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Kurt Steinbrueck September 25, 2020

Blog sin, temptation

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Defend Me From Sin!

“Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.” – Psalm 141:4

What do you do when you feel tempted or when others are tempting you to sin?

In the Lutheran Church, we talk a lot about forgiveness and grace. We need it because we all sin. However, what do we do in that time before we sin when we start to feel tempted?

Without Christ we are slaves to sin, addicted with no hope of sobriety. However, in Christ we are set free from sin. Yes, Jesus died to forgive our sins, but He also freed us from the chains of sin as well.

We Are Sinners and Saints
Yet, we still live in a broken and fallen world. Sin and evil are all around us every day. Our sinful nature still works against us. We’d love to say we are sickened by the very thought of sin, but the truth is we still remember the illusory sweet taste of sin. We crave it at times and can be drawn to it by the devil, the world, or our very own flesh. We are, at the same time, sinner and saint.

The Sweet Temptation of Sin
Do you remember the story of Samson? He was the Arnold Schwarzenegger of Israel. At one point (see Judges 14) Samson was walking down a path and a lion came upon him. He killed the lion and left it on the side of the path. A few days later Samson was returning on that same path and he came across the lion.

He saw that bees had settled in the carcass of the lion and there was honey. Now, think about the roadkill raccoons or cats we’ve all seen and multiply the grossness by 10.

What does Samson do?

He reached down into the dead and rotting carcass, scraped out the honey, and ate it.

Sin can be like this, reaching into things that are vile, disgusting, and filled with death all to get a taste of the sweetness of the sin our sinful nature is addicted to.

You Don’t Have to Eat the Honey
We don’t have to live like that anymore. Now, living in our freedom, we can delight in the good Law of the Lord. We can revile that which is evil by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, we pray, as the psalmist did, that we would not be drawn to what is evil, we would not see it as sweet and would not take part in it. We want to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

We won’t do this perfectly.

We will always struggle with temptation. However, when we fall, we also know we can turn to God then and confess our sins. He is merciful and will forgive and renew us. (I told you we Lutherans talk about God’s grace a lot.)

We are still saints, made pure by the blood of the Lamb.

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for giving us a new nature. Please guard my heart. Don’t let me be tempted by what is vile, disgusting, and filled with death. Give me a holy revulsion for what is sinful and evil. And please forgive me for the times I have given into temptation.

Amen

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck August 17, 2020

Blog forgiveness, Holiness, salvation, sin

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Pure and Holy

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” – 2 Corinthians 7:1

Do you try to follow the Bible in order to be right with God?

Tim and Sarah had just gotten engaged a week ago, when Tim announced to his buddy, Sean, that he was going on a diet and getting back to the gym. Sean chuckled a bit and said,

“Tim, man, she said, ‘yes.’ You don’t have to get in shape anymore. Let’s go to Taco Bell.”

Tim said, “It’s not that. I just want to be the best I can be for her.”

Earning Your Spot in Heaven
There are several passages in the Bible that tell us to live in certain ways. Don’t do X. Do do Y. Some have taken these passages and proclaimed that this is how we get right with God. This is how we get to heaven. They pile on a bunch of stress on people to live a godly life and then hit them with guilt when they fail.

The Bible, however, doesn’t tell us that following God’s Law is our way to heaven. In fact, it says you can’t get to heaven by the Law. Why? Because you can’t do it perfectly…no matter how good you think you are. You can’t earn your spot in heaven!

Worshiping and Giving Thanks
The Bible says over and over that we are saved by grace not by our works. It’s a gift. If God saved you when you were still a spiritually dead sinner, no amount of good work or avoidance of sin is going to make Him love you more. So, why, then should we follow God’s Law?

We do it as our way of worshiping God and giving thanks for the gift of salvation He has given us. Just like Tim, we aren’t worrying about whether God will change His mind, we just want to be the best we can for Him because we love Him and He loves us. It’s because of God’s promises that we act.

Three More Reasons
Worship and thanking God are great reasons to follow God’s ways, but there are two others as well.

It’s Who You Are – You are a child of God, holy and righteous and the Spirit of God lives in You. So, you get to live like who you are.
It’s A Better Life – God’s Law is good and true. Our lives and the lives of those around us are better off for following God’s ways.
We Are Showing Love to Our Neighbor – Much of the Law of God deals with how we treat our neighbor. By following it, we love our neighbor.

So, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit. Let’s do it out of love, not fear. Let’s do it because it’s good. Let’s do it because we know God loves us and wants the best for us.

Heavenly Father,

You have given us salvation despite our sin. We could never earn it. Now, since I’ve been saved and given new life, help me to live that new life according to your ways. Forgive me and restore me when I fall. Help me to always remember that the good works I strive to do are not to earn Your love, but because You already love me.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck July 2, 2020

Blog Corruption, sin, Sinful Nature, The Fall

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The Real Heart Disease

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ‘I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’” – Jeremiah 17:9-10

How do you make decisions?

How do you determine right from wrong?

“Do what you feel is right.” Have you ever heard that phrase or something like it? Is it really the right thing to do?

When Adam and Eve gave into temptation and fell into sin, they took all of us and creation with them. Ever since then, we have had a corrupt, sinful nature.

Sin, not Sins
We often think of our sinful nature in terms of our sins. We do thing that are wrong. That makes us sinners. The truth, however, is that we do things that are wrong BECAUSE we are sinners. Our “sins” are the fruit of our sinful nature. That’s why the Bible almost always refers to “sin,” not “sins.”

The problem is deeper than our sinful actions.

We have an innate desire to determine right and wrong. Often, we use our intellect and our feelings to make this judgment. However, what we need to understand is that every part of us is corrupted by our sinful nature, including our intellect, feelings, and sense of justice.

Our very minds and hearts have the sickness of sin. They are deceitful. Not that we use them to deceive others, but that they deceive us. We cannot rightly determine right from wrong because of the corruption of sin.

Looking Outside Ourselves
So, how do we know right from wrong? If we cannot look inside ourselves, we must look outside ourselves. Do we look to others? No, they are sinners, too. Do we look to philosophy or culture? No, they are formed by sinful people. There is only one source that is not tainted by sin.

We must look to God, specifically to His Word, the Bible. When we come across something we don’t like in the Bible, we must change, recognizing that this is due to the corruption of sin.

What hope do we have?

If we are corrupted thoroughly by sin and God will “give every man according to his ways,” what hope do we have? Thankfully, God’s Word doesn’t just tell us right from wrong. It tells of the One who came to save sinners like us. Sure, our hearts are corrupted by sin and our deeds produce the fruit of death, but He gives us a new heart.

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:26

So, God will judge you by your heart. Before He does, however, He’ll replace your heart with a new heart that does not deserve condemnation. He puts His Spirit in You to give You life, to guide you, and give you new fruit…

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” – Romans 6:22

Dear Jesus,

I confess that I am sinful and unclean. Please forgive me. Give me a new heart. Renew my mind. Fill me with Your Spirit and grow Your fruit within me.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck April 21, 2020

Blog death, Resurrection, sin

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Powerless

“‘O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?’

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

If you were arrested, there are two things that would work against you, the thing you did to commit a crime and the law against that crime. If there is no law, there is no crime. If there is a law, but you didn’t commit a crime, you go free. You must have the law and the breaking of the law.

Death
Death is something that scares most people. In our passage in 1 Corinthians, however, we are told death is no longer something to fear. Why? Because death is the punishment of sin by the authority of the Law of God. The Law says if you sin you die.

“But Pastor,” you say, “Why should that comfort me? I am guilty of sin. I sin every day!”

This is true, but Jesus took your sin to the cross. He took the guilt and punishment for your sin and has removed it from you. The Law of God is still valid and has authority, that will never change, but your guilt of breaking that Law has changed.

You are innocent!!

The Law says all who sin, die. So, Jesus took your sin and died. Now, by faith in Him, you have no sin. No sin. No death.

But people still die.

This is also true. We still sin according to the flesh and so the flesh must still die. But we are alive in Christ according to the spirit. So, we will be raised, again, on the last day, given new bodies, and live with Christ for all eternity.

In this way, death has lost it’s sting. It no longer has any power. It’s toothless. Jesus took away it’s power by taking away your sin. His victory is yours. Amen!!

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for taking away my sins. Please take away my fear of death and remind me of the victory I have in You.

Amen

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck April 20, 2020

Blog Fairness, grace, salvation, sin

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That’s Not Fair!!

That's Not Fair!!

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

Have you ever suffered the consequences of someone else’s choice?

The students were getting ready for recess when the teacher noticed someone had taken some money off her desk. She got the class’s attention and said,

“Alright, who stole the money off my desk?”

No one answered. She asked again. Still, nothing. Then she said,

“I’m going to give you one more chance. If you don’t come forward, no one goes out for recess.”

No one came forward. So, the whole class had to stay in. Then one of the kids spoke up,

“It’s not fair! I didn’t take the money. Why should I have to stay inside?”

An American Perspective
In America, individuality is baked into our society. We all are affected by it. It affects how we see the world and how we see justice and fairness. The very idea of someone being punished for something someone else did grates on us.

It’s because of this that Americans struggle with some of the passages of the Bible where God deals with groups of people.

God sends pestilence on Israel when David orders a census rather than trusting God.
The people of Israel are attacked by snakes when some complain against God and Moses.
God tells Israel to kill all the people in an enemy country.

Often, when Americans hear passages like this is makes us bristle. We immediately try to find some justification for why God would do such a thing. After all, it’s only fair to punish the specific people who did something wrong.

There Are Other Perspectives
This is not, however, how everyone thinks. This is not how everyone sees the world. In fact, many societies, see the world through the perspective of shared honor or shared shame. A parent or child can bring shame or honor to a family. A single member of a village can bring honor or shame to the whole village. We could learn something from them.

Today’s passage is one of those passages that can frustrate Americans. It’s because of Adam that all people are born into sin and are condemned by that sin. How is that fair? Shouldn’t we all have the same choice as Adam? However, that’s not how it works.

Of course, the other part of the passage is just as unfair, right? We all can receive forgiveness and eternal life because of the one man, Jesus. Just as we all participate in the failure of Adam, we all, by faith, get to participate in Christ’s victory.

God’s Not Fair
The truth is it isn’t fair. We shouldn’t be able to participate in eternal life by our own merits, but God isn’t fair. He is merciful, gracious, just, and loving. Jesus, unfairly, took our punishment and then, unfairly, gave us His reward. Thank goodness, God isn’t fair.

Heavenly Father,

You do not treat us as we deserve. You treat us as Jesus deserved. Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck April 15, 2020

Blog forgiveness of sins, grace, Justified, saved by grace, sin, sinners

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All Have Fallen

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” – Romans 3:23-24

Do you ever feel like you sin more than anyone else?

We can all feel like that sometimes. In one sense, it’s not a bad thing. The Law of God is showing us our sins. That’s its primary function. Seeing our sins, we feel guilty. That’s good! That drives us to Jesus in repentance for forgiveness.

Don’t let it drive you to despair, though.

We all sin. You sin. I sin. Mother Teresa sinned. Everyone sins. Knowing this keeps us from being arrogant since no one has a leg to stand on. It also lets us know we are not alone. We are all in the same boat, sinners in desperate need of a savior.

Thankfully, our salvation is not earned, it’s a gift. God gives it to us out of His great grace (the undeserved favor of God). So, once again, we are all in the same boat.

Whether we are the “worst” sinner or “best” righteous person, we are still just sinners saved by the undeserved gift of God.

What if I don’t feel like I am or deserve to be forgiven?

I like Martin Luther’s answer:

“So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: “I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!” – Martin Luther

When satan reminds you that you are a sinner be comforted, for Christ died for sinners.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for forgiving me and saving me. I know I don’t deserve it, but You tell me my salvation is a gift. Thank you.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck March 31, 2020

Blog Holiness, jesus, righteousness, sin, sins forgiven

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The Sin Bearer and The Righteousness Giver

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21

Have you ever been in a place you wished you didn’t have to be, facing something you wished you didn’t have to face?

I have. I remember once when I was a kid I was invited to go to the beach for a few days with a friend. While there we bought a big tub of bubble gum. On the last night, my friend and I thought it would be interesting to see what it would look like if blown up bubble gum were dropped out of our 3rd story window.

First bubble gum, then ice, then who knows. After a several minutes of this there was a bang on the door. It was the police. We quick jumped into bed and pretended to be asleep. That didn’t work. Thankfully, we didn’t get arrested, but I was scared out of my wits. To make it worse, I knew I’d have to go home and tell my parents. I wished someone else could have taken my place.

Standing Before God In Sin
The police and my parents were bad enough. The idea of standing before the Almighty, perfect God of the universe to answer for my ALL my sins…well, that’s an unbearable thought!

Thankfully, we do have someone who’s willing to stand in our place and already has, Jesus. He took all our sins upon Himself and stood before the Father. He took the blame and punishment.

As if that weren’t enough, He did something more. He then put His righteousness on us. Imagine not only taking the rap for someone but then letting them receive the reward for something you did? That’s what Jesus has done for us. Through faith, He not only removes your sins but gives you His righteousness.

Standing Before God In Christ
The thought of standing before God in our sin is terrifying, but through faith we will not have to do that. Instead, we will stand before the Father not only sinless, but with t the glory of Christ’s righteousness. The thought of standing before God in Christ is unimaginably wonderful!!

Through faith in Jesus, that’s what you will get to do. It’s even how God sees you right now.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for bearing my sins and making me holy and righteous. Hold me firm in the faith You have given me that I may stand in sinless and righteous before the Father on the last day.

Amen

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck March 26, 2020

Blog death, Eternal Life, gift, salvation, sin, Wage

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The Wage vs The Gift

the wage vs the gift

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

What sin(s) tempt you the most?

Maybe it’s gossip.
Maybe it’s covetousness.
Maybe it’s disobeying your parents.
Maybe it’s…

A few weeks ago in my sermon, we looked at the lies of temptation. Satan loves to make sin look great. He tries to make sin look like a blessing, but the truth is it’s a curse.

The result of sin, ultimately, is death.

It’s what we earn by our sinful actions. In terms of our actions in life, when we went to cash the paycheck for those actions, we wouldn’t like what we received.

It’s not always easy to recognize it, though, because it doesn’t happen right away. It’s kind of like drinking ocean water when your stranded and really thirsty. When you drink, it may feel good and you continue to live. However, you are really dehydrating yourself and will die, eventually.

However, the gift of God is eternal life.

Notice, eternal life isn’t a wage. We don’t earn it like we do death. It’s a gift. It comes from God at no cost to us. Jesus paid the cost. This is great since we couldn’t earn eternal life no matter how hard we tried.

Next time satan tempts you with a sin, try to look past the slick veneer to the death that lies underneath.

Heavenly Father,

Open my eyes to nature and consequences of sin that I might avoid it. Open my eyes to the truth that my sin condemns me that I might repent. Open my eyes to Your gift of eternal life through Jesus’ death and resurrection that I might believe, be forgiven, and live.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck February 6, 2020

Blog evil, righteousness, sin

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Hate What Is Evil

hate what is evil

Monday, I wrote about starting the day singing (or speaking) of the love and strength of the Lord. Go ahead and do that for a minute.

“O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” – Psalm 97:10

Name some of the big issues or injustices in the world, today.

Some things that come to my mind are bullying, human trafficking, and the persecution of Christians.

As Christians, we love the Lord. We gather regularly to praise His name. We tell of all His wonderful works. The other half of the equation isn’t always as present in our lives.

Do you hate what is evil?

It’s much easier to ignore it. Fighting against injustice and evil is hard. It takes time. It requires emotional investment. However, we are called to do this as well.

Perhaps it’s because we, ourselves, aren’t directly impacted. We aren’t being harmed and don’t see those who are. The other day I was listening to someone on the radio talk about a group that fights human trafficking. One of the group members had said that when you see a young boy or girl freed and reunited with their family, it changes you forever. You never forget it.

Even if we don’t have that kind of experience, we can still act. We can fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.

What can you, individually, do to combat evil?

What can we, as a church, do?

What can we do together with other churches in the area?

Dear Jesus,

Open my eyes to what is evil in Your sight. Give me holy anger against that which is evil. Break my heart for those who are victimized by these evils. Help me to stand against evil and fight for those who are harmed by it.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck January 24, 2020

Blog forgiveness, gentleness, Repentance, sin, sinners

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Gently Restored

gently Restored

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” – Galatians 6:1

What do you do when you hear about someone else sinning?

How about when they sin against you?

Sometimes we are tempted to attack the sinner and destroy them. Sometimes we are tempted to avoid them so we aren’t associated with them or so we don’t have to deal with it.

It’s interesting to see the difference between how Jesus and the Pharisees treated people. The Pharisees labeled people sinners and avoided them. Jesus ate with sinners and offered forgiveness. Jesus doesn’t ignore sin, He gently restores people through forgiveness.

That’s what Jesus wants us to do, too, gently restore people. We may need to challenge a sin, but the intent isn’t to destroy or beat up, it’s to restore the person through repentance and forgiveness.

Watch Yourselves!

What does it mean that we should watch ourselves lest we be tempted? There are lots of temptations that come with dealing with someone who sins. There’s the temptation to become involved in their sin. We may also be tempted towards self-righteousness (as if our sins are better than theirs). We may be tempted to gossip. We may be tempted to ignore the sin and let our brother continue drowning in it because we feel uncomfortable.

There are many temptations to avoid, but God still wants us to deal with the sin of our brothers and sisters and He wants to do it gently with the intent of restoring them…just like we would like to be gently restored when we sin.

Dear Jesus,

Please forgive me when I sin. Please give me wisdom when dealing with the sin of others. Help me to see them as you do, as Your precious child and seek to restore them gently.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

The Other Six

How To Use These Posts
The Other Six is a short, daily devotional blog post. You can use these posts for personal devotions, however, I’m also going to write them in such a way that you could use them for family devotions. I’ll include a Bible verse, questions and/or discussion points, and a closing prayer. I highly encourage you to do these devotions with your family or friends if possible.
Enjoy!

sin

Defend Me From Sin!

Pure and Holy

The Real Heart Disease

Powerless

That's Not Fair!!

All Have Fallen

The Sin Bearer and The Righteousness Giver

the wage vs the gift

hate what is evil

gently Restored

The Other Six

Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL serving Lutz, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, and New Tampa, FL