Dr. Eschelbach was back at Christ Lutheran Church Ranchos Palos Verde this Sunday.
Watch him deliver a sermon here:
And watch him lead a Bible study here:
Revelation 14:6-7
14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth–to every nation and tribe and language and people. 14:7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and be honest about Him doing what no else can or would do, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
Romans 3:19-28
3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 3:20 For “no human being will be justified in his sight” by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
3:21 But now, apart from law, the justiceness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 3:22 the justiceness of God through honesty about dependence on Jesus Christ for all who are honest about dependence. For there is no distinction,
3:23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
3:24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 3:25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by honesty about dependence on His blood, Whom God set forth as proof of His justice because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 3:26 to prove at the present time that he himself is just and that he justifies the one who is honest about dependence on Jesus.
3:27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of honesty about dependence. 3:28 For we hold that a person is justified by honesty about dependence apart from works prescribed by the law.
John 8:31-36
8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had become honest about depending on him, “If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples; 8:32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 8:33 They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 8:35 The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 8:36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
REFORMATION? Which one? Noah, Abraham, David, Hezekiah, Joash, Luther, Wesley, Walther? BUT does reformation work?
The church of man, the one we see, will always be as sinful as the sinners that claim it (MY church!); thus the inevitable failure of the church of man as history makes plain – just as was the case in Jesus’ day.
God Himself or His servants declare His saving grace to us (see how full that grace is as described, in part, in the list below),
but we contradict …
“I know that the Son of God became man and lived every moment of His life to perfection, always loving, even towards those who hated Him and had Him executed; I know He suffered and died in all the pain of damnation and the wrath of God … I know all that was done for me. BUT the part that really matters is my choice?”
What we try to reform (that which is born of the flesh)never stays reformed, which is why it must be drowned and die.
Only what has the power to reform has the power to regenerate.
Big picture?
Every sinner is a slave of sin.
All have sinned = we are all slaves to sin.
Only remaining in God’s Word can set us free and keep us free.
God’s saving work is full, rich, and constant.
Fear of God is for the flesh; considering God’s glory, what He does that no one else can or would do is for the soul His Word regenerates.
Just what makes the good news that good?
- Jesus as High Priest forever, who lives forever to advocate for us, Who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses b/c He bore our nature through every temptation though without sin (which made that infinitely more difficult, and in place of every one of us = more difficult still).
- Forgiveness of all wrong for all from before the creation of the world = when we express forgiveness we are confirming that it has been and remains accomplished, we are not making it happen.
- Adoption – according to our human nature, God adopts us as His own, even though our nature is corrupted to be always, only, entirely rebellious against Him and the rest of our human family.
- Atonement – covers us with the perfect life of Christ; everything we think, say, and do (or fail to) takes place under this canopy of grace.
- Imputes the perfect life of Christ to us – all our debt transferred to Him, all His wealth transferred to us; you see this happen when Barabbas is released and Jesus is crucified.
- Regenerates our soul so that it has the mind of Christ and Spirit of God; this essence of our person never does wrong, never dies (in time or eternity).
- Inspiration Energizes us with His Word; continually regenerating and moving us according to His will.
- Sacraments are God’s promises joined to universal physical elements confirming God’s saving work in our lives, objectively, as often as beneficial
- Fruitfulness Good works are God’s work in us, the inevitable fruit of having been given everything by God and as evidence of joy
- Making all thing work together for our good = all aspects of nature work to impress upon us our disabilities, inabilities, and complete dependence on God, by natural and special revelation; sooner or later, one way or another, God’s creation and redeeming activity draw us back into His providential, saving work
- Judgment = deliverance day; no longer a threat but a fulfillment and a blessing; Jesus calls it “the resurrection to life.”
- Resurrection returns a physical nature to our person, a perfect everlasting body, like the resurrected Jesus, which will live in paradise in the new heaven and earth
- Prayer – invited, urged, inspired, Jesus as advocate, Holy Spirit as intercessor, God as hearing before we ask, patient, kind, sympathetic. See sermon and notes from October 20.