Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 4 - Asleep in the Storm - "Therefore this Gospel is a comforting example and doctrine, how we should conduct ourselves, so that we may not despair in the agony of sin, in the peril of death, and in the tumult of the world..."

 

Complete Sermon - 

Luther's Sermons - Matthew 8:23-27.
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany.
Christ stilling the Tempest, or Faith and Unbelief, and Love

7. As it went here, so it goes and must go in all other temptations of sin, Satan, etc. We must experience how sin has taken captive the conscience and nothing but wrath and perdition wish to reign, and how we must be eternally lost. Satan must start so many things by his error and false teaching that it appears God’s Word must fall to the ground and the world must glory in falsehood. Likewise the world must rage and persecute to such an extent that it appears no one can stand or be saved, or even confess his faith; but Cain will rule alone and will not rest until his brother is dead, so that he may never be in his way. But we must not judge and act according to appearance and our experience, but according to our faith.

8. Therefore this Gospel is a comforting example and doctrine, how we should conduct ourselves, so that we may not despair in the agony of sin, in the peril of death, and in the tumult of the world; but be assured that we are not lost, although the waves at once overwhelm our little boat; that we will not perish, although we experience in our evil conscience sin, wrath, and the lack of grace; that we will not die, although the whole world hates and persecutes us, although it opens its jaws as wide as the rosy dawn of the morning. These are all waves that fall over your little bark, cause to despair, and force you to cry out: “Save, Lord; we perish”. Thus you have here the first part of this Gospel, faith, how it should thrive and succeed, and besides, how incapable and fainthearted unbelief is.

II. OF LOVE.

9. The second part of our text, treating of love, shows forth Christ in that he rises, breaks his sleep for their sake, takes to heart their need as though it were his own, and ministers to them help out of free love without any merit on their part. He neither receives nor seeks any reward for his help, but permits them to enjoy and use his power and resources. For as we have often heard it is characteristic of Christian love to do all freely and gratuitously, to the praise and honor of God, that a Christian lives upon the earth for the sake of such love, just as Christ lived solely for the purpose of doing good; as he himself says: “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Matthew 20:28.

Nutrition - Bad and Good: Brief List

 

 DQ - while others were posing for a photo, I struck.

Bad Nutrition Metrics Can Be Photographed at WalMart, 

Any Major Grocery Store, Fast Food, Or Delivery

"The perfect commodity - make them for pennies, sell them for dollars, and they are addicting." Donuts and ice cream, not to mention cigarettes. 

1. All milk products are loaded with fat, and some (like cheese) also with salt. That includes cottage cheese, yogurt of all kinds, "skim milk." Ice cream and DQ are high in fat and sugar. 
2. Breads and rolls are mostly white flour, which like white rice and sugar, offer quick energy, quick hunger, and quick fast.
3. The stores do their best to promote impulse items facing them - candies, diet candies, chocolates, cheap chocolates, sugar-based candies and caramels, chips of every flavor with tons of salt - white flour - and fat.
4. The grocery workers laugh at families who buy breakfast cereal, colorful and sweet, loaded with white flour, enchanting with the artwork grabbing the attention of the kids riding first class in the cart. New baby mothers buy little sweet puff balls and other mouth opiates. French fries are ideal in the car, with the trifecta of potatoes, fat, and salt, matching the muffins and sandwiches. 
5. The grocery store equation adds so much more with aisles packed with soft drinks and "diet" soft drinks of all types, a magnificent display, including salty fizzy water, very much like the colas but without taste.
6. The chips aisle is also a display of our contempt for the fatty treats, the salty treats, and the fatty salty treats cooked in grease - or baked - so fulfilling every few hours.
7. The pharmacy - a big money-maker - treats symptoms, seldom the disorder. They like to sell expensive protein and milk products with questionable results.
8. Meat is essential, but it can be overdone in various ways. 

The Edible Pharmacy - 

Greens, Beans, Mushrooms, Vegetables, Fruit, Nuts, Seeds

Produce is necessarily healthy, and the frozen greens, beans, and fruit are exception in nutritional value.

• The smallest part of a grocery store, missing at fast food places, bakeries, and candy stores, is nutrition.
• Chopped frozen greens are incredibly powerful in reducing hunger, slowing down digestion with fiber, and unleashing a powerful blend (varying) of nutritional benefits. Popular chopped frozen greens are: spinach, turnip greens, kale, and collards. They are quadruplets with four different blends of nutrition. 
• People laugh about beans, even though the great orator Cicero was named Chick Pea in Latin. Beans are packed with protein, fiber, and a variety of nutrition. Some of my favorites are chick peas, lima beans, and kidney beans. They are low fat (unless bacon is added) and low salt (watch the labels).
• Lunch for Charlie Sue and me - greens, chick peas, walnuts, lima beans, flax seed, blue berries, onions and peppers, and sliced sausage. Charlie Sue only eats the sausage.
• In produce I buy apples, bananas, blue berries, oranges, pears, pineapples - not all at the same time. I aim at 4 to 6 fresh fruits a day.
• Walnuts are the inexpensive statins I use (no prescription required), and I have some ground flax seed each lunch.
• Dr. Joel Fuhrman's works have encouraged me to have daily doses of greens, beans, fruits, nuts, and seeds. I also have mushrooms for each meal.

 Many roses grow hips, which are fruiting pods filled with Vitamin C.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 4 - Asleep in the Storm - "This Gospel, as a narrative, gives us an example of faith and unbelief, in order that we may learn how mighty the power of faith is, and that it of necessity has to do with great and terrible things and that it accomplishes nothing but wonders; and that on the other hand unbelief is so fainthearted, shamefaced and trembling with fear that it can do nothing whatever."

 

Complete Sermon - 

Luther's Sermons - Matthew 8:23-27.
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany.
Christ stilling the Tempest, or Faith and Unbelief, and Love

TEXT:

Matthew 8:23-27. And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves; but he was asleep. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save, Lord; we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, 0 ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?


I. OF FAITH AND UNBELIEF.

1. This Gospel, as a narrative, gives us an example of faith and unbelief, in order that we may learn how mighty the power of faith is, and that it of necessity has to do with great and terrible things and that it accomplishes nothing but wonders; and that on the other hand unbelief is so fainthearted, shamefaced and trembling with fear that it can do nothing whatever. An illustration of this we see in this experience of the disciples, which shows the real state of their hearts. First, as they in company with Christ entered the ship, all was calm and they experienced nothing unusual, and had any one asked them then if they believed, they would have answered, Yes. But they were not conscious of how their hearts trusted in the calm sea and the signs for fair weather, and that thus their faith was founded upon what their natural eyes saw. But when the tempest comes and the waves fill the boat, their faith vanishes; because the calm and peace in which they trusted took wings and flew away, therefore they fly with the calm and peace, and nothing is left but unbelief.

2. But what is this unbelief able to do? It sees nothing but what it experiences. It does not experience life, salvation and safety; but instead the waves coming into the boat and the sea threatening them with death and every danger. And because they experience these things and give heed to them and turn not their fear from them, trembling and despair can not be suppressed. Yea, the more they see and experience it the harder death and despair torment them and every moment threatens to devour them. But unbelief cannot avoid such experiences and cannot think otherwise even for a second. For it has nothing besides to which it can hold and comfort itself, and therefore it has no peace or rest for a single minute. And thus will it also be in perdition, where there will be nothing but despair, trembling and fear, and that without end.

3. But had they had faith, it would have driven the wind and the waves of the sea out of their minds, and pictured before their eyes in place of the wind and tempest the power and grace of God, promised in his Word; and it would have relied upon that Word, as though anchored to an immovable rock and would not float on the water, and as though the sun shined brightly and all was calm and no storm was raging. For it is the great characteristic and power of faith to see what is not visible, and not to see what is visible, yea, that which at the time drives and oppresses us; just as unbelief can see only what is visible and can not in the least cleave to what is invisible.

4. Therefore God bestows faith to the end that it should deal not with ordinary things, but with things no human being can master as death, sin, the world and Satan. For the whole world united is unable to stand before death, but flees from and is terrified by it, and is also conquered by it; but faith stands firm, opposes death that devours everything, and triumphs over it and even swallows the insatiable devourer of life. In like manner no one can control or subdue the flesh, but it reigns everywhere in the world, and what it wills must be done, so that the whole world thereby is carnal; but faith lays hold of the flesh and subdues and bridles it, so that it must become a servant. And in like manner no one can endure the rage, persecution, and blasphemy, infamy, hatred and envy of the world; every one retreats and falls back exhausted before it, it gets the upper hand over all and triumphs; and if they are without faith it mocks them besides and treads all under its feet, and takes pleasure and delight in doing so.

5. Further, who could conquer Satan with his innumerable, subtle suggestions and temptations, by which he hinders the truth and God’s Word, faith and hope, and starts so many false doctrines, sects, seductions, heresies, doubts, superstitions and innumerable abominations? The whole world compared with him is like a spark of fire compared with a fountain of water. All must be here subject to him; as we also see, hear and understand. But it is faith that keeps him busy, and it not only stands before him invulnerable, but also reveals his roguery and puts him to shame, so that his deception fails and he faints and falls; as now takes place with his indulgences and his papacy. Just so no one can allay and quiet the least sin, but it bites and devours the conscience, so that nothing avails even if the whole world were to comfort and support such a person, he must be cast down into perdition. Here faith is a hero, it appeases all sins, even if they were as many as the whole world had committed.

6. Is there now not something almighty and inexpressible about faith that it can withstand all our powerful enemies and gain the victory, so that St. John says in his first Epistle 1 John 5:4: “This is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith?” Not that this is done in peace and by quietly resting; for it is a battle that is carried on not with out wounds and shedding of blood. Yea, the heart so severely experiences in this battle sin and death, the flesh, Satan and the world, that it has no other thought than that it is lost, that sin and death have triumphed, and that Satan holds the field of battle. The power of faith however experiences but little of that. This is set forth in our narrative, when the waves not only dashed into the boat, but even covered it, so that it was about to go under and sink, and Christ was lying asleep. Just then there was no hope of life, death had the upper hand and had triumphed; life was lying prostrate and was lost.

Warning = The 'Gesima Services Have Been Replaced By More Epiphanies

 

Various church bodies that use a liturgical calendar have dropped the Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sunday service names. I will follow those minor changes and remain with the historic readings for those Sundays as named, following Luther.

This link from Vanderbilt University provides a good summary of the liturgical calendar, as it is this year.

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/lections.php?year=B&season=Lent

There are many liturgical calendars followed by Lutherans and other groups in the past.

From a Concordia Lutheran Confeference congregation:

THE HISTORIC PERICOPES
The most familiar series of texts for the Church Year are the ancient or historic pericopes, which include lessons from both the Gospels and the Epistles. These have been in use from the earliest times and with only slight variations are still used today in the Lutheran, Episcopalian, and Roman rites. These were read in The Service and usually formed the text for the sermon so that in time they became a sort of Bible for the worshiper containing a great sotre of priceless truths made living through serial preaching upon them. They are supplemented here by a series of Old Testament selections made by the Commission on a Common Liturgy. These Old Testament selections, paralleling the Epistle and the Gospel selections, add variety and stimulation for the preacher without changing the essentials.

THE THOMASIUS SELECTIONS
For seventeen years Gottfried Thomasius was an active pastor in Erlangen and Nurember. In 1842 he accepted the position of professor of dogmatics at the University of Erlangen and exerted an influence equalled by few teachers of his time. In 1865 the General Synod of Bavaria approved a pericope system arranged by him and recommended it for use in the churches in Bavaria. The selections offer a series of Gospel, Epistle, and Old Testament texts

THE WUERTTEMBERG SELECTIONS
The Wuerttemberg Selections date back to 1843 when they were published in the Kirchenbuch (Church Book) of the Evangelical Church of that province. As in other provincial churches, the historic pericopes were supplemented by newer selections which take the entire Scriptures into purview although the Wuerttemberg Selections include only three texts from the Old Testament.

THE HAMBURG PERICOPES
Four series of pericopes were introduce in 1843 in the provincial Church of Hamburg. Of these, two were based on the historic Epistle and Gospel selections with only slight variations and are therefore not listed. Those here given consist of Epistle and Gospel selections with the addition of fifteen texts from the Book of Acts in the non-festival half of the Church Year. In addition, five texts from the Psalms and the Prophets are interspersed among the Gospel selections. The Epistles also contain a number of texts from the Prophets as well as one from the Book of Revelation.

THE EISENACH SELECTIONS
The Evangelische-Kirchliche Konferenz,formed in 1852, became the official bond between the Evangelical State Churches of Germany. Although its decisions were only advisory, the Eisenach Conference accomplished much in the field of hymnology, liturgiology, administration, and policy. In 1896 the Conference approved the work of a committee which had been named to revise the historic pericopes and to supplement them with a series of Epistle, Gospel,and Old Testament selections. These Eisenach Selections came into quite general use in Germany and later also in America. They are included in the General Rubrics of the Common Service Book and will appear also in the Common Lutheran Hymnal.

Bigelow Blackberry Zinc Citrus Tea

I had this tea on hand when I got the latest virus, a sore throat, croaky voice. It worked immediately and my voice recovered. The tea tastes good. Zinc is known for helping the immune system, prevention and healing. I am sipping some now. 

The Third Sunday after Epiphany - Faith and Reason - The Centurion's Servant

 

Bethany Lutheran Church - Springdale

10 AM Central Time

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

The Hymn #450             Soldiers of Christ Arise! - Wesley, Tune - Crown Him

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

The Introit

Worship Him, all ye His angels: 

Zion heard and was glad.

The daughters of Judah rejoiced: 

because of Thy judgments, O Lord.

Psalm. The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice: 

let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

The Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle 

The Gradual

The heathen shall fear the name of the Lord: 

and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.

V. When the Lord shall build up Zion: 

He shall appear in His glory. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice: 

let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Hallelujah!

      

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
  

The Sermon Hymn #381    I Know My Faith Is Founded  

Faith and Reason

The Hymn #525           As Pants the Hart

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  - Gehrhardt

     

Prayers and Announcements

• Avelin's (Aby's) first birthday is this week. Ivy is completing her US citizen's qualification.
• Gary and Alicia's wedding anniversary is January 27th.
• Chris Shrader just had a birthday (January 19), and so did Pastor Shrader (January 15).
• Doctor's care - Randy Anderson's CT scan, Pastor Jim Shrader's operation, Lori Howell, Sarah Buck, Kermit Way.
• Pray for the Bill of Rights, our elected President and his supporters, our military justice system.
• Norma Boeckler's book, My Good Shepherd, Jesus' Titles of Majesty, edited by Pastor Jackson, is in its final stage of production. 

  Graphic by Norma A. Boeckler

            

KJV Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

KJV Matthew 8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

    5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.  10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Third Sunday After Epiphany

O almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all dangers and necessities stretch forth Thy mighty hand, to defend us against our enemies; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Faith and Reason

KJV Matthew 8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

I happened upon a lecture by a Harvard professor teaching Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He pointed out that Gibbon was a skeptic about Christianity and continued by lecturing the audience about the Christian Faith. Professor Leo Damrosch dismissed all the miracles in the Bible because he saw no evidence of them. He also claimed, like my Harvard Biblical scholar (deceased) at Augustana College - "The Trinity is not found in the New Testament." I said, "What about the ending of Matthew?" He said, "Others put that on the lips of Jesus." 

That is why I enjoy the Epiphany season, which is all about the miracles of Jesus. People continue to confuse faith and reason, as if one's reasoning can explain and reject the miraculous acts of God. The reason argument is used against infant baptism, because they say, "The baby is not old enough to decide," which alarms me. When I hold a baby for the first time, that tiny creature immediately looks for his mother and gets a squall going to get matters straightened out. Being held by his mother or someone he knows will immediately calm the baby. He has faith in his mother and uses his newborn reason to indicate something has gone wrong. 

The true background of baptism is the power of God's Gospel Word. The purpose of Holy Baptism is to impart faith through the Spirit of God in His Word and to seal God's Promises. This is effective or efficacious. Moreover, in the Greek, the Word is energon/energy. Engineers do not turn on electrical lines - they energize them. That is a current pun, but an important one to remember always. Whenever the Word of God is heard, read, or remembered, the Holy Spirit is at work in the Word. Spirit and Word are never separated.

This leper believed in Jesus Christ. He was part of the multitude that listened to the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7. He politely and humbly said, "If You will, You can make me whole."

3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

The leper came to the Sermon on the Mount with hope and faith, doubtless from hearing about the miracles from other lepers. He was cleansed of this horrible disease. Jesus instructed the healed leper to tell no one but go directly to the priest. Why? Because it would be natural for the crowd to gather around him and listen to the story. In fact, they saw the transformation. Jesus wanted the priest to hear this Gospel in the flesh, and the healed man took the Gospel to that priest, not unlike the Presentation of Jesus and His talking with the elders in the Synagogue.

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

A centurion was a very powerful and respected person, a full-time soldier and leader of men. They were so organized that they won all their battles, including the destruction of Jerusalem. He came to Jesus aware of His healing powers and Jesus was willing to come to his home, knowing what He would do next. This elicited a very important response to the soldier.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

The centurion's power was life and death, and he knew without doubt that any of his own commands would be followed. He was humble and unwilling to have such an honor as the visitation of Christ. But he also recognized that the Word of Jesus Christ alone was enough to heal his servant, stating that the Lord's power was parallel to his but much greater.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The centurion caused Jesus to express His wonder at this supposed pagan, who definitely believed in the divine power of the Savior. Jesus knew what was in this soldier's mind, and He compared it to all the rest. He also stated that many would come from all over the globe to be part of the Kingdom of God, which was predicted to Abraham. However, those who merely claimed to belong to Abraham (John 8) were enemies of Jesus, who clearly said to Jewish elders, "Before Abraham was, I AM."

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

This is one of the great healing miracles in the Bible, one that strikes us directly. Jesus did not make conditions, but it was the soldier that said, "Only speak the Word." There are many healings in the Gospels, and they have different messages, including the Canaanite woman who seemed to be having no results with the Savior. Once that miracle is carefully read, it is clear that Jesus led the pagan woman into a contrite plea for mercy for her daughter, who was accomplished without Jesus going there. That discussion, which exasperated the disciples, brought to light the faith of the mother, which has been an example ever since.

The end.

Daily Lutheran Sermon Quote - Epiphany 3 - "For God indeed does not cause his Word to be preached for the sake of the rational hearing, since no fruit results from that; but for the sake of the spiritual hearing, which, as I have said, children also have as well and even better than adults; for they also hear the Word."

 

Complete Sermon -> Third Sunday after Epiphany. The Leper and Healing the Centurion's Servant

41. All this I say in order that one may not baptize recklessly, as they do who even administer it with the deliberate knowledge that it will be of no effect or benefit to the person receiving it. For therein the baptizers sin, because they knowingly use God’s sacrament and Word in vain, or at least have the consciousness that it is neither intended nor able to effect anything; which is an altogether unworthy use of the sacrament and a temptation and blasphemy of God. For that is not administering the sacrament, but making a mockery of it. But if the person baptized denies and does not believe, you have done right anyhow, and have administered the true sacrament with the good consciousness that it ought to be beneficial.

42. However, those who do not come of themselves, but are brought, as Christ bids us to bring little children, the faith of these commit to him who bids them to be brought, and baptize them by his command, and say: Lord, thou dost bring them and command to baptize them. Thou wilt answer for them. On this I rely. I dare not drive them away nor forbid them. If they have not heard the Word, by which faith comes, as adults; hear it, they nevertheless hear it like little children. Adults take it up with their ears and reason, often without faith; but they hear it with their ears, without reason and with faith. And faith is nearer in proportion as reason is less, and he is stronger who brings them than the will of adults who come of themselves.

43. These inventive spirits stumble mostly because in adults there is reason, which acts as if it believed the Word it hears. This then they call faith.

Again they see that in children there is as yet no reason; for they act as if they did not believe. But they do not observe that faith in God’s Word is quite a different and deeper thing than what reason does with the Word of God. For it is the work of God alone above all reason, to which the child is just as near as the adult, yes, much nearer, and from which the adult is just as far as the child, yea, much farther.

44. But this that is contrived by reason is a human work. I think, if any baptism is certain, the baptism of children is most certain, because of the Word of Christ, where he commands to bring them, whereas the adults come of themselves. In adults there may be deception because of the reason that is manifest; but in children there can be no deception, because of their hidden reason, in whom Christ works his blessing, even as he has bidden them to be brought to himself. It is a glorious word and not to be treated lightly, that he commands us to bring the children to him, and rebukes those who forbid it.

45. But hereby we do not mean to weaken or destroy the office of preaching. For God indeed does not cause his Word to be preached for the sake of the rational hearing, since no fruit results from that; but for the sake of the spiritual hearing, which, as I have said, children also have as well and even better than adults; for they also hear the Word. For what else is baptism but the Gospel to which they are brought? However, they hear it only once, but they hear it more effectively, because Christ, who has commanded to bring them, receives them. For adults have the advantage that they frequently hear and can think of it again. Yet even in the case of adults it is a fact that the spiritual hearing is not effected by many sermons.

But it may occur once during one sermon, and then he has enough for ever.

What he hears afterwards, he hears either to improve the first hearing or to destroy it again.

46. In short, the baptism and consolation of children lie in the word: “Suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not; for to such belongeth the kingdom of God.” He has spoken this and he does not lie. Therefore it must be right and Christian to bring little children to him. This can only be done in baptism. So also it must be certain that he blesses them, and bestows the kingdom of heaven upon all who come to him, according to the words: “To such belongeth the kingdom of God.” Let this be enough for this time.

47. Finally it would be in order here to treat of the spiritual meaning of leprosy and the palsy. But of leprosy much has been said in the Postil of the ten lepers. Therefore it need not be treated at length here.

Lutheran Seminary Education - A Disaster Fueled By ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC-Thrivent

 

Harvard University - Listen to the English Professor on the topic of Christianity: the basics of  mainline Protestants, Roman Catholic leaders, and Lutherans.

On Amazon Prime Video and audio sources - "Professor Leo Damrosch of Harvard University helps you navigate the Gibbon Decline and Fall themes, structure, and lasting influence."

I enjoyed Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire and gave away my complete set to a genius student. I was enjoying Leo Damrosch's narration about Gibbon until he got on the topic of Christianity. I recognized that he was reciting the complete Handbook for Mocking, Unbelieving Agnostics. Forget Gibbon - Damrosch was on a toot that I have heard or read countless times, a litany of ignorance. The scholar became an advocate; the camera almost gave away his hooves.

Handbook for Mocking, Unbelieving Agnostics

I will summarize some of his unsupported claims:

1. The Trinity is not found in the New Testament.
2. The relationship between the Father and the Son is confused and confusing.
3. Miracles are a joke, easily disproven.
4. The Gospel of John is not apostolic but much later.
5. The New Testament texts were mixed up with all kinds of contrary copies, errors, contradictions.
6. Gibbon was right - there is no contest. Believing Christian leaders are not credible.

Christianity became an echo chamber for the errors of Calvinism and Pietism, and the Lutherans fell for both errors in various ways. Lutherans copied the weakness of the Mainlines with their betrayal of the King James Version. Lutherans followed with caving into the Harvard Handbook for Mocking, Unbelieving Agnostics and made it their own, starting with ALC/LCA and moving forward to the inbred Walther Synodical Conference.

Examples:

• The Watherites smothered the Reformation with endless worship of CFW Hisself. That disorder continues to this day, because it is a perfumed version of the Handbook for Mocking, Unbelieving Agnostics. Everyone is saved! Everyone! 
• Simple question - Does LutherQuest ever teach Dr. Martin Luther? or do they endlessly drool over the mythological CFW Walther, BA?
• All the Lutherans use a wide variety of Bad Bibles, from the Burglar Beck Bible to the NIV, and the three National Council of Churches Bibles - RSV, ESV, NRSV. The Greek New Testaments used (but not thoroughly) are straight from the bowels of Tischendorf and other frauds. 
• One example - the absent ending of Mark, with no empty tomb, no risen Christ, is the one of the latest belches from Concordia Publishing House. 
• Another example - CPH is also guilty of proclaiming and hiding their precious Waltherian forgiveness without faith, which is - by the way - essential to all mainline doctrine today. Everyone is saved. Everyone!
• Finally - the gravitational tug continues, as it must, in apostasy, with the so-called Confessional or Orthodox or Rock-ribbed Lutherans copying the radical Left while hushing critics up. Harmony comes from feeding from the same troughs - Thrivent Insurance and Irrevocable Trusts, plus the Omnivorous Siebert Luther Foundation.  

 Pity the Students

The Synodicals treat seminarians like dirt, with threats always before them - but not much education gleaned. Of course, the relatives of synodical bigwigs can do anything they want and find themselves rewarded and even arrogant about being bullet-proof, thanks to uncle, or dad, or grandfather. One WELS DP tried to impress me by revealing who his grandfather was! I was supposed to gasp in awe.

The charges for attending seminary are criminal, especially in light of what the carefree church bureaucrats give each other. As I wrote before, my tuition was $150 a year in 1970. The LCA told us, "Don't use this motel for the evangelism conference, pastors. It is too costly." Christina said, "Let's go there. The bigshots will be there." We picked that motel and the bigshots said with shock, "Why are you here?" (I knew them.) I said, "My wife said the bigshots would be here." 

Worst of all, the seminaries are not being taught the real Bible, the KJV, or the real text of the New Testament, the Traditional or Apostolic Text. The theology taught is a miserable combination of Fuller Seminary, Karl the Adulterer Barth, Paul the Promiscuous Tillich, and huge doses against Luther-Melanchthon-Chemnitz. I could probably grill the graduating class of any Lutheran seminary and get them to describe the work of Chemnitz or Melanchthon. It would be either tragic or funny what they said.

WELS-LCMS-ELS-ELCA all mocked or ignored the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, 1517.

 

Concordia Publishing House Honors the Reformation!

 

"We both have fake doctorates!"

Faith - Shock and Awe - 10 Million 500 Thousand Views - Since 2007

 

Seminaries for Training Pastors Are Teaching Their Own Translation Ignorance And Doctrinal Apostasy

 

Knapp and Rambach were two of the Pietists who promoted universal forgiveness the moment Jesus rose from the tomb, based on their false interpretation of 1 Timothy 3:16. CFW Walther, taught by Pastor Martin Stephan STD, repeated this Halle University poison and gradually worked it into the Missouri Synod. Stephan's first letter to young Walther tied the junior Pietist fanatic to the senior, a syphilis patient. Walther used this knowledge about the cell group leader when they got to America stealing Stephan's church, land, gold, books, and person items.

I started with Pietism because the Pietist organizations in Europe encouraged and established the same institutions in America. Superstar Spener was just about perfect in their eyes. Anyone can see from the results of Fuller Seminary that cell groups are the "real church" and the only way "to grow a church." These errors repudiate the efficacy of the Word, the Means of Grace, and Justification by Faith. 

Lately the fanatics have been piling up grace so they chant five of them. But the only way to grace is faith in Jesus Christ, as Paul taught so clearly - 

Romans 5:5 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.

All Christian groups should teach this, which is why the Luther-Melanchthon-Chemnitz Reformation taught Justification by Faith as the Chief Article of Christianity, not just of Lutherans or Pietists or  Catholics or Methodists or Catholic/Eastern Orthodox.  But now we have almost no Lutherans teaching this article, including two stumble-bums in WELS who declared their notion that universal forgiveness happened the world - the moment Christ left the tomb, as if there was a tripwire. 

And these two yahoos are not alone. It is the sacred creed of WELS, ELCA, LCMS, ELS, CLC and other Lutherans (when pinned down, after asking the right questions to uncover their lies). These Enthusists also promote the Atonement of Christ on the cross as universal absolution, when it suits them, saying, "We were all saved when Jesus died on the cross."

Moreover, the large unLutheran denominations are lost and bewildered in their efforts to teach social activism of all kinds - and genders - as the actual Gospel.

Worthless Seminary Professors - Ignorant Seminary Graduates

The seminaries are collapsing, which is good. Students cannot learn very much because their professors - often marginal at best - do not teach them the Biblical languages and faith in Jesus Christ. Lacking both, they party a lot, follow key professors around, and hide what they really learn from their congregations . 

The seminary graduates for more than 75 years have been taught against the Scriptures and they do not even study the originals. Their NIV-ESV-RSV-etc Bibles have so many erasures and clobbered words that the students hardly know what is actually in the manuscripts. Very little is taught as Scripture so they can ruminate on the extreme Left being the One Truth of their lives. Add some counseling courses, yes, good, and some practical classes, which are ideal for broken down alcoholic professors to teach. The students graduate as know-it-alls, forever thinking their lazy professors were really great.

 

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 3 - "Is it not reason which resists in the highest degree faith and the Word of God, so that nobody can come to faith by means of reason? Reason will not endure God’s Word unless it is first blinded and disgraced."

 

Complete Sermon -> Third Sunday after Epiphany. The Leper and Healing the Centurion's Servant

36. But let us examine their reason why they do not think children believe.
They say, because they have not attained to reason they cannot hear God’s Word; but where God’s Word is not heard there can be no faith. Romans 10:17: “Belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Tell me is this Christian to judge of God’s works by our thinking, and say, Children have not attained to reason, therefore they cannot believe? How if through this very reason you have already departed from faith, and the children come to faith through their unreason? Dear friend, what good does reason do for faith and the Word of God? Is it not reason which resists in the highest degree faith and the Word of God, so that nobody can come to faith by means of reason? Reason will not endure God’s Word unless it is first blinded and disgraced. Man must first die to reason and become, as it were, a fool, and even as unreasonable and unintelligent as a little child, if he is to become a believer and receive the grace of God; as Christ says in Matthew 18:3: “Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.” How often does Christ hold before us that we must become children and fools, and condemn reason?

37. Tell me also, what kind of reason had the little children whom Christ embraced and blessed, and upon whom he bestowed the kingdom of heaven? Were they not still without reason? Why does he command to bring them to him and then bless them? Where did they get the faith which makes them children of the kingdom of heaven? Nay, just because they are without reason and foolish, they are better prepared to believe than adults and those possessed of reason, because reason is always in the way and with its large head is not willing to push through the narrow door. One must not look upon reason or its works when faith and God’s work are under consideration. Here God alone works and reason is dead, blind and, compared to this work, an unreasonable block, in order that the Scripture may stand, which says: “God is wonderful in his saints;” and: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,” Isaiah 55:9.

38. But since they stick so fast in reason, we must assail them with their own wisdom. Tell me, why do you baptize a man when he has come to the age of reason? You answer: He hears God’s Word and believes. I ask:

How do you know that? You answer: He professes it with his mouth.

What shall I say? How, if he lies and deceives? You cannot see his heart.

Very well, then you baptize for no other reason than for what the man shows himself to be externally, and you are uncertain of his faith, and must believe that if he has not more within in his heart than you perceive without, neither his hearing, nor his profession, nor his faith will help him; for it may all be a delusion and no true faith. Who then are you, that you say external hearing and profession are necessary to baptism; where these are wanting one must not baptize? You yourself must confess that such hearing and profession are uncertain, and not enough for one to receive baptism. Now upon what do you baptize? How will you justify your actions when you thus bungle baptism and bring it into doubt? Is it not the fact that you must come and say that it is not becoming for you to know or do more than that he whom you are to baptize be brought to you and ask baptism from you; and you must believe or commit the matter to God, whether he inwardly truly believes or not? In this way you are excused and baptize aright. Why then will you not do the same for the children, whom Christ commands to be brought to him and promises to bless? But you wish first to have the outward hearing and profession, which you yourself acknowledge is uncertain and not sufficient for baptism on the part of the one to be baptized. And you let go the sure word of Christ: in which he bids the little children to be brought unto him, on account of your uncertain external hearing.

39. Moreover tell me, where is the reason of a Christian while he is asleep, since his faith and the grace of God never leave him? If faith can thus continue without the aid of reason, so that the latter is not conscious of it, why should it not also begin in children before reason knows anything about it? In the same way I would like to say of every hour in which a Christian lives and is busy and occupied, that he is not conscious of his faith and reason, and yet his faith does not on that account cease. God’s works are mysterious and wonderful, where and when he wills: and again manifest enough, where and when he wills. Judgment upon them is too high and too deep for us.

40. Since it is commanded here, not to forbid little children to come unto him in order to receive his blessing, and it is not demanded of us to know the exact state of faith within, and the external hearing and profession are not sufficient for the one baptized, we are to be content that it is enough for us, the baptizers, to hear the profession of the one to be baptized, who comes to us of himself. And this for the reason that we may not administer the sacrament against our conscience, as giving it to those in whom no fruit is to be hoped for. But if they assure our conscience of their desire and profession, so that we can administer it as a sacrament that imparts grace, we are excused. If his faith is not true, let that rest with God; we have not given the sacrament as a useless thing, but with the consciousness that it is beneficial.