Series A – Third Sunday After the Epiphany – Sunday, January 22, 2023 | 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 |
| 0:22 | The holy Gospel |
| 0:29 | According to Saint Matthew the fourth chapter [Music] |
| 0:36 | when Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been arrested he withdrew into Galilee and leaving Nazareth he went and |
| 0:43 | lived in Capernaum by the sea in the territory of zebulun and afterli so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah |
| 0:50 | might be fulfilled the land of zebulun and the land of naphtalib the way of the |
| 0:55 | sea beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light and for those |
| 1:02 | dwelling in the region and the shadow of death on them light has dawned from that |
| 1:07 | time Jesus began to preach saying repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand |
| 1:13 | while walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers Simon who was called Peter and Andrew his brother casting a |
| 1:20 | net into the sea for they were fishermen and he said to them follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men immediately they |
| 1:27 | left their Nets and followed him and going on from there he saw two other brothers James the son of Zebedee and |
| 1:33 | John his brother in the boat was Zebedee their father mending their Nets and he called them and immediately they left |
| 1:39 | the boat and their father and followed him and he went throughout all of Galilee teaching in their synagogues and |
| 1:45 | proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every Affliction among the people so his Fame |
| 1:52 | spread throughout all of Syria and they brought him all the sick those Afflicted with various diseases and pains and |
| 1:59 | those oppressed by demons epileptics and paralytics and he healed them and the |
| 2:05 | great and great crowds fall followed him From Galilee and the decapolis and from Jerusalem and Judea and from Beyond the |
| 2:11 | Jordan This Is The Gospel of the Lord in the name of Jesus |
| 2:17 | we just sang this hymn O Christ our true and only light and in stanza too it says |
| 2:24 | this fill with the radiance of your grace the souls now lost in errors maze |
| 2:30 | Enlighten those whose inmost Minds some dark delusion haunts and blinds and it’s |
| 2:39 | it’s a weird occasion for me I I don’t normally do sermons like this but the |
| 2:45 | reality is is that in our gospel text today we have a portion of Our Gospel |
| 2:50 | text that is probably one of the most Twisted Bible passages in our current day I’ll explain it as we go think of it |
| 2:57 | this way are any of you familiar with something called Sherman’s bow ties you guys familiar with Sherman’s bow ties |
| 3:03 | then what is that right you got to think Civil War here remember General Sherman |
| 3:09 | and his March to the Sea those of you in the South I know you call it the war of Northern aggression I get it okay I have |
| 3:16 | relatives from the south and I when I was a kid when I would say stupid things my aunts would say oh blessed is hard |
| 3:21 | right I get it okay but all of that being said Sherman’s bow ties when um |
| 3:26 | Sherman Cut Loose from a supply line inside he was going to live off the land he led |
| 3:32 | his soldiers engage in all kinds of Mayhem if you would and they waged war against the civilians of the south in |
| 3:38 | that March to the Sea and one of the things they did is they would take railroad tracks basically long pieces of |
| 3:45 | iron and they would warm those things up and fire and then bend them into bow |
| 3:51 | ties and leave them in different places basically completely tearing up their |
| 3:56 | travel into infrastructure and I would note that this portion of scripture the last part of our gospel text in today’s |
| 4:04 | charismatic Nar and Pentecostal movements it is one of these texts they’ve taken it and twisted it up a lot |
| 4:11 | like a Sherman bow tie and what we’re going to have to do is we’re going to have to unwind that and the reason why |
| 4:17 | I’m having you guys consider this twisting of scripture is because believe it or not most of you know people who |
| 4:24 | believe in falsely regarding this text and as a result of it they are law lost in errors Maze and it’s all sounds so |
| 4:32 | Pious when in fact it is not but before we get to that let’s walk our way |
| 4:37 | through our gospel text so we can know the context here’s what it says beginning at verse 12 of chapter 4 when |
| 4:44 | Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been arrested he withdrew into Galilee Jesus at this |
| 4:51 | point he had been living in Nazareth and apparently he’d made the trip sign the papers bought a house or maybe got an |
| 4:57 | apartment we’re not exactly sure what the arrangement was whether he owned or rented in Capernaum but he definitely |
| 5:03 | had a house there and they didn’t have U-Haul back in the day so I’m sure they had to he had to get a cart to carry |
| 5:09 | what few belongings he had and travel from Nazareth to Capernaum to set up |
| 5:14 | shop there and all of this fulfills what was said through the prophet Isaiah which we read in our Old Testament text |
| 5:21 | zabulous Zebulon and naftali the land of Zebulon and after the way of the sea |
| 5:26 | beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light and for those |
| 5:32 | dwelling in the region of the shadow of death on them a light has dawned think of it this way zebulun and naphtally |
| 5:39 | were two of the Old Testament tribes of Israel and they were the first to go |
| 5:44 | into full hog idolatry just absolutely they didn’t go into |
| 5:50 | syncretism they went into the full worship of all and Ashira and Molech and all this nonsense they were the ones who |
| 5:57 | led Israel astray and as a result of it they’re remembered for that and their region became polluted if you would note |
| 6:05 | the scripture describes that region as Galilee of the Gentiles Gentiles are not |
| 6:11 | Believers in God believer the Gentiles are the people who are pagans and idolaters and it’s into this darkness |
| 6:19 | that Christ has decided to set up shop and begin his Earthly Ministry after his |
| 6:25 | baptism I like to think of it this way of all the places that he could have chose this was the least likely place |
| 6:31 | that he would have ever succeeded um in New York in and part of New York State uh the the region there’s a region |
| 6:39 | called the burned over district and it’s called that because you can’t plant a church there and have it survive that |
| 6:47 | hasn’t been a that hasn’t happened since Charles Finney and the reason why it’s called the burned over district is |
| 6:53 | because that’s the place where Charles Finney and his false new measures and his false revivalism took root and |
| 7:01 | basically burned everything over and now it’s like it’s like soil that’s been |
| 7:07 | salted nothing grows there spiritually you don’t plant a church in the burned over District think of Zebulon naftali |
| 7:14 | Galilee of the Gentiles this is the burned over District of Christ’s day and he doesn’t set up shop in the easiest |
| 7:21 | place to set up shop he sets up sets up shop in the hardest in the darkest place |
| 7:27 | and you’re going to note here then verse 17. I’ll reference this again later in the sermon from that that time Jesus |
| 7:34 | began to preach saying and listen to his message repent for the Kingdom of Heaven |
| 7:40 | is at hand and the way the Greek reads from that time Jesus began to preach saying think of it this way you could |
| 7:47 | literally translate it from that time and then from that time on Jesus continued to preach repent for the |
| 7:54 | Kingdom of Heaven is at hand note that just like John the Baptist just like the |
| 7:59 | Old Testament prophets just like the apostles after Jesus Jesus was a |
| 8:05 | preacher of repentance you’ll note that Jesus didn’t come and say I’m here to announce just how much you are just the |
| 8:13 | apple of God’s eyes you guys are so awesome I’m here to dig out the gold |
| 8:18 | that’s inside of your heart right and if you know what I’m referencing here that’s the approach of Bethel Church in |
| 8:25 | Reading California they don’t confront people regarding their sins makes you wonder if they even believe what the |
| 8:31 | scripture says that we are all born dead and trespasses and sins Christ knowing |
| 8:36 | full well that we are born dead and trespasses and sins his message is a message of repentance |
| 8:43 | and if you think that you don’t need to hear that message you are woefully wrong |
| 8:49 | or that your pastor shouldn’t be preaching repentance you don’t know what you’re talking about this is the message |
| 8:54 | of the scriptures and then from there we learn that Jesus then calls his |
| 9:00 | disciples and if you want to get the Fuller details you’ll note that Matthew’s account here verses 18 through |
| 9:06 | 22 is very highly condensed if you want to get the entire account read the |
| 9:13 | Gospel of Luke Luke gives the entire account of how that all went down and |
| 9:18 | when you look at the two together you see that they dovetail each other perfectly well now here we get then to |
| 9:25 | the text where it gets twisted Jesus went throughout all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and |
| 9:31 | proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom if you were to travel to Bethel Church in Reading California or you were to |
| 9:39 | visit churches in the local area that are under the influence of this heretical church which is basically a |
| 9:45 | cult they would tell you that Jesus’s message was the Gospel of the kingdom and when you ask him what is the gospel |
| 9:53 | of the Kingdom they will say performing signs and wonders and doing Miracles and |
| 9:58 | following the example of Jesus and Healing The Sick and giving sight to the |
| 10:04 | Blind and hearing to the deaf here’s the the sneaky little secret |
| 10:09 | though that’s not the gospel of the kingdom and those today who are claiming that they are performing signs and |
| 10:15 | wonders they aren’t have you ever seen their grand miracle that they perform the leg lengthening |
| 10:22 | trick okay and that’s exactly what it is it’s a parlor trick and yet in these |
| 10:29 | churches that is held up as a great example of God acting in a miraculous way well if you believe that leg |
| 10:36 | lengthening is a miracle then listen I got one for you watch this |
| 10:45 | foreign isn’t that great that’s the same quality of miracle that |
| 10:50 | we’re talking about here and so you’re going to note they miss something when they read this text |
| 10:57 | proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom then they say the gospel of the Kingdom |
| 11:02 | then is healing every disease every Affliction among the people and Healing The Sick and those Afflicted with demons |
| 11:09 | and things like that that is not the gospel of the kingdom and Martin Luther long long ago said this that if you err |
| 11:17 | regarding grammar you will necessarily err regarding Theology and they miss a |
| 11:23 | very important word and the word is Kai in the Greek and it’s and in the English |
| 11:29 | he was proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom and Healing The Sick the gospel of the |
| 11:37 | kingdom is not this idea that we need to go out and heal the sick and do these Miracles that Jesus did in fact none of |
| 11:45 | us can do the Miracles that Jesus did now you might be saying but wait a second didn’t Jesus say that if you |
| 11:54 | believe in him that Greater Works than he did you will be able to do didn’t |
| 12:00 | Jesus say that the answer is absolutely Jesus said that but he wasn’t talking |
| 12:05 | about performing Miracles let me give you the text in question here the text in question is from the Gospel of John |
| 12:12 | chapter 14 and here’s what it says starting at verse 12. truly truly I say |
| 12:18 | to you whoever believes in me will all will also do the works that I do and |
| 12:24 | greater Works than these will he do because I am going to the father now note it doesn’t say greater |
| 12:32 | signs it says Greater Works in fact if |
| 12:37 | you want a good cross reference on this in the Gospel of John chapter 20 starting at verse 30 it says this now |
| 12:45 | Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book but these these |
| 12:52 | what these signs are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that by believing you |
| 12:59 | might have life in his name and I would note this the Greek word say Mayon is |
| 13:04 | not a synonym for Aragon say Mayon is the Greek word for signs Aragon is the |
| 13:12 | Greek word for work so note Jesus says whoever believes in |
| 13:17 | me will also do the works that I do and greater Works than these will he do |
| 13:22 | Jesus isn’t saying you’re going to perform greater signs it’s absolutely false he says you will |
| 13:28 | perform Greater Works and here’s where if you just take a look at what’s going on you’ll see exactly what Jesus meant |
| 13:36 | Jesus’s Earthly Ministry lasted how long three years right at the end of his |
| 13:44 | ministry at the time of his death his burial his resurrection at that time how |
| 13:51 | many Believers were there a hundred 120 ish right |
| 13:59 | not that many so Jesus his work on Earth as far as |
| 14:04 | Ministry work goes I mean it was it was good but it wasn’t like |
| 14:11 | quantitatively out there right when the Apostle Paul |
| 14:17 | was converted to Christianity and began going and on his missionary Journeys and |
| 14:23 | planting churches at the end of his life how many people were now Christians as a |
| 14:28 | result of his ministry a larger greater number than than Jesus |
| 14:34 | right how about Peter same thing how many years decades did |
| 14:40 | Paul labor as a Christian far more years than Christ did same with |
| 14:46 | Peter and both of these men laid down their lives and you’ll note that they their |
| 14:52 | Works were absolutely way greater than Jesus’s Works were and as Apostles of |
| 15:00 | Jesus Christ those who were specifically sent as emissaries of Christ directly |
| 15:05 | who can do business in his name and give commands in his name which ordinary |
| 15:10 | Apostles could not do was the APO did the Apostle Paul perform greater signs |
| 15:15 | than Jesus no did Peter perform greater signs |
| 15:23 | than Jesus than Jesus no they performed a handful of signs and they’re recorded |
| 15:29 | for us in the Acts of the Apostles but greater signs than Christ did know so when Jesus says whoever believes in me |
| 15:36 | will also do the works that I do it is not talking about performing miracles |
| 15:41 | and you’ll note that in today’s charismatic movements people are put under a very heavy burden told that they |
| 15:49 | have to perform Miracles they need to yield themselves to the holy spirit so |
| 15:56 | that the Holy Spirit can then see their yieldedness and finally begin to perform miracles |
| 16:02 | through them but this is not what the scripture teaches |
| 16:08 | at all and so you’ll note that these people are caught in errors maze so we continue |
| 16:14 | then with our gospel text that Jesus did perform signs and wonders but he |
| 16:20 | proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom and he performed Miracles and as we heard |
| 16:26 | John say the purpose of Jesus is Miracles these were signs so that you |
| 16:31 | might believe that he is the Christ the son of God and here’s an important bit have you ever read the scriptures and go |
| 16:37 | man what’s wrong with the day I’m living in how come we don’t have Miracles the |
| 16:42 | way they had miracles in the Bible have you ever stopped to think |
| 16:48 | and really investigate this out Miracles are even rare in the scriptures |
| 16:54 | I want you to think about it was Noah a miracle worker how about Abraham |
| 17:01 | Isaac Jacob nope not at all how about |
| 17:07 | um that that guy who had the dreams Joseph was he a miracle worker nope not |
| 17:13 | a miracle worker at all who was the real first miracle worker in |
| 17:18 | all of scripture Moses and you’ll note that when Moses was |
| 17:23 | being commissioned by God as a prophet because that’s exactly what Moses was Moses he wasn’t really keen on the |
| 17:31 | assignment read Exodus 3 and 4. and he legitimately asked God well what if I go to the children of Israel and say the |
| 17:37 | god of your fathers has sent me and they go what sign do you do to prove that this is the case right what did God do |
| 17:45 | no problemo I’m going to give you three signs and what were they changing water |
| 17:50 | into blood hmm that sounds interesting right changing |
| 17:56 | water into blood then taking his staff that his Shepherd staff throwing it on the ground and it |
| 18:03 | becoming a serpent and then he can grab it by the tail and it would become a staff again and the third sign is he can |
| 18:09 | take his hands stick it into his cloak pull it out and it would be leprous put it back in and it would no longer be |
| 18:15 | leprous right and these were the signs that God gave him to validate that he |
| 18:21 | was actually sent by God and after Moses who were the great miracle workers |
| 18:28 | was Joshua a miracle worker no Joshua wasn’t how about the judges |
| 18:34 | no they weren’t miracle workers either how about Samuel |
| 18:39 | no David Solomon no they weren’t miracle workers either |
| 18:45 | the next miracle workers in scripture are Elijah and Elisha the ones who kind of set up the school |
| 18:52 | of the prophets whose task was to write the Old Testament that’s what they were doing and God sent Miracles with them to |
| 19:00 | validate their prophetic Ministry and the project they were working on which was the writing of the Old Testament and |
| 19:06 | then after Elisha who are the great miracle workers again um no I don’t know any great miracle |
| 19:13 | workers until Jesus right and you’re going to note this anybody |
| 19:18 | who says well you can do Greater Works than Jesus that means you can perform Miracles I would like to point something |
| 19:24 | out and that’s this um who Among Us can say that after their |
| 19:30 | death they raise themselves from the grave on the third day after they died |
| 19:36 | not a single one of them okay and I’ll be blunt doing this is not |
| 19:42 | nearly as impressive as raising yourself from the grave right when Jesus went into the temple and cleared the money |
| 19:49 | changers out in the Gospel of John early on if the Pharisees and the scribes and the |
| 19:55 | the people in charge of the temple came up to Jesus and said what sign by what |
| 20:00 | Authority are you doing these things because Jesus was acting like he had complete authority to kick people out of |
| 20:08 | the temple he is God by the way and that Temple was set up in the name of Yahweh |
| 20:13 | who Jesus is in human flesh and Jesus answered them tear down this Temple and in three days I will build it again I |
| 20:20 | will build it again and they said it’s taken 46 years to build this Temple Jesus and you’re going to rebuild it in |
| 20:26 | three days but what does the text say the temple he was referring to was the Temple of his body and you’ll note in |
| 20:33 | all of scripture there is nobody even who comes close to Jesus in The Miracles |
| 20:41 | that he’s performed and here’s where we’ve got to pay attention to the error |
| 20:46 | that is running through the church in our time Bill Johnson the Apostle of |
| 20:52 | Bethel Church in Redding California here’s how he says it nowadays he said Jesus Is God eternally and never stop |
| 21:00 | being God but he was also man completely man in his Earthly life he lived from |
| 21:06 | his Humanity to illustrate his dependence on the father in a way that |
| 21:12 | could then be emulated by us |
| 21:19 | whoa wait what in other words what he legitimately |
| 21:24 | believes is that Jesus performed all of his miracles as a man fully submitted to |
| 21:31 | the Holy Spirit not by virtue of the fact that he’s God in human flesh which no scripture |
| 21:37 | teaches and then on top of it that we’re supposed to follow the example of Jesus |
| 21:43 | when it comes to being miracle workers again what kind of a head trip does this put on people |
| 21:49 | puts a huge Head trip on it and crushing guilt when they fail to operate in the |
| 21:55 | miraculous the way Jesus did and then Bill Johnson twists a Biblical text he |
| 22:01 | says Jesus said the son of man can do nothing of himself illustrating his |
| 22:07 | dependence wait a second I know what that text is and he ripped this out of context and |
| 22:15 | left an important part of the details out this text is found in the Gospel of John |
| 22:20 | chapter 5. and here’s what it says |
| 22:26 | Jesus says in chapter 5 verse 19 truly truly I say to you the son can do |
| 22:31 | nothing of his own accord but only what he sees the father doing for whatever |
| 22:37 | the father does that the son does likewise when you put the work when you put |
| 22:43 | Christ’s words back in their context you’ll note that he is not saying I’m I |
| 22:49 | can do nothing of myself which means I can do only my Miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit that’s not what |
| 22:54 | he was saying he was saying I can only do the things I see my father doing I do the exact same things as God I don’t do |
| 23:01 | things of my own accord or according to my own will |
| 23:07 | so what Bill Johnson does has done here has completely Twisted this text and |
| 23:13 | unfortunately there are millions of people you you even know some people who |
| 23:18 | believe that we are supposed to follow the example of Jesus by performing Miracles now I would note this doesn’t |
| 23:25 | make a lick of sense because you’ll know in the scriptures in the in the book of Acts who were the ones who could perform |
| 23:32 | miracles the apostles right but what about the Grassroots ordinary |
| 23:39 | everyday kind of Christian you know the people who were just hard at work doing |
| 23:44 | what what people do being hard at work well there’s an account in the book of |
| 23:49 | Acts chapter nine it’s the story of Dorcas and I have to say this up front I went to school when I was in in junior |
| 23:55 | high with a girl whose parents named her Dorcas don’t do this okay I did she was teased |
| 24:04 | horribly for having this name I know it’s biblical if you’re going to name her according to Dorcas name her Tabitha |
| 24:12 | but do not name her Dorcas because in English that’s not a good word a good |
| 24:18 | name to have just saying so here’s what it says in Acts chapter 9 36 there was |
| 24:24 | in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha which translated means Dorcas she was full of |
| 24:29 | good works and acts of charity and in those days she became ill and she |
| 24:36 | died note that’s normally how it goes when somebody has an extended illness |
| 24:41 | then they die and you’re gonna know there’s no mention here that the other Godly Christian women who were working |
| 24:48 | with Tabitha or Dorcas that they tried to ex decree and declare and command and |
| 24:56 | control and perform miracles to heal her of her illness not a lick of that is even mentioned right instead she became |
| 25:03 | ill and over the course of time she died and when they had washed her they laid her in an upper room since Lita was near |
| 25:11 | Joppa the disciples hearing that Peter was there sent two men to him urging him |
| 25:16 | please come to us without DeLay So Peter Rose and went with them and when he |
| 25:22 | arrived they took with him to the upper room and all the widows Stood Beside Peter weeping and showing tunics and |
| 25:28 | other garments that Dorcas had made while she was still with them but Peter put them all outside and he knelt down |
| 25:36 | and he prayed and turning to the body he said Tabitha arise and she opened her |
| 25:42 | eyes and when she saw Peter she sat up and she gave her his hand and he raised |
| 25:48 | her up and then calling the Saints and the widows he presented her alive note the Apostle Peter can operate in the |
| 25:55 | signs of the Apostles and note he also did not chastise these women going why |
| 26:01 | are you bothering me why aren’t you following the example that Jesus gave |
| 26:06 | you to follow why didn’t you raise her from the dead you know why because they couldn’t |
| 26:13 | they were not given those signs they didn’t have that Authority and it is a |
| 26:18 | false Doctrine to say that because Jesus performed Miracles we can perform them too |
| 26:24 | in fact saying that is complete idolatry and a twisting of God’s word that binds |
| 26:30 | people’s consciences and ruins their faith because at the end of the day they’re going to have to come to grips |
| 26:37 | with this horrible brutal reality they can’t perform miracles |
| 26:43 | despite all their delusional attempts to do so they’re not able to operate in |
| 26:49 | them and then when they come to the end of that line and they look back in these churches and they say you know what they |
| 26:55 | weren’t really performing Miracles there either this whole thing is a scam Christianity is false |
| 27:01 | there are a whole lot not a small amount a whole lot of people who are ex former |
| 27:07 | Christians because when this bad theology runs its course |
| 27:12 | you say Christianity is a complete scam it’s not real it’s just a bunch of delusional people all playing |
| 27:18 | make-believe when it comes to signs and wonders and miracles that’s where it leads and here’s what’s |
| 27:23 | worse if the person is suffering from a chronic illness they have the crushing |
| 27:28 | weight of feeling guilty because somehow their lack of faith or their sinfulness |
| 27:33 | has kept them from being able to operate in the signs that they were supposed to engage in |
| 27:38 | and so you’ll note this idolatry ruins people it ruins their faith and sends |
| 27:44 | them out of Christianity altogether and if you know anybody who believes |
| 27:50 | these things have mercy on them and walk them through these texts and show them |
| 27:55 | how they have been deceived and I would note this not only did Peter not chastise those |
| 28:03 | those women when they called him to raise Dorcas from the dead and to |
| 28:08 | restore her not only did he not chastise them for not following Jesus’s model of |
| 28:15 | of Performing signs and wonders it is that same Apostle Peter who has given us |
| 28:20 | a very clear text telling us what we as Christians are to do |
| 28:26 | how we are to model Christ in fact here’s what it says in First Peter |
| 28:32 | chapter 2. listen carefully servants be subject to your masters with |
| 28:37 | all respect not only to the good and to the gentle but also to the unjust |
| 28:45 | now most of us have had to work out in the workforce to one degree or another maybe |
| 28:53 | you started off as a teenager working in a fast food restaurant or maybe working in the service industry finding a way to |
| 29:00 | make a living in a restaurant or whatever and then you were able to graduate from college and get a job in a |
| 29:06 | you know in your field of study or whatever but here’s the thing once you go to work in the workforce you’re going |
| 29:13 | to show up and you’re not going to be the boss you’re going to have a boss and |
| 29:18 | I would note this as somebody who’s been in the workforce I’ve had some pretty bad bosses some really goofy bosses |
| 29:26 | who’ve made some really bone-headed decisions I have a hard time watching the office even though it’s in reruns |
| 29:33 | the reason why is it can it sends me into PTSD you know I I trigger and I |
| 29:38 | feel like ah I don’t want to remember that because I swear I work for Michael Scott I worked for Dunder Mifflin even |
| 29:46 | if it wasn’t a different an industry right and what do you do when you have an unjust stupid boss who’s overbearing |
| 29:54 | who mistreats people mistreats you and you’re just there to do your job to make |
| 29:59 | a living what do you do well Peter says this it is a gracious |
| 30:05 | thing when you are mindful of God one endures Sorrows while suffering unjustly |
| 30:13 | wait I thought I was supposed to have my best life now good luck on that by the way for what |
| 30:20 | credit is it if when you sin and you are beaten for it and you endure but if when |
| 30:26 | you do good and you suffer for it and you endure this is a gracious thing in |
| 30:33 | the sight of God for to this you have been called and listen to what he says here because |
| 30:39 | Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example so that you might follow in |
| 30:47 | his steps when Jesus was reviled he did not revile |
| 30:52 | in return when he suffered he did not threaten but he continued entrusting |
| 30:58 | himself to him who judges justly he himself bore our sins in his body on the |
| 31:05 | tree so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and by his wounds |
| 31:11 | you have been healed for you were like sheep straying but now you have returned |
| 31:17 | to the shepherd and the overseer of your souls put putting it this way |
| 31:23 | the sin we’re dealing with today head on false Doctrine is a form of breaking the first commandment and also the second |
| 31:31 | it is a form of idolatry where you are worshiping a false god a god of your own making but secondly by twisting God’s |
| 31:39 | word by tinkering with it and evacuating of its true meaning you are taking God’s |
| 31:45 | name in vain and you are making his word void these |
| 31:51 | are Grievous sins against God and against other human beings because people then who trust in your lying |
| 31:59 | words and in your Twisted words of scripture then are in danger of losing not only their lives but their Eternal |
| 32:05 | souls and so you’ll note that God has had mercy on us and sent Jesus Christ |
| 32:11 | who suffered and bled in our place so that we can be forgiven of all of our |
| 32:17 | breakings of God’s commandment including the first and the second commandment and |
| 32:22 | that being the case he also in the gospel which is the good news he has |
| 32:28 | forgiven us of our sins reconciled us to God and as Peter says has given us a |
| 32:34 | clear example for us to follow the example that we are to follow in the |
| 32:40 | Life of Christ is not the life of of miracle worker but of those who suffer for doing good |
| 32:51 | that is the map that is what we are to do that is the model of Christ that we |
| 32:56 | are to follow we are not to emulate Jesus in his Miracle working good luck on that by the way if you try |
| 33:03 | it doesn’t matter how yielded how obedient how much you try you will never be a miracle worker like Christ |
| 33:10 | but I would say this the one thing I can say for sure is that every ordinary |
| 33:16 | Grassroots Christian knows exactly what it’s like to suffer when you’ve done |
| 33:21 | good and you’ll note that this is a gracious thing in the eyes of God and Christ has |
| 33:27 | left this example for us to follow so brothers and sisters it’s a weird thing to do on the occasion of this text |
| 33:35 | from Matthew 4. we must come to grips with the fact that Jesus did perform Miracles this is |
| 33:41 | absolutely true and he performed them to prove that he was none other than God in human flesh and no person today in the |
| 33:48 | charismatic movement the Nar or any Evangelical Church even remotely comes close to Christ and anyone who’s |
| 33:55 | claiming that they are they’re putting on a magic show not performing Miracles right they’re deceiving you and anyone |
| 34:02 | who says that we have to follow the example of Jesus by performing Miracles is also twisting God’s word and lying |
| 34:09 | let us repent of all ways in which we have broken the first and second commandment trust that Christ has bled |
| 34:16 | and died for our sins as the scripture says and he has proved that we are forgiven by raising himself from the |
| 34:22 | dead on the third day after he was crucified and let us then take the advice of the Apostle Peter to emulate |
| 34:29 | Christ to follow his example by suffering for doing good just as Christ did in the |
| 34:37 | name of Jesus Amen |
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