Christian Living

The New Testament has a great deal to say about living as Christians. We will look to the Old Testament for context and background, but focus on the New in these blogs.

Friday Sermon | “Epiphany 2 – The Problem” by Hans Fiene

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frisermonIf you are unfamiliar with Liturgical Worship, or following the church year, we are in the season of Epiphany. The season begins with the visiting of the Magi (Christ revealed to the Gentiles) through the Transfiguration. Today’s sermon text will be looking at Christ’s first recorded Miracle at the wedding in Cana.

Today we’ll be listening to the sermon given last week by Pr Hans Fiene of River of Life Lutheran Church, Channahon, IL.

Rev. Hans Fiene

was born in Duluth, Minnesota in late 1980. The son of a Lutheran pastor, Rev. Fiene and his family spent time in Utah and Connecticut before settling in Indiana. After graduating from Indiana University with a B.A. in English, Rev. Fiene began his studies at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he earned a Masters of Divinity in May of 2008.

After graduation, Rev. Fiene was ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry on June 8, 2008. He then moved to Denver, CO where he served as pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church until accepting the call to River of Life. Rev. Fiene was installed as pastor of River of Life Lutheran Church on December 18, 2010.

Rev. Fiene and his wife Katie were married in August of 2005. God has blessed them with three young sons: John, August, and Anders. In addition to serving Christ’s flock at River of Life, Rev. Fiene also loves writing, singing, playing a little piano, and getting far too emotionally invested in the Indianapolis Colts.

Rev. Fiene is also the creator of Lutheran Satire, a multimedia project intended to teach the orthodox Lutheran faith through the use of humor. Lutheran Satire’s website can be found here (http://lutheransatire.org/) and the YouTube channel can be found here (https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLutheranSatire).

Source: River of Life Lutheran Church

Sermon Audio

Note: In a Lutheran Divine Service the sermon comes after the reading of the assigned texts (an Old Testament text, an Epistle reading, and a Gospel text) and the Pastor’s sermon will focus on one or more of these readings. That is why in this sermon you don’t hear the text being read specifically. The congregation has already heard the text read aloud while they read along.

Sermon Text

John 2:1-12 (ESV) | The Wedding at Cana

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

I hope you enjoyed listening to this sermon. Pastor Fiene did a wonderful job of rightly dividing Law and Gospel.

Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

 

 

CTT | Become all things to all people?

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CTTIt has been a while since our last Completing the Thought (CTT) post so I thought we might do one this week. Normally, I try to post these on Mondays, but this past Monday was a Holiday so I thought we’d knock this out today. I Recently received an email from a reader via the Contact Us regarding a song we Disapproved in our DiM series. While the complaint is one that is commonly shared, I truly appreciated the reader’s attempt to make a Biblical argument. Let’s take a look at the referenced text and examine it in context to see what the Apostle Paul was writing.

To Jorge,
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” I think you are reading too much into this song and video. If this song catches the interest of a young person and it leads them to the Lord they can be instructed in the faith after salvation. Like Paul she is reaching out to all…

The portion of scripture being referenced is 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. In this first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is writing to a church that is suffering from divisions of men by ethnic differences, social status differences, financial difference, and various examples of fleshly indulgences (abusing the spiritual gifts, sexual immorality, drunkenness at the Lord’s Supper). It’s all one letter and Paul is dealing with a lot of things at once, but Paul isn’t writing to unbelievers, he’s writing to the Church in Corinth. I’m going to be quoting portions of the text, but if you feel I’ve taken anything out of context, by all means call me on it.

1 Corinthians 1:1-3 (ESV)

Greeting
Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

After a bit of greeting, Paul makes clear the purpose of this letter.

1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (ESV) | Divisions in the Church

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

I highlighted what Paul is saying is his primary calling, to preach the gospel of Christ. He isn’t saying he wasn’t supposed to be baptizing (because he did baptize and baptism is an integral part of the Great Commission); rather, he is clearly stating that he was sent to preach the gospel. He also points out that he does so without words of eloquent wisdom so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power, that by distracting folks into admiring his eloquent speech rather than the Gospel of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (ESV) | Christ the Wisdom and Power of God

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

This is an important point here that I believe the Apostle Paul will be reflecting back to in chapters 8 and 9. Paul preaches the Gospel plainly. The Word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but for the Church (us who are being saved) it is the power of God. So, throughout the letter, Paul is going to be addressing various divisions and distractions from the Gospel, from the Word of the cross, that are taking root within the Church. Now, with this introduction to the letter fresh in our minds, let us jump ahead to Chapter 8.

1 Corinthians 8 (ESV) | Food Offered to Idols

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Why are we talking about food offered to Idols? Because this is one of the key factor in one of the major divisions within the early church, the division between Jew and Gentile believers. Paul’s letter to the Galatians addresses the Judaizing heresy, and the first Apostolic Council was regarding Gentile believers and which rules they should follow. Notice Paul’s focus throughout this discussion of food. Again, he’s talking about fellow believers, brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and his concern is the Gospel. We know that since idols are false the foods offered to them have no real significance, for we know who God is. However, not everyone has this clear understanding, so to one whose conscience is bound to avoiding foods offered to false gods, it would be a sin to burden his conscience by consuming such food. Paul goes on to say that even though he is free to eat of any food, for food does not commend us to God, for the sake of his brother he’d commit to never eating meat. Paul isn’t just addressing the Gentiles here, he’s making the argument wide enough for the believing Jews who also cannot yet see their freedom from the strict dietary laws of the Mosaic covenant. Paul is teaching them they are free in Christ to eat whatever they like, but they are also told not to abuse their freedoms and sin against their brothers. Now, let’s get to the next chapter.

1 Corinthians 9:1-12 (ESV) | Paul Surrenders His Rights

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.

Now Paul is really driving home his point here. This is definitely a one-up on the matter of food and drink, and it goes to his vocation as Apostle of Jesus Christ and his right to drawing his living (food, drink, shelter) from preaching the Gospel. Paul has the right to ask for provisions from the church to whom he is an Apostle of Jesus Christ, yet he has declined these rights in their case and worked on the side to pay for his provisions so as to not put an obstacle in the way of the Gospel of Christ. Let’s continue reading through the rest of the chapter. I’ll continue highlighting the mention of the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 9:13-27 (ESV)

Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Wow, such an awesome passage. Now, the underlined portion is the part that was quoted to me in the email. Here, we do see Paul addressing the preaching of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles who are not yet believers “so that i might win more of them”. Indeed, to the Jew Paul became as a Jew. What does this mean? Well, in the context of all that he’s been writing, Paul would go to the synagogues and follow the Mosaic Laws (and even submit to the Traditions of the Elders like ceremonial washings and the like) so as not to become a hindrance to the preaching of the Gospel of Christ in their synagogues. Though he is free from the Mosaic Law and under the Law of Christ, these Traditions of the Elders are of no real value, Paul would observe the temple traditions so that they might listen to the Gospel he preached concerning Christ, so that by all means he might save some. Similarly, Paul would drop the Traditions of the Elders, and the strict dietary laws of the Mosaic covenant when he went into the Gentile market places to preach the Gospel of Christ, so that the Gentiles might be willing to listen to him. The unbelieving Gentiles knew full well who the Jews were, and that they were considered lesser beings because they were Gentiles. What remains constant in all of this, however, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul preached the Gospel. He was sent to preach the Gospel of Christ, and in that he was a servant to all, regardless of their status.

Conclusion

Indeed, we should become all things to all people so that we may not become a hindrance to the preaching of the Gospel. But we cannot use this logic to somehow rationalize the masking of the Gospel. Whenever a preacher claims to give a sermon and fails to preach both Law and Gospel, he is failing his duty. There is no validity in trying to say “I become all things to all people so that I might save some” as justification for failing to preach Law and Gospel.

In the DiM post that was being referenced, we disapproved the song due to a failure to present the Gospel. That is what we are looking for primarily in these DiM posts to grant a song an Approved rating. The song had other problems with it, which made gave it a Disapproved rating. The artist doing that song was not being like the Apostle Paul. It was just an 80s-inspired pop song with unclear theology.

If you’d like to contact us regarding this or any other post, please feel free to visit our Contact Us page and share your thoughts. I’ll try to respond in a timely fashion, not always in the form of a blog post.

Jude 24-25 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “King of the World” by Natalie Grant

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Presentation1CCM Edition.

January 17, 2017. Today we’ll be taking a look at “King of the World” by Natalie Grant which currently sits at #5 on 20TheCountdownMagazine. It looks like the top 20 chart is starting to stabilize a bit, as most of the list looks the way it did before the Christmas season. It isn’t overrun with COWO (Contemporary Worship) songs.

This song falls into the middle category because it doesn’t share the Gospel, nor does it grant the listener an indication to return to the Gospel, repent, and be forgiven of the sin of being your own god. This song is Law (pointing out error) and the implied answer is to do better about not forgetting that God is God (more law). The song stays on the lighter side of this error, more on the anxiety, worry, business side of forgetting that Christ is King of the World, but leaving out the Gospel leaves the listener in despair (for having failed again) or mysticism (try to experience God more directly in a “Jesus take the wheel” sense).

Official Lyric Video

 

Lyrics (via GooglePlay Music)

(verse 1)
I try to fit You in the walls inside my mind
I try to keep You safely in between the lines
I try to put You in the box that I’ve designed
I try to pull You down so we are eye to eye

(chorus)
When did I forget that You’ve always been the King of the world
I try to take life back right out of the hands of the King of the world
How could I make You so small
When You’re the one who holds it all
When did I forget that You’ve always been the King of the world

(verse 2)
Just a whisper of Your voice can tame the seas
So who am I to try to take the lead?
Still I run ahead and think I’m strong enough
When You’re the one who made me from the dust

(chorus)
When did I forget that You’ve always been the King of the world
I try to take life back right out of the hands of the King of the world
How could I make You so small
When You’re the one who holds it all
When did I forget that You’ve always been the King of the world

(bridge)
You set it all in motion
Every single moment
You brought it all to be
And You’re holding on to me

(chorus)

When did I forget that you’ve always been the king of the world?
I try to take life back right out of the hands of the king of the world
How could I make you so small
When you’re the one who holds it all
When did I forget you’ve always been the king of the world
You will always be the king of the world

Written by Becca Mizell, Natalie Grant, Samuel Mizell • Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Music Services, Inc, BMG Rights Management US, LLC

Discussion

So, let’s begin by discussing the overall point of the song. The point being made in general is how foolish it is for someone to acknowledge and confess Christ as the King of the World yet constantly live in anxiety and worry and striving as though they were in charge of their lives. There is a sense where this sort of self rebuke is warranted, when we wreck ourselves with worry over things that are outside of our ability to control. God is God, He is in control. In that sense, I agree with the overall theme of the song, or at least its chorus. In this discussion we are making 2 assumptions: the King of the World reference is to Jesus, the Messiah/Christ, the second person of the Trinity, and the target audience is to confessing Christians.

Chorus. Part of our sinful nature is the desire to create god in our own image, so to speak. Christians aren’t immune to this, we just have the clear preaching of Law and Gospel to address it. Daily. As sinners, we often take matters into our own hands, even our own justification/sanctification where we are constantly trying to prove ourselves to God through our own good works. Do more, volunteer more, sin less, give more… and we try to do this in our own strength, which is the killer. We can’t. That is the Law doing its work on us and in response our flesh is trying to keep the Law on its own. We can’t. It’s beyond us to keep the Law perfectly. I think this song is trying to address that problem, but it seems to lack the vocabulary or clear doctrine with which to do so. If you’ll notice, there is no clear proclamation of the Gospel here. There’s no repentance and the forgiveness of sins here, and I think that can be expected from our modern evangelicalism which treats the Gospel as something unbelievers need to hear until they decide to become believers. The setup in the song falls short of calling out backsliders, the mood of the song doesn’t get that dark. But even if it did, would we expect to see the Gospel of Grace and forgiveness emphasized or just more Law with the heat turned up? To answer in this specific case would be to venture into speculation, but it’s a question worth pondering whenever we are dealing with evangelicals reaching out to professing Christians. Is the Gospel still relevant for believing Christians or is it something that you “needed to get in, but staying in is all on you”? Let’s look at some Scripture before we dive into the verses.

Regarding Christ as the King of the World, let’s look to 1 Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:13-16 (ESV) I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

There are two ways we can look at the problem of “trying to take life back right out of the hands of the King of the world”, the first is what I’ve already alluded to regarding anxiety and worry over things we cannot control. I think the best place to look for this is to look at Christ’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV) | Do Not Be Anxious

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

There is also a darker sense of “taking life out of the hands…” in which we lose sight of the Gospel completely and start relying on our own actions/efforts/striving for our salvation. Remember, we aren’t talking about unbelievers, we’re essentially talking about backsliders. Not the rebel ones who fall into hedonism, but the backsliders who’ve fallen into the pit of pietism and works-righteousness, like those foolish Galatians who had fallen into the false teaching of the Judaizing heresy.

Galatians 5:1-12 (ESV) | Christ Has Set Us Free

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

So, we see that in light of these passages there is a good point to be made by the chorus of this song. The answer needs to be to turn our attention away from whatever has distracted us from the Truth of the Gospel and back to the Written Word of God. I have a concern with all of the mysticism infecting CCM that many will choose to “look within” and try to feel God more or hear Him more directly in a sort of “Jesus take the wheel” sort of stunt. That’s not what Scriptures teach, so please, don’t go there.

Verse 1. The answer to each of the errors being confessed in the first verse is to look for God in His Word. That is where God has revealed Himself to mankind. There is nowhere else one can look that isn’t committing the exact same errors being confessed in this verse.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Verse 2. This one is getting a little heavy on the poetically vague side. The main problem with this is the lack of clarity. What exactly is the error being poetically described by us “taking the lead… running ahead”? I’m sure we could come up with interpretations that are theologically sound and others that are dripping in sensual mysticism. It’s not objectively right or wrong, it’s just vague.

Bridge. The song seems to be building up to a climax focusing on the emotional rather than the objective and doctrinal. Yes, there is a sense where can discuss the objective truths of Scripture pointing to God the Holy Spirit sealing us, drawing us to Christ, and securing the salvation won by Christ for us on the Cross. But we must at least caution the overly emotional/sensual concept of “Presence” theology, a New Age concept of somehow finding God with our senses and our emotional experiences. That’s a dangerous road to follow. Don’t do it. I’m not saying she’s doing this intentionally with this song, but the industry is drowning in mysticism posing as Christianity so this is a very real pitfall building in this song.

Conclusion

The build up of the song comes to an emotional close, rather than to a doctrinal one. This is where the repetitions become more meditative and take on a slightly mystically vague form. It’s as though the point of the song is to build up a sense of open surrender, like a “Jesus take the wheel” experience. When it comes to the Law / Gospel distinction, this song is all Law. There is no Gospel in the song. While it is safe to assume the intended audience for the song is believing Christians, the overall focus of the song is the error of being our own gods rather than trusting Christ in our everyday matters. For decision-theology folks, this is dangerous particularly given their synergism. If my decision to follow Christ is necessary for salvation, then my decision to keep Him in the driver’s seat is necessary for me to remain saved. Such a trap of despair with no hope of assurance, for these same folks leave the Gospel behind as something they needed to become “born again” but not something that can help them “today”. The only answer for the conviction of the Law isn’t “try harder, decide better, want better”, the answer is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Repentance and the Forgiveness of sin. Yes, for you, too, born-again believer in Christ… you who sin are in need of forgiveness. Repent, and know that you are forgiven in Jesus’ Name.

Romans 3:20-26 (ESV) For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The redemption that is in Christ Jesus isn’t something you dip into one-time and hope you can hold onto it by your own strength. This Blood is FOR YOU, for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus paid the price of sin IN FULL. In this life you will have many struggles, and most of them are of your own sinful doing. Repent. Be forgiven, in Jesus’ Name.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV)

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

Friday Sermon | “To Fulfill All Righteousness” by Rev Flamme

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frisermonToday’s sermon comes to us from Rev Brian Flamme of Hope Lutheran Church in Aurora, CO. The Gospel text from this past Sunday (08 JAN 2017) is Matt. 3:13-17.

Rev Brian Flamme on twitter: @brianflamme

Gospel Text

Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV) | The Baptism of Jesus

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Sermon

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

True Worship: Faith Wrestling with Despair by Rev Flamme

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It has been quite a while since we’ve posted things other than Discernment in Music (DiM). I’m working on some plans for creating more music-related content throughout the week to support the DiM work and hopefully to provide our readers some variety in materials within the scope of music and theology. Normally when we do a Friday Sermon post it’s an audio/video of a good sermon. Today we’ll have an article by Rev. A. Brian Flamme, and a recent sermon he preached at Hope Lutheran Church in Aurora, CO. Since the two are not on the same topic, the sermon will be posted separately.

True Worship: Faith Wrestling with Despair by Rev. A. Brian Flamme

Posted December 15, 2015
by Rev. A. Brian Flamme

The world obsesses over worship. Workaholics pour their waking moments into obtaining the all-important nest egg. Intellectuals strive after ideologies that master the transcendent mysteries of the universe. Muslims are taught by their Koran to compel obedience to their god through intimidation and murder.[i] These are only some of the ways that world’s worship bows down and renders service to what’s perceived as worthy.

The world’s worship ranges from venial to noble. It can be found it in the mountain monasteries of the Buddhist monks and the American football stadium on Sunday afternoon. Obsessions of the world are all too often nothing more than counterfeit worship. The devil and his demons are intent on making sure that every ounce of your attention is consumed.[ii] They’ll give you anything but the true God to fear, love, and trust.

What about the Christians? Don’t they worship the real God? Even the trappings of Christian worship can deteriorate into pagan sacrifice. How? By thinking the offerings of time, attention, money, and works demanded by the demons are also what God desires. This captivity to works has also borne the name “Christian worship.” This was the state of Christendom at the time of the Lutheran Reformation. Men, women, and children were coerced to pay priests to render the sacrifices of the mass so they could be saved from an angry and vengeful God. They agonized over the obedience and works of righteousness demanded by the papacy, even to the point of despair.

What was neglected was the one thing needful: a Savior who paid the price for sin. Thanks be to God that he will not suffer his Word to be silent. For the sake of mercy, not sacrifice, he sent faithful pastors like Luther, who held forth the incarnate Son of God promised by the Prophets, Apostles, and Evangelists. The proclamation of Jesus’ Word is the center and foundation of authentic Christian worship.

It’s been remarked that Luther and the Lutheran Reformation didn’t have an explicit or sophisticated theology of worship.[iii] This seems to be fair, as Luther never goes out of his way to articulate an  liturgical philosophy to govern the rites and rituals of the church. Nor does he spend protracted time researching and pouring over the words “worship” and “liturgy” to establish an independent theological concept. Instead, Luther rejoiced in preaching repentance and faith, Law and Gospel, and expounding upon Christ’s institutions of Baptism and the Supper. You can find all this summed up in his Small and Large Catechisms.[iv]

You might think this fixation on preaching Jesus might lead to a neglect of the liturgy. Maybe people would talk about theology, but never actually make it to church. Does neglect of “liturgical theology” lead to a neglect of the liturgy? Not for the reformers. As the princes at Augsburg confessed, “Our churches are falsely accused of abolishing the Mass. In fact, the Mass is retained among us and is celebrated with the greatest reverence.”[v] But this wasn’t a “mass” held captive to the doctrines of men which denied the blood of Jesus to the people. Nor did it imagine that meriting God’s favor without faith could be accomplished through the magical performance of churchly rites.

Luther explains, “We therefore first assert: It is not now nor ever has been our intention to abolish the liturgical service of God completely, but rather to purify the one that is now in use from the wretched accretions which corrupt it and to point out an evangelical use. We cannot deny that the mass, i.e., the communion of bread and wine, is a rite divinely instituted by Christ himself and that it was observed first by Christ and then by the apostles, quite simply and evangelically without any additions.”[vi] You can see Luther’s desire to resist anything that conflicted with Christ’s institutions in the Scriptures. Luther was confident that as long as the Scriptures and their doctrine was preached and believed, Christian worship would necessarily happen. He writes, “And this is the sum of the matter: Let everything be done so that the Word may have free course instead of the prattling and rattling that has been the rule up to now. We can spare everything except the Word.”[vii]

Jesus established an office in the world for forgiving sins (John 20:21–23). He established his Baptism and Supper to be received in the lives of real people (Mark 16:16; Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26) and not merely to be objects of contemplation. Luther writes, “Places, times, persons, and the entire outward order of worship have therefore been instituted and appointed in order that God’s Word may exert its power publicly.”[viii] What does it look like when God’s Word exerts its power publicly? Babies are baptized. Sins are forgiven. The Scriptures are preached and prayers and hymns spring off Christian lips. It looks like the Divine Service you attend every Sunday!

True Christian worship is under attack. “For where God’s Word is preached, accepted, or believed, and bears fruit, there the holy and precious cross will also not be far behind.”[ix] Sufferings in this life must come. The demons rage when their counterfeit worship is displaced by godly preaching. The world loves placating their false gods too much to tolerate the call to repentance. Concerning these enemies of Christ, Philip Melanchthon writes, “Nowhere do they teach that sins are pardoned freely for Christ’s sake and that by this faith we may obtain the remission of sins. Thus they obscure the glory of Christ, rob consciences of sure consolation, and destroy true worship, that is, the exercise of faith wrestling with despair.”[x]

Faith wrestling with despair is Christian worship. Faith wrestling against despair runs to Jesus in the face of sin and death. The Scriptures are full of examples. It was faith wrestling against despair that led Mary to ignore the chores of the day so she could sit at her Lord’s feet to be comforted with his preaching (Luke 10:38-42). It was faith wrestling against despair that pushed Jairus to rush from his dying daughter’s side to beg Jesus to restore her life (Mark 5:21-43). It was faith wrestling with despair that caused the criminal crucified next to Jesus to ask that he be remembered when his Lord entered into his kingdom (Luke 23:39-43). This is Christian worship. Because it rests in Jesus and his Word, it will never be put to shame.

The Rev. A. Brian Flamme is a pastor at Hope Lutheran Church, Aurora, CO.

[i] Koran 9:5. Besides the Koran itself demanding the repentance of unbelievers through violence, Martin Luther identifies the connection between Islam and murder in 1529. In On War Against the Turk, Luther saw that proselytization into the Muslim faith often came at the edge of the sword. He writes, “Thus when the spirit of lies had taken possession of Mohammed, and the devil had murdered men’s souls with his Koran and had destroyed the faith of Christians, he had to go on and take the sword and set about to murder their bodies. The Turkish faith, then, has not made its progress by perching and the working of miracles, but by the sword and by murder…” (LW 46:179). Though there are certainly “moderate Muslims” who resist violence against unbelievers, they are inconsistent with critical elements of Mohamed’s own history of pushing his novel faith on others through bloodshed on the Arab Peninsula not to mention the clear precepts of the Koran. I believe that Luther’s assessment of Islam’s murderous pretentions remains accurate and instructive for Christians today.

[ii] In Luther’s explanation of the Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, Luther identifies the work of the devil as fighting against God’s will: That his kingdom would come into our lives through the preaching of his Word. See also 1 Timothy 4:1

[iii] Walter E. Bruzen, “Forward,” in Worship in the Name of Jesus, by Peter Brunner, trans. M.H. Bertram (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1968), 7–8.

[iv] The best places in the Catechisms to learn about Lutheran worship would be the first three Commandments, the Third article of the Creed, the first three Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, and, of course, the sections on Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. There you’ll find everything that you need to know about what worship was all about for the reformers. Thanks be to God that it continues to be our confession today!

[v] AC XXIV, 1 (Kolb-Wengert, 69).

[vi] An Order of Mass and Communion, LW 53:20

[vii] Concerning the Order of Public Worship, LW 53:14

[viii] LC I, 94 (Kolb-Wengert, 399).

[ix] LC III, 65 (Kolb-Wengert, 448-449)

[x] Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, 44 (Kolb-Wengert, 338).