The Three Cs

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. God bless my pastor, Joe Meyer, for going somewhere on Sunday few would be brave enough to do. Today is Memorial Day. Yesterday, all across the United States, churches no doubt took pause, like mine, to remember those who laid done their lives in defense of our great nation. I am sure most, like mine, sang patriotic hymns, and said prayers for the families of the men and women who made the "ultimate sacrifice" for our nation. Being Memorial Day, I suppose it's common for pastors to preach, too, on one of the great passages of Scripture, John 15:13, reminding us of the incomparable Gospel. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Those sermons undoubtedly went something like this: Those of us who believe are Jesus' friends. And Jesus died for us. He allowed God ...

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For  if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.  But the Scripture  imprisoned everything under sin, so that  the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given  to those who believe.  Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law,  imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! I really needed to hear this passage yesterday, and today, and I am sure tomorrow, too. It captures the amazing truth of the Word! Believe the good news: Jesus Christ is risen, the miracle of miracles! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Paul's letter to the Galatians is so incredibly important. Too often we get bogged down in the Law, which reminds us of our failures. We should read Galatians frequently because Paul spells out our salvation in such simple terms: We are saved by faith, not works! Je...

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? I What or whom do I fear most? In what or whom do I trust most for financial security, physical safety, or emotional support? Do I fear God's wrath and therefore avoid every sin? Is my love of God evident in my daily life? Do I expect only good from God in every situation, or do I worry, doubt, complain, or feel unfairly treated when things go wrong? II Does the Gospel adorn my daily speech and conduct, or do I curse, speak carelessly, or misuse Go'd name? Have I kept all the vows I have made in the Lord's name? Am I diligent and sincere in my prayers, or have I been lazy, bored or distracted? Do I trust that the Lord God will answer them according to His good and gracious will? III Do I despise the Word by neglect or by paying little or no attention when it is read or preached? Am I faithful in the Divine Service, or do I attend sporadically, prefer...

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. I won't have a lot of time to spend blogging in the next couple of weeks; I am taking a minimester in psychology at ICC through the end of May to pick up what I hope are the final three social science hours I need to qualify academically at Concordia Seminary. If you have never taken a minimester (this is my first), well, understand tha...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. You can't read this passage too much. I don't know about you, but I always get excited when I know I am near 1 Corinthians 13, which I first memorized as an eighth-grader at Concordia Lutheran School in Peoria, thirty-plus years ago. It's a great reminder of God's nature, and unfortunately, mine. Love is patient, love is kind. Too frequently, I am not. It does not envy, it does not boast. Yes, I do. It is not proud, it does not dishonor others. I am a United States Marine Corps veteran! And yes, I have dishonored. It is not self-seeking or easily angered. I have been. It keeps no record of wrongs. Sigh. Love does not delight in...

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? I have written about this passage recently. But today, I am not taking a course you might expect as the country debates the front-and-center issues of our day: homosexuality, same-sex marriage, over-the-counter birth control pills for children. Although these are important topics that Christians have been discussing for more than 2,000 years, we clearly aren't the first people living in a place consumed by immorality. The folks of Corinth, Greece, had, at one time, a temple with 1,000 sacred prostitutes serving in the name of religion. No doubt sexual immorality is as rampant today in our culture as idolatry, adultery, theft, greed, debauchery. But as I was exploring this passage, I couldn't get past the realization of Hosea 4 as it relates here. Hear the Word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land; "There is no faithfulness, no lov...

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. God chose you. Maybe you were influential. Maybe you were of noble birth. Maybe you are wise or strong. But you are probably more like me, neither influential, nor noble, nor wise, nor strong. If you know anything about me, you know I certainly have nothing in which to boast. That's the beauty of today's passage. God chose you and me to believe. I am a despicable sinner. But we have been saved (John 3:17)! Praise God from whom all blessings flow. God has chosen you and me to believe (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 5:1-2; Phil. 3:9; Eph. 2...

Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith — to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.  I wonder what I would be doing today if, 29 years ago, I hadn't spiraled out of control with my education at Southern Illinois University. Would I have become a United States Marine or a journalist? Would I have met my wife, Valerie, adopted her first son and raised three more children with her? Don't get me wrong: I am thankful for the paths I took. Especially now. I completed my Associate in Arts and Science in liberal arts at Illinois Central College today. Just about two years ago, I looked at my future at the newspaper, as the industry wa...

For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you. I am always amazed at the Word I read every day. On every page, in every iota of every i, I can't get past the truth of God. Did you hear it in today's verse? I first heard it today in a big A-ha moment (Rom. 9:13) that I may explain some other day. Then the Word rang out repeatedly -- almost as if the church bells struck 24 times because it was midnight -- through Romans 9-12. If you are puzzled where I am going with this, I will spell it out for you. B.E.L.I.E.V.E. Every day God calls us to believe. Believe the Word. Believe in the Word. Believe in God. Believe in Christ. Believe that Jesus is the Christ. Believe that Jesus died for you. Believe that he is risen, he is risen indeed! Believe that you have been justified. Believe that you are being sanctified. Believe, and be saved. "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That...

I am not ashamed of the gospel ... Say it with me again: "I am not ashamed of the gospel." So why are so many of us ashamed? Why are so many of us unwilling to stand up for truth? Why are so many of us willingly abandoning the Word of God? How sad are these questions. For the record, the gospel is the good news: Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, lay in a tomb for three days, defeated death, and raised himself from the grave for all believers. Today, everyone who believes this good news, this gospel from God, will receive eternal life in the light of love! And yet Christians around the world continue to abandon this good news, this gospel from God. How, you ask? We continue to deny sin. Haven't you heard: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good (Psalm 14). Their throats are open graves; their tongues practi...

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Can you imagine what it must have been like in Jerusalem the moment Jesus died on the cross? If you have to, read the passage again. Dude, the dead came to life! They arose in their tombs, dusted themselves off and walked into town! The earthquake that struck Jerusalem was so strong the curtain of the temple split. Now, keep in mind, this wasn't your typical curtain. We have puny wimpy curtains hanging in our living rooms. The...

Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. This is the Word that everyone needs to hear again. God didn't come to earth to save the righteous who practice the Religion of the Law (Mark 2:17). God came to earth to save the sinners who practice the Religion of the Gospel (John 7:38). God didn't come to earth to save the religious who think they are good people (Matt. 3:7-8). God came to earth to save those who will listen to him (John 8:47). Hear the truth of God: No one who is righteous. No one is faithful. No one is good enough. No one who can find favor with God. No one! We stink at Christianity. We ... are ... failures. So, turn! Turn and repent, Jesus is declaring. The Messiah has come. ...

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” It would be easy to get stuck in the big picture of this story in Matthew. A rich man comes to Jesus and asks what some might think is a rather simple question. So Jesus spells it out. If you are seeking eternal life, obey the Word: Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie or gossip. ... And if you think you have those bases covered, then make sure you also sell everything you own, take up your cross and follow Jesus. That man, just like me, was crushed. I haven't killed anyone. But obeying the Law ... well, everyone fails. To be clear, EVERYONE fails, everyone except Jesus, that is. Jesus (Matt. 19:26), and Paul (Rom. 3:20) make that perfectly clear in the New Testament. And the Old Testament writers did, too, most notably David in Psalm 14. Maybe you missed it, but that was the point of the story: "There is only One who is good" ...

A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given except the sign of Jonah. I have been spending too much time talking about the law lately. Do this. Do that. You gotta do this. You gotta do that. And while it's all true, there is good news, the true Gospel: We have the sign of Jonah, the miracle of miracles, the greatest sign of God's love for us. This verse, or actually a very similar one, caught my eye yesterday. Right after Matthew records Jesus healing many more sick, including a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute (Matt. 12:22), the Pharisees came to our Lord and demanded a miraculous sign. And so Jesus responds by reminding a "wicked and adulterous nation" (Matt. 12:39; 16:4), in other words the unfaithful, that they will get their sign in due time: The greatest sign of all-time will be the slaughtered innocent lamb of God raising himself from the grave. Hear the good news of the Gospel again: "Every sin an...