This sermon was preached on December 3rd (my little sister's birthday!) at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Bridgeton Missouri. Special thanks to Roy Anders for his faithful and skilled work at getting these babies up on the website so quickly!
NB
The audio is muffled for about the first 10-20 seconds, but gets clear after that.
The LORD's Eternal Covenant with David
From the Prophet Jeremiah, chapter 33:14-16
14"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Collect for the First Sunday in Advent, Lutheran Service Book.
2 comments:
Please help.
I cannot find God. No matter where I look, what I do, or who I talk to, I cannot see evidence for God.
Are you sure God is real?
Please provide convincing evidence.
Evidence for God's existence is everywhere. You needn't look any farther for evidence of God than the created world (now if you don't believe that the world was created, that's another problem). But you see His distinctive mark in the complexities and simplicities of creation. However, that only tells you that there is a God. You seem to be looking for comfort from the fact that there is a God. That is why He provided His revealed Word in the Bible. That revealed Word says that we are sinners. Do you see evidence of your own sinfulness? Certainly you can see evidence of the sinfulness of humanity in general? That revealed Word also shows God's great love for us in that He sent Jesus Christ to live among us as a man, to live a perfect life for us as an offering and to ultimately die for the sins of all mankind as a perfect sacrifice. That was done for you as well.
David, what it comes down to is this: I cannot change your heart. I cannot make you believe that there is a God. I cannot create faith for you on this blog, in a pulpit, or face to face. That is also the work of God through the Holy Spirit. I can bear witness to you though that the holy Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, does indeed exist and that He loves you and desires you to know Him. Get in touch with a pastor in your area to talk more about these issues. If there is anything more I can do to help, please let me know.
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