later to his Church Growth pal in the CLC. The other admitted he went to Fuller and told how he used his great Fuller wisdom. I had some choice words to say about that, so Bivens went inside to sit with the ladies all evening. A pastor said, "That never happens, pastors do not sit with the wives." Later the braggart denied he ever went to Fuller.

Notice how the claim to being Abraham's descendants is irrelevant. Children by blood, because the faith of Jesus justifies. This is not a matter of genealogy in the flesh, but "from faith to faith." The faith of Jesus justifies because He accomplished all for us. Romans 3:22 KJV.

54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

Jesus warmed them up for a real sermon. These three verses are rather long, from a Gospel point of view, and they say a lot. The Father-Son relationship is crucial to the Fourth Gospel, elaborating on what is taught in the first three Gospels.

Matthew 11:27King James Version (KJV)27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Jesus is speaking a truth that they cannot bear, but it is consistent with everything taught in the Scriptures. He is not arguing but revealing. There is no argument here - that is, human reason cannot prove this or disprove it. From faith Jesus teaches for those who receive His message in faith. We might say that He spoke over the opposition to the believers. In this context we can understand more about His opponents and the false teachers of today, who do not trust the Word of God but fill the world with their words.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.

This is I AM statement is Jesus as God Incarnate speaking to the Jews, even more certainly that the Burning Bush (a symbol of the Two Natures) spoke to Moses. What is your name, Moses asked. God answered, "I AM. Tell them I AM sent you." That Name transcends all the pagan deities, modeled after stars, the moon, who knows what. 

Jesus is teaching them about the Incarnation, predicted in Isaiah 7 and 9, as they knew well. God with us. The Mighty God. The Everlasting Father. The Prince of Peace.

This also shows us that every time Jesus said, "I AM," he was NOT saying "It's me," but "I AM GOD." Why did the soldiers fall backwards when He said, "I AM"? Because they felt the power of His divinity expressed. Why He say this when He walked on water and approached them? Because it was to give them faith that as God He could speak the Word and calm the sea, walk on water, turn water into wine, and give us His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sin.

Luther:

14. Therefore Christ proceeds farther and gives the ground and reason why it is just his Word and not the word of anyone else, that giveth life, and says it is because he was before Abraham, or in other words, because he was the one true God. For if the person who offered himself as a sacrifice for us were not God, it would not help or avail anything, even if he were born of the Virgin Mary and suffered a thousand deaths. But the fact that the Seed of Abraham, who gave himself for us, is also true God, secures blessing and victory for all sinners. Therefore Christ speaks, not of his human nature that they saw and experienced; for they could easily see he was not yet fifty years of age, and did not live before Abraham. But with that nature by which he existed long before the time of Abraham, by which he existed also before all creatures and before the whole world. Just as he was man according to his spiritual nature before Abraham, that is. in his Word and in the knowledge of faith was he in the saints; for they all knew and believed that Christ, as God and man, should suffer for us, as is written in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea and for ever;” and in the Revelation of John, 13:8: “The Lamb of God that hath been slain from the foundation of the world.” Yet now he is speaking here especially of his divine nature.

15. But here reason is terribly offended and becomes mad and furious because God should become man; this reason cannot harmonize and understand. And this is the article of faith to which the Jews still in our day can not reconcile themselves, hence they cannot cease their throwing stones and their blasphemy. But Christ also continues on the other hand to hide himself from them and to go out of their temple, so that they cannot see nor find him in the Scriptures, in which they search daily. Again, this narrative is not a little terror to all who are so foolhardy about the Scriptures and never approach them with a humble spirit. For even in our day it happens that many read and study in the Scriptures and yet they cannot find Christ, he is hid and has gone out of the temple. And how many there are who say with their mouth that God is become man, and yet they are without the Spirit in their hearts; who whenever tested, prove that they were never in real earnest. This is sufficient on this subject.

59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Opponents of the Gospel would like to kill, and they do so all over the world, but it is still illegal here. They use other methods to silence the Gospel. Jesus did not hide Himself away out of fear but prevented the ultimate confrontation, which was not yet time to fulfill. 

Going through the midst of them means that His divine nature was not limited by His human nature (both united in the One Person). That also teaches us about Holy Communion and how He can be bodily present in the elements, without worrying about limits of time, place, and locked windows or doors.

This is a Gospel of faith versus unfaith. We can see how unbelievers react because their trust in in their own righteousness. Thus anyone who denies faith is confessing he is saved by his own works. Their pride and arrogance ultimately undo them.

Luther's Sermon - Before Abraham Was, I AM

JUDICA. FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT


German text: Erlangen edition 11:143; Walch 11:774; St. Louis 11:566.

TEXT:

John 8:46-59. Which of you convicteth me of sin? I say truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God. The Jews answered and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon? Jesus answered, I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and ye dishonor me. But I seek not mine own glory; there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death. The Jews said unto him. Now we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my Word, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our Father Abraham who died? and the prophets died: whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing: it is my Father that glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God; and ye have not known him: but I know him.; and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be like unto you, a liar; but I know him and keep his Word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad. The Jews therefore said unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and thou hast seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am. They took up stones therefore to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

CONTENTS:

CHRIST’S DEFENSE AGAINST HIS ENEMIES.
I. HOW AND WHY CHRIST IN HIS DEFENSE DEMANDS AREASON WHY HIS ENEMIES DO NOT BELIEVE

* It is required of a teacher that he be blameless in his life and teachings 2-8.

II. HOW AND WHY IN HIS DEFENSE HE PASSES SUCH ASEVERE JUDGMENT UPON HIS ENEMIES

1. The judgment itself 4.

2. How and why the Jews cannot endure such Judgment 5.

III. HOW AND WHY CHRIST IN HIS DEFENSE DID NOT ESTEEM HIS OWN LIFE,BUT POWERFULLY DE FENDED HIS TEACHINGS

* How teachers should comfort themselves in the face of the shame they must endure because of the true doctrine 7.

IV. HOW CHRIST IN HIS DEFENSE ASCRIBES AVERY POWERFUL EFFICACY TO HIS DOCTRINE

1. Whether this efficacy is ascribed to the Word of the Law or of the gospel.

2. The nature of this efficacy 9-13.

3. The foundation and reason of this efficacy 14-15.

1. This Gospel teaches how hardened persons become the more furious, the more one teaches them and lovingly stirs them to do their duty. For Christ asks them here in a very loving way for a reason why they still disbelieve, since they can find fault neither with his life nor with his teaching. His life is blameless; for he defies them and says: “Which of you convicteth me of sin?” His teaching also is blameless; for he adds: “If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?” Thus Christ lives, as he teaches.

2. And every preacher should prove that he possesses both: first a blameless life, by which he can defy his enemies and no one may have occasion to slander his teachings; secondly, that he possesses the pure doctrine, so that he may not mislead those who follow him. And thus he will be right and firm on both sides: with his good life against his enemies, who look much more at life than at his doctrine, and despise the doctrine for the sake of the life; with his doctrine then for the kind of life he leads and will bear with his life for the sake of his teaching.

3. For it is indeed true that no one lives so perfect a life as to be without sin before God. Therefore it is sufficient that he be blameless in the eyes of the people. But his doctrine must be so good and pure as to stand not only before man but also before God. Therefore every pious pastor may well ask: Who among you can find fault with my life? Among you, I say who are man; but before God I am a sinner. This Moses also boast in <041615 Numbers 16:15 that he took nothing from the people and he did them no injustice. Samuel did likewise in 1 Samuel 12:3 also Jeremiah and Hezekiah, who rightly boasted of their blameless life before the people, in order to stop the mouths of blasphemers. But Christ does not speak thus of his doctrine, he says not: “Who among you can find fault with my doctrine”; but “If I tell you the truth.” For one must be assured that his doctrine is right before God and that it is the truth, and accordingly care not how it is judged by the people.

4. Hence the Jews have no ground for their unbelief than that they are not the children of God; therefore he passes judgment upon them and says: “He that is of God heareth the words of God; for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God,” that cannot mean anything else than that you are of the devil.

5. The Jews could not stand this, for they wished to be God’s children and people; therefore they are now raging and slander both Christ’s life and his doctrine; his doctrine, in that they say: “Thou hast a devil,” that is, thou speakest moved by the devil and thy doctrine is his lie; and they slander his life, in that they say, “Thou art a Samaritan,” which sounds among the Jews worse than any other crime. In this way Christ teaches us here the fate that awaits us Christians and his Word; both our life and our doctrine must be condemned and reviled, and that by the foremost, wisest and greatest of earth. Thus one knows the corrupt tree by its fruits, as they, under the pretense of being good, are so bitter, angry, impatient, cruel and mad as to condemn and pass sentence, when one touches them at their tender spot and rejects their ideas and ways.

6. What does Christ do here? His life he abandons to shame and dishonor, is silent and suffers them to call him a Samaritan; while he takes pains to defend his doctrine. For the doctrine is not ours, but God’s, and God dare not suffer in the least, here patience is at an end; but I should stake all that I have and suffer, all that they do, in order that the honor of God and of his Word may not be injured. For if I perish, no great harm is done; but if I let God’s Word perish, and I remain silent, then I do harm to God and to the whole world. Although I can not now close their mouth nor prevent their wickedness, I shall nevertheless not keep silent, nor act as if they are right, as I do about my good life, so that they retain their right. Although they do me injustice at the time, yet it remains right before God. Further, Christ excuses himself, and says: “I have not a demon,” that is, my doctrine is not of the devil’s lies; “but I honor my father,” that is, I preach in my doctrine the grace of God, through which he is to be praised, loved and honored by believers. For the evangelical office of the ministry is nothing but glorifying God, Psalm 19:2: “The heavens declare the glory of God” etc. “But you dishonor me,” that is, you call me the devil’s liar, who reviles and dishonors God.

7. Why does he not say: I honor my father, and ye dishonor him; but says: “Ye dishonor me?” Impliedly he proves by this, that the father’s and his honor are alike and the same, as he and the Father are one God; yet along with this he also wishes to teach that if the office of the ministry, which God honors, is to be duly praised, then it must suffer disgrace. In like manner we will also do to our princes and priests; when they attack our manner of life, we should suffer it and show love for hatred, good for evil; but when they attack our doctrine, God’s honor is attacked, then love and patience should cease and we should not keep silent, but also say: I honor my Father, and you dishonor me; yet I do not inquire whether you dishonor me, for I do not seek my own honor. But nevertheless be on your guard, there is one who seeks it and judges, that is, the Father will require it of you, and judge you and never let you go unpunished. He seeks not only his honor, but also mine, because I seek his honor, as he says in 1 Samuel 2:30: “Them that honor me I will honor.” And it is our consolation that we are happy; although the whole world reviles and dishonors us, we are assured that God will advance our honor, and therefore will punish, judge and revenge. If one could only believe it and persevere, he will surely come. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my word, he shall never see death.”

8. By these words he spoils it entirely, in that he does not only defend his doctrine as right and good, which they attribute to the devil; but also ascribes such virtue to his teaching that it becomes a powerful emperor over Satan, death and sin, to give and sustain eternal life. Behold here, how divine wisdom and human reason conflict with one another. How can a human being grasp the thought, that a corporeal, an oral word should redeem forever from death? But let blindness run its course; we shall consider this beautiful saying. Christ is speaking here not of the word of the law, but of the Gospel, which is a discourse about Christ, who died for our sins etc. For God did not wish to impart Christ to the world in any other way; he had to embody him in the Word and thus distribute him, and present him to everybody; otherwise Christ would have existed for himself alone and remained unknown to us; he would have thus died for himself.

But since the Word places before us Christ, it thus places us before him who has triumphed over death, sin and Satan. Therefore he who grasps and retains Christ, has thus also eternal deliverance from death. Consequently it is a Word of life, and it is true, that whoever keeps the Word shall never see death.

9. And from this we may well understand what Christ meant by the word “keep;” it does not refer to such keeping as one keeps the law by good works; for this word of Christ must be kept in the heart by faith and not with the fist or by good works, as the Jews in this case understand it; they fearfully rage against Christ, that Abraham and the prophets are dead; they know nothing of what it is “to keep,” “to die” or “to live.” And it is not called “to keep” in vain; for there is a conflict and battle when sin bites, death presses and hell faces us; then we are to be in earnest in holding firmly to the Word and let nothing separate us from it. Thus see now how Christ answers the Jews and praises his own teachings. You say, my Word is of the devil and wish to sink it to the bottom of perdition; on the contrary I say to you that it has divine power in it, and I exalt it higher than the heaven of heavens, and above all creatures.

10. How does it then come to pass that man does not see nor taste death, and yet Abraham and all the prophets are dead, who notwithstanding had the Word of God as the Jews say? Here we must give attention to the words of Christ, who makes the distinction that death is a different thing than to see or taste death. We all must face death and die; but a Christian neither tastes nor sees it, that is, he does not feel it, he is not terrified before it, and he enters death calmly and quietly, as though falling asleep, and yet he does not die. But a godless person feels and experiences death, and is terrified before it forever. Thus to taste death may well be called the power and reign or the bitterness of death, yea, it is the eternal death and hell. The Word of God makes this difference. A Christian has that Word and clings firmly to it in death; therefore he does not see death, but his eyes are filled with the life and the Christ in that Word; therefore he never feels death. But the godless possess not that Word, therefore they see no life, but only death; and they must also feel death; that is then the bitter and eternal death.

11. Now Christ means here that whoever clings to his Word will in the midst of death neither feel nor see death, as he also says in John 11:25: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me though he die, yet shall he live,” that is, he will not experience real death. Here we see now what a glorious estate it is to be a Christian, who is already released from death forever and can never die. For his death or dying seems outwardly indeed like the dying of the godless, but inwardly there is a difference as great as between heaven and earth. For the Christian sleeps in death and in that way enters into life, but the godless departs from life and experiences death forever; thus we may see how some tremble, doubt and despair, and become senseless and raging in the midst of the perils of death. Hence death is also called in the Scriptures a sleep. For just as he who falls asleep does not know how it happens, and he greets the morning when he awakes; so shall we suddenly arise on the last day, and never know how we entered and passed through death.

12. Let us take another example. When Israel marched out of Egypt and came to the Red Sea, they were free and experienced no death, but only life. However when King Pharaoh arrived behind them with all his forces, then they stood in the midst of death, then no life was in sight. For before them was the sea, through which they could not pass, behind them King Pharaoh, and on both sides of them high mountains; on all sides they were seized and enclosed by death, so that they said to Moses: “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?” Exodus 14:11, so completely and wholly did they despair of life. Just then Moses came and brought them God’s Word that comforted them in the midst of death and preserved them alive, when he said in verse 13: “Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” They clung to this Word and held out until victory came; through it life appeared in the presence of death, because they believed the Word, that it would come to pass, and relying upon it they marched into the midst of the Red Sea, which stood on both sides of them like two walls. Then it came to pass that nothing but life and safety were in the sea, where before there were only death and danger.

For they would have never become so bold as to go into the sea, had it divided a hundred times, if God’s Word had not been present, which comforted them and promised life. Thus man triumphs over death through the Word of Life, if he cleaves to it and believes, and marches into death with it.

13. Likewise Christ also says here in replying to the Jews, that Abraham and the prophets still live and they never died, but have life in the midst of death; they however only lie and sleep in death. For “Abraham,” he says, “rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad.” Thus, the prophets also saw it. Where and when did Abraham see it? Not with his bodily eyes, as the Jews interpret it, but with the sight of faith in the heart; that is, he recognized Christ when he was told in Genesis 22:18: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Then he saw and understood that Christ, born of his seed through a pure virgin, so as not to be cursed with Adam’s children but to remain blessed, should suffer for the whole world, cause this to be preached, and thus overwhelm the whole world with blessing etc. This is the day of Christ, the dispensation of the Gospel, that is the light of this day, which radiates from Christ as from the sun of righteousness, and shines and enlightens the whole world. This is a spiritual day, yet it arose at the time Christ was on the earth in the flesh, a day like Abraham saw. But the Jews understood nothing about such a day because of their carnal minds, and hence they reviled Christ as a liar.

14. Therefore Christ proceeds farther and gives the ground and reason why it is just his Word and not the word of anyone else, that giveth life, and says it is because he was before Abraham, or in other words, because he was the one true God. For if the person who offered himself as a sacrifice for us were not God, it would not help or avail anything, even if he were born of the Virgin Mary and suffered a thousand deaths. But the fact that the Seed of Abraham, who gave himself for us, is also true God, secures blessing and victory for all sinners. Therefore Christ speaks, not of his human nature that they saw and experienced; for they could easily see he was not yet fifty years of age, and did not live before Abraham. But with that nature by which he existed long before the time of Abraham, by which he existed also before all creatures and before the whole world. Just as he was man according to his spiritual nature before Abraham, that is. in his Word and in the knowledge of faith was he in the saints; for they all knew and believed that Christ, as God and man, should suffer for us, as is written in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yea and for ever;” and in the Revelation of John, 13:8: “The Lamb of God that hath been slain from the foundation of the world.” Yet now he is speaking here especially of his divine nature.

15. But here reason is terribly offended and becomes mad and furious because God should become man; this reason cannot harmonize and understand. And this is the article of faith to which the Jews still in our day can not reconcile themselves, hence they cannot cease their throwing stones and their blasphemy. But Christ also continues on the other hand to hide himself from them and to go out of their temple, so that they cannot see nor find him in the Scriptures, in which they search daily. Again, this narrative is not a little terror to all who are so foolhardy about the Scriptures and never approach them with a humble spirit. For even in our day it happens that many read and study in the Scriptures and yet they cannot find Christ, he is hid and has gone out of the temple. And how many there are who say with their mouth that God is become man, and yet they are without the Spirit in their hearts; who whenever tested, prove that they were never in real earnest. This is sufficient on this subject.

Comfort for Christians - A Blog from My Blogger Friend Alec Satin

Alec's cat condescended to pose
for this beautiful photograph.

Comfort for Christians:



"Why do bad things happen?
Someone once asked the Lord, Who sinned? The man or his parents?

Jesus answered, Neither this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. (John 9:2-3)

No matter what you grapple with in your life, God's grace and goodness can be made manifest in you. This is his will for all his children.

May the things you find here be a help and encouragement to you now and in the future. -Alec Satin"

'via Blog this'

Can Mathematics Transform the Episcopal Church? | Virtueonline – The Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism

Budde

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Can Mathematics Transform the Episcopal Church?

Can Mathematics Transform the Episcopal Church?
HOB + X= BFO

By Ladson F. Mills III
Special to VIRTUEONLINE
www.virtueonline.org
April 1, 2017

Clarity came at last to the Episcopal House of Bishops during its recent meeting at Kanuga from a most unexpected source. In her sermon to the house Diocese of Washington Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde candidly admitted her diocese is declining and many parishes financially unsustainable. She identified what was described as the elephant in the room; The Episcopal Church is dying.

Even the most optimistic Episcopalian should hardly find this surprising. After years of disappointment and the last decade dedicated to the predatory annihilation of its orthodox members the truth can no longer be politely overlooked.

There has been something incredibly sad in watching the current Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s attempt to return the 1960’s civil rights movement as a defining issue. And the world has come too far for any serious thinker to equate true justice with transgender toilet choice. As the old joke states, it’s not ‘rocket surgery.’ Just close stall door and get on with it.

Curry follows on the failures of his predecessor Katharine Jefferts Schori who could not rid herself of chancellor David Beers’ toxic influence. Beers would rather litigate than negotiate, but who can blame a man who bills by the hour.

Taking the House of Bishops on the road trips to Taiwan and Ecuador may have been fun, but it exposed a tragic flaw. There is a mounting disconnect between the leadership and those in the pew who bear the cost. It seems at long last the bills have come due.

It is too early to be determined if Budde’s transformation will be lasting, and there are many reasons to be cautious. The Episcopal Church has exercised cruel dominion and friendships which once seemed unbreakable are now broken; perhaps never to be restored. Even my old cynical heart has been broken."



'via Blog this'

This drunken bishop ran down the father of two
and then ran away. She was caught.

The Presbyterian Church Is Hollowing Out - Much Like the LCMS, WELS, ELS, and ELCA. Should Otten Take His Own Advice?

 April Fool's edition, Christian News, 2017.

Otten's UOJ dogma is precisely what the Presbyterians and mainline apostates teach - universal forgiveness and salvation without faith.

That is why the mainline denominations all preach their church instead of the Gospel. Like the broken down Synodical Conference, they teach against faith, ban faith, shun the faithful, treat ministers and laity like dirt, and wonder why the pews and seminaries are empty.

I know what to do - sponsor another annual once-in-a-lifetime giving opportunity!

Otten has a ton of books that teach Justification by Faith - starting with the Old and New Testaments.

Some others are:

1. The early LCMS catechisms.
2. The current KJV Small Catechism, sold by his pal Paul McCain.
3. The Gausewitz Small Catechism, used by parts of the entire Synodical Conference before it succumbed to UOJ ecumenism with the LCA-ALC groups.
4. Luther's Sermons.
5. Luther's Galatians Lectures.
6. Luther's Small and Large Catechisms.
7. Luther on Enthusiasm, Smalcald Articles.
8. Melanchthon's defense of Justification by Faith in the Apology.
9. Chemnitz.
10. Hunnius.
11. Polycarp Leyser - considered an expert on justification.
12. Gerhard.
13. Chytraeus.
14. Andreae.
15. Calov.
16. Robert Preus, Justification and Rome.
17. Jackson, Catholic Lutheran Protestant.

Old and new, Otten's list -
all teach the anti-Gospel of UOJ.
The list could be called Nasty and Nastier.

Please Encourage by Word and Deed, Synod President Harrison

From the opening of the Lenker edition of Luther's Church Postils -

The Church Postil, which Luther himself considered “The best of all his books,” was called forth by the exigency and need of the Church at the time. The majority of the preachers in those days were incapable of working out their own sermons, and were satisfied in reading the Epistle and Gospel lessons, and perhaps besides they read a sermon of another preacher to the congregation. The sermons for this purpose were those by Tauler (d. 1361) and those by Geiler of Kaisersberg (d. 1510). 

But since the latter were not in all parts evangelical Luther concluded he would himself write an explanation of the pericopes of the Church year and place the same in the hands of the preachers for their use. This Luther did not only because the preachers were so incompetent, but also in order to prevent the work of the fanatics and the sects, never however in order to encourage preachers in their laziness to take their sermons from his and other good books, and then never pray, never study and never read and search the Scriptures. (Lenker introduction, vol. 1)

Matt Harrison trimmed his mustache during seminary.

Someone watched the video and observed the attention he paid to how worn the copy of Luther's sermons was.

Harrison would have been more consistent if he had skootched up his slacks to display his Here I Stand socks from Concordia Publishing House.

Ever since 1981 - when Ralph Bohlmann, endorsed by Herman Otten, became Synod President - the Missouri Synod has embraced and promoted the anti-Lutheran dogma and practices from Fuller Seminary.

Barry-McCain did more of the same, and Kieschnick was completely supportive. Harrison-McCain continued the same disastrous course, oblivious to the ruin caused in every part of Lutherdom, including the copycats in WELS and the Little Sect on the Prairie. Someone who took refuge in the CLC said the clergy fell for the same slop.

But ask some Missouri pastors about Justification by Faith - and a buckets of offal will be poured over one's head, allegorically speaking. The same high churchmen, who are so prissy and daintily dressed, will start posting on FB like drunken sailors who had their grog stolen from them.

I hasten to add that the largest group of Justification by Faith pastors are found in the LCMS.

I was amused by Harrison pointing out that these were not actual sermons preached, since some are 100 pages long. The introduction to the Lenker set makes that clear.

Luther concluded he would himself write an explanation of the pericopes of the Church year and place the same in the hands of the preachers for their use. 

I have posted many times that the beginning of any sermon should be a study of the text itself and Luther's sermon on that text. That is a good reason for using the historic pericopes and avoiding the Church of Rome's three-year cycle. (During a time of confessional crisis, we should avoid seeming to go along with others, even in adiaphora. See the Formula of Concord for that insight.)

I dare people to read one of these sermons and claim, "I have learned nothing." In fact, just the opposite is true. In the midst of doing the most mundane kind of proof-reading, people are telling me, "I am learning so much!" And so do I, after all these years of reading Luther.

As Lenski said, the true Christian Church does not grow with programs but with the Word of God. We have returned to the Reformation in the worst way possible. LCMS-WELS-ELS pastors copy and paste sermons from the heretics (just as McCain copied Rome on his plagiarizing blog) - collecting praise, protection, and admiration from the synodical leaders.