Leaning on the Word of God in Challenging Times- Lesson 13

For the most part, we have been looking at how we can trust in the Word of God whenever we struggle as individuals. Now, we will study the problems the entire church is facing in difficult times. How can the body of Christ trust in the Word of God when entire congregations are failing? How can it trust the Word when anti-Christian groups are having great success? There are so many challenges facing the church as a whole that at times our faith will be tested.  

We will look at news articles that represent these challenges, and we will search for law and Gospel in these situations. You will see how God is at work defending, and nurturing his church even in times of decline. 

Read the news article below: 

http://www.morningsun.net/news/x126904828/Church-says-goodbye-to-building-after-94-years 

Congregations across the US are shrinking, and being forced out of buildings. It can have a devastating effect on the life of the believer. How can Christians keep themselves from becoming too attached to their buildings? If you belong to a church, what does the building mean to you?

A church is wherever the Word of God is proclaimed in purity, and the sacraments (baptism and Lord's Supper) are administered faithfully. We may have many memories of a particular place, but our faith can be strengthened anywhere God is at work. 

In this article the pastor said that the Church will continue to live on. How can he be so sure? 

Read Matthew 16:13-18. Remember that the rock is not Peter in particular, but faith. Faith in Christ is the rock. Christ will defend his church against all forces that threaten it. 

Do you see the law at work in this article? Do you see any gospel? 

The law is that all man-made structures are temporary. Everything in this world is decaying, because sin has damaged creation. Nothing lasts forever, not even a church building. 

The Gospel is that Christ has given this congregation the Word, and faith. They will continue on under his care, albeit at a new location. Also, buildings may rot and fall apart, but God's promises do no such thing. 

Read Ephesians 5:25-27, 29 and 1 Timothy 3:14-15 to see how God cares for his church. 

Leaning on the Word of God in Challenging Times- Lesson 12

I hope you had a joyful Easter! Christ has risen! 

 We are continuing our Bible Study on Trusting in the Word of God in Challenging Times. This week, we are moving on with our our study of law and gospel. In this lesson we will look at how law and gospel can be applied to our lives, especially in times of suffering.  

 

1) Luther referred to the law as God's "alien work." This means that he does not enjoy punishing us for our sin. It is not what he wants to do. Yet, he does it so that he can do his proper work. His "proper work" is the gospel- forgiving, healing, restoring all of creation.  

 We need to use both law and gospel when we speak to others. While the gospel should always eclipse the law, both are necessary. 

 Is it ever necessary to tell someone about their sin, and how God threatens to punish all sinners? 

Should we just use the Gospel, and only tell others about forgiveness and love? 

 The person who does not repent of their sin, and feels that they have not disobeyed God needs to hear the law. The law should always be carefully and gently applied to others. If a person is suffering we should never say that God is punishing them, because we rarely know why bad things happen. However, if a person is suffering from a direct result of sin then we can use the law to show them a better way. (For example, if someone blows all of their money at a casino we can tell that person that "God wants us to be good stewards of money and other possesions. We shouldn't waste it on frivolous pursuits.") 

 We should always be quick to apply the Gospel. Afterall, it is exciting news that is hard to hold back. Jesus Christ has died for your sins! You now have peace with God, and you are apart of his new creation! It should always follow the law, because the law cannot improve our lives or save us- only the gospel can.  

 

2) Below are some statements that a Christian might say in an attempt to comfort another who is suffering. Can you tell which statements are law statements and which are gospel?  

1)  “You are suffering because God is no longer smiling on you. Do not worry, because God wants to smile on you. Just do his will and everything will be ok!”  

      2)  God has not abandoned you. We know that his Son, Jesus, has promised to never forsake us.  

      3) God is in control of everything! Just give him control of your life.  

     Statements 1 and 3 were law statements. They tell a person what they must do, and imply that the person is suffering because they have done something wrong. The second statement focuses on what God does for us, and the promise we have in his Word.  

        

     3) Read Galatians 2:19-21. What is the purpose of the law? How does Paul live? 

     Paul lives by faith. That is how we live, in good times and bad. We live on the promises of God. We move past sin, and move on with our lives trusting in the forgiveness and goodness of God. So we can suffer knowing that Christ has come to heal our broken hearts, and his Spirit is at work repairing our faults. 

      Spiritual exercise- Pray that God would give you the ability to understand and distinguish the difference between law and gospel.  

 

       

 

Leaning on the Word of God in Challenging Times- Part 12

I hope you had a joyful Easter! Christ has risen! 

We are continuing our Bible Study on Trusting in the Word of God in Challenging Times. This week, we are continuing our study of law and gospel. In this lesson we will look at how law and gospel can be applied to our lives, especially in times of suffering.  

1) Luther referred to the law as God's "alien work." This means that he does not enjoy punishing us for our sin. It is not what he wants to do. Yet, he does it so that he can do his proper work. His "proper work" which is the gospel- forgiving, healing, restoring all of creation.  

We need to use both law and gospel when we speak to others. While the gospel should always eclipse the law, both are necessary. 

Is it ever necessary to tell someone about their sin, and how God threatens to punish all sinners? 

Should we just use the Gospel, and only tell others about forgiveness and love? 

The person who does not repent of their sin, and feels that they have not disobeyed God needs to hear the law. The law should always be carefully and gently applied to others. If a person is suffering we should never say that God is punishing them, because we rarely know why bad things happen. However, if a person is suffering from a direct result of sin than we can use the law to show them a better way. (For example, if someone blows all of their money at a casino we can tell that person that "God wants us to be good stewards of money and other possesions. We shouldn't waste it on frivolous pursuits.") 

We should always be quick to apply the Gospel. Afterall, it is exciting news that is hard to hold back. Jesus Christ has died for your sins! You now have peace with God, and you are apart of his new creation! It should always follow the law, because the law cannot improve our lives or save us- only the gospel can.  

2) Below are some statements that a Christian might say in an attempt to comfort another who is suffering. Can you tell which statements are law statements and which are gospel? 

1)     “You are suffering because God is no longer smiling on you. Do not worry, because God wants to smile on you. Just do his will and everything will be ok!”  

Easter Bible Study

We will pick up our study of “Leaning on the Word in Challenging Times” next week. As Easter is a day that cannot be ignored, we will study the resurrection account found in Luke 24.

Christ is risen! This study is based on: Arthur A. Just, Luke 9:51-24:53, Concordia Commentary Series, Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, 1997.

 

Read Luke 24:1-12

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2024:1-12;&version=31;  

 

1) What are the women expecting to find when they go to the tomb? (Verses 1-3)

 

What does the angel ask the women?

 

The angels ask the women a stunning question: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James believed in the resurrection of the dead, just like we do.  Like us, they knew it would happen on the Day of the Lord, the day when Christ returns, but the women did not expect to see the resurrection now! The Resurrection has an immediate meaning for us. Certainly, Christ rose first so that we know that we will rise one day, but that Christ remains alive even now means that death has been completely defeated. So that when our physical bodies are laid in the ground to wait for the resurrection, our souls will never die. One day soul and body will be reunited to live forever under Christ.  

 

Think about what the resurrection means for you today.

 

2) Read verses 6-7. What did the angels say to the women?

 

What tone of voice do you think the angels used?

 

Has Jesus ever said anything like this about himself?

 

 Jesus made many passion predictions about himself in Luke. He even uses the same words as the angels by calling himself the Son of Man in Luke 9:22, 44 and 18:31.He also says the will be “crucified”, that he will rise on the third day. After reading these predictions and being reminded by the angels one more time, we know that these things had to happen.  God had planned to give his only Son into the hands of men to die, and rise again.

 

How does it feel to know that God planned these things to save you?

 

3) What did the women do after the angels reminded them of Christ’s words to them? (verses 9-11)

 

The disciples responded to the women with unbelief. How would you respond to them?

 

It does seem like nonsense that someone could raise from the dead. The disciples might have thought the women had gone insane. Yet, God uses the things that seem foolish to demonstrate his power. These women are the first evangelists! What a prestigious place to have in history! Many of us hear these words: “Christ is risen!” with unbelief. We search for the hard evidence, but find only rags. The Holy Spirit creates faith apart from “hard” evidence, faith is worked through the Word of God. Remember, that Christ said it is necessary for the Son of man to die and rise again and believe.

 

Please post any questions or comments below.

Leaning on the Word of God in Challenging Times- Lesson 11

We have looked at a few examples of biblical figures who have trusted in the Word of God in the midst of suffering. Now we will take a turn, and look at the doctrines of law and gospel. Law and gospel has an important place in the life of every believer, and it certainly has an application to the difficult times we endure. 

For now, we will introduce the topic of law and gosepl and later we will apply to how we view suffering. (Once again, much of this bible study will be taken from John T. Pless's book Word:God Still Speaks to Us, a part of the Lutheran Spirituality Series. [Concordia Publishing House: St. Louis, 2006.]) 

 

1) Luther writes that there are two things that God has to say to us in scripture- a word of the law, and a word of the Gospel. The law is what God commands us to do. It is best summarized by the 10 commandments. God expects us to obey the law, because if we break it we would do the one thing he cannot tolerate: sin. The law threatens us with punishment and condemnation. 

The Gospel is quite different. The Gospel speaks peace and salvation to us. It is best found in the death and resurrection of Christ. The Gospel tells us of God's promises to redeem us and bring us into his new creation. 

2) Read at 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 

What is the ministry that brought us death? (Pless, 13)

The law brings death. It cannot be fulfilled without Christ. Consider Psalm 14:1-3. No one can obey the law; therefore if it weren't for Christ we would be condmened.  

What is the ministry of the Spirit? 

The ministry of the Spirit is the Gospel. The Spirit creates faith in us, so that we are rescued from the law and death. The Spirit continues to  minister to us to preserve and protect our faith, so that we can continue to grasp the grace and salvation offered in the gospel. 

3) Read Romans 3:19-31 (Pless, 13)

We hear the words justification and justice in these passages. What does Paul mean? 

Paul is using a court room analogy. We are guilty and deserve to be sentenced to death. God's justice demands that we die for our sins. However, we are declared innocent, because God has given us his Son's righteousness. Our sins are forgiven by God, because God sent his Son, Jesus, to die in our place! Justification means that we have been declared righteous and forgiven by God. 

Look again at verse 31. Why do we uphold the law if we are justified only by Christ's life, death and resurrection? 

Once we are justified the law takes on a new pupose. It helps us answer a new question. Before we had to ask "what must I do to be saved?". God has shown us that salvation comes by faith in Christ. Now that we have the answer; we ask how should I live? We live upholding the law, because the Holy Spirit works to turn us away from our sin. We also obey the law out of gratitude and sheer love for God. We can serve God freely. Yet, we know that obedience will not save us, only the grace that get through faith saves us. 

4) What do you think of the difference between law and gospel? 

How do both law and gospel affect your life as a believer? 

What does the law have to say to you in your sufferings? 

Spiritual Exercise: 

As we enter Holy Week, look for messages of Law and Gospel. If you do not usually go to church attend some of the Easter Services, and see if you can pick out what is law and what is gospel.