LutheranLectionary.org

Series B – Holy Trinity Sunday – Sunday, May 30, 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	the holy gospel according to saint john
0:30	the third chapter
0:32	[Music]
0:39	now there was a man of the pharisees
0:40	named nicodemus a ruler of the jews this
0:42	man came to Jesus by
0:44	night and he said to him rabbi we know
0:46	that you are a teacher come from god for
0:48	no one can do these signs that you do
0:50	unless god is with him
0:51	Jesus answered him truly truly i say to
0:54	you unless one is born again he cannot
0:55	see the kingdom of god
0:57	nicodemus said to him how can a man be
0:59	born when he’s old
1:00	can he enter a second time into his
1:02	mother’s womb and be born
1:04	and Jesus answered truly truly i say to
1:06	you unless one is born of water and the
1:07	spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of
1:09	god
1:10	that which is born of the flesh is flesh
1:11	that which is born of the spirit is
1:13	spirit
1:13	so do not marvel that i said to you you
1:15	must be born again
1:17	the wind blows where it wishes and you
1:18	hear it sound but you do not know where
1:20	it comes from or where it goes so it is
1:22	with everyone who was born of the spirit
1:24	nicodemus said to him how can these
1:27	things be
1:28	and Jesus answered him are you the
1:30	teacher of israel and yet you do not
1:32	understand these things
1:33	truly truly i say to you we speak of
1:35	what we know and bear witness to what we
1:36	have seen
1:37	but you do not receive our testimony if
1:40	i have told you earthly things and you
1:41	do not believe
1:42	how can you believe if i tell you
1:44	heavenly things
1:45	no one has ascended into heaven except
1:47	he who descended from the heaven the son
1:49	of man
1:50	and as moses lifted up the serpent in
1:51	the wilderness so must the son of man be
1:53	lifted
1:54	up that whoever believes in him may have
1:56	eternal life
1:57	for god so loved the world that he gave
1:59	his only son
2:00	that whoever believes in him should not
2:02	perish but have eternal life
2:05	for god did not send his son into the
2:06	world to condemn the world
2:08	but in order that the world might be
2:10	saved through him
2:11	this is the gospel of the lord in the
2:14	name of Jesus
2:16	amen last week was pentecost sunday and
2:19	we read the pericappies regarding Christ
2:21	and the father sending the holy spirit
2:24	and we were reminded again that the
2:26	spirit is the spirit of
2:27	truth not of air of weird things
2:31	he’s the spirit of truth and Christ
2:33	specifically says that the holy spirit
2:34	is going to convict the
2:36	sin the world regarding sin
2:38	righteousness
2:39	and unbelief that’s kind of the point in
2:42	fact let me
2:43	make this point right up front here the
2:46	situation that we have all been born
2:47	into
2:48	is dire it is not something that is a
2:51	light
2:51	wound over and again i like to think
2:53	about you know the fact that miracle max
2:56	made it so that wesley can come back
2:57	because he was only mostly dead
3:00	well the reality is this is that we were
3:02	born stone cold
3:03	dead dead in trespasses and sins and
3:05	objects of god’s wrath
3:07	we each and every one of us are unholy
3:11	and scripture makes it clear that
3:13	unholiness
3:14	is well it’s likened to well phrases
3:17	that are not exactly
3:19	ones that we would like to embrace un
3:22	unholiness is likened to uncleanness to
3:25	dirt and to filth and things of that
3:28	nature
3:29	things that are smelly putrid in
3:31	decaying
3:32	that’s the way unholiness is described
3:35	and over and again you’ll note in
3:37	scripture
3:38	when unholy human beings like you and
3:40	like me
3:41	come into the presence of the holy it
3:44	generally is an uncomfortable
3:46	situation it’s generally uncomfortable
3:49	and it should be
3:50	because being in the presence of the
3:52	holy
3:54	is the thing that points out just how
3:56	unholy and in need of
3:58	washing and bathing we are i sometimes
4:01	think about the fact that
4:02	when i do the occasional yard work
4:05	and i don’t don’t get don’t get me wrong
4:08	here i don’t do it all the time
4:09	but from time to time i’ll actually go
4:11	out in the yard and do some things right
4:13	that when i come
4:14	back into the house my wife goes
4:18	you go take a shower what is that smell
4:21	what is that odor i have this amazing
4:23	ability to make my own personal odor
4:26	well sin is a lot like that and we need
4:28	to be cleaned of
4:29	it so consider then we’ll weave together
4:31	all of our texts together in this
4:33	way that Jesus in his conversation with
4:37	nicodemus the nick at night passage
4:39	he makes it clear that man’s condition
4:41	is so bad
4:43	that we have to be born and i’ll use the
4:45	greek word here another
4:47	from above i really think that’s what
4:49	Jesus is getting at
4:50	that the situation is so dire that
4:53	there’s no way to repair what’s broken
4:56	in us
4:56	so we have to actually be born from
4:59	above born
5:00	again as peter says in his epistle in
5:02	first peter
5:04	and that means that what we have going
5:06	on
5:07	for us well all of that’s got to die
5:10	we’re going to be saved not by restoring
5:13	what is wrong within us right now
5:16	we’re going to be saved through death
5:19	and resurrection
5:20	there’s there’s nothing here that can be
5:22	redeemed it’s got to die
5:24	and Christ has to raise it from the dead
5:27	and so with that consider then
5:28	the account of isaiah’s commissioning
5:32	from this text we we surmise that isaiah
5:34	may have been a priest
5:36	he may have been a levite and this
5:38	vision that he
5:39	has of the lord high and lifted up
5:42	inside the temple
5:43	may have been well his eyes being opened
5:46	to a reality that we don’t normally
5:48	see and you’ll note that he came undone
5:51	as a result of that particular
5:53	experience
5:54	it says this in the year that king
5:55	uzziah died i saw the lord sitting upon
5:58	a throne high and lifted up
5:59	and the train of his robe it filled the
6:01	temple
6:03	and above him stood the seraphim now a
6:06	little bit of a note here that’s an
6:07	interesting word
6:08	if you guys remember the account from
6:10	numbers of the people of israel
6:12	grumbling
6:13	against god and so god sent fiery
6:16	serpents into the camp
6:17	those are called the neck shim sera
6:21	theme so seraphim are
6:24	serpentine angels if you were it’s a
6:27	weird way to think of them but they have
6:28	feet okay so what do you call a serpent
6:31	with feet
6:32	i don’t know maybe a dragon something
6:34	like that you know is it
6:35	so we see here something about ah this
6:38	might explain what’s going on in the
6:39	garden of eden
6:40	and also explains the imagery from the
6:42	book of revelation because the
6:44	satan himself is described as a
6:47	dragon all right so here are the
6:50	seraphim these awesome creatures in the
6:52	in the very presence of god they have
6:55	six
6:55	wings two they cover their face two they
6:59	cover their feet
7:00	and two they fly and they one and
7:03	called to another and they’re crying to
7:05	each other
7:10	holy holy
7:14	holy the triple holy
7:18	you’ll note that it kind of hints at the
7:20	doctrine of the trinity does it not
7:23	the whole earth is full of his glory and
7:25	with this pronouncement
7:27	then of god being holy and isaiah
7:30	in the presence of the holy we hear that
7:32	the foundations of the thresholds
7:34	shook at the voice of him who called and
7:36	the house was filled with smoke
7:39	and i said to myself woe is me i’m lost
7:42	i’m a man of unclean lips i dwell in the
7:44	midst of people of unclean lips
7:46	my eyes have seen the king the lord of
7:48	hosts
7:49	what does isaiah expect is going to
7:51	happen next
7:53	that his prophecy will end with these
7:55	words thus
7:56	perished isaiah
7:59	because isaiah here is woefully
8:03	made aware of just how sinful
8:06	and unclean he is and to be in the
8:08	presence of the holy
8:10	is one of those things that causes you
8:12	to recognize
8:14	just what the real problem is
8:18	fast forward then to the day of
8:20	pentecost
8:21	last week we noted we heard the first
8:23	part of peter’s sermon so we heard
8:25	peter’s sermon part
8:27	1 to be continued next week well this is
8:30	next week
8:30	and so we’re going to continue with
8:32	peter’s pentecost sermon
8:33	by way of reminder the holy spirit has
8:35	been sent
8:36	galileans who are not known for studying
8:38	other languages
8:40	proclaimed the wonders of god to all the
8:42	people in jerusalem for the feast of
8:43	pentecost
8:44	in their own languages and they were all
8:46	wondering what was going on and peter
8:48	has stood up
8:49	and he’s just quoted from the prophet
8:51	joel all who call
8:53	on the name of the lord who call on
8:55	Christ
8:56	will be saved and then he continues so
8:59	men of israel hear these words
9:01	Jesus of nazareth a man attested to you
9:04	by god with mighty works and wonders and
9:06	signs that god did through him in your
9:08	midst
9:08	as you yourselves know never in all the
9:12	history of humanity has there been
9:14	ever been a man like Jesus who can walk
9:17	on the water who can calm a storm with a
9:19	word
9:20	who can raise the dead by calling them
9:22	by name out of the grave
9:24	who cleansed the lepers gave sight to
9:26	the blind
9:27	hearing to the death and cast out demons
9:30	in all the annals of human history there
9:32	is
9:32	none like Christ and his works are held
9:35	up today
9:36	to us by his apostles in the written
9:40	living word of god so that god is
9:42	attesting that Jesus
9:43	is the one whom he promised that he
9:45	would send
9:46	so Jesus he was delivered up according
9:48	to the definite plan and the
9:50	foreknowledge of god
9:52	and you crucified and you
9:55	killed by the hands of lawless men
9:58	now i’ve gotten into a few conversations
10:01	shall we say debates spats on twitter
10:04	twitter is a cesspool by the way it’s
10:06	just a terrible place
10:07	all right but from time to time if i
10:09	ever say anything that is remotely
10:12	interpreted
10:12	as even being the slightest bit
10:15	inaccurate
10:16	somebody comes flying out of the twitter
10:18	verse to get up in my face and say
10:20	you’re being extreme rose bro that’s not
10:24	true you’re
10:25	you’re slandering and all this nonsense
10:27	right
10:28	and so i would i can i could just see
10:29	peter if he tweeted this out like
10:31	highlights
10:32	from his sermon today he tweets out you
10:35	crucified the lord of life you could
10:37	just see somebody
10:38	what do you mean i crucified the lord of
10:40	life i wasn’t even there it’s the 21st
10:42	century i live in north dakota come on
10:45	right because everybody knows how
10:47	innocent north dakotans are
10:50	i’m speaking in minnesota so we should
10:52	all say amen to that right
10:56	dwayne’s making a note this is the
10:57	official name of the sermon got it okay
11:03	evil north dakotans got it all right but
11:06	all of that being said
11:08	is peter engaging in hyperbole is he
11:10	being
11:11	inaccurate no he’s not
11:15	and it’s true that there were people who
11:16	were listening to peter’s sermon that
11:18	day
11:19	who were not there when pilate said whom
11:22	shall i release to you
11:24	Jesus or barabbas they weren’t in the
11:27	crowd saying
11:28	free barabbas what do i do with Jesus
11:30	crucify him
11:31	i mean some guy had just come in from
11:33	pentecost his boat arrived two days
11:35	earlier and he had just arrived in
11:37	jerusalem for the feast of pentecost he
11:39	wasn’t even there
11:43	and what does peter say you you
11:46	crucified him
11:50	and this is where we have to come to
11:52	grips with something
11:53	that is very important that we come to
11:56	grips with
11:57	just like i said we’re not mostly dead
12:00	we are totally dead
12:01	we are extremely unholy broken beyond
12:04	repair
12:05	we are sinful and guilty before god and
12:07	each and every one of us has deserved an
12:09	eternity in hell
12:10	and here’s the thing Christ because he
12:14	died for your sins
12:15	and mine you and i are guilty of
12:19	crucifying
12:20	Jesus so don’t sit there and say oh it
12:24	was those pesky jews
12:25	it was the pharisees oh it was the
12:28	romans and we
12:28	all know how evil those guys are no it
12:31	was you
12:32	you crucified Christ
12:36	and so did i if you cannot come to grips
12:40	with this and confess
12:41	this you do not yet know the magnitude
12:44	of your sin
12:45	and you do not yet understand the
12:47	absolute amazing good news
12:50	that Christ bore your sins in his body
12:53	on the cross
12:54	he bled suffered and died and
12:57	experienced the wrath of god
12:58	in your place so that you can be
13:01	forgiven
13:02	pardoned reconciled and ultimately live
13:06	so hear the words of peter they come
13:08	across the pages of time to us today
13:11	and they let us know that we are the
13:12	ones who handed Christ over to be
13:14	crucified by lawless men
13:16	but god raised him up on the third day
13:19	he was raised bodily from the grave
13:22	loosing the pangs of death because it
13:23	was not possible for him to be held by
13:26	death
13:27	david says concerning Jesus i saw the
13:29	lord always before me
13:30	that he’s at my right hand that i may
13:32	not be shaken
13:34	therefore my heart was glad my tongue
13:36	rejoiced
13:37	my flesh also will dwell in hope for you
13:40	will not abandon my soul to hades or let
13:42	your holy one see corruption
13:44	you have made known to me the paths of
13:46	life
13:47	and you will make me full of gladness
13:49	with your presence
13:50	so brothers i may say to you with
13:52	confidence about the patriarch david
13:54	that he both died and was buried and his
13:56	tomb is with us to this day
13:58	being therefore a prophet and that’s
14:00	what david was you’ll note he’s an
14:01	author of scripture too
14:03	in the psalms and knowing that god had
14:05	sworn with an oath to him that he would
14:07	set one of his descendants on his throne
14:10	david foresaw and spoke about the
14:12	resurrection of the Christ the messiah
14:15	that he was not to be abandoned to hades
14:17	nor did his flesh see corruption
14:19	and this Jesus god has raised up
14:23	and of that we are all witnesses
14:26	you see the resurrection is validation
14:29	for the fact that Christ’s
14:30	sacrifice for your sins and mind was
14:32	accepted by god the father
14:34	the fact that Jesus didn’t remain dead
14:36	because what is the wages of sin
14:38	death what sin did Jesus commit none
14:42	and so because of his own righteousness
14:45	he bore your sins
14:47	but death could not hold him it would be
14:49	unlawful for it to do so
14:51	so being therefore exalted at the right
14:53	hand of god and that’s where Christ is
14:55	right now today
14:57	pleading mediating praying for you and
15:00	for me
15:01	having received from the father the
15:02	promise of the holy spirit
15:04	Christ has poured out this that you
15:06	yourselves are seeing and hearing
15:08	for david did not ascend into the
15:10	heavens but he himself says
15:12	the lord said to my lord sit at my right
15:14	hand until i make your enemies a
15:15	footstool
15:16	so let all the house of israel therefore
15:19	know for certain
15:21	god has made Jesus both lord and Christ
15:24	this Jesus whom you crucified
15:29	now you’ll note the holy spirit is
15:30	active on this pentecost sunday that
15:33	peter is preaching and the holy spirit
15:34	is active
15:35	among us today and what did all those
15:38	unholy sinners experience when the holy
15:42	spirit proclaimed Christ
15:44	as crucified for their sins risen from
15:46	the dead
15:47	ascended to heaven oh and by the way did
15:49	you note the little
15:50	the little bits in there were in our
15:52	sermon portion from
15:54	today peter even talked about the holy
15:56	spirit
15:57	the father and the son little aside here
16:00	have you ever run into somebody who says
16:02	you know the doctrine of the trinity
16:04	isn’t really a biblical doctrine
16:06	and you know the guys in the bible
16:08	really didn’t believe it well they
16:09	didn’t believe it then why did peter
16:11	talk about father son and holy spirit
16:13	peter’s a trinitarian
16:14	there is no development in Christian
16:16	theology
16:18	there is only a careful study of what is
16:20	revealed
16:21	there for us and so that being the case
16:24	you’ll know peter was a firm trinitarian
16:27	aside finished i just had to put that in
16:30	here
16:31	so what then is the response what is the
16:34	response
16:35	what is the experience that unholy
16:37	sinners have being in the presence of
16:38	the holy spirit
16:40	Christ said the holy spirit convicts the
16:41	world of sin righteousness and judgment
16:44	well upon hearing these words it says in
16:47	verse 37 of acts 2
16:49	that the crowd when they heard these
16:50	things they were cut to their heart
16:53	and they said to peter and the rest of
16:54	the apostles brothers
16:56	what shall we do
17:00	ah that’s a similar experience to what
17:03	isaiah had isn’t
17:04	it being in the presence of the holy
17:06	spirit they’re convicted of their sin
17:07	and they recognize their guilt their
17:09	culpability and crucifying
17:12	Christ their great god and savior
17:15	and peter doesn’t say to them well
17:17	that’s on you your blood beyond your own
17:19	head
17:20	how dare you crucify the lord of life
17:22	don’t worry when Jesus comes back
17:24	he’s going to be thrilled to see you you
17:26	won’t be excited about it but he sure
17:28	will because he’s going to finally get
17:30	his vengeance on you not at all
17:34	you see Christ didn’t die in order
17:38	that we would be found more guilty and
17:40	for vengeance to be exacted upon us by
17:42	god
17:43	consider the words of Christ in our
17:46	gospel text today
17:48	Jesus himself says to nicodemus that
17:50	just as moses lifted up the serpent in
17:52	the wilderness
17:53	so must the son of man be lifted up so
17:56	that whoever believes in him
17:58	may have eternal life for god so loved
18:01	the world
18:02	that he gave his only son that whoever
18:05	believes in him should not perish but
18:07	have eternal life
18:09	god does not will for you to go
18:12	to hell god does not will for you
18:16	to perish he does not will for you to
18:19	suffer the eternal consequences of your
18:21	sin
18:22	your rebellion your guilt god loves you
18:25	and he wills for you to be saved and
18:28	pardoned and if you don’t believe it
18:30	then consider the greatness
18:32	of what he went through in order to save
18:34	us
18:35	by sending his only begotten son who
18:38	became sin
18:39	so that we might become the
18:41	righteousness of god and anyone
18:43	you me wherever they are in the world
18:45	today whoever believes in him
18:47	though your sins be as scarlet
18:52	Christ could even save hitler
18:55	had been brought to repentance that’s
18:58	how deep
18:59	the forgiveness of Christ is i’m sure he
19:01	can forgive you
19:03	whoever believes in him will not perish
19:06	but will have
19:07	eternal life for god did not send his
19:09	son into the world to condemn the world
19:12	but in order that the world might be
19:13	saved through him
19:15	you and me every one of us
19:18	so peter then knowing that Christ so
19:20	loved the world that he gave his only
19:21	begotten son
19:22	ends his sermon beautifully when they’re
19:25	cut to the heart
19:26	when they are undone because they are in
19:28	the presence of the holy
19:29	when they see their guilt and their
19:31	filth and recognize their need to be
19:33	forgiven and pardoned
19:34	peter says repent and be baptized every
19:37	one of you in the name of Jesus for the
19:39	forgiveness of your sins
19:41	there is forgiveness mercy
19:44	and grace for all of you and you
19:47	yourselves will receive the gift of the
19:49	holy
19:49	spirit and the promise of the
19:51	forgiveness of the sins
19:53	of forgiveness of sins and the promise
19:55	of the gift of the holy spirit it’s for
19:56	you
19:57	and for your children and all who are
19:58	far off everyone whom the lord god
20:01	calls to himself
20:05	there’s forgiveness and so you’ll note
20:07	that day
20:08	those who receive peter’s words they
20:10	were baptized they were baptized in the
20:13	name of the father and the son
20:15	and the holy spirit and rather than
20:17	being
20:18	well burned up and experiencing
20:21	fire the fire of god’s judgment
20:24	they instead experienced the cool waters
20:29	of baptism and had their sins
20:33	washed away and they received the holy
20:36	spirit
20:37	and they were made clean and they were
20:40	made holy
20:42	you see when that happens when god takes
20:44	a sinner
20:45	and washes away their sins and fills
20:47	them with the holy spirit
20:49	they go from being sinners to now being
20:52	called what
20:53	saints the greek word is hagias
20:57	holy ones the unholy
21:01	become holy made holy
21:05	by the powerful working of the holy
21:07	spirit
21:08	because of the great love and mercy of
21:10	our god
21:12	so brothers and sisters we have much to
21:13	rejoice in here
21:15	coming back to isaiah it’d be fun to
21:17	kind of bookend it here there’s
21:19	poor isaiah in the temple seeing this
21:21	beatific vision of the lord of hosts
21:23	high and lifted up and seeing the
21:25	seraphim proclaiming holy holy holy is
21:28	the lord of hosts
21:30	and he’s thinking he’s going to perish
21:32	because he’s seen the king the lord of
21:34	god
21:36	but one of the seraphim flew to him
21:39	and having in his hand a burning coal
21:41	that he had taken with the tongues from
21:43	the altar
21:44	he touched my mouth and he said behold
21:46	this has touched your lips
21:48	your guilt is taken away your sin
21:52	is atoned for don’t ever tell me that
21:55	god isn’t in the business of forgiving
21:57	sinners
21:58	he absolutely is all about that
22:01	and even here we have this picture of
22:03	something that was on the altar a cold
22:05	taken from the altar
22:06	that touches his lips and takes his
22:08	guilt away i like to always kind of
22:10	picture that
22:11	as a little type and foreshadowing of
22:13	the lord’s supper
22:14	on those days when we have the lord’s
22:16	supper you hear these words take
22:18	eat this is the true body of Christ
22:20	given into death
22:21	for the forgiveness of your sins
22:24	take drink this is the true blood of
22:26	Christ shed for you
22:28	for the forgiveness of your sins so note
22:31	this
22:32	Christ’s body and blood well those were
22:34	the things that were sacrificed on the
22:35	altar of the cross
22:37	and every time we have the lord’s supper
22:39	your mouth touches
22:40	what was on the real altar and touches
22:44	your lips
22:45	and you can be assured that just like
22:47	isaiah your guilt is taken away
22:50	and your sin is atoned for because truly
22:52	it is
22:55	and because of what god has done for us
22:58	we who are sinners and saints at the
23:00	same time because that’s what we
23:02	Christians all
23:02	are because we are forgiven to have
23:05	confidence in god’s love and mercy
23:07	knowing that it’s not his will that we
23:09	would perish he’s given us
23:11	the holy spirit he’s washed away our
23:13	sins he’s assured us
23:15	with his body and blood that we are
23:16	forgiven and atoned for
23:19	now rather than in terror shrieking back
23:22	and wanting to hide
23:23	feeling like we’ve come undone when we
23:26	hear about the holy god
23:28	we can join our voices with the seraphim
23:31	and we can say holy holy holy is yahweh
23:35	sava oath
23:36	and the whole earth is full of his glory
23:38	come
23:39	lord Jesus fill the earth with your
23:41	glory for it is the glory of you
23:42	to forgive and pardon sinners pardon us
23:46	again today
23:47	assure us of your great love and mercy
23:49	and let us take comfort in the words
23:51	that you did not send your son into the
23:53	world to condemn the world or to condemn
23:55	us but that we might be saved through
23:58	him
23:59	oh blessed be the holy trinity who
24:01	concocted such a great
24:03	plan to save
24:06	all of us our lot his lost
24:09	and sinful creatures in the name of
24:11	Jesus
24:13	[Music]
24:16	amen

If you would like to support the teaching ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church, you can do so by sending a tax-free donation to: Kongsvinger Lutheran Church 15950 470th Ave NW, Oslo, MN 56744 We thank you for your support. All of our teaching messages may be freely distributed as long as you do not edit or change the content of the message, and, again, thank you for listening.