Making Friends | Luke 16:1-13 | Trinity 9 (Pastor Kress)

What Does It Cost To Join The Church? | John 1:43–51 | The Feast of St. Bartholomew & Confirmation

What Does It Cost To Join The Church? | John 1:43–51 | St. Bartholomew What does it cost to become a Christian? Nothing. And what is the Gospel worth? Everything. In this sermon for the Feast of St. Bartholomew, Pastor Rojas reflects on Nathanael’s call to “come and see.” Jesus knew Nathanael before Nathanael knew Him, and He promised something greater: heaven opened through the Son of Man. The same is true for us. Christ sees our sin completely, yet loves us completely. He paid the infinite price for our salvation through His death and resurrection. The Gospel costs us nothing because Jesus paid everything. Bartholomew later gave his life for this confession, not to earn salvation, but because Christ was worth more than life itself. The world may take everything from us, but if we have Christ, we still have more than everything. Subscribe & Share if this sermon strengthened your faith. 🎧 Spotify: Christ For You 🇧🇷 Portuguese Podcast (“Cristo Para Você”) 🌐 Website: https://www.zionwg.org/podcast Looking for a faithful Confessional Lutheran church in the Winter Garden, Florida area? We’d love to welcome you to Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. To support the preaching of God’s Word through this podcast and other outreach efforts, visit: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZCN9/home

What’s The Point Of Going To Church? | Psalm 50 | Trinity 11

What’s The Point Of Going To Church? | Psalm 50 | Trinity 11 Why do you come to church—what do you expect happens when you walk through the doors? In this sermon for Trinity 11, Pastor Rojas reflects on Psalm 50 and presses a simple but searching question: is worship about what we give to God, or about what God gives to us? Psalm 50 first speaks a hard word of Law: God exposes the lie that He is served by human effort. He does not need our money, praise, sacrifice, or religious performance. Everything already belongs to Him, and no offering can put Him in His debt. The Law strips away every attempt to approach God on the basis of what we bring. But then the Psalm turns us from ourselves to God’s promise. The Gospel is this: God Himself provides what He demands. “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.” In Christ, God is not the receiver of our worship but the giver of salvation. He delivers sinners who have nothing to offer, and He gives them everything in His Son—forgiveness, life, and rescue from death. That is the order of true worship in the Divine Service: God gives, and faith receives. Christ comes to sinners through His Word and Sacraments and freely bestows His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins. Worship is not our attempt to reach God, but God’s coming down to us in mercy. And when your final hour comes, the Law will not comfort you with your works, but the Gospel will. Your hope will not rest on whether you did enough, served enough, or gave enough to God. It will rest entirely on what God has given you in His Son. Christ’s obedience is enough. His blood is enough. His death and resurrection are enough. Subscribe & Share if this sermon strengthened your faith. 🎧 Spotify: Christ For You🇧🇷 Portuguese Podcast (“Cristo Para Você”)🌐 Website: https://www.zionwg.org/podcast Looking for a faithful Confessional Lutheran church in the Winter Garden, Florida area? We’d love to welcome you to Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. To support the preaching of God’s Word through this podcast and other outreach efforts, visit: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZCN9/home

Does God Actually Want Us To Rebuild The Temple? | Luke 19:41–48 | Trinity 10

Does God Actually Want Us To Rebuild The Temple? | Luke 19:41–48 | Trinity 10 In this sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, Pastor Rojas asks a question at the heart of modern Christian Zionism: Does God actually want the Temple in Jerusalem rebuilt? Jesus’ answer is no. The Temple, sacrifices, priesthood, and altar all pointed to Christ. Jesus is the true Temple, the Lamb of God, and our great High Priest. The shadows have given way to the reality. Jerusalem’s deeper problem was that when God visited them, they didn’t recognize Him. They wanted political victory and earthly glory. God gave them a King on a donkey and a Savior on a cross. We make the same mistake whenever we decide what God must fix before we’ll believe He is with us. But you don’t have to wait for something to happen in Jerusalem. God has already come to you in Christ. He forgives you, dwells with you, and gives Himself to you. Even when your health, strength, and life are taken away, Christ is still yours. The Sacrifice has been made. The curtain is torn. Your sins are forgiven. God dwells with you. And because Christ lives, you will live also. Subscribe & Share if this sermon strengthened your faith. 🎧 Spotify: Christ For You🇧🇷 Portuguese Podcast (“Cristo Para Você”)🌐 Website: https://www.zionwg.org/podcast [https://www.zionwg.org/podcast] Looking for a faithful Confessional Lutheran church in the Winter Garden, Florida area? We’d love to welcome you to Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. To support the preaching of God’s Word through this podcast and other outreach efforts, visit: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZCN9/home [https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZCN9/home]

The Good Fight | 2 Timothy 4:7-8 | Funeral of +William Schmidt II+

2 Timothy 4:7–8 | Funeral Sermon for William “Bill” Schmidt In this funeral sermon for William “Bill” Schmidt, Pastor Rojas reflects on St. Paul’s words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Bill’s family knew him as a fighter. He endured hardship, sacrificed for his family, and through it all held fast to Christ. But Bill’s fight wasn’t what saved him. Jesus fought the greater fight. He faced sin, death, and the devil, went all the way to the cross, and shed His blood for our forgiveness. We hold onto Christ only because Christ first laid hold of us. That truth became especially visible in Bill’s final days. Even as dementia took away memories and words, he could still pray the Lord’s Prayer. And when his family came to him, they found him clutching a crucifix so tightly that it had left an imprint in his hand. His hand held the crucifix because his heart held the Crucified One. More importantly, Christ was holding him. Now Bill’s fight is finished. Faith has become sight. Hope has become fulfillment. He rests with Christ, awaiting the resurrection of the body and the crown of righteousness promised to all who love Christ’s appearing. Subscribe & Share if this sermon strengthened your faith. 🎧 Spotify: Christ For You 🇧🇷 Portuguese Podcast (“Cristo Para Você”) 🌐 Website: https://www.zionwg.org/podcast [https://www.zionwg.org/podcast] Looking for a faithful Confessional Lutheran church in the Winter Garden, Florida area? We’d love to welcome you to Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. To support the preaching of God’s Word through this podcast and other outreach efforts, visit: https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZCN9/home [https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZCN9/home]

Making Friends | Luke 16:1-13 | Trinity 9 (Pastor Kress)

Making Friends | Luke 16:1-13 | Trinity 9 (Pastor Kress)