Faith Lutheran Church, Johnstown Colorado

Bulletin Bible Study: The Lord’s Supper (Vol. 1, part 1)

rev.ena40 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:08:02 +0000

“It is also taught among us that since the fall of Adam all men who are born according to the course of nature are conceived and born in sin. That is, all men are full of evil lust and inclinations from their mothers’ wombs and are unable to by nature to have true fear of God and true faith in God.”
(Augsburg Confession, II)

As the Augsburg Confession testifies, all humanity is conceived and born sinful. This is really a summary of several Bible passages.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me … Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Romans 7:18-20
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2:1
All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person. Mark 7:23

The hymn, “All Christians Who Have Been Baptized,” (LSB, 596), puts it this way: “You were before your day of birth, indeed from your conception, condemned and lost with all the earth, none good, without exception.”

But God does not leave us dead in our sin. He restores our broken relationship with Him, as we confess in The Small Catechism: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” One of the primary “Gospel gifts” that the Holy Spirit uses to forgive our sins and give us new life is the Lord’s Supper. What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:53-54

“Christian Questions with Their Answers” in section 4 of The Small Catechism tells us WHY we need the Lord’s Supper and WHAT it brings to us.

Do you believe that you are a sinner?    Yes, I believe
Are you sorry for your sins?   Yes, I am sorry
Do you believe that the true body and blood of Christ are in the sacrament?   Yes, I believe
So why do you wish to go to the sacrament?   That I may learn to believe that Christ, out of great love, died for my sin …

Though we are poor, miserable sinners, Jesus gives us forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation in the Lord’s Supper. Praise be to God for this wonderful gift!

+ Pastor & the Elders

Home Devotions: Man does not live by bread alone…

rev.ena40 — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:29:49 +0000

The most important human need: God’s Word

• As self-evident as physical & emotional needs are, the spiritual needs are no less important but often the first to be neglected.
• Not by bread alone… (Matt 4:4)
• What the righteous do day and night (Psa 1:2)
• The very source of life itself (Psa 119:25)
• A picture of the Christian life (Acts 2:42)

The ongoing conflict: sin, death and the devil
• Christian life is war! Church militant. Not against flesh and blood… (Eph 6:10–13)
• Sin, death, & devil are the enemies
• Victory is Christ’s. He gives you his armor that you might stand until he returns in glory to judge the living & the dead.

Putting on the armor of God: Divine Service, Bible Classes/Sunday School, & at Home
The Divine Service:

God brings His salvation to you through Word & Sacrament (AC V). This is his armor. Faith cannot stand against the schemes of the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh apart from the means of grace. DS as center of Christian life. Here God creates & strengthens faith that it might be living & active. If you want to be a better spouse, worker, Christian, student, or whatever, there is nothing better for you than the Divine Service. There God nurtures your faith that it might be living and active.

Bible Classes & Sunday school:

Being in God’s Word together as the Body of Christ.
Parents & spiritual guardians: best results when actively involved in the child’s education. Sunday school should be a family activity, not something for the kids. Your presence communicates the importance of this, plus enables you to ask questions & reinforce teachings at home. Consider teaching, too: no better way to grow yourself. Key is modeling the importance of being in God’s Word.
In everything we do, Divine Service, Bible Classes, Sunday School, VBS, etc.: emphasis is on the three Lutheran books: the Bible, the Catechism, & the Hymnal. Goal to prepare for life in present age & eternity.

The Word & Prayer at home:

Good devotions can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day. Very basic prayer takes no more than 5 minutes. Benefit of a uniform approach: Body growing together. Give practical suggestions at the end.

Three Lutheran Books: the Bible, the Catechism, & the Hymnal

• About the Bible: God’s Word. See above.

• About the Catechism: concise summary of the most important teachings of the Bible. What every Christian should know.

Prepared by Luther because of the “deplorable, miserable condition” Luther witnessed when he visited Churches. People didn’t have a clear understanding of the basics of the Christian faith.
Luther, from preface to Small Catechism: “Yet, everyone says that they are Christians, have been baptized, and receive the holy Sacraments, even though they cannot even recite the Lord’s Prayer or the Creed or the Ten Commandments. They live like dumb brutes and irrational hogs. Not that the Gospel has come, they have nicely learned to abuse all freedom like experts,” (Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, page 313).
As summary of most essential teachings of the Bible, there is nothing more important for us to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest than the catechism. Every Christian should know word for word by memory. Luther quote from preface to Small Catechism (Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, p. 313–314, par 6–9).
Heading to each section: “As the Head of the Family Should Teach Them in a Simple Way to His Household.” Discuss “head of household.” Fathers, but also mothers, widows, etc. For everyone.
Luther: “But those who are unwilling to learn the catechism should be told that they deny Christ and are not Christians,” (Concordia, 314). To reject the catechism is to consider unimportant the main teachings of the Bible.
Parents: Deut 6:5–9; Ephesians 6:4. Faith always one generation away from extinction. Most important duty of parents to bring children up in God’s Word. Luther’s comments at the end of the Large Catechism, Trig. (773).
Catechism memory program: encourage everyone to learn it, young & old alike. For the young ones, we will begin offering rewards for their progress. When children have memorized certain portions of the catechism, they will be welcome to come in with their parents and recite it together with me. Upon successful completion of a level, they will be recognized and given a reward after the Divine Service. Hand out student books & reward list. Goal is to instill the basics of God’s Word in them and prepare them for life as a Christian, now and in eternity.

• About the Hymnal: Gives voice to our faith, helps us to pray God’s Word back to Him. Best prayers are modeled after or drawn directly from God’s Word. Liturgy & hymns help us to do this. Liturgy all drawn from Scripture; hymns aid in teaching the faith.

Recommended format for home devotions:

Option #1: Daily Prayers (from the Small Catechism)
(Lutheran Service Book, pages 327–328)
Morning Prayer
Evening Prayer
Asking a Blessing
Returning Thanks
Option #2: Daily Prayer for Individuals & Families
(Lutheran Service Book, pages 295–298)
• Seasonal hymn for the congregation; children will use in Sunday School. Goal to provide recording for use in home.
• Psalm from page 304 or Treasury of Daily Prayer
• Readings from daily lectionary (page 299–304) or Treasury of Daily Prayer, or else suggested readings in “Daily Prayer for Individuals & Families”
• Prayers for ourselves & others: resources on page 294, 305–318.
Option #3: Matins or Vespers
• Matins: page 219–228
• Vespers: page 229–234
Resources:
• Lutheran Service Book hymnal (includes the Small Catechism and all the prayer services, plus hymns & lectionaries).
• Treasury of Daily Prayer (CPH), $49.99, on sale for $29.99. Provides a psalm, readings, a good devotional writing, prayers, suggested readings from the Book of Concord, and a hymn verse for each day of the week.
• Evening & Morning: Music of Lutheran Daily Prayer available from CPH for $9.99. Includes the full Matins & Vespers services
• Martin Luther: Hymns, Ballads, Chants, Truth available from CPH for $44.95 ($30 each if purchasing 5 or more). A complete recording of all of the hymns Luther composed. 4 CD set featuring Renaissance, Baroque, and modern instrumentation.

+ Rev. Eric N. Andersen

Thursday of Invocabit, 2012

Bulletin Bible Studies: Series Introduction

rev.ena40 — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:52:49 +0000

“So that we may obtain [saving faith], the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted.”

(Augsburg Confession, V)

Scripture teaches that the reason the Church exists is to teach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments, as the above quote from the Augsburg Confession testifies. Because of this, Pastor and the elders have been discussing ways that we can better promote the teaching of the Gospel in our midst. One new effort we’re making in this regard is to begin exploring various topics of the faith by developing a series of “bulletin Bible studies.”

A “bulletin Bible study” is exactly what it sounds like: a Bible study that fits into your bulletin! You will receive one of these periodically in your Sunday morning bulletin in Church, and we will also post them on our website as they are released.

Of course, growth in God’s Word happens first of all in the Divine Service and in our congregational Bible studies–the “bulletin Bible study” series is no substitute for those. But neither should hearing God’s Word be limited to Sunday morning or congregational Bible studies. It is our hope that you’ll use the bulletin Bible studies as another way of letting God’s Word dwell in you richly all week long (see, for example, Psalm 1:1–3; Colossians 3:16). These could easily be added into your daily personal or family devotions or with any gathering of Christians, for example as a devotion to open a meeting or activity.

It is our desire that you would take these home, read them, ponder them, and use them as a guide for further study into God’s Word. Again, these aren’t intended to be used only in private or as a substitute for gathering together as the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–31). It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit would use these to draw us further into God’s Word, promoting our growth in the faith and sparking further conversation about Scripture in our midst. The more our conversations revolve around God’s Word, the better!

The first topic we will address in our “Bulletin Bible Study” series is the Lord’s Supper. We will look at several different aspects of the Lord’s Supper, including 1) the benefits of the Lord’s Supper and our need for those benefits; 2) how the Lord’s Supper fits into God’s mission; 3) how often the Church should celebrate the Lord’s Supper; 4) how the Lord’s Supper has been understood throughout church history and in various denominations; 5) the importance of unity in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper; 6) how to prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper; and 7) should individual communicants come to the altar every time the Lord’s Supper is celebrated?

The Lord’s Supper is one of the means the Holy Spirit uses to strengthen our faith and is vital to the health and mission of the Church. As we pray in the liturgy, the Holy Spirit works through the Lord’s Supper to strengthen us in faith toward him and in fervent love toward one another. What a marvelous gift! To God alone be the glory!

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

+ Pastor & the Elders

Revelation: Intro & 1:1-1:8

rev.ena40 — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:25:05 +0000

Revelation
Table Talk Study
Faith Lutheran Church (Johnstown, CO)
Epiphanytide, 2012

Introduction
• The Lutheran Study Bible
• Van Gogh

Comments on Prophecy
• Revelation the only NT book to be called a “prophecy” (v. 3).
• Luther: 2 types of prophecy

How to properly read & understand Revelation

Benefits of studying Revelation

Revelation & the Divine Service

The structure & purpose of Revelation

The End times

Revelation 1:1–8: Prologue
v.1: origin, slaves, & visible signs

v.2: a key to understanding Revelation

v. 3: The Location of God’s Blessing–the Divine Service

v. 4: The Holy Trinity

v 5: all about Jesus

v 6: what Jesus accomplished

v 7: The Second Coming

v. 8: “Alpha & Omega”

Formula of Concord: Article II (Free Will)

rev.ena40 — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 04:07:08 +0000

Article II: Free Will

Historical Background:
The Synergistic controversy

Luther’s “Bondage of the Will”

The condition under question (FC II: 2)

2 errors: The Philippists & Enthusiasts

The freedom of the will (FC II: 20, 31–32)

The bondage of the will
Ephesians 4:18; 1 Cor 2:14; Rom 5:10; Gen 8:21; Jer 17:9; Rom 7:18

The elect: who, then, can be saved?
2 Peter 3:9

How Conversion Happens
Titus 3:4–7; 2 Tim 2:25; Eph 2:8; Joh 6:29; Matt 11:27; 1 Cor 12:3; 2 Cor 3:5; Ephesians 2:1–5; Creed, III.

Augustine: God has to make willing people out of the unwilling.

A comforting teaching (FC II: 14b, 47; AC V; Mark 7)

The “devil’s logic”

The regenerate life
Matthew 7:17–19; Mark 9:24

Abuses (FC II: 46)

False teachings (FC II: 74–81)

Heaven & Hell (Reflections on the 2012LayTheologicalConference)

rev.ena40 — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:41:33 +0000

This morning I spent some time with my family at the 2012 Lay Theological Conference, which was hosted at Peace with Christ in Ft. Collins. The speaker, Rev. Jared Melius (pastor of Mt. Zion in Denver), is a good friend and his task this morning was to provide us with a biblical description of Heaven and Hell. I found his presentation very engaging and thought-provoking. For example, I had never really noticed before that Scripture describes hell (a place of darkness, perpetual thirst, and suffering) as the opposite of heaven (a place of light, flowing with living waters, and no more sorrow/pain). Another point of Pastor Melius’ presentation that I found extremely helpful was his discussion of the fifth seal from Revelation 6, which has much to teach us by way of “what heaven is like” (or the “intermediate state,” which we may also call “heaven”; for example, our memory of events that took place during our lifetime and the fact that we will still have unanswered questions).
But it seems that it is impossible to discuss heaven these days without mentioning the book “Heaven is For Real,” and this morning was no exception. While this book is wildly popular even amongst Christians, it is also important to realize that it (perhaps unintentionally) undermines many of the central claims of the Christian faith. One of the main purposes of this book is to describe what heaven is like. But the basis for this description isn’t Scripture, it’s the alleged experience of a young boy, who is said to have died and gone to heaven, and has now returned to tell us what it’s like. While there is no reason to doubt the author’s sincerity, there are several problems with this claim from a biblical perspective.

1. Scripture speaks of a “great chasm” that exists between the realm of the dead and the realm of the living, so that it is impossible to cross back and forth between the two (Luke 16:26).

Luke 16:26

16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

2. While God has indeed spoken directly to his people of old (the dreams of Joseph and Daniel, the visions of St. Stephen, Paul, and John of heaven, etc.), the era of prophecy has ceased. Hebrews 1:1–2a says: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” Jesus, the Son, is the Word of God made flesh. Anything that claims to be from God that is not God’s Word or Sacraments is from the devil (Smalcald Articles, part III, article VIII). Christians cannot accept “new revelations” of any sort, whether it’s from a young boy or from Joseph Smith. Scripture contains the definitive and final revelation from God until the return of Christ (Revelation 22:18–19).

Hebrews 1:1-2

1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Revelation 22:18-19

22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

3. Scripture teaches that on the Last Day, Christ will return and raise up the bodies of those who have died for the final judgment (Matt 25:31–46). When a Christian dies, their soul is with Christ immediately (Luke 23:43; Phil 1:23), but their body remains dead and in the ground until the resurrection of the body on the Last Day.

Matt 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46

25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Luke 23:43

23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Phil 1:23

Philippians 1:23

1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

4. Many who have experiences like what this book describes (and those who read books like this) are led to put their confidence in something other than the Word of God. Scripture contains everything we need for faith and salvation (Luke 16:30–31), and Scripture forbids us from putting our trust elsewhere (Exodus 20:3).

Luke 16:30-31

16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Exodus 20:3

20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

+ Rev. Eric N. Andersen
Saturday of Epiphany 6, 2012

One Year Christmas Day Old Testament

briano — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:46:14 +0000

Exodus 40:17-21

17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. 19 And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Exodus 40:34-38

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. (ESV)

One Year Christmas Dawn Old Testament

briano — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:43:24 +0000

Micah 5:2-5

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he shall be their peace.

When the Assyrian comes into our land
and treads in our palaces,
then we will raise against him seven shepherds
and eight princes of men; (ESV)

One Year Christmas Midnight Old Testament

briano — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:40:59 +0000

Isaiah 9:2-7

2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (ESV)

One Year Christmas Eve Old Testament

briano — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:37:55 +0000

Isaiah 7:10-14

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (ESV)