Pastor Ike

Trinity 2 No More Excuses

The Old Adam in us hates to admit our sins. We prefer excuses. Jesus teaches through a parable about how those who make excuses miss the Banquet. The sinners, without excuses, come and receive God’s good gifts.

Trinity 1: The Brother at the Gate

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus gives us a sobering picture of indifference. The rich man’s great sin was not open cruelty, but passing by the brother at his gate. In this sermon, we consider how God’s Law exposes our cold hearts, hasty judgments, and selective mercy - and how Christ, who did not pass us by, fulfills perfect love for us, forgives us, and frees us to see and serve the neighbor God has placed before us.

Holy Trinity Sunday: Before you say “Send me”

Taken from Isaiah 6, today’s message recalls everyone’s favorite verse, when Isaiah says “Here I am, send me.” But that’s not where Isaiah starts. There is something very important that must come before mission. Isaiah tells us in the lesser known verses prior to his “Here I am, send me.”

Pentecost: what does “Keeping God’s Word” mean?

Jesus tells his disciples to “keep His Word“ hours before they deny Him and abandon Him. Well, they failed miserably.
What did Jesus mean when he tells us to “Keep His Word?” Many Christians will tell you that you have to meet the bar. When they realize there’s no possible way to get over the bar, some respond by lowering the bar, just enough so they can get over it. But God‘s Word is clear – if you violate one part of the Law, you have violated the whole Law. So how in the world do we “keep His Word?”

Easter 7: The Scandal of the Gospel

We all agree, God saves us. But why? The answer is scandalous. Join St. Matthew for the Seventh Sunday after Easter.

Ascension Sermon CCLS Chapel

 Today is the Day of Ascension. This is the sermon from Christ community Lutheran School’s Ascension Chapel service. As Christians, why do we celebrate this?

Easter 6: Look and Live

Today’s sermon on Numbers 21:4–9 explores the deep human struggle of weariness, disappointment, fear, and uncertainty in the wilderness of life. As Israel turns inward in bitterness and despair, God redirects their eyes outward - to the bronze serpent lifted up for their healing. In the same way, Christ crucified stands at the center of this sermon as the One who bears the poison of sin and death for us. Rather than offering self-help or easy answers, this sermon proclaims the distinctly Christian and confessional Lutheran comfort that salvation comes entirely from outside ourselves - through faith in the crucified and risen Christ who was lifted up for sinners.

Ester 5: The Work of the Holy Spirit

What can’t we bear? In John 16, Jesus points not to hidden knowledge, but to the cross. This sermon, on Easter 5 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, explores how the Holy Spirit teaches, convicts, and comforts - always leading us not beyond Christ, but deeper into His saving work.

Easter 4: Have You Not Known

In Isaiah 40:25-31, the prophet does not give us something new - he calls us back to what we already know and confess. “Have you not known? Have you not heard?” In a world where we are tempted to think God has forgotten us, Isaiah directs us away from speculation and back to the God who has revealed Himself - steadfast, unwearied, and faithful to His promises.
This sermon proclaims the comfort of the Gospel: the Lord does not wait for your strength - He gives it. The One who never grows weary became weak for you in Christ, and even now renews you through His Word and Sacraments. When all else fails, the answer is not to search within, but to return to what has been spoken and given.

Easter 3: What Christ Did That You Cannot

In a world where it’s easy to feel overlooked… forgotten… or reduced to your failures, the question quietly lingers:
Has God forgotten me?
In this sermon from 1 Peter 2, we hear God’s answer - not as a vague reassurance, but as something concrete, something you can actually hold onto.
Peter writes to Christians who are suffering and scattered. In this situation and yours,  we receive the same promise:
You are not forgotten.
This is not a sermon about trying harder or following a better example.
This is about what Christ has done for you - what you could never do for yourself.
And what it means that your name is not written in ink…
but held in the very wounds that healed you.
Here is that message.