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Series A – Second Sunday of Advent – Sunday, December 4, 2022 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:27	The holy Gospel
0:29	According to Saint Matthew the third
0:31	chapter
0:33	foreign
0:38	preaching in the wilderness of Judea
0:41	repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at
0:43	hand for this is he who was spoken by
0:45	the prophet Isaiah when he said the
0:48	voice of one crying in the wilderness
0:50	prepare the way of the Lord make his
0:52	paths straight now John wore a garment
0:56	of camel’s hair and a leather belt was
0:58	around his waist and his food was
1:00	locusts and wild honey then Jerusalem
1:03	and all Judea and all the region about
1:05	the Jordan were going out to him and
1:07	they were baptized by him in the River
1:09	Jordan confessing their sins but when he
1:13	saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
1:15	coming for baptism he said to them you
1:17	brood of vipers who warned you to flee
1:20	from the Wrath to come bear fruit in
1:22	keeping with repentance do not presume
1:24	to say to yourselves we have Abraham as
1:26	our Father for I tell you God is able
1:28	from these stones to raise up children
1:30	for Abraham even now the ax is laid to
1:32	the root of the trees every tree
1:34	therefore that does not bear good fruit
1:36	is cut down down and thrown into the
1:38	fire I baptize you with water for
1:41	repentance but he who was coming after
1:43	me is mightier than I whose sandals I am
1:45	not worthy to carry he will baptize you
1:48	with the Holy Spirit and with fire his
1:50	winnowing Fork is in his hand he will
1:53	clear his threshing floor and gather his
1:55	wheat into the barn but the chaff he
1:58	will burn with unquenchable fire this is
2:01	the gospel of the Lord in the name of
2:03	Jesus
2:05	all right Comfort Comfort ye my people
2:08	that’s from Isaiah chapter 40 which
2:11	happens to be the exact same text that
2:13	our gospel text is cross-referencing
2:15	when it says that John the Baptist is
2:18	the one who is the voice of one crying
2:20	in the wilderness prepare the way of the
2:22	Lord make his paths straight in fact let
2:26	me read out a portion of Isaiah 40
2:28	because I think it’s fascinating here
2:30	that section of scripture begins with
2:32	these very famous words we all know them
2:34	they come up every every single Advent
2:37	Comfort Comfort my people says your God
2:40	speak tenderly to Jerusalem cry to her
2:43	that her Warfare has ended that her
2:45	iniquity is pardoned that she has
2:46	received from the Lord’s hand double for
2:48	all of her sins a voice cries in the
2:51	wilderness prepare the way of the Lord
2:53	make straight in the desert a highway
2:55	for our God every Valley shall be lifted
2:57	up every mountain and Hill made low and
3:00	not at the uneven ground shall become
3:02	level and the rough places a plane and
3:05	the glory of the Lord Lord shall be
3:07	revealed and All Flesh will see it
3:09	together for the mouth of the Lord has
3:11	spoken which kind of begs the question
3:14	how are we to understand John the
3:17	Baptist fulfilling this prophecy where
3:19	God calls him hundreds of years before
3:21	he’s even conceived in the womb of his
3:23	mother Elizabeth how did he fulfill the
3:26	words of comforting the people of Israel
3:29	it seems a little odd to comfort people
3:31	by saying you brood of vipers who warned
3:35	you to flee the Wrath to come I’m not
3:37	feeling comforted when he talks like
3:39	this right usually you’ll note that in
3:41	our modern era we think of comforting
3:43	like this oh you got a boo-boo oh let me
3:46	kiss your little boo-boo and does that
3:48	make you feel better honey right we
3:50	think that that’s what comforting is
3:52	well I remember years ago and
3:55	unfortunately I do not remember the
3:57	pastor who’s who pointed this out to me
3:59	but this was not years ago really
4:01	decades ago that in the ancient world
4:03	comforting meant something different
4:05	than the way we understand comforting
4:08	today and he pointed to something a a
4:11	historical artifact if you would that
4:15	kind of makes the point you’ve all heard
4:17	of William the Conqueror well we here in
4:20	the United States we’re not all that
4:22	well well versed in British history
4:24	William the Conqueror important fellow
4:27	right and William the Conqueror you
4:29	you’ll note that the big battle that he
4:31	won where he conquered is called the
4:33	Battle of Hastings and there’s something
4:35	called The Bayou tapestry and the Bayou
4:38	tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings
4:41	with arrows and archers and Swordsmen
4:44	and and guys on horses in Cavalry and
4:47	there’s an interesting little thing in
4:49	there and that is is that there is a
4:51	depiction of William the conqueror’s
4:54	step-brother who happens to be named
4:56	Bishop Odo
4:59	Odo well Bishop Odo is depicted in the
5:03	bayou tapestry as wearing a helmet he’s
5:06	wearing mail and he’s also wielding
5:09	something called a baculum which is a
5:12	battle bat a battle club right and
5:15	what’s really fascinating is the Bayou
5:17	tapestry depicts Bishop Auto
5:20	behind the Cavalry beating them
5:24	to go forward into a hail of arrows
5:28	coming in from the other Army’s archers
5:30	and the text in this particular portion
5:34	of the bayute tapestry reads
5:36	um here is Bishop Odo holding his Club
5:39	comforting his boys
5:43	comforting his boys
5:46	can we talk about what comfort means in
5:49	this context because here’s how the
5:51	Battle of Hastings is going down you got
5:53	the Cavalry going
5:55	uh here come the arrows and Bishop Otto
5:58	is behind them going get
6:05	do you feel comforted
6:08	but that’s
6:10	an interesting word
6:12	so here’s the idea then is that the word
6:15	comfort in the ancient world doesn’t
6:19	have the soft meaning that we have
6:22	applied to it today the ancient world
6:24	understood that comfort means to
6:27	strengthen in fact no joke this is not a
6:31	play on words the word Comfort has the
6:34	word fort in it which is a reference to
6:37	fortresses
6:38	the idea of comforting is to strengthen
6:42	people to strengthen them and sometimes
6:44	you strengthen them with soft words
6:46	sometimes you strengthen them by
6:48	spitting a grasshopper leg in their face
6:50	and telling them to repent
6:53	right are you feeling comforted yet it’s
6:57	it’s a fascinating thing so here in our
7:00	text we have John the Baptist and man
7:03	who let this guy out of his cage you’ll
7:06	note that I still I say this every time
7:08	this guy shows up I don’t know a single
7:10	congregation on planet Earth that would
7:12	call this guy to be their pastor
7:14	and by today’s standard he commits the
7:17	most egregious and unforgivable sin that
7:20	a society looks upon and that is the sin
7:23	of hurting people’s feelings
7:26	of making them feel negative about
7:28	themselves right I was recently I
7:31	recently read the book
7:32	uh counterfeit Kingdom by uh Doug given
7:35	and Holly pivic it’s a it’s a story
7:37	about the Nar and their practices and
7:41	what was really interesting in the book
7:42	Holly pivic actually made a research
7:45	visit to Bethel church and was there in
7:49	one of their after their Church classes
7:51	that they were holding where they were
7:52	teaching people how to be Prophets
7:55	how does one teach somebody how to be a
7:57	prophet when God is the one who gives
7:59	the gift of Prophecy if it’s legit and
8:02	the teacher of this class put a hard and
8:05	fast rule for the class if they were
8:07	going to be prophesying
8:09	no negative prophecies and I have heard
8:14	Nar church after Nar church say that the
8:18	way you can tell that a word is from the
8:20	Lord that you need to accept is it’ll
8:23	uplift you it will not tear you down it
8:26	will make you feel good rather than make
8:27	you feel terrible I would note in next
8:30	week’s gospel text Jesus says of John
8:32	the Baptist he says what did you go out
8:34	in the wilderness to see a a reed
8:37	swaying in the wind no would you go out
8:39	to see a prophet yes a prophet and more
8:44	than a prophet a good way to think of
8:46	John the Baptist is that he is the last
8:48	of the Old Testament prophets he’s well
8:51	he’s dressed like Elijah camel’s hair
8:53	thick belt we won’t talk about his diet
8:56	that just this is just not going to
8:57	catch on but the point then is is that
9:00	John the Baptist shows up and well when
9:04	we hear his message repent the Kingdom
9:08	of Heaven is at hand and those who are
9:10	comfortable in their sin and their false
9:13	Doctrine he gets right in their faces
9:15	squares up with them and rather than
9:18	throwing fists he throws words you brood
9:22	of vipers now think about this for a
9:25	second okay a good way to think about it
9:28	is you’ll note that it’s female snakes
9:30	that are the ones that lay the eggs
9:32	right is is am I correct if I’m reading
9:36	this correctly that here here John the
9:40	Baptist is accusing people of being like
9:44	their mother the devil did I just
9:46	misgender Satan uh oh
9:49	but you brood of vipers who warned you
9:52	to flee from the Wrath to come and when
9:55	we hear John the Baptist preached this
9:57	way we oftentimes think well I’m glad
10:00	he’s going after them you’re missing the
10:02	point he’s going after you
10:05	you right he is and you’ll note that to
10:08	prepare the way of the Lord is to preach
10:11	the message of repentance to preach both
10:13	law and gospel and it’s not intended to
10:16	make you feel good God’s law is not a
10:19	soft pillow and you’ll note if you
10:21	haven’t figured it out yet why are all
10:24	of these Old Testament texts in the
10:26	early part of Advent pointing to the
10:28	second coming of Christ why are they
10:30	always pointing to the new Earth when
10:32	the wolf and the lamb will lay down
10:34	together because Jesus his first Advent
10:37	has already come if you want to prepare
10:39	the way of the Lord we’re not preparing
10:41	for his first Advent we’re going to
10:43	celebrate it on Christmas day we’re
10:45	preparing for his second Advent and you
10:48	had better be ready
10:51	you and I we are way too comfortable
10:54	with our sin we make far too many
10:57	excuses for ourselves and justify the
11:00	worst of behaviors and you’ll know if
11:02	you go into like Romans chapter 1 the
11:05	list starts off with sexual sin and then
11:08	it gets all the way worse and at the
11:10	very bottom you have gossip which I
11:13	think is greater than any sexual sin
11:15	have you examined your life in light of
11:18	the Ten Commandments are you just a
11:20	little too lackadaisical when it comes
11:22	to your prayers do you think stupidly
11:25	and I apologize for using the word but
11:27	it’s appropriate here stupidly that you
11:30	are saved because your grandparents and
11:32	your parents were lutherans you’ll note
11:34	that John the Baptist goes after the
11:36	Pharisees so don’t don’t even say to me
11:39	that we are children of Abraham God can
11:41	raise up children of Abraham from rocks
11:43	over here and those rocks are smarter
11:45	than you by the way Jesus will make that
11:47	point later in the gospel but here in
11:50	Lutheranism I’ve seen this thing that
11:53	happens it’s called cultural Lutheranism
11:56	right you go to a culturally Lutheran
11:59	Church it’s like going to a Lutheran
12:01	ghetto it is a complete Echo chamber and
12:06	you nobody can get in and nobody dares
12:09	leave because their parents or their
12:11	grandparents would look at them wrong
12:13	right and what happens is the reason why
12:16	you’re saved is because you’re great
12:18	your parents were saved your
12:20	grandparents were saved their great
12:22	grand they established this church and
12:24	you’re woefully well woefully unaware of
12:28	like anything going on outside of this
12:30	tiny little bubble
12:32	of Lutheranism right it’s a dangerous
12:35	thing and in those kinds of churches
12:37	when somebody comes in from the outside
12:40	oh be careful be careful I I warn people
12:45	if you ever attend a church like this a
12:47	Lutheran Church if you sit in somebody’s
12:49	Pew you are going to get in trouble
12:54	I’m sorry why are you sitting there who
12:57	are you that sister Martha’s pew
13:00	right
13:03	don’t think for a second that you’re
13:05	saved just because your parents are
13:07	Lutheran and your grandparents are
13:09	Lutheran and you like lutefisk it
13:11	doesn’t work this way what does he say
13:14	God is able to well raise up lutherans
13:17	from snowballs if he wants to and so the
13:20	ax is laid to the root of the trees
13:22	every tree therefore that does not bear
13:25	good fruit it’s cut down and thrown into
13:27	the fire repent
13:30	are you guys starting to feel comforted
13:32	now
13:34	[Laughter]
13:36	right right in fact the Apostle Paul
13:39	kind of makes that whole point
13:42	in row in Romans chapter 9 talking about
13:45	his fellow Jews you know that in our day
13:48	and age you know the dispensationalists
13:50	and many evangelicals because of their
13:52	wonky eschatology they somehow think
13:54	that God is going to do something super
13:57	duper special with Jews because well
14:00	they’re the people of God have you not
14:03	read the scriptures okay
14:06	Paul says this in Romans 9. I’m speaking
14:09	the truth in Christ I’m not lying my
14:11	conscience Bears witness in the holy
14:13	spirit that I have great sorrow and
14:15	unceasing anguish in my heart for I wish
14:18	that I myself were cursed and cut off
14:21	from Christ for the sake of my brothers
14:23	my Kinsmen according to the flesh think
14:26	DNA here they are Israelites to them
14:29	belong the adoption the glory the
14:31	covenants the giving of the law the
14:33	worship the promises to them the
14:35	Patriarchs from their race according to
14:37	the flesh is the Christ who is God over
14:39	all blessed forever amen but it’s not as
14:42	though the word of God had failed for
14:44	not all who are descended from Israel
14:47	belong to Israel
14:49	and here we must pay attention to the
14:52	scripture only Israel is saved and we
14:58	who are Gentiles we are grafted into
15:02	Israel I don’t know how the Sorting Hat
15:05	worked out which clan you’re going to be
15:07	in but the reality is we have all been
15:10	grafted into Christ Christ is the vine
15:14	we’re the branches he is the Olive Tree
15:17	we have all been cultivated and brought
15:19	into that tree and just because somebody
15:22	is genetically Jewish doesn’t give them
15:26	an inside track with God same with
15:29	lutherans just because your parents are
15:31	Grand parents are lutherans doesn’t give
15:33	you an inside track with God Paul says
15:36	in Galatians chapter 3 if you are
15:38	Christ’s if you are a Christian then you
15:41	are Abraham’s offspring and your heirs
15:44	according to the promises you see as the
15:47	text says when the fullness of time had
15:49	come God said sent forth his son born of
15:52	a woman born under the law in order to
15:55	redeem those who were under the law so
15:57	that we might receive adoption as sons
16:00	and because you are Sons God has sent
16:03	the spirit of a son into our hearts
16:05	crying Abba Father so repentance
16:08	recognizes that we are sinners we need
16:11	to be saved we need to be redeemed and
16:14	the good news is that John the Baptist
16:16	is preparing the way for the first
16:18	Advent of Christ and he shows up and by
16:21	his death on the cross he redeems us so
16:25	that we all regardless of whether we are
16:27	German or Norwegian or Swede or wherever
16:29	we come from that we might all receive
16:32	adoption as sons and we then are all
16:35	Israel and then by the power of the Holy
16:39	Spirit having been forgiven our sins
16:41	washed away us being taken from slavery
16:44	to sin death and the devil and given the
16:46	freedom that comes from being a child of
16:48	God we then bear fruit keeping with
16:51	repentance and that good fruit shows up
16:53	in our beliefs and what we believe it
16:55	shows up in our works and how we love
16:58	and care for each other and you’ll note
17:00	then that this time of the year during
17:02	these penitential Seasons it’s a good
17:05	time to well consider messages like John
17:08	the Baptist and embrace the
17:10	strengthening that he has given to us so
17:13	that we can say you know what
17:15	my good works are still not good enough
17:20	now not good enough they’ll never be
17:22	good enough to save you but the reality
17:25	is is that we all have room for
17:27	improvement on loving each other being
17:30	kind to each other building each other
17:32	up and build and meeting each other’s
17:35	needs our prayers are not as strong as
17:37	they ought to be our worship is not as
17:41	zealous as it needs to be we all fall
17:44	short in so many ways we do not nearly
17:48	consider God’s word as much as we ought
17:51	to consider it and meditate on it and
17:53	pray on it and this is a time to
17:55	recognize we need a little comforting
17:59	and this is the comforting of John the
18:02	Baptist with a baculum get into the
18:07	back right take that sin and knock it
18:10	off get rid of it cast it aside and run
18:13	the race that Christ has given you to
18:15	run are you feeling comforted now
18:19	you should be
18:21	and that’s kind of the point
18:23	so when we hear John the Baptist
18:26	preached like this it’s easy for us to
18:28	feel offended but at the same time we
18:31	must recognize he’s absolutely right and
18:35	he notes that in preparing the way of
18:37	the Lord he was the one who was
18:38	baptizing with water for repentance but
18:41	now that Christ has come we have all
18:44	been baptized into Christ’s death and
18:46	into his resurrection the very things
18:48	that set us free from slavery to sin
18:50	death and the devil and Christ has given
18:54	us his holy spirit when we were baptized
18:56	and it is true even like to John the
18:58	Baptist we are not worthy to untie
19:00	Christ’s sandals but yet he is the one
19:03	who came to Earth and humbled himself so
19:06	much that not only did he well humble
19:09	himself but forget untying sandals he
19:12	actually washed feet
19:14	what a humble and merciful kind and
19:18	loving savior we have and so brothers
19:21	and sisters it is true
19:23	Christ is coming he will come and he
19:25	will shatter the Nations and with his
19:28	winnowing Fork he will clear his
19:30	threshing floor and it is true he will
19:33	gather his wheat into his barn and the
19:35	chaff he will burn up with unquenchable
19:37	fire let us then by the power of the
19:40	Holy Spirit cast aside the chaff and
19:43	recognize that Christ is the one who by
19:45	Grace has made us his wheat and
19:48	therefore it is not befitting of wheat
19:50	to behave in Chaffee ways right
19:56	I’m glad you’re here Bruce
19:58	[Applause]
20:02	with all of that being said Comfort
20:05	Comfort my people
20:07	speak tenderly to Jerusalem and tell her
20:09	that her Warfare has ended her iniquity
20:11	is pardoned and she is received from the
20:13	Lord’s hand double for all of her sins
20:15	and here Christ is not promising that we
20:19	would somehow receive double penalty for
20:21	our sins instead he has given us double
20:23	Grace his grace is sufficient his
20:27	sacrifice is complete there is nothing
20:29	that you can add to it and it is super
20:32	abundant in forgiving you of all of your
20:34	sins cast aside the works of darkness
20:36	repent the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand
20:39	in fact Jesus is here today because he’s
20:42	here where two or more are gathered and
20:44	we have that tangibly today when we
20:46	Feast upon the very body and blood of
20:48	Christ given and shed for the
20:49	Forgiveness of our sins
20:51	so it is true that we were all born
20:54	brood of vipers we were all of our
20:57	mother the devil absolutely true and
21:00	Christ is the one who has set us free
21:01	and brought us into the true patriarchy
21:04	of the kingdom of Christ so that we can
21:06	be forgiven and as it says in our Old
21:09	Testament text today that when Christ
21:13	returns that the thing that we have to
21:15	look forward to is a world that is
21:18	absolutely glorious and it is a place
21:20	that Christ promises is a place of rest
21:23	but today is not the day of what rest we
21:26	are still at War and we are all soldiers
21:28	in that war so let me grab John the
21:31	Baptist baculum and beat you guys to get
21:34	back into the battle in the name of
21:36	Jesus Amen

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