The final sermon of Rolf D. Preus before his retirement from pastoral ministry, August 9, 2020. Following the service, he not should be my pastor. Too sad for phrases.
below is the sermon fittingly titled, "We Preach Christ Crucified." This has been the theme of his preaching and ministry. you will find that in A yr of legislation & Gospel Preaching: Postil of Sermons on the One-year Lectionary, hardcover right here, and paperback here, Christ for Us: Catechism Sermons of Rolf D. Preus, Kindle edition right here, and hardcover right here, and the relaxation of his sermons, papers, lectures, and shows at his website Christ for Us.
A sound under-shepherd to the remarkable Shepherd of the Sheep is a source of safety. We sheep are inclined to error and wandering. When the office of Public Ministry preaches the Gospel in purity and administers the Sacraments rightly, the sheep are drawn to the safeguard of certainty. This has been my blessing and the blessing of my family during the ministry of Pastor Preus.
The Ninth Sunday after TrinityAugust 9, 2020"We Preach Christ Crucified"1 Corinthians 1:18-25
For the message of the move is foolishness to those that are perishing, however to us who're being saved it is the energy of God. For it is written: "i will be able to damage the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the knowing of the prudent." [Isaiah 29:14] where is the clever? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this age? Has no longer God made foolish the knowledge of this world? For in view that, in the knowledge of God, the realm via knowledge didn't comprehend God, it comfortable God throughout the foolishness of the message preached to retailer those who believe. For Jews request an indication, and Greeks seek after knowledge; however we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, however to those that are referred to as, each Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the knowledge of God. since the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weak point of God is superior than guys.
What kind of a faith do you desire? Do you need a religion of power? Or do you desire a religion of wisdom? sign seekers choose vigour. We need to see a miracle! all the way through his ministry, Jesus become besieged by people in the hunt for indications. They wanted him to show himself by doing powerful miracles. smartly, it's now not as if God doesn't exhibit his vigor. in any case, God validated the preaching of the prophets and the apostles by means of extraordinary indications. bear in mind how Moses did superior miracles than all of Pharaoh's magicians? The spectacular crossing of the pink Sea became a magnificent demonstration!
Others searching for after wisdom. They're infatuated through it. The word philosophy skill chum of knowledge. Philosophers down throughout the a while have reveled of their own intelligence, their capability to debate and be triumphant, and their first rate insight into the character of things. When it involves knowledge, God provides it. certainly, Solomon in the Proverbs identifies the second adult of the Trinity as knowledge. St. John calls him the be aware. if you desire knowledge, Christianity is the religion for you! God's vigor and God's knowledge are both published in Christ. God's vigour and knowledge are revealed in the preaching of the go. The hymnist writes:
To me the preaching of the crossIs knowledge eternal.Thy death alone redeems my lossOn thee my burden casting.I, in thy name, a refuge claimFrom sin and guilt and from all shame.Blessed be thy identify, O Jesus!
here is God's wisdom. here's God's power. the realm thinks it's foolishness. folks that are being rescued from the coming near near destruction coming upon this world hear the message of the move as God's vigor. those that are perishing with the realm think it's foolishness.
Some years ago when the Jehovah's Witnesses stopped through our residence my wife became busy (we had several small toddlers at home on the time) and decided to give them the triple whammy right off the bat. She met them at the door and stated, "I agree with that Jesus is God and that he died on the go so I wouldn't have to go to hell." As you might also know, the Jehovah's Witnessed deny that Jesus is God, deny that he died on a move, and deny the existence of hell. in order that they have been a bit bit shaken, however now not so much that they couldn't respond with a question: "If Jesus is God, how can he die?" Dort spoke back, "God can do the rest."
Now you may also now not suppose of Jehovah's Witnesses as especially sensible due to some of their atypical teachings and practices, but in fact their faith embraces the wisdom of this world somewhat neatly. How might God become a person? How could he be crucified and die? God who by means of his very nature as God is eternal and immortal and never subject to dying grew to become a person and died? unattainable! So says the area in its wisdom.
power and knowledge are each totally valued commodities for non secular people. check out the non secular component of books at Walmart and flick thru the titles. They promise such things as power, victory, or a a hit life. "the way to" Christianity sells. people need to be empowered. If Jesus can do it, they'll try Jesus. and folk want wisdom. They want options to besetting problems. Social and economic complications that cause horrific distress not ever seem to go away. so they make Jesus into the premier social engineer who can replace systemic evils with peace and justice.
sign seekers and wisdom seekers desire the equal issue: manage. They want a religion that places them in the driver's seat. They seem to be to their faith to resolve complications. but their knowledge and their vigour are not from God. The preaching of the move doesn't put you within the driver's seat. It makes you weak. It makes you a idiot. It teaches you to cherish the vigor and wisdom of God as your most excellent first rate. however God's power and wisdom are weak point and folly within the eyes of an international it truly is perishing.
We preach Christ crucified. The crucifixion of Jesus starkly shows earlier than our eyes the devastating nature of our sin. examine him suffering! he's struggling for you! who is he? he's your God and your brother. Why may still he be suffering so? it's due to your sins. He has taken your area. the wounds, the stripes, the thorns, the mockery, the pain of both physique and soul, the overwhelming sorrow of being forsaken by means of God – he bears this for you because he loves you. The message of the move is a stumbling block to those whose god would under no circumstances turn into incarnate, and would under no circumstances die for sinners.
The message of the move is foolishness to people that are so wise and neatly informed that they've managed to outline sin – at least their personal sin – out of existence. This world doesn't recognize what sin is.
We be aware of. God's command to love him first and most is clear. Who can argue with it? God's command to love one an additional is equally clear. Who can argue with it? but are you able to declare to have loved God with your entire heart, soul, energy, and intellect? can you claim to have cherished your neighbor as yourself? What about your sins? Don't make excuses. Don't task upon others. Don't change the discipline. What about your sins? they are either on Christ or on you. both Jesus is crucified for you or you ought to endure the burden of divine punishment.
seem to be to the go and spot what God says about sin.
Ye who believe of sin however lightlyNor feel the evil greatHere may additionally view its nature rightly,right here its guilt can also estimate.Mark the sacrifice appointed,See who bears the awful load;'Tis the note, the Lord's anointed,Son of Man and Son of God.
seem to be to the cross and notice what God says concerning the forgiveness of sin. He says in John 1:29, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the realm." He says in 1 John 1:7, "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin." He says in Romans 5:8-10
but God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that whereas we were nonetheless sinners, Christ died for us. a great deal extra then, having now been justified via His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if once we have been enemies we had been reconciled to God during the demise of His Son, an awful lot greater, having been reconciled, we will be saved by way of His life.
The preaching of the pass doesn't deny sin. It confronts it squarely. Sin makes God angry. It makes us God's enemies. It voids us of any spiritual energy. The preaching of the move faces these bitter truths and announces God's wisdom and God's power. His wisdom, which the realm thinks is folly, is the only solution to our deepest wants. simplest the God-man crucified for sinners can dispose of their sin. simplest via Christ bearing the sin of all sinners can God's anger in opposition t us be set apart. The simplest way we can be reconciled to God is for God to join us, tackle himself our human nature, suffer for our offenses, and endure our guilt. here's how God takes away our sin, satisfies his justice, fulfills the promise of his grace, and rescues us from dying and the energy of the evil one.
We preach Christ crucified. It's what we preach. It's not who does the preaching. Preachers come and go. They're similar to those to whom they preach. they are sinners who have failed to love God exceptionally things and their neighbors as themselves. The law they preach to you they ought to first preach to themselves. They, like you, need to reside below grace, below the guard of the go.
My father became a great preacher who loved first rate preaching. He advised us the story a few Norwegian Lutheran pastor who become preaching to an meeting of Norwegian Lutheran pastors among whom became a bit of of, shall we say, confusion about the nature of the gospel. The preacher taught, as the Bible teaches, that the gospel is true earlier than we accept as true with it. Jesus in reality did dispose of the sin of the world. Your sin become forgiven when Jesus died for you. we are justified through Christ's blood. while we don't acquire forgiveness personally except we accept as true with the message of the move, the message of the pass is that each one sins of all sinners are forgiven and that God has justified the complete human race in Christ. one of the Norwegian Lutheran pastors existing didn't consider that. No, they observed, God doesn't forgive you unless you trust that he forgives you. This sends religion looking for itself instead of seeking to Christ's c rucifixion the place our sins were taken away. So the preacher decided to tackle the challenge at once. He regarded out on the congregation of pastors and declared: "i'm righteous!" Then, after a pause, he talked about: "Do you believe it?"
weak point and folly. seem to be at the cross! What vigor do you see in him who cries out in thirst soliciting for a drink of water? What wisdom might there be in looking at the holy God turn into a holy man simplest to be handled as a crook and discipline to abuse and scorn? the world watches in amazement and turns away in disgust.
We cherish it. It looks like God's excellent weak spot however is his almighty energy. It appears like God's tremendous foolishness however it is his eternal knowledge. The crucifixion of the Son of God is where the vigour to destroy all of our enemies and the wisdom to enlighten our minds is published. the world in its knowledge can not understand God. He displays himself within the suffering and dying of Jesus. right here during this region God brings the cross to where we reside. The gospel sounds forth. Baptism joins us to Christ's demise and resurrection. within the Lord's Supper God feeds us, body and soul, with Christ's body and blood that dispose of our sins. here during this location the existence-giving death of Jesus is put into our hearts. at the same time as he rose from the lifeless, we've new lives to are living.
These lives are lived beneath the pass. The vigour and knowledge our sinful flesh desires cannot last. It can't fulfill. The vigor and wisdom of Christ's crucifixion sets us earlier than God as completely righteous saints who can defy devil, death, and the grave, and claim with confidence that for Christ's sake we're righteous – clothed within the spotless righteousness of the Son of God. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment