Sermons – Morrison Zion Lutheran Church

August 10, 2025

The Treasure That Frees You (Aug. 10, 2025)

Topic: Anxiety, Bless, Care, Control, Do, Faith, Focus, Forgiven, Free, Give, Gives, God, hope, Jesus, Kingdom, Life, Love, Material, Paralyzes, Peace, Purpose, Rest, Right, Seek, Serve, Shortens, Stress, Things, Treasure, Trust, Worry

Last week Jesus warned us against overvaluing earthly wealth. This week Jesus warns against undervaluing heavenly treasure. Last week, Jesus exposed the folly of greed. This week, Jesus exposes the folly of worry, even when faced with the prospect of having a seeming shortage of resources. This week might be the bigger challenge! When it seems we lack providence or protection for our daily lives, it can be hard to avoid worry. So, Jesus asks us to give our undivided attention to him, that he might take our worries away. Jesus points to creatures that do not labor or toil yet eat every day. Even more, Jesus points to our Father who promises to give us the heavenly treasures of his kingdom. Jesus assures us that our Father will throw in any needed earthly possessions as well. We can rest from our worries, confident that our loving Father knows all we need.

Luke 12:22-34

June 8, 2025

Series: Because He Lives, Pentecost

What God Says Will Happen, Will Happen (June 8, 2025)

Speaker: Pastor David Ruddat

Topic: baptism, Christ, End, Fifty, God, God's Word, Happen, Harvest, Holy Spirit, I told you so!, Jesus, Lord's Supper, Pentecost, Sacraments, Sins, Souls, Thanks, Truth

Jesus ascended into heaven. That does not mean the gospel has ceased to spread around the world. For Jesus promised to send another advocate to represent God to the world: the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the constant companion of believers in these Last Days. We conclude this worship series with this glorious thought: because he lives, Christ sends us his Spirit.

That raises some questions. Where? How? If God now reveals himself by his Spirit, where is the Holy Spirit found? How does he come to us? God has not left the answer to those questions in doubt. When Jesus promised to send the Spirit, he indicated that the Spirit’s work would be connected to words, specifically to God’s Word. As a result, we need never wonder where we can find the Spirit or how he comes to us. Where the Word is proclaimed, there you will find the Holy Spirit’s presence and blessing.

Acts 2:1-21 (EHV)

May 19, 2024

Series: Pentecost, Resurrection Reality

Christ Has Not Left Us Alone (May 19, 2024)

Speaker: Pastor Phil Birner

Topic: Alone, Animated, Babylonians, Bones, Breath, Christ, Dead, Ezekiel, Faith, Fragile, Grace, Holy Spirit, Jerusalem, Repent, Saved, sin, Skeleton, Spiritual, Worthless, Worthwhile

Jesus told his disciples that, though he was going to ascend into heaven, he wasn’t going to leave them alone. He was going to send “the Advocate,” a title for the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wasn’t sending the Spirit just to keep us company. Jesus would have the Advocate give us spiritual power so that we might participate in Christ’s saving work. Here is the final resurrection reality. The Spirit gives us the ability to raise the spiritually dead to life.

We see this happen on Pentecost. The festival of Pentecost was held fifty days after the Passover. (Pentecost is Greek for “fifty.”) It was a time to thank God for the harvest. But on that day, through the Church at work, the Holy Spirit gathered another harvest, a harvest of souls. Therefore, Pentecost is the third great festival of the Church, along with the Nativity and the Resurrection. With the Festival of Pentecost, the festival half of the Church Year comes to a close.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

May 28, 2023

Series: Pentecost

Rejoice in Your Loss and Gain (May 28, 2023)

Speaker: Pastor Randy Ott

Topic: Faith, Guilt, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Righteousness

God’s Old Testament people celebrated the gathering of the harvest at the Festival of Weeks. On the fiftieth day, God sent the promised Counselor on the day we call “Pentecost.” This day marked the birthday of the New Testament Church and celebrates the harvest of souls won by the Son and gathered by his servants empowered by his Spirit. Pentecost is the third great festival of the Church and has been commemorated since at least 217 A.D. The Church dresses in red to remind us of the tongues of fire that marked the Spirit’s gift and the blood of the martyrs which were the seed of the Church.

John 16:5-11

October 16, 2022

Series: Pentecost, The Believer Grows in Christian Character