Author: admin

July 31, 2024

Broadcast

                    Go and Make Disciples -- Part 3
                           Matthew 28:18-20
                              07/31/2024


        18   And Jesus came and said to them, ``All authority
             in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
        19   Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
             baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
             the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
        20   teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
             you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end
             of the age.''  (ESV)

        Reverend Mark Moss of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation will
   be at Trinity on Sunday, August 4, speaking of the mission of the
   Church and the need to translate various books into other
   languages as the Church fulfills the Great Commission.
        And Jesus came and said to them, ``All authority in
        heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore
        and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
        the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
        Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
        commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the
        end of the age.''


        While the Church is going, sent by the authority of Jesus
   Christ, what are they to accomplish?  They are to make disciples,
   they are to bring sinners into the Church to receive the comfort
   of the forgiveness of sins earned by Jesus on the cross.  The
   Holy Spirit works through the proclaimed Word of God joined with
   the water of baptism to create the faith which accepts God's
   promise of heaven.  Saint Peter wrote, ``Baptism now saves
   you,''[2] We are buried with Christ Jesus through baptism, and
   rise with Christ Jesus through baptism, and our sins are washed
   away through baptism, and we are marked as God's own child
   through baptism.  Baptism is God's work to join sinners to
   Himself, to make them holy, and to give them the gift of eternal
   life.

        May our Lord, who instituted baptism as the means of making
   disciples, give us the faith to accept the full blessings of His
   love.  Amen.
   ____________________

   2. 1 Peter 3:21

July 30, 2024

Broadcast

                    Go and Make Disciples -- Part 2
                           Matthew 28:18-20
                              07/30/2024


        18   And Jesus came and said to them, ``All authority
             in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
        19   Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
             baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
             the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
        20   teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
             you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end
             of the age.''  (ESV)

        On Sunday, August 4, Trinity is hosting Reverend Mark Moss
   of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, an organization which
   provides translation of materials to Lutheran Church bodies
   throughout the world.  In honor of this occasion, we are studying
   the Great Commission where Jesus sent His disciples to spread the
   Gospel.
        And Jesus came and said to them, ``All authority in
        heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore
        and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
        the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
        Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
        commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the
        end of the age.''


        Jesus, who is the King of Creation, tells His Church to go
   into the world.  What does this mean?  We are not to hide behind
   closed doors seeking to remove ourselves from the problems of
   society.  The good news of salvation from sin and eternal death
   earned for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus is the news
   that this sin-sickened world clearly needs to hear.  Even the
   renowned atheist, Richard Dawkins, recognizes the importance of
   Christ in this sin-sickened world.[1]

        Our first aim as the Church is to go into the world with the
   good news that Jesus Christ has defeated sin, death, and the
   power of the devil.  We are to go into this town, this county,
   this state as individuals and as a congregation to tell of the
   hope we have because of God's love.  Sitting in the pew is not an
   option.  May our Lord grant that we may clearly tell of His grace
   to all people, bringing them the comfort of the Gospel.  Amen.
   ____________________

   1. https://americanreformer.org/2024/04/richard-dawkins-cultural-
      christianity/

July 29, 2024

Broadcast

                    Go and Make Disciples -- Part 1
                           Matthew 28:18-20
                              07/29/2024


        18   And Jesus came and said to them, ``All authority
             in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
        19   Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
             baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
             the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
        20   teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
             you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end
             of the age.''  (ESV)

        This coming Sunday, August 4, Trinity Lutheran Church has
   the honor of hearing the Reverend Mark Moss, a representative of
   the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.  This organization translates
   and prints materials for Lutheran Churches throughout the world.
   To help us prepare we are going to look at the Great Commission
   where Jesus sent His disciples out into the world to proclaim the
   good news of salvation by grace through faith for the sake of
   Christ.

        And Jesus came and said to them, ``All authority in
        heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore
        and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
        the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
        Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
        commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the
        end of the age.''


        Jesus, by being born, dying, and rising again from the dead,
   by living without sin, and by His miracles, showed that He truly
   is the promised Messiah, the Son of God through whom all things
   were made.  In the days following His resurrection, He clearly
   showed Himself to His disciples, and even to 500 other witnesses,
   as spoken of by Saint Paul.

        As the Son of God, as the One who crushed Satan's head,
   Jesus has all authority over creation.  He has the right to send
   His representatives into the world to proclaim the good news that
   sin and death are defeated, although the war between God and
   Satan will continue for a while.  This week we will examine what
   the commission given to the disciples means for the Church and to
   each individual Christian.

        May our Lord grant that you hear of His love, grace, and
   mercy, and know that Jesus Christ is Lord of creation.  Amen.

July 26, 2024

Broadcast

                  Beware of False Prophets -- Part 5
                           Jeremiah 23:19-20
                              07/26/2024


        19   Behold, the storm of the LORD!  Wrath has gone
             forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the
             head of the wicked.
        20   The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he
             has executed and accomplished the intents of his
             heart.  In the latter days you will understand it
             clearly.  (ESV)

        Jeremiah warned those living in Jerusalem and the land of
   Judah:
        Behold, the storm of the LORD!  Wrath has gone forth, a
        whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the
        wicked.  The anger of the LORD will not turn back until
        he has executed and accomplished the intents of his
        heart.  In the latter days you will understand it
        clearly.


        The intent of God's heart, however, is not the eternal death
   of the wicked, but that all people turn from their sin, repent,
   and trust in Him alone.  From the earliest pages of Genesis to
   the end of the New Testament, the message of hope is the same.
   Trust in God and not our own understanding.

        Yet, God's wrath truly has been revealed.  As Jesus was on
   the cross, the entire wrath of God, the eternal punishment for
   our sin, was laid on Him.  Our Savior was forsaken by His Father
   for our redemption from sin and death.

        This is the true message of the Gospel, the true message you
   will hear each Sunday at 9:00 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church.
   You are redeemed from sin, death, and the power of the devil
   because God loved you so much as to send His only-begotten Son to
   bear your sin and give you His righteousness.

        May our Lord comfort you with the truth of His Word that, in
   the end, you may have eternal life in Him.  Amen.

July 25, 2024

Broadcast

                  Beware of False Prophets -- Part 4
                           Jeremiah 23:19-20
                              07/25/2024


        19   Behold, the storm of the LORD!  Wrath has gone
             forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the
             head of the wicked.
        20   The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he
             has executed and accomplished the intents of his
             heart.  In the latter days you will understand it
             clearly.  (ESV)

        The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed the wrath of God so that the
   people of Judah would repent of their sin.  Without the preaching
   of the law, people are not ready nor able to hear of God's grace,
   love, and mercy.  The law condemns, the law shows the wrath of
   God.

        Jeremiah warned those living in Jerusalem and the land of
   Judah:
        Behold, the storm of the LORD!  Wrath has gone forth, a
        whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the
        wicked.  The anger of the LORD will not turn back until
        he has executed and accomplished the intents of his
        heart.  In the latter days you will understand it
        clearly.


        The warning is clear, God does not accept our excuses for
   sin, our excuses for rejecting His mercy.  His wrath and
   vengeance will truly be shown to all who reject His offer of
   grace.  Even though this message is unpopular, even though this
   message shows us our rebellion, the truth remains.  Our Lord will
   come to judge the living and the dead.

        How do we escape the wrath of the Lord?  Repent, and accept
   His mercy.  Know that He desires to show you His undeserved love
   and grace as found in Jesus Christ, our Savior.  This He has
   revealed in His Holy, inspired, inerrant Word.

        May our Lord grant that we turn from our sin and live in His
   grace and love.  Amen.

July 24, 2024

Broadcast

                  Beware of False Prophets -- Part 3
                            Jeremiah 23:18
                              07/24/2024


        18   For who among them has stood in the council of the
             LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid
             attention to his word and listened?  (ESV)

        How do we recognize false prophets in the church?  After
   all, doesn't God, working through the Holy Spirit, call people to
   be ministers of the Word on His behalf?  Yet we desire to be like
   God, to replace God, to reject His Word and replace it with our
   own ideas.  Too many church bodies actively reject the truth that
   the Bible is completely God's Word, and thus is true and
   accurate.

        Our standards become that of secular studies, science and
   sociology and psychology, rather than the clear words of
   Scripture.  Evolution replaces the first chapters of Genesis, and
   gay pride suggests that Saint Paul's letters, or even the Old
   Testament laws concerning adultery, are not written for the good
   of all people and of all times.

        Jeremiah spoke of this lack of regard for God's holy Word
   when he wrote:
        For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD
        to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention
        to his word and listened?


        We stand in the council of the LORD as we read, learn,
   study, and ponder His holy Word.  His council tells of His
   creation, of our fall into sin, and of the redemption which is
   ours through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  God's Word, given by the
   inspiration of the Holy Spirit for our salvation, has been proven
   time and again to be accurate and truthful.

        May our heavenly Father grant that we hear of His grace,
   love, and mercy given to His creation for the sake of His Son.
   Amen.

July 23, 2024

Broadcast

                  Beware of False Prophets -- Part 2
                           Jeremiah 23:16-17
                              07/23/2024


        16   Thus says the LORD of hosts: ``Do not listen to
             the words of the prophets who prophesy to you,
             filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of
             their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.
        17   They say continually to those who despise the word
             of the LORD, `It shall be well with you'; and to
             everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart,
             they say, `No disaster shall come upon you.'''
             (ESV)

        The prophet Jeremiah was sent by God to call the nation of
   Judah to repentance and to announce the coming Babylonian
   captivity.  He also proclaimed God's love, grace, and mercy in
   foretelling the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem all people from
   sin, death, and the power of the devil.

        Jeremiah, at the command of God, said:
        Thus says the LORD of hosts: ``Do not listen to the
        words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you
        with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds,
        not from the mouth of the LORD.  They say continually
        to those who despise the word of the LORD, `It shall be
        well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows
        his own heart, they say, `No disaster shall come upon
        you.'''


        This call is also for our time and day.  As a nation, we
   have turned away from God's Word to the point that even in
   churches the clear voice of Scripture is lost.  The message of
   the church often is the message of the world, completely opposed
   to the Bible.  Instead of seeking first the Kingdom of God, we
   seek vain and questionable pleasures.  That which is clearly
   against God's holy law is celebrated with prideful arrogance.

        The message of the church has turned into the same message
   given by the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh.  No
   longer do we hear that our salvation from sin and eternal death
   is given to us by God's free grace and favor through the
   suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

        May our Lord grant that we hear His warning, and that we
   read, learn, and study His Word for our eternal blessing.  Amen.

July 22, 2024

Broadcast

                  Beware of False Prophets -- Part 1
                           Jeremiah 23:16-17
                              07/22/2024


        16   Thus says the LORD of hosts: ``Do not listen to
             the words of the prophets who prophesy to you,
             filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of
             their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.
        17   They say continually to those who despise the word
             of the LORD, `It shall be well with you'; and to
             everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart,
             they say, `No disaster shall come upon you.'''
             (ESV)

        For the past few weeks our readings in Church have focused
   on what it means to be a faithful follower of the Triune God.  We
   have confessed that God is of one Essence, yet Three Persons, who
   reveals Himself in the words of the Bible.  We also confess that
   the Holy Spirit creates and sustains our faith through the
   sacraments of baptism, the Lord's Supper, and absolution.  As
   Martin Luther frequently says in the Small Catechism, ``This is
   most certainly true.''

        But not all churches, not all pastors, agree about the Word
   of God.  Jeremiah the prophet warned his listeners:
        Thus says the LORD of hosts: ``Do not listen to the
        words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you
        with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds,
        not from the mouth of the LORD.  They say continually
        to those who despise the word of the LORD, `It shall be
        well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows
        his own heart, they say, `No disaster shall come upon
        you.'''


        Six hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the people were
   complacent even as false teachers promised peace and prosperity.
   Within Jeremiah's lifetime the children of Israel were led into a
   seventy year captivity in Babylon.  Jeremiah's warning was
   unheeded.

        May our Lord grant us the wisdom to hear His Word, to listen
   to His warnings about sin, and to hear of His love and mercy
   shown through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

July 19, 2024

Broadcast

                        In the Garden -- Part 5
                            Genesis 2:15-17
                              07/19/2024


        15   The LORD God took the man and put him in the
             garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
        16   And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ``You
             may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
        17   but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
             you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of
             it you shall surely die.''  (ESV)

        The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of
        Eden to work it and keep it.  And the LORD God
        commanded the man, saying, ``You may surely eat of
        every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the
        knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in
        the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.''


        Martin Luther wrote:
        But this is a matter of theology that here this
        statement about the tree is put before Adam in order
        that he may also have some outward physical way of
        indicating his worship of God and demonstrating his
        obedience by an outward work. ...

        Therefore let us learn that some external form of
        worship and definite work of obedience were necessary
        for man, who was created to have all the other living
        creatures under his control, to know his Creator, and
        to thank Him.[2]


        In this we are not greater than our first ancestor.  God has
   blessed us with everything we need to sustain this body and life.
   Even as we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, our
   heavenly Father gave His only-begotten Son to pay the price of
   our sin, giving to us the gift of eternal life.

        It is fitting, therefore, that we gather together at God's
   invitation to receive from Him His good gifts of grace, mercy,
   and love.  One such opportunity is on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.
   at Trinity Lutheran Church.  May your ears be open to our Lord's
   invitation to receive from Him the assurance of His love.  Amen.






   ____________________

   2. Luther,  M., J. Pelikan, ed. (1958).  Luther's works: Lectures
      on Genesis, chapters 1-5.  (AE vol. 1).  St.  Louis:  CPH,  p.
      94.

July 18, 2024

Broadcast

                        In the Garden -- Part 4
                            Genesis 2:15-17
                              07/18/2024


        15   The LORD God took the man and put him in the
             garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
        16   And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ``You
             may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
        17   but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
             you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of
             it you shall surely die.''  (ESV)

        God created the heavens and the earth by the creative power
   of His Word alone.  He created mankind from the dust of the
   earth, carefully crafting the man, Adam, and breathing into him
   the breath of life.

        The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of
        Eden to work it and keep it.  And the LORD God
        commanded the man, saying, ``You may surely eat of
        every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the
        knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in
        the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.''


        Martin Luther wrote about this tree of the knowledge of good
   and evil:
        But it is useful to note also that God gave Adam Word,
        worship, and religion in its barest, purest, and
        simplest form, in which there was nothing laborious,
        nothing elaborate.  For He does not prescribe the
        slaughter of oxen, the burning of incense, vows,
        fastings, and other tortures of the body.  Only this He
        wants: that he praise God, that he thank Him, that he
        rejoice in the Lord, and that he obey Him by not eating
        from the forbidden tree.[1]


        May our Lord grant us opportunities to hear His Word, and to
   respond in faith to His rich grace and mercy.  Amen.











   ____________________

   1. Luther,  M., J. Pelikan, ed. (1958).  Luther's works: Lectures
      on Genesis, chapters 1-5.  (AE vol. 1).  St.  Louis:  CPH,  p.
      106.