Tom Fisher - Snow White Lambs

 

Dear Pastor Jackson,

It is raining this morning. All 13 lambs are staying close to their mother's side to keep dry. I noticed how white my lambs are even in rainy weather. This reminded me of Isaiah 1:18:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." 

God promises to forgive our sins.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8

Christ is the lamb of God who takes all our sins upon Himself.

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world." John 1:29

God our heavenly Father laid all our sins on Jesus.

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6

God our heavenly Father is merciful and gracious to us.

"The LORD executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so geat is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. " Psalm 103:6-13

In our baptism, God our heavenly Father clothed us in the righteousness of Christ and made us His dear children and heirs of eternal life.

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:5-7

We are justified by faith in Christ.

"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:26-27

Christ promises to raise us up from the dead on the last day.

"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have eternal life: and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:40

"Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD." Ezekiel 37:12-14

In Christ 

Tom Fisher

Alec Satin's Lutheran Library - Excellent Books for Lutherans And Those Lutherans Who Want To Be

 

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A Plain Commentary on the Psalms by William Fraser

…a plain and simple, and yet spiritual commentary on the Book of Psalms.

Fraser, William

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Sayings of Charles Porterfield Krauth

This little book consists of pithy selections from the biography of Charles Krauth. “Every sincere Christian should know Krauth.” This Lutheran Library “short” is taken from the two volume biography of Charles Krauth published by Adolph Spaeth.

Charles Porterfield Krauth

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A Man Spoke, The World Listened: The Story of Walter A. Maier

“The voice had an extraordinary range, for each week it was heard around the world. In Shanghai it introduced a Chinese highway engineer to Christianity. In Illinois it caused a woman who as driving to an illicit tryst to make a U-turn on the highway.

Maier, Paul L

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Luther's Galatians Commentary Complete and Unabridged by Martin Luther

“‘The Epistle to the Galatians was a favorite of Luther’s… He found in it a source of strength for his own faith and life, and an armory of weapons for his reforming work… He came to think very little of his earlier commentaries.

Martin Luther

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Luther's Galatians Commentary in Modern English (Graebner trans.)

“The preparation of this edition of Luther’s Commentary on Galatians was first suggested to me by Mr. P. J. Zondervan, of the firm of publishers, in March, 1937… ‘Luther is still the greatest name in Protestantism.

Martin Luther, Theodore Graebner

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Reformation Seminary - Enthusiasm in the Book of Concord

 

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The Smalcald Articles are in the Book of Concord.

Luther hoped for a genuine Christian conference with a fair debate. That did not happen.

The Smalcald Articles were approved by all the important Evangelical (Lutheran) leaders.

Enthusiasm means replacing the truth of the Word of God with man's factions.

1. The first example is Adam and Eve, who listened to Satan and abandoned the Word.

2. The Enthusiasts do not teach the Scriptures.

3. The Papacy and Islam are Enthusiasts.

4. The Spirit without the Word of God is Enthusiasm.

5. The prophets spoke through the Holy Spirit.

6. The apostles also spoke through the Spirit in teaching the Word.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Pentecost, Third Sermon - "As Christ has thus told his Christians beforehand of such suffering, so also does he wish to give this comfort and consolation beforehand, and desires to teach us not to despair because of suffering, but only to hold to his Word, even if it does seem that help is being too long delayed."

 

Third Sermon: The Promise of the Holy Spirit to those who Love Christ, and his Comfort because of his Departure; or Christ Gives his Disciples a Five-Fold Promise

II. THE SECOND PROMISE.

15. Of this promise, this comfort, to allay our feelings and fears, Christ assures us in the words translated “desolate” he will not leave you desolate.

The word translated “desolate” literally means “orphans.” By the use of this word Christ would intimate the condition of the Church. In the eyes of the world, and even in her own estimation, she has not the! appearance of a prosperous and well ordered organization; rather she is a scattered group of poor, miserable orphans, without leader, protection or help upon earth.

All the world laughs at her and ridicules her as a great fool in thinking that she is the Church and comprises the people of God. Furthermore, each individual is so burdened and oppressed in his need and suffering as to feel that no one else lies so low or is so far from help as he.

16. Such misery and fears grow upon one under the influence of the devil’s power, when he pierces the heart with his bitter, poisonous, murderous thrusts. Then the heart feels that it is not only forsaken by all men, but also by God himself. So it altogether loses Christ and sees no end to its misery.

Of this we have heard before in the Gospel where Christ says (John 16:20): “Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; ye shall be sorrowful” etc. To be left thus, that is, to feel that all things have conspired to leave us comfortless and helpless, is to be left orphans indeed.

17. As Christ has thus told his Christians beforehand of such suffering, so also does he wish to give this comfort and consolation beforehand, and desires to teach us not to despair because of suffering, but only to hold to his Word, even if it does seem that help is being too long delayed. He desires to remind us of the promise that he will not leave us fast in misery, and that we should accord him the highest honor due to God, by holding him to be true and faithful. He says: It shall not continue forever, but only a little, a short time. And he says here: “I come unto you.” Again: “A little while, and the world beholdeth me no more.” That hour will seem to you an hour of sadness indeed, yea, an unending hour of death. “But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice.”

18. This is a sufficient promise of friendship and comfort. But we need only to learn to believe it, and to experience the truth that in our greatest weakness he guides his Church by wonderful divine power and protects and upholds her, so that she shall endure in spite of all. Yea, it shall be that in the greatest sadness there shall be comfort; in the greatest misery and desolation, joy and help; in death, everlasting life; until these better things come to be our possession, and the heart, having overcome all evil and being filled with the unspeakable joy of salvation, hears the bold, joyful word of victory which Christ utters: “Because I live, ye shall live also,” and as we beautifully sing in Psalm 118:15-17: “The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of Jehovah.”

This is what St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:10 concerning comfort and help for these poor orphans: “We are always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body.”

And Christ says in Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

19. Observe, this is the sublime wisdom and knowledge of Christians, which the Holy Spirit has revealed to them and of which the world knows nothing whatever. The world must confess that it knows nothing of this comfort, and that, further, it is impelled by the devil to despise and resist the Holy Spirit’s preaching concerning such comfort. Therefore, Christ passes judgment upon it for the comfort of Christians: “Whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him.” Oh, that is a fearful utterance, to be told that it cannot receive the Holy Spirit. It must follow from this that the world has no part in the kingdom of God; that it is forever separated from God and must remain in the power of the devil and in the bonds of hell. But it is also a just and well-deserved punishment upon the world, for the world will not have it otherwise, since it so shamefully despises, blasphemes and persecutes Christ, the Son of God, together with his Word and the Holy Spirit. So much, then, on the office of the Holy Spirit, concerning which the chapter just before the text teaches. Upon this follows now the Gospel: “If a man love me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him.”

Luther's Great Statement on Our Trials - Pentecost, Third Sermon

 

"Yea, it shall be that in the greatest sadness there shall be comfort; in the greatest misery and desolation, joy and help; in death, everlasting life; until these better things come to be our possession, and the heart, having overcome all evil and being filled with the unspeakable joy of salvation, hears the bold, joyful word of victory which Christ utters: “Because I live, ye shall live also,” and as we beautifully sing in Psalm 118:15-17: “The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of Jehovah.”

Bethany and her nurse Ida - no two could be more joyful. If anyone dropped something or spilled food and cussed, Bethany laughed and laughed, and got everyone else laughing as well. Nurses called her "Angel." One said, "I had 10 children and no one taught me love better her."