Reading Thru the Bible Week 11

Hope you are keeping up with your reading over Christmas.

December 24 - Numbers 5, 6 and Mark 13:1-20
December 25 - Numbers 7, 8 and Mark 13:21-37
December 26 - Numbers 9, 10, 11 and Mark 14:1-26
December 27 - Numbers 12, 13, 14 and Mark 14:27-53
December 28 - Numbers 15, 16 and Mark 14:54-72
December 29 - Numbers 17, 18, 19 and Mark 15:1-25
December 30 - Numbers 20, 21, 22 and Mark 15:26-47

Pastor Fred

Read Thur the Bible Week 10

Here are the readings for this week

December 17 - Leviticus 19, 20 and Mark 9:30-50
December 18 - Leviticus 21, 22 and Mark 10:1-31
December 19 - Leviticus 23, 24 and Mark 10:32-52
December 20 - Leviticus 25 and Mark 11:1-18
December 21 - Leviticus 26, 27 and Mark 11:19-33
December 22 - Numbers 1, 2 and Mark 12:1-27
December 23 - Numbers 3, 4 and Mark 12:28-44

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 26 - The Third Article I

The Third Article
"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen"

The Third Article of the Apostle's Creed deals with the role of the Holy Spirit. So the first question we have to ask is, who is the Holy Spirit. Well he is not a force or an energy, and he is not a holy version of the Casper the ghost. The Holy Spirit is also not an it, but a he. He is a person of the Trinity. In fact he is the third person of the Triune God. The Holy Spirit has the special job of what we call sanctification. Which is a snobby way of saying he makes us holy. Scripture shows us that he makes us holy in two ways.
The first way is by bringing us to faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Contrary to popular opinion we cannot bring ourselves to faith. We are born spiritual dead and a dead person cannot do anything. Therefore something or someone has to bring a dead man to life. That is what the Holy Spirit does to us. That leads to the next question. How does he do it? When we read the Bible we see that people are brought to faith through God's Word and sacraments. The Holy Spirit uses God's Words from Scripture to change people's hearts and bring them to faith. He also uses the sacrament of baptism, which is water combined with God's Word to bring people to faith. We see that especially when infants are baptized. God works in their hearts and establishes a relationship with them. The details of how the Holy Spirit does all of this through the Word are not known to us, we just know it happens.

The Second way that the Holy Spirit makes us holy is by renewing our lives and creating within us the desire to lead a holy God pleasing life. Again he does this Word and sacrament. When we read and hear the Word of God we are reminded of how God has forgiven us and promised us eternal life, that creates in us a desire to do God's will and live for him. We also daily remember that we are a baptized child of God and a member of his family. In the Lord's Supper we receive not only forgiveness but also strengthening of our faith. All of this leads us to do good works.

That leads to the next question what are good works? Well simply defined they are anything we do in faith for others. The important thing to remember is that good works come after faith not before it. In other words good works do not create faith, instead they are the result of our faith. I always like to illustrate this by asking why does a dog bark? The answer is because its a dog. It doesn't bark to become a dog. Why does an apple tree grow apples? Because it's an apple tree. It doesn't grow apples to become an apple tree. So why does a Christian do good works? Because they are a Christian, they don't do good works to become a Christian. So anything we do in faith for others is a good work, no matter how big or how small.

We also see in Scripture that the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts. These are talents or abilities that we are to use in the church and God's kingdom. Everyone has different gifts. Some people for instance may have the gift of teaching, others the gift of giving or the gift of caring etc.. God does this so that the church can be effective in its work. Now there are some gifts that people like to argue about. The gift of speaking in tongues or healing for instance. Scripture clearly says that these gifts exist. At the same time we are instructed not to concentrate on the amazing gifts as much as on the gifts of faith and other practical gifts that build up the church. At the same time we cannot deny these gifts or say that God no longer uses them or won't use them some time in the future.

The last thing the Holy Spirit does is preserve us in faith. He does this again through His Word and sacrament.

Next week we will talk about the Church.

Here is some Scripture for you on today's lesson: Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; Genesis 1:2; Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 12:3; John 3:5-6; Romans 10:17; Romans 8:9; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 10:31;

Pastor Fred

Reading Thru the Bible Week 9

Here are the readings for this week

December 10 - Leviticus 6, 7 and Mark 6:1-29
December 11 - Leviticus 8, 9, 10 and Mark 6:30-56
December 12 - Leviticus 11, 12 and Mark 7:1-13
December 13 - Leviticus 13 and Mark 7:14-37
December 14 - Leviticus 14 and Mark 8:1-21
December 15 - Leviticus 15, 16 and Mark 8:22-38
December 16 - Leviticus 17, 18 and Mark 9:1-29

I just know you are loving the book of Leviticus!

Pastor Fred

Reading Thru The Bible Week 8

Isn't it interesting that our text Sunday for the sermon was the same as the reading for Saturday. Believe it or not I did not plan that. I hope that you were able to get through all the technical descriptions of how the Tent of Meeting should be built. There are parts of the OT that seem to be a little boring, but if you take the time to investigate you will find they have deep meaning. This week we get the first Psalm which was written by Moses.

December 3 - Exodus 29,30 and Mark 2
December 4 - Exodus 31,32,33 and Mark 3:1-19
December 5 - Exodus 34, 35 and Mark 3:20:35
December 6 - Exodus 36,37, 38 and Mark 4:1-20
December 7 - Exodus 39, 40 and Mark 4:21-41
December 8 - Psalms 90; Leviticus 1, 2 and Mark 5:1-20
December 9 - Leviticus 3,4 5, and Mark 5:21-43

Happy reading! Pastor Fred

Read Thru The Bible Week 7

Here are the readings for Week seven.

November 26 - Exodus 14, 15 and Matthew 26:36-75
November 27 - Exodus 16, 17, 18 and Matthew 27:1-26
November 28 - Exodus 19, 20 and Matthew 27:27-50
November 29 - Exodus 21, 22 and Matthew 27:51-66
November 30 - Exodus 23, 24 and Matthew 28
December 1 - Exodus 25, 26 and Mark 1:1-22
December 2 - Exodus 27, 28 and Mark 1:23-45

Pastor Fred

Reading Thru The Bible Week 6

Here are the readings for week six.

November 19 - Genesis 46,47,48 and Matthew 23:1-22
November 20 - Genesis 49, 50 and Matthew 23:23-29
November 21 - Exodus 1, 2, 3 and Matthew 24:1-28
November 22 - Exodus 4, 5, 6 and Matthew 24:29-51
November 23 - Exodus 7, 8 and Matthew 25:1-30
November 24 - Exodus 9, 10, 11 and Matthew 25:31-46
November 25 - Exodus 12, 13 and Matthew 26:1-35

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101- Part 25 - The Second Article IV

Last time we talked I said that in the next lesson I would be presenting some stuff about the resurrection and also about the last times.

It has become popular to try to debunk that Jesus actually physically rose from the dead. First of all the gospels very clearly said that he did just that. There is no other way to read them. But there is even more evidence to back up these claims. The following are drawn from a discussion guide by Lee Strobel and Garry Poole about the Passion of Jesus.

The first proof we have is that Jesus' empty grave is reported in extremely early sources that date so close to the event that they could not have been products of legend. It usually takes hundreds of years for legends and myths to develop and the resurrection is reported in Paul's letters which were written within a couple of decades of the cross and he draws from earlier sources than that.

The second proof is that the site of Jesus' tomb was known to both Christians and their opponents, so it could have been checked by skeptics.

The third proof is that nobody - not even Roman or Jewish leaders - ever claimed the tomb still contained Jesus' body. Instead, they claimed the disciples, despite having no motive or opportunity, had stolen the body - an outlandish theory critics have long since abandoned.

The fourth proof is that apart from the resurrection, there's no reasonable explanation for why skeptics like Paul and James would have been converted and died for their new-found faith.

There are many other proofs that Strobel lists and we could add even more to that, but I think these are good ones to ponder if you have any doubts.

Now about the last times stuff. We teach that the end will come like a thief in the night. We do not believe, because Scripture does not teach it, in a rapture. The Bible does not talk about a secret return of Christ in fact it says when he comes back the second time everyone will see him. We are also not afraid of the second coming, we know that means we are going home to be with Jesus! That is good news, not something to be afraid of. We also teach that the thousand years mentioned in Revelation is not a literal thousand years, but is a number representing completeness. We also teach we have been in that thousand year reign of Christ for the past two thousand years. Jesus started reigning right after his resurrection.

Next time will will finally move onto the Third Article of the creed.

Pastor Fred

Reading Thru The Bible Week 5

The stories of the Patriarchs are fascinating to read. Abraham has some great adventures. Isaac after nearly getting sacrificed by Abraham has a pretty good life and becomes very wealthy. It seems he isn't the best father though, showing favoritism to his one son. He has twins and both of them are real pieces of work. One is into his own thing and the other is a deceiver like his mother who sets up the great death bed deception and also like his father and grand-father who deceived rulers by passing off their wives as their sisters. Genesis reads like an episode out of Desperate Housewives at some points. At the same time they were great men of faith that truly trusted in God. They were sinners and saints who struggled with their desires. Yet we see how God works through them. More proof that God is the one who is truly great and not us.
Here are the readings for this week

November 12 - Genesis 29, 30 and Matthew 19
November 13 - Genesis 31, 32 and Matthew 20:1-16
November 14 - Genesis 33, 34, 35 and Matthew 20:17-34
November 15 - Genesis 36,37, 38 and Matthew 21:1-22
November 16 - Genesis 39, 40 and Matthew 21:23-46
November 17 - Genesis 41, 42 and Matthew 22:1-22
November 18 - Genesis 43, 44, 45 and Matthew 22:23-46

Pastor Fred

Reading thru the Bible Week 4

Here are the readings for this week. Notice we jump back into Genesis

November 5 - Job 34, 35 and Matthew 14:22-36
November 6 - Job 36, 37 and Matthew 15:1-20
November 7 - Job 38, 39, 40 and Matthew 15:21-35
November 8 - Job 41, 42 and Matthew 16
November 9 - Genesis 23, 24 and Matthew 17
November 10 - Genesis 25,26 and Matthew 18:1-20
November 11 - Genesis 27, 28 and Matthew 18:21-35

Pastor Fred

Commentary on the Readings I

One of my friends from Fort Wayne has asked if the reading plan we are following is chronological because we went from the middle of Genesis to Job. The answer to that question is sort of. We will be getting back to Genesis once we finish Job and if you read the Bible chronolically this is where they usually place Job. But I say sort of, because later on the readings do not follow a strict chronological order. Those of you who went with me through the Bible Chronologically a year ago will notice some of the differences. So yes and no. I took this reading plan from another website, www.heartlight.org. I thought it would be good to have both Old and New Testament readings combined throughout the year. Now the New Testament reading are not chronological at all. So it is kind of a mesh mash of things. But we will go through the entire Bible.

Job is a great book about human suffering and how sometimes there is no answer as to why. Job's friends also give us some insight into how not to minister to someone going through hard times. At first they just show up and sit with him for several days and say nothing. If they would have kept doing that and maybe offered to listen to him and help him in whatever way he wanted them to help him, they might have gotten it right. But they have to start talking and trying to find a reason that this is all happening to him. They of course point out to him that it must have been something he did. They don't know what it is, but it must have been something. They even seem like they need it to be something that he did. Because if it just happened for unknown reasons then it might happen to them also and they don't want to deal with that. Job keeps saying hey I didn't do a thing and you can start to see the anger coming out of him first at his friends and then the more he thinks and talks about it, that anger starts getting directed toward God. Then his friends start making the second mistake, they take upon themselves to defend God, which of course makes Job even more anger. Later we see that God is none to pleased about it either. Job is probably thinking first all this stuff happens to me and then my friends show up and make it even worse. As we continue to read you will see Job's anger and frustration increase. He has lost everything his family, his house, his possessions and his friends are no help. Whenever I read this portion of Job or see somebody struggling like this I think of the scene in Forest Gump where his friend Jenny comes home after many years of leading a hard life and they end up walking to her old abandoned house where she had been abused as a child. Jenny sees the old house in the field and all the bad memories come flooding back. She then begins to pick up rocks and starts throwing them at the house. While Forest stands there and watches she throws every rock she can throw at it until she can't find anymore and falls to the ground. Then Forest says to himself, "Sometimes theres just not enough rocks." I think Job felt the same way at this point as he begins in his frustration to throw verbal rocks at his friends and eventually God. Sometimes when we are suffering theres just not enough rocks.

Pastor Fred

There are no real answers given in this book except that God is always there and that he does deliver.

Read Thur the Bible Week 3

Here are the readings for this week.

October 29 - Job 17,18,19 and Matthew 10:21-42
October 30 - Job 20, 21 and Matthew 11
October 31 - Job 22,23,24 and Matthew 12:1-23
November 1 - Job 25,26,27 and Matthew 12:24-50
November 2 - Job 28,29 and Matthew 13:1-30
November 3 - Job 30,31 and Matthew 13:31-58
November 4 - Job 32,33 and Matthew 14:1-21

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 24 - The Second Article III

So we have just finished talking about state of Christ's humiliation, now lets talk about the point of it. The reason that Christ humbled himself was to buy us back as his people. We were trapped in sin and death and God wanted us back. So Christ in becoming one of us took our guilt and punishment upon himself. Through his suffering, death and resurrection he beat death. Therefore we have forgiveness and eternal life through our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. He makes this forgiveness available to everyone that lives on earth. To get the benefit of it though you have to have faith in Jesus Christ.

Now lets move on to the Jesus' state of exaltation. This is where Christ now fully and always uses his Divine powers. The stages of Christ's exaltation consist of this, He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead."

Now some people are surprised to learn that Jesus' descent into hell is part of his exaltation, that is because of too many pictures and movies about how horrible Christ's time in hell was. Scripture paints an entirely different story. It tells us that Jesus went down to hell not to suffer, but to brag that he had won. Remember Jesus last words on the cross? It is finished! That meant everything was done for salvation including his suffering. So when Jesus descended into hell he was taking a victory lap running around in the flames going nah, nah, nah, nah I won, I won, you lost ha, ha, ha!

Then the Bible tells us Christ rose from the dead on the third day. Notice it doesn't say three days later. He was crucified on Friday and died so that was counted as day one, then Saturday was day two and Sunday was day three. We also know that he showed himself alive to over 515 people for over 40 days that he was walking the earth after the resurrection. The resurrection of Christ is very important for a number of reasons. First of all it proves that he really was who he said he was. It also proves that God accepted Christ's sacrifice for our sins. His resurrection is kind of like our receipt that proves the price was paid. And it also shows that all believers in Christ will also one day rise to eternal life.

After roaming the earth showing off his crucified body he then ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of God. That doesn't mean he is literally sitting at the right hand of God, but that he is in the power position in heaven ruling over the earth.

We also know that he is coming back some day a second time. When that will happen, that we don't know. We know it will happen without warning and that he will judge the earth. We live in great hope and anticipation of that day, because it will be our final ticket home with God.

Next time I will talk a little bit more about some proofs of the resurrection and a little about End Times theology.

Here is some Scripture for you:John 10:17-18; Hebrews 2:14-15,17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 15:55-57; Isaiah 53:5; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 John 2:2; Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Peter 3:18-19; Colossians 2:15; Acts 10:40-41; 1 Corinthians 15:4-8; Acts 1:3; Romans 1:4; Romans 4;25; John 11:25-26; John 14:19; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Acts 1:9-11; Matthew 24:27; 2 Peter 3:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Mark 13:32; Luke 21:28; Titus 2:13

Pastor Fred

Read Thur The Bible in a Year - Week 2

Here are the readings for this week. We have a little change of pace as we read some stuff from the book of Job.

October 22 - Genesis 20,21,22 and Matthew 6:19-34
October 23 - Job 1,2 and Matthew 7
October 24 - Job 3,4 and Matthew 8:1-17
October 25 - Job 5, 6,7 and Matthew 8:18-34
October 26 - Job 8, 9, 10 and Matthew 9:1-17
October 27 - Job 11, 12, 13 and Matthew 9:18-38
October 28 - Job 14, 15, 16 and Matthew 10:1-20

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 23- The Second Article II

In talking about Jesus Christ's work of salvation for us we talk about two different states, and no they are not Arizona and California. They are two different periods of his life that were part of the salvation process. We call these two states, the state of humiliation and the state of exaltation. The state of humiliation consists of the period of time that as man He did not always or fully use his His divine powers. The state of exaltation consists of the period of time like now, that he fully and always uses His divine powers.

In the state of humiliation Jesus remained fully God, he just didn't always use his Godly powers, he restrained himself and lived as human under human conditions of suffering. The stages of Christ's humiliation include when he is conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. These things cover the time period that God choose to not let fully let his glory shine. Let's look at these in a little more detail.

We teach that Jesus was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary. In other words Jesus did not have a human father, but he did receive a human body and soul through Mary. The importance of the virgin birth cannot be overstated. If Jesus was not born of a virgin he would have been born sinful because he would have been born in the natural way through sinful parents. The fact that he was not conceived in the natural way, that the Holy Spirit enabled his conception through miraculous power enabled Jesus to be born sinless and perfect. So we can say that Jesus was true man in every way except he was without sin. This is also important because only a sinless man could obey the law perfectly for us in our place. Therefore to deny the virgin birth is to deny Christ.

In the humiliation of Christ we also talk about how he lived life here as a poor human and how he underwent persecution throughout his life, from the time that Herod tried to kill him as a toddler to the time of his death on the cross. We also included his burial. We teach that he was buried in a borrowed tomb and remained there until the third day.

Now during this time of humiliation he did at times let his glory be seen by others. When he walked on water, when he transfigured on the mountain, when he preformed miracles and raised people from the dead he displayed the fact that he was God. So Jesus in his actions very clearly showed at times that he was the God he said he was. Next time we will talk about Christ's work of redemption and atonement for us.

Here is some Scripture for you: Philippians 2:5-8; Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:20; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 2:7; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Isaiah 53:3; John 19:1-3; Mark 15:1-20; John 19:16-18; Mark 15:42-47

Pastor Fred

Read Thur The Bible In A Year - Week 1

Okay here we go! This reading plan that I found on the Internet will take us through the whole thing in a year with readings from both the Old and New Testaments every day. This will keep you from getting bogged down in the some of, well lets say less interesting parts of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is a lot longer so their will always be more from the old than the new, but some of the Old Testament stories are fascinating. I will make comments on the readings from time to time as well. Here is the first week

October 15 - Genesis 1,2,3 and Matthew 1
October 16 - Genesis 4,5,6, and Matthew 2
October 17 - Genesis 7,8,9 and Matthew 3
October 18 - Genesis 10,11,12 and Matthew 4
October 19 - Genesis 13,14, 15 and Matthew 5:1-26
October 20 - Genesis 16,17, and Matthew 5:27-48
October 21 - Genesis 18,19, and Matthew 6:1-18

If you don't like reading you can listen to them on biblegateway.com or on a CD.

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101- Part 22 - The Second Article of the Creed

Just who is Jesus Christ anyway? That is the question that has been the subject of one book after another, one movie after another and one TV show after another. Everyone seems to have an opinion as to who Jesus was and what he means for us today. While people may have many opinions about who Jesus is the only one that really counts, the only one we can really trust is the opinion of Scripture. I say that because it is the only place that we know for sure where God has revealed himself. All other opinions are just uninformed ideas. So what does the Bible itself say about Jesus? Well since we know that the Creed is a summary of Scripture let look at what it says.
"I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead."

Let's take this part by part. First of all lets look at the name Jesus. Jesus means the Lord saves. Now there were tons of other people running around the countryside with the name of Jesus. It was a common name. So it wasn't as if when they heard his name was Jesus that they immediately knew he was the Savior because of his name. People didn't pass by Jesus and go see there is the Savior of the world, really how do you know, well because his name is Jesus, so obviously he is the one. No there were lots of people with that name. The importance of the name comes in the fact that an angel told Joseph to give him that name and that he actually lived out that name by saving his people.
The name Christ also has great meaning. Now when I was a kid I thought Christ was Jesus' last name. You know there was Joseph Christ, Mary Christ and little Jesus Christ. It took me awhile to figure out that Christ was not a last name but a title. Christ means, "the Anointed" in Greek. In Hebrew the word is Messiah. So to say that Jesus is the Christ is to say that he is the anointed one. He is the chosen one sent down to rescue us. There are also other titles for Jesus such as Redeemer, Immanuel, Son of the living God, the Word, Lord, Angel of God. So Jesus has many titles that tell us about him.

So now that we know what Jesus' name is and what his role is in saving us lets look a little closer at his being, in other words his two natures. Scripture tells us that Jesus is both God and man, that he has both a divine and human nature. That seems to us to be impossible. How can he be both God and man at the same time? Well that is not something that we can fully understand with our finite minds, but Scripture very clearly points out that it is true. We see that Jesus is God from eternity. And that two thousand years ago he took on flesh through the Virgin Mary. Therefore although there was never a time when Jesus wasn't God, there was a time when he was not man. Only for the past two thousand years has the Son of God had a human nature and a body. We also know that he did not get his human nature the natural way. Instead his mother Mary was a virgin and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. That does not mean that God had sex with Mary, but that the Holy Spirit through his miraculous power gave the Son of God a true human body and soul in her womb.
Therefore we teach that Jesus has two natures united in his one person. That does not mean that Jesus has a split personality. There is not one part of him saying do this and another part of him saying do that. The two natures are united and work together in one personality.
Now some may ask why did he needed both a divine and human nature to save us? Like I said they work together but they do have different functions. Jesus had to be man so that he could be like us and live under the law and keep it perfectly in our place. He also had to be able to suffer and die in our place. Only a man could do that, not God. But he also had to be God so that he could die for everyone on the earth. He also had to be God so that he could overcome death and the devil for us. So you could say it was a one two punch. He had to be man so that could identify with us and take our place and suffer for our sins. And he had to be God so that he could overcome death and save all of us. The two go together. Again I know that is all impossible to fully grasp, it is beyond the ability of the human mind, but Scripture says its true.

Here is some Scripture for you to explain what I have said above: Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:12; Psalm 45:7; Acts 10:38; John 3:36; John 20:28; Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 2:5; Luke 24:39; Hebrews 4:14-16; John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Galatians 4:4-5; Hebrews 2:14; Galatians 3:13;
Next time we will continue with the Second Article

Pastor Fred

Lets Read Thru Scripture Together

I think this would be a good time to start preparing to read through Scripture again together. But this time we will read through the entire Bible and take a year to do it. So it should average about three chapters a day. That is not too bad. You can also listen to it on Biblegateway.com like I do or on CD or if you have cassettes you can do that. Does anyone own a cassette player anymore? Believe it or not I still have records, you know the big black round things you used to put on a turntable. I don't have anything to play them on, but I have them. Anyway we will not start this next week because it is fall break. We will start on Monday the 15th. I will provide some commentary along the way and we will find some verses to meditate on. So get your Bibles dusted off or your cassette player out and we will start in a little over a week

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101-Part 21 - The First Article of the Creed II

Last week we ended our talk with the discussion of angels. This week we move on to human beings. What we know from Scripture is this. Human beings did not evolve from something else but were created directly by God himself. Humans are also not just another creature on earth. We are the most important creatures that God created. In fact Scripture says that man was created in the image of God and was given a spirit or soul, which the other creatures were not given. God also gave man authority over all the earth. It is man's job to manage it. So we have the right to use its resources, but we do not have the right to abuse its resources. We are God's managers of the planet. So in other words God put us in charge of the earth and said take care of it, use it and protect it. Therefore man can eat other animals, he can wear fur coats and he can mine and cut down trees. On the other hand he also has the responsibility to see that it is done so that the earth continues to thrive and that other creatures are not abused. That is why we have agencies like the Forest Service, the Fish and Game Department and the Department of the Interior.
As I said before man was created in the image of God. So does that mean that we look physically like God? No. Remember God does not have a body. Being created in the image of God means that we thought like him and had the same wishes and desires as God. We were righteous and holy. Unfortunately that image was lost after the fall into sin. In Christians God has begun to rebuild His image, but only in the heaven will we again be perfect.

In the first article we also hold to the truth that God still takes care of us today. In other words God still provides us food and clothing and health and everything that we need for this life. Now he doesn't just drop down food and money to us from heaven, although he did do that in the past for the children of Israel. Instead he gives us talents and abilities so that we can get jobs so that we can pay for all that stuff. He provides doctors and other medical personnel to heal us. He takes care of us most time through what we would consider natural means. But we know that our intelligence and abilities are given to us by God, and that he works out everything for our good.
Many times that information leads to the question of, "Well if God is supposed to be so good to us, why is there is all this suffering in the world?" That is a very complex question with some incomplete complex answers that we really don't have the time to answer right now. But in the end no matter how much you write or talk about the problem of evil in the world it all boils down to this. Evil and suffering are in the world because of man's sin. Man brought evil and suffering into the world and God allowing man free will let it happen. So yes bad things happen all the time to all of us, sometimes it is because of something that we have done, other times we are innocent bystanders on the sidelines that get taken out because of someone elses sin. Then there are those times we have no idea why the bad thing happened. Sometimes it is just the result of sin in general being in the world. Sin exists in this life and so bad things just happen without no real explanation. That is the answer in a nutshell. But we also know this Christ came and suffered for all that sin and through his resurrection from the dead he has shown that he has power over sin and evil and that one day through our faith in Christ we will be delivered from it. Maybe not in this life, but we will in the next. God does not promise to remove us from suffering while in this life. What he does promise is that he will be with us in the midst of it. He has promised that he will guide us through it and ultimately bring us home with him where there is no more suffering. Again that is the simple answer in a nutshell and I know that simple answers are not satisfying when you are suffering, but if you want to talk about it more give me a call.
Next time we will begin the Second Article of the Creed.

Here are some Scriptures for you: Genesis 2:7; Genesis 1:26-28; Mark 10:6; Psalm 139:13; Jeremiah 1:5; Colossians 3:10; Genesis 3:8-10; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Psalm 36:6; Psalm 147:4; Romans 6:23; Psalm 145:15-16; Matthew 10:29-30; Genesis 2:15

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101- Part 20 - The First Article of the Creed

I know it has been a long time since the last update. Hopefully we will be more consistent in the future. Today we start talking about the First Article of the Apostle's Creed. Simply stated it says, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." This is the article having to do with creation. The first article also concentrates on the first person of the Trinity, the Father. He is called Father because he is the Father of the Son of God and he is also our Father through our faith in Jesus Christ. We also believe that he is the father of all human beings because he created them. Therefore there is really only one human race because we all come from the same Father and are all children of Adam and Eve and we are also all redeemed by Christ.

We also believe that he created the world in six literal days. Not to start everything off with controversy but that is what Scripture says. The Hebrew word Yom is used here and it means a twenty-four hour period. It is the not the same word for day that is used in other parts of Scripture where a day could be a longer period of time. So we do not believe that it took billions of years to create the world. It only took six days. Evolution is merely a theory that has not been proved. Now many times people think of evolution as pure science like the science it takes to make the space shuttle or designed computers or bridges, but it is not. That is observable science. In other words you can see it and test it over and over again. Evolution is not that type of science, it is historical science. No one was around when the world was created, no one saw how humans and mountains were first created. When evolutionists say that a rock formation is a million years old there is no way to prove that. No one has ever actually measured a million years before. Now they have chemical tests that are supposed to be able to date things like that, but do they actually work? The only way that could be proven is if someone were around a million years ago and saw it happen, and then the chemical test showed the same thing. Plus when you start investigating these things you will find that the age of mountains and rivers keeps changing as new tests are developed.
Then there is the more important point that in Scripture there is no death until the sin of Adam and Eve. But according to evolution whole species of living organisms died out before man even came on the scene. That is impossible according to both the Old and New Testaments. So you either believe in evolution or you believe in God, you can't believe in both. If you believe in Evolution then you might as well throw the Bible out because it is a book of lies. Ken Ham who created the Creation Museum in Ohio is a good source of information on this. Answers in Genesis' website is a good place to look. You can find it at www.answersingenesis.org

I am sure that you have lots of questions about what I just said and I would be glad to respond to any comments. But for now lets move on to another topic, angels. What are angels? Years ago there was a popular TV series out called Touched by an Angel. It was a top rated show because people are interested in angels. Well lets start off by destroying some myths. Angels are not people who have died and gone to heaven. So grandpa and grandma are not up there with wings on looking down on you. They are enjoying heaven, they have better things to do. Angels are creatures that God created to work for him and to watch out for us. The word angel itself means messenger. God used them throughout Scripture to deliver messages to people. Angels are spirit beings, they do not have bodies, although they have been known to take on bodies for awhile. We also know that some of the angels rebelled against God and were thrown out of heaven. Satan was one of those angels and now he and his demons do everything they can to destroy God's plans and his people. We know that there are many good and powerful angels that protect us and carry out Gods desires. We also know that angels are strong and mighty, they are not like the little girls we always pick to play them in the Christmas plays. They are more like military special forces guys that kick in doors and take out people. Thankfully they are on our side. Next time we will talk about humanity and how God continues to take care of us.
Here is some Scripture for you: Galatians 3:26; Malachi 2:10; Acts 17:26; Psalm 33:6,9; Hebrews 11:3; Colossians 1:16; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 24:4-7; 2 Peter 2:4; Daniel 7:10; Psalm 103:20-21; Hebrews 1:14; 2 Kings 19:35;; Ephesians 6:12;John 8:44;

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 19 - The Apostle's Creed - Intro

THE APOSTLES' CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

What is a creed? Well yes it is the name of a rock band, but it is more than just that. You could say that we all have creeds about certain things. We have creeds about who should be President. We have creeds about gun control and immigration. We have creeds about sports. We all have many different creeds in different areas of our lives. A creed is simply a statement of what we believe, teach and confess. If you are a Republican you probably have a different creed than a Democrat when it comes to taxes and social spending. It is the same with our faith. We all have creeds about what we believe about God. As Christians we also subscribe to the historic Christian Creeds. These would be the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed. These three creeds are pretty much accepted as the truth by all Christians around the world even if they do not use them in their worship services. We will be looking at the Apostles' Creed because it offers the most concise explanation of Christian doctrine.
Now the Apostles' Creed is not called that because it was written by the apostles. It is called that because it briefly states the doctrine that God gave through the apostles in the Bible. You will also notice that the Apostles' Creed is Trinitarian. It has three parts to it. The first part deals with God the Father, the second part deals with God the Son and the third part deals with God the Holy Spirit. You will also notice that the creed begins with the word I. It starts that way because it is a statement of faith and we cannot believe for each other as a group. You must believe for yourself.
Traditionally in the church we have used the Apostles' Creed for baptisms because it started out as a baptismal creed. We also use it for non-communion services. We use the Nicene Creed for communion services. This is just tradition and doesn't need to be done that way.

Here are some Scripture verses for you: Romans 10:10; Psalm 31:14; Psalm 37:5; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:1; Habakkuk 2:4; Luke 7:50; Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 4:4-6; John 15:26; Galatians 4:6

Pastor Fred

TEST OVER THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Well sharpen your pencils here it is. This is a very easy test over the Ten Commandments.

1. What does the close of the commandments tell us about the job of parents?

2. What is the difference between simply wanting something and coveting it?

3. What other commandment is the Eighth Commandment connected to?

4. What are some ways that we steal?

5. What are the only reasons for divorce?

6. What are some ways that we keep the Sixth Commandment?

7. What is and what is not Euthanasia?

8. Where in Scripture do we learn that the unborn are people too?

9. What do we have to prove before we can Scripturally disobey authority?

10. Who are the authorties in your life?

11. What are the two main parts of the church year called?

12. When do we use the color purple?

13. What are some things that are required in worship?

14. What part of the Third Commandment is Ceremonial Law and what part is Moral Law?

15. Why do we worship on Sundays?

16. What is God's name?

17. What other commandment is the Second Commandment tied to?

18. What Petition of the Lord's Prayer is it connected to?

19. How do we worship other gods?

20 How many tables of the law are there and what do they mean?

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 18 - The Close of the Commandments

Well we finally made it! This is the last lesson on the Ten Commandments. Today we are talking about what we call the close of the commandments. Actually it comes between the First and Second Commandments in the book of Exodus. After God gives them the First Commandment he tells them what he is going to do if they keep or don't keep all the commandments. He says, "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thouand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Notice God says he is a jealous God. Now most of the time we say jealousy is a bad thing, but that is not always true. Jealousy can be bad if it is over stupid things or if it is because of evil motives. Jealousy can be a be a good thing though. There is nothing wrong with a jealous husband or father. A person has a right to be possessive of their spouse and family they belong to him; he wants the best for them. A person should not be willing to share their spouse with another person. A person should not let their family be taken from them by another person. It is the same with God.
First of all God hates sin, he wants perfection and he knows that sin separates us from him. He does not want things or other gods getting between us and him anymore than a husband wants another man between him and his wife.
He says if that happens then he will punish those people. He is not going to put up with one of his disciples sinning with other gods. That person will no longer be his disciple.
Probably the most distrubing part of God's statement here is that he will punish the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate him. At first glance that just seems unfair and God himself says that he will not punish the son for the sins of the father in Ezekiel chapter 18. What God means here though is that if the children of unbelievers continue to sin like their ancestors he will punish them on earth for the sins of their ancestors as well as their own. We also see that many times people do suffer because of the sins of their parents. For instance children of alcoholics have a much greater chance of being alcoholics themselves. Children that grew up in abusive homes tend to be abusive as well. Children of unbelievers also usually end up being unbelievers as well. So sin tends to be passed down through the generations.
The good news is that God promises to bless a thousand generations of those who love him. This command reminds us of the fact that God has called us to pass our faith down to the next generation, that if we train a child in the way that he should go those lessons will stay with him through life.
God has a reason for threatening this punishment. He wants us to fear his anger and to live according to his commandments. He want us to come to faith in his Son and to receive his mercy and forgiveness.
The number one thing we have to remember about all of this is that we cannot keep any of these commandments perfectly. We are all sinners. We cannot be saved by obeying the law. Therefore we come to God in confession and ask for his forgiveness and trust that Jesus' death on the cross paid for all of our sins. Through our faith in Christ we have complete forgiveness and total salvation.

Here are some verses for you: Psalm 5:4-5; Isaiah 42:8; Ezekiel 6:9; James 4:12; Leviticus 26:18; Romans 6:23; Galatians 3:10-11; Ezekiel 18:20; 2 Kings 9:7-8; 10:11; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Matthew 10:28; 1 Timothy 4:8; Job 42:10-17; Leviticus 19:2; James 2:10; John 3:16; Romans 1:16; Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:13-14

Later this week there will be a test over the 10 Commandments, so study up.

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 17 - The Ninth and Tenth Commandments

I knew a guy in college that always had to have what everyone else had. If you bought a watch he would buy one just like it. If you bought a camera, he would buy a camera, even if he never used it. He coveted everything that everyone else had. He was a big breaker of the Ninth Commandment.
Both the Ninth and Tenth Commandments have to do with coveting. Coveting is having a sinful desire for anyone or anything that belongs to your neighbor. It is not wrong to want things and even to get things. But it is wrong to try to get things from your neighbor that you don't need. Coveting also involves a sinful desire. You just have to have it, even though you really don't need it and you will do illegal or immoral things to get it.
God wants us to be content with the things that he has given us and he wants us to help our neighbor keep his own stuff.
The Ninth and Tenth Commandments although talking about the same sin, stress different things that we covet. The Ninth Commandment which says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house", has to do with material possessions. It has to with things like our neighbor's house, his car or anything materially he owns.
The Tenth Commandment which says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor", has to do with living things that belong to your neighbor. You should not look for ways to have an affair with your neighbor's wife, or to steal his employees or other people that help him.
We also have to remember who our neighbor is here. It is not just the guy living next door, but everyone that we come into contact with in life. Everyone is our neighbor. God tells us to be satisfied with what we have and if we want more to ask him, and seek it in good moral and legal ways.

Here are some verses for you: Romans 7:8; Matthew 15:19; Micah 2:1-2; 1 Timothy 6:8-10; Philippians 4:11; 1 Timothy 6:6; Hebrews 13:5; 1 Kings 21:1-16; Acts 20:32-35; Luke 12:5; Colossians 3:5; 2 Samuel 11:2-4; 2 Samuel 15:1-6; Philippians 2:4; Genesis 3:6; James 1:14-15; Psalm 37:4; Psalm 119:35-36; Philippians 4:8

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 16 - The Eighth Commandment

A professor once told my seminary class that Lutherans have a particular way of writing the 10 Commandments. To demonstrate he began to write the numbers 1 through 10 on the black board, yes when I went to seminary they still had black boards! So the professor begins to write the numbers on the board and the first five numbers representing the first five commandments are normal size then the number six is written three times the size of the other numbers, seven is normal size and then eight is written so small you can barely read it. He then finished up with nine and ten as normal size. He explained that most of the commandments were looked upon as equal except for the Sixth Commandment. If you broke that one that was big, real big! On the other hand if you broke the Eighth Commandment and spread gossip about your neighbor that was no big deal. Another unfortunate joke about breaking the Eighth Commandment is that in church we don't gossip, we just share prayer requests.
The Eighth Commandment is one of the most abused commandments. Simply stated it says, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." In other words don't ruin your neighbor's reputation. That means you can't tell lies about your neighbor in a court of law or any where else. We see many examples of this being broken in Scripture. For instance false witnesses testified against Jesus and Naboth. The result was both of their deaths.
The commandment also requires that we not tell people our neighbor's secrets. If they tell us something in confidence we are to keep it that way. It also requires that we be truthful with our neighbor and that we speak well of him and put the best construction on all of our neighbor's actions.
The Eighth Commandment is the Second Table's version of the Second Commandment. Remember the First Table has to do with how we treat God and the Second Table has to do with how we treat others. The Second Commandment forbids us to drag God's name through the mud and the Eighth Commandment forbids us to drag other people's names through the mud. It is a very important commandment because once someone's reputation has been ruined it is hard to fix it. It is like the guy who was accused of the Atlanta bombing in the 96 Olympics. Later they found that he was completely innocent. After he was released he said, "So now where do I go to get my name back?"
Like I said this commandment is abused like on other. The lesson to be learned is that before we say something negative about a person we better make sure we have our facts straight and we better make sure we really need to say it.

Here are some Scripture verses for you: Proverbs 19:5; Ephesians 4:25; Matthew 26:59-61; 1 Kings 21:13; 2 Kings 5:22-25; Proverbs 11:13; 1 Samuel 22:6-19; Matthew 26:14-16; Matthew 18:15; Luke 6:37; James 4:11; Proverbs 31:8-9; 1 Samuel 19:4; Luke 7:4-5; Mark 14:3-9; 1 Corinthians 13:7; 1 Peter 4:8

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 15 - The Seventh Commandment

A pretty basic commandment, "You shall not steal." In other words, don't take your neighbor's stuff. Okay next! Wait a minute it is not quite that simple. Obviously taking someone else's physical property violates this commandment, but it is not the only way that it is broken. For instance a man was arrested and fined thousands of dollars the other day because he was sitting outside a coffee shop somewhere illegally using the establishment's wireless connection without paying for it. Was he stealing? Yes he was. Some college students were recently sent bills in the thousands of dollars from music companies because they illegally downloaded music without paying for it. Were they stealing? Yes they were. A few years ago a lawyer went to a scheduled medical appointment and spent so much time in the waiting room before he saw the doctor that he then billed the doctor for his time. The doctor laughed, the lawyer sued and won. Was the doctor stealing from the lawyer? Yes he was, in the law profession time is money and the doctor didn't keep the appointment time and wasted the lawyer's time. I included that last story because of years of frustration sitting in doctor's offices sometimes for close to two hours before seeing my doctor.
What are some other ways that people steal? Students cheating on tests are stealing from others and themselves. Workers not doing their work to the best of their ability are stealing from their employer. Christians not giving financially to God their first fruits are stealing from God. Christians not giving of their time and talents are also stealing from God. There are all kinds of way to steal. You can even legally steal from people. I knew of a church organization one time that existed to give out scholarships to seminary and college students. They had promised one guy four years worth of tuition. They paid the first three years but as he was about to go into his fourth year they didn't want to pay anymore so they just dissolved the organization, renamed themselves and stated back up again. They said they didn't have to pay the fourth year because the organization that promised the money didn't legally exist anymore. They were actually legally right and protected, but they were morally wrong and were stealing from God and the student. By the way I was not that student.
The basis of this commandment is simple. God gives other people their stuff and he gives you your stuff and he expects everyone to be satisfied with their own stuff. So be content with what you have and keep your hands off other's stuff.
There is a positive aspect of this commandment as well. We are to help our neighbor keep his stuff and when he doesn't have enough stuff to keep going we are to give him some of our stuff. After all at the end of the day all stuff is God's stuff.

Here is some Scripture: Leviticus 19:35; Psalm 37:21; Ephesians 4:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; Joshua 7:20-22; John 12:6; 2 Kings 5:20-24; Matthew 7:12; Philippians 2:4; Matthew 5:42; Hebrews 13:16; 1 John 3:17; Luke 10:29-37; Luke 19:8

Pastor Fred

New Neighbor Outreach needs

As most of you know we have enrolled in the Lutheran Hour Ministry New Member Outreach program. They will send us names of all new move ins in a certain radius of the church. I am going to select a 3 mile radius, which should give us 12 to 14 new move-ins every week. We will send postcards out them inviting them to worship with us. If they come and visit then we will give them a welcome gift at the church. If they don't we will physically go their house to deliver the gift. That is all the visit will be. We will welcome them to the community give them the gift and invite them to join us for worship that is all. Then we will follow that up with another postcard.

We need a lot of help for this though. I need at least 2 people to address all the postcards by hand and send them out. I need at least 2 people to assemble the gift basket. I need at least 2 people to gather the stuff and community resource lists to go in the basket. I also need at least 10 people willing to go in groups of 2 to visit all these people. This will be a big on going ministry but a very important one for our growth. Call me.

Pastor

Lutheranism - 101 - Part 14 - The Sixth Commandment

You shall not commit adultery. This commandment generates as much or probably more controversy then the Fifth Commandment. There are all types of of moral issues under this commandment. This commandment addresses sex before marriage, living together before marriage, extra marital affairs, homosexuality, divorce, and pornography among other things. The Sixth Commandment says that all of these things are sinful before God. Unfortunately many of these sinful actions are not looked upon as sinful anymore by society. For instance our society has no problem at all with sex before marriage. It is the way it is. The same thing with living together. Everybody seems to live together before they get married anymore. Extra marital affairs are still frowned upon, but recent polls show that a high percentage of people have had them. Homosexuality has been completely embraced by society as just an alternative lifestyle. Gay couples on TV are now considered normal. In fact a TV show without at least a guest appearance of a gay person is the exception. Divorce, although there are justifiable reasons for it in Scripture, continues to be taken advantage of. And with the Internet, pornography use had gone through the roof. No one is shocked or surprised by any of this. And in fact it is looked upon as okay, as long as other people don't get hurt, which they usually do.

Let's address these one by one. Sex before marriage is forbidden because it is a misuse of God's gift of sex. Sex is a good thing. It is as I said a gift from God to be enjoyed inside the marriage convenant. When it happens inside marriage it results in the creation of children and also the enjoyment of the marriage partner. It deepens the relationship between the two people. Outside of marriage it is just using the other person for your pleasure without any commitment to them.
Living together has become the norm. Some people do it before marriage to see if they are compatible before they take that big step. It is interesting to note though that secular study after secular study shows a significantly higher divorce rate for those couples who lived together before marriage as opposed to those who didn't. The underlying reason for that is a lack of commitment. Marriage is commitment. It takes more than love to hold a marriage together. When people live together before marriage they are not committed to one another, they are just trying it out. So when they do get married many times that lack of commitment gets hauled into the marriage as well. There are also big advantages to just getting married. There are financial advantages and there is more stability for any children born into the relationship. The marriage license is not just a piece of paper either, it is a legal contract recognized by the state and it is a public proclamation before others of a commitment to one another. The church has always recognized the authority of the state in these matters and does not perform marriages without a legal license. So a person cannot claim to be married in God's eyes if they are not married according to state law.
Extra marital affairs are also forbidden by this commandment for obvious reasons. The biggest reason is that it destroys that one person union that is established in marriage. That is why it is one of the justifications for divorce. The church never recommends divorce and tries to bring reconciliation and forgiveness to the relationship, but is the right of the offended party to divorce. Adultery also hurts both people involved and also any family members as well.
Homosexuality is very clearly against God's law no matter how accepted it has become. That does not mean that we hate or mistreat homosexual people, in fact we are called to love the homosexual but hate their sin. There has been a great argument through the years over whether homosexuality is a choice or not. Some say that there is a biological reason for it. There has never been any hard proof presented for this, but it really doesn't matter. Even if it is biological it is still sinful. Sin is not just a choice but also a condition that we are all born with. Just because someone is born a certain way or with a certain personality or disorder that does not make their sinful actions okay. If a person is born with a homosexual orientation then they are called to live a life of celibacy.
We have talked about divorce above, but to enlarge upon it, we teach that divorce is only acceptable for a couple of reasons. The first one is one of the people having an affair, the second one is desertion. That is when one of the people just abandons the marriage. In other words walks out the door and doesn't come back. We could also put abuse under that as well. When one partner abuses the other one there is a point when that person even without leaving the house, has deserted the marriage. In the end we try everything we can to keep all marriages together.
Pornography is another issue that has become normal in our society. Porn is a cheapening of the gift of sex that God has given to us. God calls us to have pure actions and also pure thoughts. Use of porn takes away from the marriage and also devalues women. Therefore we are called to avoid it.
What God wants in this commandment is for husbands and wives to respect and care for one another. He wants them to enjoy each other through sex and to be the basic building block of the church, his body.
Here are some Scriptures for you. Genesis 1:27,31; Genesis 2:24-25; Mark 10:6-9; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:6,9; 1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18; Romans 1:24, 26-27; Matthew 5:28; Matthew 15:19; Ephesians 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Gensis 2:18; 1 Corinthians 7:4; Ephesians 5:21-23, 25

Pastor Fred

Christian of the Heart Set Free - Sermon Series

Starting on June 3rd we be doing a sermon series on Christian freedom. I have entitled it Christian of the Heart Set Free - come discover the real meaning of freedom. It will start on June 3rd and go through July 15 with one interruption on June 17th for Father's Day. I am basing the sermon series on the book of Galatians. I think you will find it a very interesting series. The outline of the series is posted on the website, but I want to give a more fuller explanation of each part of it. So I am posting it here as well.

On June 3rd the topic is "Having the Courage to be Free" Just as a people group who has been enslaved by another people group has to have the courage to pursue their freedom, we as Christians also must have the courage to receive our freedom in Christ.

On June 10 the topic is, "The Fight to Remain Free" When the Wall came down in Eastern Europe they gained their freedom, but then chaos reigned. Many of the people wanted the old harsh government back because at least they felt safe under it. In the same way we must guard against going back to our old way of life after receiving freedom in Christ. We must avoid the temptation to mix law and gospel, thinking that God's salvation depends on us in some way.

On June 24th the topic is, "Holding onto the Promise of Freedom" Many have said that the United States was destined to be a nation of freedom. We have seen people groups from all over the world escape their coutries and come to the U.S. to live in freedom. In the same way Abraham was justified by faith before the coming of the law. Therefore we see people groups from all around the world coming out of spiritual darkness and coming to Christ to live in his freedom.

On July 1st the topic is, "We are the Children of Freedom Fighters" We all live in the freedom won by those who have gone before us. We have received it as a gift from them. In the same way we live in freedom from sin and death because of what Christ did on the cross for us.

On July 8th the topic is, "With Freedom comes Responsibility" We have seen the effects of freedom without responsibility in our country. We have seen the chaos and immorality it has caused. In our spiritual lives we are also free, but not free to do anything we want. We have to be responsible in our actions so that our freedom is beneficial to us and others.

On July 15 the topic is, "Freedom Shown in Acts of Mercy" Our country is always one of the biggest givers of aid to other countries facing disaster and hard times. We see that in many of the humanitarian projects that our troops are doing overseas. In the same way our freedom in Christ leads us naturally to do acts of mercy for those who need aid or who do not yet have freedom in Christ. We care not only for the soul but also the body.

On June 17 which is Father's Day our topic will be, "Thank God for His Gift of Dads" Increasingly the family is under attack. That is why God gave us Dad. He is the spiritual leader in the family. On this Sunday we will look at what makes up Christian Dads and we will give thanks to God for them.

On July 22nd we will be getting a special guest speaker. The Apostle Paul himself will be coming to Family of Christ to speak to us about how what he said two thousand years applies to us today. Paul will tells us what it means to be an Apostle of the Heart Set Free.

So there is the schedule. Further information will be coming. We also hope to have all these sermons posted as audio on the website.

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 13- The Fifth Commandment

A man shoots another man in the head and the man dies. A doctor scrambles an unborn baby in the womb. A woman gives a sick loved one a mixture of drugs to put him out of his misery. A person puts a gun to their head and pulls the trigger. A man lashes out at his brother saying, "I wish you were dead." What do all these people have in common? They have all just committed murder and broke the Fifth Commandment.
The Fifth Commandment deals with the gift of life and it is stated very simply, "You shall not murder." Included in this commandment are abortion, euthanasia and suicide. The first murder was of course Cain killing his brother Abel. And that is what we tend to think that murder is. But it is much more than that. We see for instance that David murdered Uriah through others. He didn't do it himself, but he set it up. We also can murder others through carelessness, like drunk drving.
Abortion is another way we commit murder. We as a church body have always been pro-life. The media likes to protray us a anti-abortion and those on the opposite side as pro-choice. There is no doubt that we are anti-abortion, but more than that we want life valued in all respects. For those supporting the pro-choice side they have to ask themselves does the baby get to make a choice? Scripture shows us that life begins as conception or even before. Just take a look at Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:16 and Luke 1:41-44. These verses and others are why we say that abortion is nothing other than cold blooded murder.
Euthanasia is also considered murder. The word itself means good death. Thanatos is the Greek word for death and Eu means good in Greek. Euthanasia is the taking of someone's life when it is not considered worth living any more. This would involve cases such as people in extreme pain who also may be in the process of dying. It can also include the severely handicapped or those who are considered helpless. Euthanasia is not taking grandma off a machine in the hosiptal when the doctors have said that there is no or little chance of recovery. That is just giving her a chance to breathe on her own or die naturally. Euthanasia is deliberately taking an action, whether it is with drugs, a plastic bag, or something such as a handgun that would take the person's life before God himself takes them home. The intent is to take that person's life or put them out of their misery, that is euthanasia. On the other hand taking someone off a ventilator or stopping the giving of some drugs or even at times removing a feeding tube when there is no or little hope of recovery, is not euthanasia. That is just allowing the person to die a natural death.
Suicide is also murder. God has our times in his hands and it is only to be ended by him. At the same time it is not the unpardonable sin. We never know what is going through the mind of someone who commits suicide. So we put them in the hands of a loving God and leave it at that.
Now we may look at the stuff above and say well I have never done any of that. But this commandment also involves our thoughts and our words. We break this commandment when we hate others or even wish them dead.
Now to another controversial part of the commandment. There is an authority that has the right to take human life. That is the government. They have the authority to do this because they are God's servant. Therefore they have the right to execute criminals and fight just wars. That is why governments have the right to practice capital punishment. They don't have to, but they can make laws that allow them to do that. We also teach that soldiers fighting in a war are not breaking this commandment when they kill the enemy. They are acting under the orders of the government and have the right and even the obligation to do so.
So what does God require of us in the commandment? God wants us to help and support our neighbor in every bodily need. He also wants us to be good and forgiving of our neighbor. He also wants us to help our neighbor avoid things that are harmful to him, such as drugs and other substances.

Here are some verses for you: Genesis 9:6; Matthew 26:52; Proverbs 31:8; Acts 17:25; Luke 12:22; Romans 12:19; Matthew 5:22; 1 John 3:15; Ephesians 4:26; Romans 13:4; Romans 12:20; Matthew 6:15; 2 Corinthians 7:1

Here are questions for you. How would a soldier violate this commandment in a war zone? What is euthanasia and what is not euthanasia? What are some practical ways that we can address the abortion issue?

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 12 - The Fourth Commandment

Marlon Brando in the movie, "The Wild One", when asked what he was rebelling against responded, "What've you got?" That was pretty shocking for movie audiences in 1953. Young people probably gathered at the local ice cream parlour and tried to do their best Brando in saying it. In 2007 a quote like that in a movie might cause a few laughs but would soon be forgotten because of all the other much more shocking and even toxic comments in the rest of the movie. Since the beginning of time there has been rebellion against Authority. Satan is the first one we know to do so. He rebelled against God and was thrown out of heaven and has been causing problems ever since. Unfortunately the human race has followed him in rebellion. Today rebellion is even seen as a good thing. Children are encouraged for protest for their rights, to march in demonstrations and let their voice be heard. Living in a democratic free society we are allowed to do such things, and there may be proper times to do just that. The question is have we gone too far? Has the freedom to demand our rights and question authority gone to the point of breaking the Fourth Commandment?

The Fourth Commandment says, "Honor your father and your mother." Looking at other parts of Scripture we realize that this commandment extends beyond the authority of our parents and also includes all authorities that we live under. The list would include things such as our government, our boss at work, pastors and other leaders in the church, and anyone who is a position of authority over us. We also include senior citizens in this, because Scripture tells us to show respect for the aged. This Commandment also contains a promise from Ephesians 6:3, "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

We all have problems with authority figures at times. Sometimes we look upon them as incompetent, and they may be. Sometimes we may look upon them as mean and demanding, and again they may be. There is also a sinful urge in us to knock the other person off the top of the hill. What I mean by that is that there is a sinful urge within us to challenge authority for no other reason than to challenge it, we like to rebel, to show the person in authority up, or maybe even take their place.

What we see in this Commandment though is that God has put certain people in positions of authority. He has made your parents your parents. He has put certain people in office, no matter what earthly means might have put them there. Some countries elect their leaders, others take over by force. Sometimes we do not understand why a certain person is in authority, but we must trust that God put them there for a reason. We also called to obey them even if we don't like them. You may not like paying your taxes, but God tells you to do so. You may not like doing what your parents tell you to do, but God requires that you do it. You may not like what your boss is demanding, but you better do it.

Now there is recourse to remove leaders. We can choose to vote for someone else in an election. We can bring a leader's demands to someone else who can address them in a proper way. What we cannot do is openly rebel against them. We can make our voice and concerns heard though, we can work through whatever process that is available and we can use the legal system that is in place.

There are circumstances though when we can disobey those in authority, in fact there are circumstances when we are required to disobey or even rebel against those in authority. That is when they require us to do something that is against God's law. For instance if the government requires us to kill innocent people we have an obligation to disobey. Another situation might be if the government says that we can't share our faith with others or gather for worship, we have an obligation to disobey. Interestingly enough there is now a bill before congress that might require us to disobey our government. The bill will make saying anything against homosexuality a hate crime, even if it said in church. Pastors that get up in the pulpit and say that homosexuality is a sin could be fined or thrown in jail for doing so. We will have an obligation to disobey that law if it is passed, even if it means going to jail. I will tell you now if that bill is passed my sermon the next Sunday will be on the sinfulness of the homosexual lifestyle.

I would throw up a caution here though. When we say we have a right to disobey the government when they require us to do something against God's law we better be able to prove that it is against God's law. It can't be just a personal opinion. It has to be proven by Scripture. For instance many people who are protesting the current war have said it is against God's will, but that cannot be proven from Scripture. A few in the military have refused to go to Iraq because they say the war is wrong and it is against their conscience. Scripture does not back up their protest. If they are in the military they have to go if their commanders tell them. By the way the LCMS provides no provision for consciences objectors. If you are a member of our church body you cannot claim that status based upon your faith. The simple solution is this, if you don't want to go to war, don't join the military.

This Commandment is the only one with a promise. It is that you will enjoy a long life on earth. If you listen to your parents you will gain wisdom and learn how to survive in this world. If you obey the authorities over you, you will prosper and not have constant strife.

Here are some verses. Proverbs 23:22; Romans 13:2; Ephesians 6:2-3; 1 Timothy 5:4; Romans 13:7; Colossians 3:20; Titus 3:1; Acts 5:29; Leviticus 19:32

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 11 - The Third Commadment - Part III

In this lesson I would like to take a look at some of the traditions that we have in the Lutheran church concerning worship.
First of all traditionally we have followed a church calendar. It starts with Advent either at the end of November or the beginning of December. It consists of four weeks where we look at Christ's coming. We focus on Christ's coming at Christmas, coming into our hearts today and his second coming. The color for the season is blue, which I will explain later. On December 25 we start the season of Christmas. The color for this is white. The Christmas season lasts a couple of weeks and obviously we concentrate on the birth of Jesus. The next season which starts on January 6th is the season of Epiphany. The color for this season is green. Epiphany lasts six to eight weeks depending on the date for Easter which changes every year. During the season of epiphany we concentrate on the miracles of Jesus, since the meaning of the word Epiphany means shining forth. Epiphany ends with Transfiguration Sunday where we look at Jesus as he is transfigured on the mountain along with Elijah and Moses. The next season is Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday. The color for Lent is purple. During the season of Lent we prepared for the the crucifixion of Christ. The season lasts six weeks and is a time of repentance and self examination. Sometimes people give things up for Lent to identify with Christ in his sufferings. There are forty days in Lent not counting Sundays. So when you give something up for Lent you can indulge in it on Sunday if you want, because technically it is not one of the days of Lent. The last week of Lent is called Passion Week. During this week we pay close attention to Jesus as he goes to Jerusalem to die for us. On Thursday we celebrate Maundy Thursday. This is the night that Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper and also the night he was arrested. On Friday we celebrate Good Friday which is black. On Friday Jesus was crucified for us on the cross and all our sins were washed away. The next season is Easter which is white. This season lasts six weeks. Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. On this day we proclaim victory and we are assured of the fact that we have eternal life. The next season is Pentecost. The color for the day of Pentecost is red. The season of Pentecost lasts anywhere from 22 to 27 weeks depending again on the date of Easter. The second Sunday of Pentecost is called Trinity Sunday and the color is white. The rest of the season the color is green. The church year is divided into two parts the festive half lasts from Advent to the start of Pentecost. During this season we focus on the life of Christ. The second half is called the non-festive season and we concentrate on the life of the Christian.
Now to the colors. The color blue is the color of hope. The color white is the color of purity. The color green is the color of growth. The color purple is the color of royalty and suffering. The color red is the color of the Holy Spirit.
The Lutheran church is also typically a liturgical church. That means that we have a structured order of worship every week. There are certain things that are always present in that structure, such as confession/absolution, the Lord's Prayer, the Creeds, the Readings, the Sermon and on certain Sundays Communion.
We are also a Word and sacrament church. In the Roman Catholic church most things center around the altar and the sacraments with very little emphasis put on the Word or preaching. In most reformed churches, such as the Baptists and most non-denominational churches, the emphasis is on the Word and preaching with very little attention given to the altar or the sacraments. In the Lutheran church we concentrate on both. We strongly emphasize the Word and preaching and we also strongly emphasize the altar and the sacraments.

Now all that said, the above is all tradition and not required by Scripture. More and more Lutheran churches are finding new ways to do worship. Most of them are trying to be innovative without throwing our great history and traditions completely out the window. That is what we are striving to do here at Family of Christ. If you are interested in more information join us for Sunday morning Bible study. We are looking at worship right now.
Next week we will move onto the Fourth Commandment.

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 10 - The Third Commandment Part II

Last week we talked about the specifics of the Third Commandment. Today I would like to talk about what the Third Commandment calls us to do. That is of course worship. What is worship and what does it include? For many years every Lutheran church had pretty much the same worship service. The songs might have been different, but they were still all hymns. The pastors might have preached on different readings but they all had the same readings. Lutheran churches were kind of like McDonalds, pretty much the same wherever you went. Everybody seemed perfectly happy about that as well. The church was strong and it grew, mainly through the maternity ward, but it grew. Then thirty or so years ago something happened. The church began to decline. Many younger people got tired of the same old thing week after week. They wanted more upbeat music. They got tired of the old textual analytical sermons that Lutheran pastors preached. They were very scholarly but they didn't connect with most people. The result was people began to leave the LCMS in droves. Our church body at one point was close to 3 million now it is closer to 2.4 million and getting smaller. As a result many pastors began to study what worship was really about. Many came to the conclusion that there were other ways of doing worship. They found that Scripture doesn't tell us to worship in a certian way. Most of the reasons Lutheran churches had done things the way they did them was because of tradition and not Scripture. As Lutherans they valued tradition, but they also realized that it was getting in the way of growth in the church. The result, many Lutheran pastors and churches began to add contemporary worship services. The churches that did this began to see growth again, but they also began to see conflict. There were many in the church that saw these worship services as a bad thing. This lead to what has been called worship wars. The traditional people said that the new worship services didn't have any substance, they were watered down. The contemporary people said the traditional services were boring and dead spiritually. Which group was right you may ask? I would say both of them were. Many of the contemporary worship services were without substance and were just fun gatherings with no real point. Many of the traditional services were boring with dead music and pastors droning on about our blessed Dr. Martin Luther.
So where is the middle ground? That is the struggle that every pastor and congregation faces today. How can we worship God reverently and yet make it interesting and relevant so that people are drawn to the church and then stay in the church? First of all there are two wrong answers to that question. Some say we don't need to make it interesting, if they want entertainment let them stay home and watch TV. The problem with that answer is that is exactly what they are going to do. Hence the dwindling numbers in our church body. The other wrong answer is we need to get rid of all the old traditional stuff and make the church more like our culture so everyone feels comfortable. In other words don't offend anyone. The problem with that is we are called to be different than our culture and we are called to worship God and follow his will even when we don't like it.
So what is the answer? Well that depends on the community that you are in, the size of your church and what your mission is. The answer is a little bit different for every congregation. Many congregations have gone to blended worship for instance. In blended worship you have liturgy and creeds like in the traditional service, but you also have new music and sermons that speak to people in common language they use everyday. You can also bring in drama or puppets or dance or videos and a number of others things. Some churches have addressed the issue by having a number of different services. They have a traditional service, a blended service and a contemporary service.
The most important thing in worship is that you get to hear God's Word, receive his forgiveness, sing his praises and also participate in the sacraments. How you arrange that is not Scripturally mandated. Again every church can do it differently depending on who they are trying to reach.

So what type of service do you like? Go ahead and post your answers in the comments section. I will start it off by saying that I like blended worship for the following reasons. I don't like the sound of an organ and I don't like most hymns, I find them slow and boring. At the same time I don't like yeah, yeah, yeah music with no point and I don't like sermons on lite weight topics. I do like some structure in my worship. I also like good songs that I can sing and enjoy. I like to be able to move to the music. I also have children. I will be so bold to say that if you have children and are attending a traditional church you need to join another church that does more modern worship. If you don't they will leave the church as soon as they can and they will be bored the whole time before that. Pastors and churches always complain about losing kids after confirmation, but the biggest problem is they are boring them with bad music, and boring traditions. I have a daughter who moves to music in her sleep, she would die in a traditional service.
In our next installment I will talk about the various worship traditions that observed in the Lutheran church.

Pastor Fred

The Final Readings

Well here are the final readings. After this is completed lets take a couple of weeks off and then I would like to do something a little easier and probably better for learning. We will read the entire Bible but we will do it over 365 days. This will give you more time to reflect on what you are reading or listening to.

April 23 - Hebrews 10-13
April 24 - James 1-3
April 25 - 1 Peter 1, 5; 2 Peter 1
April 26 - 1 John 1-2; 2 John; 3 John
April 27 - Jude, Revelation 19-22

Tell me what you think of the book of Jude when you get done.

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 9 - The 3rd Commandment part 1

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. So what is the Sabbath day and how do you keep it holy? This is what I would call a loaded commandment. It is so loaded in fact that I think we will take two sessions to cover it and that probably won't be enough. This is the one commandment whose meaning was changed with the coming of Christ. That is because the Third Commandment, although part of the moral law also contained aspects of the ceremonial law in it.
In the Old Testament, before the arrival of Christ, this commandment required that the Sabbath be held on the seventh day, which of course was Saturday. It also required that the people do no work on that day; they were to rest and worship God. The word Sabbath itself means rest. This was not an option, this was required. God wanted the people to honor him on that day. The Sabbath also had the purpose of pointing forward to the Messiah or the Christ who was to be the ultimate rest.
When Jesus came as the Messiah he proclaimed himself Lord of the Sabbath. In other words he fulfilled what the Old Testament Sabbath was pointing forward to. After Jesus died on the cross as the final sacrifice there was no longer any need for the sacrficial system or the Sabbath day that supported it. All was fulfilled in Jesus. Therefore the ceremonial aspect of the law was eliminated. Now all that was required was that we gather together to worship God on a regular basis. The commandment also requires that we listen to God's Word and that we support the spread of God's kingdom.
The early church after being thrown out of the Jewish Synagogues began to meet in house churches on Sunday because it was the day that Christ rose from the dead and also the first day of creation. They were not required to do that, but thought it was a good way to honor God. Since then it has become tradition to meet and worship on Sundays. Many churches hold worship services on other days as well.
We break this commandment when we don't attend public worship. Even though there is not a required day to worship or a certain way to worship, we are still called to worship together. We also break this commandment when we don't listen to God's Word or take part in the sacraments. Many people today say they can worship God on the golf course or out camping and that is true, but God still calls us to gather together as the body of Christ and worship as well.
There are some good practical and spiritual reasons that God requires us to gather together for worship. First of all God has called us to carry out his mission to bring more people into the kingdom and then to mature them in their faith. This is accomplished through the church where God gives each individual different spiritual gifts. Some people have the gift of teaching, some hospitality, some kindness or a variety of other things. When all these gifts are brought together mighty things can be accomplished. Secondly we need to gather together to mutually support one another. Living the Christian life in a pagan world can be very hard, so we need to keep each other going. Thirdly it is a witness to the outside world about our faith in Jesus. As people see us gather each week they develop a desire to learn more about Jesus themselves. So yes you can worship God on the golf course, but you are wasting the spiritual gifts God has given you and you are not benefiting from the other people's gifts. You are also not supporting other Christians in their struggles and you are not receiving support for yours. You are also not a very good witness to the Christian faith, because you are saying I would rather be golfing then worshipping God. Plus do you honestly worship God when you are out there? Remember lying is a sin as well.
Here are some verses to look up: Exodus 35:2; Leviticus 23:3; Matthew 12:8; Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 4:9-10; Acts 2:42, 46; Hebrews 10:25; Romans 14:5-6; Galatians 4:10-11; Acts 20:7; Psalm 26:8; Colossian 3:16

Pastor Fred

Readings for Week 8

Here are the new readings.

April 16, - Ephesians 4-6
April 17 - Philippians 2,4
April 18 - Colossians 1, 4
April 19 - 1 Thessalonians 2,4; 2 Thessalonians 3
April 20 - 1 Timothy 1, 3
April 21 - 2 Timothy 3-4
April 22 - Titus 2; Philemon

Next week we will be finished.

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 8- The 2nd Commandment

In the movie Saving Private Ryan, which takes place during and after the D-Day landing in WWII, a ranger unit is sent out to find Private Ryan so he can be sent back home. Two of his brothers have been killed on the same day in the war and the War Department wants to make sure he makes it home alive. The ranger unit that is sent out to find him has two of its members killed before they find him. Then much to their anger when they do find him he refuses to go home, he wants to stay with his unit. One of the rangers gets mad and yells at him that they have lost two of their friends trying to save him and now he doesn't want to go. It is at this moment in the movie that an exchange occurs that I have always found very moving. Private Ryan pauses for a minute after hearing this and then very reverently asks what were their names? The angry ranger tells him the names and Private Ryan repeats them to himself very slowly. In doing so he honors them and the sacrifices that they have made for him. I have probably watched the movie at least fifteen times and that short scene still makes me pause.
To honor the name is to honor the person who bears it and all they have done. That is why our Second Commandment is so important. To honor God's name is to honor God himself and all that he has done for us. To dishonor it or take it in vain is to dishonor God and reject all he has done for us.
So in the manner of Private Ryan we first have to ask, "What is God's name?" What do we call him? Well it isn't Bob or Fred or Ed. God's name is not a label like most of our names are. Most of us are named after a relative or someone our parents liked, or maybe just some name they found interesting. It doesn't really describe anything about us. God's names on the other hand do describe his character. You could say that God's name is a verb. God's name describes what he does. He is the I Am. He is the Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He is Jesus. He is the Word. He is Immanuel, God with us. He is Savior and Lord. He is the God of the Storm. And we could go on and on. Each of these terms describes a different quality about him or action that he carries out. In other words his name is His very essence and attributes. Therefore to dishonor God's name is to directly dishonor his character and reject what he has done for you.
The next question is how do we do that? Well obviously we do it by cursing, but that is not the only way. We also misuse it when we use God's name in satanic ways. We do this by trying to talk to the dead or going to fortune tellers or engaging in Wicca or any occultic practice. We also do it by consulting horoscopes or things like it to discover the future. We also do it by teaching false things about God and then saying it is God's Word or revelation. We do it by covering up an unbelieving heart or sinful life by pretending to be a Christian. We must be very careful about what we get involved with. There is a real spiritual world out there that can bite you. There are evil spirits who impersonate the dead or who try to lead you astray. Remember Satan is like a lion in a cage, he can't hurt you as a Christian unless you get in the cage with him. But when you do that you are on your own.
So what is it God wants us to do in this commandment? He wants us to use his name in a honorable way. He wants us to use his name to call out to him in prayer. He want us to ask for his help, for his forgiveness, and for his blessings every day.
When we honor God's name we are honoring him for giving us forgiveness and salvation. We are remembering the sacrifices he has made for us and we are stating our belief in him as our loving God.

Here are some Bible verses for you in this subject. Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 9:6; Jeremiah 23:6; Matthew 1:21; Matthew 18:20; John 1:1; Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Leviticus 19:31; Psalm 50:15; Psalm 103:1; John 16:23; Ephesians 5:20

Pastor Fred

Swimsuits with pockets

I discovered something yesterday that I thought I had better pass on. Now that the weather is starting to get hotter people are spending more and more time at the pool. Therefore I felt that a consumer warning was in order. Yesterday I discovered that swimsuits with pockets in them can be very expensive and not good for your health. I am issuing this warning because the people that make the swimsuits deliberately hide this cost and danger.
What I mean by that is that when you go to the department store to buy the suit the price on the tag is the same as any other suit. Even when you go to buy the suit they ring it up at this seemingly innocent low price. But don't be fooled swimsuits with pockets in them will end up costing you a lot more in the end.
Here is what that smiling sales person will never tell you. Swimsuits with pockets in them can hold things like your cell phone, your wallet with all your cards and important information. They are also capable of holding electronic keys and all kinds of dangerous stuff. But do they tell you that as they are checking you out at the store and offering you yet another credit card you don't need. NOOO! This is where swimsuits with pockets become very expensive.
Without realizing it you end up jumping into the pool with all this stuff is in your pockets. I don't know if you have every heard your cell phone sizzle but it is not a comforting sound. Not to mention the discomfort of finding your wallet and everything else at the bottom of the pool. And here is why swimsuits with pockets in them are so expensive. Have you ever tried to buy a new cell phone without a service contract, especially after you have innocently forgotten to buy insurance on your phone, because you wanted to spend the money on that new swimsuit instead? Nobody in the swimsuit section warned you about this did they? Personally I think the wireless phone companies and the swimsuit makers are in cohoots with one another.
All said and done I like my new phone, but the swimsuit is history.
Now if we could just the sun block guys to put a warning label on their stuff. Something to the effect that you actually have to put the stuff on your body to prevent sunburn. Thank goodness Mondays only come once a week.

Pastor Fred

Week 7 Readings

Here are the readings for this week:

April 9 - John 13-17, 19-21
April 10 - Acts 1-4
April 11 - Acts 8-10, 12-15
April 12 - Romans 5-8, 12
April 13 - 1 Corinthians 1-2, 13
April 14 - 2 Corinthians 4-5, 8-9
April 15 - Galatians 5-6

Pastor Fred

Lutheranism 101 - Part 7 - The 1st Commandment

Before we get started here I'd like to make a shout out to my life long buddy Brad and his wife in Idaho who today celebrate 20 years in marriage. You guys are making me feel old. Happy birithday as well and quit reminding me that you are younger than I am. That just means I get to retire first.

Well before we tackle the First Commandment we must mention that there are two tables of the law in the Ten Commandments. The first part includes commandments 1-3 and deals with our relationship with God. The second part includes commandments 4-10 and deals with our relationship with other people. The Bible sums up the first part by saying, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." The second part is summed up by saying, "And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." And then of course the over all summary of all the commandment is love. If we could love perfectly we could keep the commandments perfectly.
The First Commandment is, "You shall have no other gods." That brings up the question of who is God? Scripture tells us that God is Triune. He is the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, three distinct persons in one divine being. We also use the term Holy Trinity to describe Him. This is the only true God according to the Bible. The Trinity is not fully understandable to the human mind, but it is what Scripture shows us God to be. For instance look up these Bible verses. Deuteronomy 6 :4 indicates to us that God is one. Matthew 28:19 talks about three people in that one God. 1 Corinthians 8:4 again tells us that there is one God. 2 Corinthians 13:14 then tells us again about three people in that one God. These are just a few among many on the subject in Scripture. We will get more into the Trinity when we come to the Apostle's Creed. You can also come to the Monday night Bible class on April 23rd, where I will be teaching about the Trinity.
The First Commandment forbids us to have other gods. Well that's easy right. Just don't set up any idols in your house, don't go to any Buddhists temples and you will be okay, right? Hate to tell you this but it isn't that simple. We break this commandment whenever we put anything else before God. In other words it doesn't have to be a physical idol. Money for instance can be a god. We can get so caught up in making it that we put God to the side. Other people can become gods for us. Whenever we consider them or their opinion of us more important than God then we are breaking this commandment.
Here are some practical applications: You stay home and watch a football game instead of coming to church. You spend all your time watching TV or on the Internet instead of taking some time to read your Bible and pray. You spend all your money on stuff you want instead of giving a tithe to God. You don't talk about God or His morals because you want to be popular instead of being faithful to God. You worry all the time about retirement and think everything depends on you instead of trusting in God. You get caught up in all kinds of activities to the point that you have no time for work in God's kingdom. In all these cases you are worshipping other gods, whether it is money, TV, the Internet, sports, yourself, other people or the things of this world. These are all forms of modern idol worship. Whatever gets between you and loving God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, is your god.
Sounds like a pretty hard commandment to keep doesn't it? In fact it is impossible, we have all broken this commandment. Only Jesus has kept it perfectly. That is why we have this thing called forgiveness.
So now that we have forgiveness how do we keep or live out this commandment in a positive light? That is another thing we must remember. The Ten Commandments are not just thou shalt nots, they are also thou shall do this. The way we keep this commandment is by honoring God with our lives. In other words turning them over to Him and trusting that He has a plan for our life. We also keep it by devoting our lives to Him no matter what our occupation, age or abilities are. God uses all people to enlarge and strengthen His kingdom. We also keep this commandment by trusting in Him and praying to Him asking for His help in every area of our life. In other words we realize that He is God and we are not.
The fact is if we could keep this commandment we could keep all the others as well, because if God was first in our lives all the time everything else would automatically fall into place. It is because we cannot keep this commandment perfectly that we break all the others as well. That is why ultimately all sin is against God himself and not just the person we may directly sin against. Again that brings us back to thanking God for the His Son's death on the cross for our sins against this commandment. Now we have the freedom and forgiveness to strive to keep this commandment for the glory of God.

Here are some verses for you. Philippians 3:19; John 5:23; Proverbs 11:28; Proverbs 3:5; Matthew 10:28, 37; Matthew 22:37; 1 John 1:8

In answer to a question that I asked previously about why we continue to ask for forgiveness when all of our sins have already been forgiven, I offer this: We continue to repent of our sins because we continue to sin. Yes these sins have been forgiven already by the cross of Christ, but in repentance we are admitting that we have committed them and that we are dependent upon the cross of Christ for that forgiveness, which we receive through our faith. In repentance we are showing our dependence upon God for His grace and mercy. We are also keeping open that communication between us and the Father. When we stop confessing our sins we are saying that we don't need God's forgiveness or we don't want it. We are in effect rejecting God. Confession shows that we recognize our sins; it also shows that we know where our forgiveness comes from. As Luther said, "Our lives are lives of repentance." We must also remember that our lives are lives of forgiveness as well.

So how did you do on the Law/Gospel questions? Mark 12:30-31 is Law; Col 2:8 is Law; John 3:16 is Gospel; Col 1:6 is Gospel; Matt 28:19 is Law; Rom 10:4 is Gospel; Gal 3:13 is Gospel; Psalm 37:5 is Law.

Pastor Fred