What if you can’t?

Posted on December 28, 2008 by theoldadam

The New Year is a time for resolutions.

Resolutions of all kinds. Things to do. Things to stop doingNew Year's Resolutions .

But what if you can’t stop doing something that has been harmful to you, and or others?

What if there is a sinful habit, a bad habit, an unhealthy habit or quirk (sin) that you’ve tried to stop doing over and over, and over again…but have failed? What then?

Or maybe you’ve tried to put down a specific sin and were successful only to find that another bad habit had replaced it.

Does this mean that you are somehow less of a Christian? Does this mean that you are still a Christian, but just a little bit lower on the obedience chart?

For the Christian, what are the implications of not being able to conquer sin? And what about not being able (or not wanting) to do all those things that God wants you to do?

Filed under: Doing, Obedience, Sin | 23 Comments »

A Christmas Tree Message…

Posted on December 22, 2008 by theoldadam

TO

KNOW

                                                      HIM

as

                                                      He is

today, not

as a manger –

babe, but as the

One who lived and

died and lives

again, enthroned and

reigning in our hearts.

To sense the need of those

who only know the tinsel

and the rushing of the crowds,

who celebrate a day and nothing more – –

because to them, He slumbers yet at

Bethlehem!

To love Him , God’s Living Word, above all else, and

loving, wish to tell others everywhere

the Good News of redemption!

. . . this to us

   IS CHRISTMAS!

  Christmas tree message from Pastor Mark Anderson  Lutheran Church of the Master, Corona del Mar, CA

Filed under: Christmas | 18 Comments »

Maybe it’s something in the water…?

Posted on December 19, 2008 by theoldadam

I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is it must be acting up again.

The ‘doers’ are out… again(as if they’ve ever left…ha!)… coming on strong.

“Well, it says right here in 2nd Macedonians 12, that Jesus tells us that we are to keep His commandments if we really love Him.”

OK……….then maybe that ought to be your first clue.

Maybe you don’t really love Him? Maybe you’ve got better things to ‘do’? Maybe all of your ‘doing’ is out of guilt, or fear, or legalism, or some other self- centered motive and really has nothing to do with loving your Lord and Savior, or your neighbor?

Maybe you are not really all that concerned (ultimately) with your own ‘doing’, but rather are fixated on the ‘doings’ of others?  You want to see them ‘do the right thing’ so that they can be a “real Christian”, after all.

Maybe you have no idea what the law demands from you? (perfect obedience-at all times) Not your best effort. That won’t cut it. The law demands  perfection in your ‘doings’.

Maybe you think that this whole ‘God project’ that you are on, really is about you? There is no free lunch after all.

Maybe you have never really heard the gospel? I mean ‘really heard’  it?

If any or some of those maybe’s applies to you…then maybe you’d better get busy? You seem to be falling a little behind in the ‘doing’ department. There are prisoners to visit in jails, old folks that need visiting in nursing homes, homeless to feed, poor that could use a little more of your cash, and enemies to invite over to dinner…etc., etc., etc.  All things Jesus said we ought be doing. I am certain that no believer worth his or her salt would ever spend too much time watching television, or engaging in other less than “Christian activity” while there is the work of the Kingdom to be done.

You wouldn’t want Jesus to think that maybe you really don’t love Him…would you?

In the odd chance that this little ‘law bomb’  hit the inteded target and went off right between your eyes (and hopefully killed you…dead)…there is some good news.

All of your sin is forgiven for Jesus’ sake. He died for slackers just like you…and me.

There is nothing left for you to ‘do’. It has all been accomplished…for you…that you might live again with Him, in total righteousness, forever and ever.

He knows who and what you really are. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans, somewhere)

“It is finished” He (our Lord) said that too, you know. (while He was dying for your ‘doing’)

So, as my pastor likes to say, “Now that you don’t have to do anything…what will you do?”

That’s the gospel.

Filed under: Doing, The Gospel, The Law | 38 Comments »

It’s Worse than We Thought

Posted on December 14, 2008 by theoldadam

‘ The Problem’ turns out to be a lot worse than we thought.

There is actually not one wit of hope. With all of our reason, with all of our know- how, with all of our striving, with all of our good will… there is no overcoming it.

“But we are making advances!” “But we now have one that is a little bit smarter than the rest!” But we are now a little more caring!”  “But we…”

But we…will all die, anyway.

There is no way out other than the grave. There is no outsmarting it. There is no outlasting it. Death will have us in the end, as it always does. We will die. I will die. You will die.

End of story… right?

Wrong.

That is not the end of the story. For there is Someone that absolutely loves to pull people out of the grave and breathe life back into them! Not just any ol’ life…but His Life…a life without end! A life that death can never conquer! A life that is guarnteed to be far better than anything we could ever imagine and it will never, never ever end!

Christ Jesus will wipe away all our tears. Christ Jesus is not content to have you get sick and die and stay dead. Christ Jesus is the One who will put an end to your suffering. He has conquered your sin. He has conquered the devil. And He has conquered your death. There will be no grave deep enough, or strong enough to hold us.

After all the pain, after all the suffering, after all the unrealized dreams and broken promises…this is our future…life in the One who will give us His very life!

All of this, every bit of it, He gave to you in your baptism.

It’s better than you thought!

Filed under: Baptism, Death, Law and Gospel, Theology of the Cross | 7 Comments »

The 3 H Club

Posted on December 8, 2008 by theoldadam

We’ve all heard of 4H, the clubs that help kids learn good citizenship and life skills with an agriculturally based program…well, how about a 3H Club?

 Health, Happiness, and Holiness…the three H’s.  This seems to bsummit1.grchicken.JPG by Farm and Dairye the focus of many churches in America.

Is there anything wrong with those things? Is it the chruch’s job to get them for you, or teach you how to get them?

Filed under: The Church and the Word, The point of it all, Why go to church? | 4 Comments »

Well then, exactly WHO is the gospel meant for?

Posted on December 5, 2008 by theoldadam

This post is an answer to someone on another blog who thinks that I am an intolerant, self-righteous, bigoted Christian with no love for my fellow man.

Because I say (the Bible really says) that Jesus Christ is God’s revealed Word of righteousness to a sinful, broken world.

There has been a lot of talk about Muslims here of late . Why pick on the Muslims? Maybe because they are blowing people up all the time. Maybe because 95% of the terrorism and carnage in the world are due to their warped vision of God, and that  they are the number one enemy of the cross on the face of this planet. And that people had better wake up and knock of this stupid idea of getting along with a religious system that does not want to get along. That’s why.

 

OK then. So if the gospel is not meant for Muslims then who is it meant for?

What!  I never said that.  One of the problems with many folks these days is that they do not know how to read. They do not know how to listen. They insert their own preconceived notions and bigotries into other people’s mouths.

The gospel (the forgiveness of our sins , the whole world’s sins, for Jesus sake) is meant for those who really hear it. It is meant for those whose skin color is white…black… red… yellow… or brown. It is meant for ‘left wingers’ and ‘right wingers’ and people who just couldn’t care less.  It is meant for anyone, whether they be Moslem, Jew, Gentile, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, who has ever hurt someone with something they’ve said. It is meant for anyone who has ever hurt someone with something they’ve done. It is meant for anyone who has ever been selfish and less caring for the poor and needy and homeless. It is meant for all those who have ever taken something that didn’t belong to them, even if it was a long time ago. It is meant for all those who are self-righteous and judgemental of others. It is meant for all those that do not honor their parents. It is meant for all those who are drunks, or drug addicts who hurt themselves and others with their uncontrolable addictions. It is meant for the good church going elder who follows the rules uncompromisingly so much so that there is not an ounce of grace or forgiveness in his heart for others. It is meant for the brokenhearted of this world. It is meant for the lonely. It is meant for those with sickness and disease.  It is meant for those who are penniless and destitute. It is meant for those with sexual perversions. It is meant for those with secret sexual desires. It is meant for adulterers.  It is meant for the mentally insane and criminally insane. It is meant for liars, thieves, murderers, and rapists.    In short, it is meant for you.   You fit in there, somewhere, I’m sure of it.   I fit in there in too many places. If you don’t fit in there anywhere, then don’t worry about it…you do not need the gospel.

Well, that was pretty bigoted of me, wouldn’t you say? I left out a lot of people there didn’t I? I tried to keep the club membership to just my select group, didn’t I?

 Why then, does it have to be Jesus only? Why can’t you say that God will save everybody, whether they believe in Jesus or Mohammed, Moses or Buddha?

The Bible does not say that ‘if you don’t believe in Jesus that you are going to hell’. If anyone can show me that exact line in scripture, I will eat my entire Bible, page by page.

What the Bible says, is that Jesus will be the One to decide who will go to the Father…or not. That’s all. He and He alone.  Not Buddha, not Mohammed, not Krishna, not Al Gore, George Bush, nor Barrack Obama.

If you believe that, then you are a Christian. If you don’t believe that, then you might be something else.

All that said, if you still believe that I am a  bigot who is trying to keep some people out of Heaven, then you are a bigger moron than I thought and incapable of understanding the writtten word.

Filed under: Jesus only | 23 Comments »

The Second Advent

Posted on December 1, 2008 by theoldadam

Listen to this sermon about the time in between the Advents and what we should do.

Is the time in between the Advents for diversion, or for preparation? 

Thesecondadvent

Filed under: The point of it all | Leave a comment »

Who’s the King?

Posted on November 29, 2008 by theoldadam

I am.

Not only am I the king, I am a god of my own making. I take what the Lord has ordained and I twist it to suit my own perceived needs and desires. I am the king… and I am not having it that there is another to whom I am subject. I must increase…He must decrease. Huh?

That’s right… I usually do not even think about living any other way…it  just comes naturally. That I might protect myself from having to live outward, from having to expose my true nature, from having to die…I prop myself up and find solice in the edifices of my own creation.

Enter the Word of God.

The Word of God comes to me, from outside of myself and helps me become the man that I really ought be.

Are you kidding me? That is the last thing that the Word wants to do with me!

The Word of God wants to kill me!

It wants to expose the imposter (the fake King) and restore to the throne the real King. The Word of God comes to me, from outside of myself, and puts the Old Adam to death. It comes to me as God’s perfect demand of His just and righteous Law and accuses me, indicts me, tries me, convicts me, sentences me, and puts me to death.

Who has the right to do these things to me? The King does. The One who has given the Law. The One who is perfect and just. He has every right to enforce His Law and carry out the punishment for breaking it.

But the King is a Good King. He is a merciful King. He pardons those that belong to Himself. He forgives and raises to new life His adopted children. But He still hates Law breaking. He still hates sin. He cannot abide sin. He must put it to death. He uses His sword and cuts it off at the knees. One swipe. One fell swoop. The deed is done. Death has silencend the false king. And then something happens that should be unexpected were it not for the cross and His prayer to forgive us. The King’s sword heals. It brings new life. It creates new life. A life of His own making from the other edge of His just and righteous and merciful sword.

Why? Why does the King kill, and then make alive? Because He wants to! He is gracious and merciful and compassionate to sinners! He wants to forgive and create anew!

The Lord Jesus is the King. He is THE KING. There is no other. All others are imposters and have to be put to death. There is no other way. But the King wants you. He died on a bloody cross for you. He has adopted you in your baptism. He has promised you new life and He works that new life in you even today in ways large and small that you cannot see, and also in ways that you can see…in the sacraments.

In His great love and mercy, He acts for you. He isn’t content to leave you hanging on a belief or a feeling, or any other thing that you conjure up in your own mind. He gives of Himself, to you, in the hearing of His Word, out of the mouths of preachers, in the Word of Holy Scripture (the Bible), in the water of Holy Baptism and in the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

Christ Jesus is King.  He always was and always will be King. One day we will gladly serve our King and be in His presence for all eternity. What a great and glorious Day that will be!

Filed under: Christ the King | 3 Comments »

‘Christian Buddhism’

Posted on November 24, 2008 by theoldadam

A new religion?  Hardly.

The same old song with a different tune? Nope, not that either.  It’s just the same old  song…period.

Striving to achieve a level of ethical conduct. Striving to live up to a vision of altruistic behavior. Striving to reach a point where you are worthy not to recieve judgment and punishment. Striving to reach a point of peace and tranquility in your own life by doing what is right.

This takes a great deal of effort and exertion. This takes a lot of concentration and meditation. This takes so much more than you are capable of. But Jesus is right there beside you, He is your “co-pilot”. He takes the stick when your nose is pointing at the ground. He revs up your engine, pulls back the lever and sends you soaring back into the stratosphere.

“A lot of Jesus and just a little bit of me.” Well, it almost always turns out to be the other way around…a lot of me and a little bit of Jesus…when I need Him (“the god of the gaps”).

“But the preacher speaks of Jesus. The preacher tells us time and time again that there is no way we can ever earn our way to Heaven. He spends about two minutes telling us that, each and every Sunday. But then the preacher gives us the “meat” of the Christian faith. He shows us (using the Bible, of course) how to become “more Christlike” in our Christian walk. He shows us (using the Bible) how to live out our lives so that we will become more of what God would have us be. To live in such a way as to merit “jewels in our crown.” This part of the Christian life, ‘the application’ is now the important thing. “You have already been saved right? You said the prayer, made your “acceptance speech” (of Jesus) to the congreagtion or the pastor and now you are ‘in’…right? “Wellll…sure you are in, but you are just not going to settle for that… are you now? Don’t you want to be all that you can be? Don’t you want to show God just how serious you are about this whole thing? You don’t want anyone to see you as the disobedient sinner, do you? You will look just like the non-believer then! You don’t want that do you? You want to fit in, don’t you? Well then, you’d better get busy. If you do not know what to do, don’t worry about it, we will lay out the whole program for you. All you need to do…is to ‘do’. And don’t stop ‘doing’ (lest anyone think you are backslider and no longer a “true believer”.”

All that is lacking is to sit in the lotus position and babble out a bunch of incoherrent chants.

Welcome to Christian Buddhism. Get busy and improve.

Filed under: Doing | 10 Comments »

Who’s the ruler of this world?

Posted on November 16, 2008 by theoldadam

That’s right. It’s satan, the devil…the evil one.

Do you really believe that?  It’s true, you know. Or do you think that we can really take over and fix up this world quite nicely and fix ourselves up in the process?

Or, did I get it wrong…first we fix up ourselves, one at a time, individulally (maybe small groups, whole political parties?) and then when we’ve got ourselves hitting on all cylinders, then by default the world will just get cleaned up and be made right…right? (while the devil relaxes and reads the newspaper) Wrong! I want to know what funky weed you are smokin’!

That stuff is the ‘religion of man’. 

Should we not try and fix this world? Should we not try and fix ourselves?  Of course we should! We just aren’t delusioned into thinking we are going to achieve Heaven on earth. This place is going down! We are going down! Look in the mirror, (at my age it’s getting harder to do).

“Yeah, but we know a lot more now than did our parent’s generation.”  The truth of the matter is that our hearts are exactly same… they have not improved one iota.

When we believe that we have within us some spark to goodness that if only acted upon will bring about the kind of world, the kind of church, the kind of government, the kind of person that we ought truly be..when we fall for that we are making ourselves over into little gods. We are engaging in the ‘first sin’…wanting to be as God is. We don’t really trust God, we can do a better job on our own. That is us. That is the sinner. If you don’t believe that you are probably a modern day Pharisee…a self righteous ‘do-gooder’ that is on the ladder to a god of your own making.

We are fallen. The world is fallen. There is no hope in ourselves. All of this leads only to a graveyard.

But there is Christ! He came to save us. He wants to save us! He has saved us! He died for this broken world and each one of our broken lives. He died for the sin of wanting to be a god. He died for the sin of self-righteousness and of greed and of hate. He died for it all…that we might live!

“All of your sin is forgiven for Jesus’ sake.” Those are the only words that can ‘fix’ what would otherwise be broken for eternity and lost.

“Your sin is forgiven. Take this my body…and eat. Take this my blood and drink.” He gives this saving Word (Himself) to us.           He fixes us!         Nothing else will do!           He is enough!

Filed under: Doing | 13 Comments »

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