Do Not Be Afraid – Matthew 17:1–9 | Transfiguration of Our Lord Sermon (February 15, 2026)

In this Lutheran sermon on the Transfiguration of Jesus, Pastor Balla proclaims the glory of Christ revealed on the mountain and the comfort of the Gospel for fearful sinners. Matthew 17:1–9 shows us the unveiled holiness of the Son of God—His face shining like the sun, His divine majesty radiating before Peter, James, and John. Yet when the voice of the Father thunders from the cloud, the disciples fall in terror.

Why? Because sinful humanity cannot stand before divine holiness.

But the heart of this Gospel text is Christ’s merciful word: “Rise, and have no fear.” This expository sermon clearly proclaims Law and Gospel, showing how Jesus removes fear through His atoning cross and victorious resurrection. The glory revealed on the mountain is fulfilled at Calvary.

If you are seeking biblical preaching, Lutheran theology, Christ-centered sermons, and faithful exposition of Scripture (ESV), this message is for you.

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Are you tired of trying to earn God’s favor? In this powerful sermon, Pastor David Balla explores Isaiah 58:3–9a, teaching The Fast That the Lord Chooses. Discover how God sees beyond outward acts of fasting, prayer, and devotion, and points us to Christ, who fulfills the fast perfectly. Learn how Jesus feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, and gives us true righteousness—not based on our efforts, but entirely on His finished work. This message challenges the temptation to treat worship as a transaction and shows how the Gospel frees believers to serve with joy, mercy, and faith.

If you struggle with guilt, self-justification, or trying to earn God’s approval, this sermon will remind you that forgiveness, freedom, and love flow from Christ alone. Experience the joy of resting in His promises and letting your faith produce mercy.

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What does the Lord really require of you?

In this sermon on Micah 6:1–8, preached for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, we are drawn into God’s courtroom where the Lord brings His charge against His redeemed people. This is not moral self-improvement or religious bargaining. This is Law and Gospel.

The Law exposes our attempts to justify ourselves before God—through works, sacrifice, or outward religion—while the Gospel proclaims what God Himself has given: His Firstborn Son for the sin of the world. What Micah’s people could never offer, God freely provides in Jesus Christ, who fulfills the Law perfectly and bears its curse for us.

This sermon proclaims Christ crucified and risen as the fulfillment of Micah 6:8, showing that doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God flow only from forgiveness, not toward it. From Baptism to the Lord’s Supper, Christ continues to deliver His saving verdict: forgiven, redeemed, justified.

This sermon is preached from a confessional Lutheran (LCMS) perspective, clearly distinguishing Law and Gospel and grounding faith in Christ alone.

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In this sermon “The Light That Shatters the Shadow” based on Isaiah 9:2, we hear how Jesus Christ enters the real darkness of our world with His saving Gospel. This message for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany proclaims that the promised Messiah is not distant but present through His Word and Sacraments. The sermon speaks to Christians facing anxiety, guilt, cultural hostility, and spiritual loneliness, announcing that the Light of Christ overcomes sin, death, and the devil. From a confessional Lutheran (LCMS) perspective, the Law exposes the shadow in our hearts while the Gospel delivers forgiveness through Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, where the true Body and Blood of Christ bring life and peace. Drawing on Isaiah, John 1, Matthew 4, and 2 Corinthians 4, this message centers on Christ as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. If you are searching for biblical preaching, Lutheran sermons, Law and Gospel teaching, real presence theology, hope in suffering, Epiphany season sermons, or Christ the Light of the world, this proclamation is for you. Share with anyone needing encouragement that Jesus still shines in the valley of the shadow of death.

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This Epiphany sermon from Isaiah 49:5–6 proclaims Jesus Christ as the Servant of the Lord who restores Israel and brings salvation to the ends of the earth. In a world filled with spiritual confusion, suffering, and doubt, God has not abandoned His people. The prophet Isaiah reveals the voice of Christ Himself, sent by the Father to gather the scattered, forgive sinners, and establish the true Israel of God through His cross and resurrection.

This Lutheran sermon explains how Jesus fulfills Israel’s calling, bears the exile of sinners, and shines as the Light of the Nations. Through Word and Sacrament, Christ continues His saving work today, gathering His Church through Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. This message is rooted in confessional Lutheran theology, law and gospel preaching, and the historic Christian faith.

If you are searching for biblical preaching, Christ-centered teaching, Isaiah 49 explained, or Lutheran sermons for Epiphany, this message is for you.

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In this sermon, “The Waters Made Holy,” Pastor David Balla proclaims the Gospel through Matthew 3:16, revealing how Christ’s Baptism sanctifies all waters for salvation. When Jesus steps into the Jordan River, He does not receive cleansing—He brings it. By entering the water, Christ consecrates Baptism as a means of grace, joining God’s Word and Spirit to water for the forgiveness of sins, rescue from death, and eternal salvation.

This sermon is preached from a confessional Lutheran (LCMS) perspective, clearly distinguishing Law and Gospel and confessing Baptism not as a symbol, but as God’s saving action. Drawing from Scripture and the Church’s historic teaching, this message addresses doubt, assurance, repentance, and the daily life of the baptized.

If you are seeking faithful preaching on Baptism, real forgiveness, Christ’s atoning work, and the certainty of salvation, this sermon is for you.

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In this Epiphany sermon on Ephesians 3:3–6, The Mystery Made Known, we hear the good news that what was once hidden has now been fully revealed in Christ Jesus. Epiphany is not about human discovery, but divine revelation. God makes known His saving purpose: that Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ through the Gospel. This sermon proclaims Christ as the Light who comes not only for Israel, but for the nations—for sinners once far off and now brought near by His blood.

From the Magi at Bethlehem to the Church gathered today, God reveals His mystery through Word and Sacrament. This is a deeply confessional Lutheran sermon, emphasizing Law and Gospel, Christ’s saving work alone, and the unity of the Church grounded not in culture or merit, but in Christ Himself. You will hear how Epiphany confronts human pride, exposes division, and comforts troubled consciences with the certainty of grace.

This sermon is ideal for those seeking faithful LCMS preaching, Epiphany theology, and Christ-centered proclamation rooted in Holy Scripture (ESV).

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This sermon for The Feast of the Holy Innocents (December 28) proclaims the comforting and challenging truth that God’s victory is often hidden beneath suffering.

https://youtu.be/sGtmnrrv7Tg

Preached from Matthew 2:16–18 and Revelation 14:1, this message confronts the brutal reality of Herod’s massacre while faithfully confessing Christ crucified and risen. The Holy Innocents remind us that the Church does not conquer by strength, visibility, or success, but by the blood of the Lamb.



From a confessional Lutheran (LCMS) perspective, this sermon clearly distinguishes Law and Gospel. The Law exposes the murderous hostility of the sinful world toward Christ and His kingdom. The Gospel proclaims that even death cannot undo God’s promises, for the Lamb who was slain now reigns. These children, though voiceless, stand among the redeemed, marked by Christ and gathered into His victory.



This sermon is especially for those wrestling with grief, suffering, persecution, and unanswered questions. It offers no shallow comfort—only Christ, who enters our suffering and redeems it through His cross. Here the Church learns to see rightly: God’s kingdom is present, victorious, and sure, even when hidden.



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