Reformation Seminary Lecture Tonight at 7 PM Central - The Two Natures of Christ

 

Reformation Seminary Lecture Tonight at 7 PM Central - 

The Two Natures of Christ

Zoom link - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86825663862?pwd=M3q6HvvwIJyN9atUEd5IuRl1cExFma.1

YouTube Saved Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yn2itYso1M

1. The Son of God exists from eternity. 
2. He is there at the Creation, not only in Genesis 1 (Let there be...assumes the Second Person) but more openly in John 1 - all things were created through Him, and nothing was created apart from Him).
3. The Holy Spirit teaches these matters to us through the Scriptures, preaching, and teaching.
4. "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards [house managers] of the mysteries of God." 1 Corinthians 4:1 KJV.
5. The mysteries are those doctrines taught by the Holy Spirit, which are not based on human wisdom and logic, but based on the Spirit's teaching through the Scriptures. A house steward does not own anything but is charge of managing the owner's house perfectly, not slovenly, selfishly, lazily, or drunkenly. That is why pastors and teachers are not allowed to make up their own version of the Christian Faith. We have endured 150 years of "great theologians" like Barth, Tillich, Bultmann, etc invent their heavily edited version of the Savior.
6. The Son and the Father are together in the Creation, with the Spirit hovering over Creation and teaching us in the Scriptures.
7. The Son is also part of the expulsion of the orchard thieves in Genesis 3:15 and also Eve's hope in KJV Genesis 4:1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. (Hebrew - literally, gotten a man-child__the Lord). The Hebrew makes it an apposition - as if saying, I have given birth to a boy__the Lord. They were promised the Savior and she thought her firstborn was the Savior. 
8. The Son is portrayed throughout the Old Testament, which shocks some people, no doubt because some "professors" deny the Messianic Promises in Psalms (CPH NIV OT) and elsewhere.
9. Jesus is unique because the Son took on our flesh and frailties, born of the Virgin Mary. He is also unique because the Two Natures, once together, have never been apart and will never be apart. Incarnation means God in the flesh.
10. However, the divine nature of Christ is never limited by His human nature, so He is where He wills, such as in the locked upper room and the elements of Holy Communion.
11. Everything about His human nature is beneficial to us because He is just like us, only divine and without fault.
    
    
    
12. Examples of His anguish include trembling at the tomb of Lazarus, KJV John 11:34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 38 Jesus therefore again groaning [trembling or moved with anger, difficult to translate] in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
13. The humanity of Christ teaches us with great clarity that the Son of God allowed Himself to be captured, insulted, slugged, whipped, and forced to carry His cross, nailed on it the most cruel way possible, and raised up to suffer slowly and die. Those who deny the Two Natures of Christ simply reject the Gospel and Jesus as their Savior. 
14. That error has repeated ever since the so-called scholars chose to embrace the false codices (Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) and produce the polluted paraphrase Bibles - like the RSV, NIV, ESV, NRS, Beck, etc. The mainline seminaries, including the Lutheran ones, reject Justification by Faith in Christ and bray that every single person in the world is born forgiven, without faith in Him.

So bad, ELCA denied it but also used it in their crumbling seminaries.

 The ALPB Online Ovaltines promote the work of these clowns.

Two Points About the Baltimore Bridge Collapse

 

1. The same ship crashed into a pier, damaging the ship and the pier.
2. Many container ships today, like this one, are larger and heavier than the battleship New Jersey.

Tampa Bay

3. A similar accident happened with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa, Florida, 42 years ago. The repair include protection against a drifting ship crashing into the bridge, plus additional safety measures.

The driver survived in Florida. Many did not.

We Have (Not) Gone Multi-Site. The Perils of Growth Fads

 

One recent fad - at least newer than cell groups - involves having multi-site congregations. WELS jumped on this late, as they always do with fads, and they adopted the lingo. A big old church kept trying to invent a new campus - The Core - even when they started one next to another WELS church. They call it The Core 922 now. A Jeske clone inhabits Core 922,  so we know it has to be vapid.

Facebook offered me a discount too good to be true - a RESI encoder. Nota bene - a warning to anyone who attended Fuller Seminary, Trinity Divinity, Willow Creek, WELS or LCMS seminary -

"Church purchased for multi-site use and used for about 6 months. We are no longer doing Multi-site, and these have sat on a shelf since they were removed. I cleaned it off and booted it up today and updated the firmware. This is the dual power supply version. 

It is in great condition and ready for your Resi use."

The latest fad is NOT going to church, and they are closing all over. A local friend said, "Our family church just closed. The members who were left did not want to pay the expenses anymore." The Covid scare encouraged what we did long ago, setting up an online church. We actually used telephones a bit, but then a Logitech web camera showed up in the mail, ending my resistance to video, and we began with Ustream. 

What really made me laugh was the pile of very expensive hardware to be used at the multi-sites mentioned in the sales opportunity. These poor Church Growth pastors and staff had to find a site and load it with electronics to dazzle everyone. 

Nota bene - avoid using a congregation's name with any connection to the Christian Faith, you know, like The Core 922.

WELS started a "new" congregation based on couches - not chairs - and "gourmet coffee." Even with five genius synod staffers propping it up, the experiment became a flop.

Grace in Milwaukee promoted one of its pastors as the "barista." When I posted that, the title was removed. 

 

The graphic was edited (by me), turning around the "casual, serious meme". This is  not just dumb - it is WELS dumb.

This is perhaps worse than the cross in a cup of coffee. WELS, of course.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Easter Sunday Second Sermon - "To this I reply: I have often said before that feeling and faith are two different things. It is the nature of faith not to feel, to lay aside reason and close the eyes, to submit absolutely to the Word, and follow it in life and death."

Complete Sermon - 

Luther's Sermons - Mark 16:1-8.
Easter Sunday. Second Sermon

10. Here we also refer to the passage in Hosea 13:14, which Paul quotes in reference to the victory that Christ has won by his resurrection and by which he has conquered sin, death, hell and all our enemies. Paul says that death is swallowed up in this victory, and he defies death with these words: “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?”

Just as if Paul would say: O death, where are thy teeth? Come, bite off one of my fingers. Thou formerly hadst a spear, what has become of it now?

Christ has taken it from thee. Death, where is now thy spear, etc.? Sin, where is now the edge of thy sword and thy power? Paul says that the power of sin is the law. The more clearly we understand the law, the more sin oppresses and stings us. For this reason Paul says that Christ has completely destroyed and annihilated the spear and whetstone of death.

Now, this Gospel he has not taken with him into heaven, but he caused it to be preached throughout the world, so that for him who believes in Christ, spear and whetstone, nay, sin and death, should be destroyed. This is the true Gospel, which bestows life, strength, power and marrow, and of which all the passages of Scripture speak.

11. Therefore seek and learn to know Christ aright, for the whole Scriptures confer upon us the righteousness of the true knowledge of Christ. But this must be brought about by the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore pray God that his Gospel may prosper, that we all may truly learn to know Christ and thus rise with him and be honored by God as he was honored.

12. The question now arises: If Christ has taken away death and our sins by his resurrection and has justified us, why do we then still feel death and sin within us? For our sins torment us still, we are stung by our conscience, and this evil conscience creates the fear of hell.

13. To this I reply: I have often said before that feeling and faith are two different things. It is the nature of faith not to feel, to lay aside reason and close the eyes, to submit absolutely to the Word, and follow it in life and death. Feeling however does not extend beyond that which may be apprehended by reason and the senses, which may be heard, seen, felt and known by the outward senses. For this cause feeling is opposed to faith and faith is opposed to feeling. Therefore the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews writes of faith: “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.” For if we would see Christ visibly in heaven, like the visible sun, we would not need to believe it. But since Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification, we cannot see it nor feel it, neither can we comprehend it with our reason. Therefore we must disregard our feeling and accept only the Word, write it into our heart and cling to it, even though it seems as if my sins were not taken from me, and even though I still feel them within me. Our feelings must not be considered, but we must constantly insist that death, sin and hell have been conquered, although I feel that I am still under the power of death, sin and hell. For although we feel that sin is still in us, it is only permitted that our faith may be developed and strengthened, that in spite of all our feelings we accept the Word, and that we unite our hearts and consciences more and more to Christ. Thus faith leads us quietly, contrary to all feeling and comprehension of reason, through sin, through death and through hell.

Then we shall see salvation before our eyes, and then we shall know perfectly what we have believed, namely, that death and all sorrow have been conquered.

14. Take as an illustration the fish in the water. When they are caught in the net, you lead it quietly along, so that they imagine they are still in the water; but when you draw them to the shore, they are exposed and begin to struggle, and then they first feel they are caught. Thus it also happens with souls that are caught with the Gospel, which Christ compares with a net, Matthew 13:47. When the heart has been conquered, the Word unites this poor heart to Christ and leads it gently and quietly from hell and from sin, although the soul still feels sin and imagines to be still under its power. Then a conflict begins, the feelings struggling against the Spirit and faith, and the Spirit and faith against our feelings; and the more faith increases, the more our feelings diminish, and vice versa. We have still sins within us, as for instance pride, avarice, anger and so forth, but only in order to lead us to faith, so that faith may increase from day to day, and the man become finally a thorough Christian and keep the true sabbath, consecrating himself to Christ entirely. Then the conscience must become calm and satisfied and all the surging waves of sin subside. For as upon the sea one billow follows and buffets the other, as though they would destroy the shore, yet they must disappear and destroy themselves, so also our sins strive against us and would fain bring us to despair, but finally they must desist, grow weary and disappear.

Reformation Seminary Lecture - More About Apologetics

 

Starting with the best Bible is essential, not to be replaced for a denomination's profit-margin.


Zoom link is here ->The Zoom connection expired after the live connection was over.

YouTube link is here - https://youtu.be/jR037DXctmU

Next lecture - The Two Natures of Christ, Wednesday, 7 PM Central.

Apologetics - Defense of the Gospel - The Two Doctrinal Attacks

The Virgin Birth

KJV Isaiah 7:14 - 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

New NIV footnote - Isaiah 7:14 Or young woman

RSV - 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman[a] shall conceive and bear[b] a son, and shall call his name Imman′u-el.

1. Isaiah 7:14 Or virgin

NRSVA

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVACE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVCE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

NRSVUE

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.

The Ending of Mark's Gospel - Mark 16:9-20

New NIV - [The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

RSV - 

1. Mark 16:20 Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book by adding after verse 8 the following: But they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Other authorities include the preceding passage and continue with verses 9–20. In most authorities verses 9–20 follow immediately after verse 8; a few authorities insert additional material after verse 14

Christian News (Otten/Hale) - The same excuses as above.

ESV - [Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20.][a]

NRSV - 

1. Mark 16:8 Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book with the shorter ending; others include the shorter ending and then continue with verses 9–20. In most authorities verses 9–20 follow immediately after verse 8, though in some of these authorities the passage is marked as being doubtful.

The Fall of Constantinople scattered Greek artists and scholars. Erasmus became Europe's first Greek scholar. Luther learned Greek and Melanchthon became Europe's great scholar in Greek. Guess which Bible is closest to Luther's...the KJV. Tyndale is directly associated with the Luther circle of scholars, though much remains unknown.

Knowledge of Greek came just in time for the Reformation.

A Simple Litmus Test For The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic)

 

A chameleon can change colors so easily. This one attended a Thrivent session for The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic). The Thrivent manager told the synod managers, "Relax! We are all unified and at peace."

I recall a synod president saying, "They major in the minors!" That declaration seemed rather vague and yet filled with scorn. He should have praised The Walther Four - LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic), who did so much to covet chameleons, always changing colors, depending on the occasion, longing for big buildings and papal costumes.

I devised this concise doctrinal test -

1. Do you believe in the Virgin birth of Jesus, predicted in Isaiah 7:14?
2. Do you believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead?

I asked those questions when a future pastor was talking about how well the Disciples of Christ and Unitarian-Universalists got along at the same seminary. The response was "Those are not important issues. Just medical questions," she said dismissively. 

When a Christian Brother and a priest asked me the same two questions, I said, "Of course!" and they walked away angry saying, "There is no use for you!" That took place at Notre Dame's seminary where we had classes.

The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) have solved the two doctrinal questions one way, and they are united, scratching each other's back, the blind leading the blind.

Their concise conclusion unites them - ANY BIBLE EXCEPT THE KING JAMES VERSION.

The Missouri and the WELS sects jumped on the NIV bandwagon right away. Relatively few use the New KJV or tolerate it. Even then, the NKJV locks the front door and opens the back door, because it offers the apostate variety "translation" in footnotes, always changing.

The RSV - licensed by the National Council of Marxist Churches - demoted the Virgin Birth to "a young woman." In various editions, the Virgin is put back in Isaiah 7:14, with "young woman " in the footnote. The two definitions seem to move up and down. Nevertheless, the footnote concept is used throughout the modern versions, changing the meaning and often eliminating words, phrases, verses, and more.

Christian News promoted the Beck Bible, which questioned the empty tomb and resurrection in Mark 16 - and many more examples - joining the apostate chorus.

This snip and clip Bible has been fashioned to change constantly, always going against the Traditional Text of the Greek New Testament. WELS kicked out the pastors who questioned the precious NIV. Problem solved.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Easter Sunday Second Sermoon - "This then is the effect of faith. He who believes that Christ has taken away our sin, is without sin, like Christ himself, and death, the devil and hell are vanquished as far as he is concerned and they can no longer harm him."

 

Complete Sermon - 

Luther's Sermons - Mark 16:1-8.
Easter Sunday. Second Sermon

II. THE FRUITS AND BENEFITS OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

6. St. Paul writes in Romans 4:25 as follows: “Christ was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.” Paul is indeed the man who extols Christ in a masterly manner, telling us exactly why and for what purpose he suffered and how we should conform ourselves to his sufferings, namely, that he died for our sins. This is a correct interpretation of the sufferings of Christ, by which we may profit. And as it is not sufficient to know and believe that Christ has died, so it will not suffice to know and believe that he rose with a transfigured body and is now in a state of joy and blessedness, no longer subject to mortality, for all this would profit me nothing or very little. But when I come to understand the fact that all the works God does in Christ are done for me, nay, they are bestowed upon and given to me, the effect of his resurrection being that I also will arise and live with him; that will cause me to rejoice. This must be brought home to our hearts, and we must not merely hear it with the ears of our body nor merely confess it with our mouth.

7. You have heard in the story of the Passion how Christ is portrayed as our exemplar and helper, and that he who follows him and clings to him receives the Spirit, who will enable him also to suffer. But the words of Paul are more Christian and should come closer home to our hearts and comfort us more, when he says: “Christ was raised for our justification.”

Here the Lamb is truly revealed, of whom John the Baptist testifies, when he says in John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” Here is fulfilled that which was spoken to the serpent: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head,” which means that for all those who believe in him, hell, death, and the devil and sin have been destroyed. In the same manner the promise is fulfilled to-day which God gave to Abraham, when he said in Genesis 22:18: “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Here Christ is meant, who takes away our curse and the power of sin, death and the devil.

8. All this is done, I say, by faith. For if you believe that by this seed the serpent has been slain, then it is slain for you; and if you believe that in this seed all nations are to be blessed, then you are also blessed. For each one individually should have crushed the serpent under foot and redeemed himself from the curse, which would have been too difficult, nay impossible for us. But now it has been done easily, namely, by Christ, who has crushed the serpent once, who alone is given as a blessing and benediction, and who has caused this Gospel to be published throughout the world, so that he who believes, accepts it and clings to it, is also in possession of it, and is assured that it is as he believes. For in the heart of such a man the Word becomes so powerful that he will conquer death, the devil, sin and all adversity, like Christ himself did. So mighty is the Word that God himself would sooner be vanquished than that his Word should be conquered.

9. This is the meaning of the words by St. Paul: “Christ was raised for our justification.” Here Paul turns my eyes away from my sins and directs them to Christ, for if I look at my sins, they will destroy me. Therefore I must look unto Christ who has taken my sins upon himself, crushed the head of the serpent and become the blessing. Now they no longer burden my conscience, but rest upon Christ, whom they desire to destroy. Let us see how they treat him. They hurl him to the ground and kill him. O God; where is now my Christ and my Savior? But then God appears, delivers Christ and makes him alive; and not only does he make him alive, but he translates him into heaven and lets him rule over all. What has now become of sin. There it lies under his feet. If I then cling to this, I have a cheerful conscience like Christ, because I am without sin. Now I can defy death, the devil, sin and hell to do me any harm. As I am a child of Adam, they can indeed accomplish it that I must die. But since Christ has taken my sins upon himself, has died for them, has suffered himself to be slain on account of my sins, they can no longer harm me; for Christ is too strong for them, they cannot keep him, he breaks forth and overpowers them, ascends into heaven (takes sin and sorrow captive, Ed. 1531), and rules there over all throughout eternity. Now I have a clear conscience, am joyful and happy and am no longer afraid of this tyrant, for Christ has taken my sins away from me and made them his own. But they cannot remain upon him; what then becomes of them? They must disappear and be destroyed. This then is the effect of faith. He who believes that Christ has taken away our sin, is without sin, like Christ himself, and death, the devil and hell are vanquished as far as he is concerned and they can no longer harm him.

Reformation Seminary - Apologetics Without Apologizing

 

Today - 11 AM - Apologetics - Without Apologizing 10 AM Central

Oops! I did not run the recording.

Zoom > I will have a new Zoom and recording tomorrow at 11 am Central.

1 Peter 3:15 - 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

15 κυριον δε τον θεον αγιασατε εν ταις καρδιαις υμων ετοιμοι δε αει προς απολογιαν  (apologian) παντι τω αιτουντι υμας λογον περι της εν υμιν ελπιδος μετα πραυτητος και φοβου

Apologetics means defending the faith, not apologizing for faith.

1. Use the brighter passages to illuminate the darker ones. Canaanite woman. Matthew 15:21.

2. Compare the parallel passages for details.

3. Take advantage of parables with explanations. Matthew 13 and Mark 4.

4. Translations are commentaries. Stick with the best one - KJV/Luther's.

5. Avoid most commentaries, most of the time.

6. Learning Greek is very helpful. It is a joke at most seminaries.

7. A Greek New Testament word can be googled with "Thayer" for explanations.

8. Pay attention to Jesus' responses to the opposition.

Upcoming Reformation Seminary Lectures This Week

 

Today - 11 AM - Apologetics - Without Apologizing

Tuesday - 11 AM - Holy Baptism for Infants and Adults

Wednesday - 7 PM - Holy Communion

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Easter and the Holy Sacrament - "What urged these good women to hazard life and body? It was nothing but the great love they bore to the Lord, which had sunk so deeply into their hearts that for his sake they would have risked a thousand lives."

 

Complete Sermon -  Second Sermon - Christ's Resurrection And

Its Benefits

EASTER SUNDAY. SECOND SERMON. MARK 16:1-8.


I. THE STORY OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION.

1. In the first place we shall briefly examine the text of this narrative, and afterwards speak of the benefits of the resurrection of Christ, and how we should build upon it. The text reads: “And when the sabbath was past.”

Here we must remember Mark writes of the sabbath according to the custom of the Hebrews, for according to the Jewish reckoning the day began in the evening and lasted until the evening of the next day, as the first chapter of Genesis says: “And there was evening and there was morning, one day,” “a second day,” “a third day,” and so forth. Thus the first and greatest sabbath began on the evening of the day when Christ was crucified, that is to say at the time of sunset on the evening of Friday. Our reckoning conveys the wrong sense. Yesterday was the great sabbath, when Christ lay in the grave; in addition to this the Jews had seven full days which they celebrated and all of which they called sabbaths, counting them from the first holiday after the great sabbath and calling it prima sabbathorum (first of the sabbaths), and the third holiday secundam sabbathorum (second of the sabbaths), and so forth. On these days they ate only wafers and unleavened bread, for which reason they are also called by the Evangelist the days of unleavened bread. From this we must conclude that Christ rose before sunrise and before the angel descended in the earthquake. Afterwards the angel only came to open the empty grave, etc., as has been clearly described by the Evangelists.

2. The question now arises: How can we say that he rose on the third day, since he lay in the grave only one day and two nights? According to the Jewish calculation it was only a day and a half; how shall we then persist in believing there were three days? To this we reply that he was in the state of death for at least a part of all three days. For he died at about two o’clock on Friday and consequently was dead for about two hours on the first day. After that night he lay in the grave all day, which is the true sabbath. On the third day, which we commemorate now, he rose from the dead and so remained in the state of death a part of this day, just as if we say that something occurred on Easter-day, although it happens in the evening, only a portion of the day. In this sense Paul and the Evangelists say that he rose on the third day.

3. For this period and no longer Christ was to lie in the grave, so that we might suppose that his body remained naturally uncorrupted and that decomposition had not yet set in. He came forth from the grave so soon that we might presume that corruption had not yet taken place according to the course of nature; for a corpse can lie no longer than three days before it begins to decompose. Therefore Christ was to rise on the third day, before he saw corruption.

4. The great longing and love of the women for the Lord must also be particularly noted here, so that unadvised and alone they go early to the grave, not thinking of the great stone which was rolled before the tomb.

They might have thought of this and taken a man with them. But they act like timid and sorrowing persons, and therefore they go on their way without even thinking of the most necessary things. They do not even think of the watchers who were clad in armor, nor of the wrath of Pilate and the Jews, but boldly they freely risk it and alone they venture on their way.

What urged these good women to hazard life and body? It was nothing but the great love they bore to the Lord, which had sunk so deeply into their hearts that for his sake they would have risked a thousand lives. Such courage they had not of themselves, but here the power of the resurrection of Christ was revealed, whose Spirit makes these women, who by nature are timid, so bold and courageous that they venture to do things which might have daunted a man.

Response for the First Reformation Seminary Lecture

 

Dear Pastor Greg,

Sure appreciated your first seminary class, and what a great way to start. I was late in finding out it had been scheduled so I had to watch it later, I shouldn't make the same mistake tomorrow. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Luther's teachings on the efficacy of the word and sacraments are an apt and ongoing example to the the Roman and Orthodox churches that they still don't know the half of what they have been given. At least the Orthodox don't withhold the cup at times. 

This Lutheran lesson should also alert Episcopalians or Anglicans (and all who may call themselves reformed) notice that the Bible itself gives no excuse for their teachings on the same. 

In any case, thank you for this seminary (and Thy Strong Word) and I will take notes and try to make these classes whenever you schedule them, good Lord willing. Right now, I should be able to attend either those during the day and/or night. --God bless you

***

GJ - This is the first lecture, on the efficacy of the Word.

Each lecture will start with Zoom, get converted into YouTube, and shared on Ichabod and also the Reformation Semiary blog.

Grand Canyon University Is Getting Lots of Attention in Basketball.

 

More links about GCU can be found on the CitizenFreePress site.

Palm Sunday, 2024.

Bethany Lutheran Church

Springdale, Arkansas

Worship, 10  AM Central

Zoom link ->https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83215914828pwd=slSWyY4GLgnNYadPIATbyy0Fb7WZXb.1

YouTube link will be here ->https://youtu.be/4YGW7CfyQfU

The Hymn #160         All Glory, Laud             

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution

The Introit p. 16

Be not Thou far from me, O Lord: O my Strength, haste Thee to help me.

Save me from the lion’s mouth: and deliver me from the horns of the unicorns.

Psalm. My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Why art Thou so far from helping Me?

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation                                       

The Collect p. 19

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast sent Thy Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon Him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross that all mankind should follow the example of His great humility, mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of His patience and also be made partakers of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual 

Gradual

Thou hast holden me by my right hand: Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory.

V. Truly, God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart: but as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well-nigh slipped; for I was grieved at the ungodly.

Tract. My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

V. Why art Thou so far from helping Me: and from the words of My roaring?

V. I am a worm and no man: a reproach of men and despised of the people.

V. Be not Thou far from Me, O Lord; O My Strength, haste Thee to help Me.

V. I will declare Thy name unto My brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee. 

V. They shall come and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born: that He hath done this. 

The Gospel              

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

The Sermon Hymn # 292                 Lord Jesus Christ With Us Abide                

 Between Light and Darkness

The Communion Hymn #339            All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

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 #341              Crown Him with Many Crowns                          

Prayers and Announcements

• Medical care - Randy Anderson, Dr. Kermit Way; Lori Howell, Sarah Buck, Pastor James Shrader and Chris Shrader, Callie and her mother Peggy.
• Reformation Seminary Lecture - Monday at 11 AM
• Reformation Seminary Lecture - Tuesday at 11 AM
• Reformation Seminary Lecture - Wednesday 7 PM
• Maundy Thursday Holy Communion, 7 PM Central Time.
• Good Friday Vespers, 7 PM.
• Easter Sunday Holy Communion. 10 AM.

KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes t hat went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Palm Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast caused Thy beloved Son to take our nature upon Himself, that He might give all mankind the example of humility and suffer death upon the cross for our sins: Mercifully grant us a believing knowledge of this, and that, following the example of His patience, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His sacred passion and death, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

  

Between Light and Darkness

KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,

When Jesus said He would go see His ailing friend Lazarus, fear and dread entered the mind of Thomas. 

KJV John 11:9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

The disciples were perplexed about the plans of Jesus, which were a combination of light and darkness. They arrived late at the funeral of Lazarus, but Jesus knew what to happen. He went to the tomb, connecting the two graves - KJV John 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid...Lazarus emerged from the grave when Jesus called him to life. Jesus and Lazarus were together at Bethany and approaching Jerusalem.

John 12:17 shows us that Lazarus, as the star, came with Jesus to Jerusalem, the crowds following them from the funeral and empty grave, being met by others coming out of Jerusalem, hearing the news about the risen Lazarus. 

2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

These events go together, to show that the raising of Lazarus revealed the divine power of Jesus, who would enter Jerusalem as the ultimate miracle-worker, the Messiah. The Promises of the Old Testament were coming to light. Jesus arrived as the salvation of Jerusalem, so great that the religious leaders were terrified of the consequences and what Rome would do. (John 11:48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.) The raising of Lazarus, the trip to Jerusalem, and the clamor of the crowd made the entry into Jerusalem the ultimate sign of His reign, though people only saw the glory and the triumph.

3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. (Zechariah 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.)

So many prophesies are a puzzle to us, when we read the Old Testament by itself. But when we see how it was fulfilled, the story is clearer than ever. The Old Testament is an enormous collection of Messianic Promises for the future, but they are often seen here and there, overlooked. The modernists have their own theories, trying to remove such thoughts from the Bible. A lot of the "experts" have difficulty reading and interpreting, because they have an agenda. The best interpreter of the Bible is the Bible - that is, the more we read with open eyes, the clearer everything becomes.

6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

This begins the greater part of His triumphal entry. He rode in with crowds following Him from Bethany and crowds coming out of Jerusalem to meet Him. He was surrounded by all these people shouting out their praises and putting down palm branches.

8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 

We are so young as a nation. King David's reign was around 1,000 BC. That kind of time is difficult to imagine. Creation was much earlier, the Promise of the Savior issued in Genesis 3:15, as they were expelled from Paradise. Many of the Promises were not clear to everyone at the time, but they certainly came into focus when Jesus died and rose again, as Lazarus did.

The Palm Sunday celebration was filled with light and darkness. People realized and saw the Messiah in their midst. Jesus knew what was next. They shouted phrases from the Scriptures and He knew what was also portrayed, in such passages as Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. In Matthew, as in John, some went overboard about Mary, foreshadowing what would develop after the Apostles.

9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

The crowds encircled Jesus and joined in their shouts of triumph. It was a mixture of light and darkness - the Son of David revealing Himself at the temporary grave of Lazarus,  and soon placed in His momentous stone grave. Both showed the power of God over death. The vexing part about Lazarus is that people generally ignore that part of Holy Week, and Jesus is emphasized so much that his friend is overshadowed.

Another way to look at it is to consider how important it was to have the funeral crowd in mourning and a greater crowd forming both from Lazarus and from Jesus Christ Himself, explaining God's power and soon exhibiting Himself in all His glory.

Light and darkness are basic in Holy Week, developed extensively to teach us about  the difficulties of life and the glory of eternal life. Luther expressed that in terms of spiritual assaults (Anfectungen). He went through years of anguish escaping the errors of Medieval papal traditions versus the Scriptures. When a Bible in the German language was developed by Luther and his colleagues, that outraged the opponents even more.

Luther's writings are so significant to people today because of his anguish. We contribute to the Christian Faith by understanding his work and the true Scriptures. Darkness and light are different. A  darkroom - for photography the old-fashioned way - must be sealed up so that no light can come in and ruin the film. The darker the room, the more the individual sees little beams of light identifying parts of that room. The darkness is not complete, light is still peeking in. We have the same potential, to share the light of Jesus' Gospel in this world of confusion and darkness. The true Light that illuminates the world cannot be extinguished, because the Messiah is King, eternal, worthy of 50 or more titles of majesty in the Scriptures.