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