Upside-Down Savior - Pastor Nathan Nass

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). As beautiful as those words are, they are a lot harder than they sound. Even in a marriage, it’s very easy for love to stop being an “is.” Do you know what it turns into? “Love is” easily turns into “Love was.” “We were in love…” That’s why every couple needs a love that comes from outside themselves–from Jesus! Jesus’ love for you always is. It’s always an “is”! I hope you can listen to this wedding sermon: “Love Is.” Jesus loves you!

Why do we want Jesus’ body and blood? When you think about it, it sounds awfully strange–maybe even wrong–to hear that Christians receive Jesus’ body and blood. Why?Because it’s the food our souls need. It was Jesus’ body and blood that won our forgiveness: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross” (1 Peter 2:24).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how Jesus graciously gives us the very thing we need to be forgiven–his body and blood.Jesus loves you!

We can’t justify ourselves, but Jesus justifies us. Life is not about you and I looking up to heaven and saying, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people” (Luke 18:11). No. Life is about bowing our heads in repentance and saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). And do you know what Jesus says? “I have!” “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). What’s a Lutheran? A Lutheran is a Christian who has learned to trust that we are justified by grace alone. By faith alone. By Scripture alone. I hope you can listen to this sermon for the Lutheran Reformation: “Justified.” Jesus loves you!

Is the Lord’s Supper Jesus’ body and blood? A lot of Christian churches say, “No. It’s just bread and wine. It’s just a representation. Just a symbol.”But do you know what Jesus says? “Yes!” “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). “This is my blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how Jesus gives us his true body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.God bless you!

Forgiveness is hard, isn’t it? There are people who have hurt you, sometimes over and over again. There are so many reasons not to forgive them: “They don’t deserve it!” “They are just going to sin again!” “It’s happened too many times.” So you can understand a question that Peter once asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive a brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21). There has to be a limit on forgiveness! But do you know how Jesus responded? “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). In other words, “Forgive them every time!” God’s forgiveness to us is meant to impact our lives. The more we see Jesus’ forgiveness for our sins, the more we’ll be empowered to forgive the sins of others. I hope you can listen to this sermon about Jesus’ forgiveness: “Forgive Your Brother or Sister.” Jesus loves you!

It’s hard to believe what other people say, isn’t it? The sad reality is that we’ve learned not to trust anyone. We’ve been on the receiving end of lies and broken promises. It’s hard to believe what other people say. Thankfully, God is different! "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:20). God never lies. God never breaks his promises. Every word of God’s Word is true. We can trust in him! When God says he loves us, it’s true! When God says he forgives us, it’s true! When God says he’s with us, it’s true! I hope you can listen to this sermon about faith: “Taking Jesus at His Word.” Jesus loves you!

Am I forgiven? The devil loves to accuse us again and again of our sins. He places this constant doubt in our minds: Am I forgiven?When we look to ourselves, we don’t see anything good. But when we look outside ourselves, when we look to Jesus, we hear: “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God assures us of his forgiveness through his Word and Sacraments. You are forgiven!Jesus loves you!

Can I forgive sins? Forgiveness is at the heart of Christianity. Jesus won forgiveness through his death on the cross. Can I actually tell someone that their sins are forgiven?Jesus gives a surprising answer: Yes! “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (John 20:23).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God gives you the awesome opportunity to declare Jesus’ forgiveness to others.God bless you!

Christianity is a religion of forgiveness. If you are a sinner, then this is the place for you. Jesus graciously looks sinners in the eye and says, “Take heart; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). Not “might be” forgiven.” Not “one day will be” forgiven. Your sins are forgiven in Jesus. I know that other people accuse you. I know that other people remember your sins and never forget them. I know that your conscience keeps attacking you. Let the voice of your Savior silence all the other voices with his forgiveness. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “Your Sins Are Forgiven.” Jesus loves you!

Why did God let that person die so young? Death always troubles us, but it’s especially troubling when a young person dies seemingly long before he or she should. Why does God let people die young?This verse helps us understand: “The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.” (Isaiah 57:1-2)I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God sometimes spares his people evil and sorrow by allowing them to come home to heaven at a young age.Jesus loves you!

Why do good people die? That question arises whenever a sudden tragedy claims the life of someone we wouldn’t expect. Why does God let good people die?The answer has two parts: 1) There are no good people. 2) God has something better planned for those who believe in him! The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how death comes to all people and how eternal life is found in Jesus.Jesus loves you!

How can I live without fear? Fear and worry and anxiety so quickly cover our hearts and minds each day. With so many things to be worried about, how can I live without fear?Because God is with you. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about facing the darkest valleys without fear, because our God is with us.Jesus loves you!

God is able to do more than all we imagine. That’s the Bible’s promise: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Maybe your marriage seems broken and unfixable. God is able to do more than all we imagine. Maybe your sin seems too big and unforgiveable. God is able to do more than all we imagine. Look at the cross! Maybe you can’t imagine how this situation turns out well. God is able to do more than all we imagine. Maybe death seems like the inevitable end. God is able to do more than all we imagine. There’s hope for you today. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “More Than All We Imagine.” Jesus loves you!

We worry about everything, but Jesus came to take all those worries away. When you watch TV, you hear: “Worry! Worry! Worry!” But when you listen to Jesus, you hear: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27-28). When you scroll social media, you hear: “It’s hopeless. It’s a disaster. What is the world coming to?” But when you listen to Jesus, you hear: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). I know everything seems to be falling apart, but when you look at Jesus, you’ll see he has a smile on his face. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “Do Not Worry.” Jesus loves you!

Whom can I trust? All of us are asking that these days. With AI and social media influencers and sneaky politicians, it seems impossible. Whom can I trust?The Bible gives us some great advice: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings who cannot save…. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God” (Psalm 146:3,5).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about putting our trust and our hope in the Lord our God.God bless you!

For decades, we’ve been preaching to each other, “Just be kind.” How’s that been working? Things have gotten worse, haven’t they? It seems like the more that people talk about love, the more violence there is. The more that people preach kindness, the more hatred people show. This week proved it again. An assassination. A school shooting. A murder on a train. It’s as if saying, “Be kind” and “Love!” actually make things worse. We need something more! Jesus agrees. He used one of his most famous parables–the Parable of the Good Samaritan–to prove that our human love is always lacking. We need more than to try harder. To truly love others, we first need a Savior with perfect love who gave his life for us. As we witness the lack of love in us and around us, I hope you can listen to this sermon about where true love for neighbor is found: “The Good Samaritan.” Jesus loves you!

How can I face death? Sadly, that question is on a lot of our minds. We see assassinations and cancer and tragic accidents and… Death feels so close. How can I face death?The Bible has so much comfort for you and me. Like these verses: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).I hope you can listen to this short video devotion about God’s comfort for us even in the face of death.Jesus loves you!

Jesus wants to give you true peace. In fact, when we live without peace, it makes Jesus weep. When the people of his day refused to find peace in him, Jesus wept and said: “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). Can you hear how much he loves us? Even if you are not rich in money, Jesus has made you rich with his forgiveness and grace. All your sins were forgiven at the cross. Know what that gives you? Peace! Even if the world—or our country—is like a mess, Jesus is with us always, to the very end of the age. Know what that gives you? Peace! Even if your relationships today are rocky, even if other people seem to be cutting you off, Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. Know what that gives you? Peace! I hope you can listen to this sermon: “True Peace.” Jesus loves you!

How should a Christian respond to tragedy? Tragedies in life often lead us to doubt God’s love or to assume that those who suffer are extra sinful. How should we respond to tragedy?Well, here’s what Jesus said when some in his day died in a tragedy: “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:1-3).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how every tragedy is a call for us to repent and trust in Jesus.Jesus loves you!

“God won’t give you more than you can handle!” Have people said that to you? That’s one of the most common ways Christians try to comfort each other: “God won’t give you more than you can handle!”But there’s a problem: That’s not true! Here’s how Paul described his own life: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself…. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God uses the difficulties of life to teach us to rely on him.Jesus loves you!