Reformation Seminary Lectures Will Be the Priority

 

Yes, I will continue to post the Daily Luther Sermon Quote, which will appear in the same  place, always Luther and usually daily. I need Luther's spiritual wisdom too more than the rest of you. 

The Reformation Seminary Lectures will be on the front page of Ichabod but also on the blog designated only for the lectures.  I am changing the name for the page (not the actual link) so it is more obvious. The original address is https://gregoryljackson.blogspot.com

With a little bit of coaxing the Lectures page will show up on Internet searches. The Lectures will show up on the Ultimate Blog List on the left column of Ichabod. The latest lecture will be on the top of the Lectures blog.

Marvin Schwan Foundation

 

https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/marvin-m-schwan-charitable-foundation

Overview for The Marvin M Schwan Charitable Foundation

Total assets $458,156,582	Total giving $13,463,831
Average grant amount $1,682,978	Median grant amount $1,449,165

New Hymn Graphic by Norma Boeckler - Behold the Lamb of God

"Behold the Lamb of God!"
by Matthew Bridges, 1800-1894

Tune - "Ecce Agnus"

1. Behold the Lamb of God!
0 Thou for sinners slain,
Let it not be in vain
That Thou hast died!
Thee for my Savior let me take,
My only refuge let me make
Thy pierced side.

2. Behold the Lamb of God!
Into the sacred flood
Of Thy most precious blood
My soul I cast.
Wash me and make me pure and clean,
Uphold me through life's changeful scene,
Till all be past.

3. Behold the Lamb of God!
All hail, incarnate Word!
Thou everlasting Lord,
Purge out our leaven;
Clothe us with godliness and good,
Feed us with Thy celestial food,
Manna from heaven.

4. Behold the Lamb of God!
Worthy is He alone
To sit upon the throne
Of God above,
One with the Ancient of all days,
One with the Paraclete in praise,
All Light, all Love!

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #165
Text: John 1:29
Author: Matthew Bridges, 1848, ab., alt.
Tc Tune: "Ecce Agnus"
1st Published in: _Neues GesangbuchTown: Dresden, 1, 1593, ad.

Oreos?

 

Reformation Seminary - Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz - The Founders

 

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson PhD

This Vimeo Link is the introduction to Reformation Seminary.

Martin Luther lived 1483 to 1546. He wrote the equivalent of 100 encyclopedia volumes and translated the New Testament from Greek to German, the rest of the Bible with a team of scholars, establishing the German language through the translation. 

Philip Melanchthon lived 1497 to 1560. He is known for leading the Augsburg Confession, the Apology (Defense of the Augsburg Confession), and many other works.

Both lived 63 years.

Martin Chemnitz studied under Luther and Melanchthon.

He lived from 1522 to 1586.

Chemnitz was the senior editor of the Book of Concord and wrote - among many other things - Examination of the Council of Trent.

The Reformation Does Not Include Zwingli, Calvin, 

Anabaptists, and Rome

Zwingli rejected the efficacy of the Word and the Means of Grace, rejecting Luther's Biblical doctrine.

Calvin followed Zwingli in time and in rationalistic doctrine.

Roman Catholicism continued the errors of the Middle Ages, making the Bishop of Rome the Pope.

Zwingli - 1484 - 1531

 Calvin, 1509 - 1564

Pope John 23 was the last pope to wear the tiara, which signifies the papal rule over the entire world.

The Little Colleges Are Falling Like Ten-Pins

 

An academic colleague (name withheld) was applying for a teaching job in science. One Christian school was cited and in the process of being considered. The entire department was dropped before it even got started, and I said, "Great! Do not count on a small college. Look for state jobs." That happened for this person and led to tenure, which is almost meaningless for small schools.

The Boomer era peaked a long time ago, so no one should be shocked by the closing or selling of colleges with spiraling costs upward and enrollment figures downward. Gone is the fantasy that simply going to college and getting a high-priced, loan-encumbered degree will promise prosperity.

The Lutherans - ELCA included - are closing or merging programs with haste, smoke, and mirrors. ELCA seminaries are easy to find but have devious statistics. Lots of seminaries claim distant students, so someone taking a single course is listed. In the golden days, someone was either a full-time student or not. The facilities remain while the cost of maintenance soars. No thought is given anywhere about spending on tuition reduction rather than polishing the marble in their beloved mausoleum. 

 This is the graphic posted on the first page for United Lutheran Seminary, ELCA.

Federal student loans are just too juicy for the schools to ignore - instant cash for the managers, lifelong debt for the eventual graduates and for the numerous dropouts.

The LCMS has been selling off its colleges wherever they can. HotChalk did not save one school, but the liabilities and lawsuits remain.

WELS and the Little Sect on the Prairie should have prepared for this, but no, they had the eternal gusher of Marvin Schwan money -

1. Library at Wisconsin Lutheran College, $50k annual tuition, room, board, booze
2. Bethany Lutheran College and Copper Top Chapel
3. Martin Luther College for Women Ministers.
4. Two seminaries shrinking like raisins.

In short, the failing ELS and WELS have three liberal arts colleges within a short driving distance, from Milwaukee to Mankato, a five-hour drive, not unlike the S.S. Minnow, and not including the CLC (sic) summer camp in Eau Claire.

In ancient days, higher education depended on the professors, not the buildings. A beautiful gym does not teach students - and sadly - there are bigger, better gyms all over. 

The biggest weakness is leadership. The ones pulling the strings are not capable, scholarly, or frugal. They grab for the short-term so the next generation can accelerate the closings.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 1 - "He who believes in Christ must find riches in poverty, honor in dishonor, joy in sorrow, life in death, and hold fast to them in that faith which clings to the Word and expects such things."

 

Complete sermon -> Luther's Sermons - Matthew 21:1-9.

First Sunday in Advent. Christ Enters Jerusalem: or Faith; Good Works; and the Spiritual Meaning of This Gospel

12. This faith is condemned by apostate and rebellious Christians, the pope, bishops, priests, monks, and the universities. They call it arrogance to desire to be like the saints. Thereby they fulfill the prophecy of Peter in 2 Peter 2:2, where he says of these false teachers: “By reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.” For this reason, when they hear faith praised, they think love and good works are prohibited. In their great blindness they do not know what faith, love and good works are. If you would be a Christian you must permit these words to be spoken to you and hold fast to them and believe without a doubt that you will experience what they say. You must not consider it arrogance that in this you are like the saints, but rather a necessary humility and despair not of God’s grace but of your own worthiness. Under penalty of the loss of salvation, does God ask for boldness toward his proffered grace. If you do not desire to become holy like the saints, where will you abide? That would be arrogance if you desired to be saved by your own merit and works, as the Papists teach. They call that arrogance which is faith, and that faith which is arrogance; poor, miserable, deluded people!

13. If you believe in Christ and in his advent, it is the highest praise and thanks to God to be holy. If you recognize, love, and magnify his grace and work in you, and cast aside and condemn self and the works of self, then you are a Christian. We say: “I believe in the holy Christian church, the communion of saints.” Do you desire to be a part of the holy Christian church and communion of saints, you must also be holy as she is, yet not of yourself but through Christ alone in whom all are holy.

14. Thirdly he says: “Behold.” With this word he rouses us at once from sleep and unbelief as though he had something great, strange, or remarkable to offer, something we have long wished for and now would receive with joy. Such waking up is necessary for the reason that everything that concerns faith us against reason and nature; for example, how can nature and reason comprehend that such an one should be king of Jerusalem who enters in such poverty and humility as to ride upon a borrowed ass? How does such an advent become a great king? But faith is of the nature that it does not judge nor reason by what it sees or feels but by what it hears. It depends upon the Word alone and not on vision or sight. For this reason Christ was received as a king only by the followers of the word of the prophet, by the believers in Christ, by those who judged and received his kingdom not by sight but by the spirit — these are the true daughters of Zion. For it is not possible for those not to be offended in Christ who walk by sight and feeling and do not adhere firmly to the Word.

15. Let us receive first and hold fast this picture in which the nature of faith is placed before us. For as the appearance and object of faith as here presented is contrary to nature and reason, so the same ineffectual and unreasonable appearance is to be found in all articles and instances of faith.

It would be no faith if it appeared and acted as faith acts and as the words indicate. It is faith because it does not appear and deport itself as faith and as the words declare.

If Christ had entered in splendor like a king of earth, the appearance and the words would have been according to nature and reason and would have seemed to the eye according to the words, but then there would have been no room for faith. He who believes in Christ must find riches in poverty, honor in dishonor, joy in sorrow, life in death, and hold fast to them in that faith which clings to the Word and expects such things.

16. Fourthly: “Thy king.” Here he distinguishes this king from all other kings. It is thy king, he says, who was promised to you, whose own you are, who alone shall direct you, yet in the spirit and not in the body. It is he for whom you have yearned from the beginning, whom the fathers have desired to see, who will deliver you from all that has hitherto burdened, troubled, and held you captive.

Oh, this is a comforting word to a believing heart, for without Christ, man is subjected to many raging tyrants who are not kings but murderers, at whose hands he suffers great misery and fear. These are the devil, the flesh, the world, sin, also the law and eternal death, by all of which the troubled conscience is burdened, is under bondage, and lives in anguish. For where there is sin there is no clear conscience; where there is no clear conscience, there is a life of uncertainty and an unquenchable fear of death and hell in the presence of which no real joy can exist in the heart, as Leviticus 26:36 says: “The sound of a driven leaf shall chase them.”

17. Where the heart receives the king with a firm faith, it is secure and does not fear sin, death, hell, nor any other evil; for he well knows and in no wise doubts that this king is the Lord of life and death, of sin and grace, of hell and heaven, and that all things are in his hand. For this reason he became our king and came down to us that he might deliver us from these tyrants and rule over us himself alone. Therefore he who is under this king cannot be harmed either by sin, death, hell, Satan, man or any other creature. As his king lives without sin and is blessed, so must he be kept forever without sin and death in living blessedness.

Let Me Repeat Luther's Statement in This Graphic

 

I was reading Luther's commentary on Romans and used the quotation I published in the graphic above. Patsy Leppien was finishing What's Going On Among the Lutherans? She asked me for help in research, which made an ELS pastor furious. In fact, the most obnoxious responses about her work in revealing apostasy came from the so-called Lutheran pastors. Their attacks were vicious and frequent, not LCA/ALC but LCMS-WELS-ELS! We discussed that experience because I found Luther's statement above so encouraging. 

I lobbied for What's Going Wrong Among the Lutherans? because it was more fitting, perhaps too much on the mark. Later, a pastor told me how destructive the book was, and he considered himself conservative. The book was not polemical but fair and accurate in proving the LCA/ALC doctrines were false and anti-Biblical.

Although the LCMS-ELS-WELS corporate managers have prided themselves on being "conservative," serving as the right hand of Luther himself, they have adopted and promoted:

1. The worst ever Bible paraphrase - the NIV, made even worse with the new NIV.
2. Negligence of the works of Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz.
3. Pentecostal-Babtist entertainment "worship" services.
4. A four-lane highway trampled bare to Fuller Seminary, Trinity Divinity, and other squirming, wiggling piles of festering maggots.
5. Pop songs rather than hymns.
6. Abandoning male leadership in rejecting 1 Timothy 2:12.
7. Lying down with dawgs (ELCA) and getting up with fleas.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 1 - "This is one of the verses in which the Gospel is promised of which Paul writes in Romans 1:2; for the Gospel is a sermon from Christ, as he is here placed before us, calling for faith in him."

 

"Patient continuance is so altogether necessary that no work can be good in which patient continuance is lacking."

KJV Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Complete sermon -> Luther's Sermons - Matthew 21:1-9.

First Sunday in Advent. Christ Enters Jerusalem: or Faith; Good Works; and the Spiritual Meaning of This Gospel

7. First he says: “Tell ye” the daughter of Zion. This is said to the ministry and a new sermon is given them to preach, namely, nothing but what the words following indicate, a right knowledge of Christ. Whoever preaches anything else is a wolf and deceiver. This is one of the verses in which the Gospel is promised of which Paul writes in Romans 1:2; for the Gospel is a sermon from Christ, as he is here placed before us, calling for faith in him.

8. I have often said that there are two kinds of faith. First, a faith in which you indeed believe that Christ is such a man as he is described and proclaimed here and in all the Gospels, but do not believe that he is such a man for you, and are in doubt whether you have any part in him and think:

Yes, he is such a man to others, to Peter, Paul, and the blessed saints; but who knows that he is such to me and that I may expect the same from him and may confide in it, as these saints did?

9. Behold, this faith is nothing, it does not receive Christ nor enjoy him, neither can it feel any love and affection for him or from him. It is a faith about Christ and not in or of Christ, a faith which the devils also have as well as evil men. For who is it that does not believe that Christ is a gracious king to the saints? This vain and wicked faith is now taught by the pernicious synagogues of Satan. The universities (Paris and her sister schools), together with the monasteries and all Papists, say that this faith is sufficient to make Christians. In this way they virtually deny Christian faith, make heathen and Turks out of Christians, as St. Peter in 2 Peter 2:1 had foretold: “There shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them.”

10. In the second place he particularly mentions, “The daughter of Zion.” In these words he refers to the other, the true faith. For if he commands that the following words concerning Christ be proclaimed, there must be some one to hear, to receive, and to treasure them in firm faith. He does not say: Tell of the daughter of Zion, as if some one were to believe that she has Christ; but to her you are to say that she is to believe it of herself, and not in any wise doubt that it will be fulfilled as the words declare. That alone can be called Christian faith, which believes without wavering that Christ is the Savior not only to Peter and to the saints but also to you.

Your salvation does not depend on the fact that you believe Christ to be the Savior of the godly, but that he is a Savior to you and has become your own.

11. Such a faith will work in you love for Christ and joy in him, and good works will naturally follow. If they do not, faith is surely not present; for where faith is, there the Holy Ghost is and must work love and good works.

12. This faith is condemned by apostate and rebellious Christians, the pope, bishops, priests, monks, and the universities. They call it arrogance to desire to be like the saints. Thereby they fulfill the prophecy of Peter in 2 Peter 2:2, where he says of these false teachers: “By reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.” For this reason, when they hear faith praised, they think love and good works are prohibited. In their great blindness they do not know what faith, love and good works are. If you would be a Christian you must permit these words to be spoken to you and hold fast to them and believe without a doubt that you will experience what they say. You must not consider it arrogance that in this you are like the saints, but rather a necessary humility and despair not of God’s grace but of your own worthiness. Under penalty of the loss of salvation, does God ask for boldness toward his proffered grace. If you do not desire to become holy like the saints, where will you abide? That would be arrogance if you desired to be saved by your own merit and works, as the Papists teach. They call that arrogance which is faith, and that faith which is arrogance; poor, miserable, deluded people!

Bethany Lutheran College (ELS) Shrinking Its Education Coverage - Fast. God Is Repaying the ELS-LCMS-WELS for Their Sins

 

Nobody writes about all the money from Marvin Schwan, so he could attach his name to the copper top chapel and other buildings for the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie. Also - Wisconsin Lutheran College, and other brick and mortar efforts were to absolve Marvin for the way he abandoned his wife - and the tragic result for her. Hush hush. Do not talk about it, so they lay their holy blame on someone else. I have written many times about the greedy management boards lusting for buildings with no regard for the decline in enrollments.  

WELS is no different from the ELS. The millionaire donor wants to marry the lady he was living with? No problem! A fake pastor the same? No problem!

The LCMS is also no different. Marvin laid his anointing and anointed hands on the Schwan Timothy and Titus Chapel at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis - to the tune of $1 million. But lo! He also bought a campus for them, which the seminary bought from him!

The Free Press

MANKATO — The Glen A. Taylor Foundation has donated an undisclosed “substantial” amount to Bethany Lutheran College to help fund the ongoing construction of the Bethany Activity and Wellness Center, according to the college.

The 84,000 square-foot multipurpose facility remains the biggest construction project in Bethany history and will provide recreational space for students and the Bethany Vikings athletic program.

The center at the private college also will offer the Greater Mankato community an open-to-the-public quality fitness and recreational space, indoor and outdoor. Youth sports teams and community groups in the Mankato area will be available to rent the space for use as well, stated a news release.

The $16.7 million center is expected to open early 2023.

Bethany Student and Faculty Statements

I am very disappointed in Bethany Lutheran College (ELS), Mankato, for removing their history and philosophy departments in favor of sports. I cannot imagine a more un-Luther-an thing to do, beyond removing theology and the Biblical languages.  And if we think this will not affect Missouri, let’s remember this college was the alma mater of the Preus brothers (Jacob and Robert).

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It is with a very heavy heart that I announce the Bethany administration will eliminate my coaching position starting in the 2024-2025 school year. I did not agree with this decision.

There will no longer be a Speech and Debate Team coach. They hope the team will carry on as a student-run program. No details on how that will work were provided. I will be moving into the classroom full-time. 

To my team, sorrow is too light a word for what I feel. I love you all.

To the Bethany Speech and Debate Team alumni, I thank you for making the last 22 years wonderful. Every year was a different collection of personalities that harmonized together to form a team bond I have always admired. There was never a dull moment. Well...maybe while waiting for awards to start. Thank you!

To my fellow coaches and colleagues, thank you for your support of the Bethany team and the tournaments we hosted. I have always argued that Speech and Debate is the most educational activity on a college campus. You have made that possible for thousands of students. Keep fighting the good fight. Feel free to add me to your judging pool!

Please remember the power of the spoken word! Please continue to shine this beacon of knowledge and understanding, even as that beacon goes out at Bethany. 

I have been truly blessed to be a part of such an amazing activity for so long!

--Jon Loging

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Laura Henry

History, philosophy, social studies, Latin, interdisciplinary studies, theater major and minor, speech have all been cut and debate has been reduced to a student led extracurricular, the choir tours have been reduced in scope as well. That is what I have gathered through my conversations with other alumni.

We are all waiting for an official statement or explanation/justification from the board of regents. 🤷‍♀️

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15 hours ago

  · 

Well said, please consider sending this to the regents and administrators of Bethany Lutheran College

Katie Skogen

19 hours ago

  · 

The Bethany discussion that has exploded this week concerns more than the theatre, history, philosophy, etc. departments. It *is* about those, but it is also so much deeper.

Why do we palpably feel such great passion and lament in the words of those involved with the Bethany theatre, history, and speech programs over the cuts recently made? I suspect it is because these students were allowed to grapple with works by some of the greatest thinkers and writers of all time. When a person plumbs the depths of truth, beauty, and goodness found within such works, the impact is soul deep. The key that unlocked this impact, however, is that these students were not just handed a great work and then left alone to wonder, "What does this mean to me?" No, a professor, unashamedly anchored in Scripture, carefully and enthusiastically led students through every work. From the professors' decades-long impact, it is clear that their anchoring in Scripture was not just something they left at church after service on Sunday, something that had little to do with their 'real' life. Life in Christ was all of life, not something merely sprinkled in alongside the language of the world. Through that Christian lens, armed with Scripture and beautiful art, they taught students how to better love what is worth loving and to better hate what is worth hating. It is nearly impossible to shake off the formation such an education gives. Hence, such heartfelt grief and lamentation.

As far as I know, there is no formal communication on what was decided or why. I appreciate those working to make difficult decisions, however, the decisions made are not in line with the written mission of Bethany. It is not possible to be a liberal arts college without scholarship in history and philosophy. These types of decisions do not appear out of thin air, so they must be part of a trajectory away from the liberal arts that began long before last week.  Is it too late to change this trajectory? It would take such a great amount of unified effort and ingenuity and bravery. Perhaps the few who have given themselves to such individual effort and ingenuity and bravery have been sidelined and this time with the wind completely knocked out of them, or, perhaps, this is unsurprising to them, and, seeing the earnest solidarity of so many this week, they once again feel some wind in their sails. I don’t know, and I don’t know how to find out. Thank you to those who have seen this trajectory since the beginning and have fought it respectfully and eloquently. 

Are those of us who are joining the conversation so late reaching for something that is already gone?  Or is there some possible way to do the intense dialectical conversing and dissecting and reworking that would be inevitable to knock the college off its current path? Could we ever find where the trajectory changed course and begin at that common ground? The 2006-2007 Bethany Lutheran Faculty Handbook stated, “We consider a liberal arts education *fundamental* in achieving the college’s basic mission, namely, to enable students to grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by means of the Gospel [emphasis added].” [1] Wow, the liberal arts as fundamental to growing in the knowledge of Jesus! Without unified agreement that a serious focus on history, philosophy, rhetoric, and the arts are worth our utmost effort to preserve, this quote is true for Bethany no longer. What would it take to get that back?

At the dedication of the S.C. Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center in 1990, President George Orvick emphasized the connection of the liberal arts to Christian education by quoting Ylvisaker, “Side by side with the general, the specific, and the Christian training goes the cultural, the indefinable something which adds richness, beauty, mellowness, and refinement. The source and wellspring of all true refinement is Christian faith, and no one is truly refined who does not own this faith. Christian education is therefore not true to itself if it does not include in its training some way to provide a mode of expression for this culture and appreciation of it in others.” [2] No matter the future, we know that leaders of Bethany once believed these things, we know there are some who love our dear Bethany who believe them still, and we can rejoice that God would ever use our institution to assist in the proclamation of the Truth of Jesus Christ.

O Jesus, Thou who often wended

Thy way of yore to Bethany

And there Thy mission-work attended

For dead and living lovingly,

Come help us make our Bethany

A humble place, O Lord, for Thee! [3]

[1] Bethany Lutheran College Faculty, “The Liberal Arts: Our Common Understanding (2002),” in Telling the Next Generation: The Evangelical Lutheran Synod's Vision for Christian Education, 1918-2011 and Beyond, eds. Ryan C. MacPherson, Paul G. Madson, and Peter M. Madson (Mankato: Evangelical Lutheran Synod Historical Society, 2011), 313-314.

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Jake Yenish

3 days ago

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It saddens me to hear that Bethany Lutheran College has decided to cut the theatre major and minor.  On a professional level I spent 17 years at Bethany as a student and eventually an adjunct faculty member.  I discovered my calling and career as an educator and theatre practitioner.  In my time with there I helped produce approximately 70 shows.

On a personal level I had the opportunity to learn from the best human being I know, Peter Bloedel.  Pete taught us in the classroom about plays and performing.  On stage he taught us about excellence. And in all things Pete taught us about what it means to be a Christian in the Arts.  

I want desperately for Bethany to reconsider this decision.  To realize that the arts go far beyond the cost of the faculty and production budget.  To understand that the arts are a reflection of the greatness of a society and that part of being made in the image of God is to reflect his nature as a creator.  

It is a short sighted decision to undo the work of generations of Bethany students who have participated in theatre and the generations of Bethany community that have benefitted from said same productions.  

If this decision stands the world will be a lesser place for it.  And Bethany will be a lesser light shining in the darkness.

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[2] George M. Orvick, “Sermon for Dedication of the S. C. Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center (1990),” in Telling the Next Generation: The Evangelical Lutheran Synod's Vision for Christian Education, 1918-2011 and Beyond, eds. Ryan C. MacPherson, Paul G. Madson, and Peter M. Madson (Mankato: Evangelical Lutheran Synod Historical Society, 2011), 421.

[3] Ingebrigt J. Blåkkan, “Bethany (1928),” in Telling the Next Generation: The Evangelical Lutheran Synod's Vision for Christian Education, 1918-2011 and Beyond, eds. Ryan C. MacPherson, Paul G. Madson, and Peter M. Madson (Mankato: Evangelical Lutheran Synod Historical Society, 2011), 163.

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I recently discovered that Bethany Lutheran College is dropping their History and Theater majors. After dropping professors and other important majors in 2018 while I still attended I am shocked that this would happen again. Art, theater, and history are vital to the lifeline of a college. They are what makes a liberal arts education what it is. Without it, the rich education of the students at Bethany will be severely degraded. Makes you question what steps Bethany will take in the future to better the college. This is honestly such disappointing news and I encourage people to speak up and reach out.

Marvin Schwan was the patron saint of the LCMS-WELS-ELS.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Advent 1 - "Nothing but the mercy, tenderness and kindness of Christ are here shown, and he who so receives and believes on him is saved."

 

Complete sermon -> Luther's Sermons - Matthew 21:1-9.

First Sunday in Advent. Christ Enters Jerusalem: or Faith; Good Works; and the Spiritual Meaning of This Gospel

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT.


TEXT: Matthew 21:1-9. And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any one say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did even as Jesus appointed them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments; and he sat thereon. And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the way. And the multitudes that went before him, 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.




1. In the preface I said that there are two things to be noted and considered in the Gospel lessons: first, the works of Christ presented to us as a gift and blessing on which our faith is to cling and exercise itself; secondly, the same works offered as an example and model for us to imitate and follow.

All the Gospel lessons thus throw light first on faith and then on good works. We will therefore consider this Gospel under three heads: speaking first of faith; secondly of good works, and thirdly of the lesson story and its hidden meaning.

I. CONCERNING FAITH.

2. This Gospel encourages and demands faith, for it prefigures Christ coming with grace, whom none may receive or accept save he who believes him to be the man, and has the mind, as this Gospel portrays in Christ. Nothing but the mercy, tenderness and kindness of Christ are here shown, and he who so receives and believes on him is saved. He sits not upon a proud steed, an animal of war, nor does he come in great pomp and power, but sitting upon an ass, an animal of peace fit only for burdens and labor and a help to man. He indicates by this that he comes not to frighten man, nor to drive or crush him, but to help him and to carry his burden for him. And although it was the custom of the country to ride on asses and to use horses for war, as the Scriptures often tell us, yet here the object is to show that the entrance of this king shall be meek and lowly.

Again it also shows the pomp and conduct of the disciples towards Christ who bring the colt to Christ, set him thereon, and spread their garments in the way; also that of the multitude who also spread their garments in the way and cut branches from the trees. They manifested no fear nor terror, but only blessed confidence in him as one for whom they dared to do such things and who would take it kindly and readily consent to it.

3. Again, he begins his journey and comes to the Mount of Olives to indicate that he comes out of pure mercy. For olive oil in the Scriptures signifies the grace of God that soothes and strengthens the soul as oil soothes and strengthens the body.

4. Thirdly, there is no armor present, no war-cry, but songs and praise, rejoicing and thanksgiving to the Lord.

5. Fourthly, Christ weeps, as Luke 19:41, writes, weeps over Jerusalem because she does not know nor receive such grace; yet he was so grieved at her loss that he did not deal harshly with her.

6. Fifthly, his goodness and mercy are best shown when he quotes the words of the prophets, Isaiah 62:11; Zechariah 9:9, and tenderly invites men to believe and accept Christ, for the fulfilling of which prophecies the events of this Gospel took place and the story was written, as the Evangelist himself testifies. Therefore we must look upon this verse as the chief part of this Gospel, for in it Christ is pictured to us and we are told what we are to believe, and to expect of him, what we are to seek in him, and how we may be benefited by him.

Charlie Sue and Friends

 

Charlie Sue is very bright, easy to teach, timid indoors, fun and always unpredictable. When asked to do things (like coming indoors), she sometimes puts her head down, walks sadly away, sits, and looks proudly as if to say, "You are not my boss."

Drought plus Charlie racing in the back = no grass.

Charlie Sue is a Patterdale Terrier, a prankster, a remarkable digger and runner. 

Porchie is a Great Pyrenees, the first of Charlie's students in racing up and down the fence. All three are diggers, so we added chicken wire and obstacles to the fence. 

Charlie Sue has trained Dustmop, Porchie, and the Doggie Daycare dogs to race along the fence with her. She barks commands at them but never barks in the house.

Trinity 25 2023 - We Walk by Faith

The Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity, 2023

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Vimeo Link for Trinity 25

 

 

The Hymn #200   I Know That My Redeemer Lives

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies and from them that persecute me.

Let me not be ashamed, O Lord: 

for I have called upon Thee.

Psalm. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: 

let me never be ashamed.

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

Collect

Almighty God, we beseech Thee, show Thy mercy unto Thy humble servants, that we who put no trust in our own merits may not be dealt with after the severity of Thy judgment, but according to Thy mercy; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual  

Gradual

Thine enemies roar in the midst of Thy congregations: they set up their ensigns for signs.

V. Remember Thy congregation which Thou hast purchased of old: the rod of Thine inheritance, which Thou hast redeemed. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God: 

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. Hallelujah!

    

The Gospel              

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

The Sermon Hymn #611        The Day Is Surely Drawing Near

   

We Walk by Faith

The Communion Hymn #316                O Living Bread  Winkworth translation

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 #649           Jesus Savior Pilot Me             

Prayers and Announcements

• Our Biblical doctrine series has a name - Reformation Seminary. Zoom has another step in W-9.
• In treatment - Kermit Way; Randy Anderson; ; Pastor Jim Shrader (surgery) and Chris; Sarah Buck; Lori Howell; Dr. Lito Cruz and his father. 
• Callie and her parents; little Aaron with the heart problem;
• Those suffering from emotional and metabolic stress.

 Norma A. Boeckler 

KJV 1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 Norma A. Boeckler 

KJV Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

We Walk by Faith

KJV Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

These passages leave us with two parallel thoughts. One is that the end will come at any time, appointed only by God the Father. Jesus warned the disciples strictly, and this is recorded more than once. No one knows the time.

On the other hand, the warning is clearly stated so that no one takes for granted what will come, how quickly time will come to an end. So what did the early church fathers do? This is very important, because it became the core of institutional thinking. The answer teaches us all about the decline of the Christian Faith, even though the institution grew across the world. The era of the pope was already established by Augustine's time (the 400s). When there was a dispute about justification, Augustine wrote famously - "Rome has spoken - the case is closed." Gone was the meeting of Biblical teachers in keeping the truth of the Scriptures. Following the rigid structure of the failing Roman Empire, the Christian Church set up one supreme ruler, the Bishop of Rome, who called himself the First Among Equals, not just a bishop (shepherd) but superior to the rest.

Nothing teaches us in the Scriptures about holy people going out and living alone or in groups of believers far away from society. Nothing forbids marriage. In fact, the Scriptures show us that marriage and family are blessings from God, not burdens of sin. Nevertheless, already by Augustine's time, priests did not marry. Communes of women and men gathered to follow religious orders and to keep each other working to support themselves, sometimes by begging as well. 

This set up a toxin which remains to this day, not only the Antichrist sitting on his throne, but also people seeking holiness by craving a higher order of the Faith with robes, incense, special clothing, retreats away from society, and all kinds of drama in worship. Chemnitz said about the Roman Mass (Holy Communion) that the priest carried on so much that it was difficult to laugh or cry during the performance.

What do we have today? Supposed Lutheran pastors (Latin for shepherd) crave special, expensive clothing, clouds of incense, bowing, kneeling, long on requirements but short on Biblical knowledge, often opposed to the Gospel itself, especially Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz.

As Luther wrote in this sermon, what is essential? Going out into the wilderness to form a secluded hideaway, free from sin? My relatives in Michigan were Millerites, named because they began by selling all their goods and going up on a mountain to wait for the End of the World - twice! They became the Seventh Day Adventists and set up all kinds of special rules. One Noel/Jackson family` decided to move from their Ohio farm to Iowa, where they began raising pigs (not allowed!) and became Evangelicals. 

One Adventist family in Midland, Michigan told us they could not use any animal products at all. They told us about many of their other rules as well. Their son could not dance but he showed us how to do the Moon Walk. I said, "I thought you were not allowed to dance." He said, "Of all the dances I am not allowed to do, that one is my favorite." I thought that summed up legalism quite well - ignoring the Gospel and making up rules for sanctification (holiness, perfection, purity).

In spite of the dire warnings from Jesus about the end of time, various Christian leaders have ordered and emphasized the opposite of what He taught and still teaches today. The answer is not to run into the wilderness to be away from society. This not only goes on today in the Church of Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy but also in various world religions, such as in India and the rest of Asia. The response of so many kinds of religions, expressions, and worship suggests there might be one answer, not 10,000 opinions.

Luther:

22. Now it is high time for him to run and flee, who is able to flee; let everything he has behind and depart; the sooner the better; not with his feet but with his heart, in such a way that he will be rid of the abomination and enter the kingdom of Christ through faith. 

False religions search for actions and works, but Luther wisely taught that the answer is faith - and the answer can only be faith in Jesus Christ, because all the actions are the work of man. The substance of the entire Bible is Jesus Christ the Savior, Who died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to show His victory over sin, death, and the devil. 

That is true from beginning to end. The more we see this, the greater the impact. When graduate students deal with Genesis, they have many ideas to follow from one book. One group wanted especially to emphasize Abraham believing and being counted righteous. I added this because I previously did not catch wording.

KJV Genesis 15

4 And, behold, the Word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

The Word of the Lord is the Son of God, so He is predicting to Abraham the Kingdom of Christ, not just an enormous family but millions of people who will believe in the Good Shepherd and follow Him.

KJV John 8

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. (See Exodus 3, the Burning Bush)

The present and future tenses are dazzling because the Son of God establishes Justification by Faith in Him in Genesis and then - in the Roman Empire - states that Abraham rejoiced to see Him, Who was - and is - God Himself.

These two passages teach us the unity and the harmony of the Scriptures, including Exodus 3 and many more examples, because the Bible is One Book of the Holy Spirit, not a combination of ancient sayings. That is what gives us peace and hope, knowing that the Scriptures exist to teach us and turn away from error.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Faith in Jesus Christ means that God will take care of us, even in the great tribulation. All things are in God's hands. Those who glory in their shame will have a great awakening but it will not be a pleasant one. They draw people together as followers, as Luther wrote, because people like wolf-preachers. One of my funny moments was listening to the announcements at Willow Creek Community Church (no crosses, lest they offend). After the service was an expensive food court to sell food to those who came for the meaningless service. And like many other fake churches, it fell apart all at once, and the founder was expelled...for cause.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

Ordinary people are so easily overlooked when people are looking for excitement, for something new, for a "breakthrough unlike anything ever experienced before." Many overlook the Christ within their neighbor, even within their own families. The time is fleeting, so we should spend our time wisely, since that is the only commodity we have, each and every one of us.  

25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

The Apostle Paul's letters to the Thessalonians were his earliest ones (so we think). 1 Thessalonians 4 is one of the two lessons today. 2 Thessalonians 2 is all about the Antichrist, which is clearer than ever. Neither one is being fulfilled at this moment, but they prophesies are clear. That should make us wary of being to bold in our predictions, hopes, and accomplishments.