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Series B – First Wednesday in Lent – Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | 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
0:28	tonight’s reading is from the gospel of
0:30	matthew
0:31	chapter 27.
0:35	and over Jesus head they put the charge
0:38	against him which read
0:40	this is Jesus the king of the jews then
0:42	two robbers were crucified with him
0:45	on one the right and and one on the left
0:49	and those who passed by derided him
0:51	wagging their heads and saying
0:53	you who would destroy the temple and
0:54	rebuild it in three days save yourself
0:57	if you are the son of god come down from
1:00	the cross
1:01	so also the chief priests with the
1:03	scribes and the elders they mocked Jesus
1:05	saying
1:06	he saved others he cannot save himself
1:09	he is the king of israel let him come
1:10	down
1:11	from the cross and we will believe in
1:13	him he trusts in god
1:15	let god deliver him now if he desires
1:18	him for he said i am the son of god
1:20	and the robbers who were crucified with
1:22	him also
1:23	reviled him in the same manner
1:26	in the name of Jesus well i haven’t
1:30	divulged
1:31	what our sermon series is going to be
1:33	for the midweek lenten services
1:35	until now a friend of mine a colleague
1:39	one of my seminary professors who
1:41	i work with with the elethia seminary
1:44	and the letheus synod
1:45	he came up with an interesting idea one
1:47	that i have to give him credit for
1:48	because i’ve never heard a sermon series
1:50	quite like this
1:51	oftentimes pastors will do a sermon
1:54	series during lenten season where we
1:56	look at the words that Jesus spoke
1:58	from the cross over this lenten tide
2:01	we’re going to look at the words that
2:03	people spoke
2:04	to the cross the things that they said
2:08	to Jesus while he was on the cross today
2:11	focusing on
2:12	these words um those who pass by derided
2:16	him wagging their heads and saying
2:18	you who would destroy the temple and
2:20	rebuild it in three days
2:21	save yourself if you are the son of god
2:24	come down
2:25	from the cross this lenten tide always
2:28	and again we have to
2:29	examine our lives in light of the ten
2:31	commandments first commandment you will
2:33	have no other gods what does this mean
2:35	we should fear love and trust
2:36	in god above all things only god
2:40	well that’s kind of the rub have you
2:42	ever noticed that we have this amazing
2:44	ability to just cobble together our own
2:46	deities without much effort
2:48	i was recently rebuked by a woman in the
2:51	uk
2:53	she is she has her own
2:56	ministry and she is out there defeating
2:58	demons and declaring
3:00	prosperity in fact she even recently
3:03	declared the pandemic to be over
3:05	and declared that anybody who gets covid
3:07	will live
3:09	that hasn’t gone very well and let’s
3:11	just say that in our exchange i pointed
3:13	out that she was a false teacher
3:16	and she then proceeded to let me know
3:18	that she has
3:19	looked at Christianity very closely and
3:22	that she wouldn’t be a Christian if
3:23	there wasn’t
3:24	something in it for her her words
3:27	exactly
3:29	well there is something in Christianity
3:32	for all of us but the thing is is that
3:33	it may not be the thing you expect
3:35	and that’s kind of the rub if you think
3:38	about it is that
3:39	we have our own preconceived notions of
3:42	what it is
3:42	exactly that we need to be saved from
3:45	and what exact kind of savior
3:47	we’re going to be requiring for such a
3:50	task
3:51	are you suffering from credit card debt
3:53	don’t worry so a thousand dollar seed
3:55	offering
3:56	make your check payable to pastor chris
3:58	rosebro
3:59	and don’t do that
4:00	[Laughter]
4:02	right so we we need a financial savior
4:05	we need a political savior
4:07	right you know we need one of those we
4:10	we need
4:11	we need saving from poverty we need
4:13	saving from sickness we need
4:15	saving from the pandemic and so we need
4:17	something practical we need something
4:19	well you get the idea and so when you
4:23	approach
4:24	scripture in this manner it’s amazing
4:28	what we’re capable of doing we’re
4:29	capable of not
4:31	seeing the savior that is there
4:34	for us because well what good is a
4:38	crucified curse
4:42	suffering dead Jesus
4:47	in fact isn’t that the whole point of
4:48	these words to the cross
4:51	you who would destroy the temple and
4:52	rebuild it in three days save
4:54	yourself you’re going to die
4:58	Jesus save yourself isn’t death like the
5:00	end of everything anyway right
5:03	we all know how that works even harry
5:05	houdini
5:06	is a fellow who who wanted to conquer
5:09	death
5:09	there’s a seance held every year on the
5:12	anniversary of harry houdini’s death
5:14	and they ask harry houdini have you
5:16	conquered death come
5:18	forth and guess who doesn’t show up year
5:20	after year after year
5:22	harry houdini he continues to be dead
5:26	and so there they are thinking that
5:27	Jesus is on the verge of his ultimate
5:29	defeat come down from the cross
5:32	save yourself if you’re the son of god
5:38	when he saved others he cannot save
5:41	himself and there’s the point
5:44	Jesus wasn’t there to save himself he
5:46	was there to save you
5:48	he was there to save me because man we
5:51	needed saving
5:52	and the fact that these people rather
5:54	than being on their knees
5:56	humbly praying pleading with god for
6:00	mercy
6:01	that they that god himself god the
6:03	father would send the son to suffer and
6:06	bleed in our place and die they’re
6:08	mocking him deriding him
6:10	thinking that the gospel is some kind of
6:12	a scandal something to be
6:14	looked at like a cockroach on your floor
6:18	but it’s not in fact you’ll note that
6:22	it was peter who had this same
6:24	inclination
6:25	the same way of thinking if you would
6:29	in our gospel text coming up this
6:32	sunday it’s from the gospel of mark’s
6:34	account of this passage from matthew
6:36	we’ll just take a look at some of the
6:37	highlights when Jesus came into the
6:39	district of caesarea
6:41	philippi he took his disciples outside
6:43	of israel
6:44	we’re going to ask the important
6:46	question
6:47	who is the son of man so he asked him
6:49	first who do people say the son of man
6:51	is and they said well you know
6:53	some say john the baptist other elijah
6:55	and others jeremiah are one of the
6:57	prophets that’s a weird answer for jews
6:59	by the way
6:59	they don’t believe in reincarnation so
7:02	all of a sudden they become hindus right
7:04	so Jesus now pushes the point just a
7:06	little bit further who do you say that i
7:09	am
7:09	and we get this great confession of the
7:11	apostle peter
7:12	you are the Christ you are the son of
7:14	the living god and Jesus answered him
7:16	blessed are you simon barjona for flesh
7:18	and blood has not revealed this to you
7:19	but my father who is in heaven
7:21	and no sooner does that come out of
7:23	Jesus mouth
7:24	that Jesus it says from that time began
7:27	to show his disciples
7:29	that he must go to jerusalem he must
7:32	suffer many things from that from the
7:33	elders
7:34	the chief priests the scribes and then
7:36	be killed
7:38	and on the third day be raised
7:42	Jesus speaks about these things now
7:45	bluntly plainly and peter takes him
7:48	aside and began to rebuke
7:50	Jesus man i am still
7:54	shocked that the text doesn’t then go on
7:56	to say thus
7:57	perished peter you know because
8:01	who can rebuke god right
8:04	so he says far be it from you lord this
8:07	shall
8:08	never happen to you this isn’t what i
8:10	signed up for
8:12	i’m i’m i’m working and maneuvering with
8:14	the other guys to figure out which
8:15	cabinet position i can get in your new
8:17	administration
8:18	Jesus we’ve already picked out robes for
8:21	the coronation
8:22	ceremony and we’re building an army that
8:24	you can go and conquer
8:26	rome with what are you talking about
8:29	you’re gonna go to jerusalem
8:31	hand it over and die that’s not
8:34	according to
8:35	the plans that we we need somebody who’s
8:37	gonna flex some muscle here
8:39	and take the roman empire off of our
8:41	backs
8:45	far be it from you Jesus far be it
8:48	so Jesus turned around and said to peter
8:51	get behind me satan
8:52	you’re a hindrance to me for you are not
8:55	setting your mind on the things of god
8:57	but on the things of man
9:00	you see our problem isn’t the other
9:02	party that we don’t vote for
9:04	our problem isn’t poverty our problem is
9:07	not that we suffer financially
9:09	our problem is not that we need a better
9:11	economy
9:12	our problem is not communism it’s not
9:14	capitalism our problem
9:16	is sin it is our rebellion against
9:19	god and all of the turmoil and the muck
9:22	that we go through
9:23	day after day week after week year after
9:27	year without
9:28	end all of this is the consequence of
9:31	our sin
9:32	and if Jesus were to just deal with one
9:35	of the symptoms and not address
9:36	the root we’re doomed
9:40	and how many of us are guilty like peter
9:43	of having in mind the things of man the
9:45	things of this world
9:47	and do by doing so are in league with
9:50	the devil
9:55	well now that you put it that way i
9:57	guess we’re all
9:59	guilty of that myself included
10:02	so brothers and sisters this lenten tide
10:05	our meditation
10:06	for tonight these words to Jesus
10:09	while he’s on the Christ on the cross
10:11	you who would destroy the temple rebuild
10:13	it in three days
10:14	save yourself if you are the son of god
10:16	come down from the cross
10:18	let us thank god that Jesus had in mind
10:21	the things of god and that he didn’t
10:22	come down from the cross
10:24	because scripture is clear that Christ
10:26	had at his disposal even while nailed to
10:29	the tree and suspended between heaven
10:31	and earth
10:31	he had at his disposal myriads of armies
10:35	of angels
10:35	that at his slightest little command
10:39	would have immediately taken him off the
10:42	cross
10:42	and slaughtered everybody there standing
10:44	at the foot of the cross mocking him
10:48	but Jesus didn’t raise a finger
10:52	he didn’t wink he didn’t say uncle
10:57	he sat suspended between heaven and
11:00	earth
11:02	there to save you and me in fact i can’t
11:04	think of a better way to put it because
11:06	it’s so beautifully put in the hymn that
11:08	we just
11:09	sang listen to these these lyrics
11:13	thou hast suffered men to bruise thee
11:16	that from pain i might be free
11:19	falsely did your foes accuse thee
11:23	thence i gained security comfortless
11:27	thy soulded languish me to comfort in my
11:30	anguish
11:31	thousand thousand thanks shall be
11:32	dearest Jesus unto thee
11:35	verse six thou has suffered great
11:37	affliction
11:38	and you have borne it patiently even
11:41	death by crucifixion
11:42	fully to atone from me thou dost choose
11:46	to be tormented so that my doom
11:48	should be prevented thousand thousand
11:50	thanks shall be
11:52	dearest Jesus unto thee then for all
11:55	that wrought my
11:56	pardon for thy sorrows deep and sore
11:59	for then anguish in the garden i will
12:01	thank thee evermore
12:03	thank thee for thy groaning thy sign
12:06	for thy bleeding and for thy dying for
12:09	that last
12:10	triumphant cry and shall praise thee
12:12	lord on high
12:14	let us thank our great merciful
12:17	God and Savior Jesus Christ
12:21	that he suffered all of these things he
12:23	didn’t come down from the cross he
12:25	didn’t save himself
12:26	so that you and I can be saved
12:30	in the name of Jesus amen

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