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Series A – Third Wednesday in Lent – Wednesday, March 15, 2017 | 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	the holy Gospel According to Saint John
0:31	chapter 1. verses 1 to 14.
0:35	in the beginning was the word
0:38	the word was with God and the Word was
0:41	God
0:42	he was in the beginning with God all
0:44	things were made through him and without
0:46	him was not anything made that was made
0:49	in him was life and the life was the
0:52	light of men
0:54	the light shines in the darkness the
0:57	darkness has not overcome it
0:59	there was a man sent from God whose name
1:02	was John he came as a witness to Bear
1:05	witness about the light that all might
1:07	believe through him he was not the light
1:11	but he came to bear witness about the
1:13	light the True Light which gives light
1:16	to everyone was coming into the world
1:18	he was in the world and though the world
1:21	was made through him
1:23	yet the world did not know him
1:25	he came to his own and his own people
1:27	did not receive him
1:29	but to all who did receive him who
1:31	believed in his name he gave the right
1:34	to become children of God who were born
1:36	not of blood nor of the will of the
1:39	flesh nor the will of man but of God
1:43	and the word became flesh and dwelt
1:46	among us and we have seen his glory
1:49	glory as of the only son from the father
1:51	full of grace and truth
1:55	in the name of Jesus
1:57	oh the deep deep love of Jesus vast
2:01	unmeasured boundless free
2:04	in fact the deep deep love of Jesus is
2:09	immeasurable
2:10	and our text tonight and the concept
2:12	we’re looking at really helps bear this
2:15	out now it says in the Book of Genesis
2:20	chapter 1 starting at verse 1 in the
2:23	beginning God created the heavens and
2:27	the Earth
2:28	the Earth was without form and void and
2:31	darkness was over the face of the deep
2:33	and see even there in Genesis we begin
2:35	to see one of the major themes of
2:38	scripture and it’s a wonderful theme
2:39	it’s the theme of Darkness and Light and
2:43	so there’s God in the darkness over the
2:47	tohu of bohu in the Hebrew Darkness was
2:51	over the face of the deep and the spirit
2:53	of God was brooding
2:55	like a well like a mother hen over the
2:58	face of the waters
3:00	and there’s the idea and God by the way
3:04	at this point calls out let there be
3:07	light and there was light God saw that
3:10	the light was good and then God
3:12	separated the light in the Darkness
3:15	God called the light day the darkness he
3:17	called night and there was evening and
3:20	there was mourning the first day
3:23	there’s the account first day of
3:25	creation Darkness and Light and yet in
3:29	Our Gospel text tonight we hear these
3:31	words the True Light which gives light
3:32	to everyone that’s Jesus was coming into
3:35	the world he was in the world and the
3:38	world was made through him
3:40	that’s right he made us we’re his
3:42	creation and if you think about it what
3:46	are we that God would be mindful of us
3:49	consider the vast expanse of the
3:51	universe itself how many billions and of
3:55	light years it is to travel across one
3:59	side of the universe to the other and
4:01	then when you see on the internet the
4:03	photographs from the Hubble telescope of
4:06	all these galaxies and nebula and all
4:09	the amazing things out there in the
4:11	heavens
4:12	and on a good clear winter night
4:16	when the sun when the moon is not out
4:18	you go outside here and it seems like
4:22	you can just see nothing but star after
4:24	star after star
4:26	as the cool cold fresh wind blows on
4:30	your face and you take it all in and you
4:32	realize just how small
4:35	and insignificant
4:37	we must be
4:39	and yet
4:40	this God this powerful God so powerful
4:44	that when he speaks things happen the
4:48	one who said let there be light
4:52	and there was light I think it’s
4:54	fascinating that when you read the
4:55	atheists on this text they always said
4:57	there’s a see God doesn’t know what he’s
4:59	doing because he said let there be light
5:02	but he didn’t even create the sun until
5:03	like three days later let me
5:05	cross-reference that for you from John
5:09	the True Light which gives light to
5:11	everyone that’s Jesus
5:14	he was coming into the world you see
5:16	when God said let there be light it’s
5:18	like Jesus said oh oh wait hang on a
5:20	second whoa and there was light
5:24	and he sat there and go are you sure
5:26	well I would cross-reference the amount
5:28	of transfiguration Jesus seems to have a
5:31	tendency to shine in fact I think
5:33	there’s a song about it Shine Jesus
5:35	Shine
5:36	fits in here right
5:38	so you’ll notice then that this amazing
5:41	powerful God
5:44	who really has all of these stars named
5:47	names all of the galaxies has every one
5:50	of them numbered not one of them is
5:51	missing
5:52	he is the one who loves us so much that
5:58	he decides to get into the muck and the
6:01	mire of the curse that we find ourselves
6:04	and because we sided with Darkness
6:08	rather than light by listening to The
6:11	Serpent and disobeying God
6:13	we brought Darkness upon ourselves
6:16	and so now our lives are a mix
6:19	a mix between good
6:21	and Evil
6:23	blessings and curses and you never can
6:28	tell what’s just around the corner
6:32	maybe what’s around the corner is
6:34	something amazing something wonderful
6:35	something you never could have imagined
6:36	but what could also be around the corner
6:39	is something so awful
6:42	filled with so much suffering
6:44	that it makes you realize that we are
6:46	mortal and that we are sinful and in
6:49	need of a savior
6:50	and God knowing that we are languishing
6:53	under the curse this great and powerful
6:56	God
6:58	who is light and in whom there is no
7:01	Darkness
7:02	he joins us in our creation
7:07	for our sake
7:09	and so we hear again these amazing words
7:11	from our gospel texts
7:13	in the beginning was the word
7:16	and that’s Jesus
7:17	and the Word was with God
7:20	and the Word was God
7:22	he was in the beginning with God
7:26	and all things were made through him
7:28	and without him was not anything made
7:31	that was made
7:33	in him was life
7:35	and the life was the light of men the
7:39	light shines in the Darkness
7:42	and the Darkness is not overcome it
7:45	indeed it cannot
7:48	and so here in this great mystery of the
7:51	God who was there in the beginning the
7:54	God who spoke everything into existence
7:56	The God Who said let there be light and
7:59	Christ shined in the darkness this same
8:02	God
8:04	not standing aloof from his creation and
8:07	just basically saying you rebelled
8:08	against me
8:09	well to hell with you
8:12	you listen to the devil sided with him
8:14	well you can join him in the Lake of
8:16	Fire
8:17	no for our sake because of his well how
8:22	does the song say it again deep deep
8:25	love
8:28	because of his deep deep love for us
8:33	he is born of the Virgin Mary
8:36	he suffers under Pontius Pilate he joins
8:41	his Creation The Creator steps in to
8:45	Creation it seems like an oxymoron
8:48	it doesn’t even seem possible how does
8:52	the Creator become creation
8:55	how does the uncaused one
8:57	the one who has no beginning has has no
9:01	end how does he then have a beginning
9:06	time and space has a beginning we have a
9:09	beginning but the beginning list one now
9:12	has a beginning
9:14	the one who has no mother now has a
9:18	mommy for us
9:19	it’s amazing when you think about it and
9:22	consider it
9:23	but we’ll play with the text a little
9:25	bit here because the text is over and
9:28	again playing on this theme of light the
9:31	True Light which gives light to everyone
9:34	is coming into the world he was in the
9:36	world and the world was made through him
9:38	yet the world did not know him he came
9:41	to his own and his own people did not
9:43	receive him Philippians describes it
9:46	this way in chapter two have this mind
9:48	among yourselves which is yours in
9:50	Christ Jesus who though he was in the
9:52	very nature of God
9:56	he did not count equality with God a
9:58	thing to be grasped
9:59	instead he emptied himself taking on the
10:02	form of a servant
10:03	King becoming a servant being born in
10:07	the likeness of men
10:10	being found in human form he humbled
10:13	himself by becoming obedient to the
10:15	point of death
10:17	even death on a cross
10:20	seems so amazingly
10:23	wow unfathomable how do you measure such
10:27	love
10:28	that God would go from the highest high
10:31	place that there ever is or ever will be
10:35	his glorious throne
10:37	to the manger in Bethlehem
10:40	from there
10:42	to the cross on Golgotha
10:45	doesn’t seem possible
10:48	and yet there it is this complete
10:51	strange reversal
10:54	the Paradox of God
10:56	and so
10:58	because of his deep deep love for us
11:03	he becomes obedient to the point of
11:05	death on a cross and in another text
11:08	that kind of begins Jesus’s sufferings
11:11	we read in Luke Chapter 22. here’s what
11:14	it says starting at verse 47. while
11:16	Jesus was in a garden
11:18	similar to a garden like in Eden think
11:21	of it that way while he was still
11:23	speaking
11:24	there came a crowd
11:26	and the man called Judas one of the
11:29	twelve was leading them
11:31	he drew near to Jesus to kiss him
11:34	but Jesus said to him Judas would you
11:36	betray the son of man with a kiss
11:38	and when those who were around him saw
11:40	what would follow they said Lord what
11:42	shall we strike shall we strike strike
11:45	with a sword
11:46	and one of them struck the servant of
11:48	the high priest and cut off his right
11:49	ear
11:50	but Jesus said no more of this he
11:53	touched his ear and he healed him
11:55	then Jesus said to the chief priests and
11:57	the officers of the temple and the
11:58	elders who had come out against him have
12:00	you come out as against a robber with
12:03	swords and clubs
12:04	when I was with you day after day in the
12:07	temple you did not lay hands on me but
12:10	this is your hour
12:13	and the power
12:14	of Darkness
12:17	and the man called Judas one of the
12:19	twelve was leaving them
12:22	the power of Darkness you see scripture
12:25	then describes
12:26	the light who has come into the world
12:29	he submits himself
12:33	to the power of Darkness
12:35	because of his deep deep love for us you
12:40	see it’s so strange if you think about
12:42	it I mean how many of you really like
12:45	those movies where the good guy dies
12:48	any of you like those moves some of them
12:50	are okay and some of them are pretty
12:52	decent I remember years and years and
12:55	years ago my son wanted to watch
12:57	Gladiator he had to wait for him to get
12:59	old enough for to be able to watch that
13:01	and then I told him I would only let him
13:03	watch it if I was watching it with him
13:05	so the two of us had a man day together
13:07	and we watched Gladiator
13:10	and
13:13	very end of the movie The Hero dies
13:16	Maximus dies and there’s my son just
13:19	coming unglued and he’s a dad Ted
13:23	Maximus died it’s not supposed to end
13:27	this way Dad
13:29	and I said yeah I know it’s kind of
13:31	awful
13:32	he won by losing
13:35	or in winning he lost it’s a lot like
13:39	Jesus
13:40	and see that’s the deep deep love of
13:44	Jesus
13:46	he goes from the Throne of God to the
13:48	manger of Bethlehem and now literally
13:52	without any resistance at all
13:55	let the power of Darkness
13:59	have its way with him
14:01	and he does this
14:03	for us the ultimate good guy
14:08	dies
14:10	and if you think about it
14:12	you think well the bad guy is Judas at
14:15	least it’s not me
14:16	well
14:19	don’t think that Judas doesn’t in many
14:22	ways apply to us
14:23	in many ways he does now granted none of
14:26	us have betrayed Jesus with a kiss
14:29	but in reality each of us was born dead
14:31	in trespasses and sins under the
14:33	Dominion of darkness and each and every
14:35	one of us
14:36	in the sins that we commit daily
14:39	show that we do not love God with our
14:41	whole heart
14:43	and we still continue to betray Jesus in
14:47	our idolatries
14:48	in our well laziness and inattentiveness
14:52	to hear the word of God
14:54	in our not keeping
14:56	the Lord’s Day holy
14:59	or in our insubordination against our
15:02	parents or our bosses
15:04	and then
15:05	we could talk about our murders our
15:09	adulteries our coveting our lies
15:12	our thefts
15:13	all of the different ways in which we
15:15	betrayed Jesus
15:18	by not keeping his law by not doing his
15:22	will but instead going after what our
15:25	sinful desires
15:27	really want these are the ways in which
15:29	we betray Jesus
15:32	and see this is why
15:34	Peter in Acts 3.
15:36	when he’s preaching to the crowd in
15:38	Jerusalem well after the day of
15:40	Pentecost
15:41	well after the day of Pentecost Peter
15:43	takes his bony Apostolic finger and he
15:48	points it at the crowd that he is
15:49	preaching to and he says to them you
15:53	denied the holy
15:56	and the righteous one
15:59	you asked for a murderer to be granted
16:01	to you and you killed the author of life
16:06	I seriously doubt there were many people
16:08	in that crowd that day
16:10	who were physically there
16:12	when Jesus was on trial yell and crucify
16:15	him
16:16	and yet Peter by holding them culpable
16:19	for murdering the author of Life which
16:23	again is a paradox if you think about it
16:25	the author of Life murdered
16:29	it’s all over scripture when you start
16:31	to look for these things
16:32	the author of life is murdered
16:35	and we are the ones
16:38	who like Judas are the ones responsible
16:41	for this murder
16:43	and if you think well no I I’m I’m a
16:46	Christian
16:47	I I’m like Peter I I would have tried to
16:49	stop it I would have you known that
16:52	Peter’s attempt
16:53	to step in and solve the problem that
16:57	only God can solve led to him being
16:59	rebuked by Jesus
17:01	enough of this
17:06	and I’m pretty sure that cutting off the
17:08	ear of malcus
17:09	was not considered by Christ to be a way
17:13	of loving
17:14	his neighbor
17:18	so whether you’re Peter or Judas
17:21	you’re guilty in the sins
17:23	but you’re not Peter you’re not Judas
17:27	you know your name
17:30	we all are guilty in our own ways
17:33	and we’re all guilty of murdering the
17:35	author of life
17:40	but second Corinthians says this
17:44	for our sake God made Christ to be sin
17:46	who knew no sin another Paradox if you
17:50	think about it the sinless one
17:52	became the sinner so that in him we
17:55	might become the righteousness of God
17:59	again hear the words of Our Gospel text
18:01	the True Light which gives light to
18:02	everyone was coming into the world and
18:04	so Colossians putting a fine point then
18:07	on this deep deep love of Jesus says
18:11	this in Colossians 1 12. so we give
18:14	thanks to the father
18:16	who has qualified you to share in the
18:20	inheritance of the Saints in light
18:24	there’s that light again light Darkness
18:27	you see God the father he’s qualified
18:31	you
18:32	to share in the inheritance of the
18:33	Saints in light in the Light of Christ
18:37	because he has delivered us from the
18:40	Dominion of darkness and he has
18:43	transferred us into the kingdom of his
18:45	beloved Son in whom we have and hear the
18:48	important words Redemption
18:50	and the forgiveness
18:52	of sins
18:55	what an amazing
18:57	thing
18:58	and so I find it fascinating that in
19:01	talking about the Creator who joins his
19:04	creation
19:05	the Gospel of John immediately connects
19:08	the Creator in his Creation with light
19:10	and darkness and over and again we see
19:13	that wonderful theme in scripture where
19:15	in the beginning God separated the light
19:17	and the darkness which is what God does
19:20	always separating light from Darkness
19:23	but God here separates light from
19:26	darkness and rather than bunching us up
19:29	with those who are in darkness he steps
19:32	into our darkness in order to Deliver Us
19:35	from the Dominion of Darkness so that he
19:37	can qualify us through Christ’s death on
19:40	the cross so that we can share in the
19:42	inheritance of the Holy ones that’s what
19:44	Saints are in light
19:47	all of this is because Christ submitted
19:50	himself to the forces of Darkness let
19:54	them have their way with him so spitting
19:57	in his face punching him in the face
20:00	pressing a crown of thorns into his head
20:02	scourging his back nailing him to the
20:05	tree
20:06	and leaving him there to die which he
20:08	did
20:09	the author of life
20:11	died
20:13	because of the deep deep love of Jesus
20:16	for you so that your Lawless sinful
20:21	Deeds my Lawless sinful Deeds could be
20:24	forgiven absolved and pardoned so that
20:27	we would no longer have to be under the
20:30	power of Darkness but would be set free
20:33	to walk in the light
20:36	and so Jesus will have the last words in
20:38	our sermon tonight when he said I am the
20:41	light of the world
20:43	whoever follows me will not walk in
20:46	darkness
20:47	but will have the light
20:49	of life
20:50	which is a very polite way of saying
20:54	they will have him because Jesus is the
20:58	light of life and when you consider His
21:02	Marvelous Deeds not only as Creator
21:05	that’s amazing enough but when you
21:08	consider his deeds as our savior
21:12	it shows his great love for us which is
21:14	what scripture says God demonstrates his
21:18	love for us
21:19	and that while we were yet sinners
21:21	Christ died for our sins
21:24	so whoever follows Jesus
21:27	will no longer walk in darkness
21:30	but they will have Jesus who is the
21:33	light of Life The Creator who joined his
21:36	creation because of his deep deep love
21:40	for those who are even his enemies
21:43	in the name of Jesus Amen
21:46	[Music]

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