ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
I was sure we would get a lot of snow, based on the maps. Instead of getting that Ozarks effect, storms going north or south of us, we got the full treatment. The driveways and streets melted on their own. About 50 blooming daffodils are under the snow, so it will be interesting to see how the blooms take it.
A snow blanket on the garden is very good for the plants, protecting them and hydrating them at the same time.
Sassy and I went out several times, and she walked through snow rather than using the sidewalk.
The birds and squirrels, with all their food covered, saw our yard as the place to be during the snowfall. Shy cardinals looked at the kitchen from the outside window ledges. "Are you unable to discern our plight, our starvation, our dependence on your store-bought food?"
They were well fed all day. That was great fun.
I was going to write about my patented vegetable soup, but that will have to wait until the morning post. One of our members has lost 15 pounds from using the Fuhrman-Jackson Delicious Vegetables Plan.
The Name of God is
unique and should fill us with wonder and praise. The thousands if not millions
of divine names in paganism are connected with animals and many kinds of gross,
human references. I AM is all-encompassing and puts to shame all the local gods
and goddesses. This Name unites the Old and New Testaments because Jesus
Himself employed it in His Gospel of John sermons. Unworthy scholars would make
Jesus in the Fourth Gospel to be Gnostic – occultic – and not Jewish. Nothing
is truer to Israel than Jesus as the human face of God, using His Name again from
the Burning Bush – I AM.
John was the disciple Jesus loved. He was present at the
cross, when he was given the honor of taking care of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
He was one of the first the empty tomb, and the risen Christ came to him and
the disciples while they were fishing, providing a cooked meal before they
could bring their catch ashore.
The hot air merchants of rationalism have much to say
about the Four Gospels, mostly wrong. One thing is very clear – the Fourth
Gospel is the capstone of the Gospels. John’s Gospel completes and comments
upon the events we know from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Fourth Gospel also preserves
unique sermons and narratives, and reveals the public ministry of Christ as
three years with the disciples.
Those who want to understand the Torah, the Five Books of
Moses, whether they are Jews, Christians, or non-aligned, should study the Gospel
of John. The Fourth Gospel is a commentary on the Books of Moses, revealing to
us that many unusual stories from that era foreshadowed the Christ of the New
Testament. By reading and meditating on John, we see the Christian Faith in Moses,
and by reading the Torah again, we understand how God fashioned the future to
fulfill the Promises of the past.
Chapter
6 of John’s Gospel is rich with lessons, starting with the feeding of the
multitude, followed by Jesus coming to the disciples as they were dealing with
a great windstorm at night on the sea.
KJV
John 6:19
So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus
walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20
But he saith unto them, “It is I; be not afraid.” εγω ειμι μη φοβεισθε – Literally
– I AM, do not be afraid.
Some would take issue
with that, but the disciples, knowing Greek, also knew the language of Exodus
3, when the Angel of the Lord named Himself as I AM, εγω ειμι. Who but the Word
incarnate could walk on water?
People came looking for Jesus, after the great miracle of
healing, and He challenged them about their motives, which anticipated the last
few decades of the Gospel bringing material success instead of the cross. After
this miracle, the people wanted even more, so Jesus questioned their motives.
KJV
John 6:26
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not
because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were
filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for
him hath God the Father sealed. 28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do,
that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This
is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
This is a fine example
of Jesus teaching something that would have enormous importance if it were not
ignored. How do we work the works of God? On the Roman Catholic side, there is
a long list of works, including praying for the dead to stay a shorter time in
Purgatory. Money given to the priest helps too. That is a “reparation offering,”
meaning literally in Latin that they are paying for sins – reparations. But
this also addresses the limit of works.
The work of God is to believe on Him He has sent – Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. The Midwestern Objective Justification scheme has clergy wildly
and dramatically saying, “You are making faith a WORK!” The Bible does not
speak about works on their own but the works which are the fruit of Gospel
faith. This faith does not happen as a decision or an effort of intelligence
but develops from the Spirit conveying Jesus to the individual. What is spoken
is heard and understood, even by babies. Anyone can see that when the baby moves
his head to hear his mother’s voice and cries when seeing a stranger the first
time. When nurses tried to teach Jesus to Erin, her response (without words)
was, “I know Him.” She was baptized and brought into the Kingdom of God as a
tiny baby.
In viewing this accusation of faith being a WORK – that is
exactly what Jesus said, and it is sad that clergy do not know or believe that.
The effective Work works on those who have been taught error. It is not the
speaker but the Word that converts.
The Gospel of John especially emphasizes faith in Jesus
Christ as the One who teaches His Father’s teacher and does His Father’s will. Faith
– as trust in the Savior – is powerful because it gives us access to God’s
grace through faith in Him. (Romans 5:2) Those who oppose this are against the
Fourth Gospel and the Apostle Paul. Faith in Him must be first or else human
solutions and attitudes will prevail with bad consequences. The religious
opponents then, like those today, knew the truth enough to hate it and remove
it, any way possible.
The curious then said to Jesus – show us a miracle
(literally a sign, which meant much more then than our watered-down idea – “I
saw… it was a sign from heaven.” These signs in John are divine miracles to be
seen and experienced, not a daydream. They went on to brag about Moses providing
bread in the desert (Exodus again). “What can you do?”
KJV
John 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave
them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth
you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down
from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of
life:
εγω ειμι ο αρτος της ζωης
he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall
never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe
not.
I
AM the Bread of Life:
he
that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and
he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Our tendency is to focus
on the bread of life. Since this is about His divinity, I AM is more appropriate
for emphasizing the meaning of the Bread of Life. One of the Beatitudes is – He
who hungers and thirsts for righteousness shall be satisfied. Faith in Him
means that hunger and thirst will be satisfied, just as food and water take
care of us when we are faint with hunger and dehydrated.
This is the dramatic difference between the opponents
dealing with material things and relying only on their reason and senses. What
Jesus teaches is intangible and eternal.
"Lord, Who at Cana's Wedding-Feast"
by St. 1, 3, Adelaide Thrupp, 19th century
St. 2, Godfrey Thring, 1823-1903
1. Lord, who at Cana's wedding-feast
Didst as a guest appear,
Thou dearer far than earthly guest,
Vouchsafe Thy presence here.
For holy Thou indeed dost prove
The marriage-vow to be,
Proclaiming it a type of love
Between the Church and Thee.
2. This holy vow that man can make,
The golden thread in life,
The bond that none may dare to break,
That bindeth man and wife,
Which, blest by Thee, whate'er betides,
No evil shall destroy,
Through care-worn days each care divides,
And doubles every joy.
3. On those who now before Thee kneel,
O Lord, Thy blessing pour,
That each may wake the other's zeal
To love Thee more and more.
Oh, grant them here in peace to live,
In purity and love,
And, this world leaving, to receive
A crown of life above.
Hymn #620
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: John 2:1-11
Author: St. 1, 3, Adelaide Thrupp, 1853
St. 2, Gogfrey Thring, 1882
Composer: Gottfried W. Fink, 1842
Tune: "Bethlehem"
1. Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide.
Oh, receive my soul at last!
2. Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee.
Leave, ah, leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me!
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.
3. Wilt Thou not regard my call,
Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo, I sink, I faint, I fall;
Lo, on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand!
While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope, I stand,
Dying , and behold, I live!
4. Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find.
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy name;
I am all unrighteousness,
False and full of sin I am;
Thou art full of truth and grace.
5. Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin.
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the Fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart,
Rise to all eternity.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #345
Text: Isaiah 32:2
Author: Charles Wesley, 1740
Composer: Simeon B. Marsh, 1834
Tune: "Martyn"
“In these godless and worldly times we must earnestly and diligently preach conversion. We must insist on its necessity. We must reason, exhort, convince, beseech, and plead; ‘Turn ye, turn ye; why will ye die?'”
“We must explain from the divine Word what is the nature of this change. We must labor to have the plainest hearer understand this vital subject and his personal relation to it. We must show how God, who alone has the power to give the new life, yet has thrown all the responsibility on man, by putting within his reach the life-bearing means of Grace.”
“It was the lot of the writer of this book to be brought up in the midst of revivalistic surroundings and preaching. As a pastor also his lot has been, at times, cast among proselyting zealots. His Church, his faith, and his people, have been rudely attacked and slandered. It became necessary either to give way or to defend himself and his faith. This made it necessary to study and examine the whole subject of conversion and experimental religion. He has enjoyed the happy experience of finding that the more he studied the matter in the Word of God, the more did he discover that the Church whose name he bears holds, confesses, and teaches on this point also nothing but the pure truth as it is in Jesus.”
“It has been a source of the greatest delight and comfort to discover how the scriptural doctrine meets every difficulty, clears away all doubt, harmonizes seeming contradictions between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, giving all the glory to God, and laying all the responsibility on man.” — Pastor George Gerberding
Book Chapters
1 Conversion: Its Nature, Necessity, and Efficient Agencies – Acts 3:19
2 The Conversion of The Woman of Samaria – John 4:28-29
3 The Conversion Of The Prodigal Son – Luke 15:17-20
4 The Conversion of the Publican – Luke 18:13
5 The Conversion of Zaccheus – Luke 19:2-9
6 The Fall and Re-conversion of Peter – Matt. 26:69-75
7 The Conversion of the Dying Thief – Luke 23:39-44
8 The Tests and Fruits of a True Conversion as Seen in Peter’s Reinstatement Into the Apostleship – John 21:15-20
9 The Conversion of the Three Thousand – Acts 2:37-42
10 The Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch – Acts 8:35-39
11 The Conversion of Paul – Acts 9:1-9, 17-18
12 The Conversion of Cornelius – Acts 10:1-6
13 The Conversion of Sergius Paulus – Acts 13:6-12
14 The Conversion of Lydia – Acts 16:13-16
15 The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer – Acts 16:25-34
If you request an EPUB or MOBI version, you can expect to receive it within a few hours. If you don't hear back by the next day, check your spam or junk mail folder. This is especially true for yahoo mail.
You can also request a copy of this or any Lutheran Library e-book by sending an email with the title and format you'd like.
Enjoy the book!
Publication Information
Lutheran Library edition first published: 2017-09-03
“In these godless and worldly times we must earnestly and diligently preach conversion. We must insist on its necessity. We must reason, exhort, convince, beseech, and plead; ‘Turn ye, turn ye; why will ye die?'” “We must explain from the divine Word what is the nature of this change. We must labor to have the plainest hearer understand this vital subject and his personal relation to it. We must show how God, who alone has the power to give the new life, yet has ...
“Once family devotions were general, now they are rare… Yet the need of spiritual adjustment is ever the same… But how and when? Why not the breakfast table? Surely one or two minutes may be spared. Thirty seconds of silence, then the reading of a noble sentiment from some one who has been thinking for us,—another pause,—and a few words of prayer, framed by some one with more leisure than we have, but who puts us in the mood of prayer and so starts us right upon the duties of the day,—this ...
“Only one, true Christian Church exists, and that Church is made up of all those who sincerely believe in Christ as their Savior. The true Church, then, is invisible, including members of all denominations, even those without a denomination or formal affiliation. Only God can judge the heart, so one cannot judge whether a person has saving faith from his membership in one denomination or another.” — Gregory L Jackson We are pleased to offer this book with the express approval ...
“Human reason and inclination are always in their natural state averse to the doctrine of Justification by Faith. Hence it is no wonder that earth and hell combine in persistent efforts to banish it from the Church and from the world.” — Matthias Loy Level of Difficulty: Primer: No subject matter knowledge needed. The Great Doctrine of Christianity “This great doctrine of the sinner’s justification by faith in the Redeemer of the world, who lived and suffered and ...
“The Lutheran Church may justly claim that, in the Common Service, she possesses and uses “the completest embodiment of the Common Service of the Christian Church of all ages”; a Service “which may he tendered to all Christians who use a fixed Order, the Service of the future as it has been of the past” (Preface to the Common Service). Should this book be of assistance to any one, in awakening interest, or in developing a better understanding, a more intelligent ...
“[Luther] felt that many things were wanting in this extemporaneous explication… But as he was satisfied that the sense and substance of each Psalm were everywhere faithfully given, and that a very important part of the true religion was here copiously handled; he was, under these assurances, the more willing to overlook any thing that might be wanting in the way of greater correctness, and loftier language and expression.” “…the lovers of the Holy Scriptures… will here see how blessedly ...
