David and Goliath. Christ and the Devil. This ancient battle takes on new meaning in light of the salvation that Jesus accomplished during this most holy of weeks. I offer here a translation of 1 Samuel 17, some notes on … Continue reading
April 9, 2017 — Palm Sunday Sermon Text — John 12:12-19 Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN! Our text for this morning’s sermon is taken from … Continue reading
Lutheran Reflections on The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation by Rod Dreher Rev. John A. Frahm III Rod Dreher is senior editor of The American Conservative magazine. He was an adult convert to Roman Catholicism … Continue reading
In the worship wars, one of the alleged reasons for abandoning the historic liturgy is to make worship relevant. We want application of the Gospel in ways that connect with people. Dear friends, the historic liturgy is like a many-layered … Continue reading
I have been married for over 15 years and a pastor now for over 5 years. In my vocations, as a husband and as a pastor, I have read a lot of books on marriage over the years. I can … Continue reading
Monergism of Grace and the Lord’s Supper Rev. John A. Frahm III In our context “monergism” means the “sole working” of Christ in giving His gifts and fulfilling the promises of His institution of the Lord’s Supper of His body and … Continue reading
March 5, 2017 — Lent 1 Sermon Text — Matthew 4:1-11 Felling the Dragon Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN! Our text for this morning’s sermon … Continue reading
Editor’s Note: To understand what is meant by “Trinitarian Theology” in this post, please see Part 2. Having traced the journey of Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack, and his main character, Mackenzie Phillips, from the pain of their Great … Continue reading
Restoring and Paying Forward the Lutheran Chorales: An Item for Reformation Repentance Rev. John A. Frahm III When Luther nailed the 95 Theses up on the church door in Wittenberg, he nailed them not on someone else’s church but his own. … Continue reading
Monergism of the Third Article and Evangelism Methods Rev. John A Frahm III The modern history of the LCMS is rife with a sundry of evangelism programs, many of which look to be “Lutheranized” versions (or so it is said) … Continue reading
I am a post-Evangelical adult convert to confessional Lutheranism, something I’m content to wear on my sleeve. My journey out of Evangelicalism was a long, difficult road of seeking to make sense of some tough situations in life. I resonate very … Continue reading
Originally, the Augsburg Confession was not the core of catholic (universal) doctrine which we possess today. The original plan, named the Torgau articles, was to treat the following subjects: Human doctrines and ordinances, Marriage of Priests, Both Kinds, Mass, Confession, … Continue reading
Editors Note – I received this small snippet from a friend – The volume (Walther’s Pastoral Theology) it belongs to is coming out in early 2017 and will be quite a gift to the whole English speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church. … Continue reading
Dear Readers, With a modestly successful string of slubberish and solecistic posts, scrawling for BJS since its start in 2008, it’s time for me to stow my inkwell. I told my wife a while back that I was going to … Continue reading
Lutherans in Africa (LIA) has been on a steady growth rate since its founding a few years ago. Just in the last year steps have been taken to add another missionary to the team and land has been purchased and … Continue reading
“An Eternal Gospel to Reclaim and Proclaim” (Revelation 14:6-7; Romans 3:19-28) It was 499 years ago tomorrow, on October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther nailed Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, thus beginning the movement … Continue reading
Editor’s Note: I have asked the debate participants to provide some final thoughts about their debate experience. Below is what Dr. Montgomery provided. I want to thank both Dr. Kloha and Dr. Montgomery for participating. I think it has advanced … Continue reading
I would like to give some thoughts concerning what we often refer to as the simul, short for simul iustus et peccator, “at the same time righteous and sinner.” When we think of this paradox we might think of Romans … Continue reading
St. Paul makes the distinction between justification before men and justification before God in Romans chapter 4. He says that Abraham had reason for boasting by being justified by his works, but not before God. He did have reason to … Continue reading
Dr. Martin Luther of blessed and holy memory writes in his Galatians lectures saying, “The call, therefore, is not to be despised. For it is not sufficient if a man has the Word and the pure doctrine. Hs must also … Continue reading
Not long ago in a discussion in an online Lutheran group, one father did a manly thing. He admitted he was scared in his role as father. He said, “Nothing scares me quite like teaching my children.” Hallelujah! I told … Continue reading
General comments The “Central Thought” could be helpful but the questions involved in this section turns the focus on the student’s experience of the Law rather than what God says in the Law. Perhaps the questions could be combined towards … Continue reading
Jesus is on the move. He has been ever since His descent from the Mount of Transfiguration. He’s heading south, making His way to Jerusalem. The bridegroom is coming. This is His advent. He is flanked by His attendants, friends of the bridegroom who delight in His voice, while He cries out to the highways and byways, to the crowds and multitudes, the scribes and Pharisees, to Jew and Gentile, sinner and tax collector in order to fill the wedding hall. Thus our Savior’s steps are marked by love and the desire for your salvation. So your God is on the move to redeem the world from sin, death, devil and hell.
Continue readingOctober 2, 2016 – Proper 22 Sermon Text — Luke 17:1-10 Sermon Audio — https://steadfastlutherans.org/clips/sikora/Dr._Sikora,_10-2-16,__Scandal_.m4a Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN! Our text for this morning’s … Continue reading
“Jesus Receives, Rejoices over, and Restores Sinners” (Luke 15:1-10; 1 Timothy 1:5-17) Jesus receives sinners. Do you qualify? If so, great, I’ve got good news for you today. Or do you think you’re not that bad of a sinner? Well, … Continue reading