Closed Communion: Repentance and Faith

When a pastor practices Closed Communion, he is simply teaching repentance. Introduction In the FL/GA District, I’ve often heard pastors say, “We [the LC–MS] practice ‘close’…

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Sermon — Pr. Tony Sikora — Carried by His Word from the Wilderness to the Rail

Without words we would be forever lost. It is words that brought creation into being. It is words that condemned sin and the works of the devil. And it is words that restored Adam and His descendants through the promised Messiah. Without words, especially God’s Word we would be forever lost, forever hiding in the bushes, forever captivated and held captive by our sins. And so it is with Words that the God who made the heavens, the earth, and all therein, gives to us new life. Words give us life because God’s Word give us God’s life, the life of His Son, who comes to us and carries us along. The Word who was in the beginning with God has become flesh and dwelt among us. It is God’s Word in the Jordan sanctifying the waters of baptism as a lavish flood that washes away sin. It is God’s Word in the wilderness casting Satan away. It is God’s Word that heals the sick, enlightens eyes, opens ears and loosens tongues, even raises the dead. God’s grace comes to us through His Words and without His Words we would be lost forever.

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