Ask in My Name

[Jesus said:] "In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. John 16:23
 

 

Today is a very special day for the people of the United States of America. ...You see, Memorial Day is the day we honor our dead—particularly the dead who served to protect us in the armed services of our nation so that we at home might enjoy the freedom to assemble as we do right here, right now, today. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus our Lord!

... But more importantly—yes, even more important than Memorial Day for all of us, whether believer or unbeliever; today is a sabbath day of rest, a day designated by God for us to "come to the knowledge of the truth…and be saved.” This day is not designated by God because it falls on a particular day of the week or as specific date on the calendar, like Memorial Day. No, as Jesus has said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27

To hear and/or read the entire sermon preached for Rogate Sunday, "Ask in My Name," click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3784

The Spirit of Truth

John 16:13, 8a "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, … And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin ..."

 

Do you know what the number one sexually transmitted disease in the state of Utah is?...

It is the same one as in each of the other United States America. In fact, it is the same disease that is spreading uncontrolled throughout the world, and has been since shortly after the world began.

Sin.

Since even before there was ever an adulterous act of any kind--straight, gay, or otherwise—sin has been a sexually transmitted disease.

It is not that sex is the original sin. The original sin is that referenced by Jesus in our text: “they do not believe in me.”

So why, then, are sexual sins such a big deal?

Because, since both man and woman sinned in the beginning, they became the host bodies of death. In the day they ate of that which God commanded them not to eat, they became infected with the disease of sin, and thus carriers of the most communicable and deadly disease of all.

To hear and/or read the entire sermon preached for Cantate Sunday, "The Spirit of Truth," click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3779

Sorrow WIll Turn into Joy

... for us today, the birth pain analogy of our Gospel text breaks down a bit. Thanks be to God, through modern medicine we have been able to significantly decrease the pain and anguish and mortality rate in child birth. But this has not come without cost—financially and spiritually.
Because of the high financial cost, we spend much of our lives working to secure the benefits of health care--and most of the rest of it finding ways to enjoy ourselves while we are able. After all, what is good health worth if you don’t have time to enjoy it?

This elimination of pain and seeking of pleasure is very costly spiritually. Sadly, so much of what happens within popular Christianity reflects and mimics the world. We will do just about anything to avoid suffering. And we have come to believe that all God wants is for us to be happy.

As with all sin and lies, there is a grain of truth to this....

To hear and/or read the entire sermon preached for Jubilate Sunday, click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3776

Jesus: from Sacrificial Lamb to Good Shepherd

[Jesus said:] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 [ESV]

 

And so He has.

This is not only the definition of what it takes to be a good Shepherd, it is the definition of what it means to ...be good, period.

...The One Who is the Good Shepherd, first became the best of sheep—the Lamb of sacrifice. He went where no man had gone before. He went where no man could or can go and return.

Celebrating His return on Easter morning, the One who was the Perfect Sacrificial Lamb is now the Good Shepherd—leading us so we can follow where He has gone and come back out on the other side.

To hear and or/read the entire sermon preached for Misericordias Domini Sunday, "Jesus: from Sacrificial Lamb to Good Shepherd," click on this link. http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3770