Days Away from a Rebound

"It was only a paper moon,
Shining through the paper trees,
But it wouldn't be make-believe,
if you believed in me."

A world war has been taking place around us. The last phase is a little more obvious. The President announced the threat being addressed. At the news conference, the SecDefense and a high-ranking general seconded the motion and showed how serious it is.

Iran is the last step in this war, and something will happen during this month. Everyone is safer at home, not so much from the virus but from the global conflict.

The keystone is Adrenochrome, a topic I do not care to address in detail. Wuhan, China is where an artificial version is manufactured for the elite who are addicted to this drug, derived from humans.

America has been infiltrated by the malignant power of the occult and Satan worship, with all the baggage of that evil. Anyone who looks at our pop culture from the last 30 years or more can find endless references to Satanism, cannibalism, zombies, and endless brutality.

The final weapon Christian used against Apolleon was the Sword of the Spirit, the Word. The maidens equipped him with the Ephesians 6 weapons before he left the Palace Beautiful.

My Well-Being Check for the Day

People worry when I have not posted at 5 AM. The virus pushed a lot more people into online so I have classes overlapping instead of waiting for the next one. Long ago, the slow times were great for writing and publishing.

Writing Plans - Subject To Change

Very little is being done with the Scriptural issues, so most of the work will be Biblical.

1. Luther's Galatians Lectures - I am publishing the shorter version with explanations, applying his insights to the false doctrine of the LCMS-WELS-ELCA-ELS. They are all in the same bed, and lovin' it.
2. The American Calvin: CFW Walther - Demythologizing should have started with the fantasies woven by the LCMS historians. A closer look shows Walther to be not the American Luther - but the American Calvin. One of the Bethany Scholars encouraged this by asking about Walther's Election without Faith, the obverse side of Objective Justification.
3. If I do lectures on Moby Dick, or The Whale for Christians, I may write a booklet for it. The book is saturated with Scriptural references and is also a lot of fun, from the first page on.

Midweek Lenten Service and Greek Lesson

Mid-Week Lenten Vespers, 2020

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7 PM Central StandardTime

TLH - Online

The Hymn #377                    Salvation Unto Us Has Come        
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody                                          p.
The Lections                            The Passion History

                                                

                                         
The Sermon Hymn #149           Come to Calvary's Holy Mountain

The Sermon –   I AM - The True Vine

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn #660 - Heaven Is My Home

Prayers and Announcements

• Treatment and recovery - Rush Limbaugh, Kermit Way, Christina Jackson. Recovery - John Hicks.
• In the last stage of cancer and heart disease - Tom Fulcher, Diane Popp's brother-in-law.
• Diagnosis and surgery - Randy Anderson, Andrea's father.
• Someone's brother has health issues.
• Pray for our country as the major trials begin.
• Wednesdays are Vespers at 7 PM, followed by The Gospel of John in Greek, translating slowly for newcomers.

One of the Greatest of All Lutheran Hymnals

1 Salvation unto us has come
by God’s free grace and favor.
Our works cannot avert our doom;
the law can save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
who for his people did atone;
he is our one Redeemer.

2 What God did in his law demand
and none to him could render
caused wrath and woe on ev'ry hand
for man, the vile offender.
Our flesh has not the pure desires
God's holy law of us requires,
and lost is our condition.

3 It was a false, misleading dream
that God his law had given
so sinners could themselves redeem
and by their works gain heaven.
The law is just a mirror bright
to bring the inbred sin to light
that lurks within our nature.

4 From sin our flesh could not abstain;
sin held its sway unceasing.
The task was hopeless and in vain;
our guilt was e’er increasing.
None can remove sin’s poisoned dart
or purify our guileful heart,
so deep is our corruption.

5 Yet as the law must be fulfilled
or we must die despairing,
Christ Jesus came; God’s wrath he stilled,
our human nature sharing.
The law he has for us obeyed
and thus the Father’s vengeance stayed
which over us had rulèd.

6 All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise
to Father, Son, and Spirit,
the God who saved us by his grace--
all glory to his merit!
O triune God in heav’n above,
who has revealed your saving love,
your blessèd name be hallowed.

---

15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

The first four verses are mysterious, then they are clear. Many people will not get the meaning because they do not garden. It may seem very symbolic, only.

Jesus is in charge of the vineyard, and the Father is the farmer. This illustrates the dual but harmonious role. This works exactly like rose growing, so I will stick with roses.

When a rose bush has brown, dead wood, that little bit of plant will never grow. It also keeps the bush from growing as it should. A rose full of dead wood will barely bloom. When it is pruned it will burst into bloom in two weeks.

So Jesus says, every branch in Him (associated with Christ) that does not bear fruit will be taken away. Every branch that does bear fruit will be cleansed so it bears every more fruit.

The more I raised roses, the more I understood this. Dabblers do not want to cut the roses from their bushes. Knockout roses are treated like china-ware, left alone to gather dust. But every time one bloom is cut away, more grow and the roots grow to meet the demand. 

The ultimate fruit of a rose is a rose hip, a seed pod used for making Vitamin C and rose hip tea. 

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

2 παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο, και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη

3 ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν

Every Katherine should get this, because every branch bearing fruit is cleansed, purified.  And you are purified because of the Word I have solemnly spoken to you.

Matthew 5:8 μακαριοι οι καθαροι τη καρδια οτι αυτοι τον θεον οψονται

Blessed are the pure (katharine) in heart, for they shall see God.

The forgiven see God, and the absolved from sin bear fruit, the fruits of the Spirit.

Greek Lesson John 1 Stephanus

16 και εκ του πληρωματος αυτου ημεις παντες ελαβομεν και χαριν αντι χαριτος

charismatic, charism, eucharist

17 οτι ο νομος δια μωσεως εδοθη η χαρις και η αληθεια δια ιησου χριστου εγενετο

18 θεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε; ο μονογενης υιος ο ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος εκεινος εξηγησατο

exegete

**

19 και αυτη εστιν η μαρτυρια του ιωαννου οτε απεστειλαν οι ιουδαιοι εξ ιεροσολυμων ιερεις και λευιτας ινα ερωτησωσιν αυτον συ τις ει

20 και ωμολογησεν και ουκ ηρνησατο και ωμολογησεν οτι ουκ ειμι εγω ο χριστος

21 και ηρωτησαν αυτον τι ουν ηλιας ει συ και λεγει ουκ ειμι ο προφητης ει συ και απεκριθη ου

22 ειπον ουν αυτω τις ει ινα αποκρισιν δωμεν τοις πεμψασιν ημας τι λεγεις περι σεαυτου

23 εφη εγω φωνη βοωντος εν τη ερημω ευθυνατε την οδον κυριου καθως ειπεν ησαιας ο προφητης

Newspapers and the Synods

I have a daily newspaper route. I only have two non-paying customers on Sunday, one during the week. I began when I saw how poor the service was - and still is.

For $30 a month, my next-door neighbor (with a heart condition) had to walk out almost to the street for his paper. Often it was behind the cars, even under a car, so he could not see where it was from the porch. I volunteered to get his newspaper to the door and to pull his garbage cans. His widow only gets the Sunday paper.

Ranger Bob works for that newspaper, and soon it will close all print editions except Sunday.  Many will then drop the Sunday paper because they are so unhappy with the newspaper.

Printed newspapers lost out from charging too much and poor service. Anyone can get a paper at or very near the door, but that challenge will soon be gone.

The Lutheran synods are similar. They could have maintained the standards of doctrine and worship, but they chose Calvinism and marketing instead. The synods are being dropped in the same way newspaper and magazine subscriptions are.

Homeschooling and Online - Ahead of the Trends

 "Quit taking selfies. Come inside and do your homework."

I will remember the shock and revulsion expressed when we began homeschooling. I pointed out that Alexander the Great was home-schooled by Aristotle. LCMS history shows that the clergy who could not be ordained in Germany, because they were Pietists, became tutors in the homes of the wealthy. Paul Gerhardt was that kind of tutor before he was finally ordained.

Everyone is a homeschooler now.

For an LCA member, attending a WELS school was just as bad. But I had to tell WELS pastors that District President Hate-Good was on the board of Lutheran World Relief and worked with all the LCA leaders. I thought one WELS pastor was going to cry.

Hate-Good's Michigan District gave money to the United Nations, but I had to prove it to the innocent by citing the district minutes, year, and page number.

Private schools will take a big hit after people experience online's advantages. My mother wrote a paper when she was getting an MA in education, U. of Illinois. She described all the imposed interruptions in a public school class, plus the many other disruptions, whittling the actual learning time down by quite a bit. That was about 60 years ago.

I created an example blog for the MA classes I teach in adult education. A reader attacked me for being "a prostitute," because I taught online. As I recall, he had a Harvard connection. Every university and seminary was already online before the virus epidemic. Now people will wonder about why they need to pay for glorious marble halls, trimming the ivy on expensive and crumbling buildings, and sports teams where the coach (not the professors) are the highest paid employees.

 "We are all homeschoolers now."

8th Circuit upholds Oren Paris’ conviction in Ecclesia kickback/bribe case

"The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld the conviction of Oren Paris III, former president of Ecclesia College, in the kickback/bribery scheme involving state money funneled by two then-legislators, Micah Neal and Jon Woods.

The decision doesn’t appear to be a hopeful sign for two others convicted in the case  — Randell Shelton and Woods. Shelton was a friend of Woods and “consultant” to the college who was a middleman in the deal that sent state General Improvement Fund money to the college. Some of it was kicked back to the legislators. The court specifically declined the argument Woods and Shelton have pressed over the actions of an FBI agent in wiping his laptop with evidence in the case because, he said, he’d stored some personal information there."
https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2020/03/31/8th-circuit-upholds-oren-parris-conviction-in-ecclesia-kickback-bribe-case

If Only It Would Rain After the Roses Are Planted

Hosta is loved by Prince Charles, but I grow it anyway. Hummingbirds enjoy sipping from the flowers. My neighbor got me started in growing hordes of them. Slugs eat holes in them in rainy weather.

Our weather reports are consistent - always wrong. Hardly any rain was predicted after the sunny Sunday planting date. However, the rain began and continued, a long slow rain - two inches deep in the wheelbarrow. The greening of older roses was consoling.

Some easy plants are also good for pollinators - bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The same also like nectar, and some plants (like sunflowers) are prolific nectar producers and rich in fragrance.

Hostas do not have the best flowers, but they tolerate shade and attract hummingbirds. They multiply and can be separated to increase their coverage.

Shasta daisies are so reliable and productive that we take them for granted.

Likewise, the humble daisy produces flowers for beneficial insects and grow their roots for easy division and greater numbers of flowers. Many new varieties of Shasta daisies can be found.

Sunflowers are effortless to grow, unless the gardens are overpopulated with squirrels who eat the flowers and bunnies who eat the sprouts.

 Falling in Love is pink and white, fragrant, and extremely thorny. We removed all the English Ivy behind, which was trying to engulf the house and invade the window frames.

The Kindle Version of Understanding the Pilgrim's Progress Is Available for 99 cents

The Kindle version of Understanding the Pilgrim's Progress is here.

The print version of Understanding the Pilgrim's Progress is here.

The free PDF of Understanding the Pilgrim's Progress is here.

Diamond Mark Zarling, WELS, Has the Corona Virus

Zarling and Frosty Bivens teach that Objective Justification is the Chief Article of Christianity. 

I think Zarling was on the choir tour too, which they didn’t cancel... so all those students and congregations were exposed

Zarling is Brown County’s first case.... (New Ulm).

---

February 27 – March 8, 2020

College Choir Spring Tour

The MLC College Choir looks forward to sharing God’s Word in song in the Southeast as part of this year’s spring tour. Concerts are planned for the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Please plan to attend a concert near you, or follow the choir on Facebook with videos from the concerts and stories from the students.

DMLC transformed their college name, 25 years ago, and they transformed the school from a teacher's college into the WELS College of Ministry. Top that, ELCA!

Higher Things - Everyone Is Saved! Everyone! Everyone! - The Sins You Will Do Are Forgiven

LCMS Pastor George Borghardt, President of Higher Things

"EVERYONE IS SAVED! EVERYONE! EVERYONE!" 

Turn down the volume, for the sake of your hearing and sanity.

I heard there was a brief dust-up over George's hysterical Universalism on YouTube and its clear statement on their doctrinal statement. They did what every crooked business does - they hid the statement. The video continues, with fewer views than Hillary's latest wisdom.

Higher Things is big business and a more refined version of HerChurch, not quite so far Left but paving the way for the future.

Higher Things has a periodical called Reflections. I received a scan from, oh I forget. Remember, Objective Justification fanatics have a short fuse and a long memory.

Here is George Borghardt's latest nugget, in the Lent issue of Reflections, March 1, 2020.

"The devil doesn't care if you give up this sin or that sin. What he doesn't want, what will finish Him (divine pronoun?) off, is for you to trust that the sins you have done, will do, and are repenting of are forgiven because of the Cross of Jesus. The devil doesn't want you to confess your sins to Jesus and trust that because of Calvary, you will be saved."
Rev. George Borghardt III

I cannot unravel the mixed up, poorly edited meditation on Satan's mental process, which clearly favors the WELS slogan - Everyone Knows, Anything Goes.

Everyone is already saved, according to George's hyper-caffeinated eructations in the video above.

This garbage is being fed to the youth of the LCMS. Apparently George cannot speak of faith in Christ, because he has no faith.

Prove me wrong.

Springing Up - The Creation Garden

 Veterans Honor - the scientists change the menu, but the ingredients were there at Creation. John 1:3

Early spring makes the experienced gardener become gloomy about many failed efforts. The weeds always come up first, plus some cheerful daffodils and grape hyacinths. The late blooming plants look dead. Rose canes are not yet green.

Veterans Honor next to Pope John Paul - on a Lincoln Town Car hood. The roses look surreal.

Some days of warmth change that at once. Roses green up and sprouted leaves. Veterans Honor bare root roses arrive and get soaked in rain water.

In memory of Peter Ellenberger, decorated veteran.

Digging holes in a clay soil garden is work and fun at the same time. Years of adding organic matter as mulch increase the microbe and worm population: leaves, wood mulch, peat compost, pine needles. When the new roses sprout green leaves immediately, it looks like a good year.

The four veterans on our walk appreciate the flower honoring their service. Ranger Bob (veteran) joined in the garden renovation by borrowing our garden crew. He asked later, because he was sleeping while they worked and I paid them, "How much?"

I said, "I will put it this way, Bob. I now own your Isuzu truck." He burst out laughing with the crew.

A friend came by to join us in having pour-over coffee. Bob talked about living and working in Phoenix. He said, "I got a rich tan from the Phoenix sun." I said, "I got skin cancer." They laughed. In fact, all of us Jackson brothers caught that trait from our mother, who passed it on.

 I have a lot of bee balm now.

Monarda or Bee Balm is bursting out of the soil now. That was one sale I bought with many advantages later. The plant bloomed all over the garden last year, feeding bees and hummingbirds alike.

The annual weather patterns change a lot, but each aspect of Creation has its own preferences. The last few years have been hard on roses, killer years, but Easy Does It soldiers on, producing sunset-colored roses (variations in color) like a factory.

Self-portrait of a gardener - Easy Does It roses for the wedding.

Stay at Home Will Finish Off the Mainline Denominations - Including WELS-LCMS-ELS

 By Norma A. Boeckler - Jesus Cleansing the Temple

Schools Online

Seminaries caught onto the reality of people not wanting to end their employment while living in overpriced campus tenements. They called the answer "distributed education;" I called it "going online."

The LCMS-WELS-ELS colleges and seminaries were far-sighted. They spent millions on their glorious buildings and chapels, just in time for students to stay home and learn online.

Coming from a small business family, I always think of overhead. Even a donated (think Schwan) building is overhead. There is more to heat, clean, insure, and finally - repair. ELCA began dissolving and titling their seminaries first. They exist in name as small parts of colleges and are selling off assets to stay alive. Merged seminaries are just liked merged congregations - a polite way to say one is closing and moving its meager assets.

The Chinese Corona virus has kept everyone at home, including all the public colleges and schools. That will accelerate Lutheran colleges in crisis. They are not as bad as the Tisch College of Art, where room, board, and tuition are $82,000 a year! Tisch will not refund the students because going online cost them millions of dollars. The synodical schools operate on an annual basis, but the established private schools have endowments to cover shortages.

A wealthy Moliner was involved in his denomination's college. He told me about a dorm serving as a cash machine. Once the dorm is paid off, by a gift or by rental fees, the charges are almost 100% profit. Colleges demanded that students rent their tenements from the school, so the Lutheran schools made money on tuition, books, fees of all kinds, tenement rental, and cheap food.

Let's say Schwan donated a few buildings. The cost to maintain them is included in tuition. Do the students need spacious buildings with AC to study and learn? Not at all, as everyone has concluded online. I would have paid to see the Roman Catholic bishop in the academic procession at

Students already have broadband and good computers. They howled when one online school skipped printing books and charged a fee for the online version. Now all are happy (faculty included) that the textbook is available with a click and not under a pile of more interesting reading.

 John 1:14 και ο λογος σαρξ εγενετο και εσκηνωσεν εν ημιν; και εθεασαμεθα την δοξαν αυτου δοξαν ως μονογενους παρα πατρος πληρης χαριτος και αληθειας

Congregations Online

I have never advocated congregations being exclusively online. I have been urging pastors to add online broadcasts to reach people (sick, shut-in, far away) who otherwise would have no access to the Means of Grace. One ELDONA pastor and the foundation owner asked me about details.

Our Channel - https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship

Suddenly, when stay-at-home became law or at least cautionary, most congregations were left abandoned. (Greek students would make it a middle - they made themselves abandoned.) Unprepared, they are not broadcasting their own services with the liturgy, creed, hymns and sermon. But they are asking for donations!

Confidential - online services are not the place to pass the plate.

Our congregation does well because of tent-making. There is a precedent for that. See NT History 101 - The Apostle Paul. We have very low overhead, broadcasting from - "A spare room in a rented house," as Paul McCain spat out in his plagiarized blog (without citing Bethlehem). Our monthly streaming cost is $100, though it may increase from so many using the service.

I think many clergy have resisted broadcasting because that would allow people to compare and contrast, wondering why so many pastors give exactly the same sermon, without giving any credit to the original writer - or the denomination.

Online broadcasting has allowed us to teach:

1. The entire Gospel of John in Greek.
2. A new course on the Gospel of John in Greek.
3. Romans 1-5 in Greek.
4. Pilgrim's Progress

Judica Sunday - "Before Abraham Was, I AM"

Judica Sunday, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2020

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Savings Time

The Hymn #12     This Day at Thy Creating Word                                     

The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #40     The God of Abram Praise

                          

I AM - The Divinity of Christ

The Communion Hymn 311     Jesus Christ Our Blessed Savior - Huss

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 #410     Jesus Lead Thou On           

Prayers and Announcements

• Treatment and recovery - Rush Limbaugh, Kermit Way, Christina Jackson. Recovery - John Hicks.
• In the last stage of cancer and heart disease - Tom Fulcher, Diane Popp's brother-in-law.
• Diagnosis and surgery - Randy Anderson, Andrea's father.
• Someone's brother has health issues.
• Pray for our country as the major trials begin.
• Wednesdays are Vespers at 7 PM, followed by The Gospel of John in Greek, translating slowly for newcomers.
• Pastor and Mrs. Palangyos - their daughter Jeshra.

       

KJV Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 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. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 Norma A. Boeckler

Exodus 3:2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Genesis 15:6 And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Background for the Gospel Sermon - John 8: 46ff

This passage is the key Scripture for teaching us the meaning of I AM. The Gospel lesson also reminds us of the ancient way of reading the Scriptures, not as isolated talking points. Instead, the bright passages shine light on the more obscure ones. If we cannot see what I AM means in the Gospel of John, the clearest one will teach us what the rest are teaching. 

When we speak of pagan gods, we usually say something like "the god of the ocean, the god of the underworld, the god of hunting, the god of destruction." However, in this passage and related ones, I AM is the true name of God, as we know from Exodus 3.

In a paraphrase, we might say "I AM the only True God," but the name is simpler and more majestic - "I AM." Therefore, the descriptions in the I AM passages are a set of phrases that define I AM and teach us what I AM means. So we have I Am as the Living Bread from Heaven, I AM as the Resurrection and the Life, I AM in His mission as the Good Shepherd.

Most important, this passage focuses on the religious hatred of Jesus, because He identified with the I AM of the Burning Bush. That explains more than ever the opposition.

The rationalistic theologians have very little use for the theo (God) in their names. They do not like the Gospel of John at all. They want to make it Greek philosophy written centuries after Christ. But Jesus is not another Socrates but the great I AM. The rationalists dismiss John but everyone agrees the public ministry of Jesus was three years long. The source? - the Gospel of John. They place John in Ephesus, which was the mother church of early Christianity. Why was it such a powerful influence? Because of the Apostle John and his witness as "the disciple Jesus loved." Also, our earliest written fragment of any Gospel in that age is a scrap from the Fourth Gospel. Its date puts the authorship in the first century. 

I AM - The Divinity of Christ

KJV John 8:46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Luther has the best introduction to this passage -

1. This Gospel teaches how hardened persons become the more furious, the more one teaches them and lovingly stirs them to do their duty. For Christ asks them here in a very loving way for a reason why they still disbelieve, since they can find fault neither with his life nor with his teaching. His life is blameless; for he defies them and says: “Which of you convicteth me of sin?” His teaching also is blameless; for he adds: “If I say truth, why do ye not believe me?” Thus Christ lives, as he teaches.

The leading responses to the question, "Who would you like to speak to, if you could, on a park bench for one hour?"

1. Jesus
2. My sainted mother.

The second one cannot be arranged, but can be addressed in this life. Few have mothers that died young, but those who do - they carry a deep sense of loss and hurt. One of my classmates told me about hers. One of our great blessings was having my mother in our home at the end of her life. 

We can speak to and listen to Jesus at any time, and the Gospel of John is the one most focused on the key points of His teaching. Besides that, John's sermon passages are extensive compared to the first three Gospels, which establish the main points of His ministry and His basic teaching.

The opening statement is about faith. Those who believe in God see His Word and pay attention to His teaching. "Why do you not believe Me?" Faith means trusting in and being filled with the wisdom of Jesus. Unfaith means finding reasons to reject the Word Himself, finding fault at every point.

We see this in human behavior. If something is offered as truth, and the truth is disturbing, the response is often, "You are a bad person," (to put it mildly). The accusation has nothing to do with the fact itself, but continued personal attacks are used to make the statement seem to be wrong. In a logic class, I warned the class I would use logical fallacies. So one group said something and I asked where they were from. They said, "Mesa." I responded, "That explains everything!" in a patronizing way. They were instantly angry with me. I told them, "You were warned. If you had a good argument, you would say, What does that have to do with the facts? - putting me on the defensive."

48 Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?

The topic is faith in Christ but it is turned into a personal attack. That is very weak, but people are weak. The truth is valued because it is so rare. On relatively minor issues we often have to be told many times because of our resistance. On the eternal issues of faith in God, rejection of the truth creates more hardness and blindness, because that is the divine effect of the divine Word.

The Pharisees were blameless outwardly, but they lacked faith in the true God. When rationalistic Christian pastors - trained for years in skepticism - hear the words of faith, they toss such insults as:

• Redneck (a compliment in Arkansas, but not meant that way)
• Fundamentalist (actually a term for Calvinists)
• Ignorant (that is, not agreeing with them).

49 Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

This is one of many pivotal messages in the Gospel of John. As I have said many times, Jesus speaks the Words of His Father and acts in perfect harmony with Him. He is the human voice and will of God the Father. Do we approach someone who terrifies us? No. Do we ask anything? No. But perfect love casts out fear. When we receive and grasp and love the forgiving, compassionate voice of Jesus, that fear is thrown away.

Hymns are a great way to be reminded of these truths, because the hymns that last are Christ-centered and faithful to the Word. I highly recommend them with earphones for sound fidelity or a little sound board for about the same cost - $20. The soundboard plugs into the computer and the earphones plug into the soundboard. 

51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

51 αμην αμην λεγω υμιν "εαν τις τον λογον τον εμον τηρηση, θανατον ου μη θεωρηση εις τον αιωνα"

This saying, by itself, is one of great comfort and encouragement. "Keep" is also translated and understood as "guard." That means remaining in the Word, studying it so the evil one does not snatch it away, being wary of false teachers who have dazzling new truths that are a rehash of old heresies.

There is a condition in this verse, but the "if" does not apply to works but to fidelity. Faith is the good tree that bears good fruit. Those who trust in Jesus as the Son of God, Savior, Redeemer - they will never, ever see death. The original words are first "not" and then "in eternity." That is as strong an emphasis as possible.

Verily, verily, I say unto you - In Greek class, 53 years ago, we grew weary of translating these words. They are used so many times. However, in the Greek manuscripts, with no punctuation, no verse numbers, no red ink for the sayings of Jesus, this is a way of saying - The following words are extremely important. Listen up.

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. 53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

I hate to mention this, but that is exactly how the "old" synod Lutherans respond to Justification by Faith. They say they belong to the old order. They are the children of Walther. "How dare a carpet-bagger come in and tell them what Luther taught when Walther has already made it clear!" (The next book is Luther's Galatians, followed by CFW Walther: The American Calvin.)

The Jewish opponents placed their trust in their blood relationship with Abraham. The previous faith-in-Him statement makes them furious and in that fury claimed to be heirs with our father Abraham.

This passage is directly related to Romans 4, where Paul shows that people are children of Abraham by faith, because he believed the Promise of the Messianic kingdom and was counted righteous by God- Justified by Faith. (Christian News [sic] calls this teaching "Satanic.")

Art thou greater than our father Abraham

This is an important moment for Jesus and for all who believe in Him. The opponents (who come in many varieties) are asking for a testimony. Evading this testimony is the same and denying the truth. In fact, it is worse. Evasion leaves the issue murky and undecided. There is not gradient (as in gradual color change) between faith and unbelief.

What do you make yourself?

They demand Jesus identify Himself, to clarify His role, as He sees it.  This is building to the central point in the entire Gospel about His divinity as He revealed it to the opponents, with expected results.

54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

This is really a clear, firm statement where Jesus refused to duck the question and answered it with divine majesty and authority. Take this away from John's Gospel and nothing makes sense, because all the sermons are based upon the divinity of Christ and His immediate access to God the Father.

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

The opponents played the "children of Abraham card," but Jesus was far ahead of them. Through God's Promises, Abraham saw into the future. He, very elderly, unlikely to have a son, and his wife, even less likely to give birth, would begin a line that leads to the Savior and an ever-growing, eternal Kingdom of God. Abraham is the Father of Faith in the Bible, one who believed in the future and rejoiced. Jesus is both commending faith in Him and condemning the rejection of God's Promises.

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. 

The opponents responded the way all unbelievers do. Their response is on the human plane. You a mere man have seen Abraham? - you are not even 50 years old.

Jesus answered from eternity - from the Holy Trinity - "Before Abraham ever existed - I AM."

They knew from the Greek Old Testament that Jesus was using the verse in Greek with the same wording. There is an eternity of difference between I AM (God), and "It's me." They certainly knew the Name of God from Exodus 3 and Jesus used it for Himself.  They could no more tolerate this than the modern, rationalists can stand to hear it today. ELCA plainly denies the divinity and Virgin Birth of Christ, not to mention His miracles and resurrection - all denied. 

Why would anyone want to do religious work with them, sponsor a religious broadcast with them, share in supporting abortion with them? Ask LCMS-WELS-ELS.

59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

The response was murderous. They would have killed Him, if they could, but that was not God's will. His divinity was shown again by His passing by them, His divinity not impeded by His human body, (the non-reciprocity of the second genus).

The timing belonged to the Father's Promises in the Old Testament. That is why someone who knows the Old Testament is struck by the parallels in the New Testament. Likewise, those who know the New Testament best are astounded by the passages which are so clearly Messianic.

This Lesson

The Fourth Gospel is the doctrinal Gospel, clarifying and emphasizing the teaching of Jesus. This lesson is not only clear about His divinity and relationship with the Father, but also about the connections with the Old Testament.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—

My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Grace in the Bible means that God prepared a remedy for our weakness and sins, so that all sins are forgiven and removed as we daily live our lives in faith.