Author: admin

November 20, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Son of Man - Part 3
                            Daniel 7:11-12
                              11/20/2024


        11   I looked then because of the sound of the great
             words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked,
             the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and
             given over to be burned with fire.
        12   As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was
             taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a
             season and a time.  (ESV)

        This morning we are discussing the judgment on the last day
   of the world as recorded by the prophet Daniel.  In his vision,
   he had seen the four kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and
   Rome come to power only to be replaced.  Daniel saw the coming of
   the Antichrist who fought against the Church and against the
   truth that our salvation from sin and death is because of God's
   grace and love alone.

        I looked then because of the sound of the great words
        that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast
        was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be
        burned with fire.  As for the rest of the beasts, their
        dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged
        for a season and a time.


        The kingdoms of the world, the power of the Antichrist who
   fights against the truth of the Gospel, is destroyed at the
   judgment.  Nothing unholy can stand in the presence of the
   almighty God as He sits on His throne, the books of judgment open
   before Him.

        God, the righteous Judge, in His mercy, allows the kingdoms
   of this world to remain for a while.  Jesus, and the prophets and
   apostles, taught that God desires all people to be saved and come
   to the knowledge of the truth.  Therefore, even the nations who
   seek to destroy the truth of the Gospel are given time to repent.

        How long is that time?  No one knows the day or hour when
   Jesus will return, when the books will be opened, and the
   judgment will happen.  Therefore, Daniel's vision is a call for
   each of us to seek first the kingdom of God, even as Jesus taught
   His followers.

        May our Lord grant us His love, grace, and mercy as we await
   the end of the ages.  Amen.

November 19, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Son of Man - Part 2
                             Daniel 7:9-10
                              11/19/2024


        9    As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient
             of days took his seat; his clothing was white as
             snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his
             throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning
             fire.
        10   A stream of fire issued and came out from before
             him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten
             thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the
             court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
             (ESV)

        Last Sunday's Old Testament lesson was from the book of
   Daniel.  He wrote of a vision of the final judgment.
        As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of
        days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and
        the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was
        fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.  A stream
        of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand
        thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten
        thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment,
        and the books were opened.


        The vision shows God the Father, the Ancient of Days, coming
   as the righteous judge.  His pure white clothing and hair
   represent His holiness, while the flames purify the surroundings
   of the judgment scene.

        Countless angels are before the throne, just as Jesus had
   spoken through Saint Matthew.  Every person who ever lived will
   stand before the throne as the charges and verdict are read.

        Jesus, as recorded by Saint John, explained the standards by
   which all people will be judged.  ``Whoever believes in him is
   not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already,
   because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of
   God.''[1] The faith which holds to Jesus Christ as our Redeemer
   from sin and eternal death is, itself, a gift of God as the Holy
   Spirit calls us by the Gospel, and marks us as God's own child
   through the Sacraments.

        May our Lord open our hearts and minds to His grace, love,
   and mercy so that we may not fear His coming, but rejoice in our
   salvation.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. John 3:18 (ESV)

November 18, 2024

Broadcast

                        The Son of Man - Part 1
                             Daniel 7:9-10
                              11/18/2024


        9    As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient
             of days took his seat; his clothing was white as
             snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his
             throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning
             fire.
        10   A stream of fire issued and came out from before
             him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten
             thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the
             court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
             (ESV)

        The focus of the last three weeks of the Church Year is the
   coming of Jesus Christ to judge the living and the dead.
   Although the Church has always confessed the Second Coming, many
   people now question this teaching.  In so doing, the are
   fulfilling the words of Saint Peter, who wrote:
        Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in
        the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful
        desires.  They will say, ``Where is the promise of his
        coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all
        things are continuing as they were from the beginning
        of creation.''[1]


        Yet, six hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the
   prophet Daniel wrote of his vision of the final judgment.
        As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of
        days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and
        the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was
        fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.  A stream
        of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand
        thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten
        thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment,
        and the books were opened.


        We believe, teach, and confess that the words written by
   Daniel, the words written by Peter, and the words spoken by Jesus
   are true.  There will be an accounting of our faith, which is
   given evidence by our works.

        May our Lord give us the wisdom to hear and believe His
   Word, that we may have life with Him.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. II Peter 3:3-4 (ESV)

November 8, 2024

Broadcast

                      For All the Saints - Part 5
                            Revelation 7:17
                              11/08/2024


        17   Therefore they are before the throne of God, and
             serve him day and night in his temple; and he who
             sits on the throne will shelter them with his
             presence.  (ESV)

        There is a tension in the Church, the realization that the
   victory over sin and death was won by Jesus Christ.  Yet, the
   victory celebration remains in the future, for we wait for His
   return to judge the living and the dead.  All Saints Day is a
   prelude to the final weeks of the Church Year where we will hear
   of the last days of this world.

        Meanwhile, as we receive a foretaste of the Wedding Feast of
   the Lamb of God of which the Church Triumphant partakes, we hold
   in faith the promise of God's grace and mercy.  Before us, even
   as we deal with ridicule, persecution, and marginalization
   because of our faith, is the vision of heaven, of our eternal
   life with Jesus Christ.

        Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve
        him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the
        throne will shelter them with his presence.


        Each Sunday morning at Trinity Lutheran Church, we hear
   again of God's love for those He created.  The Father sent His
   Son to defeat sin and death, to draw us to Himself, to give us
   the gift of life everlasting.  The death of Jesus is our life,
   His resurrection is our hope.

        If you are wearied by the changes and chances of this world,
   if you are burdened with the realization that you have failed,
   that you have sinned, please join us a 9:00 a.m to learn more of
   God's grace and mercy.  Join with the angels and archangels and
   all the company of heaven to receive from the Creator of all
   things the fullness of His love.  Amen.

November 7, 2024

Broadcast

                      For All the Saints - Part 4
                          Revelation 7:15-16
                              11/07/2024


        15   Therefore they are before the throne of God, and
             serve him day and night in his temple; and he who
             sits on the throne will shelter them with his
             presence.
        16   They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
             the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching
             heat.  (ESV)

        Saint Paul once wrote: ``But we do not want you to be
   uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may
   not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe
   that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will
   bring with him those who have fallen asleep.''[1]

        We believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of
   the body, and the life everlasting.  Saint John comforts us with
   the vision of heaven:
        Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve
        him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the
        throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall
        hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall
        not strike them, nor any scorching heat.


        Our grief is not for the saints in heaven, but for our own
   loss, our own loneliness.  The hymn of the day for All Saints
   speaks of the struggle we have while awaiting the call of our
   Savior.
        Oh, blest communion, fellowship divine!
        We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
        Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
        Alleluia! Alleluia![2]


        May our Lord comfort us with His grace and mercy, even as we
   long to see Him face to face.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (ESV)
   2. LSB 677, verse 2: ``For All the Saints''

November 6, 2024

Broadcast

                      For All the Saints - Part 3
                          Revelation 7:13-14
                              11/06/2024


        13   Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ``Who
             are these, clothed in white robes, and from where
             have they come?''
        14   I said to him, ``Sir, you know.'' And he said to
             me, ``These are the ones coming out of the great
             tribulation. They have washed their robes and made
             them white in the blood of the Lamb.''  (ESV)

        We believe, teach, and confess that the blood of Jesus
   Christ which He shed on the cross paid the complete price of our
   sins.  We believe, teach, and confess that His glorious
   resurrection foreshadows our own resurrection, that death lies
   defeated.  We believe, teach, and confess, as the author of
   Hebrews wrote: ``And just as it is appointed for man to die once,
   and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered
   once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to
   deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for
   him.''[1]

        As Saint John looked at the heavenly chorus, he engaged in
   an interesting conversation.
        Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ``Who are
        these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they
        come?''  I said to him, ``Sir, you know.'' And he said
        to me, ``These are the ones coming out of the great
        tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them
        white in the blood of the Lamb.''


        Long before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah declared:
   ``though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as
   snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like
   wool.''[2] Saint John also wrote: ``the blood of Jesus his Son
   cleanses us from all sin.''[3]

        This cleansing is God's gift given to us for the sake of
   Christ Jesus.  Our good works, our desires, contribute nothing to
   our salvation.  It is by grace alone through faith alone for the
   sake of Jesus alone that we have the assurance of eternal life.
   May our Lord grant us faith to hold to His promises of
   forgiveness and life with Him forever.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV)
   2. Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)
   3. 1 John 1:8 (ESV)

November 5, 2024

Broadcast

                      For All the Saints - Part 2
                          Revelation 7:11-12
                              11/05/2024


        11   And all the angels were standing around the throne
             and around the elders and the four living
             creatures, and they fell on their faces before the
             throne and worshiped God,
        12   saying, ``Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and
             thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to
             our God forever and ever! Amen.''  (ESV)

        The traditional hymns for the Feast of All Saints, hymns
   such as ``Behold a Host Arrayed in White,'' and ``Jerusalem, the
   Golden,'' and ``For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest''
   speak of everyone in heaven joining in song with the angels.  Our
   communion liturgy includes the phrase, ``Therefore with angels
   and archangels, and all the company of heaven'' praising God by
   singing ``Holy, holy, holy!''

        Saint John saw and heard this heavenly song:
        And all the angels were standing around the throne and
        around the elders and the four living creatures, and
        they fell on their faces before the throne and
        worshiped God, saying, ``Amen! Blessing and glory and
        wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
        be to our God forever and ever! Amen.''


        Truly the song of the angels, the song of heaven, declares
   the glory of God, even as the shepherds heard the same
   proclamation on the night Jesus was born.  All of heaven declares
   that the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, receive all
   praise and worship.  Christ Jesus, the only-begotten Son of the
   Father, reveals the Father, and we believe the words of the Son
   because of the working of the Holy Spirit who has given to us the
   gift of faith.

        What comfort we have as we sing the same words once recorded
   by Saint John, the words recorded by Isaiah, the words sung even
   now by the saints and angels who surround the throne of God.  The
   voices of the Church Militant, the Church on earth, join with the
   voices of the Church Triumphant in this everlasting praise of
   God.

        May our Lord grant us the faith which holds to His promise
   of life everlasting.  Amen.

November 4, 2024

Broadcast

                      For All the Saints - Part 1
                           Revelation 7:9-10
                              11/04/2024


        9    After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude
             that no one could number, from every nation, from
             all tribes and peoples and languages, standing
             before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in
             white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
        10   and crying out with a loud voice, ``Salvation
             belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to
             the Lamb!''  (ESV)

        Since the beginning of the Christian Church, ever since
   Stephen was stoned as the first martyr, Christians have
   remembered those who died making the good confession of faith.
   By the seventh century, the Church dedicated the first of
   November as the day upon which these confessors and martyrs would
   be commemorated.  The Feast of All Saints, which we celebrated
   last Sunday, recalls the memories of all the faithful departed
   and the triumph of Jesus Christ over all false gods.

        Our first reading during the Divine Service was from
   Revelations, Saint John's vision of heaven and of the last days.
   He wrote:
        After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that
        no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes
        and peoples and languages, standing before the throne
        and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm
        branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud
        voice, ``Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the
        throne, and to the Lamb!''


        The host robed in white are celebrating the victory of Jesus
   over sin, death, and the power of the devil.  This scene reminds
   us of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday while the crowds
   waved branches, crying, ``Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the
   Name of the Lord.''  Indeed, ``Hosanna'' means, ``Save us,
   Lord.''  That salvation comes to us through the Lamb of God, the
   Paschal Lamb, who is the very Son of God.

        This week we will study John's vision which brings us
   comfort and hope.  May our Lord grant you the peace of knowing
   His mercy.  Amen.

November 1, 2024

Broadcast

                         Here I Stand - Part 5
                           Revelation 14:6-7
                              11/01/2024


        6    Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead,
             with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who
             dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and
             language and people.
        7    And he said with a loud voice, ``Fear God and give
             him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
             come, and worship him who made heaven and earth,
             the sea and the springs of water.''  (ESV)

        Why did Luther choose the evening of October 31 to post his
   Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in
   Wittenberg?  Today, November first, is All Saints' Day, where the
   Church gathers to remember those people who have died believing
   in Christ Jesus.  Because everyone would be going to the Church
   on this day, Luther was certain that his statements for debate
   would be seen.

        The Church is built on the message of the angel once seen by
   Saint John.
        Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with
        an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on
        earth, to every nation and tribe and language and
        people.  And he said with a loud voice, ``Fear God and
        give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
        come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the
        sea and the springs of water.''


        Faith in Jesus Christ comes by hearing.  Please join us at
   9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning to hear of God's rich grace, love,
   and mercy as found in Jesus Christ alone.  The message you will
   hear is the eternal Gospel which is for all people.

        We are privileged to be able to respond to the good news of
   salvation by grace through faith for the sake of Christ by
   hearing God's Word, receiving His good and gracious gifts of
   forgiveness and everlasting life, and joining with the faithful
   in praise and thanksgiving.

        May our Lord grant that you hear the cry of the angel, that
   you hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that you trust in Him
   alone.  Amen.

October 31, 2024

Broadcast

                         Here I Stand - Part 4
                           Revelation 14:6-7
                              10/31/2024


        6    Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead,
             with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who
             dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and
             language and people.
        7    And he said with a loud voice, ``Fear God and give
             him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
             come, and worship him who made heaven and earth,
             the sea and the springs of water.''  (ESV)

        Several Lutheran commentators suggest that Saint John's
   words written in the book of Revelations apply to Martin Luther.
   The prophecies of that book have come to pass, with the exception
   of the final judgment, hence the thought that the universal
   proclamation of the truth of the Gospel now remains unfettered.
        Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with
        an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on
        earth, to every nation and tribe and language and
        people.  And he said with a loud voice, ``Fear God and
        give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
        come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the
        sea and the springs of water.''


        Martin Luther is an example for all Christians.  When
   confronted with the demand that he compromise his doctrine, his
   understanding of the truth of the Bible, he retorted:
        Unless I can be instructed and convinced from the Holy
        Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct grounds
        and reasoning - and my conscience is captive to the
        Word of God - then I cannot and will not recant,
        because it is neither safe nor wise to act against
        conscience.  Here I stand.  I can do no other.  God
        help me!  Amen.[1]


        May our Lord grant that each Christian take a clear and firm
   stand on the truth of the Gospel, that God so loved the world
   that He gave His only-begotten Son to pay the price of our sin.
   Where there is the forgiveness of sins, there is eternal life.

        May you have a blessed Reformation Day, knowing that your
   are saved from sin and death by Christ Jesus alone.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. Luther the Reformer; James Kittelson; Augsburg; p. 161