Watch Dr. Eschelbach’s sermon on the Sadducees testing Jesus about the resurrection of the dead. God is not the god of the dead but of the living!
Watch Dr. Eschelbach conduct Bible class on Matthew 9-12.
Watch Dr. Eschelbach’s sermon on the Sadducees testing Jesus about the resurrection of the dead. God is not the god of the dead but of the living!
Watch Dr. Eschelbach conduct Bible class on Matthew 9-12.
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?
Genesis 32:22-30
32:22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 32:25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 32:26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 32:27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 32:28 Then he said, “Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 32:29 Then Jacob asked him, “Tell me, I pray, your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 32:30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peni’el, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.”
2 Tim 3:14 – 4:5
3:14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, 3:15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 3:16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 4:2 through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared, 4:3 who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; 4:5 for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Luke 18:1-8
18:1 And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 18:2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 18:3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Vindicate me against my adversary.’ 18:4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 18:5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'” 18:6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 18:7 And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 18:8 I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Prayer?
My friend said he prayed for money. God gave him work.
Another friend prayed for patience. God gave him trials and suffering.
I was thinking we should pray for wisdom; then we would know NOT to pray for things like money or patience.
Notes on the Gospel
A, B, C’s of prayer.
A – ALWAYS. 1) No need to fret or stall over which words to use or how to put them together. Our thoughts are already known to God so why worry about how to say them (except practicing articulation helps our communication with other people). 2) Think about how much praying we might accomplish and what serenity we might know if we pray every time life slows us down or gets in our way; driving, checkout lines, waiting?
B – BEFRIEND. 1) Prayer is often the only thing we can do for others but it IS doing something for them. 2) our life in the Word takes on new meaning when prayers for others make us conscious of them when we are reading the Bible, and that reading, in turn, helps our prayers and our concerns.
C – CANCEL. Bose invented a noise-canceling headphone set; quite fantastic. They have made traveling through airports and on aircraft a whole new, better experience. When anxieties and emotions are oppressing us praying for others has a profound “noise canceling” effect. Interesting how God’s design means that love for others is a powerful remedy for our own troubles.
Dr. Eschelbach served at Christ Lutheran Church Ranchos Palos Verdes again on 9/29.
You can watch him conduct a study of Ephesians 1:3-14 here:
And you can watch the church service here:
I served as the guest pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, this past Sunday—September 15, 2019. You can watch the whole service, including my sermon on the text of Luke 15:
Dr. Eschelbach led the Bible study and service at Christ Lutheran Church Rancho Palos Verdes on 8/25/19. The Bible study theme is, “Who is a Jew?” and the service text is Luke 13:22-30.
Bible Study:
Church Service:
Watch Dr. Eschelbach lead the June 2 worship service, including the children’s and adults’ sermons, at Christ Lutheran Rancho Palos Verde:
Watch Dr. Eschelbach leading a Bible class on predestination:
Watch Dr. Eschelbach lead the worship service, including the children’s and adults’ sermons, at Christ Lutheran Rancho Palos Verde: