Bethany Lutheran Church
Springdale, Arkansas
Pastor Gregory Jackson
YouTube
The melodies are linked in the hymn titles.
The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
Introit
We have thought of Thy loving-kindness, O God:
in the midst of Thy Temple.
According to Thy name, O God,
so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth:
Thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Psalm. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised:
in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
Grant to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot do anything that is good without Thee, may by Thee be enabled to live according to Thy will; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth...
Gradual
Be Thou my strong Rock: for an house of defense to save me.
V. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust:
let me never be ashamed. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Give ear, O My people, to My Law:
incline your ears to the words of My mouth. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Deceit Always Feels So Good - For a Short Time
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 #586 A Pilgrim and a Stranger - Gerhardt
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 #586 A Pilgrim and a Stranger - Gerhardt
Prayers and Announcements
- The altar flowers are in memory of Christina Jackson, whose birthday was on July 20th.
- Medical supervision - Sarah Buck, Kermit Way, Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris, Lorie Howell.
- God Bless Donald Trump in light of the assassination attempt. Pray for honest, elections and renewed dedication to the US Constitution, where state legislatures control their elections.
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KJV Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
KJV Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Link ->Luther's Three Sermons on Matthew 7:15ff - Beware of False Prophets
Eighth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank Thee that Thou hast caused us to come to the knowledge of Thy word. We pray Thee: graciously keep us steadfast in this knowledge unto death, that we may obtain eternal life; send us now and ever pious pastors, who faithfully preach Thy word, without offense or false doctrine, and grant them long life. Defend us from all false teachings, and frustrate Thou the counsels of all such as pervert Thy word, who come to us in sheep's clothing, but are inwardly ravening wolves, that Thy true Church may evermore be established among us, and be defended and preserved from such false teachers, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Deceit Always Feels So Good - For a Short Time
KJV Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
This is one of the most famous statements in the Bible, even in world literature. "Beware" literally means "look out for," which we often say about food in the store, or used cars, or politicians, or cheating football teams. People say - "Be wary of..." The image is portrayed many similar ways - a soft, white sheepskin worn as the cloak over a wolf, whose muzzle is dripping in saliva, eyes bloodthirsty. Parts 1 and 2 of Matthew 7:15 go together, like the salesman who said he could give the church a copier for free. He went over the script many times, even getting a bit angry with me for being so stupid. Not long after that someone said to me, "I hope you didn't fall for that free copier scheme. It is a big scandal."
The source for this warning is the Old Testament. The faithful prophets were killed by furious people who did not adhere to the Word of God. False prophets were loved, honored, and praised.
We have this problem today, not only in the gigantic and short-lived super-congregations, but also in denominations. The obvious, boastful mainline denominations of the National Council of Churches (which brought you the RSV, NRSV, and ESV Bibles) also praise their own Sodom and Gomorrah policies. Add to the list - ELCA, which forged the 1987 merger this way with quoatas, but also WELS, which made that a policy in their college and also with Time of Grace's Pastor Novotony, who followed Mark Jeske. These denominations are enjoying catastrophic failure while hanging onto their royal income, perks, and benefits.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
People make fruits a narrow topic - figs, grapes, apples, oranges, bananas, watermelons, but the word is bigger than that. Seeds provide fruit through flowers. As one Scott's Lawn and Garden executive said, "Grass flowers, too. You just don't notice it." We would not call Polycarp "Fruity" today - but rather "Fruitful." Weeds grow like crazy, winding around the plants and flowers I am trying to grow, and weeds are sterile from our perspective - productive but not tasty or beautiful.
We farmers know the difference, so also believers must as well.
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| John Deere now rejects toxic DEI. |
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
This is especially clear, because fruit come from the Spirit at work in the Word, while works never go past the level of weeds. Entire world religions concentrate on works while fruits come from the living Seed - the Word. Every so often I find a weed that has grown up, almost overnight, and is 6-9 feet tall, so I cut it at the base, making the remainder shrivel up. Enormous winding vines start with fragile stems and get easily snipped with scissors.
The basis for fruitfulness among Christians is not working hard or proving success but faith in Jesus Christ. Starting with something - like "do you know who my father is?" - or, "look at my church's growth!" - will lead nowhere in God's Kingdom and God's Heaven. False teaching is like decoy weeds - which suggest potential but end up being a menace.
The Bible is complex and rather long, with the Old and New Testaments wound together and woven together. As I teach my graduate students, the Old Testament is the foundation for everything in the New Testament, and the New Testament is derived from the entire Old Testament. Both are interwoven, which is why so many want to study the entire Old Testament and see this phenomenon for themselves.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
KJV John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
John's Gospel fills in the irony of the Sermon on the Mount, because the Fourth Gospel enhances the message of that great Sermon. They must believe on Him! And the crowd, not yet believing says, "Which miracle will you show us so we can see and believe it. Top the manna miracle to prove it." Jesus responded in John 6 - not Moses but God Himself. So they said "This is a hard saying!"
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The future is grim for those who carry on like magicians with cloaks, costumes, and magical canes (for the fakery). Now they have cassocks, albs, crosiers ($700+ crosses), mitres ($645 fish hats), chasubles ($2,000), rings ($2,000 to $4,300), and
pectoral crosses ($2,000 to $7,300).
This passage is toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the ending - The House on the Rock, which is the foundation of believing and teaching the Word. And that is the great blessing of the Lord. No matter how grim things might be, we are kept sound and safe by the Foundation, not our own deeds. That is clear in the confrontation with Jesus and Peter. "On This Rock I will build My Church," where Rock clearly means an enormous rock ledge while the name Peter is related but means pebble. Jesus did not establish the Christian Church on one pebble, the pope, but on rock ledge of His Creation.
Fourth Amendment - US Constitution Bill of Rights
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
This is one of the most important of the inalienable rights in the Bill of Rights. These rights are born with us, not given to us or taken away from us. It is an everyday action we should and must honor. A warrant is a reason to ask someone to be searched, even at the exit of a store. I ask them, "What is the Fourth Amendment of our US Constitution?" Few can answer that, which is an opportunity to teach them the Fourth Amendment. A warrant is written reason or a formal reason to ask for a search. Not objecting to the search (having no reason to endure one) is the same as welcoming the search. Since most are unaware of this priceless part of our United States, it is good to keep it appreciated and honored.
When a police officer stopped us in a tiny town on an empty street he ended up asking if he could pet Sassy Sue, who adored everyone. He heard that we were low on gas and drove ahead of us to the gas station - a very nice experience for someone going the wrong way on a one way street. I think it was Nah-VAY-dah. I was excruciatingly polite, of course.
