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Whatever

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Colossians 3:16–17

All works are good, so long as they are done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for his glory, as directed by him rather than by one's own ability.

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A Mystery

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Luke 8:9–10

Don't you love a good mystery, one told well and ends well? That is what Jesus came to proclaim, a mystery for the ages revealed for you.

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Equality of Believers

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 12:20–25

Peter's and Luther's doctrine of the priesthood of believers is central to Paul's teaching on honoring weaker members of the body of Christ.

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No Doubt

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Matthew 20:14–16

The gospel leaves us no room to doubt the Lord's favor, for the first and the last to believe his word will receive his eternal and generous salvation.

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The Greatest

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 13:12–13

When there is but infinite day, we will require faith no more, nor hope. Love is the permanent thing, and therefore, the greatest of the three that now abide.

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True Faith

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Matthew 8:1–3

Come to Christ because you are a sinner, not because you think he must have someone as great and pious as you. Come with faith in him, not in yourself.

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Run to Win

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 9:23–27

A Christian does not live life aimlessly. This life is a race to the prize, eternal life in Jesus Christ, and so, must be run with passion and purpose.

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Look There

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Luke 2:49–50

Seek! Search! Look everywhere else. But you will never find Christ Jesus anywhere else but in the holy Scripture. The Spirit will reveal himself there.

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Freely Given Gifts

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Matthew 8:5–10

Take the Word of God "as it stands," as it is written, and be transformed by the Holy Spirit who works through that very Word in all his people.

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Proud of the Gospel

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: 2 Corinthians 11:21–23

A Christian glories in the things of which other men are ashamed — in the cross and in his sufferings. For the world will not long endure the Word.

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Favor the Lowly

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Romans 12:14–16

As much as you are able, live in peace with all; spend time with those of humble circumstance. Be a blessing to your neighbor.

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The Marriage Will

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: John 2:1–2

Marriage, because it is God's institution, will be a difficult work, as the flesh will resist and rebel, as it always does against doing God's will.

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Love Your Neighbor

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Matthew 5:43–46

Love desires the best for its neighbor, even when one's neighbor does not desire the best for you, so one must pray for them even when they are not neighborly.

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Wheat and Weeds

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Matthew 13:26–30

Jesus allowed for believers and unbelievers alike in the church, so that both might be spared, believers from violent uprooting, and unbelievers an opportunity to believe.

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Many Functions

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Romans 12:3–5

Each Christian has been given a calling, and with that calling a particular gift or gifts to fulfill the calling. These do not make her better or happier than another.

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Failure

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Luke 2:41–49

God permits us to fail in order to make us seek him in his Word. Do not despair when things do not go your way. God is calling you.

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Prophecy

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Romans 12:6–8

Paul does not put much emphasis on foretelling the future, but on the explanation of the Scriptures, so that there may be faith in the gospel.

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Content with the Gospel

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Luke 2:50–52

May we be content with the gospel, with what is written, for it contains all that God wants us to know about himself, all that we need to know.

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Love Is Not Vengeful

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Proverbs 10:12

Love is virtue pure and precious. It neither utters, nor thinks any evil of its neighbor. It rather covers sin; not one sin, nor two, but a “multitude of sins.”

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Worship for Christ’s Sake

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Luke 2:36–38

Our worship and good works are to be done for Christ's sake, not because we think that we earn salvation through our deeds or piety.

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Dealing with Trouble

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Luke 2:41–45

Good and bad happens to bad and so-called good people alike. The difference is how one responds, and why, and from where their peace comes.

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Christ Alone

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Luke 2:33–35

If salvation in Christ's light is to be brought about, all other righteousness in ourselves, sought outside of Christ with works, must be rejected.

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Transformed Thought

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Romans 12:1–3

Christians are not to be ruled by their feelings or reasoning, for these are matters of their will. But God's will revealed through his Word transforms them.

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Appearances

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Luke 2:33–35

Simeon was not impressed by appearances and so, could bless Christ Jesus. If appearances are our motivation, we will not bless Jesus.

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Acceptable Sacrifice

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: 1 Peter 2:2–5

Christians are priests, each and every one of them, and as priests, are to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. That sacrifice is self for the honor God.

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Faith in His Word

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Luke 2:25–33

We must have faith in the Word, not in what our senses tell us. Feelings are secondary (at least) and are to be subordinated to "what is written."

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Bless

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Romans 12:14–21

Christians should not curse—in the sense of wishing evil in a person's life. However, Christians are to censure and reprove evil in the hope of good.

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Kept in Humble Faith

Scripture and a reading from Luther's sermons and devotional writings

Scripture Text: Luke 2:41–52

God allows suffering to guard against presumption, as example to others to repent, and as preparation for finding Christ, and keeping him.

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Living Sacrifice

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Romans 12:1–2

The sacrifices of the Old Testament are fulfilled in the one sacrifice of Christ Jesus so that we may offering the living sacrifice of faith in everyday life.

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Indebted to Love

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Romans 13:8

Having Christ's Spirit within us, we are to love our neighbors so fully through that it seems as though we are indebted to love our them.

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Evidence of Faith

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Romans 13:8–10

Love of neighbor does not justify us to God. Faith in God does however, compel us to love our neighbor, and this is evidence of faith, and love of God.

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The Twofold Effect of the Gospel

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Isaiah 60:1

The light exposes the darkness of human reason, doctrine, and works, and displays our need of the grace and glory of he who is Light from Light, true God from true God.

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To Know Christ

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Matthew 2:1–6

The magi may not have known who the newborn king truly was, but you and I are called to attend to our vocations, then think only how we may know Christ.

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The Rising of the Light

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Isaiah 60:1–3

The gospel is not the light but the expression of that eternal Light that has risen upon us.

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Through Faith

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Galatians 3:23–29

This video was recorded in 2021, just as I was packing up my old study to move it to St. Paul's in Salisbury, NC.

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He Is Written

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Hebrews 1:1–5

Your beliefs, especially doctrine about Christ, must come from the Scriptures. Rest your faith on Christ as found in the Word alone.

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The Gift of God

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Ephesians 2:1-10

Just as little as it lies in one’s power to be born and to receive natural existence, so little does it lie in his power to be without sin or to escape from it. He who created us must take it away.

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The Mark of God

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Luke 2:15–21

We have received a mark, the sign of God's hand upon us. We are sealed with God's promise of salvation and eternal life through baptism and faith.

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Christ’s in the New Year

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Romans 14:8–9

You can't wrap your mind around the Trinity. God is above the world and very different. We cannot imagine. So, God reveals himself and those with faith believe what he says about himself.

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Revealing God

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: John 1:1–5

You can't wrap your mind around the Trinity. God is above the world and very different. We cannot imagine. So, God reveals himself and those with faith believe what he says about himself.

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Faith on the Other Side

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: 2 Thessalonians 1:2–5

Because God is a righteous judge, things must be eventually different: the godly must have eternal good — and the wicked, on the other hand, must be punished forever. Otherwise, he would not be either righteous or God. So, we must keep faith in him despite wickedness and persecution and other troubles in this life.

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The Word Alone

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Luke 2:15–20

"Whoever believes the Word, does not care who the person is that speaks the Word, and neither will he honor the Word for the sake of the person; but on the contrary, he honors the person because of the Word, and always subordinates the person to the Word."

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The Least of These

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Luke 2:8–14

Had you been in Bethlehem on that night, you would have paid as little attention to Christ as they did; but since it is now made known who Christ is, you profess to serve him, but you would hardly have done it before. If you do nothing for the needy now, you would not have done it for Jesus and his family then.

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The Comfort of Grace

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Luke 2:1–7

Jesus was a natural man in every respect just as we are — the only difference that he was without a sinful nature. It should be therefore, a great comfort to us that Jesus took upon himself our nature and flesh.

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Right and Gracious Faith

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: John 1:29–34

What lovelier and more comforting message can be heard than that our sins are not ours any more, that they no more lie on us, but on the Lamb of God.

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Behold the Lamb of God

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: John 1:29–34

What lovelier and more comforting message can be heard than that our sins are not ours any more, that they no more lie on us, but on the Lamb of God.

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Directing Them to Christ

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: John 1:19–23

The gospel is the final message of God, that which clearly directs people to Christ. So should we, like John the Baptist, direct people to Christ.

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Preparing the Way

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Romans 13:11–14

"Preparing the way" is a metaphor for confronting people who need to repent. Preparing the way is proclamation of the law so that people do not depend upon themselves and their religion but trust in Christ alone.

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The Natural Fruit of Faith

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Romans 13:11–14

We must first tell the sinners how they can be liberated from their sins and perceive a merciful God. When they have been released from the power of an evil conscience, joy will naturally result.

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The Armor of Light

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Romans 13:11–14

It is not enough to put off the works of darkness. One must put on the armor of light by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Spiritually Poor

Reading the Word with Luther

Scripture Text: Matthew 11:1–5

The gospel has not the least in common with the self-righteous. They want to become rich in works, but the gospel wills that they are to become poor.

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