Pentecost - Part 5
John 14:30-31
06/13/2025
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler
of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,
31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that
the world may know that I love the Father. Rise,
let us go from here. (ESV)
It was Thursday evening, the night before Jesus was
crucified. Having given the disciples the Lord's Supper, having
taught them of God's grace, having dismissed Judas to complete
his horrifying plans, Jesus prepared His disciples for the coming
events.
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of
this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do
as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may
know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
As Jesus and the disciples prepared to leave the upper room,
the words our Lord spoke took on special meaning. Indeed, within
minutes He would be betrayed, tried, tortured, crucified, and be
buried. The ruler of this world, the devil, seemed to triumph
over the truth of God's love. From the beginning of time, from
the day that our first ancestors turned from God to their own
selfish desires, the plan for the salvation of all people was the
death of the Son of God.
In love for God the Father, in love for all people, Jesus
willingly took the price of our sin, dying in our place, to
redeem us from the debt of our transgressions.
Today, the Holy Spirit, working through the proclaimed Word
of God, working through the visible Word of the sacraments,
brings you the benefit of Jesus' sacrifice. Please join the
redeemed, faithful children of God as they gather to receive this
gift of life at God's invitation at Trinity Lutheran Church each
Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. The promise is for you and your
children, for those who hear of God's love, grace, and mercy.
May our Lord grant you faith to hear His Word, that in
Christ Jesus you have everlasting life. Amen.Category: Moments of Meditation
Daily devotions as heard on KJOE 106.1 FM
Pentecost – Part 4
June 12, 2025
Pentecost - Part 4
John 14:28-29
06/12/2025
28 You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I
will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have
rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for
the Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so
that when it does take place you may believe.
(ESV)
On the night that Jesus was betrayed He prepared the
disciples for His death, resurrection, and ascension. He
promised to send the Holy Spirit who brings all the words Jesus
taught to remembrance, even these parting words of comfort.
Jesus said:
You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I will
come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced,
because I am going to the Father, for the Father is
greater than I. And now I have told you before it
takes place, so that when it does take place you may
believe.
Jesus first went away from the disciples as He lay in the
tomb following His crucifixion. He came back to them on Easter,
proclaiming the forgiveness of sins and commissioning the
disciples to spread the peace which comes from His death and
resurrection. These are the words of comfort of which the Holy
Spirit reminds the Church, the promise that Jesus will come
again.
Although Jesus is truly God, He humbled Himself to be born
of the virgin Mary, suffer under Pontius Pilate, be crucified,
die, and be buried. In His humility, Jesus truly placed Himself
under the Father's will for our salvation from sin and eternal
death.
From the Gospel accounts, we do see that the disciples did
not at first believe the words of comfort Jesus spoke. Only
after He was risen from the dead, only after the Holy Spirit came
to them, did they truly have faith. Only after Pentecost did the
disciples boldly proclaim the truth that Jesus is Lord and
Savior.
May our Lord's words of comfort bring you peace as you trust
in His promise to return in glory. Amen.Pentecost – Part 3
June 11, 2025
Pentecost - Part 3
John 14:27
06/11/2025
27 ``Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not
your hearts be troubled, neither let them be
afraid.'' (ESV)
The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring to each person the
benefits of Jesus' death and resurrection. His sacrifice on the
cross was the ultimate sacrifice for sin. His empty tomb says
that our tomb also will be empty. Because our sins are forgiven,
we have the gift of eternal life within the mansions of our
heavenly Father.
The Spirit works through the Word and sacraments to inform
us of the Father's love and the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. The
result of the Holy Spirit's work is our knowlege, agreement, and
trust that Jesus' death and resurrection are for each of us. The
result, we are reconciled with God, and have the true peace which
passes all understanding.
Jesus told His disciples, ``Peace I leave with you; my peace
I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not
your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.'' The peace
Jesus gives is eternal, freely given. Any peace the world gives
is temporary, easily upset by sin, easily broken by our own
selfish desires. Nothing, not even temporal death, can separate
us from the love of God as revealed in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit causes us to learn of Jesus and to trust
that His death and resurrection give us life. That is the faith
which holds firmly to our Savior.
May our Lord grant you the peace of knowing you are
reconciled to the Father. Amen.Pentecost – Part 2
June 10, 2025
Pentecost - Part 2
John 14:25-26
06/10/2025
25 ``These things I have spoken to you while I am
still with you.
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in my name, he will teach you all things
and bring to your remembrance all that I have said
to you.'' (ESV)
Jesus spent a bit over three years teaching His disciples
about the Kingdom of God, of salvation by grace through faith for
the sake of His suffering, death, and resurrection. Our Lord
spoke of the truth of the Father's love for His creation, and the
plan of redemption which was first promised to Adam and Eve the
day they sinned.
Jesus told His disciples:
``These things I have spoken to you while I am still
with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, he will teach you all
things and bring to your remembrance all that I have
said to you.''
The words Jesus spoke, the things Jesus did which show us
the Father's love, are important. They were recorded by the
apostles as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit for our
learning and our redemption from sin and death. Because these
words are precious, we treasure them, we read them, and we study
them. Jesus told of God's grace and mercy, that we cannot, by
our own reason or strength, do the works of God or understand the
wisdom of God. His words are Gospel, ``I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.''[1]
By inspiring the writers of the New Testament, by creating
the faith which trusts in Christ Jesus as our Redeemer, the Holy
Spirit does indeed teach us all things and bring to our
remembrance the words of Jesus.
May our Lord grant that we hear His Word, and treasure it,
for that Word brings to us the forgiveness of our sins and life
everlasting. Amen.
____________________
1. John 14:6Pentecost – Part 1
June 9, 2025
Pentecost - Part 1
John 14:23-24
06/09/2025
23 Jesus answered him, ``If anyone loves me, he will
keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we
will come to him and make our home with him.
24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.
And the word that you hear is not mine but the
Father's who sent me.'' (ESV)
Yesterday, the fiftieth day after Easter, the Church
celebrated Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit visibly descended
upon the disciples. This is not to imply that the Holy Spirit is
something which was not known to the writers of the Old
Testament. Indeed, by the second verse of the Bible we hear that
the ``Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
waters.''[1]
It has always been the work of the Holy Spirit to call
people to faith in God. It has always been the work of the Holy
Spirit to sanctify those who trust in God, who have heard the
Word of God, and respond in love to God. It has always been the
work of the Holy Spirit to teach us about God, even as the Holy
Spirit inspired the writers of both the Old and New Testaments to
proclaim God's Word.
Saint John recorded Jesus' conversation with the disciples
on the night He was betrayed.
Jesus answered him, ``If anyone loves me, he will keep
my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come
to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not
love me does not keep my words. And the word that you
hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.''
Those who love Jesus, those who trust in the Father, guard
and treasure that which is revealed by the prophets and apostles.
Jesus taught the words of the Father, the same words entrusted to
the Church by the Holy Spirit.
This week we will ponder the work of the Holy Spirit as He
calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the Church on earth.
May our Lord bless you this week as you learn more of our
Lord and Savior. Amen.
____________________
1. Genesis 1:2The Cost of Discipleship – Part 5
June 6, 2025
Cost of Discipleship - Part 5
John 16:4a
06/06/2025
4a But I have said these things to you, that when
their hour comes you may remember that I told them
to you. (ESV)
There is a cost of discipleship, a cost in this world as you
hold in faith to Jesus Christ as your Redeemer from sin, death,
and the power of the devil. The Church is at odds with the
world, for the Church declares the sickness of sin so that the
cure of the Gospel may be heard.
Although in the United States we don't see Christians jailed
or executed for their beliefs, we are very aware of the daily
ridicule and scorn heaped upon people of faith. The
constitutional freedom of religion has turned into the freedom
from religion, to the extent that many Christian pastors are
afraid to publicly pray in the name of Jesus.
Yet, people of faith, people who hold to salvation by grace
through faith for the sake of Christ, have hope in this sinful
world. They remember Jesus' words: ``But I have said these
things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I
told them to you.'' They know that the Christian daily picks up
his cross and follows Jesus, for Jesus is our only hope in this
fallen and sinful life.
You have the opportunity to hear that message of hope, of
the love of the Father who sent His Son to redeem you from sin
and death. Each Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. the redeemed
children of God gather at Trinity Lutheran Church to receive
God's gift of forgiveness. Please join us to hear of God's love.
May our Lord grant you faith to trust in Christ Jesus who
bore the guilt of your sin, and gives to you the gift of eternal
life. Amen.The Cost of Discipleship – Part 4
June 5, 2025
Cost of Discipleship - Part 4
John 16:3
06/05/2025
3 And they will do these things because they have
not known the Father, nor me. (ESV)
The truth of salvation by grace through faith for the sake
of Christ changes how you look at the world. Because you have
received the gift of the forgiveness of your sins from God, even
though you did not deserve or earn that gift, you change how you
think and act. Where you once looked out for yourself before
considering others, now you ask, ``Does this bring glory to God
and serve my neighbor?''
Good works flow from faith. Certainly you can give to
charity or help others even if you do not have faith in Jesus
Christ, but what is your motivation? How many people donate to a
worthy cause, not because they are concerned about helping those
in need, but desire the publicity which comes from giving
donations?
On the other hand, the world simply doesn't know how to
handle people who truly seek the good of others before their own
comfort and reputation. Unfortunately, people who act with
unselfish motivation make society nervous. Jesus was crucified,
not for crimes, but for healing the sick and raising the dead and
bringing comfort to those in distress.
Why are Christians persecuted for their good works, for
their rejection of the selfish ambitions of society? Jesus said,
``And they will do these things because they have not known the
Father, nor me.'' The world knows how to handle the power
hungry, the selfish, and those who look down on the less
fortunate. The world cannot handle the caring, the loving, the
person who seeks the good of his neighbor without thought of
reward or pay-back.
May our Lord grant you peace, even as you live in this
world, but do not live according to the standards of this world.
Amen.The Cost of Discipleship – Part 3
June 4, 2025
Cost of Discipleship - Part 3
John 16:1-2
06/04/2025
1 I have said all these things to you to keep you
from falling away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed,
the hour is coming when whoever kills you will
think he is offering service to God. (ESV)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the twentieth century Lutheran
theologian who was executed for his opposition to the German
government during World War II, once wrote, ``When Christ calls a
man, he bids him come and die.''[1] Because the Christian witness
concerning salvation by God's grace and love alone for the sake
of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone does not
conform to the world's teaching, Christians can expect to be
prosecuted for their faith.
Jesus told His disciples:
I have said all these things to you to keep you from
falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues.
Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will
think he is offering service to God.
If you are looking for acceptance in this world, if you are
looking for popularity, being a confessing Christian is not the
way to win worldly friends. If you are looking for the comfort
of knowing your sins are forgiven, that you can face the
realities of pain, suffering, and death knowing that you have the
hope of eternal life for the sake of Christ, the rejection of
this world is easier to take.
You have the comfort of the Gospel, that you have died to
sin through the work of the Holy Spirit, and have risen to new
life in Christ Jesus. You see beyond the immediate suffering in
this world to glimpse the glory of the mansions of God, of being
with the Father for all of eternity. The Holy Spirit gives you
the comfort of salvation by grace through faith for the sake of
Christ.
May our Lord strengthen your faith, that when you suffer in
this world you have the assurance of life everlasting. Amen.The Cost of Discipleship – Part 2
June 3, 2025
Cost of Discipleship - Part 2
John 15:26-27
06/03/2025
26 But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you
from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds
from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
27 And you also will bear witness, because you have
been with me from the beginning. (ESV)
[Jesus said:] But when the Helper comes, whom I will
send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who
proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about
me. And you also will bear witness, because you have
been with me from the beginning.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Paraclete, a Greek word
which may be translated as ``comforter'' or ``advocate'' or
``counselor.'' He is also a helper, one who brings the comfort
which comes from knowing the truth of God's love, grace, and
mercy.
The Holy Spirit first bears witness of Jesus, of His death
and resurrection for our salvation from sin and eternal death.
This witness declares that the Bible is the Word of God, inspired
by the Holy Spirit for our learning and to bring us to faith in
Jesus.
When the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh cause us
to ask, ``Did God really say?'' the Holy Spirit shows us how the
Bible is true. Unlike a book of myths or fairly tales, you can
find good, external evidence of the people, places, and events of
both the Old and New Testaments. Many scholars who are not
friendly to Christianity continue to find objects and artifacts
that verify the accounts rendered in the Bible.
You and I can take comfort in knowing the Word of God is
true and accurate, for the Word of God gives us the declaration
that our sins are forgiven, and that we have eternal life for the
sake of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
May our Lord continue to bring you the comfort and hope of
knowing you have the gift of everlasting life. Amen.The Cost of Discipleship – Part 1
June 2, 2025
Cost of Discipleship - Part 1
John 15:26-27
06/02/2025
26 But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you
from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds
from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
27 And you also will bear witness, because you have
been with me from the beginning. (ESV)
Forty days after Easter, Christ Jesus ascended into heaven
as witnessed by His disciples. Does the truth that Jesus no
longer physically walks upon the earth mean that He is not
present? We believe, teach, and confess that our Lord Jesus
Christ remains with His Church through Word and sacrament. We
also believe, teach, and confess that as Jesus sits at the right
hand of the Father, this is not someplace far removed from each
Christian. If the Father is present everywhere, which is one of
God's attributes, then the Son is equally present.
But Jesus also promised the disciples that they would also
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father
and the Son. Jesus said:
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the
Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also
will bear witness, because you have been with me from
the beginning.
As we will see in the coming weeks, it is the work of the
Holy Spirit to call, gather, and enlighten the Church, and each
individual Christian, with the truth of God's rich grace, love,
and mercy. Through the witness of the proclaimed Word, through
the visible Word of the sacraments, the Holy Spirit brings us to
faith in Christ Jesus. We are declared holy in God's sight as we
trust that our salvation from sin and death is because of God's
love alone, for the sake of Jesus Christ alone.
This week we will look at the promise Jesus gave to His
disciples to send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and the cost of
Christian faith in this sinful world.
May our Lord grant you the peace of knowing His grace and
mercy for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.