LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:10	[Applause]
0:17	hello
0:19	today let’s talk about the gospel of
0:23	God now I know what some of you are
0:26	thinking come on now give me something
0:29	new something exciting I’ve heard about
0:32	the gospel of God all my life please
0:35	that’s so old or I’m sorry to say
0:39	boring okay I hear
0:43	you do you know the word
0:45	habituated it means to get so used to
0:48	something that you don’t even notice it
0:50	anymore like when you first come home
0:53	and something wonderful as cooking and
0:55	it smells great but in 5 minutes you
0:59	can’t even smell it anymore
1:02	H here’s another a young girl and her
1:06	mom drove all day in their move to Mexia
1:10	Texas finally exhausted they arrived
1:14	they unpacked their clothes made their
1:16	beds got in their PJs and went to
1:18	bed but then there was a steady low
1:24	booming noise that would not stop Mama
1:29	cried the little girl what is that
1:31	booming sound her mom explained that’s
1:34	an oil pump
1:36	honey oh mama how does anyone ever get
1:40	to sleep in this
1:42	place but after 20 years in Mexia the
1:45	little girl is now a grown woman and
1:48	though she’s sure they’re still pumping
1:50	oil in Mexia Texas she just doesn’t hear
1:54	it
1:56	anymore you get what I’m
1:58	saying I fear that that the same thing
2:00	may happen to us we’ve heard the gospel
2:03	of God so many times in our lives that
2:05	we may just not hear it anymore God help
2:10	us so in today’s Gospel text when you
2:13	once again hear familiar words please
2:16	try to hear them as if for the first
2:20	time in fact today we will focus on only
2:23	two verses of Holy Scripture but let’s
2:26	truly listen to them and ask God to
2:29	speak to us
2:30	aew Lord cut through our habituated
2:34	insensitivity to your word and Pierce
2:37	our hearts with the truth and Treasure
2:39	of the Gospel of
2:42	God the holy Gospel According to St Mark
2:45	the 1 chapter beginning with the 14th
2:47	verse glory to you oh Lord Jesus came
2:51	into Galilee preaching the gospel of God
2:55	and saying the time is fulfilled the
2:58	kingdom of God is at hand repent and
3:02	believe in the gospel the gospel of the
3:05	Lord praise to you o
3:08	Christ Jesus came into Galilee preaching
3:13	heralding crying out the gospel what is
3:17	the gospel it is the message of
3:21	Salvation you being saved from your sin
3:25	and shame and eternal judgment salvation
3:29	you having peace in your mind and joy in
3:34	your heart and genuine
3:36	happiness salvation you going to heaven
3:41	with God it’s almost too much to imagine
3:44	isn’t it Jesus came preaching the gospel
3:46	of God the gospel is the message we must
3:50	not get habituated please help us listen
3:54	closely
3:56	Lord point one the time is fulfilled the
3:59	kingdom of God is at hand what does that
4:02	mean first the time is
4:06	fulfilled okay did you know that God
4:09	made different kinds of time some time
4:13	just flows along it keeps on going like
4:16	a river one moment after another after
4:19	another it’s called
4:22	Kronos from which we get the word
4:24	chronology or
4:26	chronological but God also made a
4:29	different kind of time we might call it
4:31	special time or significant time you
4:34	could even call it Heavenly time it’s
4:36	called
4:38	kyos God measures out chyos time very
4:42	precisely God measured out chairos time
4:45	until his Heavenly measuring cup was
4:47	absolutely completely full it was the
4:49	fullness of time time was weighty and
4:53	ready ready for what time was full and
4:57	ready for the coming of the king of
5:00	Heaven it was time on Earth for a new
5:03	spiritual moment in the history of
5:05	humanity it was the dawn of a whole new
5:08	spiritual season on the earth the
5:11	kingdom of God Heaven’s king the king of
5:16	Salvation had come from Heaven onto the
5:19	Earth in order to establish his kingly
5:24	Reign he would demonstrate what his rule
5:27	was really like the Kingdom of Heaven
5:31	well it was not like the kingdom that
5:32	had been ruling on the earth no this
5:36	King and his kingdom were wonderful and
5:40	peaceful and loving and he was full of
5:45	joy and life his kingdom was like that
5:48	for everyone who became part of his
5:50	kingdom in fact those who were members
5:53	of his kingdom became children of God
5:57	themselves and citizens of Heaven
6:02	forever how did they get to become
6:04	children of God well that was a
6:09	miracle the king proclaimed his word and
6:13	his word created faith in their
6:17	hearts men and women boys and
6:21	girls with faith oh they could reject
6:25	the faith in their hearts if they wanted
6:26	to but to those whose Hearts had faith
6:30	the king rejoiced because he had put
6:32	himself in his kingdom right inside them
6:35	like I said it was a miracle the king
6:38	proclaimed that the kingdom of God was
6:40	at hand that meant that it was so close
6:43	so near that anyone could enter it at
6:45	any moment right now some people thought
6:48	that the king would make everyone and
6:50	everything that was from the other
6:53	Kingdom just go away but
6:56	no not yet evil and hostility still
7:01	exist in the world war fear selfishness
7:05	unforgiveness they’re still here but
7:10	that does not stop the king of Salvation
7:12	the Heavenly King is still ruling even
7:15	over all of
7:16	them you see his kingdom has only come
7:20	here in part you could say that his
7:22	kingdom is here in principle but not yet
7:25	in fulfillment it’s here in part but not
7:28	in whole and you wonder why is his
7:32	kingdom not completely here yet well
7:35	that will happen at the very end of time
7:38	at the very last moment of the very last
7:40	day and then the king and his kingdom
7:43	will come in their fullness and that
7:46	will mean that all who are not his
7:48	children will not have another moment to
7:52	become part of his kingdom and some
7:54	people take longer than others and the
7:57	king of Heaven well he wants every
8:00	single person possible to have a heart
8:03	of faith and to be a child in his
8:06	kingdom and that’s why his measurements
8:08	of time must be so
8:11	precise we do not know when but at the
8:16	last moment of the last
8:18	day the end will
8:21	come until then the time is fulfilled
8:24	the kingdom of God is here right now at
8:27	hand point two repent and believe in the
8:31	gospel Heaven’s King exclaimed a short
8:34	sermon the time is fulfilled the kingdom
8:38	is at hand repent believe in the
8:41	gospel we may have heard those words so
8:44	often that we don’t get much out of it
8:46	we don’t hear them
8:48	anymore but we must not be
8:51	habituated we must listen closely so
8:54	that we hear what the king of Heaven is
8:57	really saying first
9:00	repent that’s an ancient word that means
9:03	turn around go the other way stop doing
9:07	what you’re
9:08	doing you already know what you must
9:11	stop doing you see that’s part of his
9:14	Miracle too his word enters your heart
9:17	and he tells you this is sin this is
9:21	selfish this hurts other people leave
9:25	your sin sickness and stop doing it and
9:29	you
9:30	think how can I stop doing it I’ve
9:33	always been like that I’ve always done
9:36	that that’s just who I
9:38	am but that is the miracle
9:42	too when he enters your heart he gives
9:45	you faith and he himself inspires you to
9:47	fight the good fight of Faith because of
9:49	him in you you’re born again you are not
9:54	only able to know what is good and godly
9:58	you actually want
10:00	what is good and
10:02	godly it’s
10:05	incredible the king cries
10:07	repent and believe and already he’s put
10:11	repentance and godly sorrow and
10:13	Contrition and confession in your heart
10:16	that’s because he’s already there
10:18	because he’s already causing you to
10:21	believe you didn’t have to do it at all
10:24	in fact you didn’t do anything he did it
10:26	in you he did it for you he created
10:29	Creed your faith and he not only causes
10:31	you to know your sin and repent of your
10:34	sin he even caused you to hate your sin
10:39	H Amazing
10:41	Grace Point three repent and believe in
10:44	the gospel ha you may have already
10:47	caught this that was the title of point
10:50	two point two was called repent and
10:52	believe in the gospel but we’re not done
10:56	with that yet so the title of point
10:58	three is also
10:59	repent and believe in the
11:01	gospel the problem is that when we have
11:05	been Christians for a long
11:07	time we get
11:10	habituated we get used to our sin we get
11:14	comfortable with our own
11:17	smell we do not see our need for
11:20	Spiritual
11:23	deodorant what we need is a good
11:26	bath you think that I’m kidding but I’m
11:28	not
11:30	and neither did the Heavenly King he’s
11:33	already planned for you to have a bath
11:35	of course when you first became a
11:37	Christian either as a child or as an
11:39	adult the king of Salvation saved you
11:44	baptism does that you know baptism gives
11:48	you forgiveness of sins and fills you
11:51	with the Holy Spirit please read Acts
11:53	chapter 2 baptism kills your old self
11:56	and raises up a new spiritual self in in
11:59	you read Romans 6 baptism is a washing
12:02	of regeneration so that you are born
12:05	again please read Titus 3 and holy
12:08	baptism saves you read 1 Peter 3 but the
12:13	problem is that the old sinful nature
12:17	still hangs around our necks we live in
12:19	a dark and evil world of sin surrounded
12:22	by people who sin and we ourselves
12:24	struggle with sin and in the process we
12:27	get comfortable with our own smell of
12:31	sin we excuse ourselves we get friendly
12:35	with our
12:36	sins here’s a question for you I bet not
12:39	many of you know the answer to this who
12:42	wrote the 95 thesis Martin Luther of
12:44	course no that wasn’t the the real
12:46	question here’s the real question what
12:49	was the first of the 95 thesis ah now
12:55	that’s a hard question well here it is
12:59	when our Lord and Master Jesus
13:03	Christ said repent he will the entire
13:07	life of the believer to be one of
13:10	repentance yes the king of Heaven Cried
13:13	Out repent and he meant for our entire
13:16	lives to be lives of repentance each and
13:19	every day we must return to our
13:21	baptismal Waters and drown the old sins
13:24	and evil lusts repent of them turn away
13:27	from them re reject and renounce them
13:30	yes hate them for they are not of God
13:34	and they are not for you child of Heaven
13:38	be washed again in his Heavenly promises
13:42	this is a spiritual Act of Faith but it
13:45	is real nonetheless when you wash your
13:47	face in the morning
13:49	remember what the king did for you when
13:53	he first made you a child of Heaven he
13:57	baptized you he bathed you he cleaned
14:01	you he forgave you and made you his own
14:05	repent and believe says the king believe
14:08	that he loves you believe he forgives
14:11	you believe that he saves you you can
14:15	believe because he’s the one who put
14:18	that faith in your heart to begin with
14:20	and you belong to
14:22	him
14:24	conclusion today we’ve been smelling the
14:28	kingdom of God
14:30	again we’ve been hearing his word again
14:33	tasting his bread of life again for the
14:37	first
14:38	time
14:40	again we have heard aresh that this is
14:43	the fullness of God’s Heavenly Time and
14:45	his kingdom is right here right now his
14:49	kingly rule is all around us and he
14:52	himself and his kingdom are right here
14:56	he put them in us the king of of our
14:59	Salvation cries out to our hearts to
15:02	repent to leave today’s Darkness turn
15:05	away with a full heart repent again
15:08	believe that his baptismal waters are
15:11	still running aresh for you you are
15:13	cleaned forgiven loved by the king of
15:17	Heaven his name is Jesus Christ the
15:21	lord beloved it is the same Gospel of
15:26	God that you’ve heard before
15:29	but it’s so good to hear it new
15:35	today
15:43	[Music]
15:51	[Music]
15:57	amen