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October 1, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: Daily Prayers: Asking a blessing & Returning ThanksDaily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 2:16-37; Matthew 6:16-34The eyes of all look to You, O LORD, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. (Ps. 145: 15–16) (Luther's Small Catechism “Asking a Blessing”)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.As we've been discussing humility this week, we've talked about repentance, angels, and how we bear with one another. Today, God's Word helps us consider the Gift of prayer in our lives.Prayer is part of the life of God's people. We should pray at all times and in all places (Luke 18:1, 1 Timothy 2:8). Perhaps you pray every morning and evening during family devotions. You pray at the beginning or end of personal devotions. Before every meal, you pray, as the Small Catechism teaches us. Creating a continual habit of prayer is good. God desires to hear your prayers, and Jesus even taught His disciples how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). Prayer is also a good exercise in humility.If you could do whatever you wanted, you wouldn't ask anyone for anything. You'd never need to look to anybody else for help or call on someone in every trouble. Definitely, you wouldn't need to praise anyone, since you'd be able to do everything alone. Of course, you know you can't do everything. Prayer reminds us of this every time. When we ask for a blessing, we remember God is the one we're looking to. God alone is in control of every single moment and minute of this marvelous miracle called life. Before we eat, we remember that this food is a gift from God Himself, who has opened His hand to satisfy our desires and the desires of every living thing. You're humbling yourself to acknowledge how God is satisfying your desires. God is taking care of every living being, true enough, but take a moment and realize how amazing it is that God is taking care of you in this moment of prayer. He has put the food on your table. Not only does God know you need food, but God has provided for you in this moment. Prayer is humility in action, and it's a good discipline to practice at all times and in all places. May you continually look to God in prayer, who provides the needs of body and soul through your daily bread, but most importantly in His Word and Sacraments.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“Hear us, dear Father, when we pray For needed help from day to day That as Your children we may live, Whom you baptized and so received” (LSB 865:3)Rev. Miguel Gonzalez-Feliciano, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Klinger and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Readlyn, IA. Tackle the book of Revelation and discover both the promise and challenge of the end times in this new volume in the Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series. Dive into the wide breadth of information available in the Concordia Commentary series with this new line of Bible studies. Each volume covers one of the Concordia Commentaries to help break up deep, theological content into easy-to-digest sections.

September 30, 2026Today's Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:37-2:15; Matthew 6:1-15“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,” (Ephesians 4:1-2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.As we've been going through the Word this past week, we've been examining the virtue of humility. Today, God's Word leads us to consider how humility helps us in our relationships.People are complicated and frustrating. You've worked on a class project all week, but one member of the group shows up on the day of the presentation completely unprepared. When you thought you did a great job on a paper, it comes back covered in red marks. Your brothers and sisters are getting on your nerves for the ten-thousandth time. While you were doing okay, your parents seemed judgmental. Sometimes, your own thoughts and self-talk are awful, as even you seem to be your own worst enemy. People can be frustrating, and the world's answer is to simply cut them off, make yourself feel better, and only do what makes you happy. It's tempting some days more than others, but it's a lie. This lie is the call of pride, which makes you see the faults of others while you seem so perfect. The call of pride says, “When you make mistakes, there was a reason for it,” or “You know better.”Dear Christian, you've been called to something more.By the Holy Spirit, you're a Christian. In your Baptism, the pastor put the sign of the cross upon your forehead and your heart to mark you as one for whom Christ was crucified. You have the name of Christ on you; do not take that lightly. Called, gathered, and kept by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel, you aren't meant to walk in the ways of the world. Pride makes you think you're so high and mighty when others make mistakes, but humility and the Word of God remind us of our own sin. You are complicated and frustrating. You make mistakes, get on your siblings' nerves, and are judgmental. Lord, have mercy. Humility and gentleness should mark our attitudes as we are patient with one another, bearing with each other in love. Humility helps you to esteem others more highly than yourself (Philippians 2:3). Humility helps you to remember your own imperfections and helps you bear with the faults of others. This is what it means to walk with Jesus in the manner He's called us. May God bless you as you, through the Holy Spirit, seek to walk in the manner of a Child of God and follow His Word humbly and gently. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“Forgive we now each other's faults As we our faults confess, And let us love each other well In Christian holiness” (LSB 845:3)Rev. Miguel Gonzalez-Feliciano, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Klinger and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Readlyn, IA. Tackle the book of Revelation and discover both the promise and challenge of the end times in this new volume in the Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series. Dive into the wide breadth of information available in the Concordia Commentary series with this new line of Bible studies. Each volume covers one of the Concordia Commentaries to help break up deep, theological content into easy-to-digest sections.

September 28, 2026Today's Reading: Proverbs 25:6-14Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 1:1-18; Matthew 5:1-20“Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, ‘Come up here,' than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” (Proverbs 25:6-7)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Throughout the book of Proverbs, God gives His people wisdom regarding humility. This week, God's Word offers an opportunity to reflect on humility as defined by God. Today, we focus on repentance as a Gift of humility given by the King.There is only one King. God Himself is the Maker of the universe and is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. Here, many of us trip up because of our Old Adam. Simply put, we don't like being told what to do. This is the sin we've inherited from Adam and Eve, who rebelled at the urging of Satan to be “like God” (Genesis 3:5). Rebelling against God, Adam and Eve sought a “higher” place than what they'd already been given. Pride blinded them to the fact that God had already put them as the crown jewel of creation! Yet, it wasn't enough. The tempting serpent led them to rebel against God as they put themselves forward to stand in the place of the Greatest King. Afterward, they try to hide, but are called to account for their sin. Finally, Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden, far away from their previous place of honor as “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”(Proverbs 16:18). This is the sin you've inherited, along with all mankind. Own up to the fact that this sin is a deadly sin that infects our thoughts, words, and deeds. Repent of pride, which is always present in our lives. Confess and receive the Absolution of the King. In our confession, we place ourselves rightly in the order of the universe; we admit what we deserve as we petition the King for mercy. God gives it freely and richly. Repentance is that gift of Spirit: humility. Through the Holy Spirit, cultivate a repentant heart, read God's Word, see how the King establishes the universe, and acknowledge how far we fall short. The Holy Spirit enables you to desire the better things God has for you, not what your sinful heart chases after. Repent, believe in the Gospel, and follow the King.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“To Thee, omniscient Lord of all, In grief and shame I humbly call; I see my sins against Thee, Lord, The sins of thought, and deed, and word. They press me Sore; I cry to Thee: O God, be merciful to me!” (LSB 613:1)Rev. Miguel Gonzalez-Feliciano, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Klinger and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Readlyn, IA. Tackle the book of Revelation and discover both the promise and challenge of the end times in this new volume in the Concordia Commentary Bible Study Series. Dive into the wide breadth of information available in the Concordia Commentary series with this new line of Bible studies. Each volume covers one of the Concordia Commentaries to help break up deep, theological content into easy-to-digest sections.

Send Us a Message or Fan Mail| Preacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.

Title: All Things in Christ Text: Ephesians 1:7-10 FCF: We often struggle praising God for the enormity of His redemption plan. Prop: Because The Father has crafted and revealed a cosmic redemption plan for all creation in Christ, we must praise the Father. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Ephesians chapter 1. In a moment we'll read from the Legacy Standard Bible starting in verse 7 and going to verse 10. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. Last week, we discussed the first of God's Spiritual blessings He blessed us with. God predetermined to make a family for Himself by adopting as sons those whom He chooses to put into Christ, His firstborn Son, and to share all the promises of that covenant. God did this according to His good will to us and in His love and so that we would praise Him for His abounding grace. But before we move on from this, I want to adjust the temperature level on last week's sermon. It was clearly put forward as a sermon that would be confrontational. I knew that going in. I think I did my best to defend my interpretation of the scriptures. However, I do want to submit two things to you. First, if you aren't convinced or if you don't quite see it my way yet – that's ok. We can grow together in this. And even if we never see eye to eye. That's ok too, as long as we pursue peace and fellowship regardless. Second, I did make a point that seemed to say that disagreeing with me would be disagreeing with God. However, I want to add nuance to that. My intention was to keep us from spending all our time debating the topic rather than praising God for His work in salvation. And my intention with that comment specifically was to try to help those who might initially disagree with what was said, not to dismiss everything in the sermon and even to entertain the possibility that they could be wrong. With that being said, thankfully, the sermon today, I think, will be much less confrontational. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: All wise and knowing Father, You have declared the end from the beginning. You have determined what you will do and you will bring it to pass. Never has such a doctrine affected us so, as to the established plan and decree of redemption. You have set out a marvelous and mysterious plan to redeem and forgive sins. And at the center of this plan, You have foreordained Your Son to be its head. Glorious and all gracious Father, may we as Your people praise You today for the grace you have lavished on us in this cosmic plan for reconciliation. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “No creature that deserved redemption would need to be redeemed.” C.S. Lewis “The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.” C.H. Spurgeon [Slide 3] “If I had the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the meekness of Moses, the strength of Samson, the obedience of Abraham, the compassion of Joseph, the tears of Jeremiah, the poetic skill of David, the prophetic voice of Elijah, the courage of Daniel, the greatness of John the Baptist, and the endurance of Paul, I would still need redemption through Christ's blood, the forgiveness of sin.” R.I. Wheeler [Slide 4] “There can be no thought of “cheap” forgiveness when we remember that our redemption cost God the life of His beloved Son.” Geoffrey B. Wilson May these words help prepare our minds for the exposition of the text this morning. I.) The Father's riches of grace secured our redemption through Christ's atonement, so we must praise the Father. a. [Slide 5] 7 - In Him i. The section we are beginning in this doxological eulogy has not quite turned to Christ just yet. Paul is still talking about God the Father. ii. However, rather than seeing what the Father HAS blessed us with in the past, now Paul turns to what the Father is blessing us with in the present. iii. The preposition “in” again is referring to a location. iv. But the pronoun “him” must be referring to Jesus based on the context. v. Once again Paul is relaying to us the Spiritual benefits The Father gives us by uniting us to Christ. vi. So, what other Spiritual benefits has The Father blessed us with? b. [Slide 6] we have redemption through His blood, i. Let's begin with the preposition through. It is describing to us the means or the path by which we have this next benefit. ii. It is by the means of Christ's blood, which is certainly talking about His sacrificial atoning death on the cross, which has secured for us this benefit. iii. Much like we see the sacrifices in the Old Testament being the means God used to cover or pass over the sins of His people. However, our benefit is not a covering or a passing over… iv. The benefit is redemption. v. Before we define redemption, it is important to see that this particular benefit is not something that God did in the past for us. Rather this particular benefit is something we HAVE. Present tense. The Greek present tense emphasizes the action happening at the time of writing and usually implies a continuous effect. vi. So, what does it mean we have redemption in Christ? vii. Redemption is a legal term indicating that we have been released, delivered, or ransomed. viii. Depending on the context we could see either a simple deliverance from bondage or the paying of a ransom price in order to secure that redemption. ix. Since both are taught in scripture, I think you can land on either side, but we should not see Christ's blood as the payment itself. x. If it were, Paul would have said “with” His blood and not “through” His blood. xi. His blood is a metaphor for the payment for sin, which is death. And the payment of that ransom was not paid to Satan, but was rather the cost of freeing us from our bondage to sin and Satan. xii. Sin and Satan trapped us because we were estranged to God. Christ's death brought peace with God and release from Sin and Satan. xiii. This is made even more clear in the next statement. c. [Slide 7] the forgiveness of our transgressions, i. This phrase is called appositional. What that means it that it serves to rename or re-word what was previously stated. ii. What is our redemption through His blood? iii. It is forgiveness of our transgressions. iv. We should not see forgiveness as if our transgressions are simply forgotten or ignored. Forgiveness is more of a financial term here, where the debts are paid by someone else. v. It has the idea of a formal release or pardon. vi. The reason for the release or pardon is because someone paid the debt we owed. Namely, Christ. Therefore, since the payment has been made, we are free to go. vii. But what caused our debt? viii. It is our transgressions. ix. Transgressions here is the idea of a wrongdoing, a false step, an offense, or a blunder. x. Paul uses this term and others to describe sin in general. There may be subtle nuances between the different words Paul uses, but we see him use words almost interchangeably in similar constructions throughout the New Testament. xi. Christ's atonement and sacrificial death on the cross specifically redeems and forgives us of the debt we had accrued toward God because of our sins. xii. Paul says elsewhere that the wages of sin is death. Therefore, the deliverance or the ransom paid to God for our sins against Him is to God to cancel our debt and free us. xiii. Christ's death secured our deliverance. xiv. Why would God do this? d. [Slide 8] according to the riches of His grace i. According to here is once again showing us the source of all that has been done. ii. What source led to Christ's sacrifice to redeem and forgive us for our sins? iii. It is none other than the riches of His grace. iv. “His” here is difficult to determine. We are a good way away from Paul talking about God the Father. v. We could see this as the Triune God, although that would be even more “out of left field.” vi. The most recent subject would have been Jesus Christ. vii. Certainly, Jesus can show riches in grace. viii. However, contextually, since Paul has not quite finished praising the Father, it seems better to see this as the grace of the Father. ix. And so, God the Father's uniting us to Christ in His atonement as the means to forgive and release us from our sin debt, flows out of His abundant grace toward us. x. And so once again, it comes back to the grace of the Father. His powerful favor He gives to us, His people, enabling us to do what we could never do for ourselves. e. [Slide 9] Summary of the Point: Paul's primary point is to turn to the here and now. What Spiritual benefits do we have presently from the Father? In this, Paul reveals that out of the riches of grace of the Father, He has secured our redemption and forgiveness through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ, His Son. God has given His powerful favor to do what we could not do and atone for our sins and secure our pardon. God has released us from sin and death by providing the atonement and payment for our sins. Is there any other response that a believer can offer to this, than praising God? Transition: [Slide 10 (blank)] But providing to us a redemption is not the only Spiritual blessing the Father has given in His grace that we enjoy today. What else has God's grace done for us? II.) The Father's abounding grace has made known to us His redemption plan in Christ, so we must praise the Father. a. [Slide 11] 8 - which He caused to abound to us i. Still speaking of the Father's grace, Paul continues on his quest to show how praiseworthy God is for His blessing us. ii. Literally the Greek text says, “Which abounded to us” iii. Because this is a little weird sounding in English, many translations including the LSB add a word to try to help. “Which He made to abound”, or “which He richly poured,” or as here “caused to abound.” iv. All of this is an attempt to bring the thought over to English readers. v. But we get the idea, mostly because Paul has already talked about how God has lavished His grace on us. vi. However, the way in which He has done so is different here as he continues. b. [Slide 12] in all wisdom and insight, i. Scholars are fairly divided over how to read this. There are basically three ideas. 1. First, that God sourced our redemption in His grace which He abounded to us with His wisdom and insight. Meaning that this provides the motive or the manner in which God gave us grace and redemption. a. God is most certainly all wise and discerning. b. His plan of redemption reflects masterful planning and execution that certainly baffles the minds of men and angels. c. This is an attractive option because it refers back to what He has already said about the predestination, election, and redemption of His people. d. However, I'm not fully convinced that Paul is talking about that necessarily. 2. A second idea goes forward, in that God's wisdom and insight has made known to us the mystery of His will. a. This would mean that God uses his divine wisdom and discernment by making known to us what His cosmic plans are. b. This is an attractive option because this is more or less what Paul prays for the church in Ephesus in verse 15-22 of chapter 1. c. However, I'm not fully convinced of this one either. 3. A third option is that these are actually further Spiritual benefits to those whom God has redeemed. a. This would mean that God has actually given wisdom and insight to us in order that we would know and understand God's eternal purpose in redemption. b. And also, that we would know and understand God future plans for our redemption. c. This has the advantage of looking back and forward in the context of Ephesians. d. This is the interpretation that I will preach from, but know that the others are fully biblical views as well. ii. God the Father's grace was given in abundance to us in that He has given us wisdom, which is the use of knowledge and experience. iii. His grace has also given us insight, which is our capacity for rational thought, inference, or discernment. iv. But it is not simply these gifts, because in some ways He has given these things to all men as image bearers. v. Instead, these gifts are especially abounded in grace so that we would know, experience, and understand what He makes known to us… c. [Slide 13] 9 - making known to us the mystery of His will, i. Making known is another circumstantial participle which conveys to us that this making known is related to God's causing of grace to abound to us. ii. In other words, it is directly connected to His grace given. iii. In His abounding grace He has given us wisdom and insight by making known to us the mystery. iv. Mystery refers to a divine secret or secret doctrine. v. Today, we would be very wary of “secret doctrines” because the scriptural canon has been closed and we believe that the fullest revelation of God's Word to us is in Jesus Christ. vi. But Paul writes of that very thing happening. That Christ came and revealed doctrines that were veiled in the Old Testament that are now unveiled. vii. But what is the mystery of God's will? viii. Scholars almost unanimously agree that this points us back to God's plan to save His people. ix. Paul is again referencing what he has discussed in verses 3-8. x. This mystery which was not fully known, has been made known to us. xi. God's grace abounded to us, giving us wisdom and insight to understand this divine mystery of God adopting us and choosing us in Christ, redeeming and forgiving our sins through Christ's atonement. xii. The only reason we even learn about God's plan is because God reveals it to us. Without God revealing it… none would ever know it. xiii. But what is the motive that God had in making His mysterious will known to us? d. [Slide 14] according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him i. God has revealed it to us out of His good pleasure. ii. God was delighted to make this mystery known to us. iii. The next phrase, “which He purposed in Him”, is difficult to understand. iv. First, we must understand that this is connected to God the Father's good pleasure. Whatever follows is related to the Father's delight. v. Second, we must deal with the meaning of the word purposed. vi. Purposed means to set before, usually meant to set before someone for consideration as the reason or purpose. We could even say, established. vii. However, it is in the middle voice meaning God does this for or to Himself. viii. Paul then adds “in Him” at the end of this which could be talking about Christ or it could be talking about the Father in which case it would take a reflexive meaning… in Himself. ix. It seems best to take this “in Him” as talking about Christ specifically. This makes good sense in the context. x. So, what does this little phrase mean? xi. God delighted to reveal His mysterious redemption plan which He determined or established in Christ. Christ becomes the focal point of this plan which the Father is delighted to reveal to us. e. [Slide 15] Summary of the Point: Before, Paul showed us that The Father's riches of grace provided redemption and forgiveness to us by Christ's sacrificial and atoning death on the cross. But the Father's abounding grace also has given us wisdom and understanding making known to us His mysterious redemption plan that He has determined in Christ. And God was delighted to make this known to us. Again, I ask, what does a believer in Christ have to say to this other than, Praise the Father! Transition: [Slide 16 (blank)] But what is the purpose of God setting out this redemption plan in Christ? What is the goal? And why Christ? III.) The Father's redemption plan is for an administration with Christ as all in all, so we must praise the Father. a. [Slide 17] 10 - for an administration i. What is the overarching goal of God's redemption plan in Christ? ii. For an administration. Well, what does that mean? iii. The word administration means stewardship or management. iv. It carries the idea of the activity of managing or administrating or governing. v. This entire redemption is for the purpose of setting up a system, an economy, or an administration. vi. An administration of what? b. [Slide 18] of the fullness of the times, i. Well, what does that mean? ii. The management or the administration is of the completion or the full to capacity of the times. iii. Meaning that God's purpose in this redemption plan in Christ, is to lead to the end of all things. That all things would be complete in Him. iv. This plan started before the foundation of the world and its aim is the end of the world, and beyond. v. And what does that administration of the fullness of time look like? c. [Slide 19] that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, i. The words “that is” are not in the text but they help us to see that this is a renaming or a further explanation of the administration of the fullness of the times. ii. The purpose of this great redemption plan, with Christ as the center, is to bring all things in summary into Christ. iii. The word “summing up” is used of the summarization of a speech. In summing up a speech, you take the key points and ideas and bring them all into one sentence or paragraph, and discard the rest. There are actually applications that do this at the click of a button for us today. In this process they peel away the points that are most relevant to the document and discard what is not as relevant or is repeated. iv. Therefore, we could see this “summing up” as an ordering or a restructuring. It takes the chaos of what the world has become and brings it back into order. v. So that Christ will be all in all. That all things will be united into Christ. vi. The redemption plan God set forth in Christ is ultimately designed with the purpose to bring everything into order under Christ. vii. Everything? d. [Slide 20] things in the heavens and things on the earth in Him. i. Not just men… everything. ii. This is a cosmic plan of God that goes beyond merely the salvation of a people. iii. It includes all the realms of all creation. iv. There are both friends and enemies of God in the heavens and on the earth. v. God's mysterious redemption plan set forth in Christ, includes the whole of creation. vi. Indeed, all creation groans for that day. e. [Slide 21] Summary of the Point: Continuing the thought from before, how God's redemption extends to a mysterious plan he set up or established in Christ, Paul now shows us why. Why has God done this? It is so that this new order may come about, a new economy that will complete and subsume all of history and ultimately reorder and unite all things under Christ. So that Christ will be all in all. This is the wonderful purpose of God's mystery of redemption which He was delighted to make known to us. In hearing this glorious message, true Christians can only praise the Father for His glorious will. Conclusion: So, what have we learned this morning that refines our beliefs and guides our lifestyles? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 22] The grace of the Father is on display once again. God's powerful favor to His people to bring to them a redemption and forgiveness through His Son's sacrificial atonement for them. His grace brings us wisdom and discernment so that the mystery of His will in this plan would be made known to us. And He does all this for us because He is delighted to reveal to us a new administration that He is establishing in His Son to bring all of creation back into perfect order and harmony under Him. Wow. God's redemption plan is so much bigger than you! It is so much bigger than me. In fact, God's redemption plan… is all about Christ. What is our role as those who have believed on Christ? Is it not to praise the Father for all of these Spiritual blessings? Let me get more specific on these things. 1.) [Slide 23] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that The Father's grace was lavished on us in His providing redemption and forgiveness. a. God's Grace as we've come to see is God's powerful favor given to those whom He freely wills to enable them to be, do, and receive what they are unable and unwilling to be, do, and receive for themselves. b. The Father's grace then is meeting us in our inability. We cannot atone for our own sins. We are unable and really we are unwilling. c. Unbelievers who joke about being in the lake of fire with their friends have no concept of the unspeakable horrors of their punishment for their sins. d. And the punishment there will be eternal, implying of course that their sins will never truly be paid for, even given an eternity. e. And so, the Father has given us lavish grace to provide for us redemption and forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ. f. He has sacrificed Himself so that we might be pardoned. He has taken our shame and our guilt and our condemnation and He has given us His sonship in return. g. We were estranged from God and held captive by sin, death, and Satan. But Jesus has made peace with God by paying for our sins. All the roadblocks preventing us from being God's true children are removed by the sacrificial atoning death of Christ on the cross. h. This we must believe. 2.) [Slide 24] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that The Father's grace was lavished on us to make known to us the mystery of His will. a. In 1 Corinthians 2 we are told more of this marvelous mystery. In verses 6-16 Paul says that natural man cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. b. Which is just a long way of saying what Romans 10 says – faith comes through hearing and hearing by the Word of God. c. Not one single human being would wake up one day and understand and believe what God has said about His Son, if God had not revealed the mystery to Him. Not one. d. God must reveal this marvelous mystery. e. Lydia, dear Lydia, in Acts 16 is down by the river praying. And Luke's comment is that God opened her heart to receive the teachings of the gospel. f. What a glorious truth that God is still actively revealing this mystery today to more and more. g. May we pray and continue to pray that He would open the eyes of the blind and set captives free. 3.) [Slide 25] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that it was the Father's delight to reveal this mystery to us. a. A more glorious truth I cannot confess. b. God does not begrudgingly open the mystery of His redemption. c. Indeed, the gospel call goes to all men everywhere. d. Not just Jews but Gentiles too. e. Not just men but women also. f. Not just to those who will believe, but to those who won't too. g. The gospel call rings out. God is delighted to send His word through His disciples and He is delighted to reveal the mystery of these things to those who believe on Christ. h. What a good and patient Father who is not slow to keep His promises. His Word won't return to Him void. He will have a harvest. 4.) [Slide 26] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that The Father's only purpose in redemption, is us. a. Such is popular today. b. We fight constantly to keep man worship out of the worship of God. c. And it becomes even more challenging when we consider that the Father truly does love us. He does! d. But popular songs and teachings attempt to emphasize that God's love for us is the only motive in sending Christ as the Redeemer. e. But friends… God's cosmic plan of redemption is for ALL of creation… not even just men. f. All of creation is broken. g. Just as we are made a new creation in Christ, He is bringing a new Kingdom and a New Heaven, and a New Earth. h. Indeed, all things will be made new. i. Do not short change the Father's plan to only include our souls. Oh, it is so much bigger than that. 5.) [Slide 27] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that The Father established this redemptive plan in Christ so that all creation would be ordered in Him. a. Why would God do this? b. Philippians and Colossians will help us greatly in understanding this as we come to them. c. But for now, it is important for us to understand that the Father sent His Son to do this work. As a reward for His humiliation and obedience, Christ has been made over all Kings and all powers. d. Why is that significant? Wasn't He God before He came? e. Certainly… but now He is also man. f. How can a man sit on the throne that belongs to the Ancient of Days? How can a man sit on God's throne? g. This is how. The Father's establishment of this redemption plan in Christ ensures that all things… ALL THINGS… will be ordered and untied to Him. h. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. i. Christ will be all as all things are in Him. j. What should we do with all of this? 6.) [Slide 28] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must praise the Father for what He has done. a. Once again, Paul's words here are to illicit deepest praise from those to whom he writes. b. Paul is stringing together subordinate clause after subordinate clause in a feverish listing of all that God has done to bless us. c. And he makes no bones about it… God is praiseworthy for all of it. d. And what we've learned today only amplifies this. e. God the Father is delighted to redeem, forgive, and make known to us His mysterious plan of redemption established in Christ. A plan that will complete time and finally bring everything back into order. f. He started before the creation of the world with this plan… and it will go on… forever. g. My friends. If you are a believer here today, that is worthy of praise. 7.) [Slide 29] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God truly has declared the end from the beginning. a. Getting a peek at this today we can go back to Isaiah 46:10 and recognize that the words of the prophet are indeed true. b. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, “my counsel will be established and I will accomplish all my good pleasure.” c. Boy that sounds familiar doesn't it. d. God has a redemptive plan. In the Old Testament much of it was a mystery only to be fully revealed in Christ in the New. e. This gives us hope that God isn't on plan B. He only has plan A. And He is still on it. And He will finish with it too. 8.) [Slide 30] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” All things will be reordered in Christ. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Repent and believe on Him and you will be saved. a. To believers the idea that all of creation will be ordered and united under Christ, is truly a message of hope and worthy of praise. b. But to those who are not following Christ, part of that ordering is the dismissal of those who are wicked. c. In Revelation it talks about this Kingdom coming. It uses the image of a city. But those who are sinners. Those who love their sin and continue to practice it – they will be excluded from the city. They will be cast into the lake of fire with the devil and his angels forever. d. How can one message be received in two different ways? It all depends on what you do with Jesus. e. If Jesus is your hope, your savior, your Lord… then such a future is bright and blessed. f. If Jesus is nothing to you, or a talisman, or a magic genie, or an accepting person who never tells you to stop sinning… then you will not be with Him in His new Kingdom. g. I invite you to repent of your sin, the very thing that made Christ's sacrifice necessary, and that you would believe on Him and follow Him the rest of your days. [Slide 31 (end)] Let me close with a word of prayer from the puritan Anthony Burgess O Lord, I bless you, not only for your pardon of those sins I have committed, but also for your goodness in preserving me from those many thousands of other sins I was prone to fall into. If I could repent to the highest degree, or achieve the holiness of men and angels, it could not make up the damage sin has made upon me. Who was more plunged into sin than I? Whose diseases were greater than mine? It may be that thousands and thousands of other souls are now taking their place in hell, for less and fewer sins than I have committed. I do not call upon you to repeal any threat or nullify your word. I do not ask you to become unjust. But your wisdom has found out a way that I may be pardoned and you may be satisfied. Your overflowing goodness overcomes me. If only I had the hearts of all men and angels to praise you. I confess this to you in Jesus' name, Amen. Benediction: May your prayers be counted as incense; The lifting up of your praise as the evening offering. Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father. Until we meet again, grace and peace to you.

September 26, 2026Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 17 - Psalm 119:1-2, 5-6; antiphon: Psalm 119:137, 124Daily Lectionary: Malachi 2:1-3:5; Matthew 4:1-11“Righteous are you, O LORD, and right are your rules. Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.” (Psalm 119:137, 124)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.You have heard the famous question about the chicken and the egg: which one came first? The same could be asked about the law and the gospel. The problem is that what can be a fun thought exercise when it comes to poultry is of almost no use when it comes to the things of God. Asking which came first, the law or the gospel, does not help to properly distinguish between them, understand them, or apply them to your life. Look at the words quoted above from Psalm 119. The Psalmist confesses that God and His rules are just and righteous, but at the same time does not want God to deal with him according to those rules. Instead, he asks that God deal with him according to His steadfast love and teach him his statutes. If God upholds his just decrees, then there is no hope for us. If God ignores our sins, then His righteousness is called into question. Here, it does not matter which one came first. In fact, that question is irrelevant to how they function. The interplay between law and gospel is complex and does not depend on which one came first. Absent the gospel, the law can only bring despair, while absent the law, the gospel is almost meaningless. The law cannot give life, and the gospel makes no demands. The question of which one came first is of no help in making sense of either one. The Psalmist understands this, and this is why he can at the same time call God righteous and ask that God deal with him according to his steadfast love. He asks that God deal with him according to the gospel and not the law. This is the same kind of language that Paul uses in Romans 3:26, where he calls God just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Here is the great truth of what Jesus did for you on the cross. The law has been fulfilled, and your relationship with it has changed. Jesus silenced the accusing voice of the law. God has dealt with you according to His steadfast love, and you can learn his statutes. Because of Jesus, your ways are steadfast, and you shall not be put to shame. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.You have led in Your steadfast love the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them by Your strength to Your holy abode. (LSB, 925:9)Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Modesto, CA.Where are you looking for meaning? In Lift Your Eyes: How to Live Outside Yourself author Joshua Pfeiffer charts a compelling path outward: upward to God in faith and gratitude, outward to our neighbors in love and service, and forward in joyful anticipation of resurrection.

Today's Reading: Matthew 3:1-17Daily Lectionary: Malachi 1:1-14; Matthew 3:1-17“and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'” (Matthew 3:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Israel, as God's people, never held up their end of the bargain. They said they would do all the things that God had asked them to do, and they did not. They were warned repeatedly and fell short each and every time. The reading from Malachi contains a very sharp criticism of the religious leadership of Israel. They are called ‘priests who despise my name' and are accused of offering polluted food on the altar. In our reading from Matthew, the Jewish leadership faces similar criticism from John, who calls them a brood of vipers and questions the status of their salvation. Their ethnic connection to Abraham is of no help. When it comes to God, there is no family hook-up. The same critique can be made for each of us. We do not keep our promises to God, and we constantly fall short of the standards that He has set out for us. We have a lot in common with priests in Malachi and the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time. We do not give our best to God and only begrudgingly offer him what is blemished. All too often, we do not bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Left to ourselves, God is not pleased with us. By ourselves, we are nothing more than a brood of vipers. This is what makes the Baptism of Jesus so significant. He begins his public ministry standing in a place meant for sinners. The one who had no need to repent receives a Baptism for repentance. Where the people of God fell short, Jesus will not. Where Israel failed, Jesus will not. He is Israel reduced to one. Where Israel did not do what they said they would, Jesus will. Where Israel was critiqued by God's accusatory voice, Jesus is hailed as ‘my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.' Jesus now stands in Israel's place, and because of Jesus, all Israel's shortcomings are forgotten. When God looks at His people now, he does not see their sins; He only sees Jesus. Because God is pleased with Jesus, He is pleased with you. Your sins, your failures, and your shortcomings have all been washed away in the waters of Baptism. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.These fruits on Jordan's banks were shown By mighty word and wonder. The Father's voice from heav'n came down, Which we do well to ponder: “This man is My beloved Son, In whom My heart has pleasure. Him you must hear, and Him alone, And trust in fullest measure The word that He has spoken.” (LSB 407:3)Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Modesto, CA.

It's our 7th year anniversary! So we celebrated like we do all of our milestones...by having a regular BFYTW game show. This week we are joined by Cimothy Jimothy as he stands in for Augie.SEVEN-YEAR-SPECIAL-ITCH Game 1 - Like Share Block (Stories from 2019) Like the normal LSB, but all of the news stories are from 2019. Story 1 - Fortune Teller Makes 2019 Predictions Using Asparagus https://www.vice.com/en/article/lady-who-uses-asparagus-to-predict-future-shares-her-premonitions-for-2019/ Story 2 - Florida Man Steals Over 70 Pool Floats, Take a Wild Guess Why https://www.fox7austin.com/news/florida-man-accused-of-stealing-more-than-70-floating-pool-toys-for-sex Story 3 - Tia Mowry Tries to Heal Her Twin With Breast Milk, Works? https://www.today.com/popculture/tamera-mowry-housley-drank-twin-sister-tia-s-breast-milk-t149266 Game 2 - Pop Culture Fight ClubIn honor of BFYTW's seven years of silliness and games, the question is - what is the best single moment of the last seven years of BFYTW? What one joke, news story, game or spontaneous event during recording of the past seven years has stuck in your mind as your favorite thing that has ever happened as a result of this show? You cannot choose a broad topic or theme (i.e., the friendships we made along the way) - this must be a single moment. Whichever of you convinces me that your favorite is the best wins the game and earns two episode points. Game 3 - Just Correlate Our favorite game of finding hidden connections is back! Our players will choose keyboard keys, CTRL, ALT, DEL, INSERT, HOME, and END - behind each one is a set of four clues, each has something in common. If they figure it out after one clue, 5 points, after two clues, 3 points, after three, 2 points, and if they need all four, 1 point. If the team/player doesn't figure it out, the other team/player gets a chance to steal with all four clues for one point. The player or team with the most points after all six keys have been chosen wins the game and gets three episode points.Promos NoDakNerd.Proudly Sponsored by Peace, Love, & Budhttps://www.plbud.com/WeedStockShoutouts to our Patrons; Mexi, Justin B, Kristin F ,Jeramey F ,Flaose, Todd, Jim, Flaos, Bridget F., David M., Dave A, Erin S, Donna/Colin Maggs,The GateLeapers, Kacey S., William M., Crunchie, DJ Xanthus, Crystal D., Jeff S, Gina W., 8Bit, Matt.Founding Members of @OddPodsMedia https://www.patreon.com/BFYTWShow Music by @KeroseneLetter and @Mexigun Our Merch Available by contacting us.

September 24, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: Daily Prayers: Morning & Evening PrayerDaily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:22-38; Nehemiah 10:1-13:31; 1 Timothy 6:3-21In the morning when you get up/In the evening when you go to bed, make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The catechism tells us to start and end our day in the same way, in prayer. In addition, both the Morning and Evening Prayers share similar content. Both begin with thanksgivings to God for what He has done, then look forward with requests for further protection during the day to come or forgiveness for sins committed during the day just past. In both cases, the prayer acknowledges God as the one who both keeps His people safe and forgives them where they have fallen short. Both prayers also ask for protection from the evil one. Both prayers confess that the Christian is never left alone. That being said, these prayers are not so much about what a person may or may not have done during the day just past, or what they may or may not do during the day that is to come, or even what they might need protecting from. In fact, these prayers go beyond just a good discipline for the Christian to practice. They are more than just something that is good to do at the beginning and end of the day. These prayers are not about self-care. These prayers are not about the actions of the individual as much as they are about the identity of the one doing the praying. Both the Morning and Evening Prayers are about you as a baptized child of God. This is why each prayer begins with the Trinitarian invocation. You start each prayer with the words of your Baptism. You can only pray the Morning and Evening Prayers because you are baptized. You can only expect God to keep, guide, protect, and forgive you because you are already one of His children. You can only pray to God for these things because He has already promised you these things in the water of Baptism. There, in the water of the font, is where the benefits of the cross were applied to you personally. You were recreated in the font as a child of God. In the water and word promises were made to you, and you can pray to God each morning and evening because He keeps His promises. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Come pray with me the prayer I need this day; Help me to see Your purpose and Your will–Where I have failed, what I have done amiss; Held in forgiving love, let me be still. (LSB 769:2)Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Modesto, CA.

September 23, 2026Today's Reading: Ephesians 3:13-21Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 9:1-21; 1 Timothy 5:17-6:2“So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.” (Ephesians 3:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The presence and actions of God in someone's life are sometimes hard to understand. This is especially true during the more difficult times that everyone must face. In other words, faith can be challenged during times of suffering. This is why Paul writes the way he does in Ephesians. He is writing from prison, and the very fact that he is in trouble may have caused some Christians to have doubts about their own status before God. How could what Paul preached be true if he was suffering? How could Paul preach an all-powerful God if the authorities were able to put him into prison?These kinds of questions are to be expected. We like to see a direct line between the circumstances of our lives and the truth of our faith. This is exactly how many present Christianity to others. They promise that once you become a Christian, all of life's troubles will be in the rear-view mirror. Suffering is for unbelievers and sinners. Faith is the guarantee of a good life. The truth about suffering in the life of a Christian is far more complex than that, and there is no direct line between your faith and the circumstances of your life. This is why Paul offers up the prayer that he does in our reading. God's presence and actions in the lives of His people, even as His people suffer, are beyond human expectations or knowledge. What this means is that you can be going through a hard time and still be one of God's people. Difficulties in life do not mean that the gospel is not true or that God has abandoned you. Faith is not something that helps you avoid hard times; faith is what helps you to endure them. Christ dwells in you, and that does not change because things are hard. Difficult times do not change the truth of your baptismal identity. Jesus is with you in good times and bad. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.” In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In suff'ring be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my power; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide, And draw me safely to Thy side! (LSB 683:4)Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Modesto, CA.

September 22, 2026Today's Reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 7:1-4; 8:1-18; Ezra 1:1-10:19; 1 Timothy 5:1-16“And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, ‘See, your son lives.' And the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.'” (1 Kings 17:23-24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Some people think that God only pays attention to us when we do bad things. Their idea of God is that he is up in Heaven making threats and saying, “Don't make me come down there.” For these people, God only shows up to punish. God is seen as wrathful, vengeful, and concerned only with giving people what they deserve when they sin and ignoring them when they do good. This seems to be what the widow was thinking when she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son.” Notice that she does not think that Elijah is being unfair. She knows that she is a sinner and she acknowledges that she deserves to be punished. She expects nothing else from God. She does not truly know Him. Then Elijah does the unexpected and returns the woman's son to her alive. The actions of God through Elijah elicit a response from the woman, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is true.” God's actions changed the woman. God is not as the woman believed Him to be. What she expected was a God of wrath, but what she experienced was a God of mercy. What she expected was the law, what she received was the gospel, and through God's act of mercy, she came to know HIm as He is and to believe what Elijah said about Him.Our God is primarily a God of mercy. What was revealed to the woman through Elijah has now been revealed even more explicitly through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The cross shows that God is a God of mercy who does not give us what we deserve because of sin. Instead, He sent His Son to take his judgment on sin in our place. The woman's son lived because of God's mercy. You live because of God's mercy. In Christ, God has returned you alive. You were moved from life to death in Baptism, and someday you will rise from the grave itself because death cannot hold you. The word of the Lord is true. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Laugh to scorn the gloomy grave And at death no longer tremble; He the Lord, who came to save Will at last His own assemble. They will go their Lord to meet. Trending death beneath their feet. (LSB 741:7)Rev. Grant Knepper, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Modesto, CA.

"I Can't Believe It's Not Butter." Ever heard of that stuff? It's a brand of margarine, with an unusually long name... a name that really does not hold up to scrutiny. Try to cook with it and you'll have no trouble believing it's not butter­—heat has a way of revealing what things really are. Peter says something similar about the Christian's faith: the genuineness of saving faith becomes evident when the heat gets turned up. "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials...," 1 Peter 1:6 (LSB). Don't miss that: suffering is an expected part of the Christian life. The Christian's faith, anchored to an eternal inheritance, is shown to be genuine when exposed to the heat of life's varied trials. By God's preserving grace, saving faith holds up because it is real—and through those trials, God purifies and strengthens that faith for His glory. "...so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ," verse 7. This Lord's Day, we'll consider what God is doing through the trials we face, including those that come because we follow Jesus in a world that rejects Him. A faith fixed on Christ can rejoice even though we cannot yet see Him; we know He is refining our faith for the glad day of His return. Join us as we return to 1 Peter with, "Homeward Bound: Faith's Crucible." Prepare for Sunday: Read and meditate on 1 Peter 1:1-12, focusing on verses 6-9. Consider the following: What two things occur simultaneously when believers face

Send Us a Message or Fan MailPreacher: Vicar Jorgen DahlSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.

September 19, 2026Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 16 - Psalm 86:1, 7, 12-13; antiphon: Psalm 86:3, 5Daily Lectionary: Nehemiah 2:11-20; 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-15“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” (Psalm 86:12)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.You know it is your duty to thank, praise, serve, and obey your heavenly Father for the magnificent Gifts He bestows on you—not least, your very life! Yes, God desires your heart! He even calls you “precious” (Psalm 116:15), that is, meaningful and weighty, and significant to Him. How wonderful it is that in Baptism, He makes your heart capable of loving Him in return. Oh, we certainly fall in moments of weakness, but we have His promise that one day, we will love Him with our whole heart! That day dawns at a Christian's death. To be sure, death is an enemy—the greatest enemy of God. Yet for you, a Christian, death is a portal because Christ has overcome death. So when death draws near, we find comfort knowing that the promise of Baptism will overcome death. At a Christian's death, family, friends, and siblings in Christ gather together to share their grief, remember the brevity of life on earth, and give voice to sorrow—but also to thank God for their loved one, and to entrust them into His hands. In a special rite called the Commendation of the Dying (also known as “Last Rites”), it is suggested to sing the last stanza of Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart. That stanza describes the day when we will truly love the Lord with all our heart. Until that day, we live by the first two verses. We praise the Lord by glorying in His Gifts.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, thee I love with all my heart; I pray thee, ne'er from me depart, with tender mercy cheer me. Earth has no pleasure I would share; yea, heav'n itself were void and bare if thou, Lord, wert not near me. And should my heart for sorrow break, my trust in thee can nothing shake. Thou art the portion I have sought; thy precious blood my soul has bought. Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord, forsake me not! I trust thy word. Lord, let at last thine angels come, to Abr'ham's bosom bear me home that I may die unfearing; and in its narrow chamber keep my body safe in peaceful sleep until thy reappearing. And then from death awaken me that these mine eyes with joy may see, O Son of God, thy glorious face, my Savior and my fount of grace. Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend, and I will praise thee without end.LSB 708:1, 3)Rev. Donald Stein, pastor of Saint Andrew Lutheran Church in Rockton, IL.

September 16, 2026Today's Reading: Galatians 5:25-6:10Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 35:1-7, 16-25; Zephaniah 1:1-3:20; Colossians 3:1-25“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Holy Spirit encourages us to do good to one another.It sounds so simple. Yet doing good can be downright exhausting. In this sin-broken world, doing the right thing the right way is not always the quickest, most efficient, most convenient, or most enjoyable. So some set aside doing good altogether. Take the working world, for example. It is dominated by corporate espionage and get-ahead-quick schemes. The goal is to come out ahead of one's competitors. The question of ‘good' is sometimes replaced with the question of ‘legality.' Think about it: many companies have a legal department, but when was the last time you heard of a company with an ethics department? Some try to aim for a ‘reasonable' compromise. The initial plan is always to do good, but when bearing one another's burdens becomes too much, well… they move on to less exhausting work. This is not God's desire. He would have His creatures live in a perfect world, where those who bear His image “live by the Spirit” and “keep in step with the Spirit.” This is why the Holy Spirit comes to us in Holy Baptism, to enlighten us by His Gifts and continually sanctify us—that through us, He would sow spiritual good throughout all creation! God has sown the seed of the Gospel in you! And He will reap a good harvest in time. Do not grow weary of doing good, brothers and sisters! God is working through you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Called by worship to Your service, Forth in Your dear name we go, To the child, the youth, the aged, Love in living deeds to show; Hope and health, goodwill and comfort, Counsel, aid, and peace we give, That Your servants, Lord, in freedom May Your mercy know and live. (LSB 848:4)Rev. Donald Stein, pastor of Saint Andrew Lutheran Church in Rockton, IL.

September 15, 2026Today's Reading: 1 Kings 17:8-16Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 34:1-4, 8-11, 14-33; Nahum 1:1-3:19; Colossians 2:8-23“And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.” (1 Kings 17:15)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Rewind nearly 3,000 years.The widow of Zarephath thought she knew what was coming. It would be death, and a fate worse than any she had ever imagined. Famine was in the land, and food and drink were not to be found. She meant to enjoy one last supper before the great end of her days. She gathered some sticks—two, in the original Hebrew, to be precise—that she might prepare. But Elijah knew what was really coming. It would be life. God would provide what was needed for life to flourish. He prophesied: “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.” (1 Kings 17:14) Having been so broken and desperate that nothing remained but to trust this in his word of promise, “she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.” (1 Kings 17:15)Fast forward nearly 1,000 years. The disciples thought they knew what was coming. It would be life, greater than anything they had ever imagined! After all, the Messiah had come! Jesus Himself had proclaimed: “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (John 12:23) They enjoyed one Last Supper before the great end of the early days. “Do this,” He said. Elsewhere, pieces of wood were gathered together—two, in the typical Roman fashion—that He might prepare. But Jesus knew what was really coming. It would be death. God Himself had come to provide what was needed for sin to be killed. He had prophesied throughout the Scriptures, again and again, for those who had ears to hear: death would be conquered by death. Even when Jesus was upon the cross that next day, the disciples could not yet understand what was happening. They were broken and desperate. Nothing remained but to trust in His Word of promise, and even that seemed too much. They fell away. Then Jesus arose. Fast forward over 2,000 years. We know what is coming. It is both death and life, greater and more wonderful than anything we could have imagined! It has been revealed to us through the Word of the Lord: Jesus has given us death to sin and life in Him. We join Him at His Table, receiving the very Bread of Life Himself, by faith. “Do this,” he says. And His holy church? Well, “she and he and her household ate for many days,” justified by His precious sacrifice.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.For what purpose was My dying If not for your justifying? And what use this precious food If you yourself were pure and good? (LSB 627:8)Rev. Donald Stein, pastor of Saint Andrew Lutheran Church in Rockton, IL.

September 14, 2026Today's Reading: John 12:20-33Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25; Jonah 1:1-4:11; Colossians 1:24-2:7“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.” (1 Corinthians 1:23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.John's Gospel started with a glorious light shining in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it. In chapter three, Nicodemus came under the cover of darkness to learn about that Light. Jesus explained, “God so loved the world…” Yes, just as a bronze snake was gloriously “high and lifted up” by Moses to heal any Hebrew who saw it, in the same way, God would hold His own Son, gloriously “high and lifted up,” to heal all people who see Him by faith.Now, in chapter 12, Jesus has healed many! And on the outskirts of Jerusalem, in the little suburb up the hill called Bethany, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead! A crowd gathered, laying cloaks upon the road and waving palm branches. They shouted: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”They came because “they heard he had done this sign.” (John 12:18) Jews sought a sign-doer: “Jesus, raise my dead, too.” “Jesus, multiply more bread.” “Jesus, fill my belly and make me rich.”Jews were not the only ones. “Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” some Greeks said. They sought worldly wisdom. “Jesus, teach me the secret to inner peace.” “Jesus, show me how to succeed in this life.” “Jesus, teach us how to outthink our enemies to have power and influence to rule the world.”Both Jews and Greeks ultimately sought glory for themselves. Jesus did not come for his own glory. He came for all the world. Now with all the world represented in the Greeks and Jews gathered around Him, Jesus said: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”It was a reminder of His talk with Nicodemus. When the Light of the World is “high and lifted up,” He is not atop a warhorse, or carried upon a grand litter, but nailed on a Cross. His glory is an emblem of suffering and shame—an instrument of torture and death. Had Jesus chosen to come into the world today, we might very well venerate an electric chair. Paul might have written “We preach Christ electrified!”It is easy to see why the Cross is a stumbling block to those seeking glory by signs, and a folly to those who seek glory by wisdom. The Cross is salvation for sinners in need of God's Light—Jews and Greeks, and all people. And you.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Let ev'ry race and ev'ry language tell Of Him who saves our lives from death and hell. Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world adore His sacred name. (LSB 837:5)Rev. Donald Stein, pastor of Saint Andrew Lutheran Church in Rockton, IL.

Send Us a Message or Fan MailPreacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to Good Samaritan SermonLink to 10 Lepers SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.

Content Warning: Today I will be speaking of issues of violence against women, particularly sexual violence, kidnapping, and forced marriage.Dr Hibbard This week's message is titled "Unpacking Deuteronomy 21:10-14." Thank you to Rhonda, Earl, Dave, Ed, Ashley, and Adam for being part of the service. We wish Kathleen a happy birthday this week. This challenging message is presented in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of the Bible and Violence. Our speaker, Dr. Hibbard, is the Director of Operations for the Centre. To learn more about their important ministry and find resources, visit csbvbristol.org.uk Ashley's August 29 talk, A People For God's Own Possession - Understanding Deuteronomy and Violence is available here: https://youtu.be/DWOm8Q93UPw Songs from this service: Come, Now Is The Time To Worship - https://youtu.be/bMu0Y1wgZMg -- Above All - https://youtu.be/-wEZFdngUoo -- Jesus Is All The World To Me - https://youtu.be/Jjvrxp4F6do -- Break Thou The Bread of Life - https://youtu.be/V2_5xD9en-s -- Take The Name Of Jesus With You - https://youtu.be/D30PwyEI9MY Scriptures from this service: Welcome - Philippians 2:3-4 (GNT). Communion - Romans 13:8; 13:9-10; Matthew 5:17; John 3:16-17; Romans 13:9-10. Reading - Deuteronomy 21:10-14. Sermon - Exodus 20:14-15; Deuteronomy 16:19; 21:10-11; Judges 5:30 (CSB); Deuteronomy 21:11; 21:11-12; 21:12; 21:13 (LSB); Exodus 21:10; Deuteronomy 21:13 (CSB); 1 Corinthians 7:4; Deuteronomy 21:13; 21:14; 1 Peter 3:7 (ESV); 3:7; Matthew 9:20-22; Luke 10:39. Copyright Notices+ Scripture quotations marked (NIV) taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version© NIV© Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV© Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version©), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today's English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked LSB taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

September 12, 2026Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 15 - Psalm 86:4, 6, 15a, 16; antiphon: Psalm 86:1a, 2b, 3Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21; Philippians 4:1-23“Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.” (Psalm 86:6)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Wow! … Really? … That's crazy! … Yup. … How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? … And then suddenly, “Are you even listening to me?” Trapped. Not even half of your attention was being given to that other person. You were not listening but were distracted by other things. Your mind wandered. The phone buzzed. A loud car drove by. And suddenly you were a million miles away, not listening to a word they were saying.Sometimes I would guess it feels this way with your prayers. You have been praying for something, and it seems like God is just ignoring you, like He's got something better, someone else better to listen to than you. This is our sinful human nature at work, causing doubt, failing to believe the words of our Introit tomorrow, and so many other passages of Scripture.God loves to hear the prayers of His children, to hear your prayers. He invites us to pray to Him and promises to hear us. David calls upon that promise as he cries out to God, “Give ear, O Lord to my prayer”. Stated another way, David is saying, “Okay God. You promise to hear me, so listen to me now.” And God does! He is not so busy with the other 8 million plus people that He doesn't have time to listen to you. Of course He does! You are His child. He created you in your mother's womb. He re-created you in the water of Holy Baptism to be His own child. He shed His holy and precious blood to forgive your sins. He feeds you with His holy Body and Blood, giving you forgiveness, life, and salvation. All this He has done for you. Of course, He hears and answers your prayers. He is the one who provides for you in the body with all the Gifts listed in the explanation to the First Article. He is also the one who provides for you in your soul with the Second and Third Articles' Gifts, namely life and salvation.So cry out to God, often. He does indeed give ear to your prayers. He listens to you and responds always with His good Gifts.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, this I ask, O hear my plea, Deny me not this favor: When Satan sorely troubles me, Then do not let me waver. O guard me well, My fear dispel, Fulfill Your faithful saying: All who believe By grace receive An answer to their praying. (LSB 758:3)Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.

September 11, 2026Today's Reading: Philippians 3:1-21Daily Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 29:1-24; Philippians 3:1-21“If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:4-8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Saul was THE rock star of his day among the Jews. His pedigree was perfect, untouchable, and far more than most common people could ever hope to obtain. He had it all. Power, prestige, fame. He was at the top, until he wasn't. That one day on the road to Damascus changed everything. From the worldly Jewish perspective, he lost it all. A fall from grace heard around the world. In a flash of light, he lost it all.Or did he? Saint Paul says he was glad to lose it all because when he lost it all, he gained Christ, which is more than everything. Everything Saul had worked for was earthly, temporary, leading to nothing, rubbish, garbage. And Paul couldn't care less about all that. He had Jesus, and that was worth giving up everything else worldly because Jesus is eternal.Right now, you might be striving for good grades, popularity among friends or co-workers, the right career, the right job, or any number of worldly honors. What Saint Paul wants for you more than anything, what God desires for you, is that you know Christ Jesus. Know Christ Jesus, crucified for the forgiveness of your sin; resurrected for your life into eternity. There is nothing else more important to know than Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior. By His death and resurrection, Christ has made you His own. You are His, and He is yours. This is the free Gift of God for you. No more striving to earn your way upwards towards Him, if that was even some way possible. Christ Jesus has done it all for you and Gifts it to you through His Word and Sacraments.And one day, He's coming back visibly for you, to make you eternally His in a new heaven and new earth that is surpassingly greater than anything you can imagine right now. So don't worry if you lose it all in this life, as long as you have Chris Jesus, you have it all.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What is the world to me With all its vaunted pleasure When You, and You alone, Lord Jesus, are my treasure! You only, dearest Lord, My soul's delight shall be; You are my peace, my rest. What is the world to me! (LSB 730:1)Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.

September 10, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 9:1-13; 10:18-29; 2 Kings 13:1-18:8; Philippians 2:12-30How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things? Certainly not just eating and drinking do these things, but the words written here: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” These words, along with the bodily eating and drinking, are the main thing in the Sacrament. Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say: “forgiveness of sins.” (Small Catechism - The Power of the Sacrament of the Altar)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.You eat, and a few hours later, you're hungry again. You listen to a teacher or boss tell you something, and 5 minutes later, you can't remember what they said. This seems to be our normal course of life.When it comes to the things of God, suddenly it changes. When you come to the Lord's table to eat of His body and drink of His blood, let's be honest, physically, what you consume isn't much. A small wafer and a sip of wine. That's it. The reality is much greater than what your human eyes see and your senses experience. In that wafer of bread is the very body of Christ Jesus that hung dying on the cross for your forgiveness. In that wine is the very blood of Christ Jesus, poured out on the cross for your forgiveness. That is what Jesus says through the voice of your pastor. Jesus' very Body and Blood, which you eat and drink, is “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus cannot lie, and so you have exactly what He says.So why both? Why can't we just hear Jesus' words, “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” and skip the eating and drinking? Because our God works through means, through earthly, visible, tangible things. He does this in order that you might not doubt but believe. Your Lord puts His body into your body, puts His blood into you, so that you have no question who the “you” is of His statement. You have eaten of His body; you have sipped of His blood; His forgiveness is “for you” who have eaten and drunk believing Jesus so that you can experience what He promises: the forgiveness of all your sins.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We eat this bread and drink this cup, Your precious Word believing That Your true body and Your blood Our lips are here receiving. This Word remains forever true; All things are possible with You, For You are Lord Almighty. (LSB 622:4)Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.

September 9, 2026Today's Reading: 2 Kings 6:1-23Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 6:1-23; 2 Kings 6:24-8:29; Philippians 1:21-2:11“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, ‘Please strike this people with blindness.' So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17-18)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.They were surrounded by a great army. The situation looked hopeless. But then, Elijah and his servant see that the army of God's heavenly hosts was larger, burning with fire. Time for the holy angels to kick some butt!Then Elijah prays. He's got heaven's army all around him, ready to attack and defend the man of God, and he prays. Not “give me vengeance.” Not “let not one of these men make it home tonight.” But “blind them”. Come on! Really? These are the angels of heaven that fought against the great red dragon, Satan, and all his demonic horde in Revelation 12 and kicked him out of heaven. Surely they could have destroyed some puny humans. But NOOO! Elijah prays for blindness and a bit later restoration of sight. By the end of the account, all the soldiers are home, safe and sound. Talk about anticlimactic. This would not make a very good action movie.Elijah here stands as a picture of Jesus. Christ would be fully right to use His holy angels to smite you, to kill you, and send you to the depths of Hell with that red dragon. But in mercy, He prays on the cross, “Father, forgive them,” and because of His death, God does forgive you. All your sin is forgiven, and Christ Jesus takes you by the hand and leads you all the way home, to your eternal home with Him. As you travel with Christ through this wilderness on your way home, He sends His holy angels, that same fiery army Elijah saw, to guard and protect you, lest the evil foe have power over you and seduce you away from Christ Jesus. One day, you will see those holy angels who celebrated with great joy in heaven over your salvation as we all gather around the throne of God and the Lamb, Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Still let them aid us and still let them fight, Lord of angelic hosts, battling for right, Till, where their anthems they ceaselessly pour, We with the angels may bow and adore. (LSB 520:4)Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.

September 8, 2026Today's Reading: Galatians 5:16-24Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 5:9-27; Philippians 1:1-20“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:19-23)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.An ancient Christian document, known as “The Didache,” begins, “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between these two ways.” This well reflects what Saint Paul writes to us in Galatians. The works of the sinful flesh is the way of death, eternal death, separation from God. Those works of the flesh at first look tempting, enticing, maybe even fun. Yet every single one of them leads to death, to denying the good and holy Law of God, and leads us away from Christ Jesus. Every single one every time.But there is a different way, the way of life. This way is not based on your good works but on the good work of Christ Jesus, who gave His life as a sacrifice on the tree of the cross to forgive your sins, every single one, every time. The Way, as the earliest Christians were called, looked not to themselves but to Jesus for their salvation and entrance into the Kingdom of God. In the waters of Holy Baptism, you have been washed clean of your sins, from the works of your flesh, and given a new, resurrected life as you were joined to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. This new life which He has gifted to you is Holy Spirit empowered to live in the way of life, to show forth in your daily life the fruits of the Holy Spirit, to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits don't earn us any brownie points with God, our parents, or our pastor, but they are the thankful response to all that Christ Jesus has done for us. In joyful response to all Christ Jesus has done for us, we daily remember our Baptism, drown our old Adam who loves the works of the flesh and the way of death, and rise to new life empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk in His ways, the way of life in Christ Jesus, our Savior.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God of mercy, God of might, In love and pity infinite, Teach us, as ever in Thy sight, To live our lives in Thee. (LSB 852:1)Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.

September 7, 2026Today's Reading: Proverbs 4:10-23Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:38-5:8; Ephesians 6:1-24“Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.” (Proverbs 4:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Legos come with instructions. Furniture from IKEA comes with instructions. Your teacher gives you instructions. Your parents give you instructions. All these are very helpful to complete a task or tasks throughout life. Without them, you might still get the Legos built or figure out how to change your wiper blades, eventually.So when the author of Proverbs says, “Keep hold of instructions,” we might be tempted to think about some simple instructions for how to get things done, like building a bird house or baking a cake, or maybe how to have a good life with lots of friends and money and power and few enemies. But this instruction is so much more. We're told not to let it go, not to lose it or let it slip through our fingers. We're told to guard, to preserve it, not just some of it, but all of it,  because this is an instruction in your life. Not what keeps you breathing, but your eternal life, salvation in Christ Jesus.Instruction here is another way to say “all the teachings of the Scriptures”. Central to the teaching, all the instruction, is Jesus Christ, who gave His blood on the tree of the cross to forgive your sin and grant you life eternal with Him. This instruction is what you are or have been taught in catechesis classes and in the preaching of your pastor each Sunday. It is faith and knowledge of Christ Jesus crucified and resurrected for the forgiveness of all your sin. This instruction in Christ Jesus is your life, here in time, and for eternity.So guard it well. It should be held onto tighter than your phone. Guard it includes feeding it, regularly attending the Divine Service to hear the preaching of the Word, to be reminded that you are a baptized child of God, to receive the Absolution of all your sins, and to eat of Christ's body and drink of His blood for the assurance that your sin is forgiven, eternal life, and salvation are yours. This instruction should be the single most important thing in your life that you guard and cling to always, because this instruction is nothing less than Jesus.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lord, help us ever to retain The Catechism's doctrine plain As Luther taught the Word of truth In simple style to tender youth. (LSB 865:1)Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.

We live in a world of maybes. Maybe we'll get the job. Maybe our loved one will be healed. Maybe next year will be better than this one. But God's saving promises to His people are never maybes; they're certain. Such is the blessing of having been chosen by God, set apart by the Spirit, purchased with the blood of Christ. We've been given a hope that is guaranteed and guarded, "an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, having been kept in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God...," 1 Peter 1:4-5 (LSB). This astounding and certain future anchors our hope in an often-stormy sea of maybes. Stability, joy and purpose flow from this hope—not because the circumstances around us are certain, but because God's promises are certain. God's mercy alone gives us new birth. God has reserved an eternal inheritance for us that cannot be lost and will never lose its luster. And God guards this inheritance—and us—by His power as we journey toward our eternal home. Join us this Sunday as we turn to 1 Peter 1 and consider, "Homeward Bound: A Hope That Cannot Fail." Prepare for Sunday: Read and meditate on 1 Peter 1:3-12, focusing on verses 3 through 5. According to Peter's doxology, what has the believer been given? What is being guaranteed? What is being guarded by God's power? How do these certainties influence your outlook and priorities now?

September 6, 2026Today's Reading: Luke 17:11-19Daily Lectionary: 2 Kings 4:8-22, 32-37; Ephesians 5:15-33“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?'And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.'” (Luke 17:15-19)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Ten are healed of their leprosy. One returns to the dwelling place of God with man, to Jesus, to give God praise for his healing. He gets much more than he expected, for at the conclusion of the encounter, Jesus declares, “Rise and go. Your faith has saved you.” “Made well” doesn't capture what Jesus says very well. This leper was made well when he, along with the other 9, obeyed the word of the Lord and went to find a priest. This leper, on account of faith in Jesus, is saved.So here we can talk about objective justification, the theological term for Jesus paying the price of the sins of the whole world. Not one sin, not one sinner, has not been forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice on the tree of the cross. For God so loved the world, all of it, every man and woman of all time and history and into the future, that He gave His only Son as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Just as all ten lepers were healed, so by the work of Jesus, the sin of the world is forgiven.Then comes subjective justification, which applies to the individual. This is the work of Jesus on the tree of the cross for you. It is the justification of the individual sinner before God on account of Christ Jesus. This is for God so loved insert your name here that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will be saved, that you will be saved. Of the 10 lepers, only one here is declared saved through faith in Jesus.This leads us to praise God where Jesus is found, in His Word and Sacraments, at church. We go to the place Jesus has promised He will be so that we can praise Him, sing Him our thanks, and glorify His name for His work to forgive us, give us life and salvation, to join the Samaritan leper at Jesus' feet in reverent thanksgiving for all His Gifts to us.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O be our great deliv'rer still, The Lord of life and death; Restore and quicken, soothe and bless, With Your life-giving breath. (LSB 846:3)Rev. Daniel Voth, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, ND.

September 3, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 19:1-21; 1 Kings 20:1-22:53; Ephesians 3:1-21“What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,' show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.” (Small Catechism VI.2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.God has a powerful Word. When there was nothing, God spoke, and a whole world came into being. When God sent Word by His prophets, what they predicted came true. God brought about what seemed impossible at the time—the most unlikely thing to happen—and yet God did it. When God commanded a fish to both swallow Jonah and to be the first submarine in human history, carrying Jonah to Nineveh, the fish did it. When God's Son made man spoke, His Word was also powerful. Storms were stilled. Lepers were cleansed. The deaf heard. The blind saw. Dead people became living again. So it is no surprise that the words “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” also are powerful. In the Lord's Supper, these words place God's own forgiveness in the body and blood of Jesus which is in and with the bread. All who take the Sacrament eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus. But only those who take it in faith in these words receive forgiveness there. God's Word puts this forgiving body and blood in the bread and wine. Faith receives forgiveness from there.And an even greater gift is that this forgiveness is not alone. It comes with other gifts of God as well, brought by His powerful Word. For life and salvation also are companions of forgiveness. It's as if they were friends who cannot be separated. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. What kind of life? Life before God. Renewed life by the forgiveness of sins that Jesus' death won and that the Sacrament seals to you. And eternal life too! The Lord's Supper is the medicine of immortality, the true fruit of the tree of life, that all who eat of it and also have faith in these words find this life that God gives. Here, salvation is received as well. Forgiveness is the word spoken by God on the last day to His believers. And the Sacrament brings that end-time forgiveness and salvation to His believers now as the first taste of heaven. So come when your pastor offers the Sacrament, and come spiritually hungry. You will be fed, because the powerful Word of God makes this food to be equally as powerful.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.“For Your consoling Supper, Lord, Be praised throughout all ages! Preserve it, for in ev'ry place The world against it rages. Grant that this sacrament may be A blessed comfort unto me When living and when dying.” (LSB 622:8)Rev. Robert Mayes, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Beemer and Wisner, NE.

August 31, 2026Today's Reading: 2 Chronicles 28:8-15Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24; 2 Corinthians 10:1-13:14; 2 Corinthians 9:1-15“You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the Lord in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” (2 Chronicles 28:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.After King Solomon, the Israelites split into two separate kingdoms in a civil war. For centuries, two nations existed among God's chosen people. Israel in the north was often idolatrous and sinful. Judah in the south began in the faith and ended up idolatrous. Because there were two nations and the Word and teaching of God were not central all the time, sadly, the people of God fought against each other.Christians should see this time in Israel's history as a warning. Throughout the New Testament, we also hear God's Word teaching us to be long-suffering and patient with our brothers. We are taught not to let the sun go down on our anger. Indeed, we must also be careful to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.It is sometimes hard, though. Like Judah in the Old Testament, sometimes we make a great effort at the beginning, but do not follow through. We hold onto anger unjustly and are happy to see our enemies fall. We are impatient, demanding, and will suffer little if we can help it. As for the unity of the Spirit, sadly, this is sometimes the least of our concerns.Our Lord warns us against continuing in self-centered behavior. Let us not add sins to sin, or guilt upon existing guilt. Rather, as our Lord Jesus calls us to repent and believe in the Gospel, let us do so. If some bitterness is lodged in your heart now, let it go. Call on God to take it away. Trust in the Lord of life who does not call you to outrage, but to faith in Him and reflecting His peace among others. Lean on Him alone who loved you and gave Himself for you. And then, with the same compassion Jesus has shown you, show that to your neighbors. And especially those of the same household of the faith. Offer to rake the leaves of homebound members of your congregation. Volunteer to babysit your pastor's kids. Be willing to sing in your church's small choir. In such ways, you show that you are the Lord's, and His love shows through you.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Hope of the world, who by Thy cross didst save us From death and dark despair, from sin and guilt, We render back the love Thy mercy gave us; Take Thou our lives and use them as Thou wilt. (LSB 690:4)Rev. Robert Mayes, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and Zion St. John Lutheran Church, Beemer and Wisner, NE.

Yet Peter's first epistle begins this way: He tells his readers, scattered throughout the Roman world, all about themselves. Why? Clearly the apostle is burdened that his readers never forget who they are, whose they are, and where they're headed. If you forget who you are and whose you are and where you're headed... well, you're not going to think rightly, nor live rightly, in a world that seems increasingly strange to you. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope...," 1 Peter 1:3 (LSB). Peter writes to remind homeward-bound Christians of the living hope that is theirs—and ours—as those who are chosen, scattered and tested. This Lord's Day we'll begin our look at 1 Peter and its rich instruction for us as Christian pilgrims on our way home. Join us as we consider, "Homeward Bound: Chosen, Scattered, Tested." Prepare for Sunday: Read 1 Peter in its entirety. What major themes dominate this letter? In the opening verses, what descriptions of Peter's readers apply to believers today? How do these descriptions impart hope to you? Where do you most need this hope in your daily life? Be specific. Note: This Sunday is also a Communion Sunday. Let's prepare our hearts now for this important time of remembrance and consecration

Send Us a Message or Fan MailPreacher: Vicar Jorgen DahlSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.

August 27, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: What is the Sacrament of the Altar?Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 9:1-9; 10:1-13; 2 Corinthians 5:1-21It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. (Luther's Small Catechism- Sacrament of the Altar)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.What is the Sacrament of the Altar? As Luther wrote, it is the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink. This confesses a multitude of things in a concise sentence. It says what it is, why it is, and who it is for. Firstly, it is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We confess that Jesus was true man and true God. True man because God does not have blood, and true God because otherwise the Body and Blood can not be present at every altar. We still confess that the Body and Blood are under the bread and wine. This retains that the bread and wine are still present and are not removed at any point. It also confesses that the Body and Blood are truly present. This meal does what it says because it was instituted by Christ Himself. The Word of God is where the promises come from, and the words of Christ are efficacious; they do what they say. Therefore, we hold to the promises of God that when Christ says that “This is my body and this is my blood,” we believe that it is truly his Body and Blood. Finally, it is for us Christians to eat and to drink. We do this for the forgiveness of sins. But we do not do it alone; it is in community that we go to Communion. We partake in the only flesh and blood that can save us from our sins because it is only through Christ's sacrifice that we are justified before God.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace Or wash away the stain. But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb, Takes all our sins away; A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they. My faith would lay its hand On that dear head of Thine, While as a penitent I stand, And there confess my sin. My soul looks back to see The burden Thou didst bear When hanging on the cursed tree; I know my guilt was there. Believing, we rejoice To see the curse remove; We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice And sing His bleeding love. (LSB 431:1-5)Jonah Clausen, seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

August 26, 2026Today's Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:4-11 or Romans 10:9-17Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 8:22-30, 46-63; 2 Corinthians 4:1-18“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:9–17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.This is the sweet Gospel proclamation. Saint Paul's writing to the Romans is a comfort to them that these are the promises made to God's people. The first half is all comfort and teaches all the Good Gifts that God has given to his people. There is no difference between Jew and Greek, it does not matter if you became a Christian early or late, for the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches on all who call on Him. God gives lavishly to all his children because he loves them. He loves you because you are His child, not from what you have done, but from what He has done for you. He has called you by the Gospel, enlightening you with His Gifts, and sanctified the whole church on earth. Your conversion was through means; God works through His creation to bring people to faith. That is the reason for the second half of this reading. Now that we know how good God is, we share it with others. God's infinite goodness is enough to share. So we proclaim the Gospel and what God has done for us, so that the kingdom would be expanded and all may be saved. We are saved through faith, which is a Gift of God, and that is the faith we share.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Salvation unto us has come By God's free grace and favor; Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never. Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone; He is our one Redeemer. (LSB 555:1)Jonah Clausen, seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

August 25, 2026Today's Reading: Isaiah 29:17-24Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 7:51-8:21; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18“Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right. Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: ‘Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur will accept instruction.'” (Isaiah 29:17–24)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.We live in the midst of a fruitful Lebanon. The First day of the Lord has come, and the prophet Isaiah spoke the words of God that would come to pass. The Gospel for this week was opening the ears of the deaf man. That man was healed, and he heard the words of Christ; he heard the Word of God speaking to him. We can also look at other places in Jesus' ministry and see him fulfilling this prophecy. Between putting down scoffers to the meek obtaining fresh joy, Jesus does it all. However, all of those miracles pale in comparison to the fulfillment of verses 22-24. This is where the effects of Jesus' mission on earth come to pass.Christ comes and sanctifies Jacob. Jesus' unblemished life, death, and resurrection take the shame of Jacob away. When Jacob sees his children, the work of God's hands, in his midst, they will sanctify God's name. Because of Jesus's work of salvation, not only are we made righteous before God, but God's name is sanctified as well. Yahweh dwells with his people and brings his people back to Himself. The relationship has been restored between God and man. Christ is the fulfillment of the prophets and is the fulfillment of the first prophecy made to Eve in the Garden. Jesus is the one to crush the head of the serpent forever. We live in the victory of Christ until he comes again to bring us to be with him for all eternity.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Anoint them prophets, men who are intent. To be Your witnesses in word and deed, their hearts aflame, their lips made eloquent. Their eyes awake to every human need. (LSB 682:2)Jonah Clausen, seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

August 22, 2026Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 12 - Psalm 70:2b, 4a, 5b; antiphon: Psalm 70:1-2aDaily Lectionary: 1 Kings 2:1-27; 1 Corinthians 14:1-16:24; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13“You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!” (Psalm 70:5)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Psalm 70 expresses a prayer that every believer in God has prayed: “Help!” “Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!” (v. 1). It is the most basic and sincerest prayer.What the exact situation of David, the author of the Psalm, was, we do not know. David had his sworn enemies. He had conquered rivals within Israel and many from other nations as well. The number of men slain by him was in the thousands. As a result, many people were out to get him. People who, as he put it, “delighted in my hurt.” (vs. 2)Some might think that a man like King David wouldn't need any help taking care of his enemies. Remember how quickly he dispatched Goliath? David could handle himself. Who would David have been afraid of? But David knew that his successes in battle were only a gift from God.For example, when they tried talking him out of fighting Goliath, he told them, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And during the pre-battle trash-talking, David told Goliath, “You come to me with a sword … but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down…” (1st Samuel 17:45-46). David didn't trust in his own strength, but he relied on God, his help and deliverer.You probably haven't had anyone plot to kill you (and hopefully, you never will!) Yet, you can still relate to the need to be rescued from your enemies. Have you had kids put you down to build themselves up? Have they said unkind things? Made fun of you in front of others? Mocked you behind your back? Teenagers can be cruel. While going through these situations is no fun, take heart, cry out to God for help, and the Lord will deliver you, too. In fact, the Lord God Almighty has already delivered you from your greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus, the Son of David, fought Satan and defeated him. He gave Himself up for you on the cross, and His victory over the grave in His resurrection is complete and final. Now all who are in Him are delivered and will be forever. Therefore, rejoice and be glad in Him and say evermore: “God is great!” (vs. 4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Seek Him alone Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver. O seek Him first, All you who thirst For grace that fails you never. In ev'ry need Seek Him indeed; To every heart He will impart His blessings without measure. (LSB 557:3)Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

Send Us a Message or Fan MailPreacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.

August 19, 2026Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 11:1-27Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 11:1-27; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34“But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.” (2 Samuel 11:27b)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.How could this happen? God said that David was a man after His own heart: David trusted God and was a model of faithfulness, honoring God in both word and deed. But in our passage today, we read how this same great king slept with the wife of one of his trusted warriors, impregnated her, and tried to cover it up with lies. Then, when deception wouldn't work, he turned to murder. So, again: How could this happen? The same way it almost always does. “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) It started with just one look. He saw a beautiful woman naked, and instead of looking away, he kept looking and started thinking. He started to wonder about and delight in the idea of something wicked. At some point, he also came up with a justification for himself. I imagine it went like this: I am the king. I should get to have any woman I want. I deserve this! And at that point, he said to his servant, Bring her to me.David had several wives and concubines. He wasn't starved for sexual attention. Though it may have started as lust, the real sin is greed (failing to be content with what you have been given). If he justified his actions the way I think he did, then it was ultimately driven by pride, accompanied by a sense of entitlement.As we will see tomorrow, the consequences of David's sins were enormous. So learn from his downfall. Don't excuse small sins. Look away from those images on the screen. Do not delight in wicked things. Be content with what you have and do not think you are entitled to more. You, too, are capable of great evil if you let sin go unchecked. For King David, what started with one look later grew into murder. So, take heed lest you stumble. (1 Cor. 10:12)The story of David's fall is an important warning, but here's something much more comforting: Christ Himself was tempted in every way as we are, yet was without sin. (Heb. 4:15) Where we and so many others have failed and given in to desire, Christ stood strong. He kept Himself holy and pure so He could offer Himself up as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. And that perfect sacrifice on the cross covers all sins -big and small- for those who trust in Him. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Should some lust or sharp temptation Fascinate my sinful mind, Draw me to Your cross and passion, And new courage I shall find. Or should Satan press me hard, Let me then be on my guard, ‘Saying Christ for me was wounded,' That the tempter flee confounded. (LSB 421:2)Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 18, 2026Today's Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 or 1 Corinthians 15:1-10Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Lutherans love to say we are saved by grace through faith. But, as Luther would ask in his catechism, What does this mean? No text explains this better than Ephesians 2. Paul explains to his readers that before coming to Christ, spiritually, they were dead. Not neutral or pretty good, or able to help themselves if they tried harder or anything like that. No. Spiritually, they were dead, and they were damned. Like the rest of mankind, they were following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air- that spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience, and carrying out the desires of the flesh. (v. 2-3) These are the three great enemies of God: the world, the flesh, and the devil.The world is the pressure we feel from outside of ourselves, coming from our friends or what is advertised to us as a good time. We want to fit in and be accepted, so we listen to these voices instead of listening to God. The flesh is our own personal weaknesses. We all have temptations to which we are prone, but they aren't all the same. Some people are particularly tempted by pride, while others are driven by envy, and still others by lust, and so on. Lastly, there is “the prince of the power of the air,” or as he is better known, the devil. He is real, and as Luther said somewhere, he never takes a vacation. He's like a roaring lion prowling around, waiting to devour you. (1 Peter 5:8) He suggests evil thoughts to you, like he did to Adam and Eve, and like he did to Jesus. And except for Jesus, he has a perfect record of getting people to sin! The world, the flesh, and the devil have made us, along with the rest of mankind, objects of God's wrath. With these things stacked against us, constantly leading us to sin, we are dead. What chance does anyone have given this situation?“But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved…” (4-5) Why are some going to make it to heaven? Not because they were good enough. Not because they didn't sin, but because God is merciful and Christ our substitute was good enough. Amazingly, God loves sinners in spite of their sins. What's more, even though sinners are dead in their trespasses, He made some alive in Christ. That's what the Bible calls grace –God's undeserved kindness, His Gift of new life given to people who deserve to be dead.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.By grace! On this I'll rest when dying; In Jesus' promise I rejoice; For though I know my heart's condition, I also know my Savior's voice. My heart is glad, all grief has flown Since I am saved by grace alone. (LSB 566:2)Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 17, 2026Today's Reading: Genesis 4:1-15Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:22“sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7b)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Cain and Abel both presented offerings to the LORD. Abel brought his best; Cain did not. The LORD regarded Abel's offering, but not Cain's. Cain was shown up by his little brother! “So Cain was very angry…”It's not wrong to get angry. Even Jesus got angry with moneychangers. But when Jesus was angry, He never acted inappropriately. That wasn't the case for Cain, and it often isn't the case with us. When someone else gets the recognition we wanted or thought we deserved, envy and anger are stirred up in us like they were with Cain. Pay attention, therefore, to what God says to him: “Why are you angry? If you do well, will you not be accepted?”The LORD encourages Cain by saying he can improve his situation. It isn't over for him; he can do better next time. So can we. When things don't go our way, we don't have to get angry; often, there's a way to fix the problem. Unfortunately, rage clouds our judgment, and we can't see it. Neither could Cain.The LORD explains that Cain is in a dangerous position: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Like a predator waiting to pounce, sin wants to devour him. The LORD commands him to rule over it. Sadly, that command was ignored, and Cain murdered his brother.“What have you done?” said the LORD, “The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.” And from there, he cursed Cain and condemned him to be a fugitive. God could have killed Cain. Instead, He exiled him. But Cain thought it was a trap: that he was being set up, “Whoever finds me will kill me!” he cried. But it wasn't a trap. God is really that forgiving. He proved it by putting a mark of protection on Cain to spare his life.I hope your anger never causes you to sin like Cain, and that the Holy Spirit will instead work in you the strength to overcome it. But when you do sin, know this: you also have a mark of protection on you. In Holy Baptism, you have been marked as God's own child. He will not abandon you or forsake you, even if the consequences of your sin cause you to suffer for a while. There's no sin you have committed that will cut you off from God. In the book of Hebrews, the author reminds us that in coming to Christ, we come, “to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (12:24) Abel's blood cried out for vengeance. But the precious blood of Jesus declares grace and full forgiveness to all who trust in Him.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Abel's blood for vengeance Pleaded to the skies; But the blood of Jesus For our pardon cries. (LSB 433:4)Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

August 16, 2026Today's Reading: Luke 18:9-14Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 6:1-19; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.One of the many problems with being a sinner is that we are turned in on ourselves, or self-centered. We tend to talk too much about ourselves and only think of our own problems and desires. As religiously serious people, we may even become impressed with ourselves and compare ourselves to others. The Pharisee in our text is an example of this. Even when he “prays” in the temple, all he really does is talk about himself to God. If you can believe it, he lets the Almighty know how great he is! And if you are honest, I bet you can believe it because you've probably done the same thing. We all have. If we aren't careful, our prayers can also become self-centered attempts to justify ourselves, rather than humbly thanking and praising our Maker and our Savior. The main underlying problem with the Pharisee is the sin of pride. He is so proud that he cannot do anything but brag about how great he is and condemn those whom he thinks are beneath him. He thanks God that he is not like them! Contrast this with the tax collector. That man cannot even raise his head. He has sinned terribly, and he knows it. When praying to God, he is full of anguish and shame. He beats his chest. He doesn't brag about how good he is. Instead, he goes before the Lord and barely spits out the only prayer appropriate: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” What a contrast: a pious, upstanding religious Pharisee, and a filthy, broken tax collector. If we had seen them that day, we would have certainly thought the one who had it all together, the polished, conservative religious man, was the kind of man God would approve of. But Jesus tells us otherwise. That man was too proud to receive God's grace or mercy. He thought those things unnecessary since he was so convinced of his own goodness. But not so the Tax Collector. Although his sin was great, Jesus tells us that the one who is truly humble, broken, and relies on God was the one who went home justified. Learn from this man whom our Lord praises and learn from him to look to God to have mercy on you and forgive you all your sins for Jesus' sake.Further, ask yourself: How do I pray? With humility or pride? In your conversations with others, how often do you talk about yourself versus listening and learning from others? How might you, as a fellow broken and humble sinner, let others know about the mercy of God in Jesus?In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I lay my sins on Jesus, The spotless Lamb of God; He bears them all and frees us From the accursed load. I bring my guilt to Jesus, To wash my crimson stains Clean in His blood most precious Till not a spot remains. (LSB 606:1)Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

Send Us a Message or Fan MailPreacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.

August 11, 2026 Today's Reading: Romans 9:30-10:4 or 1 Corinthians 12:1-11Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 26:1-25; 1 Samuel 27:1-28:2; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.When I converted to Lutheranism in 2005, I was amazed by the clarity of confession and the certainty of the Lutherans I met. Though I had grown up in and around the church, I didn't understand much of what was being said; however, every time my pastor preached the stern law which crushed me and the sweetest gospel to comfort me, it overwhelmed me with joy. I understood for the first time that because Christ forgives me, I lack nothing. Tough theological questions and discussions eventually came, but one thing remained steadfastly true through it all: Christ kept me in His Divine service to receive His Gifts with exceeding joy. Justification rests in Christ alone, who gives it freely by His work, His merit.Try telling that to the people of Paul's day… try telling many in our own day, try convincing yourself of this when you're drowning in sin. Paul wrestled with a profound mystery… righteousness… justification… just what is it? Where can it be found? Paul narrows it down to just two places. People either believe it comes by what a person does, thinks, acts, and says, OR it comes by faith in the only One, Jesus, Who actually did, thought, acted, and said EVERYTHING perfectly for us.Paul knew that the law wasn't the problem; the law is good, just, and holy. The problem was that many misused it for self-justification instead of its proper use of exposing sin and killing the sinner. Article 4 of the Apology clearly states: “The Law always accuses. Therefore it does not justify, because the conscience terrified by the Law flees from the judgment of God. Faith, however, comforts and saves.” (Apology IV) The law… drives us to Christ. St. Paul taught that the Gentiles had received the righteousness of God through the preaching of the Gospel, which meant that righteousness is received and imputed to us through faith in Christ. That is a great offense to the self-righteous. The stumbling block is Christ — because He overturns all self-reliance. He fulfills the law for us. The Gospel is offensive because it freely gives what we cannot produce: forgiveness, peace with God and neighbor. Jesus alone bears the curse the Law pronounces. (Gal. 3:13) The Law is not a sentence of death, but God lovingly revealing our desperate need for Jesus. Luther writes: “The Law says, ‘Do this,' and it is never done. The Gospel says, ‘Believe this,' and everything is done already.” (Luther's Works, Vol. 26, p. 5.)In the Name + of Jesus.Let us pray: Seek Him alone, Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver. O seek Him first, all you who thirst for grace that fails you never. In every need seek Him indeed; to every heart he will impart His blessings without measure. (LSB 557:3)Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.

August 8, 2026Today's Reading: Introit for Trinity 10 - Psalm 55:1, 4-5, 16; antiphon: Psalm 55:16a, 17b, 18a, 22aDaily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:16“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!” (Psalm 55:1)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.The Lord desires that we call upon Him in the day of trouble. That is what we learn in the opening to the Lord's Prayer. We pray not to some big, scary God up there in the heavens who has not revealed Himself to us. If that were the case, we would not begin our prayer, “Our Father…”God is our Father, which means, of course, that we are His children. And as His children, He, as our heavenly Father, desires only what is good and beneficial to us. Sometimes what is good for us is chastisement and correction, which, while in the midst of it, never feels good, but in truth always is.Other times, what is for our good is protection and release from every form of evil that would do us temporal and eternal harm. This is what we pray for in the final Petition of the Lord's Prayer. It is pretty amazing that Jesus summarizes so succinctly what we find all over the place in the Psalms!Pray to your dear Father all that which troubles your conscience and your mind. Cast your burdens upon the stripped and beaten shoulders of Christ your Lord, who has already taken them all to the cross and bore them unto His death— knowing that in the hollowness of the empty tomb, He has the victory over all of these things and has placed them inside His own grave to be buried forever!The fallenness of this broken world will not cease to assail you. Your own sinful flesh will lead you down paths not helpful, but hurtful. Satan will fight tooth and nail to rob away the proclamation of the Gospel and the forgiveness of sins that Christ has already won for you. … That is why your Lord has granted to you the Gift of prayer, that you might seek refuge under the shadow of His wing, knowing that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.God, your Heavenly Father, hears your pleas for mercy and redeems your soul in safety. The verdict has already been declared as Christ called out from the cross, “It is finished!” And so know for certain that in the midst of sin and strife and death and temptation, He will sustain you through the Gifts of the cross given you in His Church! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.O God, forsake me not! Your gracious presence lend me; Lord, lead Your helpless child; Your Holy Spirit send me That I my course may run. O be my light, my lot, My staff, my rock, my shield– O God forsake me not! (LSB 731:1)Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

August 7, 2026Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 21:1-9Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 21:1-9“So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of Presence…” (1 Samuel 21:6a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Holy things for unholy people. That's what happens in our text for today.If you remember, David is on the run. Saul doesn't like the man; he never has since that whole Goliath thing when the crowds gave David the king's welcome. He already tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, then seemed to come to his senses by giving one of his daughters in marriage to him, then went a little crazy again and tried to devise a plot for Jonathan and his servants to murder him.David evades the assassins (with the help of Saul's son and daughter) and heads for the hills. Which brings him eventually to Nob, where the tabernacle sits, and before the High Priest Ahimelech. There are a lot of moving pieces by now, and I'm not too sure Ahimelech was all that keen on helping David out, at least not initially. But by the end of it all, David receives five loaves of the Bread of Presence.This bread was only meant for the priests. Twelve loaves were made weekly and laid before the Lord in the tabernacle. On the Sabbath, the holy priests (made holy only by the designation of God) would consume the old bread and present the new. …David was no priest. He was not consecrated as holy, and yet Ahimelech superseded the Levitical Law for the sake of David's well-being.Fast forward 1,000+ years, and Jesus uses this very example to help show that man is not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath is made for man. Meaning, God desires to give His good Gifts to His people despite the fact that we are unworthy to receive them. And that's the whole thing about God: He is always the one at work, always the one making us worthy, always the one giving of Himself for our good.Receiving the Gifts of God is not about cleaning yourself up first in order to make yourself worthy to receive His Gifts. If that were the case, they wouldn't be Gifts, and they wouldn't be given; they would be wages earned. But we can never earn the things of God, can never make ourselves worthy enough or holy enough. But Christ has already done that for us, for you. He, through His holy, bitter suffering and precious death, has done it all, which is what makes you worthy to receive His good Gifts of life and salvation through Word and Sacrament.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.My Lord, You here have led me To this most holy place And with Yourself have fed me The treasures of Your grace; For You have freely given What earth could never buy, The bread of life from heaven, That now I shall not die. (LSB 642:2)Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

August 6, 2026Today's Reading: Catechism: The Sacrament of Holy Baptism - 4Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:1-23; Acts 28:16-31“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Baptism isn't a one-time thing. I mean, it is…. After all, we do confess in the Creed that we believe in one Baptism for the remission of sins. But what I mean is that Baptism, your Baptism, isn't just the physical event that happened however long ago. Grammatically speaking, then, we should speak about it in the Perfect tense instead of the Past tense. Past tense means that the event is done and over with no continual ramifications into the present or future. Perfect tense, instead, is an accomplished act in the past with continuous consequences into the future. … That is why it is also best to say, “I am baptized,” instead of, “I was baptized.”And, of course, we get all of this from Scripture. Paul, in Romans, is one of the prominent places. We continually, daily, go back to our Baptism. We do this for reassurance against the crafts and assaults of the devil. But we also do this so that Old Man Adam can be drowned again and again and again. For although Old Adam was drowned on the day that you were baptized and is still drowned each and every new day of your life, he is a terribly strong swimmer. He is going to pop his head above the waves constantly, and as the New Adam baptized into Christ, it is our duty to yank him down into the depths again, holding him there until he stops struggling for the service.But this “Perfect” tense is also why we can so confidently, in the face of struggles, strife, sin, Satan, and the cemetery, know for certain that our identity is not found in our sin or in the fact that we will die because of it one day. Our identity isn't in anything that Satan wishes us to identify with; it isn't found in the fallen world or the fallen flesh. No, our identity is found in Christ!Why? Because we were buried with Him through Baptism into His death. We have been made one with the One who has already paid the price for all of our sin and has prepared his final resting place to be the final resting place of our Old Adam. And then, so too, are we raised from the dead through the glory of the Father. New Adam, today and every day. New Adam for eternity.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I bind this day to me forever, By pow'r of faith, Christ's incarnation, His Baptism in the Jordan River, His cross of death for my salvation, His bursting from the spiced tomb, His riding up the heav'nly way, His coming at the day of doom, I bind unto myself today. (LSB 604:2)Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Send Us a Message or Fan MailPreacher: Pastor Adam SteinbrennerSubmit sermon questions by emailing podcast@stjohndublin.orgLink to SermonChurch Website: stjohndublin.orgChurch Center: stjohndublin.churchcenter.comThank you to Higher Things Inc. for permission to use their recording of LSB 834 “O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth”. (leader.higherthings.org)Thank you for listening to the Post-Sermon Podcast.

August 5, 2026Today's Reading: Acts 28:1-15Daily Lectionary: Acts 28:1-15“After we were brought safely through…” (Acts 28:1a)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.It had been three long years since Paul had been arrested by a Jewish mob in Jerusalem and thrown before the High Priest Ananias. The Jews had made a plot to kill him, but that plot had been foiled, and he was skirted away to Caesarea to be put under the authority of Felix, the governor. During the next 36 months, Paul would appeal to be heard by Caesar, speak in front of rulers and authorities, sail for Rome, be caught at sea by a storm, and be shipwrecked on the island of Malta.Luke begins our Reading for today with the words, “After we were brought safely through…” It was the providential will of God that Paul would not find his end at the hands of a Jewish mob in Jerusalem, but instead that he would go on proclaiming the Gospel all the way to the steps of Rome. Christ crucified would be made known throughout the world despite his imprisonment. (Dare I say even because of it?)Is it any wonder that Paul would be able to pen in Romans that, “God works all things for good for those who are called according to his purpose,” and, in 2 Corinthians, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”The Christian gives thanks to the Lord above for the faithful witness of His apostles. It's no mere accident that these men suffered imprisonment, torture, persecution, and martyrdom; for as Christ said, “A servant is not above his master.” But these things took place so that you and I might know what Christ is and who He is for us 2000 years after the Apostle Paul met his blessed end.God had seen Paul through all of these hardships with you in mind, so that you might “have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:18-19a)The doctrine handed down by the Apostles is the very doctrine that is preached and proclaimed in your congregations. It is the foolishness of the cross, the stumbling block of a crucified Savior risen from the dead for the forgiveness of your sins. We confess these truths in the Creeds, and we receive these truths in the Divine Service. We profess these promises to the lost and fallen world around us. And we live in the grace and mercy of the Gospel until Christ comes again in glory.In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.I trust, O Lord, Your holy name; O let me not be put to shame Nor let me be confounded. My faith, O Lord, Be in Your Word Forever firmly grounded. (LSB 734:1)Rev. Eli Lietzau, pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

What happens when someone leaves everything behind to follow Jesus Christ?In this powerful episode of the Man Up God's Way Podcast, Jody Burkeen sits down with Shahriq Khan, a former Muslim whose life was radically transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Shahriq shares his remarkable testimony, the cost of following Christ, and his passion for proclaiming the truth of God's Word to a world that desperately needs hope.Together, they discuss what it means to stand firm in biblical truth, boldly proclaim Jesus Christ, and remain faithful even when following Him comes with sacrifice. Shahriq offers personal insights into his journey from Islam to Christianity, practical wisdom for evangelism, and encouragement for every believer to move beyond comfort and live on mission for God's kingdom.Whether you're seeking to grow in your faith, become more confident in sharing the gospel, or be challenged to live wholeheartedly for Christ, this conversation will encourage and equip you.In this episode you'll discover: Shahriq's journey from Islam to faith in Jesus Christ. The cost and joy of following Christ. Why every Christian is called to make disciples. How to boldly share your faith with confidence and compassion. Remaining faithful in a culture that opposes biblical truth. Practical encouragement to live as a disciple of Christ every day. If this episode encourages you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this message."Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19, LSB)

Teleskop Jamesa Webba przynosi nam wyzwania wobec aktualnie obowiązujących teorii (i mniej więcej, dlatego został wysłany w kosmos). To ten teleskop zaobserwował galaktykę powstałą raptem 280 milionów lat po Wielkim Wybuchu. Niejaka MOM-z14 zaskakuje swoją jasnością i zawartością chemiczną – krótko mówiąc, jest nie taka jak byśmy się spodziewali. I to tylko jedna z zagadek współczesnej nauki o galaktykach, a opowiada o nich w Radiu Naukowym dr Anna Durkalec z NCBJ.

From Felony to Freedom | The Powerful Testimony of Christopher BrownWhat happens when a man who was trapped in gangs, violence, addiction, organized crime, and prison encounters the saving grace of Jesus Christ?In this powerful episode, Jody Burkeen sits down with Christopher Brown to hear one of the most remarkable testimonies you'll ever hear. Christopher shares how a childhood filled with chaos and dysfunction led him into a life of crime that ultimately resulted in more than five years in prison, including time in maximum security and over ten months in solitary confinement.After his release, the cycle of destruction continued through addiction, broken relationships, spiritual darkness, and violence until a life-altering event changed everything. Following a near-death experience in which he died twice and was placed into a medically induced coma, Christopher came face-to-face with the reality that life apart from God is complete separation and hopelessness.In 2020, Jesus Christ radically transformed his life.Today, the man who once lived for the world now lives to proclaim the Gospel. God has taken Christopher from felony to freedom, from prison to purpose, and from darkness into the light of Christ. His journey has led him to a calling in West Africa, where he and his wife are preparing for long-term missions work, sharing the hope of Jesus with people who have never heard the Gospel.In this episode, you'll hear: Christopher's journey from crime, gangs, and prison. How a near-death experience became a turning point in his life. The moment he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. How God called him into missions in West Africa. Why no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. If you've ever wondered whether God can redeem a broken life, this conversation is a powerful reminder that no one is too far gone for the transforming power of the Gospel.Connect with Christopher BrownIf you'd like to learn more about Christopher's ministry or partner with his mission through prayer or financial support, be sure to listen through the end of the episode for more information.Subscribe to the Man Up God's Way Podcast for more conversations that challenge men to follow Jesus Christ, lead courageously, and live with biblical purpose."Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, LSB)