Sermon: Easter Day C (OT)

The Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord
31 March AD 2013

Title: New and Improved (MP3 Audio)

Summary: This old world is tired and wearing out. Its people face age, accident, and illness — all part of being conceived and born sinners in a fallen Creation. We also must confront the consequences of our sins, not merely the guilt we happen to recognize or feel at any one time but the entire dreadful judgement God pronounces on all our shameful thoughts, words, and deeds.

Physically, we may try fighting the effects of time, sickness, or injury — we may even seem to win for a while. However, no program of diet and exercise, no amount of special care, no actions on our part can undo the inevitable. We will fall apart and die. Or, we may die before having much opportunity to deteriorate physically or mentally. Worse is the eternal death that awaits those who rebel against their Creator.

Because of this, God decided to remake everything and to do so literally from the ground up. He promises to create “new heavens and a new earth” and to populate this new Creation with people made new, recreated in His image rather than that of fallen Adam.

Christ’s resurrection is the first tangible sign of this new Creation. He who suffered death for us took up His life again, promising to make new all who trust in His forgiveness. Just as the Father unmade His beloved Son’s death, so does He unmake ours. He who put all sins to death on Jesus’ cross delivers into eternal life all who believe in Him.

God’s creating Word is God’s incarnate Word. The God who took on the body of a man promises to recreate believing mankind in body, mind, and spirit. Our Lord Christ pledges the new Creation based upon the fact of His original Creation and upon His very real life, suffering, death, and resurrection.

Text: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.

“I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.

“They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. Isaiah 65:17-25

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 the MP3 of New and Improved.

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 16; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12

Please visit Aardvark Alley to read The Resurrection of Our Lord, which includes Saint John Chrysostom’s Paschal homily celebrating death being swallowed up by the One whom it swallowed.

Tags: The Resurrection of Our Lord | Easter Day | Easter | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Isaiah | new heavens | new earth | life | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 31 March 2013 | March 31, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Isaiah 65 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | New and Improved | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Good Friday

29 March AD 2013

Theme: Buried Alive (MP3 Audio)

Summary: Like victims in a gothic horror story, we find ourselves buried alive, entrapped and entombed by our sin and its consequences. Trapped, we cannot dig ourselves out. We may panic, rage, or quietly accept our fate — whichever it may be, nothing we can do will fix our horrid condition.

We may not even realize our fate. Many go about taking for themselves every advantage, paying homage to false gods and only lip service to the Creator of heaven and earth. However, just as the Lord rocked Israel’s temple, so He will shake down and shatter every place of false worship.

Yet in the hour of doom, we also discover delivery. Our Lord Jesus allowed the temple of His own body to be laid to earth that He might take the sins it carried to their destruction. He was buried that He might bury our iniquities and when He rose, He led the captives free from the pit.

Text: I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: “Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.

“If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down. If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them; and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them. And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.”

The Lord God of hosts, he who touches the earth and it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn, and all of it rises like the Nile, and sinks again, like the Nile of Egypt; who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth — the Lord is his name.

“In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old.” Amos 9:1-6, 11

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 the MP3 of Buried Alive, 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 22; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42

Tags: Good Friday | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | crucifixion | Jesus’ death | death of Christ | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | cross | darkness | forgiveness | death | burial | coffin | grave | tomb | escape | Restore the Roar | 29 March 2013 | March 29, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Christian | Christianity | sermon | text | Amos 9 | theme | topic | Buried Alive | audio | mp3 | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Holy Thursday C (OT)

Maundy Thursday
28 March AD 2013

Title: Taste Test (MP3 Audio)

Summary: When we reject the invitation to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” God may clear the banquet table, replacing feast with famine. Rather than the richness of His forgiving Word and blessed Sacraments, we might find ourselves chewing on the emptiness of Satan’s promises, the toxins of this world’s table, and the bitterness of our own hearts.

We cannot prepare a proper spiritual diet for ourselves, nor can we bring ourselves to the eternal banquet, the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. Only God can set this table. Here and now, for us poor, starving creatures, He sets the rich fare of Jesus’ body and blood. Jesus, who swallowed death, invites us to swallow life as we commune in true faith.

Text: The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.

“In that day the lovely virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst. Those who swear by the Guilt of Samaria, and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’ and, ‘As the Way of Beersheba lives,’ they shall fall, and never rise again.” Amos 8:7-14

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 the MP3 of Taste Test, 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 116:12-19; Hebrews 10:15-25; Luke 22:7-20

Tags: Holy Thursday | Maundy Thursday | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Holy Week | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Holy Communion | Lord’s Supper | feast | famine | judgment | mercy | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | 28 March 2013 | March 28, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Amos 8 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Taste Test | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Palm Sunday C (OT)

Sunday of the Passion: 24 March AD 2013

Title: Killed and Made Alive (MP3 Audio)

Summary: In most churches, the emphasis of this day has shifted from Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem to an introduction to our Lord’s suffering and death. However, these do not constitute an “either-or” but a “both-and,” for one cannot be without the other, as I have previously written in Hosannas and Palm Branches and elsewhere.

Today’s text, an excerpt from a song Moses sang to the Children of Israel, is a microcosm of God’s Word. It is Law and Gospel, condemnation and forgiveness, accusation and vindication. Here, He threatens false God’s and the people who follow them with destruction. He also promises to restore Israel from the depths of spiritual depravity into which they will all too willingly hurl themselves.

God also vindicates us, not because of any innate righteousness we possess but for the sake of His Son who died for us. He sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the cross and forgives us through His blood. He put us to death in Baptism, drowning our old Adam, and raised us out of these waters to new life in Christ.

He spoke to Israel through Moses and now speaks to us through Scripture and through its proclamation by faithful pastors in preaching and the Absolution. He fed Israel manna and quail and led them to fresh water and feeds us His Son’s body and blood in Holy Communion while refreshing us with Jesus, the Water of Life.

Text: “For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free.

“Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection!

“‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.’” Deuteronomy 32:36-39

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 Killed and Made Alive.

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: John 12:12-19 (Processional Gospel); Psalm 118:19-29 or 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22:1-23:56 or Luke 23:1-56 or John 12:20-43

See Aardvark Alley for more on Palm Sunday.

Tags: Sunday of the Passion | Palm Sunday | Holy Week | Christology | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | kill | make alive | death | life | vindication | Baptism | Communion | Absolution | 1 April 2012 | April 1, 2012 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Deuteronomy 32 | lectionary | sermon | preaching | text | theme | Killed and Made Alive | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Sixth Wednesday of Lent

Wednesday 20 March AD 2013

Title: Lion Unleashed (MP3 Audio)

Summary: Amaziah, Jeroboam, and the rest of Israel tired of hearing Amos’s indictments. They wanted him to go off to Judah and earn his living prophesying there. Little did they know that Amos wasn’t in it for the money. The Word of the Lord filled him and the only relief was its release. His was the voice but the message was the roar of God’s wrath.

Perhaps the precursors of some of the characters in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, the Israelites wanted a “tame” lion, one who would do their bidding, defend their nation, and otherwise leave them alone. They wanted nothing to do with the One who would be their everlasting King.

Rejecting the call for repentance, Israel brought judgment upon itself. We must be mindful that the God who spoke through Amos is our God also. He still hates sin and promises doom to those who reject His Son. Yet this Son, the Lion of Judah, is also the Lamb of God slain for us. His roaring threats are intended not to drive us away but to drive us to our knees that we might be ready to hear Him say, “Your sins are forgiven. You are at peace with God.”

Text: Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’”

And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.

“You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’

“Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’” Amos 7:10-17

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 Lion Unleashed, 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 43; John 18:12-24

Tags: Lent | midweek | Restore the Roar | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | lion | lamb | Amaziah | Jeroboam | judgment | forgiveness | 20 March 2013 | March 20, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Christian Church | Amos 7 | sermon | text | theme | topic | Lion Unleashed | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Fifth Wednesday of Lent

Wednesday 13 March AD 2013

Title: A Plague Averted (MP3 Audio)

Summary: Plague! How seldom do we realize the severity of this word! The Lord was threatening a plague of locusts that would destroy both the early and the late crops, leaving Israel starving for at least the following year. He followed that up with the threat of fire which would scorch the land bare.

Yet in both, He relented. He did so out of His own love and for the sake of the prophet’s heartfelt intercession.

God likewise threatens all sinners — us included — with death and damnation. These plagues are more severe than locusts or even fire, for they are unending although deserved punishments for our sin.

However, out of His love, He sent His Son to take the burden of these plagues upon Himself and established Him as our Intercessor. Jesus prayed for us while on earth, as tonight’s Gospel gives beautiful illustration. He continues His intercession on our behalf after His ascension as He constantly asks His Father to deal with us in mercy and not in wrath.

Text: This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.

When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, “O Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!”

The Lord relented concerning this: “It shall not be,” said the Lord.

This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. Then I said, “O Lord God, please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!”

The Lord relented concerning this: “This also shall not be,” said the Lord God. Amos 7:1-6

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 A Plague Averted, 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 16; John 17:20-26

Tags: Lent | midweek | Restore the Roar | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | locusts | plague | destruction | intercession | judgment | mercy | 13 March 2013 | March 13, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Christian Church | Amos 7 | sermon | text | theme | topic | A Plague Averted | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Lent 4C (OT)

Sunday 10 March AD 2013

Title: God’s Wrath Turned Away (MP3 Audio)

Summary: God cannot ignore sin nor neglect imposing its consequences. To do so would be counter to His nature and to His Word. We know that “the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)” and that “the soul who sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4)” Yet instead of fleeing Him in terror, we joyfully greet Him, thanking Him for finding us.

Is this because we’ve found some marvelous way to make amends for our sins? Not hardly! Have we somehow tricked Him into believing that we’re holier that we are? Nope! Have we discovered how to distract Him from noticing our many and most vile iniquities? Not in the least!

We joyfully and fearlessly accept and embrace God’s claim on us because we don’t fear His anger. We know that His righteous wrath was poured out on His only begotten Son. Our death became Christ’s death so His life might be ours. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” not only did it mean that His work was complete; it also testified that the Father’s wrath was spent.

Now we trust and are not afraid. Now we thank and praise the God of our salvation. Now we embrace the Lord, our strength and our song.

Text: You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.

“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 12:1-6

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 God’s Wrath Turned Away, preached to the saints of God at Grace Lutheran Church, Lexington, 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 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Tags: Lent 4 | 4th Sunday in Lent | Fourth Sunday in Lent | Three Year Lectionary | 3 Year Lectionary | Series C | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | salvation | strength | song | wrath | anger | joy | forgiveness | 10 March 2013 | March 10, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Christian Church | Isaiah 12 | sermon | text | theme | topic | God’s Wrath Turned Away | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

Sermon: Fourth Wednesday of Lent

Wednesday 6 March AD 2013

Title: A Wake for Joseph (MP3 Audio)

Summary: As they continued to revel in their excesses, enriching themselves at the expense of the poor and downtrodden, the elite of Israel had no idea that their celebrations were actually the beginnings of a funeral meal. The parties were, in reality, a wake for the coming demise of Joseph’s heirs and the doom of the Northern Kingdom.

Text: [The Lord said,] “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!

“Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory, O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence?

“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

“Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.” Amos 6:1-7

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 A Wake for Joseph, 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 27; John 7:37-43

Tags: Lent | midweek | Restore the Roar | Jesus | Jesus Christ | Christ | Law | Law and Gospel | Gospel | funeral | wake | celebration | luxury | feast | party | judgment | justice | 6 March 2013 | March 6, 2013 | Lutheranism | Lutheran | Church | Christian | Christianity | Christian Church | Amos 6 | sermon | text | theme | topic | A Wake for Joseph | audio | mp3 | Pastor Snyder | Pastor Walter Snyder | Walter Snyder | Ask the Pastor | Happenings

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