Sermon: Lent 3C (OT)
Sunday 3 March AD 2013
Title: The Watchman’s Warning (MP3 Audio)
Summary: God doesn’t call prophets, apostles, and pastors to be popular. He calls them to speak His Word in truth and purity. Sometimes that Word — and its messengers — can be quite unpopular. We don’t like to be reminded of our faults and accused of our sins. We want to think that we’re doing well enough.
However, “well enough” — that is, living by and inviting judgment upon our own righteousness — isn’t enough. And at times, it takes what seems to be hard and harsh men to fill the shoes of the prophets and the apostles. Our pastors have no more desire to hurt us than they do to hurt themselves. Yet unless the Law directly and bluntly confronts, accuses, and kills our old, sinful selves, we’re not properly and fully prepared to receive the Gospel’s comfort, peace, and new life.
Therefore, if we would be sure of our salvation, we dare not close our ears to even the harshest of God’s words, for unless we are slain by His holy Law, we cannot be raised by his gracious Gospel.
Text: “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins.
“Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.
“Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
“Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.” Ezekiel 33:7-20
Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Audio: Click to hear MP3 of The Watchman’s Warning, preached to the saints of God at Faith Lutheran Church, Knob Noster, Missouri.
NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.
Other Readings: Psalm 85; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
Tags: Lent 3 | Third Sunday in Lent | 3rd Sunday in Lent | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | prophet | apostle | pastor | warning | blood | life | death | 3 March 2013 | March 3, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Christian Church | Ezekiel 33 | sermon | text | theme | topic | The Watchman’s Warning | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings
Title: The Watchman’s Warning (MP3 Audio)
Summary: God doesn’t call prophets, apostles, and pastors to be popular. He calls them to speak His Word in truth and purity. Sometimes that Word — and its messengers — can be quite unpopular. We don’t like to be reminded of our faults and accused of our sins. We want to think that we’re doing well enough.However, “well enough” — that is, living by and inviting judgment upon our own righteousness — isn’t enough. And at times, it takes what seems to be hard and harsh men to fill the shoes of the prophets and the apostles. Our pastors have no more desire to hurt us than they do to hurt themselves. Yet unless the Law directly and bluntly confronts, accuses, and kills our old, sinful selves, we’re not properly and fully prepared to receive the Gospel’s comfort, peace, and new life.
Therefore, if we would be sure of our salvation, we dare not close our ears to even the harshest of God’s words, for unless we are slain by His holy Law, we cannot be raised by his gracious Gospel.
Text: “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we rot away because of them. How then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
“And you, son of man, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he transgresses, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall by it when he turns from his wickedness, and the righteous shall not be able to live by his righteousness when he sins.“Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die.
“Again, though I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ yet if he turns from his sin and does what is just and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has taken by robbery, and walks in the statutes of life, not doing injustice, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the sins that he has committed shall be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he shall surely live.
“Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.” Ezekiel 33:7-20
Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Audio: Click to hear MP3 of The Watchman’s Warning, preached to the saints of God at Faith Lutheran Church, Knob Noster, Missouri.
NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.
Other Readings: Psalm 85; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
Tags: Lent 3 | Third Sunday in Lent | 3rd Sunday in Lent | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | prophet | apostle | pastor | warning | blood | life | death | 3 March 2013 | March 3, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Christian Church | Ezekiel 33 | sermon | text | theme | topic | The Watchman’s Warning | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings
posted by Xrysostom | 10:00
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