The Fifth Sunday after Trinity, 2013Pastor Gregory L. Jacksonhttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worshipBethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central TimeThe Hymn # 375 If Thy Beloved Son 3.41The Confession of SinsThe AbsolutionThe Introit p. 16The Gloria PatriThe Kyrie p. 17The Gloria in ExcelsisThe Salutation and Collect p. 19The Epistle and Gradual The Gospel Glory be to Thee, O Lord!Praise be to Thee, O Christ!The Nicene Creedp. 22The Sermon Hymn # 132 O God of God, 3.55Made the Rules, Breaks the Rules
The Communion Hymn #307Draw Nigh 3.72 The Preface p. 24The Sanctus p. 26The Lord's Prayer p. 27The Words of InstitutionThe Agnus Dei p. 28The Nunc Dimittis p. 29The Benediction p. 31The Hymn # 649 Jesus Savior Pilot Me 3.80KJV 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:KJV Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.Fifth Sunday After TrinityO Jesus Christ, Thou Son of the living God, who hast given us Thy holy word, and hast bountifully provided for all our temporal wants, we confess that we are unworthy of all these mercies, and that we have rather deserved punishment: But we beseech Thee, forgive us our sins, and prosper and bless us in our several callings, that by Thy strength we may be sustained and defended, now and forever, and so praise and glorify Thee eternally, Thou who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Made the Rules, Breaks the Rules
KJV Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
In evolution, there are no rules. Everything happened by chance, so there are no miracles either, because the evolutionists imagine chaos sorted itself out and simply began being extremely orderly.
We have seen crowd scenes where so many people are gathered that threaten to crush the person up front. That happened with Bill Clinton and it terrified him. In this case, people loved to hear Jesus preaching, so they kept moving closer. That would also stifle the carrying of His voice, so the reaction had to make matters worse as the crowd kept moving forward.
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And He entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land.
These flat-bottomed boats were quite stable, so they were ideal for what happened next. This miracle is based upon the preaching of the Gospel and the faith that the Holy Spirit stirred in the hearts of the fishermen. Jesus entered Simon Peter's boat, so the preaching that followed was especially personal. That was his boat. He could not miss the message.
This shows how God comes to us through the Means of Grace. Often when we are too young to think about it or have a say, our parents place us where we can hear the Gospel and believe in the Savior. Infant baptism is the primary way this happens, and it is also develops because of parental teaching.
To have a more convenient place to preach, they pushed out from the shore. Jesus asked Simon to push out from land. The land rose above the lake so there were natural bleachers and the lake as a sounding board to project the voice. Old-fashioned pulpits have curved wood behind the pulpit to push the sound forward and outward. They were often tall enough to be eye level with the balcony in large churches. That was when congregations emphasize the Word rather than secular rock bands and expensive electronic keyboards.
3b And He sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
Sitting was the normal posture for the rabbi in those days.
The order of this miracle is clear. First Jesus preached the Word, and the fishermen believed. Because of faith in Him, they went out seeking fish when they knew from their recent labors that none could be found.
From this and many other examples we know that faith comes from hearing the preached Word, as Paul wrote in Romans 10, reflecting the Gospel of Isaiah 53. "Who has believed our report?"
Without the Word, faith dwindles because bad displaces the good. Man's word creates so much space in our thinking that God's Word does not govern our thoughts and actions. In time, man's word prevails and a distrust and loathing of God's Word builds up.
Halle University was built to teach Biblical studies, but man allowed rationalism to enter the teaching of the faculty and Halle became the capital of rationalistic attacks on the Bible and UOJ in Europe. Wittenberg University no longer exists, because it was merged into Halle, so one more example of Lutheran doctrine was erased from modern history.
I get to teach Biblical studies to a vast assortment of graduate students earning a master's degree. The first things I emphasize in Old Testament class is Jesus as the Creating Word (Genesis 1 and John 1), the Creation, and the efficacy of the Word.
I only teach Lutheran doctrine, so I write about the work of the Holy Spirit, exclusively through the Word. The students are exposed to a lot of opinions and dates and ideas in the readings they have. The discerning ones realize that the Bible judges all books and is not judged by any book of man.
Creation and Miracles To Together
The more we experience the natural world, the more we see the power of God's Creation. Jesus, the Creating Word, established all the rules at the beginning. Not only that, all the creatures and plants obey His design. The rules are exceedingly complex and inter-related.
The rules are always obeyed, whether man understands or comprehends them or not. For instance, dead organic material will always attract the creatures of decay the moment those materials appear. A fledgling bird died in our yard. Bacteria begin the breakdown, but also those specific colorful flies that take care of dead animals - not house flies. This begins the removal of the body and the next generation of flies as their eggs hatch on the body.
As soon as shade is created, or night falls, soil creatures come up to devour whatever is above them. A block of wood may look normal and hard, but it will crumble into sawdust in time, from the sowbugs, pillbugs, and earthworms that enjoy the shade, the moisture, and the food.
Organic material must be broken down so plant roots can use ion exchange to transfer soil nutrition into the plant. The same process is used in water softeners. We put table salt in softeners, so the hard or insoluble salts are replaced by table salt. I pointed this out to one member decades ago, and he was aghast.
If the soil is not balanced, it binds up those ions and does not let them move into plant roots via water. But God has arranged all this to be fixed by soil creatures who restore the balance over time, by pulling down organic material and blending it with soil. Earthworms pull down dead plant material, devour soil, and blend the ingredients in their casts. Stones in their gizzards grind the soil so it is finer, and its unique calcium glands add that chemical to the soil.
Why does calcium matter? Acid soil is good for blueberries and a few other plants, but most plants like sweet soil - more calcium. And calcium helps release those other minerals in the soil, for transfer to vegetation.
A side note for fans of racehorses. Kentucky is favored for breeding horses because of its limestone deposits, which provide high levels of calcium and strong bones for the horses. Above the ground - racetracks. Below the ground - limestone caves.
Design Plus Timing
The fact of the relationships is proof enough of design, but there is far more to it than A causing B, such as soil creatures causing soil improvement. The most astonishing part of this management system is timing. When a pile of compost is high in nitrogen, it heats up from heat loving bacteria. But once it moderates to a lower level, the moderates step up and continue decomposition.
Those who watch football and hockey all winter think nothing is happening outdoors under the leaves and snow. But in fact, the cool temperature bacteria take over at the right time. They are even at work, right now, in your gallon of Whitey's Ice Cream. Even in a deep freezer, bacteria will increase in ice cream, so it is best to consume it fresh. Healthier, too.
All the right things happen in decomposition:
- At the right time.
- Among the right creatures for that time.
- For a good purpose - better soil.
An old compost pile will be teeming with higher level creatures who live from the lower level creatures that attack the raw elements, or mold or bacteria. Once those higher level creatures stir the ingredients, birds perch nearby to snag a centipede or earthworm. The earthworms wait until the pile is cool, because they cannot tolerate the heat from the early buildup of a high nitrogen pile. The lower order creatures populate the pile and make it palatable for the next group, and so on. And we need this because healthy soil produces healthy plants for man and animals alike.
If we add the noun purpose to this, everyone begins to smell the roast, as Luther once roast. Each component, even among the chemicals, has a purpose. That is a religious statement, that one scientist said he cannot make. He can observe but he cannot assign a purpose.
But this word purpose cannot be removed from such a complicated, choreographed ritual, one that ends well for all concerned. Clearly the Creating Word established these rules for a purpose - ultimately for us, the pinnacle of His Creation.
4 Now when He had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy Word I will let down the net.
There were two parts of this boat trip. The first was to put out from shore so Jesus could address the vast crowd coming to hear Him. This exchange shows that Simon became a believer during the sermon.
Fath comes by hearing the sermon about Jesus.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Because Jesus is the Creating Word, He can also change the rules He established. Simon experienced the miracle of faith, where the preaching of salvation through faith took root in his heart. They fished all night, when the catch should have been good, but caught nothing. He was willing to go to the same place during the day, simply because Jesus commanded him to do that.
Unbelievers are either shocked or irritated by faith. They cannot understand someone sacrificing comfort or popularity for something so abstract. Of course it is abstract, that is what faith means.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
With this faith comes a miraculous answer or result. God shows us miracles in this way -
- They are far more than we can expect, imagine, or hope.
- The abundance is spectacular.
- We are certain this could never come from our own efforts.
Instead of, "You were right. There were some fish here," we see them experiencing so vast a catch that both ships, designed for this, began to sink from the weight of the catch.
Man says, "We need money to do God's work." God says, "You only need to seek the Kingdom and its righteousness" - that is, you only need the Word of God to accomplish His work.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
My intent is not to bash the WELS, but to bash those who dare to pollute the WELS, and, by extension, to pollute us.