Sermons from Grace/Bethel

The Bible presents a number of times that God tests his people. Think of Abraham being asked to offer Isaac. God tests us to help us grow in faith and trust in him. Through the tests he allows to come to us he is asking us what he asked Abraham, and Israel. "Am I #1 in your heart and life? Will you serve me and follow my instructions even if they don't make sense or if they contradict your own ide...

Give everyone what you owe them - To those in authority, honor, respect and obedience. To God, Fear Love and Trust above all things.

What temptations do Employees and Employers face? God calls on Employees to respect and obey their Employers and to remember that they are really working for the Lord not people. God calls on Employers to treat their Employees with empathy, compassion and fairness, to pay them fairly and in a timely manner. Ultimately none of us fulfills what God requires of us perfectly, but Jesus did. And, he pa...

God tasks fathers with bringing up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. Proverbs gives us examples of how to do that.

Catechism series. Third Article, the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit calls us out of the darkness of unbelief to the light of faith in Jesus through the gospel. As we continue to hear the gospel and use the sacraments the Holy Spirit strengthens and keeps us in the faith, and encourages and enables us to do and say what brings God glory.

The word Redemption, or Redeem, summarizes the great truth of Scripture. We were help captive by sin and Satan, born dead in sin. But from eternity God had a plan of redemption in place. He revealed it to Adam and Eve. He carried put it into action when Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. By his perfect life and his innocent suffering and death he paid the price to redeem us, to set us from from si...

God made us, preserves us, and calls us to be his own through faith in Jesus. 

God gave Ezekiel a vision that assured the captives in Babylon that they were not forsaken or cut off by God. The Spirit works through the word Of God to give life to those who are dead in sin, and on the last day he will give life to everyone who has died.

Jesus prays that the Father would keep us connected to him and that he would protects us from The Evil One as we live as strangers in the world.

We are connected to Jesus by his love for us that moved him to give up his life for us. His love for us moves us to show the same kind of self-sacrificing love to others.

Jesus is the true vine. He produces/makes us branches, provides all the nourishment we need and enables us to produce fruit that brings glory to God.

Here is the Link for the video mentioned at the beginning of the sermon.

Even though the disciples saw Jesus we made sure that they were convinced from the Scriptures that he is the Messiah, their savior.

Jesus brings true and lasting peace by his resurrection which proves our sins are forgiven and that we too will rise. 

The scars on Jesus' hands and side are evidence of his resurrection. When he comes again and raises us from the dead we will see them and live in his glory for all eternity.

Jesus allowed his hands to be pierced for us.

Jesus humbled himself, not just to wash his disciples' feet, but even to the point of death on the cross in our place. Knowing what Jesus did for us moves us to humble ourselves. It helps us see our purpose in live is to humbly serve God in faith and our neighbor in love as we wait for the time he will return and exalt us with him forever.

Jesus is the King of Glory. He is the one who saves. 

Like David we have enemies that pursue us relentlessly, the Devil, the world and our flesh. Like David we have an all powerful helper whose promises never fail.

David understood the struggle with guilt. He learned that the only thing that removes guilt is confession and absolution. Only God removes our guilt by taking it off of us and putting it on Jesus. 

God reveals his true glory in his Word, the Law and the Prophets. He shows himself true to every promise, the most important of which is his promise of a Savior. Through his word he guides us in ways that are pleasing, and strengthens us to recognize and avoid temptation. 

Like the Psalmist we too are bothered when we see the wicked prosper while believers suffer. Like him we find the answer when we go to the sanctuary of God and are reminded that this life is not the end. God's justice will be delivered on the last day when those who have rejected Jesus and mocked God will be sent away to eternal punishment while those who are righteous through faith in Jesus will...

David was being chased by an enemy army led by his rebellious son as he was reminded of his sins. How did he respond? He turned to the Lord in prayer and trusted that the Lord would deliver him. Like David, we too can trust that the Lord will deliver us from all our enemies because Jesus has defeated the Devil for us and continues to intercede for us.

Peter wanted to hold on to a little heaven on earth. But to keep Jesus in glory on the mountain would have kept him for doing what was needed for our salvation. The Father reminded Peter and us to listen to Jesus. Listen to everything he says.

Jesus showed his authority by healing every illness and ordering demons to be quiet and come out. But illnesses and demon possession were only symptoms of the real problem he came to solve. He came to forgive sins and destroy the devil's work forever.