LutheranLectionary.org

Series A – Reformation Day (observed) – Sunday, October 29, 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 St John the 8th chapter
0:38	GL so Jesus said to the Jews who had
0:41	believed in him if you abide in my word
0:43	you are truly my disciples and you’ll
0:46	know the truth and the truth will set
0:48	you free well they answered him we’re
0:49	offspring of Abraham and have never been
0:51	enslaved to anyone how is it that you
0:54	say you will become free Jesus answered
0:56	them truly truly I say to you everyone
0:58	who commits sin is is a slave to sin the
1:01	slave does not remain in the house
1:02	forever the son remains forever so if
1:05	the sun sets you free you will be free
1:08	indeed this is the gospel of the Lord in
1:11	the name of Jesus Amen Reformation
1:14	Sunday by the way I don’t think it’s a
1:17	good idea to celebrate Reformation
1:19	Sunday by talking about all the great
1:22	things that Martin Luther did that’s not
1:24	the point isn’t the point of Reformation
1:26	Sunday the recovery of the gospel and
1:29	the great things that Christ has done
1:31	for us you’ll note that we human beings
1:34	we we have a problem and that is is that
1:37	we are one messed up Bunch holy Waka
1:42	moly look at the world around us it is a
1:45	complete mess look at your own lives you
1:48	said they go I’ve got my act together
1:50	now do you really right by what standard
1:53	do you make such a claim because if you
1:56	consider your life in light of God’s law
1:58	and it has a purpose and that purpose
1:59	purpose is stated very clearly in our
2:02	epistle text today um when you compare
2:05	your life to God’s law can you really
2:08	legitimately say you’ve got your act
2:11	together I can’t and I’m a
2:15	pastor you can’t talk that way Pastor
2:17	you’re supposed to be inspirational
2:18	you’re supposed to give us three easy
2:20	steps on how we can conquer our sinful
2:22	nature and how by this time next week
2:24	we’ll be even holier than we are this
2:27	week really
2:31	by the way I I say that because I’ve
2:33	been to churches like that I’ve had
2:36	those
2:37	expectations I’ve lived with the
2:39	delusion that I was getting better right
2:44	every way and every day I’m getting
2:45	better and better said the crazy man
2:49	right you know I think about steuart SMY
2:52	you know you think about it was a
2:55	complete panning of pop psychology and
2:59	self-help culture right so there’s
3:01	steuart SMY obviously a guy with issues
3:04	he’s looking in the mirror and he’s
3:06	saying I’m good enough I’m smart enough
3:10	and gosh darn people like me and here’s
3:14	the thing I look in the mirror and when
3:16	I’m
3:17	honest I’m am not good enough neither
3:20	are you in fact I’m I’m not smart enough
3:24	either not by any stretch of the
3:26	imagination and you know what gosh darn
3:28	there’s a lot of people who don’t like
3:29	like
3:30	me and here’s the thing some of them
3:34	don’t like me because it’s my fault
3:38	you’ll note that when we confessed our
3:40	sins together we sin against God in
3:42	thought word and deed by the things
3:44	we’ve done by the things we’ve left
3:45	undone when when we come into this world
3:48	oh everyone thinks oh how cute a new
3:50	baby they’re so innocent no they’re not
3:53	they’re not they’re just not able to act
3:57	out on their sinful passions the way we
3:59	are as adults but they still have them
4:01	nonetheless and as they grow up I think
4:04	about you know my being raised man
4:07	childhood was magical at least it was
4:09	for me and that that’s not Universal
4:12	over and over again I have the the
4:15	privilege of talking to people getting
4:18	to know their lives and in getting to
4:20	know people’s lives some of the stories
4:22	I’ve heard about how people were raised
4:24	it’s awful it’s absolutely terrifying
4:29	but one of the things I’ve learned is
4:32	that for every person who grows up in an
4:34	abusive circumstance they end up you
4:38	know what paying it forward themselves
4:40	abusers abuse Sinners sin and what was
4:44	done to us as children oftentimes
4:46	becomes the things that we do to our own
4:48	children and and it’s terrifying to me
4:51	when I was raising my kids and sometimes
4:53	hearing the way I would blurt out like
4:55	stupid commands not because I was
4:58	interested in actually sitting sitting
4:59	down with my kids and disciplining them
5:01	you know cuz discipline is supposed to
5:03	lead to self-discipline kind of thing
5:04	but I was disciplining them because they
5:06	were they were annoying me that’s not
5:09	disciplined when you do that by the way
5:10	and I I sometimes would hear the words
5:13	coming out of my mouth and I
5:15	go I’ve become my
5:17	mother right forget the gender issues
5:20	here but you you get the idea right and
5:24	I recognize and you all need to
5:27	recognize that the law when it does its
5:30	job on us it’s not to show us that we
5:33	are winners nor is the law given to us
5:37	to be a program by which if we just
5:39	apply ourselves to these things we can
5:42	say like Charlie Sheen that we’re
5:46	winning sounds awkward now that that
5:48	didn’t age well did it no it really
5:51	didn’t and that’s the thing um when I
5:54	was at the 1517 conference I had the
5:57	ability to sit in and and listen to Dr
6:00	rosenblat record a podcast with his son
6:03	and um and one of the things that’s kind
6:05	of struck me is that decades later rod
6:08	rosenblat says the same things he did in
6:10	class he just says them on podcast now
6:12	with his son but Ted Ted really said
6:16	something that I thought was very
6:18	emphatically awesome he says listen so
6:20	many churches they tried to convince you
6:24	that they are the winners that they’re
6:26	on top that they’re pulling it off you
6:29	you think of churches like Joel osteins
6:31	Lakewood it’s a it’s an attraction to
6:33	people because it has that same pop
6:35	psychology feel good pull myself up by
6:39	my bootstraps and I can become
6:41	successful and influential and Rich and
6:44	and Healthy and Wealthy and wise and all
6:46	this kind of stuff and how do I do it by
6:48	looking in a mirror and saying I am
6:49	wealthy and all this kind of stuff and
6:51	Ted says listen if you if you’ve are
6:53	attending a church full of winners
6:55	you’re in the wrong Church come hang out
6:58	with us Lutheran were the
7:02	losers kind of a Zinger if you think
7:04	about it but that’s the point when the
7:07	law has its way on us we recognize that
7:12	we are not winners that we are losers
7:15	losers that are in danger of the fires
7:18	of hell that’s the purpose of the law
7:20	and Luther you know the history of
7:23	Luther is it’s set in stone now it’s
7:25	happened it’s it’s passed but it’s very
7:28	well known that the Terrors that he had
7:31	while trying to save himself using the
7:33	most rigorous forms of Roman Catholicism
7:36	of the medieval period and that didn’t
7:39	give him any Assurance it only terrified
7:41	him further and where he has that big
7:43	aha moment working through this very
7:45	passage which is our epistle text and
7:48	recognizing that the righteousness of
7:49	God was not a
7:51	demand that we had to fulfill for the
7:54	righteousness of God is instead a gift
7:57	given to us by by grace through faith
8:01	consider our text Romans 3 we know that
8:04	whatever the law says it speaks to those
8:07	that are under the law so that every
8:09	mouth may be stopped and the whole world
8:13	held accountable to
8:17	God if you are squawking if you are
8:21	saying but it’s it’s really not that bad
8:24	I I’m I’m not as horrible as that other
8:26	person I I I pay my taxes I never been
8:29	to prison I’ve never been arrested what
8:32	a what a horrible standard but that is
8:34	by the way completely false and
8:36	misleading you know I remember growing
8:39	up all right Nazarene church and we got
8:42	it over and over and over again how we
8:45	needed to sanctify ourselves and
8:48	dedicate Our Lives to the Lord and
8:50	really be intentional and you know what
8:52	it ended up doing was driving people to
8:55	despair because you know what happens to
8:58	kids they grow up and they give into
9:01	Temptations and when they give into
9:03	Temptations often times they feel like
9:05	the thing that I said I would never do
9:07	I’ve now
9:09	done and as a result of it what happens
9:12	to their faith it’s incomplete tatters
9:16	the thing I said I’d never do I’ve done
9:18	it you you may have said I’ll never
9:20	touch alcohol and then you end up as an
9:23	alcoholic well I I I will always be
9:25	honest in how I handle all of my
9:27	finances and then you cheat on your tax
9:29	taxes or worse you steal something from
9:32	the store you know maybe you get
9:34	arrested for you know for nicking things
9:37	when you’re at Walmart and they catch
9:39	you in California I guess you could do
9:41	that without any problems but not here
9:43	right alas I was just in San Diego um
9:47	you know you and then maybe you think
9:50	I’ll never go that far with with my
9:52	boyfriend or girlfriend and then you go
9:54	that far oh I’ll I’ll never be one of
9:57	those kids who had has a teen pregnancy
10:00	and then you
10:03	do what happens to people when they’re
10:05	fed law law more law and some law on top
10:10	of that law
10:11	salad and then when they don’t come up
10:15	to the standard of God’s law cuz none of
10:17	us does and then they sin what do they
10:22	feel well now I’ve done it I’m not
10:25	worthy enough to be a Christian uh God’s
10:29	not going to want to have anything to do
10:32	with me I’ve gone too
10:35	far I might as well just walk away from
10:38	it
10:43	all and the terrifying thing is is that
10:46	too many
10:48	pulpits they reinforce that
10:50	message and the reality is this none of
10:53	us measures
10:55	up none of us not me not you not nobody
10:59	and sinning by the way I’m not endorsing
11:02	it I need to say that otherwise
11:04	somebody’s sit roseboro’s become an
11:06	antinomian no that’s not how this works
11:10	sin is awful sin is slavery I cannot
11:14	begin to tell you how awful it is and
11:17	yet as as a 55-year-old man looking at
11:20	my life going don’t you think by this
11:23	time I’d be done with sin but I’m not I
11:28	don’t rest with the same sins I wrestled
11:30	with when I was a teenager they’re worse
11:33	you say how how do they get worse oh
11:35	they’re more subtle they are just more
11:37	subtle and deeper and awful okay some of
11:41	the sins I pursued as a teenager I just
11:43	don’t have the energy for it’s not that
11:46	I’m Sanctified I’m
11:48	tired right I’m just tired who wants to
11:52	do this who wants to stay out till 4:00
11:54	in the morning partying all night oh
11:56	forget it 7:30 I’m in bed and I’m
11:58	comfortable and I like it
12:03	right whatever the law says it speaks to
12:05	those who are under the law so that
12:07	every mouth may be stopped and the whole
12:10	world be held accountable God for by
12:12	works of the law no human being will be
12:14	justified in God’s sight since through
12:16	the law comes the knowledge of sin if we
12:18	only had this one verse we could still
12:20	rejoice and know that we are saved by
12:22	grace through faith I do not measure up
12:26	and my salvation is not based on me
12:29	measuring up it’s not based on you
12:31	measuring up you’ll never measure up and
12:34	I’m not trying to scold you like your
12:35	mom what what’s wrong with you you’re
12:37	you’re going to end up you’re not going
12:38	to become a doctor or an attorney like I
12:40	want you to be you’re just going to end
12:42	up becoming a trash worker that’s not
12:44	what I’m saying okay I’ve heard those
12:46	kind of scoldings before by parents and
12:48	I always cringe at them by saying that
12:50	you’re not going to measure up this is
12:52	just the truth there will never be a day
12:55	in your life when you do not need to
12:57	pray forgive us our trespasses as we
13:00	forgive those who trespass against us
13:03	and the reason being is because you
13:04	aren’t even aware of just how deep your
13:08	sin runs neither do
13:12	I therefore there is no hope for anybody
13:15	who runs off into the darkness with fig
13:18	leaves covering their sin thinking that
13:21	somehow they can figure out how to sort
13:24	it out to work it out and to measure up
13:26	and to stop sinning this is the reason
13:28	why by work of the law no human being
13:30	will be declared righteous or not guilty
13:33	in God’s sight since through the law
13:35	comes the knowledge of sin
13:37	but now the righteousness of God has
13:42	been manifested apart from the law and
13:45	this is the righteousness that is not a
13:47	standard that you have to attain to and
13:49	this was big Luther’s big aha moment
13:51	wait a second righteousness is not
13:53	something I have to do this
13:55	righteousness of God has been manifested
13:58	and it’s for for you it’s for me it’s to
14:01	give us hope the righteousness of God
14:03	has been manifested apart from the law
14:06	although the law and the prophets they
14:07	bear witness to it this is the
14:09	righteousness of God through faith in
14:13	Jesus Christ and it is for all who
14:18	believe you’re not righteous I’m not
14:21	righteous I’m not righteous enough
14:23	you’re not righteous enough but Christ
14:26	is righteous for us
14:29	God laid on him the iniquity of us all
14:32	by grace through faith Christ clothes us
14:36	with his righteousness this is the
14:38	righteousness of God it is not for the
14:43	winners it is for the
14:45	losers losers like me losers like you
14:50	the righteousness of God through faith
14:51	in Jesus Christ is for all who believe
14:54	there is no distinction all all have
14:58	sinned and fall short of the glory of
15:01	God and I can hear some some people just
15:03	screaming but but but but but
15:05	but no
15:08	butts there’s no way out of it all here
15:11	means all every single one of us you me
15:17	everybody we’ve all sinned and fallen
15:20	short of the glory of God but it goes on
15:23	to say this we’re
15:26	Justified that means to be declared not
15:29	guilty we are declared Not Guilty by his
15:34	grace as a gift through the Redemption
15:37	that is in Christ
15:38	Jesus and here’s the thing our sinful
15:42	nature doesn’t want to believe
15:44	this our sinful nature is delusional my
15:48	sinful nature that guy is a nut an
15:51	absolute Wacker dooodle okay closet
15:54	charismatic I mean just weird stuff
15:57	right and and here’s the thing we hear
16:01	these words and say yeah I know it says
16:04	it’s a gift but it’s really not I know
16:07	it it says here that he gives it but you
16:09	have to earn it we take these words and
16:12	we just flip them around and it’s it’s
16:15	it’s the craziest thing and we human
16:17	beings we even do this to each other
16:20	right my wife will say something to me
16:23	and I think I know what she’s saying and
16:25	then I’ll say it back to her and she’ll
16:27	go
16:29	I didn’t say
16:31	that what do you mean you didn’t say
16:33	that that’s what I heard I didn’t say
16:35	those words nor did I mean them you just
16:37	completely flipped everything around I
16:40	did yeah what I meant to say again is
16:44	you need to do this thing because the
16:46	house is falling apart I I thought you
16:48	said I can wait until next
16:54	year that’s what I
16:57	heard right
17:00	right but here’s the thing we human
17:02	beings we hear that this righteousness
17:05	is from God it is through faith it is
17:08	for all who believe and we sit there and
17:11	go I got to earn
17:14	it it’s the same thing that’s the
17:17	craziness the depth and magnitude of sin
17:20	and this is the reason why at the end of
17:22	the day there’s only two religions in
17:23	the whole world there’s only two there’s
17:26	the religion that says you cannot earn
17:28	your salvation it is a gift given by God
17:31	because of his great love his compassion
17:34	his Mercy because Christ himself he was
17:38	put in
17:40	bondage he was whipped and scourged and
17:45	crucified so that you could be set
17:49	free so that you can be pardoned and he
17:52	did this out of great love and
17:54	compassion and the whole kabit kitten
17:56	Kaboodle of it the from the Salvation to
17:59	the faith to the eternal life to the
18:03	mansion that Christ is building you in
18:05	the new Earth to the eternal life in a
18:08	World Without End and all of the glories
18:11	that goes with seeing God face to face
18:14	and enjoying each other and our God
18:16	forever in a World Without End every
18:19	last bit of it
18:24	gift and here is what we do well let me
18:27	get busy I got to earn
18:29	that stop you can’t it’s
18:34	impossible in fact you insult God deeply
18:39	when you try to pay for the
18:42	gift with your poultry
18:46	anemic sin stained good
18:50	works they can never measure up Christ
18:54	measured them up for you in his sinless
18:57	righteous
18:59	n all fall short of the glory of God and
19:03	are justified by his grace as a gift
19:06	through the Redemption that is in Christ
19:07	Jesus and God is the one who put him
19:09	forth as a atoning sacrifice a
19:13	propitiation by his blood to be received
19:16	by faith and this was to show God’s
19:20	righteousness because in God’s Divine
19:22	forbearance he passed over former sins
19:26	this is one of the things I love about
19:28	God God is that God has
19:31	chosen when it comes to Salvation he’s
19:34	not going to tally up all of our sins
19:37	and try to measure everything out
19:39	Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is more
19:41	than enough to cancel every spreadsheet
19:44	out there documenting all of our sins
19:46	God is not a bean counter but if you
19:50	want to be saved by your works we can
19:53	pull the spreadsheet out if you
19:56	want right
19:59	so God passed over the former sins in
20:01	his Divine forbearance and this was to
20:04	show his righteousness at the present
20:06	time so that he might be just and the
20:08	justifier of the one who has faith in
20:10	him and you’ll note I said it before and
20:13	I’ll keep saying it this text is so
20:16	beautiful What Becomes of our boasting
20:19	why does Paul have to ask that question
20:21	What Becomes of our boasting you know
20:22	why Paul ask this question because he
20:24	knows perfectly well what it was like to
20:27	be a Pharisee somebody who believed that
20:29	he was sinless and righteous before God
20:32	and that he had merited God’s favor and
20:35	that he was on his way Paul could have
20:38	possibly have been just exactly like
20:42	that guy in the temple you remember the
20:44	parable of the of the of the uh Pharisee
20:47	and the tax collector in the temple oh
20:49	Lord I Thank you that I’m not like other
20:53	Sinners you know look at me I go to
20:56	synagogue every Shabbat
20:59	right I tie all the way down to the
21:02	herbs in my
21:03	garden right oh what a shiny penny I
21:09	am that’s the delusion of
21:12	self-righteousness it
21:15	boasts the Pharisees were the winners
21:19	right when I was a Nazarene the nazarin
21:22	were the
21:23	winners the reality is this as a
21:26	Nazarene the only thing I was busy doing
21:29	was putting a lot of paint on the facade
21:32	of my
21:33	self-righteousness knowing full well
21:35	that if you just push a little bit on
21:37	that facade the whole thing will come
21:39	crumbling
21:41	down and it needs to So What Becomes of
21:45	our boasting well boasting is
21:48	excluded
21:53	why we hold that one is Justified
21:56	declared righteous by faith apart from
21:59	works of the law well there you go
22:01	Roseboro you’re you’re an antinomian
22:03	you’re you’re running the law down you
22:05	you’re saying that you were Justified
22:07	totally as a through
22:10	faith right I didn’t say it the text
22:14	said
22:15	it we hold that one is justified by
22:19	faith apart from works of the
22:23	law well what about sanctification don’t
22:25	you think you ought to put something in
22:27	here about sanctification otherwise
22:29	people are just going to run
22:31	wild have you ever heard anyone say that
22:34	I have I’ve said it
22:38	right and I and here’s the thing every
22:41	time somebody says something like that
22:43	to me you know what I say to them that
22:45	says a lot more about you than it does
22:47	about the truth of what we just
22:51	read if you think that being justified
22:56	by grace through faith apart from works
22:59	is going to cause people to run
23:03	wild I think you’re
23:05	projecting you you you think the gospel
23:08	is a license to sin and that somehow the
23:11	the pressure relief valve when it comes
23:14	to sin is to just use the
23:18	law no the pressure relief valve for sin
23:22	is the gospel sin thrives in the dark
23:26	sin thrives under the pressure of God
23:28	God’s law in fact you keep preaching to
23:31	people law law law and more law you’re
23:33	going to give them a lot of examples of
23:34	ideas of sin that they hadn’t even
23:36	thought of you know I remember as a
23:39	teenager hearing over and over again you
23:41	don’t want to listen to this band you
23:42	don’t want to do that thing you
23:45	don’t and I thinking to myself that kind
23:47	of sounds
23:49	fun
23:51	right we hold that one is justified by
23:54	faith apart from works of the law and
23:57	this is what Christ is getting
23:59	at in Our Gospel text Jesus said to the
24:02	Jews who had believed him and listen to
24:04	the words if you abide in my word you
24:06	are truly my disciples and this is not
24:09	Christ saying you’re saved by your works
24:11	because you’ll note that the word of God
24:13	from beginning to end points us to
24:15	Christ these things are written so that
24:17	you may believe that Jesus is the Christ
24:19	the son of God and that by believing you
24:21	might have life in his name the one who
24:23	abides in his word guards his word reads
24:26	his word comes the church to hear his
24:29	word they will hear the comforting words
24:32	of the Forgiveness of their sins in
24:34	Christ and you know what we need to hear
24:37	it week after week after week after
24:41	week how many Sundays in a row are you
24:43	going to tell me I’m a sinner I’m going
24:45	to keep saying it until you stop right
24:49	good luck on that by the way good luck
24:51	but the other thing I’m not going to
24:53	stop
24:54	there week after week we losers
24:58	we Sinners
24:59	who know exactly what it means to be
25:02	bound up in our
25:05	sin we also hear these
25:08	words that we will know the truth and
25:12	the truth is that Christ is bled and
25:13	died for us the truth is that salvation
25:16	is by grace through faith apart from
25:19	works the truth is that God gives us his
25:23	righteousness it is for us as a gift
25:26	because of his Gra great love and mercy
25:29	you will know the truth of the gospel
25:32	and it is the truth of the Gospel that
25:33	sets us
25:35	free not the law the law is
25:39	bondage the law alerts us and makes it
25:42	very clear that we are in bondage but
25:43	only Christ by his shed Blood on the
25:46	cross only Christ by his free Grace only
25:49	Christ by giving us the gift only Christ
25:52	by him being bound up him being arrested
26:00	and brought in the darkness to a fake
26:02	kangaroo trial him being bound to a pole
26:07	and scourged him being nailed to a cross
26:10	losing his freedom in his very life
26:13	itself it is only through what he’s done
26:15	that we are truly set
26:17	free and they answered listen we’re the
26:19	we’re the children of Abraham we we’ve
26:20	never been enslaved to anyone how is it
26:23	that you say you’ll become free Jesus
26:25	said everyone who commits sin is a Slave
26:28	sin slave the slave doesn’t remain in
26:30	the house forever the son remains
26:32	forever kind of work that out you’ll
26:34	note that the the self-righteous they
26:37	they act like slaves in the house of God
26:39	rather than Sons oh I’ve got to earn
26:42	I’ve got to hey Master pay attention to
26:44	me Master look at what I did Master
26:46	aren’t you happy with this master do you
26:48	think I get did a good job on that what
26:50	would you like me to do next master
26:52	master what do you want me to
26:54	do oh will I do enough master that
26:56	you’ll finally give me a Kudo a that a
26:58	boy way to go a good job you know
27:01	something like
27:02	that self-righteousness reduces God to a
27:07	Master but the son he sets us free in a
27:10	way that is way way better he sets us
27:15	free and redeems us and then adopts us
27:18	as his sons and daughters as a gift by
27:21	grace through
27:22	faith this is why the slave does not
27:25	remain in the house forever only the son
27:28	remains forever so note then brothers
27:31	and sisters this Reformation
27:34	Sunday all of you losers you
27:38	Sinners all of you who have fallen short
27:41	of the glory of God Christ has bled and
27:43	died for you and yes you are guilty of
27:46	sin and you are guilty of sin in a way
27:48	that you deserve to be enslaved to it
27:50	just like the rest of humanity but the
27:52	Christ Christ has well he’s done it all
27:56	for you and gives you salvation as a
27:58	gift so if the son sets you free you
28:01	will be free indeed in fact you
28:04	are in the name of Jesus
28:12	Amen

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