ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
It looks like Darth Vader's Castle, but it is the ELCA Lutheran School of Theology, sold for $18.5 million.
A sinking boatload of campuses are selling off their properties, built and remodeled just in time to switch over to online facilities - home. WELS and LCMS spent a lot of Marvin Schwan's indulgence money to beautify their seminaries. He bought the copper top ELS seminary, too. Ah, guilt is so efficacious when the synods need money.
Notice how many other schools of higher learning are bailing out of their facilities, due to online alternatives. I could have told them all, 20 years ago, when I began teaching online, "This is ideal for people who need to work full-time and earn a degree."
Hiking higher education charges, which rose faster than the cost of living meant the old country club feel of the 20th century college would no longer work. I enjoyed meeting my future wife the first day of college, taking classes with her, and graduating early with her. My initial first-year tuition cost of $1,000, was covered with an Illinois State Scholarship each year. Seminary was $150 tuition. Yale and Notre Dame together were almost no tuition.
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 #410Jesus Lead Thou On
Prayers and Announcements
Dr. Kermit Way, Pastor and Mrs. Jim Shrader, Callie.
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.
KJV Exodus 3:2And 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 AMhath sent me unto you.
KJV Genesis 15:6And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
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 Word We Have
KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
This shows the union of
the divinity of Jesus Christ and
His miracles.
The two belong together, which confronts the apostates as well as the blasphemers. They want a Messiah who is only human, not divine. Philosophy majors delight in ignoring Jesus as the Son of God, and that has a great impact on everything they say and do. The truth is - Jesus performed many miracles far beyond the expectations of the doubters, so they were left with no argument about His claims about truth. Even today there is truth as debated by us humans and the divine truth that never changes. The daffodils will grow at the right time, no matter what we think, so we must subordinate our opinions to the revelation of the truth.
His miracles prove the eternal truth of everything He says, and that is still true today. The lack of belief comes from the opponents who dare not accept the Word of Jesus Christ, much like today. Every day I can pick up news articles on the collapse of the denominations, which once were vibrant and healthy, but now are diseased and conflicted - working against their own charters so they can undermine the Word of God.
47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Individuals either belong to God or not. Belonging to God means listening to His powerful, always effective Word. Hardened hearts hear the words but oppose them, and the effect of opposition is to worsen the hardening effect. People get confused because the effect of God's Word is in the Scriptures but seldom taught. Many assume a neutral position that only needs the addition of faith, or "making a decision." But Jesus is speaking of the divine Word, the eternal truth, that necessarily removes the falsehoods that accumulate. No deals can be made - it is all or nothing.
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 doubly insulting attack, first accusing that Jesus is really a Samaritan in spirit and even a devil. The attacks show the fury of opponents. Those who follow their Father Below are quick to show their holy outrage. They point from the pulpit as false ministers, or do the same to ministers as faithless laity.
51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep [GJ - guard] my saying, he shall never see death.
The verb keep is used for guarding a treasure or an item locked up. We do that all the time with objects - important documents, keys, credit cards, cash, children's keepsake items, like the tiny palm print from kindergarten. Divine truth is what we guard to keep the ways of the world from oppressing us. Today's sermon from Luther is very good at that. All the wisdom of this world is nothing compared to the power God gives us in trusting His Word.
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?
People need to remember that the Gospel was not foreign to the Jews at this time. They were well aware of the signs - the Star of Bethlehem 30 years before, the preaching of John the Baptist directly quoting Isaiah 40, the miracles of Jesus. Two leaders of Judaism helped in the burial of Jesus, risking their lives. Did Jesus visit the Temple and have no effect?
The purpose of the Talmud is to enclose the Word of God (center, just a few Biblical words), "to build a fence," - their object - using many layers to obscure the Word. For modern examples, see Concordia Publishing House, Northwestern Publishing, and Fortress Augsburg Press.
Fears of the fossilized leaders caused them to start up the Talmud, much like what we have today in Lutherdom. Why is something so? They have layer upon layer of "experts" from the past who all agree on their false doctrine, and these hardened, blind leaders force this on the rest, using the money of laity to promote anti-Christian doctrine (Unitarianism, Universalism, Calvinism, evolution, Marxism, and crimes against the family, along with associations of Lutherans who are even worse).
The opponents in this passage are using their own history to prove that Jesus is evil and crazy, and they cite the evidence to Jesus who was not that old at the time.
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.
Did these Jewish leaders know the Trinity - which is all over the Old Testament. This is clearly a case of the Son declaring His relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit conveying this truth to us through the Apostle John. We still have nominal Christians (often the professors and clergy too) who do not comprehend the Trinity or openly oppose it. Do not be shocked - I sat with a Calvinist minister on the plane who was indifferent about the Apostolic KJV New Testament and could recite the worst examples of passages removed - but did not care. However, he said, "We must reach the next generation." I thought - "We"? I responded by saying, "You only need to preach and teach the Word of God. That is the only necessity. God works through His Word alone."
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
This reveals that Jesus was revealed to Abraham, long before Moses, Genesis 15:6. At the same time, the Son has always existed, just as the Holy Trinity has. We are finite - God is infinite.
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 only confusing if we assume or imagine Jesus was human alone and not divine. As Luther would say, that old harlot Human Reason, is always fooling us with anti-Biblical notions.
We can look at it another way - where everyone agrees that Jesus was gentle, kindly, loving, and gracious. Why would anyone want to execute Him? Roman and Jewish authorities agreed on doing this heinous deed and cooperated with each other in doing it. This horrible penalty can only be explained by both parties being terrified of His divine power, the proof in the raising of Lazarus just a few miles away, everyone knowing about it and seeing him with Jesus.
I AM is God's Name and the present tense, rather than "I was" reveals to us that the Son of God is eternal, so the tenses we use as humans are far below the meaning we find in the Triune God.
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.
This is another example of His divine nature not being hindered by His human nature. The appearance in the locked room twice (the doors blocked) are two more examples, plus the time the crowd wanted to throw Him off the cliff. Luke 4:28-29. "His himself" can be interpreted as not making Himself seen - He certainly did not need to "hide."
Therefore we can see that revealing His divine power also enraged those who feared and hated it. Thus the final episodes in Holy Week teach us the difference between faith and opposition.
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.
But, the greatest abuse occurs in spiritual matters, which pertain to the conscience, when false preachers rise up and offer their lying vanities as God’s Word.
Behold, all this is decorating one’s self with God’s name, or wishing to be fair and maintain our cause, whether it occur in gross, worldly business or in sublime, subtle matters of faith and doctrine. And among liars belong also blasphemers, not alone those who are very gross, well known to every one, who, without fear, disgrace God’s name (they be long not to our school, but to that of the hang man); but also those who publicly traduce the truth and God’s Word, and refer it to the devil.
The Luther Sermon Quotes Will Change Your Religion
But, the greatest abuse occurs in spiritual matters, which pertain to the conscience, when false preachers rise up and offer their lying vanities as God’s Word.
Behold, all this is decorating one’s self with God’s name, or wishing to be fair and maintain our cause, whether it occur in gross, worldly business or in sublime, subtle matters of faith and doctrine. And among liars belong also blasphemers, not alone those who are very gross, well known to every one, who, without fear, disgrace God’s name (they be long not to our school, but to that of the hang man); but also those who publicly traduce the truth and God’s Word, and refer it to the devil. Large Catechism, Jacobs' Book of Concord, not to be confused with the CPH parade of blasphemers, always producing their own drivel so we can bow down to them.
This may take some time, get away from Resistant Ignorance, a term related to nutrition. Resistant starch means that some foods seem much higher in calories than they are in reality. Whole grains, fresh fruit, and beans are a good example - a vast difference between apparent calories and their actual benefits. Resistant Ignorance is fed to seminary students and the laity, so that the true, inspired doctrines of the Bible are replaced with the Enthusiasm of the false teachers, anything separately divined without the Spirit at work in the Word (efficacy - a hymnal and New Testament word used often there but never found in the synods today).
Imagine Jacobs being tolerated in any synod today, especially his own - ELCA - not his fault.
The current sects - ELCA, WELS, ELS, LCMS, CLC (sic), ELDONUTS - place their confidence in their organizations, in whom they trust. Rolf Preus hilariously defines orthodoxy as belonging to the correct sect, not as conforming to God's Wordthrough faith - a dirty concept for those listed above.
Their infidelity in picking and praising corrupted Bibles - the Evil Four plus Beck - proves why the deleted passages of their Bibles reveal opposition to faith in Jesus Christ and acknowledging His divine nature. Those are the targets of Tischendorf, Wescott-Hort, Nestle, Beck, and Kurt Aland: genius level frauds who labored for the last century - consistently repeating, as a group, the same errors they fostered to set aside the apostolic Traditional Greek New Testament.
Proof of Resistant Ignorance comes from the fetid dogma of the sects listed above. With great seriousness, they sell their blasphemous Bibles and patiently claim that Paul taught against faith in Jesus Christ, His resurrection absolving the entire world! - as justified!, as guilt-free saints!
Liz Eaton is selling the same dope Bibles as Mark Schroeder, Matt the Fatt, and other notables. The executives and professors are unified by their rejection of the King James Bible. They are delicate in their advocacy - which dope Bible they approve - any modern Bible but definitely not the KJV. The flawed New KJV suffers from bowing to the apostate readings of the moderns, but the New KJV is still too beholden to the classic KJV and Luther Bible.
The Church Growth sororities model themselves after the Church of Rome.
Resistant Ignorance is very powerful, useful, and effective. That is how the Lutheran sects above promote the errancy of the Bible (scholars are divided!) and the necessity of Fuller Seminary's Church Growth tactics. Strangely, the Pasadena poltergeists replace the alleged devotion of the synods to the Book of Concord, which assumes faith in the Scriptures and agreement with the Scriptures.
The synods define right and wrong as obedience to them. They are run by politicians who bided their time to enjoy the perks.
They have succeeded and climbed to the top,
Genuflecting to a unrepentant adulterer,
Building monuments through irrevocable trusts, covering up for the felons, and
Treating any reference to Biblical doctrine as worse than a felony - TREASON! OFF WITH HIS HEAD! WRECKING HOLY MOTHER SYNOD.
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.
“The
doctrine which has been taught in the Lutheran Church during these
three centuries has been established by the Scriptures, and defended
against all foes, to the satisfaction of a host of eminent theologians
whose linguistic learning and whose logical acumen have not been
surpassed in any church or in any age. They sifted evidence closely;
they thought upon the subject profoundly; they defended their doctrine
triumphantly. They were not ignorant of the objections which could be
urged against them. These objections were examined and refuted.” —
Matthias Loy, ed.
Special Collection
The Columbus Theological Magazine is one of the specially restored collections of the Lutheran Library.
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can expect your e-book to arrive within a few hours. If it doesn't
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“The
doctrine which has been taught in the Lutheran Church during these
three centuries has been established by the Scriptures, and defended
against all foes, to the satisfaction of a host of eminent theologians
whose linguistic learning and whose logical acumen have not been
surpassed in any church or in any age. They sifted evidence closely;
they thought upon the subject profoundly; they defended their doctrine
triumphantly. They were not ignorant of the objections which could be
...
This
is a highly readable, modern English version of the classic volume of
Protestant Biblical theology. The translation of the Augsburg Confession
is that of Charles P. Krauth, the Small Catechism by Charles F.
Schaeffer, the Large Catechism by Rev. A. Martin, Professor of the
German Language and Literature in Pennsylvania College, the Apology, the
Smalcald Articles and the Formula of Concord were translated by Henry
Eyster Jacobs.
Now available in facsimile PDF form. ...
Joseph
Hocking is the Lutheran Librarian’s favorite Christian novelist. Though
mostly forgotten now, during his lifetime he was widely read and
greatly beloved throughout the English speaking world. Most of his books
deal in some way with the struggles and conflicts of living as a
Christian in the modern world.
The Lutheran Library is republishing many of Joseph Hocking’s novels. If
you are willing to provide copies of any of Hocking’s 50 “lost” books,
please ...
“In
the following pages we present, in a fuller and more detached and
definite form, the historic evidence of the fulfillment of the main
chronologic prophecies of Scripture.” — Henry Grattan Guinness
Please note: This book was written more than a hundred years ago from a
pre-millenial perspective. If these details are kept in mind, there is
much of value in the study of Dr Guinness’s work. — Lutheran Librarian.
Henry Grattan Guinness (1835-1910) was an Irish ...
Over
his lifetime, Joseph Hocking published nearly 100 books. The Lutheran
Library is attempting to preserve all of his books in freely available
electronic form.
We are actively seeking loan or donation of the following books:
If you can help us, you will be helping to preserve and disseminate
Joseph Hocking’s work for current and future generations. Thank you!
Title
year
An Enemy Hath Done This
1914
Andrew Boconnoc’s Will: The Story Of A Crisis
1926
Bevil ...
“The
Cynic puts all human actions into only two classes, — openly bad, and
secretly bad. All virtue, and generosity, and disinterestedness, are
merely the appearance of good, but selfish at the bottom. He holds that
no man does a good thing except for profit.” — H. W. BEECHER.
Joseph Hocking is the Lutheran Librarian’s favorite Christian novelist.
Though mostly forgotten now, during his lifetime he was widely read and
greatly beloved throughout the English speaking world. ...
“(The
purpose of this book) is to prove the truth of revealed religion in
general, and of the Christian in particular, from the completion of
those prophecies in the Old and New Testaments which relate to the
Christian Church, especially to the apostasy of Papal Rome.” — the
author.
Alfred Edersheim (1825-1889), was raised Jewish. He studied at the
University of Vienna and New College, Edinburgh. After finding faith in
the Messiah, he was ordained in the Free Church of ...
