LutheranLectionary.org

Reflections on Scripture with Dr. Leins

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:10	hello today let’s talk about God’s
0:15	mysterious
0:16	power the text before us is from the
0:19	gospel of St Mark the 4th chapter veres
0:22	26 through
0:25	34 here Jesus tells the parable of a
0:28	farmer who SWS seed in a field as a
0:32	result an entire crop of grain Rises up
0:34	out of the ground Jesus is illustrating
0:37	something that is even more miraculous
0:40	than that the Lord SWS his holy word
0:44	into the hearts of humanity and as a
0:47	result God raises up an entire Kingdom
0:50	children of God and inheritors of
0:54	eternal life introduction God’s powerful
0:58	word
1:00	in the beginning God created the heavens
1:03	and the Earth God spoke his powerful
1:06	word and all creation came into being in
1:10	God’s perfect wisdom and creative power
1:13	God made Adam let us make man in our own
1:18	image said the Lord God took dust of the
1:21	earth and formed man God breathed into
1:25	his nostrils the breath of life and Adam
1:28	was alive the name Adam is from the
1:31	Hebrew word for Earth or dirt but this
1:35	dirt was filled with the Breath of God
1:38	that was some miraculous power that gave
1:41	life to Adam and then from Adam’s Rib
1:44	god- fashioned Eve and the Human family
1:47	was created in the image of God he
1:50	created them male and female created he
1:54	them this was done by virtue of God’s
1:57	powerful word and God’s holy breath
2:00	breath the word in Hebrew for breath is
2:03	also the word for spirit ruak is both
2:07	breath and spirit this was a miraculous
2:11	display of the word of God and the
2:13	spirit of God sharing with Humanity
2:16	God’s mysterious power but as you know
2:19	Adam and Eve lost the image of God
2:23	through their original sin they were
2:26	removed from God’s intimate presence and
2:28	cast out of the Garden of Eden they were
2:32	punished for their sin with labor and
2:35	with death however even in that moment
2:39	of judgment God spoke a word of Hope and
2:41	promise to humanity God said to the
2:44	serpent the seed of the woman shall
2:47	bruise you on the head and you shall
2:51	bruise him on the heel in the midst of
2:54	the word of law the lord gave a word of
2:57	gospel it was the promise that that the
3:00	seed of woman would bruise the serpent
3:03	well who was this seed of woman God
3:06	would send a savior in the fullness of
3:09	time God did God sent his Spirit to
3:12	overshadow a Virgin Mary who would give
3:15	birth to a child a human child of Earth
3:19	would be the product of the word of God
3:22	and the power of the Holy
3:24	Spirit why would God do
3:26	this God was creating a second Adam a
3:31	savior just as Sin had entered the world
3:34	through the first Adam salvation from
3:36	sin and the promise of eternal life
3:38	would enter the world through the second
3:41	Adam a savior his name was Jesus for he
3:46	would save his people from their
3:49	sins this God man was the result of a
3:54	mystical Union of God’s word and human
3:57	flesh this was another display of God’s
4:00	mysterious power but there’s more Jesus
4:04	came to share God’s mysterious power
4:07	with us Jesus who was the result of
4:11	God’s word and spirit being joined to an
4:13	Earthly woman
4:15	now joined God’s word and spirit to
4:18	other Earthly elements water was joined
4:22	by the word and spirit making holy
4:24	baptism and bread and wine were joined
4:27	by the word and the spirit making Holy
4:30	Communion and there’s still more Jesus
4:34	joined God’s word and spirit to the
4:36	preached word a sermon and to the
4:39	written word His Holy Bible these were
4:42	all demonstrations of God’s mysterious
4:46	power and then finally God joined his
4:50	powerful word and His Holy Spirit to you
4:54	he United himself to you by grace
4:56	through faith this is the message of
4:59	today to’s gospel this is the meaning of
5:02	The Parables that Jesus is teaching
5:04	today when the word of God and the
5:07	spirit of God come to human
5:09	beings God gives us his mysterious
5:14	power point one the seed is the word
5:19	Jesus told a parable about a man who
5:21	casts seed upon the Earth that man
5:24	casting seed is Jesus and the seed that
5:27	he’s sowing is the word of God God this
5:30	is the same miraculous and powerful word
5:33	of God that in the beginning created all
5:35	things this seed the word of God was
5:39	cast upon the earth that is it was cast
5:41	upon human hearts the seed of God’s word
5:45	is alive living and Powerful it gives
5:49	life it gives miraculous spiritual
5:53	life next Jesus explains that the swer
5:57	goes to sleep and the seed work works of
6:00	course God neither Slumbers nor sleeps
6:03	but the point is that Jesus trusts in
6:06	the miraculous power of the word the
6:09	word of God has its own power the word
6:13	causes sorrow for sin the word causes
6:17	repentance in the human heart the word
6:20	gives God’s forgiveness the word creates
6:25	faith and the word of God gives new and
6:28	eternal life the seed of the word of God
6:31	does all of that work the human heart
6:35	may be cold dry ground but the seed of
6:39	God is alive it grows blade and head and
6:42	mature grain then in God’s timing the
6:46	sickle comes God has an appointed time
6:49	for each person to be
6:52	harvested the Harvest is done when the
6:55	timing is Right each blade each person
6:58	is harvested individually at God’s
7:01	perfect time the word of God is a
7:04	powerful seed creating repentance faith
7:07	and salvation unto eternal life all of
7:11	this is a demonstration of God’s
7:14	mysterious
7:15	power point two the seed is the Lord
7:20	then Jesus told another Parable the
7:22	parable of the Mustard Seed what is the
7:25	message here in this Parable the seed is
7:28	not the word but the seed is the Lord
7:31	Jesus himself when it starts out Jesus
7:35	the seed is a tiny insignificant seed
7:38	he’s a lowly seed and yet when he is
7:41	grown he grows up to become the greatest
7:43	of all
7:45	trees tell us about this Tiny
7:48	Seed he’s not how you expect almighty
7:51	God to look no this seed does not come
7:54	the way you would expect almighty God to
7:56	come no this seed is a fragile
8:00	infant weak and lowly he’s laid in a cow
8:04	feeder he’s born in a stable not a
8:07	palace and his parents are peasants not
8:10	Nobles he’s raised in a Carpenter’s
8:12	house with ordinary people in a village
8:15	that’s so unremarkable that people make
8:17	fun of it but it gets worse this tiny
8:22	and pitiful seed announces that he has
8:24	come to reverse the sin of Adam and to
8:27	remedy the sins of the whole world
8:30	he will be the new son of man who will
8:33	write the wrongs fulfill the laws and be
8:36	the new Messiah for all the people of
8:38	the Earth but he’s such a Tiny Seed the
8:42	response is that he’s mocked beaten he’s
8:46	whipped almost to death the physical and
8:50	mental abuse stops just short of killing
8:53	him they stop not out of Mercy but out
8:56	of sport you see then then they have
8:59	decided to take his bloody body and nail
9:02	him to a cross as a public spectacle
9:05	this is the Tiny Seed from which the
9:09	entire kingdom of God will be birthed
9:11	but first the seed must be buried in the
9:16	ground in three days Jesus rises up from
9:19	the grave as the triumphant King a Great
9:22	and Mighty tree whose powerful word and
9:25	spirit create faith in millions upon
9:28	millions of people
9:30	you are one of his kingdom branches
9:33	Jesus joined himself to you he gave you
9:37	life joined to himself you’re part of
9:40	the one holy Christian and Apostolic
9:41	Church you’re part of his body of
9:44	Christ you were created by his
9:47	mysterious
9:49	power point three two Parables so today
9:53	we’ve heard two parables in the first we
9:56	learned of a mysterious seed the word of
10:00	Christ the seed was sown by Jesus into
10:03	human hearts our hearts were passive we
10:06	were dormant ground we could not call
10:09	out or reach out we were spiritually
10:11	dead we could not attract God or compel
10:15	God in any way by our goodness no our
10:18	hearts were filled with sin but God sent
10:21	his powerful seed by word and the spirit
10:25	God changed our hearts in the second
10:29	Parable we learned of a mysterious King
10:32	he was the lowly seed the tiniest and
10:35	most easily overlooked of all the seeds
10:39	his seed was so ordinary looking so
10:41	impotent and unimpressive that people
10:43	laughed at
10:44	him but those who become his branches
10:49	are able to tread on snakes and
10:52	scorpions and all the authority of the
10:54	devil they’re not overcome by sin or
10:57	wrath or judgment no
11:00	instead their hearts and their lives are
11:04	changed their bonds are broken how is
11:08	that is it because they’re so good no we
11:12	are not but we are joined to the king
11:15	and so we have love joy peace patience
11:20	kindness goodness faithfulness
11:22	gentleness and
11:24	self-control yes we have his life in US
11:28	eternal life in US
11:29	we have been given his
11:32	mysterious
11:33	power
11:35	conclusion we began by talking about the
11:37	mysterious power of the word of God the
11:40	word was so powerful that in him and by
11:43	him all things were created and without
11:45	him nothing was created that was created
11:48	in him was life and that light was the
11:51	light of men his light shines in the
11:53	darkness and the Darkness cannot
11:55	overcome it God created our first
11:58	parents in his own holy image Adam the
12:02	dirt man was filled with the Breath of
12:04	God with his wife Eve they fell into sin
12:09	and were removed from God’s presence
12:11	they lost the Divine image of God but
12:14	the father and the Son and the Holy
12:16	Spirit had a plan a horrible and yet
12:19	wonderful plan the powerful word of God
12:23	would become human the God man would
12:26	write the wrongs bear the sins defeat
12:29	the enemies and open the kingdom of God
12:33	to all who believed in
12:35	him this is what Jesus is teaching you
12:38	in these parables in the first Parable
12:41	Jesus is the swer who SWS his powerful
12:44	and mysterious
12:46	word it has been planted into your heart
12:50	and it has done its work Jesus trusts
12:53	his powerful word to do its holy work
12:56	calling you to repentance creating your
12:59	faith and giving you salvation and
13:01	eternal life in the second Parable Jesus
13:04	himself is the seed the tiniest and most
13:07	lowly and despised of all the seeds and
13:10	yet this is the mysterious seed the
13:14	Heavenly seed out of himself the entire
13:18	kingdom of God will grow he was planted
13:22	into the Earth and now he is the Risen
13:24	King and all of those who believe in him
13:27	are Christians join joined to him and
13:30	joined to each other as the one holy
13:33	Christian and Apostolic church for he is
13:36	the vine and we are the
13:40	branches today we were reminded of God’s
13:43	mysterious power it is demonstrated when
13:46	a farmer SWS seeds in a field and an
13:50	entire crop of grain Rises up out of the
13:53	ground even more miraculous than that is
13:56	God’s mysterious power that is
13:59	demonstrated when the Lord SWS his holy
14:02	word into our hearts and we become
14:06	children of God by the word of Christ
14:08	and the power of the spirit you are
14:10	called to repentance given a heart of
14:12	faith and saved by grace unto eternal
14:16	life
14:18	now joined to the Savior you are a
14:22	branch of the Living Vine how is that
14:27	possible well God has done it Jesus
14:31	Christ has placed his mysterious power
14:37	in
14:38	you amen