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Ken Korby is not a Liar
Jul 13, 2006 07:53:17
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Petersen Posted on: Jul 13, 2006 07:53:17 |
 I sat with my mouth agape, my heart burning, and hung on his every word. Ken Korby roared: "All men are liars. You have a fight at work. You go home and tell your wife. But you don't. You tell her a version of the fight, a version where you say what you wished you had said, where you exagerrate and forget inconvenient things. You make yourself look smart and your opponent looks dumb. You know it is a lie, but you lie anyway. If you cannot be trusted with the small things, if you cannot tell the truth in things that don't even matter, how can you be trusted with the big things? Repent." I was in awe. I knew what he said was true. I was convicted. I had never heard preaching like this. It wasn't in church. It was in a classroom, but I knew preaching when I heard it. I knew what was coming next, but I didn't mind. I was eager for it, didn't want it to end, loved every second of it. Even when Korby preached the fiercest law I'd ever heard I knew what was driving it, I knew where it led. I heard the Shepherd's Voice. On he roared: "How can a liar ever tell the truth? He only tells the truth when he says: 'I am a liar.' That is why God loves confession. Because God loves the truth. 'O Lord, open Thou my lips. Put your Truth in them. I am a liar. Have mercy on me.' God loves that! And God has mercy. He is full of mercy. He sent His Son in this mercy, for this mercy, by this mercy. He sent Him to be a Sacrifice of mercy, the Lamb of God roasted in His Wrath, destroyed by His own love, a whole burnt offering that takes away the sins of the world. God emptied all His wrath, all His anger, all His justice on that Lamb and thereby removed all your guilt, all your sin, all your lies. God is thus pleased with you. You made confession. You told the truth. He told the Truth also. He is true to His Word. His mercy does endure forever. He does spare sinners. He does love the world. And He is risen from the dead, the Lamb who was slain alive in heaven and alive on earth, hidden in bread and wine for His people to eat, opening their lips to receive and declare His praise." Then the roaring stopped. The room was silent. Ken Korby blinked and his eyes came back to focus. He remembered where he was and gave us a little grin. He'd gotten carried away. There was no need to be embarassed. We knew Who it was that had carried him and we were thrilled to be there to hear it. He had more things to say, more insight to give, but that is the moment I hope to never forget. I have used much of it in my own preaching, in particular the business about "all men are liars." I also credit Ken Korby as an inspiration for both the style and content of my preaching. Ken Korby taught me to say: "repent." Now the roaring has ceased on earth. It has turned to singing in heaven. Ken Korby lies no more. He only, and forevermore, tells the Truth and God is pleased. God be praised. In memoriam +Ken Korby, asleep in Jesus July 11, 2006 A+D, buried from St. Paul's Ft. Wayne Saturday July 15 at 11:00 am. |
Comments...
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Jul 13, 2006 11:20:47
Re: Ken Korby is not a Liar
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Amen.
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Jul 13, 2006 08:10:09
Re: Ken Korby is not a Liar
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Thank you for this vivid post. As I read the quote, I too knew what was coming next and neither did I mind. (And I now know that while I first learned to say, "Repent!" from your sermons, it was actually Korby teaching me. I wonder if he would have told us someone else taught him.)
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