The Joshua Victor Theory

            Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. 1 Peter 4 & 5 tells us that Christians are to expect fiery trials and suffering for the name of Christ, and that Christ endured the same. Jesus Christ, being God’s own Son, and suffering in the flesh Himself, changes everything for us. That God would not remain aloof and distant from our sufferings but come down under it and in the midst of it, and feel the pain, the loneliness, and the struggle of it all, is amazing. No other god has wounds.             It’s hard in the midst of suffering not to be overwhelmed by a sense of the meaninglessness or injustice of it all. On the one hand, if a person believes in God, they are troubled by the question of evil, and wonder how God could allow it. On the other hand, if a person doesn’t believe in God, it must amplify the meaning...

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The Parable of the Sower that Jesus tells today is the first of a great series of parables in the Gospel of Luke, and describes two basic reactions to His parables. He says in verse 10, before explaining the parable, “ To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. ’” You see, believers will hear and understand the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for unbelievers, they will actually confound them and they won’t understand. This is not just a matter of whether you “get it” or not right away—the disciples didn’t get the parable—but they asked questions to learn more. They were hearing the Word with “honest and good hearts”. Others tuned out or ignored the Word. This parable shows us why sometimes the Word of God is sown like a seed, and it grows and bears ...

With me Stands the Righteous One author: Joshua V. Schneider meter: 78 78 77 tune: Lutheran Service Book 609, "Jesus Sinners Doth Receive",  Meinum Jesum Lass' Ich Nicht (Darmstadt) 1. Near me stood the Evil One, though from my own eyes he’s hidden. “Shall I throw the righteous down?” Mocking words into the heavens. “Will he trust in God each day; if you take his goods away?” 2. “Harm his family, harm his life, then we’ll see if he still raises; Prayer and thanks to God above lifting high his holy praises. Only when his life’s secure will his trust in You be pure.” 3. How could I perceive the cost, knowing not the war was waging; for my soul the devil wants, threats and accusations raging. “Ah dear God please tell me why, these afflictions round me lie?” 4. “Life on earth is all too short, Can’t you see this human weaken?” Father knows that we are dust, has compassion on His children Cast your burdens, every o...

Sermon Outline: 1.       Two outcomes set before us: death and life. James charts the path to both. First the role of temptation/testing. Different in origin and purpose. Testing: from God—to strengthen faith, create reliance on Him. Temptation: from the devil (or our own desire)—to make us fall, weaken faith, death. God will work through tests and trials in life to accomplish His purpose in us, and to teach us that His grace is sufficient—His power made perfect in weakness. 2.       Devil ultimately wants us on the path to death, but James reminds us that we’re quite determined/capable on our own of choosing that path. Starts with our own sinful desire. Desire is tempted—put your hope for satisfaction in sinful pleasures. But when we seek to satisfy in sinful ways—greed, lust, anger, selfishness—the satisfaction is short-lived and empty. Driven to pursue it more, with less satisfaction. Law of diminishing returns. Racing down a sl...

Sermon outline: 1. Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer—longest prayer of Jesus, first part is for His immediate disciples, second part expands to all future disciples. a. Hour had come: Father to glorify Son & vice versa—the coming crucifixion, where humility and obedience would bring glory and honor to God 2. Jesus speaks about the purpose God His Father gave: “to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him.” Who has God given to Jesus? Have you been given to Jesus? a. God is the one doing the giving, not us (vs. “I gave myself to Jesus”)…God gives faith, He calls us to be disciples/followers. b. We are given to Jesus/called to faith by God’s Word. United with Him in baptism. The Word calls and awakens faith in us. Jesus says: “I have manifested (made known) your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” Jesus made known God’s name (more on that later). God gave them to Jesus, and they have kept His ...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. The sermon text is the Gospel from John 15. Here Jesus teaches us about what it means to be pruned and to grow and bear fruit, and how this relates to trials in life and our Christian growth. He shows how the Father prunes us of dead growth, and how Jesus Himself is the Vine, from which all believers gain nourishment, health, and the ability to bear fruit. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The pruning of a plant always involves some trauma. Though the plant isn’t conscious and can’t “feel” the sharp pinch of the pruning shears or the cut of the blade, it oozes sap from the open wound. A tree may scar and leave behind a stump where the pruned branch once was. Sometimes pruning seems so radical that the plant hardly looks like it will survive or grow back. Other times the pruning is more delicate and aimed to direct the growth of the plant. I think o...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. The sermon text is the Old Testament reading, God’s testing of Abraham, Genesis 22:1-18. Today we will think and consider how God tests us as well, and how the Lord will Provide. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. I don’t know in what particular ways God is going to test you throughout life. The individual tests of faith that we face as Christians, may be as different from one another as the differences between our personalities, our personal strengths and weaknesses, our work circumstances and environment, our personal and family relationships, our age, etc. Young or old, married or single, wealthy or poor—our lives will be tested. But regardless of the wide differences that may face us in the types of trials and tests that we face, this is near certain to be in common—that they will challenge your trust in God’s Word and Promises. The circumstance...