From Simon Peter Long - "The philosophers of old knew that the soul is immortal without the Word of God, but they never could find the way."

Go forth, then my dear hearers, God-ward. Our text tonight begins with the words: “And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward.” There is something in every man’s heart that says after all, there is a hereafter; there is something in every man’s heart that says, there is a better way of living than I have lived; there is a better home somewhere than I have got; there is more comfort than I have received so far; there is a God and there is a way to come to Him and that way is through Jesus Christ, who said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no man cometh to the Father but by Me. There is in every man’s soul and in every man’s heart a something that says, I am immortal; I am not dead when my body lies in the coffin; the old man, my body, is giving away, but there is something in me that is young; there is something in me that cannot die. The soul of an old man is as young as the soul of a child. The philosophers of old knew that the soul is immortal without the Word of God, but they never could find the way. Christ has shown us the way. God has pointed it out to us in this letter of recommendation, showing us how to serve God and go God-ward. Walk in His path and follow Him, and be faithful to Him until death that you may receive the crown of eternal life. And this very night God comes to us in His Holy Supper and says, I will come to you, and stand at the door of your heart and knock, and I will sup with you and you with Me; I will come to you that you may come to Me. There may be some here tonight whose hearts are heavy, who are troubled with this and that, and this same merciful God comes in this beautiful letter of commendation to you and says, “Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me.” This is is the good news, the Gospel, the glorious news of the letter of recommendation. May God bless you all, is my prayer. Amen.

from Simon Peter Long. The Eternal Epistle. “Twelfth Sunday After Trinity. Letters Of Recommendation. 2 Cor. 3:4-11.”

Luther on Double Predestination - Which Calvinists Claim for Luther, Without Evidence, Of Course

From the last words of our Gospel: "For many be called, but few chosen," foolish and wicked thoughts have been drawn by idle fellows, who say the meaning of this sentence is that God has chosen some unto salvation, and these will be saved without a doubt, while on the other hand those who are not thus chosen will be damned, no matter how piously or how faithfully they may live; for it is the will of God that such shall fall and not be saved. Hence they conclude that it is a matter of indifference how they live; for if I am to be saved, it will take place without my concern about it, and if I am not to be saved, all my concern about it will avail nothing. What reckless, secure people such ungodly thoughts will produce every one can judge.

-Luther. House Postil Vol. 1. "Septuagesima."

UOJ is most like Calvinism or the Bible?
Correct - UOJ is derived from the concept of grace without the Means of Grace. UOJ is most like Calvinism and the Adventist Creed of Objective Justification.

Clethra - A Moving Experience

 Clethra - or Summersweet.
Tiny flowers seem to be the favorites of butterflies and beneficial insects.

Sometimes a gardening debacle provides some useful experience. Our effort with the Chaste Tree showed that an hour of sprinkling the areas to be dug was not enough. We moved that tree, but with little root support. Its future looks grim, reminding me of Phoenix traffic - "If you want to change lanes, buy the car next to you." I might buy the next Chaste Tree rather than pull it from the clay soil.

 I found Chaste Tree potions on the Net, which cost more than the tree.

I really wanted a Clethra shrub in the rose garden, so I watered both areas for two hours. That was easily dug and fit into the area I carved from the loose, damp soil. Hours later, the Clethra showed only a little sign of the move while the Chaste Tree looked even worse.

My only hope is in the days of rain ahead and the Chaste Tree's remarkable ability to bounce back, as it did before when I moved it.

Moving plants becomes necessary when those cute little plants are all growing into each others, certain plans did not work out, and some things are best enjoyed in the main garden.

 Hidden Lily flower stalks emerge from the ground and last well in a vase.

I can move the six foot tall Wild Ginger Hidden Lily plants, because the roots will fashion a new plant after winter kills the upper growth. They have shown a propensity to take over the butterfly area while the spare garden has remained empty, the victim of rose gardening up front getting all the attention.

If I leave the Hostas in place over the winter, I will have stronger plants to divide and plant around the roses in the spring. I want to fill in the areas between roses with spreading, useful plants. To qualify, they have to fit into one of several areas:

1. Hummingbird plants - Hostas, Trumpet Vine, etc.
2. Butterfly plants - Joe Pye, mints.
3. Beneficial insect hosts - Daisies, Borage, mints.
4. Bees and all pollinators - above.

 Veterans Honor (red), Falling in Love (pink, white).
Both are fragrant.

Density Good and Bad
A great variety of beneficial insect hosts in the rose garden has contributed to almost no pest damage this summer - and no pesticides, of course.

We can see God's design in the way a dense planting will feed too many destructive insects, such as many roses by themselves.

But density can also favor the shock troops of the insect world. Daisies are always crawling with Tachinid flies, whose hatching children devour aphids. I used to let the first aphid attacks alone to let the beneficials address them with egg laying. White roses were especially vulnerable.

Try this at home - it is perfectly safe. Plant something new in the garden, a flower known for attracting a certain insect or butterfly.

• Parsley - Swallowtail Butterflies.
• Daisies - Tachinid flies - look just like houseflies but smaller.
• Joe Pye - Various butterflies.
• Hostas in bloom - Hummingbirds.

People ask about Joe Pye. As I describe its powerful butterfly attraction, various butterflies dart around its blooms.

As I told Jessica Walliser, her book changed the way I garden, because I am always looking up which plants will host the insects I want guarding the flowers. She "liked" my comment.

The Roman Catholic Church Is Re-paganizaing Society. ELCA and Its "Conservative" Bedfellows Are Doing the Same

 The papal audience hall is a snake's head. But why?

From a Moral-Historical Perspective, 

This Crisis is Worse Than You Realize

Contrary to Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s early and oft-quoted assessment, the Catholic Church is in fact facing a “massive, massive crisis.” Greater clarity about the nature of this crisis can be had by looking at the larger moral-historical perspective.

There is only one reason why pedophilia is even a moral issue today: historically, the Catholic Church made it one. Sex with boys and girls, but especially boys, was an accepted part of ancient Greek and Roman culture, the culture into which Christ Himself, and hence the Church, was born. Christianity rejected this common pagan sexual practice as a distortion of sexuality, and evangelized accordingly. If it were not for the success of Christianity’s evangelical efforts, the laws against pedophilia still on the books today would never have been there at all.

 ELCA Pastor Nadia Bolz-Webber is a leader in the denomination's group to normalize all relationships. Thrivent wants the pan-Lutheran church to keep their business afloat by imagining the insurance company is benevolent, generous, and "theirs."

Centuries of degraded behavior and abuse have fashioned a Roman Catholic hierarchy that is a product of those attitudes and a beneficiary of them. The last time they showcased a reform among the American bishops, they specifically excluded SNAP, which was the organization that knew the most and did the most to expose their crimes. That was about 30 years ago, and nothing has happened to change the situation.

One can see the same attitudes in the LCMS and WELS. No one wants to "hurt" Holy Mother Missouri by taking a stand on some well known ELCA wannabees who flout their behavior. Might those pastors take their congregations from Missouri into ELCA? That cannot happen!

The WELS culture of drunkenness helps them excuse anything and everything - except mentioning the truth. That is a crime worth a hot pursuit and expulsion.

Scott Barefoot (WELS-LCMS) told me about a WELS pastor who was known for homosexuality, with nothing being done about it. He was told by SP Schroeder, "Write a letter." That is the first step is self-excommunication, suggested by all the leaders as they wink at each other. Let's compare two crimes:

1. Engaging in child porn, which is derived from the worst kind of violent child abuse.
2. Teaching Justification by Faith.

1. SP Mark Schroeder publicly  and quickly absolved Hochmuth of all sin, even though his PR director was unrepentant and continued to offend.
2. SP Mark Schroeder excommunicated the pastor, kicked out the congregation, and built up a mission in the same town to rescue WELS members from such odious influences as the Chief Article. The District Popes also broke up the group that was studying the issues (Intrepids) while blessing and aiding the crafts and assaults of the Jeske Crime Family. Mark Jeske can do no wrong, because his consecrated and consecrating hand rests on the Thrivent money button. 

Anyone who questions this, lay or clergy, places himself outside the boundaries of the synod and will eventually realize that the drones have an allergic reaction to his presence.

The Episcopalians have pursued the pagan agenda
with remarkable speed and effectiveness. ELCA followed,
and ELCA-Thrivent sets the agenda for all Lutheran franchises.

Always the Wrong Questions - Why Lutheran Discussion Sites Are Boring and Trivial

Confidential to various Lutheran political hacks - the synod is not the True Vine.

I confess to looking at the ALPB Online Forum and LutherQuest (sic). I never read DeadLast Lutherans because it is akin to wondering what brand of sandals Judas Iscariot wore.

Someone just asked me, "Does this doctrinal apathy come from UOJ?" The answer is - "Yes!" Nothing dulls the mind more than this last step before atheism, proclaiming the entire world is forgiven and saved - without faith.

I know several Lutheran pastors who went through this phase and Church Growth, simply becoming atheists, loud and proud.

No politician is going to change the downward slide of WELS-ELS-LCMS-ELCA and the rest. Let's look at the Creation analogy, which Jesus used often.

The only way we can be fruitful is to abide with the True Vine through the Means of Grace (John 15). The UOJists reject the efficacy of the Word and mock faith in Christ, which are foundational themes in the Gospels. The UOJists have nothing left but stale gimmicks borrowed from the Pentecostals.

Clergy and synod leaders enjoy the state of apathy, because no one is riled up about anything. The membership is quietly slipping away, but not being loud and irritating about it. Why should the current leaders worry? - they will be retired in a few years.

The "conservative" Lutherans offer their flocks either the Calvinist ESV (from the National Council of Churches) or the NIV - the equivalent of McDonald's veggie-burger.

 "Of sin, because they do not believe in Me."
As plain as can be, Jesus said the work of the Church - the Holy Spirit in the Word - is to teach faith in Christ. However, the "conservative" Lutherans mock this at every turn and substitute their precious OJ/SJ for the simple Gospel.

More Hilarity from LutherQuest (sic) - How They Honor the Reformation - Not by Printing Luther's Sermons

 The UOJists scramble to trivialize the Reformation
and line their nasty little pockets.

"For those not familiar with CafePress, they imprint and sell various products "on demand" for companies and individuals who provide their own graphics. Our products have a modest markup to help offset the cost of running my
BMW (lube and oil change). All of the merchandise is prepared and shipped by CafePress. At LQ we setup the graphics and choose the products. Our participation within CafePress is not an endorsement by LutherQuest or its Owner of the content, beliefs, fonts, or goals of other Stores within CafePress."

LQ Beer Stein	Close Window
Photos Description
Heft a cold one in this 22 oz. ceramic stein with gold trim. A great “usable” alternative to the trophy. Make any day Oktoberfest whether with this impressive stein on the shelf or in-hand. Cheers! Measures 6.75" tall, 3.75" diameter base, 3" diameter rim Dishwasher safe Not recommended for microwave or throwing IMPORTED FROM THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Merchandise for all those confessional Lutherans "out there" who frequent the Luther Quest Discussion Board. If you don't frequent the board, please do! We're at www.lutherquest.org  <- Warning. Show your support for the premium theological discussion group frequented by confessional Lutheran laity and clergy. Your patronage helps us to defray the costs of running my BMW.  We currently feature merchandise with our website address and custom logo. Our logo was designed by Michael Schwartz. Mike took the time to not only put Luther's Coat of Arms on the shield, but also to use 16th century German armor to match the time of the Reformation. Great job, Mike! Anyone interested in contacting Mike for design work can reach him at mikejschwartz@hotmail.com.  Disclaimer: Our participation within CafePress is not an endorsement by Luther Quest or its Owner of the content, beliefs, fonts, or goals of other Stores within CafePress.  This is also the basic Objective Justification argument from Barth and his mistress. Jesus was the Reprobate so everyone is declared forgiven. The LCMS-WELS is the last belch of Halle Pietism.

Cardinal Bernadin Was Applauded by His Fellow Priests for Lying His Way Out of Scandal. Do You Really Want To Read about His Special Seminary

NPH

Cardinal Bernadin set up this very special seminary.

Time of Grace.

Universalism Has Already Destroyed LCMS-ELCA-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic)

Pastor Herman Otten - choose between the Bible and Pope Walther.

 9-10-2018 Christian News

One thing I cannot comprehend - how the so-called conservative Lutherans ape the rationalism of ELCA, pretend to be better than ELCA, and refuse to discuss or even acknowledge Justification by Faith.

They literally have CFW Walther figurines to venerate in the LCMS, and they keep wondering why they have pastors like this one, posed in one of those hilarious Church Growth grins.

 If one crawls into bed with ELCA's Wengert, should the subsequent scandals come as a surprise to anyone?

Two Universalists Honored by Christian News ad nauseum.

Two of these people were big Church Growth Enthusiasts in WELS; one went to the state prison for abusing members of his own church.

This is Universalism, cowardly yes, but Universalism nevertheless. Those who agree with this BA from Leipzig - this Pietist who pimped for Stephan -
are also Universalists.

Abuse of Liquor, Abuse of Others - WELS Has the Worst Frat System of All

 "Wasn't the pond full of raw sewage fun in GA/HB?
Hazing draws us closer, doncha think?"

U.S. frats opt for stricter booze policy in wake of deaths

Mike James, USA TODAYPublished 7:06 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2018 | Updated 10:06 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2018

Hundreds of fraternity houses across the US will no longer allow frat members to serve hard liquor, according to a self-governing policy announced Tuesday in the wake of growing outrage over alcohol-related hazing deaths.

The North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) policy effectively means that most of the nation's fraternities cannot dole out strong booze unless it is served by a licensed third-party vendor.

***

GJ - WELS' abusive hazing system is one part of the problem. The other part is the widespread tolerance - even promotion of alcohol abuse. 

If a DP gets a DUI, he gets a call to another district and "no one knows."

If a pastor runs his car up a utility pole on a DUI, he gets a world mission call. 

If a Mordor professor is so drunk he ends up on the wrong side of the street, lawyers get the conviction erased. Never happened.

If two buddies are alcoholics, they start a coffee house ministry that ends up a bar ministry. One had an appearance bond refund listed on the gubmint site. Is that a qualification for getting two WELS calls at once? protection from three DPs and the SP?

If that is not enough, congregations start Bible studies in bars. Theology on Tap. 

 "Let us....bbburrrup..."
The eructations of apostates are sweet in the ears of their Father Below.

Manuscript Falsehoods - From the UOJ Hoaxers at LutherQuest (sic)

Karl Randolph (Oracle) Member Username: Oracle Post Number: 75 Registered: 7-2018

Posted on Sunday, September 02, 2018 - 10:19 pm:       “Is there a perception that the the modern Greek (Nestle-Aland) is more accurate?” Yes, such is the perception. Perception because the Nestle-Aland text is based on the oldest surviving MMS. But the oldest surviving MMS may have survived precisely because they were inferior while superior MMS wore out from use.

GJ - No, the Nestle candybar version is not based on the oldest manuscripts but largely on three hoodwinking frauds:

1. Wescott
2. Hort
3. Tischendorf

Tischendof lied about the Sinaiticus, which was a codex, a book, not leather pages being used to warm a monastic fire. What a hoaxer he was. How magical that he found Vaticanus too. And made his reputation on both. They are the Piltdown Men of New Testament scholarship.

Wescott and Hort made up self-serving rules that have nothing to do with reality. 

The Byzantine Christian Empire lasted from Constantine's changing the capital from pagan Rome to a little village called Byzantium. The Edict of Milan was 313 AD. The Empire fell to the Ottoman Muslim Empire in 1453. Do the math. Who had the oldest versions and preserved them by copying them?

The enormous number of Byzantine texts is used against them. How clever. Tischendorf declared his magical versions the earliest and best - so they are. 

If a manuscript goes off the tracks in doctrine, it is probably very early, so say Wescott, Hort, and their apostate fan club. 

The King James family of translations maintains two important concepts, denied by most of the rest:

1. The traditional New Testament text.
2. Precise translating rather than "This is what God would have said if He were as smart as we are."

The dummer-than-rocks conservative Luthruns favor the Calvinistic ESV or the hopelessly corrupt and ever-changing NIV.

There are plenty of good choices in the KJV family. Those who read German (hardly anyone in WELS) will notice that the Luther translation is very close to the KJV, because Tyndale went to Wittenberg and printed English Bible in Germany.

1. The KJV - my favorite.
2. The New KJV - superior to the ESV and NIV, by far.
3. KJV21 - converting the more antique words.
4. Third Millennium - very much liked.

Finishing John's Gospel of Faith: From the Disciple Jesus Loved

 Norma A. Boeckler's author page

I am putting together a rough draft, illustrated by Norma A. Boeckler, of John's Gospel of Faith.

If you would like a copy of the draft and want to send suggestions, use this email -

greg.jackson.edlp@gmail.com


If I do not know you, I will not send the link.

Any and all suggestions  are welcome.

Unexpected Treasures - Moving the Sugarsweet, aka Sweet Pepperbush, aka Ruby Spice Summersweet,

Clethra, or Summersweet

Most people would pass by the Clethra in the bird feeding area. In fact, when I did some pruning, I ended up with three of them, not to mention three Chaste Trees. Amost Eden kept me well supplied with plants I never heard of before.

Summersweet is noted for being especially attractive to butterflies and all pollinators. The rose garden in front has morphed into a butterfly garden, with a lot of Joe Pye growing. 

I no longer try out plants in the back, because I overlook them and neglect them. More sun is available in the front; the sprinkler sprinkles on the just (flowers) and unjust (weeds) alike.

Everyone asks about the Butterfly Weed, which has bright orange flowers for a long time. The Hidden Lily Wild Ginger prompted similar questions, especially when it grew and grew and produced no flowers - truly hidden. Meanwhile, Hidden Lily bloomed like crazy in the sunniest part, on the western border of the rose garden. But I digress.

Chaste Tree was a bear to dig up and replant on a hot day. This time I soaked the Clethra and its new home for a long time, since clay is so ornery this time of year. Summersweet will grow where we can all see it and enjoy its fanclub swirling around it.

I was thinking about the substitution of evolution for Creation. People look at the same mechanisms and offer two entirely different causes. If the Word of God can raise the dead, who are certainly unknowing, as the widow's son, young girl, and Lazarus were, then the same divine Word can create life perfectly engineered and managed to be successful in its role.

My spare Chaste Tree languished in the far back garden, no matter how much I watered it. I finally looked up directions. The website said, "Never water the Chaste Tree - and give it lots of sun." Pruning was OK. I pruned it severely, moved it to the spare, sunny garden in the back, and saw it perk up and grow well, without watering it. Mrs. Gardener pointed out how beautiful its flowers were.

 I enjoy watching bumble bees work their way through
Chaste Tree, Bergamot, and Cat Mint flowers. They love Joe Pye, too.

Cat Mint has shown an ability to stay in bloom and spread out gradually from its original location. Therefore I am putting plugs of it around the maple tree in the rose garden. That area has been prone to rampant growth of weeds, so I am going to displace the weeds with mint. It is not a rampant grower like Catnip, and its roots are not as steely tough as Mountain Mint and Catnip.

More Territorial Plants - Good for Several Roles

• Hostas spread and feed hummingbirds.
• Garlic chives spread around roses and protect them, improving their health, so say the rosarians.
• Wild Strawberries are planted by birds and feed the birds. They bloom early, even in the shade, and attract pollinators.
• Shasta Daisies spread in clumps and are easily divided and spread around the garden. Beneficial Tachinid flies love them and their fly spawn eat aphids.

Worth a Careful Read - About Roman Catholicism - A Perfect Description of the Infallible Lutheran Leaders Today

 Note the twists and turns in the article,
which is loaded with true Roman and Lutheran dogma.

Ultramontane is the label given to those Roman Catholics who back the infallibility of the Pope and increase its reach and application. As one Roman Catholic observer whispered on national TV, "To many Catholics, the pope is Christ on earth!"

If that seems absurd, consider what one pastor said about the WELS Circuit Pastor - "I cannot argue with him, because the Holy Spirit appointed him. That would be like arguing with God!"

The author of the linked article is correct in stating that the recent popes have not been Roman Catholic at all. At some point, they veered hard to the Left and adopted what is called the New Theology, which differs little from mainline Protestant apostasy.

I consider Karl Barth and his Commnie handler Charlotte Kirschbaum the universal theologians of Roman Catholics, liberal and "conservative" Lutherans, and a large share of the Protestants. One of my Moline classmates was furious that I called Barth a Leftist, and the classmate is considered a conservative professor at a conservative college.

Barth-Kirschbaum is the greatest combination since nitric acid and glycerin. Catholic theologians are not well known by Protestants, but Barth-Kirschbaum are venerated by Protestants and Catholics. My Catholic professor Frank Fiorenza was president of the Barth Societiy.

The church leaders all groove on power. Schuller was a dictator who got even with anyone who questioned his pan-religious weirdness. The WELS and LCMS leaders get progressively worse after campaigning on their doctrinal superiority to the previous incompetent leaders. No dissent from their apostasy is allowed, and punishment is ladled out in large doses for the tiniest infraction.

The ELS-LCMS-WELS leaders met together (apart from ELCA, for once) and rejoiced in their common rejection of Luther's Biblical doctrine. They are one with each other, one with ELCA - and that is a win. Thrivent gets a bunch of sycophant synod leaders begging for unrestricted funds - mostly aimed at ELCA goals -  brainwashed members think Thrivent is their insurance and investment company. Their pastor referred them, so they must be trustworthy.

 "The Dancing Word."
Let us entertain you, let us make you smile.

Alec Satin, Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

 Alec Satin, Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

Perhaps readers have noticed that I have permanently linked Alec Satin, Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry at the bottom of the masthead for this blog.

Why don't I have 220,000 likes?
Oh, never mind. Mrs. Ichabod just filled me in.

You can also find Norma A. Boeckler's author's page on Amazon.
I am linking her graphics to her books now, to leverage the Search Engine Optimization - SEO.

And my author's page on Amazon - Gregory L. Jackson.

But I am digressing for the sake of SEO. There I go again.

Our member, Alec Satin, has already created a free digital library for Lutherans at his site -
Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry.

I am setting up something similar with my books. People will be able to get them at no cost and share them without getting angry cease and desist letters in the mail.

My generation favors printed books, but printed books may be largely displaced by the mobility and cost of digital books. If I want to look up quotations and have the citation for gardening books, I use Kindle. I wrote Making Disciples using the PDF of Thy Strong Word, so it was easy and fast to search (control-F) for every reference to "disciple" in 650 pages.

Nota Bene

I am always looking for new distribution points, so if you know of a few people or a larger group that will benefit from a given book, let me know. I send free books, extra books, review copies, all over the US.

How Times Have Not Changed - Luther - "The pope, cardinals, bishops and persecutors of the Word of God, live in security and continue to perpetrate their maliciousness against the Gospel and the Christians."

I use this for the blog favicon, the image that appears in the user's toolbar at the top of the screen.

The pope, cardinals, bishops and persecutors of the Word of God, live in security and continue to perpetrate their maliciousness against the Gospel and the Christians. God looks on and permits all this, even as if He were not aware of it, so that sometimes it seems as if He favored the heathens more than His own people. If we are Christians we will not be offended by this. He has vouchsafed to us, through His Son, sure help unto eternal life. He leaves us to ourselves in this our transitory existence, as if He cared not for us, but only to this end, that we should learn to know this Child and to believe in Him as the Savior, who is ready to help when no one else can help us, when our transgressions rise up against us and would deliver us into the pangs of eternal death.

– From Martin Luther's House Postil, Volume 1, "Second Sermon For New Year. The Name Of Jesus. Luke 2:21"

Courtesy - Alec Satin, Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

John's Gospel of Faith: From the Disciple Jesus Loved

Another round of orders is going out today. Last night, I finished the rough draft of the Gospel of John book, whose title I keep adjusting. In a few days, those people will get an email about the books being shipped. There will be a tracking link that works within 24 hours. Name Withheld asked about his set - he was the first to order. I was able to look up that link and tell him the date and time it arrived - and who took it inside. That narrowed the location of the books down to... his living room.

Another set arrived in torrential rains but was providentially spared damage. 

I am working on longterm plans to make sure books will always be available free or at the lowest possible cost. 

I am not sure of the Lutheran Dictionary publishing date. It is more like a blog, a series of short posts.  I will have early versions to send around, since I will definitely miss some topics that should be included.

I will outline Calvin first, before writing - and say something good about Sig Becker. WELS seems to specialize in adopting what is bad and ignoring what is good. The idea is to identify Barth/Kirschbaum's obnoxious influence today, from Church Growth to the New Theology of Rome.

The bonus? I will get a series of free lectures from Calvinists on my FB friends list.

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2018. The Fruitful Gospe. Galatians 5:16-24. Gospel Energy - Spiritual Fruits

 Norma A. Boeckler

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn # 292                 Lord Jesus Christ                

The Confession of Sins
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 #192               Awake My Heart          
   

Gospel Energy - Spiritual Fruits

The Communion Hymn #277          I Heard the Voice of Jesus

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #341                  Crown Him with Many Crowns                

 Norma A. Boeckler

KJV Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

KJV Luke 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, who by Thy blessed word and Thy holy baptism hast mercifully cleansed all who believe from the fearful leprosy of sin, and daily dost grant us Thy gracious help in all our need: We beseech Thee so to enlighten our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may never forget these Thy blessings, but ever live in Thy fear, and, trusting fully in Thy grace, with thankful hearts continually praise and glorify Thee; through Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

 Norma A. Boeckler

Background for the Sermon
I have worked through the Gospel of John the last two weeks, verse by verse, almost finishing a first draft on The Gospel of Faith: From John, The Disciple Jesus Loved. Two themes basic to the Fourth Gospel are - faith in Jesus as the One Sent from God, witnessing to that faith. The two go together, and the Gospel keeps going back to the source - God the Father sent God the Son to do this work of teaching and performing miracles, to gather the flock and teach the disciples.

In the last decades, witnessing has really meant - we need more members. From that carnal need came lower and lower standards about evangelism. Now it is just a question of which gimmick works. The one qualification is missing - faithfulness to the Word. Instead, some count new adult members. According to Change or Die! - everyone can learn from ELCA pastors, whose sect is undergoing a complete nation-wide collapse, not unlike the others, just moving a lot faster downwards.

One issue excludes the other. If truth must be taught, then the carnal needs are neglected. If someone thinks success is a new building and measured results, then the truth is going to be neglected. Someone is always offended. The original word was scandalized - not as in a gossip magazine scandal - but as setting off a death trap by touching the trigger of the trap - the skandalon.

I was told not to include infant baptism in a sermon when an infant was baptized. The reason - Babtist relatives were offended so they went to council president (WELS). Claiming the truth is not very convincing when it is abandoned so readily.

Infant baptism and infant faith are directly related to the efficacy of the Word. If we hide the truth of infant faith, which is clearly taught in the Bible, then we are necessarily giving up on the Real Presence and the truth of absolution.

If error is introduced to Scriptural truths, then that error is either repudiated or protected for additional growth. The LCMS never had an official teaching on Objective Justification, only the Chief Article, Justification by Faith. Now under McCain-Harrison, the LCMS has two official books teach Objective Justification, their massive and unreadable dogmatics book and their Talmudic, useless "Small" Catechism.

The Gospel Word is not fruitful because of buildings, locations, personalities, or entertainment, but only because of the Word. Only a hopeless Calvinist could think we can improve upon or make more effective the Word of God.

Here is an interesting story about an LCA church about to be closed. I knew the parish and the pastor and his wife. The mission board said, "Nobody can find it. We put it in a bad location where the LCA pastors have trouble getting there. We'll sell it to the Pentecostals. They have no trouble with a bad location." He was saying the LCA prospects would no go to that location (one of the eternal verities of building missions) but the Pentecostals would.

That is why a liberal, apostate church will say, "We have all these programs to help the community" while they hide their actual doctrine. The apostate Church Growthers say, "We have all these appealing things, a praise band, fun groups, and all." They are two versions of the same thing.

The apostles only had the Word. They had very little else for establishing the Christian Church. One key asset was - the Old Testament. It was very expensive, so they had copies made to teach the Old Testament Gospel as a foundation for the ministry, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

Gospel Energy - Spiritual Fruits

KJV Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Paul quashed the Galatian's flirtation with the false teachers, a problem that gave us the best short essay on Justification by Faith. As he did with Romans, Paul moved from the Justificaiton by Faith issue to living the Christian life, - sanctification.

Walk in the Spirit

The Bible often uses either the Word or the Spirit, since the two are always together. As Hoenecke wrote, "The Word never without the Spirit, the Spirit never without the Word." When the mainline Lutherans abandoned the truth of God's Word and its efficacy, some adopted the teachings of the Pentecostals or charismatics. That was a reaction to denying - or not teaching - the miraculous, the divine in the Bible. Miracles have not stopped. God continues to work and has ultimate power to do so.

Walk in the Spirit is the same as walk in the Word. The phrase is a good one for emphasizing the way we live according to what we believe. Walking in the Word displaces walking according to our natural instincts.

Anyone can see this in gardening. The good plants can displace the bad ones, but the bad ones, when allowed to thrive, can easily overwhelm the good and productive plants. 

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

So when people become captivated by something new, what follows is this displacement. One offsets the other. One gambling staffer asked why the computer convention did not spend anything on their machines. I said, "They are computers, which are easy to rig." He said, "At least go to a show."

If someone thinks, I could leave here a millionaire, he forgets he is working against a programmed machine, owned by the managers. He would be better off learning tax law.

The Gospel is very powerful in our lives, if we let the Gospel nurture us. It reaches such a point of satiety in some that the treasure of the Gospel fades in importance. Most of my Old Testament students have gone through a lot of turmoil, grief, and trouble. They look at the Bible from the perspective of putting their lives together again. It is like that experience that Newton had on the slave ship. They were hauling bouyant cargo, so that cargo kept him afloat so the he lived, repented, became a Christian, and wrote famous hymns, like Amazing Grace.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 

Doing what we have to do is Law. But the Spirit - the Gospel Word - means doing what we want to do. The Galatians were given an easy but misleading formula - submit to the Law and be just like Jesus and the disciples. Jesus and the disciples observed Jewish Law so real Christians had to do the same. That is an easy equation to teach and follow, but deceptively so. The Gospel Promises were given to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. The foundation of the New Testament is the Old Testament. Going back to Old Testament principles is the same as being under the Law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (fights), emulations (jealousies), wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

It has always been tempting to identify the worst and most obvious sins. Sometimes they branch out into many other areas, such as the sin of scouting, or dart-ball (a dart game banned by the ALC in Ohio, once). Obsession with the Law can easily displace the Gospel so there is no Gospel at all.

Paul identified sins of the flesh because the Roman Empire was full of temptations. Christianity was an unapproved minority perspective, as it is today.

Jesus said about the Spirit, that He would send the Spirit to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

1. Sin;

2. Righteousness;

3. Judgment.

• Sin is not believing in Jesus.

• Righteousness is the righteousness of faith, relying on the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord.

• Judgment means Satan is condemned.

The foundational sin is not believing in Christ, so the remedy is knowing the Gospel better, hearing the Gospel with sincere hearts.

Righteousness is the righteousness of faith because of the empty tomb and ascension of Jesus. What nurtures our faith more than anything else - faith in the risen Lord and knowing He rose that we might have eternal life too. Nothing is more convincing of the divinity of Christ than His resurrection.

The judgment of Satan is especially important today because he is the Prince of this  world, but he is condemned under the Law and Gospel. There are many Satanic cults and practices today. Many have found it appealing but almost impossible to escape. Worst of all is conceding the power to Satan just because he runs the media and the schools. He is all the more active today because his time is so short. Satan is only as powerful as the Word is silent. If no one weilds the Sword of the Spirit, Satan will triumph. But his castle has been taken and his treasures removed by a Stronger One than he. There is no reason to concede to him. 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Most importantly, this fruit comes from the energy of the Gospel. See John 15. Take away the Means of Grace and the fruit cannot form. The fruit is not the result of programs but of hearing the Gospel and appreciating the Visible Gospel - our Baptism and our Holy Communion. These various ways of applying the Word of Jesus to our lives are the source of the fruits of the Spirit.

God has done all this for us. That is why we should say the Creeds with force and conviction and think about each phrase. The Fourth Gospel teaches - believing and witnessing to that faith.

 Let's look at two of the fruits of the Spirit.

Peace is the peace that comes from the forgiveness of sin. As Lenski says in his commentary on John, the Gospels give so much space to Peter's denial of Jesus is this - that is the ultimate sin. He promised to die for Jesus but denied Him three times. That he was absolved of his sin is the ultimate message of the Gospel, just as the resurrection is the ultimate proof of the divinity of Jesus.

Longsuffering goes with this peace, because it means putting up with aggravation, pain, medical crises, self-denial, persecution, all manner of evil with great patience - not just for years but for decades. It means trying to be faithful and seeing no results forever and ever, because that too is part of God's plan. 

Longsuffering comes from realizing that with the Gospel we have both heaven and earth. If God has taken care of our spiritual needs, then He surely will care for our material needs, which are no great task for Him. It is easy to think, "Why couldn't I..." as we see something so easily given to a rogue, a louse, a monster. But that is not for us to decide. 

Belonging to Christ means crucifying our natural reactions and substituting God's wisdom. The hymns and the Psalms (the hymns of the OT) are ideal for this.

Norma A. Boeckler