Sunday Sermons
Messiah Lutheran Church - Lincoln, Nebraska
Each Sunday, a message from God is preached through the pastors at Messiah Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. If you were in worship and want to revisit the sermon, this podcast is for you. It's also great for those who couldn't be at worship or want to share God's Word with others.
Episodes
When the means of grace is practiced - the gift of absolution.
Both Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are means of God’s grace. But also important is the practice of confession and absolution. Forgiveness is a gift that allows us to live freely as God’s sons and daughters. Forgiveness releases us from the impossible task of justifying ourselves. The Law tells the truth about us: we are sinners who cannot save ourselves. But the Gospel tells the greater truth: God has justified sinners through Christ. Therefore, in confession, we are free to stop hiding; in absolution, we are free to stop carrying our guilt; and in faith, we are free to stop trying to earn God's love. Christ has done it. We are forgiven. And because we are forgiven, we are free - not to live for ourselves - but free to live in love for God and our neighbor.
The Importance of Law and Gospel in a Christian’s life.
The Way of Wisdom vs. The Way of Folly
Wisdom (personified as a woman), offers a gracious invitation to all who live apart from the life she longs to bring. Opposite is Folly (also personified as a woman) who strives to seduce people away from the truth of God and His Word. NOTE: Jesus addresses this theme at the end of the Sermon of the Mount when He shares the difference between the wise and foolish builder, both of which having to do with how a person responds to God’s Word.
The Blessings of Wisdom
Practical Warnings for Living Wisely
Wise Instruction
To Live Wisely is to Have Trust in the Lord
The Value of Wisdom
The Blueprint of Wisdom
Provide an introduction to the book of Proverbs while helping hearers understand what a biblical understanding of wisdom is, keeping in mind that true wisdom is from the Lord. Look to define hokma (wisdom) and the foundational concept of the "fear of the Lord." NOTE: Solomon’s introduction is helpful in reminding us of the difference between true wisdom and the wisdom of the world.
Living in the Battlefield
The Power of Prayer in Spiritual Warfare
How Do I Fight the Enemy?
Preparing For Battle
Winning the War of the Mind
The Battlefield of the Heart
Idolatry is fundamentally related to spiritual warfare as it represents the core mechanism used by spiritual enemies to divert human devotion from God, creating footholds for demonic influence and breaking the covenant with God. It is viewed as "spiritual adultery" and a voluntary submission to enemy forces rather than to God.
Knowing the Authority of Christ
Why is it important that we know that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus? And what does this mean for our everyday lives as followers of Jesus?
Knowing Your Real Enemy
Antifragility of Christianity
Why do we rejoice in suffering? In our weakness - Christ is strong.
The Unknown Reality of the Invisible War
What is biblical spiritual warfare? What does the Bible say spiritual warfare is? And what does it mean to live in victory, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God?
Why do we need the Holy Spirit?
What does the Holy Spirit do?
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Father, Son, and Holy Who? The third person in the Trinity, who has been named the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit, is somewhat overlooked. Yet we can’t have God’s power within us without Him. Together, we’ll explore what God’s Word says about the role His Spirit plays in our lives, starting with the basics: Who is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do? And why do we need the Holy Spirit in our lives? May God’s Spirit fill our hearts and minds as He leads us closer to our Heavenly Father and equips us in joining Jesus in His redemptive mission.
Saul’s Conversion
Jesus’ Ascension
On the Road to Emmaus
Jesus and Peter
Doubting Thomas
Jesus (the Lion) offers Himself as the sacrificial lamb
Jesus stands between us and our accusers = grace
Do you want to be healed? Your life will be different.
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria (we all have a past)
Jesus and Nicodemus (even the religious need Jesus)
Wedding at Cana
Celebrating Hearts and Treasures
Digging into the Gospel of Matthew to unpack where your heart is there your treasure will be.
What does the New Testament teach about giving
Hearts and Treasures
What is the tithe? / tee up Matthew’s Gospel about hearts and treasures (NOTE: Jesus came not to do away with the Old Testament, but to fulfill it)
New Hearts
God is working towards creating a new people, living within a new covenant relationship, having new hearts made alive in Christ Jesus through the work of His Holy Spirit.
Clean Hearts
God’s plan is to give His people a new heart with a new Spirit. Consider a look back to David’s prayer in Psalm 51 where he asks God to give him a clean heart. David also asks that God not remove His Spirit from him.
God’s Heart
The first mention of heart in the Bible is God seeing how the inclinations are evil all the time. His plan is to create in His people a new heart. This shows God’s heart for His treasured people. From the very beginning (Genesis 1 and 2) God has had a heart for His people to be made in His image, having His heart.
Veteran's Day
All Saint's Day
Praise to our Redeeming God, our Rock and our Fortress.
From the first verse to the last, Psalm 18 is all about how God gives us the strength to face anything. Psalm 18 begins: To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said… Psalm 18, like so many of the psalms, repeatedly calls God a refuge, because we so constantly need it. When David says in the opening words of the psalm, “I love You, Lord,” he uses an unusual Hebrew word that conveys deep emotion and passion. May we, like David, consider how God delivered us (and continues to deliver us) through Christ our redeemer. Lord, help us to remember that our salvation in Christ is complete. The great work is already done. The great debt has already been paid. No matter what we face, may we put our trust in You. For this we praise You, O Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Praise the Lord who loves us to the end.
Praising God’s most holy name.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
Discipleship Pathway: Unleashed to CELEBRATE
God’s Word leads us to celebrate His story being lived out in the world. As we live out the Good News of Jesus, we want to tell the story of what it looks like when the people of Messiah are engaged in God’s Word every day and joining Jesus on His mission. It’s then with joy that we celebrate God adding to our family those being saved.
Discipleship Pathway: Unleashed to WITNESS
God’s Word calls us to give witness to the good news of Jesus. Through the work of the Holy Spirit we are called to give witness to the good news of Jesus. As we live out God’s Word in the everyday places of life, we can share with others the reason for the hope that we have in Christ. NOTE: IN ACTS 2, THE DISCIPLES ARE LIVING OUT JESUS’ INVITATION TO BE HIS WITNESSES. IT’S STARTING IN JERUSALEM. AND WHAT THEY ARE GIVING WITNESS TO IS WHAT THEY THEMSELVES ARE WITNESSING.
Discipleship Pathway: Unleashed to SERVE
God’s Word equips us to serve Him by serving others. Whether it’s serving within our Messiah family, engaging our community, or reaching out to the world; we want people to experience what Jesus means when He says that He didn’t come to be served but to serve. Everyone is gifted by God and can discover his or her part in the body of Christ.
Messiah Unleashed: Discipleship Pathway: Unleashed to GROW
God’s Word helps us grow as followers of Jesus. At Messiah we believe in being a 3/3’s church. By that we mean all ages - in God’s Word - everyday. Through study of God’s Word people of all ages can grow in faith as followers of Jesus.