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Series A – Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany – Sunday, February 05, 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
0:27	The holy Gospel
0:29	According to Saint Matthew the 5th
0:32	chapter
0:32	[Music]
0:37	Jesus said you are the salt of the earth
0:40	but if the salt has lost its taste how
0:43	shall its saltiness be restored it’s no
0:45	longer good for anything except to be
0:47	thrown out and Trampled Under people’s
0:48	feet you are the light of the world a
0:50	city set on a hill cannot be hidden nor
0:52	do people light a lamp and put it under
0:54	a basket but on a stand and it gives
0:56	light to all in the house in the same
0:58	way let your light shine before others
1:00	so that they may see your good works and
1:03	give glory to your father who is in
1:04	heaven do not think that I have come to
1:07	abolish the law and the prophets I have
1:09	not come to abolish them but to fulfill
1:10	them for truly I say to you until Heaven
1:12	and Earth pass away not an Iota not a
1:15	DOT will pass from the law until all is
1:18	accomplished therefore whoever relaxes
1:20	one of the least of these Commandments
1:21	and teaches others to do the same will
1:23	be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven
1:26	whoever does them and teaches them will
1:28	be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven
1:30	for I tell you unless your righteousness
1:32	exceeds that of the scribes and the
1:34	Pharisees you will never enter the
1:36	Kingdom of Heaven this is the gospel of
1:39	the Lord grace mercy and peace to you
1:41	from God the Father Son and Holy Spirit
1:43	you may be seated
1:45	in the name of Jesus
1:47	amen have you ever seen that channel put
1:50	out by a guy who calls himself the lock
1:52	picking lawyer it’s a fascinating
1:55	Channel and I gotta admit I’m kind of
1:58	addicted to it at the moment it’s it’s
2:00	this weird little thing that when I’m
2:02	having insomnia when his stuff shows up
2:04	on social media I sit there and I watch
2:07	this guy people send him padlocks and
2:10	different kinds of door locks and locks
2:12	of all kinds from all over the place
2:14	including bike locks and he picks them
2:17	open legitimately it’s actually quite
2:20	impressive and locks that are declared
2:22	to be pick proof are shown definitively
2:25	to be not so right now I would note that
2:29	there is one thing that I know of that
2:32	is absolutely pick proof okay it’s the
2:35	scriptures you can’t pick them nope
2:38	there is one key to unlocking the
2:41	scriptures there’s one key to
2:43	understanding the Biblical text and that
2:45	is what Paul is talking about
2:48	in our epistle text when he says I
2:50	decided to know nothing among you except
2:53	for Jesus Christ and him crucified
2:56	without that message without Christ and
2:59	him crucified for our sins you can pick
3:02	away at the Bible all you want and you
3:06	will never understand it now this is not
3:10	to say that there are not other topics
3:12	covered in scripture there are other
3:16	topics covered in scripture but think of
3:18	it this way without the cross without
3:21	Christ and him crucified you still can’t
3:23	even properly understand those other
3:25	topics the Bible remains a locked book
3:29	and you can’t pick it it ain’t going to
3:32	work in fact chat GPS or that AI thing
3:35	that’s out there if you were to ask it
3:37	please explain to me what the Bible
3:40	means and give me a proper understanding
3:43	of it it would not sit there and go it’s
3:45	all about Christ and him crucified he
3:47	even AI can’t crack it and you sit there
3:50	and go well I mean is it really that
3:54	simple I mean doesn’t the Bible talk
3:56	about a whole bunch of other stuff of
3:57	course it does of course it does but I
4:01	always like to think back to when I was
4:02	a Nazarene and when I was a Nazarene I
4:06	studied my Bible I did in fact somewhere
4:09	in the murky recesses of my attic space
4:13	in a box that’s full of dust and things
4:17	like this there are there are copies of
4:19	my Bibles from when I was in high school
4:21	and from time to time I like to pull
4:24	them out blow the dust off of them and
4:26	just flip through and see what were the
4:30	texts that I highlighted you know what
4:32	those texts were they were all follow
4:34	along with me
4:37	it was all about the la la la la la la
4:39	la la la la la la la la right it was all
4:42	about the law and as a young Nazarene I
4:45	was devoted to the law I was oh man I
4:49	didn’t drink smoke too and my wife she
4:51	definitely didn’t do any of that stuff
4:52	either you know but she was my
4:53	girlfriend at the time right she didn’t
4:55	dance drink smoke or two but then again
4:57	I do think about that one thing when we
4:59	were seniors uh our our high schools uh
5:03	senior class rebelled and you see we
5:06	weren’t even allowed to have a prom no
5:08	that was for Boateng you can’t do that
5:10	because you know there’s dancing
5:12	involved and so what our senior class
5:14	did you know what we did some people
5:17	it’s some enterprising parents who had
5:19	some money they rented out a hotel
5:22	Ballroom in Huntington Beach California
5:24	we had to we had to like go like several
5:26	counties down we had to be like nowhere
5:28	near so that no teacher could raid us
5:30	and actually see us getting jiggly with
5:33	uh Depeche Mode you know that
5:36	you get the idea here but as somebody
5:38	who is dedicated to the law I did not
5:41	understand the scriptures and it wasn’t
5:42	too long after my wife and I graduated
5:44	from high school we went head long into
5:47	the the latter rain movement and we were
5:50	under the the thumb of a cult leader and
5:54	a false prophetess and when we came out
5:57	of that my wife at least she
5:59	legitimately said who can we trust what
6:03	are we supposed to believe and my
6:05	response at the time was I think we can
6:07	trust the Bible but I’m pretty convinced
6:09	we don’t know what it means
6:12	I’m pretty convinced that we don’t and
6:14	the reality is this we didn’t we didn’t
6:17	understand that if somebody had come to
6:19	me at that time and said listen the
6:21	thing you’re missing is the one thing
6:23	you the only thing you need to know
6:25	nothing except for Christ and him
6:26	crucified I would have thought he was
6:28	nuts in fact I know for a fact I would
6:31	have thought he was nuts because that’s
6:34	exactly when I was first confronted with
6:36	the gospel and somebody who actually
6:39	believed that there was nothing except
6:41	for Christ and him crucified I thought
6:43	the guy was a complete wing nut and
6:44	whacker doodle I mistook him for a false
6:47	teacher it was Dr Rod rosenblatt now if
6:50	you know anything about Dr rod
6:52	rosenblatt
6:54	um to say he’s a man of the earth is as
6:57	a uh it’s a good way to put it he’s he’s
7:00	salty but salty in the right sense and
7:03	I’ll explain that in a second rosenblatt
7:05	always in his classes he would say
7:07	things like this if if if I depended on
7:11	anything of my own good works for
7:14	salvation then I’m doomed and then he
7:17	would use an inappropriate analogy he
7:19	says if if your life is like a roulette
7:21	table you’ve got to bet all the blue
7:23	chips on Jesus how dare you use gambling
7:26	metaphors to talk about salvation
7:28	rosenblatt right and one time again I go
7:31	up to him and I say rosenblad if what
7:33	you’re saying is true that we’re saved
7:35	completely by what Christ has done for
7:37	us then you’re saying I can do whatever
7:39	I want
7:41	and he says of course Chris now that
7:43	Christ has set you free from slavery to
7:45	sin death and the devil what do you want
7:46	to do
7:53	Christ Christ and him crucified for our
7:57	sins I chose to know nothing think of it
8:01	this way without the gospel the law just
8:04	becomes a tedium and at the end of the
8:07	day you become exhausted all right I
8:11	remember back in the day trying so hard
8:15	to get my sinful desires under control
8:19	and felt like I was making some kind of
8:22	progress but over and again I would look
8:24	in the Bible and I would hear the voice
8:25	of the law do nothing but condemn me and
8:29	I got angry at God what is it going to
8:31	take for you to love me how what do I
8:34	have to do
8:36	and you’ll note by thinking this way
8:38	I was missing
8:40	the key
8:42	and the key is Christ and him crucified
8:45	for our sins now it’s absolutely true
8:48	that the law tells us that we are to not
8:51	do certain things and we are to do
8:53	certain things we are to love the Lord
8:55	Our God with all of our hearts soul mind
8:58	strength how’s that working out for you
9:00	by the way all all means all by the way
9:02	I looked it up in the Hebrew all means
9:04	all right the whole thing the whole
9:06	kitten caboodle every
9:07	ounce of your fiber and being and you’ll
9:10	note the Bible also commands us to honor
9:12	our parents and honor those in authority
9:15	over us forbids us from murdering and
9:18	you sit there and go well thank god I’ve
9:20	never done that oh yes you have yes you
9:23	have uh next week’s gospel text will put
9:26	that to rest definitively you’re going
9:28	to hear Jesus talk about even having
9:30	hatred inside of your heart you’ve
9:32	already murdered a person even if you
9:35	haven’t plunged a knife into their chest
9:38	and what about that adultery bet oh well
9:40	yeah I’ve never physically committed
9:42	adultery on my spouse well good on you
9:45	but does that mean you’re not an adult
9:46	or not even close because Jesus says if
9:49	you look at somebody lustfully you know
9:52	look at her huh you know or you know are
9:55	the women talking about Brad Pitt’s you
9:57	know six you know six pack in his
9:59	washboard abs honey right oh you’ve
10:02	already committed adultery with that
10:04	person right
10:05	and you’ll note that the law condemns us
10:08	all but does the law give us even an
10:12	ounce of power to obey its commands in
10:16	its precepts no not at all
10:19	so what are we to make of this well
10:21	without the cross without Christ and him
10:23	crucified for our sins the law is a
10:25	drudgery because we are under the
10:27	mistaken belief that we are saved by our
10:30	good works when in fact we are not
10:32	you’ll know when the Apostle Paul
10:34	opposing the judaizers refused to
10:37	compromise what the gospel
10:41	he refused to compromise and give in
10:43	even an inch to the legalists so Christ
10:46	and him crucified for our sins
10:49	is the only way of understanding
10:51	scripture and every single Doctrine
10:54	within the biblical texts a good way to
10:58	think about it is is that Christ and him
11:00	crucified for our sins is like the son
11:03	and all of the other doctrines revealed
11:06	in scripture they orbit it if you were
11:09	to study them apart from their orbit
11:11	around the sun you will not understand
11:13	those doctrines at all let me give you
11:15	some examples from our gospel text by
11:18	the way did you notice it was a supreme
11:20	lack of gospel in Our Gospel text today
11:22	that happens from time to time but
11:24	here’s what Jesus says to those who are
11:27	his disciples you are the salt of the
11:30	earth but if the salt has lost its taste
11:33	how shall its saltiness be restored is
11:37	no longer good for anything except to be
11:39	thrown out and Trampled Under people’s
11:42	feet I remember as a Nazarene hearing
11:45	tax sermons about this particular text
11:47	and saying that the salt means that our
11:51	good works have to be the thing that the
11:53	world sees that’s not really what’s
11:55	going on here because if you think about
11:57	it it doesn’t make any sense and I
11:59	remember one of my Nazarene pastors
12:01	telling the story telling the story of a
12:04	man who lived just a few doors down and
12:08	his house caught fire and when his house
12:11	caught fire this is the days before they
12:13	had cell phones and things like this
12:15	okay he needed help and he knew that the
12:18	only person he can come to for help was
12:20	the pastor who lived a few doors down
12:22	and the reason why is because he knew
12:25	that he hadn’t been drinking that night
12:26	and that he’d be sober enough to help
12:28	out
12:29	and so that was an example of being the
12:32	salt of the earth
12:33	no it’s not it’s not so this idea then
12:38	you don’t drink lest you well in a pinch
12:41	when you’re called upon to help your
12:42	neighbor you are unable to do so because
12:44	you are not of a sound mind to be able
12:46	to help them that’s not what this text
12:48	means
12:49	let me explain
12:52	salt is a interesting thing when you
12:55	study it out in scripture in the Book of
12:57	Leviticus and if you’ve ever read
12:59	Leviticus we did Leviticus for for years
13:02	didn’t we it’s it took a long time to
13:05	work through Leviticus when we worked
13:06	through Leviticus we noted that there
13:08	were all kinds of sacrifices that were
13:11	required different you know sheep and
13:13	goat and and Bulls and Rams and
13:15	different animal sacrifices and food
13:18	sacrifices in every sacrifice right it
13:21	was well interesting in detail but
13:25	there’s one passage in The Book of
13:27	Leviticus and I’ll have you Google it
13:29	look it up one little text that if you
13:32	miss it you’re gonna miss the whole
13:34	thing and this little sentence in the
13:37	Old Testament in The Book of Leviticus
13:39	says that every sacrifice must be
13:42	offered with
13:45	salt
13:48	oh
13:49	maybe saltiness has something to do with
13:51	you know Christ and him crucified for
13:54	our sins I Paul meant what he said I
13:57	chose to know nothing among you except
13:59	for Christ and him crucified for our
14:01	sins have you ever been punched in the
14:03	mouth or maybe accidentally bit your
14:06	cheek oh man is that hateful okay there
14:10	you are minding your own business
14:11	enjoying a nice meal and all of a sudden
14:14	your mouth doesn’t work and you Chomp
14:17	down on your cheek and
14:20	right and you can feel the blood flowing
14:23	what’s it taste like
14:25	salt
14:27	have you ever noticed how salty blood
14:29	tastes you see to be the salt of the
14:32	earth
14:33	really legitimately means those who
14:36	understand the mercy and the grace of
14:38	Christ the Forgiveness of our sins you
14:42	see if you’re going to do the law and do
14:44	the law and do the law there is no mercy
14:46	or Grace for you in fact there’s no hope
14:49	for you at all but with Christ and him
14:51	crucified for our sins we recognize that
14:55	Jesus has taken upon himself our
14:58	transgressions has taken upon himself
15:00	our guilt and he is the one who although
15:04	he kept the law perfectly all of my lack
15:07	of perfect law keeping is placed upon
15:09	him
15:10	and
15:12	your imperfect law keeping is placed
15:15	upon him and he bleeds and dies in your
15:17	place and he gives you salvation fully
15:21	as a gift have you ever heard the
15:23	scriptures talk about how it’s God’s
15:25	Wrath and his
15:27	malice and hatred that’s going to lead
15:29	us to repentance no
15:32	what is it that leads us to repentance
15:33	God’s kindness
15:36	his Mercy
15:38	his forgiveness and his love
15:41	and so to be salty Christians is not to
15:44	put out spicy memes on the internet to
15:46	be salty Christians means to be those
15:49	who well continue to preach and know
15:53	nothing except for Christ and him
15:56	crucified for our sins what about the
15:59	next portion of the Gospel Pastor
16:01	Rosewood says it talks about being the
16:02	light of the world and that we’re
16:04	supposed to let our lights shine right
16:06	do you guys know how passive verbs work
16:09	you know how passive things isn’t Jesus
16:12	the light of the world I seem to
16:14	remember during the time of Christmas
16:16	right that we read in the beginning of
16:18	the of the Gospel of John that the true
16:21	light of the world was coming into the
16:23	world and though the world was made
16:24	through him the well the world didn’t
16:26	recognize him because men loved the
16:29	darkness instead this is absolutely true
16:31	right so the Light of Christ has come
16:34	into the world and Christ says you are
16:36	the light of the world is that because
16:38	that by some sub substantive process I
16:42	have now shine and begin shining before
16:45	people
16:46	this only works because of the Gospel
16:48	again
16:49	Paul chose to know nothing
16:51	except for Christ and him crucified for
16:54	our sins we would be wise to adopt what
16:56	the scriptures say here and then Jesus
16:58	says a city that said on a hill can’t be
17:00	hidden that’s true nor do people light a
17:03	lamp and put it under a basket but on a
17:05	stand and it gives light to all that are
17:07	in the house in the same way listen to
17:09	the words let your light shine
17:15	it doesn’t say Shine Your Light
17:19	active
17:20	passive let your light
17:25	that assumes the gospel it assumes that
17:28	you are forgiven assumes that Jesus is
17:30	your light and that he is the one
17:32	shining through you and he is the one
17:34	who has taken you out of Darkness into
17:37	the Dominion of his kingdom which is
17:39	described as the kingdom of white right
17:41	so in other words being a Christian is
17:44	all about being what Christ has made you
17:47	to be and that is a reality given to you
17:50	when the Waters of baptism
17:52	when you are buried with Christ and
17:54	raised with Christ and seated with
17:56	Christ in Heavenly places Christ is our
17:59	light and when we let our light shine
18:03	Even in our good works it is Christ who
18:06	is doing The Shining again the passive
18:08	nature of the verbs proved this out if
18:11	you think this is all about you actively
18:13	actively shining your light you’ve
18:15	missed the whole point and you don’t
18:17	know how passive verbs work
18:20	so Paul says I chose to know nothing
18:24	except for Christ and him crucified for
18:27	our sins and then came a passage of
18:30	scripture in Our Gospel text that when I
18:32	was in Nazarene I could not understand
18:34	it couldn’t crack it at all in fact it
18:37	sent me on basically kind of a New
18:39	Year’s Eve Bender that lasted for a long
18:42	long period of time and what I mean by
18:43	that is but by making well these
18:46	resolutions that I’ve got to fulfill and
18:48	here’s the here’s what Jesus said I tell
18:50	you unless your righteousness exceeds
18:53	that of the scribes and Pharisees you
18:55	will never enter the kingdom of heaven
18:58	doesn’t that preach Works righteousness
19:00	Pastor Rose bro not at all quite the
19:03	opposite but when I read this as a
19:05	Nazarene remember my mindset as a
19:08	Nazarene was I heard the gospel long
19:11	time ago when I made the decision to go
19:13	down to the Altar and ask Jesus into my
19:16	heart I don’t need to hear the gospel
19:18	over and over and over and over and over
19:20	again I need to be busy obeying Christ I
19:23	need to mature move on to more important
19:26	things but note that Paul was talking to
19:29	Christians in First Corinthians 2. he
19:32	wrote that to us who are Christians I
19:35	chose to know nothing except for Christ
19:36	and him crucified for our sins so how
19:39	are we to understand this well we can
19:42	only understand it through the cross
19:45	because you see God made Jesus to be sin
19:48	who knew no sin so that you might be the
19:51	righteousness of God
19:54	Paul in Philippians 3 talks about not
19:57	having a righteousness of his own that
19:59	comes through the law but the
20:00	righteousness of God that is given
20:02	through faith so here’s the thing back
20:05	in the day Jesus’s listeners would have
20:07	heard this and go whoa how is supposed
20:10	to how is somebody supposed to be more
20:12	righteous than the Pharisees you’ll note
20:15	back in the day if your daughter was
20:17	dating a Pharisee you you’d think that
20:19	that would be a good thing because those
20:21	righteous those Pharisees they were
20:23	righteous dudes man they tithe all the
20:25	way down to the herbs in their Garden
20:27	these were guys who were very attentive
20:30	to the law and Jesus says it’s not
20:33	enough
20:35	in fact they were so attentive to the
20:37	law that they took the law of God kind
20:38	of bundled up into a inner package and
20:41	then built a big fence of other laws
20:44	around it with the idea you keep our
20:46	laws and you’ll never break the laws in
20:47	the center that was their thinking right
20:49	and Jesus says unless your righteousness
20:51	succeeds out of the scribes and
20:53	Pharisees you will never enter the
20:55	kingdom of God
20:57	well then how are we to have
21:00	righteousness that exceeds that of the
21:02	scribes and Pharisees well I chose to
21:04	know nothing except Christ and him
21:06	crucified for our sins Paul says even
21:09	this statement of Christ you cannot pick
21:11	it you cannot unlock it without the key
21:15	of the cross the key of the Cross will
21:17	unlock this and you will recognize that
21:19	in the gospel of righteousness of God is
21:21	revealed from Faith to Faith for those
21:24	who believe and this is a righteousness
21:27	given by God and so each and every
21:29	single Christian is clothed with the
21:31	righteousness of Christ because he was
21:34	clothed in your sin and iniquity on the
21:37	cross
21:39	so I can say to each and every one of
21:41	you that your righteousness because
21:44	Christ is your righteousness exceeds
21:47	that of the scribes and Pharisees in
21:49	fact your righteousness is faultless and
21:52	perfect in the eyes of God because you
21:55	are clothed with the very righteousness
21:56	of God given by faith and that’s Jesus’s
21:59	righteousness
22:00	so is it true is it true that we should
22:04	know nothing except for Christ and him
22:06	crucified for our sins yes it’s
22:09	absolutely true and so we always
22:12	interpret every other doctrine of
22:15	scripture
22:16	through the light of the Cross so let us
22:20	repent of all the ways in which we’ve
22:23	thought that we can study out the
22:25	scriptures apart from the cross that we
22:27	think that we can pick it open without a
22:30	proper understanding of the Cross or say
22:32	that this Doctrine has nothing to do
22:34	with the cross you’re wrong
22:37	every passage of scripture has to do
22:39	with the cross and you cannot understand
22:42	the text otherwise so put your picks
22:45	away you’re never going to open this
22:47	this is the only thing on planet Earth
22:49	that is unpickable and not even the lock
22:52	picking attorney the lock picking lawyer
22:54	can open up the scriptures without the
22:56	proper key and the key is Christ and him
22:59	crucified for our sins in the name of
23:02	Jesus
23:03	amen

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