There were present at that season some who told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus, answering, said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were sinners above all men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5

Many ask these days why God would allow such tragedies as the recent mass murders using guns, vehicles, knives and other means. As a sinful human being with a very limited understanding of the ways of God, I will not presume to speak on His behalf and try, as some have done, to explain God’s reasonings for permitting such wickedness and tragedies to occur. I will, however, let God speak for Himself if any care to listen.

In Isaiah 59:2-3, God says: “But your iniquities have come between and separated you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has uttered perverseness” (read all of Isaiah 59).

Because our people have turned away from the LORD God and no longer listen to His Word, He leaves us to suffer the consequences of our sinful ways and to pay the price for the murder of millions of unborn children in the womb. Why should he continue to watch over us and protect us when we cast off His Word and rebel against his commandments!

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus was told of certain Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus asked, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were sinners above all men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.”

Applying Jesus’ words to those who have been killed in recent shootings, bombings, vehicular homicides, knife attacks, etc., were these people worse sinners than others, including us, who have not yet suffered such tragedies? Jesus says, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.”

In 2 Peter 3, the Bible speaks of God’s final judgment upon this earth, and we learn why it has not yet occurred. Verse 9 says: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

The recent events in our world could have just as well struck right here, at home. Stop and think about the possibilities. Why hasn’t such a tragedy struck us? Why hasn’t God permitted death to come suddenly upon us or our children? His answer: He “is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Perhaps – no, most definitely – we ought to use the remaining time God has given us in this world to consider what He has told us in the Bible, repent of the evil in our lives and seek the forgiveness God offers us through the death and resurrection of His Son!

Jesus added this parable to His words: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit on it, and found none. Then he said to the dresser of his vineyard, ‘Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down. Why does it encumber the ground?’ And he, answering, said to him, ‘Lord, leave it alone this year also until I dig about it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, fine. But if not, then after that you shall cut it down’” (Luke 13:6-9).

Our gracious God expects to find fruits of repentance in our lives too. If we are truly sorry for our sinful ways and trust in Christ Jesus for forgiveness, we will not just continue on in our old sinful ways but seek to live for Christ according to His Word. Jesus is patient with us and, by His Spirit, works to strengthen us in the faith and sanctify us so that we might live for Him. But ultimately, if we produce no fruit for Him, we, like the fruitless fig tree will be cut down.

Jesus’ words are a warning to us against false security – thinking that all is well with our souls if we are baptized church members while we go our own way and live as we please rather than as God commands in His Word and as God’s Spirit leads us. Unless we repent, we will be cut off and perish.

God is patient with us and desires that we all repent of our foolish and sinful ways and turn to Jesus Christ and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross for forgiveness and new life in Him. He is patient, but one day that patience will run out and the day of the Lord will come upon us!

O dearest Jesus, forgive my foolishness and sin and teach me to walk in Your ways and live for You in accord with Your holy Word. Grant that I produce the fruits of true repentance in my life and be found to Your praise and glory. I ask this for the sake of Your holy and precious blood shed for the remission of my sins and the sins of the whole world. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘In this way you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them, “May the LORD bless you and keep you. May the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’ “And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27

This is the blessing that God commanded Aaron and his sons to speak over the children of Israel. We often refer to these words of blessing as a benediction because they are good words of blessing which God has commanded to be spoken over His people.

God also says of these words that in this way “they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Thus, we see that this blessing is a way in which God’s name is to be placed upon His people; and we see that God Himself has promised to carry out the blessing.

The Aaronic Blessing is a Trinitarian blessing because the word LORD (Yahweh or Jehovah in Hebrew) is to be spoken over the people three times – once for each person in the Trinity. The threefold blessings also depict the work of the LORD for mankind.

It is the Father who has created and still preserves us. “He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life” (Luther’s Small Catechism). He also keeps us. “He defends me against all danger, and guards and protects me from all evil” (Luther’s Small Catechism).

In the person of the Son – who is also the LORD (Yahweh or Jehovah) – the LORD looks upon us sinners with grace and favor; for Christ Jesus, who is “true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary … has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death” (Luther’s Small Catechism). For Christ’s sake, God’s face shines upon us and He is gracious and merciful toward us sinners.

It is the Holy Spirit – also the LORD (Yahweh or Jehovah) – who lifts up His face toward us sinners and gives us peace (shalom) with God through the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in Christ Jesus. He “has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith” (Luther’s Small Catechism). He gives us peace by assuring us that God forgives and accepts us and all who look in faith to Christ Jesus and His cross for mercy.

We recall, of course, that God’s name has already been placed upon us at our Baptism and that we are God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus (cf. Gal. 3:26-27). And, in the Aaronic Blessing, God’s name is also spoken over us and placed upon us! As in Christian Baptism, where the minister applies water “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” and God washes away our sins and makes us His own dear children through faith in Christ Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 22:16; Tit. 3:5), so also in this blessing, the LORD – the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit – grants us His grace and blessing through His Word and Sacraments.

And when we believe His promises, God does mercifully “bless” us and “keep” us. His face does “shine” upon us and He is “gracious” unto us. He does “lift up His countenance upon” us and “give” us His “peace,” all for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross in our stead. And He continues to bless us and keep us throughout our earthly lives, until that Day when we finally partake of the everlasting peace of heaven!

Dear LORD God, graciously grant that we receive Your benediction in faith and partake of the blessings which You give us for the sake of our Savior, Jesus Christ. In His name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of the LORD is darkness and not light, as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. Shall the day of the LORD not be darkness rather than light, even very dark and no brightness in it?” Amos 5:18-20 (read v. 18-24)

Are you ready for the Day of the Lord? Most have little fear of that day or of its consequences for them. Most assume that all is well with their souls, and God’s judgments are far from their minds.

It is much like the days of ancient Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II. Israel became strong again and defeated its enemies. It was a time of prosperity. Yet, Jeroboam II continued in the sinful ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. Instead of it being a time of repentance and returning to the LORD God who had shown mercy upon His people, they continued in idolatry and disregard for God’s commandments. cf. 2 Kings 14:23ff.

So, today, our people – even our churches – live in prosperity and are secure in their sinful ways. They disregard the Bible’s teaching and worship and serve gods fashioned after their own image and manner of thinking. Our nation’s laws are made to protect abortion, euthanasia, immorality, sexual perversion, robbery and theft. People assume all is well and that they are ready for the Day of the Lord but don’t see the judgment of the Almighty which is about to come upon them.

The words of Amos the prophet surely apply (Amos 5:18-24): “Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of the LORD is darkness and not light, as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. Shall the day of the LORD not be darkness rather than light, even very dark and no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feast days and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though you offer me burnt-offerings and your food-offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. Take away from me the noise of your songs, for I will not hear the melody of your harps. But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.”

The Day of the Lord for our nation and people will not bring vindication; it will bring judgment and death! Our idolatry and sins will be exposed for what they are, and our people will find that their worship and service to God were shams. God did not accept them because their hearts were far from Him and they paid little regard to His Word (cf. Matt. 15:8-9; Isa. 29:13-14).

And, what about us? Are we ready for the Day of the Lord? Will we be vindicated in God’s judgment? As Amos prophesied, it’s not enough to say all the right words and to offer up all the right forms of praise. God desires the fruits of true faith! God desires that we trust in His mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus and then also live just and righteous lives in accord with His Word. Cf. Isaiah 1:1-20.

What does this prophecy call upon us to do? To examine our ways, to repent of our sins, to turn to the LORD God for mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus our Savior, and then to amend our lives and live for the LORD God in obedience to His Word.

Going through the right motions, saying the right words and singing the right hymns are not enough! God calls upon us – each and every one of us – to examine our ways and repent, looking to Him for mercy in Christ Jesus and for His help and strength to amend our sinful ways in accord with His perfect Word. Cf. Psalm 139:23-24; 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 John 1:7 – 2:6; Micah 6:8; Deut. 10:12-13.

O just and merciful God, we know that the day of Your judgment is coming and that we too are deserving of Your wrath and punishment. Have mercy upon us for Jesus’ sake and forgive our sins, and lead us to walk in Your ways and to live in accord with Your perfect Word. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:38-39

How is it that one can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? How can one “not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:18-21)?

Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, gives to us the answer: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

To be filled and led by the Spirit of God does not require any great spiritual work on our part. It does not require a specific prayer or a holy and sinless life before the Holy Spirit enters into us.

Through the good news of Christ’s innocent sufferings and death on the cross for the sins of the world, God graciously calls us sinners to turn from our sins to Christ Jesus for forgiveness and life everlasting (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13-14).

The Holy Spirit reveals our sinfulness and utter failure to live up to the demands of the perfect Law of God (cf. John 16:7-11; Rom. 3:9-20,23); but then the Holy Spirit comforts us with the assurance that atonement has been made for our sins in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again, and that we are forgiven and counted righteous by God through faith in Jesus’ name (cf. Rom. 3:24-26; Psalm 32:1ff.; 51:1ff.).

When, by the grace of God, we believe this and trust in Christ as our Savior, being baptized into His name and according to His command for the remission of our sins (Matt. 28:19; Gal. 3:26-27), we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He takes up residence in our hearts, teaches us of Jesus from God’s Word, and strengthens and keeps us in the true and saving faith (cf. John 14:16-18, 23-28; 16:13-15; Titus 3:3-7).

And He who has “begun a good work” in us will dwell in us and “perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended Savior, we thank You for granting to us the gift of the Holy Spirit — for bringing us to turn from our sins to You for forgiveness, being baptized in Your name, and for dwelling in us by Your Spirit that we might be kept and preserved in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. For the sake of Your bitter sufferings and death in our stead, and Your glorious resurrection, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]

How is it that this world and the universe came to be? How did life begin and why does it go on? Is it all the result of chance over extreme lengths of time? Or is it the result of an intelligent creator who wisely designed and created all things?

While many have speculated and theorized, there is one eye-witness account of how all came to be and who is behind it.

And this account is foundational for the Christian Faith. If God did not create the heavens and the earth and all things, we are not accountable to Him. But, if the creation account is true and God did create this world and give us life, each of us must answer to Him for how we have lived the life He gave us.

Many scoff and criticize this account and offer alternative theories with no foundation in truth in an attempt to escape the accountability which goes along with the creation account, but wisdom calls upon us to seek the truth and accept it, along with any accountability which accompanies that truth.
That one eye-witness account is recorded for all to know in the first two chapters of Genesis. It is the account of the Creator Himself, recorded by Moses for all to read and know the truth.

That account begins: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Please take the time now to read Genesis 1:1 — 2:3.

Genesis 1:1 – 2:3

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light “day,” and he called the darkness “night,” and the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. 8 And God called the firmament “heaven.” And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 And God called the dry land “earth,” and he called the collection of waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth.” And it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, for seasons, for days, and years. 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 To rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the waters abundantly bring forth the moving creature that has life and the bird that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” 21 And God created the great sea-creatures and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged bird after his kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply in the earth.” 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind: cattle, the creeping animal, and the beast of the earth after his kind.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, cattle after their kind, and every animal that creeps upon the earth after his kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping animal that creeps upon the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, and subdue it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the bird of the air, and over every living animal that moves upon the earth.”

29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. To you it shall be for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to every animal that creeps upon the earth, in which is life, I have given every green herb for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made. And he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]