Shadows and Substance

Shadows-Substance-3rd-Edition

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE:

AN INDUCTIVE STUDY OF THE

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS

Pastor John L. Schierenbeck

Shadows and Substance: An Inductive Study of the Old and New Testaments

Published 2005 (third printing) by the CLC Book House; 501

Grover Road; Eau Claire, WI 54701.

Church of the Lutheran Confession Book House

501 Grover Road

Eau Claire, WI 54701

SHADOWS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

PREFACE

This Bible study has been developed over thirty years of teaching Adult Bible Classes and Adult Information Classes in congregations of the Church of the Lutheran Confession. The members of Gethsemane Lutheran Church of Spokane, WA, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of West Columbia, SC, and Immanuel Lutheran Church of Winter Have, FL have served as will ing testing grounds for this material.

This material has been put into a form designed for use in Adult Instruction Classes. It may also be used as a private individual study of the Bible. It could also be adapted for use in Sunday Bible Classes, Confirmation Classes, and Young Adult studies. The aim is to encourage individuals to read and study the Bible itself.

This material was developed on the basis of certain convictions about Bible study.

1) Since the Bible is, in all its parts, the Word of God, the Bible should be used as the primary textbook.

2) A foundation for studying the Bible is built upon an understanding of the historical framework of the Old and New Testaments. In order to understand God’s plan of salvation, it is important to have an understanding of the chronological history of the Bible.

3) There is a special need for a working knowledge of Old Testament history. Many people have little knowledge of the Bible beyond a few well -known Sunday School lessons.

4) There is a great value in a chronological study of the Bible. Many approaches to the study of the Bible in Sunday School and Confirmation Classes neglect the chronological framework of the Bible.

5) Bible study should be inductive, that is, people should draw truths out of Scripture for themselves. One of the goals of this course is to encourage people to read the Bible for themselves and apply it to their own lives.

6) “History” is His Story. It is the story of God’s redemption of His people. Both Old and New Testaments find their meaning in Jesus Christ, His life, His death, and His resurrection. Jesus is the key figure foreshadowed and promised in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament.

The main feature of this study is the emphasis on the personal reading of the material from the Bible before it is presented in class. The second feature is the inclusion of worksheets which are designed to be done at home by the student looking up Bible passages and answering the questions. This leads the individual into the Scriptures for answers to their questions.

“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” Colossians 2:16-17.

This information course is intended to help you learn more about God – Who He is and what He has done for you through Jesus Christ. You also will learn more about yourself, the reason for your existence and your purpose in life.

This course is based on certain truths of faith. We begin with the truth that all mankind is saved by grace alone and not by works. The Bible very clearly teaches that all people are sinful and fall short of doing what God demands in His law – perfect obedience. However, what you could not do to save yourself by your works, God did by sending His Son Jesus to die for your sins. This is grace (undeserved gift). “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”

[Romans 3:22-24]. The Bible teaches both sin and grace, Law and Gospel (Good News).

Central to understanding the Bible is the good news of salvation by grace alone.

The second truth is that all of the Bible is the inspired (God-breathed) Word of God given by the Holy Spirit through men of God. “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”

[2 Peter 1:21]. Al teaching is to be based on the Word of God as revealed in the Bible. We are to teach no more and no less than the whole counsel of God. “Al Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” [2 Timothy 3:16]. You are to examine the historical setting of the books of the Bible and pay attention to their grammatical meaning. Again and again you will be asked, “What does the Bible say?” This course is designed to lead you into a personal discovery of what the Bible says so that you will grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. The Bible points to Jesus. Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” [John 5:39]. An important part of this course will be your personal reading of the Bible. It is important that you read the section of the Bible laid out in the Independent Study section of each lesson.

The third truth is that a person is saved alone by faith in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior from sin.

Faith is not a dead, intellectual thing. Faith is a living trust in God. This saving faith reveals itself through a life lived with Jesus Christ. It is a life in which the Holy Spirit produces the fruits of faith (good works). “The just shall live by faith” [Romans 1:17].

Jesus invites you saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” [Matthew 11:28-29].

This course is divided into two semesters. The first semester deals with the time before Christ’s birth (Old Testament). In the Old Testament are found shadows, pictures and promises of the coming Messiah. It covers the period from about 4,000 BC until about 400 BC. During this time God used these shadow pictures to prepare His chosen people, Israel, for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior. The second semester deals with the New Testament – the life and times of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospels and the spread and growth of the Word of God after Pentecost. This covers the period from about 1 AD to 100 AD.

39 BOOKS

27 BOOKS

OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT

JESUS

CHRIST

4000 BC – 400 BC

1 AD – 100 AD

Each lesson is divided into a Study Guide and a Worksheet. We will be using the New King James Version of the Bible in this course. It is important that you use the Bible to answer the questions on the worksheet and that you do the assigned weekly Bible readings. This will lead you into a personal study of God’s word. The second reprint includes suggested readings from Luther’s Small Catechism and a list of memory passages for each lesson. The memory passages are included at the end of the student’s manual.

This course is designed to encourage the self-study of the Bible. Therefore, the fol owing procedure is encouraged. Read the assigned Bible reading at the end of each worksheet before the next class. In this way you will have read the material before discussing it with the pastor.

1. The pastor will discuss with you the material in the study guide.

2. The pastor will assign the worksheet for that lesson for the next class session.

3. Do the worksheet and the assigned Bible readings at home.

4. During the next class, the pastor will begin by going through the filled out questions with you.

5. The pastor will then go on to the next lesson’s study guide with you.

6. The Catechism references are referenced by question numbers from Mike Sydow’s 2001

edition of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide #1The Creation

The Nature of God

From the creation man knows that there is a god. Even those who have never seen a Bible have a natural knowledge of God. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” [Romans 1:20]. From his conscience man knows that he has sinned. Romans 2 tells of those, “who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them” [Romans 2:15].

However, man is unable on his own to come to the knowledge of who the true God is and what God has done for him. God has left a revelation of Himself in the Bible. Only in the Bible can we learn about the almighty, eternal and triune Savior God. Triune means three-in-one referring to the fact that God has revealed Himself as three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God has revealed Himself as our Savior God in Jesus and His cross.

II.

The Days of Creation

The Bible teaches that God existed from eternity and that He created this world [Genesis 1-2].

The Bible teaches that the world was created about 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. God careful y defined each day of creation as a natural, twenty-four hour period of time consisting of morning and evening (cf. Exodus 20:11). God limited the reproductive process in plants, animals and man to each species – “after its kind.” The creation is still a witness to the power and love of the almighty (al -powerful) Creator God. This Creator still takes care of and provides for His creation.

III.

The Creation of Man

Man was the pinnacle of God’s creation. The world was created for man to use and to enjoy and to take care of. Chief among the reasons that man is different from the animals is the fact that he alone was created in God’s image and likeness [Genesis 1:26-28]. Man was created like God, not in a physical sense, but in the sense that man was created holy and righteous – like God.

IV.

Evolution and Creation

Evolution is the false theory that life evolved by chance over a long period of time. This theory is contrary to the Bible. There is no room for a compromise between the Biblical teaching of creation and the theory of evolution. Evolution leaves no room for God in today’s world. God’s word teaches that the world was created in six natural and consecutive days and that it is still sustained by the power of God. The God who created this world still takes care of this world.

The first two chapters of Genesis are very important to an understanding of the Bible and God’s plan of salvation.

Marriage

Marriage was a part of God’s perfect creation. Marriage was instituted and blessed by God. The principles of marriage as revealed in the Bible find their root in Genesis 2:20-25. What the Bible teaches about divorce and the relationship within marriage is based on the teaching that God joined Adam and Eve so that they would be one flesh. The creation account establishes that husband and wife are to live together in Christ-like love with the husband as the head of the wife.

This headship relationship reflects the relationship of the Church to Christ [Ephesians 5:23-24].

VI.

The Significance of Creation For Today’s World

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Man has a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness when he no longer believes in a Creator God. The Bible and Genesis 1-2 teach that God is in control. Creation reveals a caring God who is able to help in every time of need. The Psalms especial y emphasize the wonders of the Creator God. God’s constant care produces thanksgiving in our hearts. “My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth” [Psalm 121:2].

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

CREATION EVOLUTION

God’s Account

Man’s Theory

Six Days

Bil ions of Years

By God’s Word

By Chance

Out of Nothing

From a simple cel

Man in God’s

Man From

Image

Animal

God in Control

No one in control

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 1 Creation

The Nature of God

From nature and the creation, man is able to learn certain things about God.

A. What does the creation of the world reveal about God’s invisible qualities.?

Romans 1:18-20

2.

B. What self-evident truth can you learn from looking at the structure of this world?

Hebrew 3:4

C. What can man not learn about God from nature and the creation?

1. What did the people of Athens not know about God? Acts 17:22-24

2. What did the jailer need to know about what God did for us? Acts 16:25-31

II.

The Days of Creation

What did God create on each of the days of creation? Genesis 1

Day 1 –

Day 4 –

Day 2 –

Day 5 –

Day 3 –

Day 6 –

III.

The Creation of Man

A. What made man different from the animals? Genesis 1:26-28

B. What is the image of God?

Man was created like God in that he was created holy and righteous like God. What does Ephesians 4:24 tel us about the image of God?

IV.

Evolution and Creation

A. Definition: Evolution is the theory that life developed (evolved) from simpler forms of life to more complex forms of life over a long period of time (bil ions of years).

B. What is the difference?

Creation

Evolution

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

1. The time factor (how long?)

2. The process (how?)

3. The place of man

4. The hope for the future

C. God’s Evaluation of His Work

What was God’s evaluation of His work at the end of creation? Genesis 1:31

Marriage

A. What is the essence of marriage? Genesis 2:20-25

B What are the implications of the creation account on society today?

1. As far as divorce – Matthew 19:3-6

2. As far as the relationship between husband and wife – Ephesians 5:22-33

VI. The Significance of the Creation for Today’s World What effect does your belief in God who created the heavens and the earth have on your life today?

1. Psalm 121:1-2

3. Psalm 145:15-16

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Read Matthew 6:24-34.

What is the fol y of today’s materialistic view of life and happiness?

What is Jesus’ answer for worry, and how does this relate to creation?

2.

Read Genesis 1-5.

Make notes of any questions or interesting thoughts.

3.

Catechism References: First Article – Questions 110-128

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 2

A Strategy for Death

The One Command

Man was not created as a moral robot. Man was given a free moral choice by His Creator God.

God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [Genesis 2:16-17]. Luther stated that this command gave Adam and Eve an opportunity to show their thankfulness to God by obeying His will . God also said that in the day they ate of this tree, they would surely die.

II.

The Origin of Sin – The Devil

The Devil original y was an angel created in holiness to serve God. The Devil led a futile rebel ion in heaven against God. God did not even have to defeat Satan personal y. He used a chief angel, Michael, to banish Satan and his hosts from heaven. The Devil then proceeded to attack God’s most precious creation – man. He came in the form of a snake (the old serpent of Revelation 12). He tried to get Eve to doubt the authority of God’s Word by asking, “Has God real y said that you can’t eat….?” The Devil also lied about the consequences of her act. “You shall not die!” He also tried to get Eve to doubt the goodness of God. The Devil appealed to Eve’s desire to become wise. The Devil still comes to us today and tempts us to sin. The Devil wants to prevent us from being with God forever in Paradise. Jesus defeated the Devil for us and freed us from the power of the Devil by dying on the cross for our sins.

III.

The Entrance of Sin into God’s World

Sin had already entered into Eve’s heart when she doubted the goodness of God. She made God appear unfair by stating that God had said they could neither eat nor touch the forbidden fruit [Genesis 3:1-6]. Eve wanted to be her own god, doing what she wanted to do. Man still wants to be his own god and act independently of God. He also does not want to face any thought of judgment. Adam also did eat. This was only the beginning.

IV.

The Results of Sin

The results of Adam’s and Eve’s sin were tragic and immediate [Genesis 3:7-24].

• Guilt and shame filled the hearts of Adam and Eve.

• They hid from the presence of God.

• Instead of confessing their sin, they blamed each other and God.

• Sickness, sorrow, and death would be man’s lot as he would return to dust.

The frustration of sin is still felt in our lives today. The Bible pictures Adam as the representative of the entire human race. Adam’s sin affected not only him but generations yet unborn. When Adam sinned, all sinned [ Romans 5:19]. Every child born of woman is born sinful in Adam’s image. There is no true goodness in us at all . And so death passed upon all men. Death is more than just the end of physical existence. Even now people are dead to God because of sin [Ephesians 2:1]. We also face an eternity of death in Hel because of sin [Revelation 20:12-15].

Hel was original y prepared for the Devil.

NOTE: God already in Genesis 3:15 promised to send a Savior Who would rescue all mankind from sin, death and the power of the devil. We will learn more about this promise in the next lesson.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 2 A Strategy for Death

The One Command

Genesis 2:16-17

1. What was the one command God gave to Adam and Eve?

2. What was the penalty God attached to this commandment?

II.

The Origin of Sin – the Devil

A. What does the Bible tel us about the origin of the Devil? 2 Peter 2:4

B. What names are given to the Devil? Revelation 12:9

III.

The Entrance of Sin into God’s World

How did the Devil operate?

1. What did he first try to create in Eve’s mind? Genesis 3:1

2. What technique did he use next? Genesis 3:4-5

3. What was the “baited hook” for Eve? Genesis 3:6

IV.

The Results of Sin

What were the immediate consequences of Adam’s and Eve’s sin?

1. Genesis 3:7

2. Genesis 3:8-10

3. Genesis 3:11-13

4. Genesis 3:14

5. Genesis 3:16

6. Genesis 3:17-18

7. Genesis 3:19

8. Genesis 3:23-24

The Long-Range Results or Consequences of Sin

A. How did Adam’s and Eve’s sin affect the nature of man?

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

1. Genesis 5:1-3

2. Psalm 51:5

3. Romans 5:19

B. Another long-term consequence of sin is death. The Bible speaks of the total effect of death upon man and the creation. There is, first of all , the obvious – physical death.

However, death also includes spiritual separation from God – spiritual death. The Bible also speaks of the eternal consequences of death in terms of eternal punishment in Hel –

eternal death.

Match the three kinds of death – Physical – Spiritual – Eternal – with the fol owing passages.

1. Ephesians 2:1

2. Genesis 5:5,8,11, etc

3. Revelation 20:14-15

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Trace the progression of sin from the heart to the final action in Genesis 4:1-8.

2.

According to 1 John 3:15, where does sin begin? What does this passage say about us?

3.

Read Genesis 6-11.

4.

Catechism References: First Commandment – Questions 26-31; Loss of the Image of God –

Questions 129-312; Original Sin – Questions 97-108

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 3

A Strategy for Life

A Strategy For Life

God reacted to Adam’s and Eve’s sin with love and mercy. He immediately promised to send a Savior who would deliver mankind from sin, save them from death, and free them from the power of the Devil. This plan of salvation would gradual y be revealed over the next 4,000 years of Old Testament history. At first, all that was known from Genesis 3:15 was that this Savior would be the SEED OF A WOMAN. Seed means offspring or descendant. The Savior would be born of a woman. JESUS IS THE SEED OF THE WOMAN.

It would be necessary that the Messiah be true man born of a woman [Galatians 4:4-5]. The story of Christmas begins in the Garden of Eden with this first promise of the Savior. The work of the Messiah is pictured in terms of a battle with the serpent [Genesis 3:15]. The Seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent at the cross completely destroying the power of the Devil. It would cost the Messiah (his heel would be bruised) in terms of His suffering and death at the cross. We will be fol owing this promise of the Savior through the Old Testament as we learn more about God’s plan of salvation.

II.

God’s Plan of Salvation

God would send His only Son [John 3:16] to become man and our substitute. Adam disobeyed God’s law and brought death to all people. Jesus would obey God’s commands and bring life and righteousness to all people [Romans 5:19]. Jesus, as our substitute, would also die as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the entire world. This idea of a sacrifice becomes central to the message of the Old Testament and the message of Jesus.

4000 BC

2500 BC 2000 BC 1500 BC 1000 BC

500 BC 0

AD |

ADAM NOAH ABRAHAM MOSES DAVID EXILE JESUS

III.

From Adam to Noah – The Way of the Righteous and the Way of the Ungodly It is probable that Adam and Eve thought that their firstborn son was the promised Savior. She named him Cain meaning, “I have gotten a man [from] the Lord” [Genesis 4:1]. This showed faith but was far from the truth as was seen when Cain and Abel both brought their offerings to the Lord. Abel’s offering was accepted by God because it was brought out of faith [Hebrews 11:4].

Cain’s offering was rejected because it did not come out of faith. When Cain’s offering was rejected, he blamed Abel. This hatred in his heart grew into murder [Genesis 4]. The Bible teaches that the thought in the heart is already sin as much as the actual act of murder is sin [1

John 3:12-15]. Hatred makes us guilty of murder in God’s sight. This section reveals the all encompassing power and effect of sin in our own lives.

The pre-flood world grew worse and worse [Genesis 6]. Sin was revealed in the corruption and violence that filled the world. It sounds like a page right out of today’s newspapers. God’s judgment was the just reaction of a righteous God. Yet in the midst of judgment, God’s mercy and love were revealed. He sent Noah to call the people to repentance for 120 years before He sent the flood. Then, when the flood came, God brought Noah and his family into the ark. God helped Noah take two of each species of animals into the ark. He also took seven of the “clean”

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

animals for sacrifice. A universal flood covered the highest mountain tops. Al life was destroyed except for those in the ark and the sea creatures [Genesis 7-8]. Tremendous changes took place on the face of the earth. Again Noah was found righteous, not because of anything he did, but by faith. Noah was declared righteous by God through faith.

God gave Noah the rainbow as a sign that God would never again destroy the world with the waters of a flood [Genesis 9:1-7]. God also permitted people to eat meat as well as the green herbs, while before the flood, people were vegetarians. After the flood, God instituted government to control the wickedness of man. God also put into place the death penalty [Genesis 9:6].

Al the nations of the world have come from the three sons of Noah (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) [Genesis 9:18-27]. The Savior would be born of the descendants of Shem. The curse of Canaan was fulfilled when the descendants of Canaan became the slaves of the Children of Israel after the return to the Promised Land [Joshua 9].

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 3 A Strategy for Life

A Strategy for Life – Genesis 3:15 “The First Promise of a Savior”

A. The participants

1. Who are the serpent’s seed (offspring)?

2. Who is the “SEED” (offspring or descendant) of the woman?

a. Galatians 3:16

b. Galatians 4:4-5

c. Luke 2:1-7

B. The struggle

Jesus defeated the Devil for us by dying on the cross for the sins of the world.

The same picture is used in Romans 16:20.

1. What does it mean that Jesus, the SEED of the woman, crushed the head of the Devil?

2. Jesus’ heel was bruised. The victory for Jesus was not without cost. It was not a permanent injury, still Jesus suffered.

Where did this happen?

II.

God’s Plan of Salvation

A. Describe God’s plan of salvation for people who had sinned against Him. John 3:16

B. What would Jesus, the seed of the woman (God made Man), do for us?

1. 1 John 3:8

2. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

III.

From Adam to Noah – The Way of the Righteous and the Way of the Ungodly A. These two ways are revealed in the account of Cain and Abel – Genesis 4.

1. Where did Cain’s sin begin? 1 John 3:15,17

2. Why was Abel’s offering accepted by God? Hebrews 11:4

B. The Generations of Adam – Genesis 5

1. What recurs time after time in Genesis 5? (vss. 5, 8, 11, 27, etc.) SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

2. What happened to Enoch? Genesis 5:24

3. Why was Enoch taken to be with God? Hebrews 11:5

C. Noah (Noah lived about 1,500 years after Adam)

1. How is the time of Noah described by God?

a. Genesis 6:5

b. Genesis 6:11

2. What was God’s reaction?

a. Genesis 6:6

b. Genesis 6:12-13

3. How did God show mercy even in the times of judgment?

a. Genesis 6:3

b. Genesis 6:14

NOTE: Noah is call ed a righteous man [Genesis 7:1]. Noah is righteous, not because of his conduct, but because Noah believed in the promises of God.

4. Why was Noah call ed righteous and blameless? Hebrews 11:7

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Read Matthew 24:36-39

How does the time of Noah paral el the time in which we live?

2.

Read Hebrews 11 and note the “heros” of faith.

2.

Read Genesis 12-19.

3.

Catechism References: Fifth Commandments – Questions 55-62

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 4

Abraham

4000 BC

2500 BC 2000 BC 1500 BC 1000 BC

500 BC 0

ADAM NOAH ABRAHAM MOSES DAVID EXILE JESUS

The Call of Abraham [Genesis 12]

Abraham’s family worshiped idols on the other (east) side of the Jordan River. God call ed Abraham out of idolatry as an act of grace. Abraham was not seeking God. God sought him.

The entire Biblical emphasis is that fol owing God (believing) is a result of God’s effective call .

God call ed Abraham to leave his family and friends and to go to a country that the Lord would reveal to him. Note how God always attaches promises to His call . He promised that He would make of Abraham a great nation, that He would give him this land, and most important of all , that the Savior of the nations would come from Abraham’s descendants [Genesis 12]. The promise of the Savior given to Adam and Eve is further defined to Abraham. The Messiah would come from the descendants of Abraham (the Jewish nation).

II.

Abraham’s Response of Faith [Genesis 13-16]

The problem was that all of God’s promises centered in the descendants of Abraham and Sarah.

Abraham was seventy-five at this time, and he and his wife had no children. Sarah was past the age of having children.

Yet Abraham believed God and the promises that God made to him. This is faith which is “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” [Hebrews 11:1]. Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness by God. Genesis 15:6 is a key verse in the Bible.

Either a man is declared righteous before God because he has lived a perfectly righteous life, or God credits him with the righteousness of another. A man is justified (declared righteous) either by works or by faith.

The Bible consistently teaches that we are saved by grace without works. In 1517, Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, sought to find a righteousness based on his works within the Catholic Church.

He could not find this righteousness as hard as he tried. He final y discovered in the Bible that “the just shall live by faith” [Romans 1:17]. The Gospel of Jesus declares that “a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law” [Romans 3:28].

Abraham’s faith was a saving faith, but it was at times a weak faith. It would be twenty-five years before God would fulfill His promise of a son to aged Abraham. In the meantime, Abraham wondered whether God would give him a son through his servant [Genesis 15]. He also listened to his wife Sarah and had a child through her servant Hagar [Genesis 16]. This son, Ishmael, was not the promised seed from which the Messiah would come. In fact the descendants of Ishmael, the Arab nations, became the enemies of Israel.

III.

God’s Covenant with Abraham [Genesis 17-18]

God’s covenant with Abraham was a unilateral (one-sided) agreement, like a will . It was not conditioned by what someone does or will do for us. God’s covenant is not dependent on our works or our response. In the Old Testament, the sign of the covenant was the act of circumcision. In the New Testament the mark of the covenant of God’s grace is baptism. In baptism God seals to us the forgiveness of sins and declares us to be His holy people.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

IV.

Sodom and Gomorrah [Genesis 19]

The sexual sin of homosexuality cried out to God for judgment. Yet in the midst of that judgment, God delivered His people in the city – Lot and his family. Lot’s wife was turned into a pil ar of salt when, contrary to God’s command, she looked back to Sodom and Gomorrah while fleeing the cities. Thus she showed that her heart was still back in Sodom and Gomorrah. God’s judgments against sin are sure and inescapable. The sexual sins of individuals and society will bring God’s wrath. Romans 1 tells us that the terrible depth of sin is not simply that people commit these sins, but that society approves of these acts.

ABRAHAM’S JOURNEY

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 4 Abraham

The Call of Abraham

A. The generation of Abraham – Genesis 11:27-32

Who was Abraham’s father?

B. God sought out Abraham as an act of grace. What was his past? Joshua 24:2-3

C. What two things did God tel Abraham to do?

1. Genesis 12:1a

2. Genesis 12:1b

D. What did God promise Abraham? – Genesis 12:2-3

7.

II.

Abraham’s Response of Faith

Note: Abraham at this time was 75 years old. His wife Sarah was past the age of having children. God’s promises all hinged on the promise of that offspring (“seed”) who would be born to Abraham and Sarah. But Abraham and Sarah had no children and no prospect of having children. However, Abraham believed God’s promise. This is saving faith. On the basis of Abraham’s faith, God declared him righteous in His sight. Abraham was justified before God not by any works that he had done. He was justified by faith alone. The object of Abraham’s faith was the same as the object our faith – Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah.

A. On what basis was Abraham counted right with God? Genesis 15:6

B. Define faith as revealed in Abraham and Sarah. Read Hebrews 11:8-12.

1. Vs. 8 – By faith Abraham –

2. Vss. 9-10 – By faith Abraham –

3. Vs. 11 – By faith Sarah –

III.

God’s Covenant with Abraham

God’s covenant was a one-sided agreement like a will or last testament. It was not a contract which states, “I will do this if you do that.” God made a covenant declaration of what He would do for Abraham.

A. What did God promise?

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

1. Genesis 15:5

2. Genesis 15:18-21

B. What was the outward or visible sign or symbol of God’s covenant with Abraham?

Genesis 17:9-15

C. Who are Abraham’s true descendants?

Galatians 3:26-29

D. How did Abraham and Sarah try to help God out when He did not seem to be acting quickly enough? Genesis 16:2-3

IV.

Sodom and Gomorrah

A. What cried out to God for action? Genesis 18:20-21

B. What did God say He did because of society’s sexual perversions? Romans 1:26-28

C. Whom did the Lord deliver from Sodom and Gomorrah? Genesis 19:15-25

D. How is this applicable to our situation today? 2 Peter 2:6-11

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

The Lutheran Reformation was born out of Martin Luther’s need to find peace with his God.

He tried to be justified through the works prescribed by the Catholic Church, but he found no peace of soul. Final y, he discovered in the Bible that God justifies (accepts) people solely on the basis of their faith in Jesus Christ. The Reformation flowed out of the Scriptural principle that man is justified before God through faith alone.

2.

Read Romans 4. On what basis will God declare you righteous?

3.

Read Genesis 22-32.

4.

Catechism References: Forgiveness of Sins – Questions 206-211; Law and Gospel –

Questions 13-19

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 5

Isaac and Jacob

Isaac [Genesis 22-24]

Twenty-five years after God appeared to Abraham, the son promised was final y born to Abraham and Sarah [Genesis 21]. This was a special child for them because of their old age and Sarah’s barrenness. Isaac also was a special child because he was the next link in the promise of the coming Messiah. This child was call ed Isaac meaning “laughter.” This name refers not only to the laughter of unbelief on the part of Sarah, but also to the joy this child brought to Abraham and Sarah.

To our surprise, God tempted (“tested”) Abraham [Genesis 22]. Abraham needed to learn that nothing could be more important in his life than the Lord – not even this special child. When God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Abraham responded with the obedience of faith. Abraham believed [Hebrews 11] that God would keep His promise by raising Isaac from the dead. God did not permit Abraham to go through with the human sacrifice of his son. God provided a ram as a substitutionary sacrifice for Isaac. This ram was a picture, carried throughout the Old Testament sacrificial system, of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus at the cross for the sins of the world.

Now God knew that Abraham “feared” (respected or stood in awe of) God above all things.

Abraham wanted a believing wife for his son Isaac. This is still an important prerequisite for a happy marriage today. God provided a believing wife for Isaac in answer to prayer. In those days, marriage was arranged by the families involved. Rebekah was will ing to marry Isaac sight unseen. Today’s system of courtship places too much emphasis on physical attraction. Isaac married Rebekah and loved her because she was his wife. Husbands and wives are to love their spouses because they are married to them. Love is given and not earned in marriage.

II.

Jacob And Esau [Genesis 25-27]

After not having children for some time, Isaac and Rebekah were doubly blessed with twins [Genesis 24]. Usual y the elder son received the promise of the inheritance and the family name.

In this case, God chose the younger (Jacob) over the elder (Esau). This was an act of God’s grace. The promise of the Messiah would continue through the line of Jacob. Esau in his youth showed that he “despised” the blessing by sell ing it for a bowl of soup. However, Isaac intended to give the blessing to Esau anyway. Rebekah tried to help God out with disastrous consequences. Jacob received the blessing, but was forced to leave home and live with Rebekah’s relatives. He did not return until after his mother was dead.

III.

Jacob [Genesis 28-32]

At Bethel God assured Jacob that He would be with him and bring him safely home. The dream of Jacob’s ladder pictured the bridge between man and God. This ladder (bridge) was Jesus [John 1]. Jacob, who deceived his father, was deceived by Laban. He worked for Laban for seven years in order to marry Rachel but ended up marrying Leah . He then promised to work another seven years to marry Rachel. He loved Rachel more than Leah. This caused problems for Jacob and his family life. From Leah and two servant-girls, Jacob fathered ten sons. The eleventh son, Joseph, was final y born to Rachel. God, however, continued to provide for Jacob even though Laban continual y tried to cheat him. Final y, God brought Jacob and his family back to the land promised to Abraham. God promised to protect Jacob when he met his brother Esau.

The twelfth

son born to Rachel was Benjamin. These twelve sons of Jacob (Israel) became the twelve tribes of Israel. The promised Seed of the Woman would be born from the royal line of Judah.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 5 Isaac and Jacob

Isaac

A. What is the meaning of the name given to the promised son of Abraham and Sarah?

Genesis 21:3 & 6

B. God “tested” Abraham’s faith. Genesis 22

1. What was the test? vss. 2-3

2. What did Abraham’s response indicate? Hebrews 11:17-19

3. What did God provide in place of Isaac for the sacrifice? vss. Genesis 12-13

4. Of whom is this a picture? John 3:16

C. God provided a wife for Isaac. Genesis 24

1. Why did Abraham not want Isaac to marry a local girl? vss. 3-4

2. To whom did the servant turn for help in his task? vss. 12-14

3. Find a prescription for the basis of a Christian marriage in terms of love and marriage?

vs. 67.

II.

Jacob and Esau

A. What was unusual about this birth?

1. Genesis 25:21

2. Genesis 25:23a

3. Genesis 25:23b

B. Family conflict

1. What were the seeds of this family conflict?

a. Genesis 25:27-28

b. Genesis 25:34

2. How did Rebekah try “to help God out” when Isaac was going to bless Esau?

a. Genesis 27:6-10

b. Genesis 27:15-16

3. What were the results?

a. Genesis 27:41

b. Genesis 27:43

III.

Jacob

A. Of what did God reassure Jacob in his dream at Bethel? Genesis 28

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

1. 28:13a

2. 28:13b

3. 28:14

4. 28:15

B. Of whom was Jacob’s “ladder” a picture? John 1:51

C. How was Jacob deceived by Laban? Genesis 29:15-30

D. How did God continue to bless Jacob? Genesis 30:43

E. Jacob returns home.

1. Of what was Jacob afraid? Genesis 32:11

2. With whom did Jacob wrestle in prayer? Genesis 32:24-30

3. What does the name Israel mean? Genesis 32:28

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

What benefits come from God testing us with afflictions and troubles?

a. James 1:2-3

b. Isaiah 48:10

2.

Name the twelve sons of Jacob. Genesis 35:23-26

Leah

Bilhah

Zilpah Rachel

11.

12.

10.

3.

Read Genesis 37-50.

4.

Catechism References: Fourth Commandment – Questions 45-53

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 6

Joseph

Joseph and His Brothers [Genesis 37]

The favoritism showed by Jacob toward Joseph, the son born to his favorite wife, Rachel, had far-reaching consequences. Joseph’s ten brothers grew to hate Joseph. Joseph reported the wrong deeds of his brothers to his father. The crowning blow was when Joseph was given a special coat of many colors. The brothers’ hatred grew into murderous thoughts. While Reuben was gone, the brothers decided to sell Joseph into slavery rather than kil him. A passing slave caravan took the young boy into Egypt.

II.

All Things Work Together For Good [Genesis 39-45]

Things just kept getting worse for Joseph. He had risen to the head of Potiphar’s household when his refusal to lie with Potiphar’s wife resulted in his being tossed into jail. Joseph said, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God” [Genesis 39:9]. Often it seems that doing the right thing only results in suffering. One of the most asked questions is, “Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked seem to prosper?” God would teach us to take the long view of life and God’s purposes.

In prison Joseph again was blessed by God. Here he encountered Pharaoh’s butler (cup-bearer or wine taster) and his baker. God gave Joseph the interpretation of their dreams. But again Joseph’s hopes were dashed when the cup-bearer forgot about him.

Then Pharaoh had two dreams which no one could explain. The number seven stood for years.

There would be seven years of plenty fol owed by seven years of famine. Because he explained the meanings of the dreams, Joseph was made second in command in Egypt with the job of gathering the surplus grain during the seven years of plenty.

The famine brought Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to buy grain. Unknown to them, their fate was in the hands of that brother they had sold into slavery. Joseph wanted to find out if they had changed. He did so by putting them to the test of placing Benjamin, the youngest brother, into danger. Joseph then revealed himself to his brothers and brought the family down to Egypt to live with him during the famine.

III.

God’s Purposes [Genesis 46-50]

Joseph realized that God’s purposes worked out for good for him and for his family – they were saved from famine [Genesis 50:20-21]. God’s purposes also worked out as far as preserving that line from which the Savior would come. The promised Messiah would come from the line of Judah. In Egypt the descendants of Jacob grew from a family of 70 to a nation of over two mil ion over the next 400 years. There were 400 years between the end of Genesis and the beginning of the book of Exodus.

God will also work out everything for your own good. Sometimes circumstances make this seem like a contradiction in our lives. Faith believes that God has chosen us for salvation before we were even born Cf. Romans 8:28-38.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 6 Joseph

Joseph and His Brothers

A. What intensified Joseph’s problems with his brothers?

1. Genesis 37:2

2. Genesis 37:3-4

3. Genesis 37:5-8;9-11

B. How did the brothers solve their problem?

1. Genesis 37:18

2. Genesis 37:27-28

II.

All Things Work Together For Good

A. Genesis 39

1. How did God bless Joseph in the house of Potiphar? vss. 1-6

2. What ultimatum was given to Joseph by Potiphar’s wife? vss 7-13

3. Against whom is sin directed? Psalm 51:4

4. What was the result of Joseph’s standing up for his faith? vss 14-23

B. Genesis 40

1. What was the dream of the butler (cup-bearer)? vss 9-11

2. What was the interpretation? vss 12-15

3. What was the dream of the baker? vss 16-17

4. What was its interpretation? vss 18-19

C. Genesis 41

1. What were Pharaoh’s two dreams? vss 2-8

2. What was God’s interpretation? vss 25-32

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

3. What was the result for Joseph? vss 39-44

D. Genesis 42-46

1. Who was affected by the seven-year famine? 42:1-3

2. How did the brothers show a change of heart?

a. Genesis 43:1-9

b. Genesis 44:33-34

3. What did Joseph then do? 45:1-5

4. What did Jacob and his family then do? 46:1-7

III.

God’s Purposes

A. What were God’s purposes for Joseph and His chosen people?

1. Genesis 45:7-8

2. Genesis 50:19-21

B. What is the application for us today? Romans 8:28-32

C. What is God’s good and gracious purpose for us?

1. John 3:16

2. 1 Timothy 2:3-4

IV.

The Promise of the Savior

The promise of the Seed of the woman had been made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The blessing was not given to the first three sons of Jacob but to the fourth son Judah. SHILOH

is the “peace-giver” – the Messiah.

Which tribe became the royal line out of which the Messiah-King would come? Gen 49:10

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Read Romans 8:31-39. What does God have to say to you about His care and purposes for you? What comfort does this give you?

2.

Name the ancestors of the Savior from Abraham to the end of this lesson.

3.

Read Exodus 1-15

4.

Catechism References: Sixth Commandment – Questions 63-73

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 7

Moses and the Exodus

4000 BC

2500 BC 2000 BC 1500 BC 1000 BC

500 BC 0

ADAM NOAH ABRAHAM MOSES DAVID EXILE JESUS

Israel in Egypt [Exodus 1]

God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to their descendants.

God delivered His people from famine by using Joseph. However, Jacob and his family of about 70 people moved to Egypt. Over the next 400 years the number of the Israelites increased to about two and half mil ion people. This greatly concerned the Egyptians. A new dynasty arose that did not know Joseph. It tried to eliminate the perceived threat of the Israelites. This involved working them harder building the treasure cities and possibly some of the pyramids. When this did not work, Pharaoh then ordered all the male babies born to the Israelites to be kil ed [Exodus 1].

II.

A Deliverer For God’s People [Exodus 2-4]

God had not forgotten about His people and His promises to them. He was about to rescue His people from the bondage of Egypt. The Exodus (going out) is the Old Testament great salvation event. The Lord preserved Moses’ life when his mother hid him in a basket in the river Nile [Exodus 2]. He was found by Pharoah’s daughter, and after being raised by his own mother, Moses went to Pharoah’s court. At first Moses was ready on his own to rescue God’s people.

He kil ed an Egyptian taskmaster. At 40 years of age, Moses fled from Egypt and became a simple shepherd. He settled into a routine.

God appeared to Moses in the burning bush that was not consumed by fire [Exodus 3]. He identified Himself as JEHOVAH, the covenant God. Jehovah means “I am that I am.” The name Jehovah signifies the “covenant God,” who would keep His promises. When God call ed Moses at eighty years of age, he was then afraid to go. Moses came up with all kinds of excuses why he could not lead God’s people. Moses and the Israelites needed to know that only God could deliver His people.

III.

Confrontation With Pharaoh [Exodus 5-10]

Pharaoh, in his arrogance, directly and repeatedly opposed God. Final y, as a judgment, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he brought God’s judgment against himself and his nation.

Note that Pharaoh first of all hardened his own heart. The first three plagues affected the entire land including the Israelites [Exodus 7-8]. However, the last seven affected only the Egyptians [Exodus 8-10]. These were natural disasters but were intensified in their effect by God.

IV.

The Passover [Exodus 11-12]

The first nine plagues only intensified Pharaoh’s arrogance, so the Lord visited Egypt with the last and most terrible of the plagues. The firstborn of all the Egyptians would be kil ed. But in the midst of judgment, there was deliverance and life for the believers [Exodus 12]. Al who put the blood of the Passover lamb on their door posts would be spared from death. The Passover pointed to Jesus. Jesus would be the Passover Lamb sacrificed for us. It is the blood of the Lamb of God which saves us from sin and eternal death. When God established His new covenant or testament through the death of Jesus, He also instituted the Lord’s Supper or Communion as the remembrance feast of this new covenant.

The Exodus [Exodus 13-15]

Pharaoh still was not finished, but he was in fact finished. He set out with his armies in pursuit of SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

the Israelites. The Children of Israel were trapped by the Red Sea with the armies of Pharoah bearing down upon them [Exodus 14]. In the midst of their fear, God told His people to be quiet and watch Him work. God delivered Israel by opening the waters of the Red Sea and then destroyed Pharaoh’s armies in the closing waters. At times, we also need to be quiet and let God work in our lives [Psalm 46].

ISRAEL’S JOURNEY IN THE WILDERNESS

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 7 Moses and the Exodus

Israel in Egypt (1500 BC about 400 years after Joseph) How did the Egyptians try to control the Israelites?

1. Exodus 1:11-12

2. Exodus 1:15-17

3. Exodus 1:22

II.

A Deliverer for God’s People

A. How did God spare and train Moses?

1. Exodus 2:3

2. Exodus 2:5-10

B. How did Moses try to help God and rescue His people? Exodus 2:12

C. God call s Moses

1. Where did God appear to Moses? Exodus 3:1-6

2. Why would God deliver His people?

a. Exodus 2:23-25

b. Exodus 3:7

c. Exodus 3:9-10

3. What were Moses’ excuses?

a. Exodus 3:11

b. Exodus 3:13

c. Exodus 4:1

d. Exodus 4:10

III.

Confrontation with Pharaoh

A. What was Pharaoh’s attitude? Exodus 5:1-2

NOTE: At first Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Then came a time [Exodus 9:12] when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as a judgment against Pharaoh.

B. List the first nine plagues or signs.

1. Exodus 7:19

2. Exodus 8:2-4

3. Exodus 8:16-17

NOTE: The first three plagues affected the entire land of Egypt. The last seven, however, affected only the Egyptians. [Exodus 8:22-23]

4. Exodus 8:24

5. Exodus 9:3

6. Exodus 9:8-9

7. Exodus 9:23-25

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

8. Exodus 10:12-15

9. Exodus 10:21-23

IV.

The Passover

A. What was the last plague on Egypt? Exodus 11:4-5

B. What were the Israelites to do to be delivered from death?

1. Exodus 12:3

2. Exodus 12:7

3. Exodus 12:8

C. What would save them? Exodus 12:13

D. How did the Passover Lamb foreshadow our salvation?

1. 1 Peter 1:19

2. John 1:29

The Exodus

A. How many people left Egypt that night? Exodus 12:37-38

B. How did God guide Israel? Exodus 13:20-22

C. What happened at the Red Sea?

1. Exodus 14:8-9

2. Exodus 14:10-12

3. Exodus 14:13-14

4. Exodus 14:16

5. Exodus 14:28-29

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

The Hebrew language has several names for God. One of these words “EL” is translated “God” and means God in His almighty power. Another name “JEHOVAH” is translated “Lord”

and means God as He keeps His covenant and promises. JEHOVAH is described in Exodus 3:14-15 as “I AM THAT I AM.” Why would the Bible use the name JEHOVAH in connection with God leading His people out of Egypt?

2.

Apply Exodus 14:13-14 and Psalm 46:10 to your personal life and the problems you face in life.

3.

Read Exodus 16-20; Leviticus 16; Numbers 13-14 21:1-9; John 3:14-21.

4.

Catechism References: The Law – Questions 10-25

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 8

Forty Years of Wandering

The Pattern of Unbelief and Rebellion [Exodus 16-18]

The children of Israel were never satisfied with God’s gifts to them. No matter what they had, they complained and grumbled about their situations. This unbelief and rebel ion resulted in God’s judgments against them. But no matter how often this people tested Him, God did not cast them aside or destroy them. He always met their needs with His grace.

II.

The Giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai [Exodus 19-21]

God revealed His holiness in connection with the giving of the law [Exodus 21]. It was an awesome and fearful sight to see the glory of the Lord revealed in connection with the giving of the law. Moses went up to receive the law for the people. While Moses was on the mountain, the people had Aaron build them a golden calf which they worshiped as their god.

The purpose of the law is to show us our sins. Any religion based on the keeping of the law can only result in either pride or despair. The law reveals the need for a people to be total y holy in the sight of God and highlights the failure of all people to keep God’s law.

III.

Old Testament Worship and Sacrifice [Leviticus 16]

Because Israel could not keep the law and was spiritual y unclean under the law, sacrifices had to be made for the sins of the people. There were all kinds of sacrifices in the Old Testament. Al of these emphasized that a sacrifice needed to be made for sin. The sacrifices of the Old Testament were not the final answer to sin. The blood of animals could never pay for the sins of the world. One of the great Old Testament pictures of Jesus was the Day of Atonement [Leviticus 16]. On this day the High Priest kil ed a goat, and offered its blood as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of Israel in the Most Holy Place. The High Priest then put the sins of the people on the second goat (scapegoat). This goat bearing the sins of the people was driven out of the camp into the wilderness. These sacrifices pointed to Jesus who is our Great High Priest and the perfect sacrifice for sin. Al of the Old Testament worship and sacrifice find their fulfillment and completion in Jesus. The Old Testament laws were in effect until Christ came.

Jesus’ cross frees us from the Old Testament laws and their shadow pictures of the coming Messiah.

IV.

Old Testament Pictures Fulfilled in Jesus

These sacrifices and Old Testament worship rituals were pictures of the coming Messiah and God’s plan of salvation. The sacrifice of the lamb was a picture of Jesus’ death on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the entire world. When John the Baptist spoke of the Lamb of God, the people knew immediately what he was talking about.

The book of Hebrews shows that Jesus was a better high priest and a better sacrifice than all the sacrifices of the Old Testament.

Forty Years of Wandering [Numbers 13-14]

When Israel got to the Promised Land, they sent in twelve spies [Numbers 13]. The spies reported that the land was a land flowing with milk and honey, but that the people who occupied the land were strong and well -armed. Ten of the spies reported that they did not have a chance to conquer the land. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, reported that with the Lord’s help they could possess the land. The people, true to their history, failed to trust in the Lord and His promises. The Lord said, “Fine, you will not enter the Promised Land.” He said that they would wander the wilderness for forty years until an entire generation died. After forty years of SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

wandering in the wilderness, the nation of Israel final y was ready to enter into the Promised Land. Even Moses was not without sin. Instead of speaking to the rock to get water as God had commanded, Moses had struck the rock with his staff [Numbers 20:1-13]. Because he put more faith in his staff and its power than in the word of God, Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land but saw it from a distance [Deuteronomy 32:48-52]. The choice for the nation of Israel was clear after forty years – obey God and receive life or disobey Him and receive death [Deuteronomy 30]. The history of Israel reveals that they continued to make the wrong choice.

This same choice is reflected in the history of families, church bodies, and nations.

THE ENTRANCE INTO THE PROMISED LAND

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 8 Forty Years of Wandering

The Pattern of Unbelief and Rebellion

A. Exodus 15:22-25

1. Israel’s Complaint

2. God’s Answer

B. Exodus 16

1. Israel’s Complaint (2-3)

2. God’s Answer (4, 13-15)

C. Exodus 17:1-7

1. Israel’s Complaint

2. God’s Answer

II.

The Giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai

A. Preparations – How did God consecrate or set the people aside for Himself?

1. Exodus 19:12-13

2. Exodus 19:14-15

B. Read the Law as summarized in Exodus 20 (The Ten Commandments).

C. What is the purpose of the law?

1. Romans 3:19-20

2. Romans 4:13-15

D. What happened when Moses was delayed on Mt. Sinai?

1. Exodus 32:1-4

2. Exodus 32:25-29

III.

Old Testament Worship and Sacrifice

The Old Testament sacrificial system revealed that salvation could not come through the keeping of the law. The emphasis on clean and unclean was a constant picture of the contrast between sin and the holiness God demands. Man had to be holy to come before God. To be holy, there always had to be an atoning sacrifice made for the sin of the individual and/or the congregation. The Old Testament sacrifices by themselves could never pay for the sins of the people. These sacrifices pointed to the work of Jesus, who would be offered as a perfect, once-for-al sacrifice for the sins of the world. This is seen in the Great Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) in Leviticus 16.

A. What was in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle?

1. Exodus 25:10-16

2. Exodus 25:17-22

B. What did the High Priest have to do to prepare himself?

1. Leviticus 16:4

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

2. Leviticus 16:6

C. What was done with the first goat? Leviticus 16:15ff D. What was done with the second goat, the scapegoat? Leviticus 16:20-22

IV.

Old Testament Pictures Fulfilled in Jesus

The Old Testament has many shadow pictures of types of the Messiah and His Work.

Describe the fol owing types of Christ.

A. Hebrews 7:26-27

B. Hebrews 10:1-4 and 10-12

C. John 3:14-16

Forty Years of Wandering

A. What did the spies report?

1. Numbers 13:27

2. Numbers 13:28

3. Numbers 13:31

B. What was the reaction of the congregation of Israel? Numbers 14:1-4

C. What was the Lord’s reaction?

1. Numbers 14:11-12

2. Numbers 14:20-25; 28-35

VI.

Moses’ Final Word to Israel

A. What were the choices? Deuteronomy 30:15-20

2.

B. Who would lead Israel after Moses? Deuteronomy 31:7-8

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Why are the OT laws about worship, the sacrifices, the Sabbath, the tithe, etc. no longer in effect? Colossians 2:13-23

2.

What was the purpose of Jesus’ death in terms of the Old Testament sacrifices?

3.

Read about some of the laws of the Old Covenant. Leviticus 1-7

4.

Read Joshua 1-8; Judges 1-2, 6-8, 13-16.

5.

Catechism References: Third Commandment – Questions 38-44

Study Guide # 9

Joshua and Judges

Joshua as the New Leader of God’s People [Joshua 1]

God promised to give the entire land of Canaan to His people. Jehovah promised, “I will be with SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

you; I will not leave you nor forsake you” [Joshua 1:5]. The key was to be faithful to the Book of the Law (Torah). The people were to read and study the Word of God day and night [Joshua 1:7-8]. The people promised to listen to God just as they had listened to Moses. The answer to their problems was that they were to be strong and of good courage.

II.

The Entrance into the Promised Land [Joshua 2-12]

Jehovah demonstrated that He was with His people. As He had at the Red Sea, God opened the waters of the Jordan so that His people could walk through on dry land. They camped at Gilgal.

Here the Israelites circumcised all those males who had not been circumcised during the wilderness journey. Here also the supply of “manna” ceased.

Jehovah demonstrated that He was giving this land to His people. God gave His people a strange battle-plan. The people marched around Jericho once a day for six days. On the seventh day they marched around the city seven times. During the seventh time around the city, they blew the trumpets and shouted, and the wal s came tumbling down. They took the city and utterly destroyed all who were in the city. Only Rahab who had protected the spies was spared [Joshua 6:22-24]. Meanwhile, the order had been given not to take any plunder.

III.

Israel’s Downfall [Judges 1-5]

During the next 350 years, God directly ruled His people through twelve judges. He used judges to decide the legal affairs of Israel and to deliver them from their enemies. The Children of Israel failed to obey God and utterly drive out and destroy the inhabitants of Canaan. They drove out many of the inhabitants, and then they rested on their laurels. The failure to drive out the Canaanites was the eventual downfal of Israel. The false religion and the idolatry of these people infected the people of God. There could be no half-way avoidance of error. The book of Judges is characterized by the refrain, “And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord” [Judges 3:12].

The period of the judges is marked by a four-part cycle: 1) the people sinned against God and fol owed idols; 2) God punished them by delivering them into the hands of their enemies; 3) when things got bad enough, Israel cried out to God for help; 4) God raised up a deliverer to save His people. Then the cycle started all over again.

ISRAEL’S CYCLE OF UNBELIEF

1. Israel followed other gods.

2. God delivered them into the hand of their enemies.

3. The people cried to God for help.

4. God raised up a deliverer.

5. The people forgot about God.

IV.

Gideon [Judges 6-8]

“The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord” [Judges 6:1]. Jehovah delivered them into the hands of their enemies – the Midianites. When things got bad enough, the people “cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites” [Judges 6:7]. Jehovah raised up a reluctant deliverer in Gideon. Gideon had to be convinced that the Lord real y wanted him. He asked for a sign of God’s seriousness. Gideon put out a fleece and asked that in the morning, there be dew only on the fleece while the ground around it would be dry. Then to make sure, Gideon asked that the SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

reverse happen – the fleece be dry and the ground be wet. This would be a confirmation to Gideon that God was serious.

Once again, Jehovah demonstrated that the victory belonged to Him and did not lie in the strength of armies. The Lord instructed Gideon to reduce his army from 33,000 men to 300 men [Judges 7]. With these 300 men, Gideon attacked the camp of the Midianites by night with torches and trumpets. “The Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp” [Judges 7:22]. Gideon’s army of 300 defeated a superior force of 135,000 men.

Some things never change! After Gideon’s death, “the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals” and “did not remember the Lord, their God” [Judges 8:33-34].

Samson [Judges 13-16]

Samson was a strange man of faith [Hebrews 11:32]. Samson was a strange kind of a deliverer for God’s people because of his wild life style. Once again the Lord used a couple who had no children to draw attention to this special child. Samson would be a Nazirite, one set aside for a special purpose. A Nazirite was not to drink any strong drink, or touch a dead body, or all ow a razor to come upon his head. Jehovah would use Samson to deliver his people from the Philistines.

Samson wanted to marry a Philistine woman [Judges 14:1ff.]. Jehovah used Samson’s indiscretions as an occasion to move against the Philistines [Judges 14:4]. When Samson’s fiancee? wheedled the riddle out of him, Samson kil ed thirty Philistines to pay off his wager.

When Samson’s fiancee? was given to another man, Samson destroyed the fields of the Philistines [Judges 15].

Samson fel in love with another Philistine woman named Delilah [Judges 16:4]. The Philistines used her to discover the secret of Samson’s great strength. Yet in his imprisonment and shame, Samson pul ed down the Philistine temple and “the dead that he kil ed at his death were more than he had kil ed in his life” [Judges 16:30].

ISRAEL’S CYCLE OF UNBELIEF

1. Israel followed other gods.

2. God delivered them into the hand of their enemies.

3. The people cried to God for help.

4. God raised up a deliverer.

5. The people forgot about God.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 9 Joshua and Judges

Joshua as the New Leader of God’s People

A. What was God’s promise? Joshua 1:1-5

B. Of what did Jehovah assure Joshua? Joshua 1:6-7

C. What would be the KEY to success? Joshua 1:8-9

D. What was the people’s response? Joshua 1:16-18

II.

The Entrance into the Promised Land

A. What was the purpose of opening the waters of the Jordan?

1. Joshua 3:7

2. Joshua 3:10

3. Joshua 4:22-24

B. The fall of Jericho

1. How did Israel “attack” the city of Jericho? Joshua 6:1-5

2. To whom did the “victory” real y belong? Joshua 6:16

III.

Israel’s Downfall

A. How did Israel get themselves in trouble?

1. Judges 1:21, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33

2. Judges 2:11-12

B. Describe the steps of the vicious cycle of unbelief recorded in Judges.

1. Judges 2:13

2. Judges 2:14-16

3. Judges 2:18

4. Judges 2:19

IV.

Gideon

Trace the cycle of unbelief in Gideon’s life.

1. Judges 6:1a

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

2. Judges 6:1b

3. Judges 6:7

4. Judges 6:14

Samson

Trace the cycle of unbelief in Samson’s life.

1. Judges 13:1a

2. Judges 13:1b

3. Judges 13:5

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

How is the cycle of unbelief, judgment, deliverance, and forgetting repeated in the history of nations, church bodies, and our individual lives?

2.

What is the significance of Rahab being included in the family history of the Messiah in Matthew 1?

3.

Read Joshua 23-24 and review what God did for His people. What was the danger which they faced in the years to come?

4.

Read 1 Samuel 1-3, 8-9, 15-17; and 2 Samuel 2, 5-7, 11-12.

5.

Catechism References: Second Commandment – Questions 32-37

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 10

1 and 2 Samuel

4000 BC

2500 BC 2000 BC 1500 BC 1000 BC

500 BC 0

ADAM NOAH ABRAHAM MOSES DAVID EXILE JESUS

Saul [1 Samuel 1-15]

The last judge was Samuel. Samuel was a special child again given to a woman who had borne no children (Hannah). Hannah was so overjoyed at the gift of a son that she gave him back to the Lord, dedicating his life to the service of the Lord in the tabernacle. The priest, at that time, Eli, did not discipline or restrain his two sons. They were very evil, and they perverted the worship of the Lord. Eli and his two sons were punished by death.

The sons of Samuel were also very evil, taking bribes and living indecently. Because Samuel fulfilled his responsibilities as a father, God did not hold him responsible for the misdeeds of his children. The Children of Israel used the indiscretions of Samuel’s sons as an excuse to ask for a king [1 Samuel 8]. They were not rejecting Samuel. They were rejecting the Lord. They wanted a king like the other nations to protect and defend them. Even though this was a rejection of the covenant that the Lord had made with His people, God gave them the king they wanted.

Samuel anointed or “set aside” Saul as the first king of Israel. Saul’s story is the sad account of a fall from grace and the consequences of supposedly minor acts of disobedience. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul disobeyed the Lord’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites. When confronted with the noise of the spared animals, Saul explained that he wanted to use them for sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord set forth the important principle “to obey is better than to sacrifice” [1 Samuel 15:22]. God wants obedience and not simply ritual. The Lord rejected Saul as His king and the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.

The Lord sent Samuel to anoint David, a young shepherd boy, as the next king of Israel. When the armies of Israel and Saul were confronted with the Philistines and their giant champion, Goliath, no one would fight Goliath. Final y, the young shepherd boy named David, in an act of faith, slew Goliath. This led to the defeat of the Philistine army [1 Samuel 17]. When the people praised David, Saul grew jealous and attempted to kil the young man despite the fact that David soothed Saul’s spirit with songs and psalms. David was hunted like an animal by Saul. David in obedience to the fourth commandment spared the life of Saul, who was his king. Final y, the Philistines attacked and defeated the Israelites. In his spiritual despair, Saul kil ed himself.

Saul’s story mirrors the tragic story of Judas.

II.

King David [1 Samuel 16-31; 2 Samuel]

David became king, but he was only recognized as king by the tribe of Judah and Benjamin.

David’s first task, which took seven years, was to reunite the nation of Israel. His next task was to defeat the enemies of Israel and to expand the kingdom. David’s first official y recorded act after becoming king of all the tribes was the capture of Jebus (Jerusalem) which became his new capital. He brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and built his palace there.

David, in his fine palace, felt a need to build a more fitting house for the Ark of the Covenant.

Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord told David that he would not be able to build the temple because he had “bloody hands”. This was due to David’s many wars. Before David died, he made detailed plans for the construction of the temple and provided the building materials. The Lord promised David that his house and his kingdom would be established forever [2 Samuel SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

7:16]. This promise pointed to Jesus Christ, great David’s even greater son.

David was also a sinner. He lusted after Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. He had sexual relations with her, and she became pregnant. David then tried to cover up his sin by having Uriah return from the battlefield hoping he would sleep with his wife. When this did not work, David gave the orders to Joab, his general, to put Uriah in the place with the most fighting to make sure he was kil ed. David then took Bathsheba as his wife. He thought he had gotten away with these sins, but this thing displeased the Lord.

The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David to confront him with his sin. The parable of the rich man and the poor man’s one lamb set the stage for Nathan to confront David with the charge, “You are the man!” David acknowledged his sin and confessed it to Nathan. Nathan then pronounced absolution announcing that God had put away David’s sin, and he would not die. As a consequence of David’s bringing public offense to the name of the Lord, this first child born to Bathsheba would die. David showed remarkable faith in the face of the death of his son [1

Samuel 12]. As another consequence of his public offense, David’s own son Absalom led a rebel ion against his father and died.

III.

Solomon [1 Kings 1-11]

When David died, Solomon, David’s son through Bathsheba, became king after a brief struggle.

When the Lord appeared to Solomon in a vision and promised to give him whatever he wanted, Solomon did not ask for wealth, or a long life, or victory over his enemies. Solomon asked for a wise and understanding heart to rule Israel. The Lord was so pleased with Solomon’s request that He also gave Solomon wealth, honor, and a long life. Solomon composed 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs.

In the fourth year of his reign, Solomon began building the temple. This extensive project took over seven years and a great deal of money and manpower. The basic pattern for the temple was the tabernacle with its MOST HOLY PLACE and its HOLY PLACE. In this temple the glory of God dwelt and the sacrifices for the sins of the people were made. In Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple, he prayed that God would hear the prayers of His people and be merciful to a people who would forsake Him.

The nation of Israel under Solomon reached its pinnacle of power and influence. But with this prosperity came the seeds of destruction. Solomon married foreign wives for political gain.

These wives led him away from the worship of the true God and introduced idolatry to Israel again. As a result, Solomon’s kingdom would be taken away from him.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 101 and 2 Samuel

Saul

A. What was special about Samuel’s birth? 1 Samuel 1:5

B. Why did the Children of Israel want a king?

1. 1 Samuel 8:5

2. 1 Samuel 8:7-8

C. Who was anointed as the first king of Israel? 1 Samuel 9:17 & 10:1

D. The Lord’s rejection of Saul

1. What command did the Lord give to Saul? 1 Samuel 15:3

2. What did Saul do? 1 Samuel 15:9

3. Why was this so serious? 1 Samuel 15:22-23

II.

King David

A. David’s early life

Who chose (anointed) David as the next king? 1 Samuel 16:11-13

B. David and Goliath

1. To what was David’s victory due?

a. 1 Samuel 17:37-51

b. 1 Samuel 17:40-51

2. What was Saul’s reaction? 1 Samuel 18:7-9

C. David as king

1. How long did David reign? 2 Samuel 5:3-5

2. What did David accomplish as king? 2 Samuel 5:25

3. What did David want to build for the Lord? 2 Samuel 7:1-3

4. What did the Lord promise to David?

a. 2 Samuel 7:12-16

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

b. Who would establish this EVERLASTING KINGDOM?

D. David’s sin

1. What was David’s sin? 2 Samuel 11:2-4

2. How did he try to cover up his sin? 2 Samuel 11:6-13

3. What was David’s next sin? 2 Samuel 11:14-17

4. Why did David not get away with this? 2 Samuel 11:27

E. David’s repentance

1. What was David led to do? 2 Samuel 12:13a

2. What did the Lord do? 2 Samuel 12:13

3. What did David experience from the Lord? Psalm 32:1-2

III.

Solomon

A. How is Solomon described? 1 Kings 3:3

B. What did God promise Him? 1 Kings 3:10-14

C. What was Solomon permitted to do? 1 Kings 6-8

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Read Psalm 32 and 51. How did David’s experiences contribute to the feelings expressed in these psalms?

2.

Explore the book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes for yourself.

3.

Read 1 Kings 12, 17-19, 21; 2 Kings 2, 17-20, 24-25.

4.

Catechism References: Ninth and Tenth Commandments – Questions 90-96

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 11

The Kingdom of Israel

4000 BC

2500 BC 2000 BC 1500 BC 1000 BC

500 BC 0

ADAM NOAH ABRAHAM MOSES DAVID EXILE JESUS

Division of the Kingdom [1 Kings 12-16]

King Solomon was succeeded by his son Rehoboam. The North/South division from the days of King David again revealed itself [2 Samuel 2]. The people led by Jeroboam 1 asked Rehoboam to lighten the tax-load put on them by Solomon. Rehoboam listened to his younger advisors and tried to establish his authority by threatening the people with even harsher burdens. The ten northern tribes rebel ed and established a separate kingdom under Jeroboam 1. Up until this point, the name Israel (from Jacob) represented all the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob.

From this time on, the name Israel referred to the ten northern tribes. The name Judah was used for the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Remember the Lord had promised that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah [Genesis 50] and would be a descendant of King David [2 Samuel 7].

Jeroboam 1 was afraid that if his people went to Jerusalem to worship, they might want to become reunited with Judah. To prevent this, Jeroboam set up golden calves in Dan and Bethel which the people were to worship as their god. This went back to the days of Moses when the people demanded a visible god and had Aaron make a golden calf for them. This was a great sin and continued Israel’s problem with idolatry. From then on, the later idolatry of Israel was referred to as “walking in the way of Jeroboam.”

In Judah, Rehoboam maintained the true worship of Jehovah for a brief period. Then he also permitted idolatry to be tolerated in the “high places” and the “groves.” This idolatrous worship was often accompanied with sexual immorality. During this time, God sent various prophets to try to bring Israel and Judah to repentance. (See the chart for the names of these prophets.) II.

The Nation of Israel [1 Kings 16-22]

Al the kings of Israel led the people away from the worship of Jehovah. Ahab is described as the worst of all the kings of Israel [1 Kings 16:30]. Ahab married a heathen woman, Jezebel, who promoted the worship of Baal. Jezebel kil ed many of the prophets of the Lord in an effort to exterminate the worship of Jehovah. During this period of time, the Lord raised up the prophet Elijah. God sent a three-year famine to punish Israel. During this time, the Lord preserved Elijah at the Brook Cherith and through the Gentile widow of Zarephath [1 Kings 17].

At Mt. Carmel, Elijah urged the people to fol ow either Baal or Jehovah [1 Kings 18]. Elijah proposed a contest between the four hundred prophets of Baal and the four hundred fifty prophets of Asherah and himself, the lone prophet of Jehovah. Each side was to set up an altar with a sacrifice on it. The real God would demonstrate His power by consuming the sacrifice with fire. After a day of fruitless prayers, Baal did not respond. Elijah then soaked his altar and sacrifice with water. God sent down fire from heaven which consumed the sacrifice, the altar, and the trench of water. This display of power did not prevent Israel from continuing its downward spiral.

During Ahab’s rule, Ben-Hadad of Syria invaded Israel. Jehovah announced to Ahab through a prophet that He would demonstrate His power by defeating Ben-Hadad. Twice the armies of Israel defeated the Syrian army and Ben-Hadad. Flush with victory, Ahab showed his true colors [I Kings 21] by trying to get a vineyard belonging to Naboth. When Ahab could not get the SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

vineyard of Naboth, he pouted. Jezebel arranged for false witnesses to testify against Naboth.

Naboth was sentenced to death, and Ahab obtained his vineyard. As a result, both Ahab and Jezebel died horrible deaths [I Kings 22:38].

Ahaziah, Ahab’s wicked son, sought advice from the pagan god Baal-Zebub. Elijah told his representatives that King Ahaziah would die. For these words, Ahaziah sought to kil the prophet Elijah. After two years, Ahaziah was succeeded by Jehoram, another son of Ahab. Jehoram was not quite as wicked as Ahab [II Kings 3:2].

The prophet Elijah was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. His ministry was not easy.

The people did not listen to his message. Final y, the prophet Elijah was taken directly to heaven [II Kings 2:11]. Elijah crossed the Jordan with the prophet Elisha. He was taken directly to heaven by a whirlwind accompanied by chariots of fire. He was succeeded by the prophet Elisha.

It was Elijah, who later appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration [Matthew 17].

III.

The Ministry of Elisha [II Kings 1-15]

When Elisha saw Elijah taken to heaven, he was given a double measure of Elijah’s spirit [2

Kings 2:9-18]. A little girl captured by the Syrians, told her master, who had leprosy, about a prophet in her land. This commander of the Syrian army, Naaman, got his king to request the king of Israel to heal Naaman’s leprosy. Elisha healed Naaman of his leprosy by tel ing him to bathe seven times in the Jordan River. Elisha also revealed that Israel would defeat the Syrian armies. He was then pursued by both the Syrians and Israelites. This was a time of political unrest in Israel as the wicked kings of Israel kil ed each other in search of power.

IV.

The Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel [II Kings 15:27-17:6)]

Israel’s last king, Hoshea, came to power by assassinating Pekah. Tiglath-Pilesar III of Assyria died and was succeeded by Shalmaneser V. Hoshea in a bold but fatal move stopped paying tribute to Assyria. He also sought to make an all iance with Egypt against Assyria. This was contrary to what the Lord had said through Isaiah. Read Isaiah 31:3. The kings of Israel did not look to the Lord for help and deliverance. They put their trust in princes and in military all iances.

This was their downfal .

In retaliation, Shalmaneser V had Hosea imprisoned and bound. He also attacked the smal remainder of the kingdom of Israel and laid siege to the city of Samaria. Samaria lasted three years before it fel . With this, the Northern Kingdom of Israel ceased to exist. Many more people were deported. The city of Samaria fel in 722 B.C. Israel became known as the “Ten Lost Tribes.” They were simply absorbed into Assyria and other nations.

The reason for the fall of Israel is given in 2 Kings 17. The Israelites worshiped pagan gods rather than Jehovah. Religiously and moral y, they were no different from the original inhabitants of Canaan. The nation of Israel forsook the covenant which the Lord made with His people at Mt.

Sinai. The Israelites would not listen to the prophets like Elijah and Elisha whom the Lord sent to bring them back to Him. Cf. Deuteronomy 32. The history of Israel stands as a warning to people of every age not to forsake the Lord or disobey His Word [1 Corinthians 10].

The Lord removed the nation of Israel from His sight. “For He tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from fol owing the LORD, and made them commit a great sin” [2 Kings 17:20-23].

Worksheet # 11The Kingdom of Israel

Division of the Kingdom

A. What was the issue between Rehoboam and Jeroboam? 2 Chronicles 10:1-5

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

B. What was the result?

1. 2 Chronicles 10:16-19

2. 2 Chronicles 11:1

NOTE: From this time, the ten northern tribes are known as ISRAEL and the two southern tribes are known as JUDAH. Remember that the Savior was to come from the tribe of Judah.

II.

The Nation of Israel

A. What pattern was set by Jeroboam? 1 Kings 12:26-30

B. God sent His prophets to call His people to repentance. The history of Israel is summed up in the conflict between Elijah and King Ahab.

1. How is King Ahab described? 1 Kings 16:30

2. What judgment did God send upon Israel? 1 Kings 17:1-7

3. How did God preserve His prophet Elijah? 1 Kings 17:8-16

4. What was the contest proposed by Elijah? 1 Kings 18:20-29

5. What was the result of the contest? 1 Kings 18:30-40

6. What happened to Elijah? 2 Kings 2:11

C. Which commandments did Ahab and Jezebel break in taking Naboth’s vineyard?

I Kings 21

___ 1st – You shall have no other gods.

___ 2nd – You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

___ 3rd – Remember the Sabbath Day.

___ 4th – Honor your father and mother.

___ 5th – Do not murder.

___ 6th – Do not commit adultery.

___ 7th – Do not steal.

___ 8th – Do not bear false witness.

___ 9th and 10th – Do not covet.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

III.

Elijah and Elisha

A. How was Elijah taken to heaven?

II Kings 2:11

B. Who was his successor?

II Kings 2:9-15

C. What did Elisha do for Naaman?

II Kings 5:9-14

IV. The Assyrian Captivity (723 BC)

A. Why did the nation of Israel fall and come under God’s judgment?

1. II Kings 17:21

2. II Kings 17:9-10

3. II Kings 17:7-23

B. What was the sign of God’s deliverance that God gave to King Ahaz?

Isaiah 7:10-17

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Read the account of Naboth’s vineyard in I Kings 21.

Show the progression of sin as you note all the commandments Ahab and Jezebel broke.

2.

Read the book of Daniel 1-6 and Ezra 1-6.

3.

Catechism References: Seventh Commandment – Questions 74-82; Eighth Commandment – Questions 83-89

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 12

The Kingdom of Judah

The Nation of Judah [2 Kings 18-25]

Judah was not much better than the wicked nation of Israel. “Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made” [2

Kings 17:19]. Because of its disobedience and idolatry, Judah was also harassed by the Edomites and Philistines.

Judah’s downfal was delayed by two godly men – King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet.

Hezekiah reformed the worship life of Judah, turning around the damage done by his father Ahaz. The temple was cleansed and made ready for the true worship of Jehovah. Hezekiah restored the Sin Offering and the Burnt Offering as well as the Passover [II Chronicles 30:22].

Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord [2 Kings 18:3-8].

It was in the sixth year of Hezekiah that Samaria fel to the Assyrians [II Kings 18:10]. In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, Sennacherib attacked Jerusalem. Hezekiah prepared for this attack by 1) tunneling water into the city; 2) strengthening the wal s of the city; 3) securing additional equipment; 4) organizing for siege conditions; 5) encouraging trust in the Lord [II Chronicles 32:7-8]. The Assyrians pointed out the futility of trusting in Egypt for help and counting upon the Lord to save Jerusalem [II Kings 18:29-30]. Hezekiah prayed that the Lord would deliver them [II Kings 19:19]. That same night the angel of the Lord miraculously kil ed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and Sennacherib had to limp back to Nineveh in disgrace.

At one point, Hezekiah became very sick. When Isaiah announced that he was about to die, Hezekiah prayed to the Lord for deliverance. The Lord replied that Hezekiah would live an additional fifteen years. At the same time, Hezekiah was assured that he would be delivered from the Assyrians. As a sign of this, the shadow on the sundial would go backwards ten degrees or about forty minutes [Isaiah 38:9-20]. Hezekiah made a bad mistake when envoys from Babylon came with flattering words and gifts [II Chronicles 32:3]. Hezekiah showed them the gold of the temple. Isaiah revealed that the day would come when Judah would be taken to Babylon as captives.

Under Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, Judah again slipped into idolatry. In fact, Judah’s wickedness exceeded that of the Canaanites who were destroyed under Joshua. Through His prophets, the Lord warned that He would destroy Jerusalem and give His people into the hands of their enemies for seventy years.

II.

Josiah’s Reformation [II Kings 21-22:30]

Josiah was a God-fearing, David-like king. In his eighth year, Josiah began to seek the Lord. In the twelfth year of his reign, Josiah started to get rid of the idolatry which Amon had reintroduced.

In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah began a major repair project on the temple. They “found” a copy of the Book of the Law. This was probably a copy of the first five books of Moses.

(Cf. Deuteronomy 17:18-20)

Josiah led the people in a covenant-renewal ceremony. He read the book of the covenant [II Kings 23:2]. Al the priests that had served Baal were deposed. The high places were destroyed. At Bethel, the altar of Jeroboam 1 was destroyed. Josiah renewed the celebration of the Passover. He was kil ed in 609 BC in a battle with Egypt. In Josiah, Judah had its last God-fearing king.

III.

The Conquest of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar

The last twenty-two years of Judah’s existence was marked by intrigue and trouble. Judah, contrary to the warning of the prophet Jeremiah, looked to Egypt for help. Final y SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Nebuchadnezzar made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king. He changed his name to Zedekiah.

Judah’s wickedness reached a peak during the eleven years of Zedekiah’s reign. Zedekiah rebel ed against Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army again besieged Jerusalem. King Zedekiah was captured, his eyes were gouged out, and he was taken to Babylon.

The final destruction of Jerusalem began in 585 BC. The wal s of the city were demolished and the rest of the treasures of the temple were looted. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor. He was assassinated.

IV.

The Babylonian Captivity 605 BC – 536 BC

Judah’s captivity came about 900 years after Mt. Sinai. This marked the end of an era. For 900

years the Children of Israel had tested God’s mercy and patience. Now came the culmination of God’s judgment against their rebel ion and idolatry. According to Jeremiah, the captivity would last for seventy years [Jeremiah 25:12 and 29:10]. The prophet Ezekiel also pictured the captivity and restoration of God’s people in pictures and parables. Israel’s captivity might be viewed as death (the destruction of the temple), burial (captivity), and resurrection (return to the land). God preserved the tribe of Judah in order to keep His promise of the Messiah which would come from the tribe of Judah and the house of David.

During this captivity, God raised up the prophet Daniel. Daniel’s three friends were thrown into the fiery furnace when then refused to bow down and worship the golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar [Daniel 3:1-25]. During the reign of Darius the Mede, Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den because he would not pray to the king [Daniel 6:10-17]. God delivered Daniel in a miraculous way [Daniel 6:18-25].

The Babylonian Captivity ended Israel’s existence as an independent nation. From this point until their destruction under the Roman general Titus ( 70 AD), Israel remained under foreign domination. There was a brief period of independence under the Maccabees (142 BC – 63 BC).

This contributed to Israel’s longing for an earthly Messiah who would reestablish Israel as a powerful world player. Israel was under domination by Babylon, Persia, Macedonia (Greece), Egypt, Syria and final y Rome. First under Assyria and then Babylon, the Jews were scattered among the nations. At the time of Jesus, there were more Jews outside Palestine than there were inside Palestine. This enabled the ground to be laid for the spread of the Gospel fol owing Pentecost. The Babylon Captivity was also a time of miracles (Daniel).

The Return from the Babylonian Captivity – 517 BC (Ezra and Nehemiah) The nation of Judah was in the Babylonian Captivity for seventy years. The Lord used King Cyrus 2 of Persia to authorize the return of the exiles to the Promised Land. Under Zerubbabel the temple was rebuilt, although, it was nothing in comparison to Solomon’s temple. The prophet Ezra led the nation of Judah to recommit themselves to the Lord. Through the prophet Malachi, the Lord promised to send a messenger who would announce the coming of the Messiah. After the prophet Malachi, there were four hundred years of silence from the Lord. During these four hundred years, the remnant of Judah declined political y. The nation of Judah was under the domination of the successors of Alexander the Great and after that, they were under Roman domination. The nation of Judah also declined spiritual y. Final y when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son [Galatians 4:4].

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 12The Kingdom of Judah

The Nation of Judah

A. The nation of Judah was not a lot better than Israel although it did have some God-fearing kings. God preserved JUDAH because of Jesus.

1. How is Judah described? 2 Kings 17:19

2. Describe the fall of Jerusalem. 2 Kings 25

B. How did Hezekiah prepare for the Assyrian siege under Sennacherib?

II Chronicles 32:1-8; 30

4.

C. What happened to Sennacherib?

II Kings 19:35-37

D. Hezekiah’s sickness – Isaiah 38:5-8

1. How long would Hezekiah’s life be extended?

2. What would be the sign that this would take place?

E. What mistake did Hezekiah make?

II Kings 20:13

II.

The Return from Exile

A. What had God prophesied would happen to Judah?

1. Isaiah 44:24-45:13

2. Jeremiah 25:11-12

B. God brought back his people from captivity.

1. How many people came back with Zerubbabel? Ezra 2:64-67

2. What was rebuilt? Ezra 6:14-17

C. For 400 years God’s people waited with no additional word from Him.

Whom did God promise to send before the Messiah would come? Malachi 3:1; 4:5

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

D. How was the temple rebuilt?

1. Why was there initial joy and hope among the captives in Babylon? Ezra 1:1

2. What did they start to do when they got back to Palestine? Ezra 2:68

3. What was the problem that developed? Haggai 1:2

4. Why had the people stopped working on God’s house? Haggai 1:4-6

5. What caused the people to resume work on the temple? Haggai 1:14

6. When would this “inferior” temple receive its “greater” glory? Haggai 2:6-9

7. Of whom was Zerubbabel a shadow picture or type? Haggai 2:21-23

D. What was the promise of Malachi?

1. If Malachi were here today, what sins would he expose in society and the church?

2. Why did God’s chosen Old Testament people defect from the Lord so often?

3. How do we “rob” God?

4. Who was the promised Messenger who would prepare the way for the Messiah?

Malachi 4:5-6 and Luke 1:13-17 and Matthew 17:11-13

5. What did Jesus have to say about John the Baptist and his ministry? (Matthew 11:7-15)

INDEPENDENT STUDY

The Samaritans, whom we encounter again in the New Testament had their origin at this time.

The Assyrians not only deported many of the Israelites, they also imported people from other places. In time, these people intermarried and became one people racial y and religiously. Their religion was a mixture of the true worship of Jehovah and the heathen idolatry of the Assyrians and others. Read II Kings 17:24-41. After the Babylonian Captivity of Judah, the Samaritans gave the returning Jews a rough time as they tried to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews. This makes Jesus’ dealing with the Samaritan women (John 4) even more remarkable.

1.

What was the attitude of the Jews toward the Samaritans? John 4:9

2.

What was one of the main points of religious conflict? John 4:20

3. How did Jesus reveal that He was the Savior of the world? John 4:39-42

4.

Read the book of Malachi and read Luke 1-4.

5.

Catechism References: First Commandment – Questions 110-128

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

KINGS OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

TIMEJUDAHISRAELPROPHETS931 BCRehoboamJeroboam 1AhijahShemaiahAbijamNadabAsaBaashaHanani900 BCElah ZimriAzariahOmri

TibniJehoshaphatAhabElijahMicaiahAhaziahJahazielJoram (Jehoram)Elisha850

BCJehoramAhaziah (Athaliah)JehuJehoash (Joash)JoelJehoahaz800 BCAmaziahJoash (Jehoash)Jeroboam 2Uzziah (Azariah)JonahAmos750

BCZechariahShal umJothamMenahemHoseaAhazPekahiahMicahPekahIsaiahHoshea722

BCHezekiahTHE LAST KINGS OF JUDAH

DATEKINGPROPHET725 BCHezekiahIsaiah700 BCManasseh675 BC650 BCAmon Josiah625 BCJehoahazJeremiahJehoiakim600 BCJehoiachinZedekiah575 BCGedaliah (Governor)

THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

Study Guide # 13

The Birth and Early Life of Jesus

Jesus – the Fulfillment of God’s Old Testament Promises In the first twelve lessons, we traced God’s promise of the Messiah-Savior from Adam and Eve to Malachi. The “shadow” pictures of the Old Testament were final y replaced by the “substance” of Jesus. After Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, came four hundred years of silence.

Final y, “when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” [Galatians 4:4-5]. God then spoke through His Son, Jesus Christ. The central truth of God’s revelation is that He gave His only Son into death on the cross in order to take away the sins of the world. Think back to the “shadow” pictures and promises of the Old Testament, as we now see them fulfilled in Jesus Christ and His cross.

II.

The Accounts of Jesus’ Life

The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tel the account of Jesus’ life and death and resurrection. Matthew wrote to show the Jews that Jesus was the promised Old Testament Messiah. Mark’s Gospel stresses the acts of Jesus and was written for Gentiles. Luke’s Gospel was written for a recent convert and is a companion volume to the book of Acts. John wrote to show that Jesus was the Son of God. In our study we will be looking at the Gospel of St. Luke and the book of Acts in greater detail. You are encouraged to also read the other Gospels. I would suggest that you begin with the Gospel according to St. John.

III.

The Birth of Jesus [Luke 1-2]

In the book of Malachi, God promised to send a messenger in the spirit of the prophet Elijah to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Messiah. This promise was fulfilled when the angel of the Lord appeared to the aged priest Zacharias and announced the birth of this “herald,” John the Baptist [Luke 1:5-25]. When Zacharias doubted God’s promise of a son because of the old age of his wife, he was struck dumb (unable to speak) until the birth of John. It would be the task of John the Baptist to announce the coming of the Messiah to the people of God.

The angel Gabriel next appeared to Mary with the wondrous news that she, a virgin, would become pregnant. Even more wondrous was the fact that this child would be the Son of God and the promised Messiah-King. Mary believed the word of the Lord. Joseph, her fiance, also believed this in fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 [Cf. Matthew 1:18-25]. The Lord arranged through Caesar Augustus for Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem as prophesied in Micah so that the Messiah could be born in the city of David, Bethlehem. The familiar Christmas story in Luke 2

tells of the birth of Jesus in a barn. It also reveals the glory of this birth as a choir of angels SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

announced the birth of the Savior of the world.

The Bible does not tel us much about the first thirty years of Jesus’ life. When Jesus was circumcised (placed under the law for us), both Simeon and aged Anna recognized Him as their Savior [Luke 2:25-40]. When Jesus was twelve years old, He was brought to the temple from the city of Nazareth. Here Jesus reminded Mary and Joseph that He must be about His (heavenly) Father’s business [Luke 2:41-49]. Jesus, as true man, increased in stature and knowledge.

IV.

Jesus – True Man, Our Brother [Luke 3-4]

The Christmas story stresses the fact that God’s Son (the WORD) became man (human) [John 1]. Jesus began His public ministry when He was thirty years old. He was baptized by John the Baptist, and the Father testified that Jesus was His “beloved Son” [Luke 3:21-22]. Jesus was then tempted three times by the Devil in the desert area [Luke 4:1-13].

Jesus was tempted in every respect just as we are tempted, yet without giving in to sin [Hebrews 4:15-16]. Final y, Jesus died as the substitute for every person. This humanness of Jesus is revealed in the Gospel accounts of His life and His death. Jesus had to become man so that He could take our place under the Law. Jesus was born of a woman under the Law in order to redeem us from the Law. Jesus perfectly kept the Law for us. When Adam sinned, all creation was corrupted by Adam’s disobedience. When Jesus perfectly kept God’s Law, this obedience was credited to our account [Romans 5:19]. Jesus also became man so that He could take our place and suffer and die for us. Jesus tasted death in order to free us from the fear of death [Hebrews 2:14-15]. Jesus became obedient unto death so that we might live. Jesus’ death was the sacrificial price that He paid for us. The key words to the Christian faith and to the understanding of the Gospel are the two smal words – “for us.” Jesus lived for us and died for us.

Jesus – True God, Our Savior

Jesus’ life and death have meaning for us because He is true God. The key confession of the Christian faith is “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me.” The Gospel of John [1:1-18] shows that the WORD, the eternal Son of God, became man (human) in order to save us. John echoes the words of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning was the WORD.” Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity, Who was active in the creation of the world. John tells us in verse fourteen that this WORD became flesh. The Son of God became man. At both Jesus’

baptism [Luke 3:21-22] and His transfiguration [Luke 9:28-36], the Father testified that Jesus was His “beloved Son.”

It was necessary for Jesus to be true God so that His perfect life and sacrificial death would have the worth and weight to pay for the sins of the entire world. It is the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, that cleanses us from all sin. Only the blood of the Son of God could have the power to wash away our sins. The life and death of even a perfect human being could never pay for anyone else’s sins. Jesus had to be true God to pay for our sins.

We shall not fol ow Jesus and see the divine necessity of the obedient life, the death, and the resurrection of the God-man, Jesus of Nazareth. This JESUS is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. In Him are fulfilled all the promises God made to His People. Jesus is also our Savior.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 13 The Birth and Early Life of Jesus I.

Jesus – the Fulfillment of God’s Old Testament Promises A. Which Old Testament promises are fulfilled in Jesus?

1. Whose descendant (seed) would the Messiah be? Genesis 3:15

2. Of whom would the Messiah be a descendant? Genesis 12:1-3

3. In what city would the Messiah be born? Micah 5:2

B. What Old Testament types or pictures showed what Jesus would do?

1. Hebrews 7:26-27

2. Hebrews 9:13-14

II.

The Accounts of Jesus’ Life

A. Why did John write his account of Jesus’ life and death? John 20:30-31

B. To whom did Luke write his Gospel? Luke 1:1-4

III.

The Birth of Jesus [Luke 1-3]

A. The birth of John the Baptist was announced to Zacharias. Luke 1:5-25

According to Malachi, who was John and what would he do?

1. Malachi 3:1

2. Malachi 4:5-6

B. The birth of Jesus was announced to Mary. Luke 1:26-38

What was special about this birth?

1. Luke 1:27

2. Luke 1:32

3. Luke 1:35

C. The birth of Jesus came to pass. Luke 2

1. Find examples of the humility of Jesus’ birth.

2. Find examples of the glory of Jesus’ birth.

IV.

Jesus – True Man, Our Brother [Luke 3-4]

A. What indicates that Jesus was a real man?

1. Luke 2:6-7

2. Luke 4:1-2

3. Luke 23:46

B. What comfort can we find in the fact that Jesus was true man, just like us?

1. Hebrews 2:17-18

2. Hebrews 4:15-16

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

C. Why did Jesus have to be true man?

1. Galatians 4:4-5

2. Philippians 2:5-8

3. Hebrews 2:14

Jesus – True God, Our Savior

A. What does John 1:1-3 tel us about the WORD? (Jesus) 1.

3.

B. List some of the signs which show that Jesus was true God.

1. John 2:1-11

2. Luke 8:22-35

3. Luke 8:40-56

C. How did God the Father show that Jesus was His one and only Son?

1. Luke 3:21-22

2. Luke 9:28-36

D. Why was it necessary for Jesus to be true God?

1. Hebrews 7:26-27

2. Romans 5:19

3. 1 John 3:8

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

What does John 1:1-14 tel us about Jesus?

2.

Why are the strongest attacks on Christianity made against the fact that Jesus is true God?

Cf. Second Article of the Nicene Creed.

3.

Read Luke 5-18.

4.

Catechism References: Second Article – Questions 133-140

How did Jesus function as our Prophet, Priest, and King?

Study Guide # 14

The Ministry of Jesus

Jesus the Messiah

Jesus revealed Himself as the promised Messiah and Savior of the world by the signs and SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

wonders He did. Luke tells us about many of these signs. In Luke 4:40-41 we have a picture of Jesus’ healing ministry. “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them” [Luke 4:41]. Even the devils were forced to acknowledge, “You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God.”

Consider these signs or miracles which revealed the fact that Jesus was the promised Old Testament Messiah and the Son of God. In Luke 5:1-11 Jesus provided a miraculous catch of fish and call ed Peter, Andrew, James, and John to fol ow Him and become fishers of men. Jesus showed in Luke 5:17-26 that He had the authority to forgive sins by healing the paralyzed man who had been lowered through the roof. Remarkably, Jesus was even able to raise the dead as He did in the case of the widow of Nain’s son [Luke 7:11-17] and daughter of Jarius [Luke 8:40-56]. In Luke 8:22-25, Luke recounts how Jesus still ed the storm in the face of His disciples weakness of faith. Jesus even fed the five thousand with five loaves and two smal fish [Luke 9:10-17], and He healed the ten lepers of their dread disease [Luke 17:11-19].

These miracles were not the purpose for which Jesus came into this world. They were the credentials which established Jesus’ authority to forgive sins as the promised Messiah. Al these diseases were simply symptoms of the real problem – man’s sins against a Holy God. Jesus could have healed all the diseases of His day, but they would have just reappeared. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and to give His life a ransom for many. However, the people of Jesus’ day were looking for a Messiah in terms of a king who would drive out the Romans and reestablish the earthly kingdom of David and Solomon in all its glory. They were not interested in the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins or in a Messiah Who would die on the cross. Luke reveals how the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel accelerated. The Scribes and Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat to their position and influence.

II.

The Growing Conflict with the Religious Leaders of the Jews This conflict was revealed in Jesus’ healing of a man on the Sabbath Day, the Old Testament day of rest [Luke 6:1-11]. Jesus as the Son of Man claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus revealed the radical nature of the Gospel in His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount [Luke 6:20-49]. Jesus here condemned those who thought they were righteous in themselves. Jesus exposed the bankruptcy of the self-righteous religion of the Pharisees in His famous parable concerning the Pharisee and the tax-col ector [Luke 18:9-14]. The Jews had turned the “shadows” of the Old Testament in rules and regulations that they did to make themselves righteous. In so doing, they missed the “substance” as revealed in Jesus.

Jesus also revealed Himself as the promised Messiah and the Savior of the world by the authority of His words and teaching. In His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus preached His first sermon from the book of Isaiah [Luke 4:16-21]. Jesus then declared that the words of Isaiah about the coming Messiah were fulfilled in Him. Luke recounts part of the “Sermon on the Mount” in Luke 6. One of Jesus’ favorite teaching methods was the use of parables. Parables are everyday stories from life which have a spiritual meaning or application. Consider the fol owing parables from Luke’s Gospel: The Sower and the Seed [Luke 8:4-15]; The Good Samaritan [Luke 10:25-37]; The Rich Fool [Luke 12:13-21]; The Three Parables of Forgiveness in Luke 15; The Rich Man and Poor Lazarus [Luke 16:19-31]; and The Pharisee and The Tax-Col ector [Luke 18:9-14].

Al of these parables exposed the bankruptcy of man’s attempt to please God with his works.

The parable of the Good Samaritan showed the emptiness of the religion of the establishment.

While the parables of the Rich Fool and the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus exposed the fol y of SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

making the things of this world your god. The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-Col ector revealed the radical nature of the Gospel which saves “real” sinners. This was an offense to the Jews. There is no more beautiful expression of this Gospel than is found in the three parables of forgiveness [Luke 15]. These parables were in response to the charge of the religious leaders, “This man receives sinners and eats with them” [Luke 15:2]. Jesus pictured God’s seeking out of sinners in the story of the lost sheep and the lost coin. The most beautiful picture of God’s love, however, is revealed in the parable of the Lost Son. Our heavenly Father’s love always accepts those who come back to Him no matter how they have sinned against Him. The parable ends with a pointed condemnation of the attitude of the self-righteous Jew [Luke 15:26-32].

III.

The Necessity of the Cross

The turning point in Jesus’ three-year ministry was captured in Luke 9. In response to Jesus’

question, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”, Peter correctly confessed, “The Christ of God”

[Luke 9:18-20]. However, Peter and the other disciples were also infected with this false idea of an earthly kingdom and a glorious Messiah-King. Jesus poured cold water on these false hopes by revealing the reason He had come to earth, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be kil ed, and be raised the third day”

[Luke 9:22]. Jesus revealed the divine necessity of the cross. He went even further and revealed that those who would fol ow Him also must take up their own cross [Luke 9:23-27].

Eight days later, Jesus revealed His divine glory to His disciples on the Mt. of Transfiguration [Luke 9:28-36]. Here Jesus was transformed. The appearance of His face was altered and His robe became white and glistening. Moses and Elijah appeared there with Him to confirm that Jesus was the promised Messiah they had spoken about. Final y, God, Himself, spoke from the heavens confirming Jesus’ divinity, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him” [Luke 9:35]. And yet underlying all of this was the cross. We are told that Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus of “His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem [Luke 9:31].” The disciples at this time could not understand the necessity nor the glory of the cross.

Jesus plainly laid it out for them and for us. “And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.

But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, {44} “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” {45} But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. [Luke 9:43-45].

As you read Luke’s Gospel, you will see that Jesus is the Son of God and the Promised Messiah.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, you also will see the glory and the necessity of the cross where He died for your sins.

Worksheet # 14

The Ministry of Jesus

Jesus the Messiah

Jesus revealed Himself as the promised Christ (Messiah) and the Son of God.

A. List some of the signs that showed that Jesus was the Messiah.

1. Luke 5:1-11

2. Luke 5:17-26

3. Luke 7:11-17

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

4. Luke 8:22-25

5. Luke 8:40-56

6. Luke 9:10-17

7. Luke 17:11-19

B. Jesus came to heal all our diseases.

1. What does Isaiah 53:4 mean when it says that this Man of Sorrows has “borne our griefs” (literal y sickness) and “carried our sorrows” (literal y pains). Consider Isaiah 53:4-5.

2. Final y when the curse of sin is removed in connection with the new heaven and the new earth, what will be the results as far as disease and pain are concerned? Revelation

21:4

II.

The Growing Conflict

A. Why did the Jews have so much difficulty in accepting Jesus as the promised Messiah?

B. Why did the self-righteousness of the Pharisees prevent them from believing in Jesus?

C. List some of the parables that revealed the power of Jesus’ teaching.

1. Luke 8:4-15

2. Luke 10:25-37

3. Luke 18:9-14

D. The Parable of the Lost Son – Luke 15.

1. What was the contrast between the younger and the elder son?

a. What did the younger son say? Luke 15:21

b. What did the elder son say? Luke 15:29

2. How is our spiritual condition described in Ephesians 2:1-3?

3. How is the love of God revealed?

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

1. Ezekiel 34:16

2. Luke 19:10

III.

The Necessity of the Cross

A. How was Jesus’ glory as the Son of God revealed on the Mt. of Transfiguration?

1. Luke 9:29a

2. Luke 9:29b

3. Luke 9:30

4. Luke 9:34

5. Luke 9:35

B. What is the cost of discipleship under the cross?

1. Luke 9:57-58

2. Luke 9:59-60

3. Luke 9:61-62

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Why is the cross which is such an important part of Christianity an offense to the Jews and the Greeks? I Corinthians 1:18-31

2.

Read Luke 18-24.

3.

Catechism References: Second Article – Questions 141-151

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 15

The Death and Resurrection of Jesus

The Death of Jesus [Luke 18-23]

In spite of Jesus’ wondrous works and powerful words, the Jews, and especial y the religious leaders of the Jews, intensified their efforts to get rid of Jesus. They were looking for an earthly kingdom and an earthly king. However, Jesus recognized the cross as His purpose in coming to earth. “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.

For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kil Him. And the third day He will rise again’” [Luke 18:31-33].

Al of this is a part of what we call Jesus’ state of humiliation. Jesus will ing laid aside his divine power and glory and humbled himself to the point of death [Philippians 2:5-8]. Jesus entered the royal city of Jerusalem on the bitter-sweet day we call Palm Sunday [Luke 19:28-40]. He entered as a strange kind of a king, for Jesus came in lowliness riding on a borrowed donkey. Jesus came as a king to die. Before the end of the week, the cries of praise would change to cries of, “Crucify Him!”

On Thursday of Holy Week, Jesus celebrated the last Passover with His disciples [Luke 22:7-38].

Jesus instituted a meal of remembrance, the Lord’s Supper, for the “new covenant” of forgiveness that He would establish by His death. Jesus took the unleavened bread and the wine from the Passover meal and with them gave His body and His blood to His disciples. On this night, Jesus revealed that one of His own disciples, Judas, would betray Him, and one of His disciples, Peter, would deny Him three times.

Jesus and His disciples then went to the Garden of Gethsemane [Luke 22:39-53]. Here Jesus faced the horror of “being made sin for us” [2 Corinthians 5:21] and prayed three times that this cup of suffering would be taken from Him. Yet Jesus prayed, “Not My will but Yours be done”

[Luke 22:42]. Some of Jesus most intense suffering took place in the Garden of Gethsemane as He faced the horror of sin and hel .

The soldiers, led by Judas, arrested Jesus and took Him to the Chief Priest and the Sanhedrin (Jewish Council) for trial [Luke 22:54-71]. The only charge they had against Jesus was that He was the Messiah and the Son of God. The Jews under Roman dominance did not have the authority to carry out the death sentence. Luke hardly took notice of the mockery of a pre-trial hearing before the High Priest. Luke concentrates on Peter’s denial. Luke alone recorded that “the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” Peter read a lot into this look – reproach, sorrow, and appeal. But Peter also saw the unfailing love of Jesus.

Early Friday morning, the Jews delivered Jesus over to the Roman governor, Pilate, for the imposition of the death sentence [Luke 23:1-15]. Pilate tried to get Jesus released. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod hoping Herod would give him a way out. Pilate then gave the Jews a choice between Jesus and a convicted murderer named Barabbas. Even though Pilate found Jesus innocent, he bowed to the wishes of the Jews and sentenced Jesus to be crucified.

Here at Calvary, Jesus will ingly died as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world [Luke 23:26-56]. He bore the sins of the entire world as He went will ingly to the cross. Jesus was crucified with two other hardened criminals. In spite of the mockery of the crowd, Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” [Luke 23:34]. The irony of this day is revealed in the inscription Pilate put above the cross to mock the Jews, “This is the king of the Jews.” This Jesus was the promised king, who died for His people. One of the criminals crucified with Jesus confessed his faith in Jesus. Jesus promised this dying thief, “Today you will SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

be with Me in Paradise” [Luke 23:43]. Friday afternoon about 3:00 pm Jesus’ lifeless body was placed in the tomb of Joseph just before the Sabbath began at 6:00 pm. Because it was the Sabbath when no work could be done, the women marked the location of the tomb intending to return and finish preparing Jesus’ body for burial.

II.

Jesus’ Resurrection [Luke 24]

Now, the rest of the story… As Jesus had foretold, He rose triumphant from the grave [Luke 24].

The women came to the tomb early Sunday morning looking for the dead body of Jesus. They found the stone rol ed away from the mouth of the cave. The two angels announced, “He is not here. He is risen!” The angels reminded the women of Jesus’ promise, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again” [Luke 24:7]. The disciples did not believe this report of the women.

Luke tells us that Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus Sunday afternoon and to the Disciples in the locked room on Easter evening. Luke recounted how Jesus appeared that Sunday afternoon to two disciples returning from Jerusalem to their vil age of Emmaus.

They were prevented from recognizing Jesus. Instead Jesus revealed Himself in terms of the promises of the Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus showed them from the Scriptures that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to die and to rise again. “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” [Luke 24:27]. Jesus revealed Himself when He blessed the bread at the evening meal. The evening hymn “Abide with Me” [TLH 552] was based on this text.

These two disciples were so excited that they immediately turned around and returned to Jerusalem to tel the Apostles and other disciples what had happened. As they exchanged stories of this day, Jesus appeared to them in the locked upper room. Jesus proved that He was physical y alive. He showed them His hands and feet and also ate with them.

Jesus then revealed that this good news was to be proclaimed to all nations. “Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” [Luke 24:46-47]. To accomplish this Jesus promised to send the “Promise of His Father,” the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Luke ends his Gospel account with the ascension of Jesus into heaven.

III.

Jesus’ Work of Redemption

After Jesus’ death, His disciples were discouraged and defeated. Their hopes had been crushed by the cross. Al of this was turned around by Jesus’ resurrection. On the first day of the week, Easter Sunday, the tomb was empty. The grave and death could not hold Jesus. Jesus freed us from the power and dominion of Satan by crushing the head of the Devil at the cross. Jesus freed us from the sting of death by dying for us and then rising triumphantly on Easter Day. We preach Christ crucified.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 15

The Death and Resurrection of Jesus

The Death of Jesus [Luke 19-23]

A. What was Jesus’ purpose in going to Jerusalem? Luke 18:31-33

B. What was strange and significant about Jesus coming as a king on Palm Sunday?

1. Luke 19:30

2. Luke 19:37-38

C. What did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?

1. Luke 22:42a

2. Luke 22:42b

D. Why did the Jewish Sanhedrin sentence Jesus to death? Luke 22:67-71

E. Pilate

1. What was Pilate’s conclusion about Jesus? Luke 23:14

2. Why did Pilate condemn Jesus to death? Luke 23:23-24

3. How did Pilate try to get Jesus released?

a. Luke 23:4

b. Luke 23:14-17

c. Luke 23:20-22

4. What was the result of Pilate’s attempts.

a. Luke 23:5

b. Luke 23:18

c. Luke 23:23

F. What did Jesus say on the cross as recorded in Luke’s Gospel?

1. Luke 23:34

2. Luke 23:43

3. Luke 23:46

II.

Jesus’ Resurrection

A. What happened on that first Easter Sunday?

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

1. What did the women find? Luke 24:1-8

2. How did Jesus use the Old Testament Scriptures to show the two Emmaus’ disciples that He had to die and be made alive again? Luke 24:25-27

3. How did Jesus convince the Apostles that He was physical y alive?

a. Luke 24:39

b. Luke 24:41-43

B. Of what does Jesus’ resurrection from the dead assure us?

1. Romans 1:4

2. Romans 4:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 15:17

3. John 11:25-26

III.

Jesus’ Work of Redemption

A. What did Jesus do for us as our Savior?

1. Romans 5:19

2. Hebrews 7:26-27

3. 2 Corinthians 5:21

B. For whom did Jesus die?

1. John 3:16

2. 2 Corinthians 5:19

C. From what powers has Jesus redeemed us?

1. 1 John 3:8

2. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

3. Galatians 3:13

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Recount the resurrection appearance of Jesus as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.

2.

Read Acts 1-9

3.

Catechism References: Second Article – Questions 152-168

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 16

The Holy Spirit

As stated in the first lesson, the one true God has revealed Himself as three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was active in the creation of the world. We read in Genesis 1 that the Spirit “hovered” over the waters imparting life to the Creation. The Spirit of the Lord also was active in the Old Testament.

Jesus promised to pour out the Holy Spirit upon His fol owers after His ascension. This took place on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Apostles, and they were empowered to preach the “wonderful works of God” [Acts 2:11] in the languages of all of the people from all over the Roman Empire who were in Jerusalem at that time. The book of Acts could be entitled “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.”

The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as true God. When Jesus sent out His disciples “to make disciples of all nations,” He told them to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Apostles about giving them all the money they had received from the sale of their land. Peter pointed out that they had not lied to men but to the Holy Spirit. Peter then said, “You have not lied to men but to God.”

II.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

The work of the Holy Spirit is described as bringing people to faith in Jesus as their Savior through the Gospel and the Sacraments. In 1 Corinthians 12, the Bible says, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord (believe and confess Him as Savior) except by the Holy Spirit” [1 Corinthians 12:3]. This is a very important part of the Bible’s teaching that a person is saved by grace alone.

We cannot decide to believe in Jesus or accept Him as our Savior. This is because, as the Bible teaches, man is total y sinful, and his heart and nature are total y corrupted by sin. There is no spark of goodness in man since Adam’s sin. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says that “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritual y discerned.” Natural man is “dead in trespasses and sins” [Ephesians 2:1] and unable to respond to God. Natural man is an enemy of God and unable to obey God [Romans 8:7].

The Holy Spirit creates faith in the hearts of people through the power of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit makes us believers in Jesus Christ. The Bible uses several terms to describe this work of the Holy Spirit. Conversion is used to describe the way in which the Holy Spirit “turns” a person around and makes him a believer. Regeneration is the term that is used to describe the way in which the Holy Spirit creates new birth in a person who is dead in sins. Regeneration means to “be born again.” This is described in John 3. Jesus told Nicodemus that “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” [John 3:5]. This “new birth” takes place through the water (baptism) and the Spirit [Titus 3:5].

The Holy Spirit also keeps us in the one, true faith through the Word of God. Romans 10:17

says that “faith comes by hearing” the Word of God. From beginning to end, our faith is a result of the activity of the Holy Spirit. This is what is meant when the Bible says that a person “is saved by grace alone.” Even faith “is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” [Ephesians 2:8].

Though we are saved through faith alone, faith which saves is never alone. Faith produces a Spirit-led life which will ingly serves God. A Christian produces “good works” just as a branch connected to the vine produces fruit [John 15:5]. These good works are pleasing to God, not because of their content, but because they flow out of faith. Galatians 5 shows the contrast between the sinful works of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

attitudes of faith that are revealed in the believer’s life. The Holy Spirit lives within the believer.

The believer lives a new life of faith by the power of the Holy Spirit.

III.

The Mystery of Salvation

God’s grace is a mystery. Man’s natural religion is to believe that, to some degree, his salvation depends on his works or his goodness. The Bible tells us that we are saved by a free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Jesus died for the sins of the entire world [2 Corinthians 5:19]. God showed that He is not will ing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The Bible teaches that if a person is lost, it is because he has rejected the Gospel. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kil s the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not will ing” [Matthew 23:37]! Those who are lost, are lost because they do not believe.

Our salvation is, from beginning to end, the work of God. God saved us, and this includes God’s choosing us as His children even before we were born (predestination) [Ephesians 1:3-6]. This is a mystery of God’s grace. With Luther we confess, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus my Lord nor come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has call ed me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith” (Luther’s explanation to the third article). This confession reflects Scripture’s teaching that man does not have the power to accept Jesus as his Savior [Ephesians 2:1, Romans 8:7, and 1 Corinthians 2:14]. A person’s coming to faith is an act of God’s saving grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” [(Ephesians 2:8-9]. To God alone be the glory!

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 16The Holy Spirit

“No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit

Who is the Holy Spirit?

A. Acts 5:1-5

B. Matthew 28:19

II. The Work of the Holy Spirit

A. The Holy Spirit creates faith in the heart of man.

1. Why can’t natural man come to faith on his own?

a. 1 Corinthians 2:14

b. Ephesians 2:1

c. Romans 8:7

2. Who alone changes man’s heart?

a. 1 Corinthians 12:3

b. 1 Peter 2:9

3. How is the work of the Holy Spirit contrasted with man’s condition? Ephesians 2:1

and 2:4-5

4. Define “regeneration” as described in the fol owing passage. John 3:5-6

B. The Holy Spirit keeps us in the true faith by the Word of God and the sacraments.

1. How is faith created and preserved? Romans 10:14-17

2. How does Titus describe God’s saving activity? Titus 3:4-7

C. Explain how a person is saved? Ephesians 2:4-10

D. Good works are the fruits of faith.

1. What does a relationship with Jesus produce? John 15:5

2. Name the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-26

III.

The Mystery of Salvation

A. Whom does God want to save? 1 Timothy 2:3-4

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

B. Why is a person lost? Acts 7:51

C. Why is a person saved? Ephesians 2:8-9

We cannot even decide to choose to believe or decide to come to God. God comes to us, brings us to faith, and keeps us in faith by grace alone. The Holy Spirit, alone, in able to create faith in us through the Word of God.

A person is saved by the grace of God. I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord nor come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has call ed me by the Gospel.

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Read Acts 2 and explain why the New Testament era is call ed the age of the Holy Spirit.

2.

If the Apostle Paul (Saul) was not seeking Jesus, how was he brought to faith? Acts 9:1-9.

3.

Read Acts 10-18

4.

Catechism References: Coming to Faith – Questions 169-172; Third Article – Questions 173-187

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 17

The Word of the Lord Grows – 1

1.

The Holy Christian Church

The Church in the proper Biblical sense is everyone who believes in Jesus as his Savior from sin.

The Church, according to the Bible, is not an outward organization The Holy Christian Church consists of all believers. The true make-up of the Church is known only to God and will be revealed on Judgment Day.

We confess in the Apostles’ Creed that the Church is the “communion (fellowship) of saints” (holy people). Membership in the Holy Christian Church is through faith in Jesus. The Church is built upon Jesus Christ, the foundation and chief cornerstone of the Church. Jesus’ death on the cross and the forgiveness purchased and won there brought the Church (the people of God) into existence. This is why the Church is call ed “Christian.”

The Bible stresses the unity of the Church in Ephesians 4:1-6. There is only one Church just as there is one faith, one baptism, one God and Father. This unity is described in 1 Corinthians 12

where the Church is compared to the human body. Just as in the human body there are parts (members) with different functions, so in the Body of Christ, the Church, there are different members with different gifts. This diversity of spiritual gifts contributes to the overal function of the body.

Since faith alone makes us a part of Christ’s Church and this faith is known only to God, only God knows who are His. It is not our task to determine who is and who is not a member of the Holy Christian Church. However, God promises in Isaiah 55:10-11 that the Church will be found wherever His Word is preached. The Holy Spirit creates believers through the preaching of the Gospel. The Church will be revealed in all its glory, and we will go with Christ into eternal glory on Judgment Day.

II.

The Growth of the Word of the Lord in Jerusalem At His ascension Jesus gave His Apostles and Church the command to be His witnesses “unto the ends of the earth” [Acts 1:8]. They were to wait in Jerusalem until they received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Ten days later, on Pentecost, Jesus gave His Church the gift of the Holy Spirit [Acts 2]. On that first Pentecost, the Apostles proclaimed Jesus in foreign languages, and three thousand people were baptized in Jesus’ name.

The Jewish leaders were upset and angered when Peter and John and the other Apostles began preaching the message of Jesus and doing miracles of healing. Peter and John healed a lame man in the name of Jesus [Acts3]. The Jewish leaders arrested Peter and John and commanded them not to preach in Jesus’ name any longer. The Apostles replied, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” [Acts 4:20]. Final y, the Jewish Council stoned Stephen to death. Stephen became the first martyr of the New Testament Church [Acts 6-7].

III.

The Growth of the Word of the Lord as Gentiles Were Included in the Church The intense persecutions in Jerusalem led by Saul fol owing the stoning of Stephen forced the Christians to leave Jerusalem. However, a remarkable thing happened, “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” [Acts 8:4]. The Gospel was preached even in the region of Samaria. Remember that the Samaritans were the traditional enemies of the Jews.

The Word of the Lord spread into Samaria and even into the African country of Ethiopia [Acts 8].

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

The Holy Spirit led Philip to the treasurer of Ethiopia. This man had been to Jerusalem to worship. He was now reading from Isaiah 53 about the Lamb led to slaughter for us. Philip was able to point out that Isaiah was speaking about this Jesus, who died on the cross bearing the sins of the world. The Ethiopian was baptized and the Gospel was spread into the continent of Africa.

In Acts 9, we read how Jesus confronted the man who had been leading the opposition to His Church and turned him completely around. While Saul was on the way to Damascus with arrest warrants for Christians, Jesus call ed him to become His apostle to the Gentiles (non-Jews).

Jesus appeared to Saul in a great light and revealed Himself as the One Saul was persecuting [Acts 9:4-5]. The Holy Spirit converted Saul, and he was baptized by Ananias. Both the Jews and Christians were amazed at the turn around in Saul. “And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hel enists, but they attempted to kil him” [Acts 9:29] . Saul’s name was later changed to Paul, and he became the great missionary of the Church to the Gentiles.

The Church was going through a difficult transition as it moved from being a predominately Jewish Church to being a predominately Gentile Church. This caused a great deal of division within the Church as it struggled to learn that a person is saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit prepared the way by sending Peter to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentile Cornelius [Acts 10]. Peter was given a vision of a sheet ful of ceremonial y unclean animals and told to eat them. This was a signal to Peter that he dare no longer call “Gentiles” unclean. He preached to a Roman centurion about Jesus. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on Cornelius as it had been at Pentecost, Peter baptized Cornelius and his household.

The Holy Spirit, through the congregation in Antioch of Syria, sent Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey to Asia Minor. “And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region” [Acts 13:49]. Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel on the island of Cyprus and then in the fol owing cities in Asia Minor: Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The result was that God was opening “the door of faith to the Gentiles” [Acts 14:27].

As a result of the struggle over the basis on which Gentiles could come into the Church, a council was convened in Jerusalem [Acts 15]. The basic question facing the early church was whether a person was saved by believing in Jesus Christ, or whether he was saved by believing in Jesus and keeping the Old Testament law including circumcision. First, Peter testified how God had revealed the gospel to the Gentile Cornelius. Next Barnabas and Paul declared how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. James, the brother of Jesus and leader of the church at Jerusalem, gave the Old Testament Scriptural underpinnings for going to the Gentiles. The conclusion was the ringing truth of the Gospel, “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they”

[Acts 15:11]. The Old Testament covenant and ceremonial law were God’s preparation for the coming of the Messiah. When the Messiah came, the era of the New Covenant of the forgiveness of sins was ushered in. The Gospel proclamation is that a person is saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus without any of the works of the law.

The Holy Spirit call s people into the public ministry through groups of Christians. This is a divine call into the public ministry. Public servants of the word proclaim the ministry of keys on behalf of the Christians [John 20:19-23].

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 17

The Word of the Lord Grows – 1

The Holy Christian Church

A. What is the foundation upon which the Holy Christian Church is built? Ephesians 2:19-22

B. How is the Church described?

1. Ephesians 4:3-6

2. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

C. Why are the believers in the Church call ed “holy”? Ephesians 5:25-27

D. Why is the Church call ed “Christian”? 1 Corinthians 3:11

E. Where is God’s Church here on earth found? Isaiah 55:10-11

II.

The Growth of the Word of the Lord in Jerusalem A. What happened when Peter and John preached about Jesus?

1. Acts 4:3

2. Acts 4:18

3. Acts 4:19-20

B. What happened to Stephen when he told about Jesus?

1. Acts 6:12

2. Acts 7:58

III.

The Growth of the Word of the Lord as Gentiles Were Included in the Church A. To what places did the Word of the Lord spread?

1. Acts 8:4-5

2. Acts 8:27,39

B. Describe what happened to the arch-enemy of the Church, Saul.

1. Acts 9:3

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

2. Acts 9:4-5

3. Acts 9:6

C. How did Jesus prepare Peter to go to the Gentiles?

1. Acts 10:9-16

2. Acts 10:28-29

3. Acts 10:46-48

D. Why did the Council declare that Gentiles were a part of the Church?

1. Acts 15:7-10

2. Acts 15:12

3. Acts 15:15-17

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Read Ephesians 1-4 and look especial y for references to the Church.

2.

What was so important about the question of whether or not the Gentiles had to observe the Old Testament Mosaic Law? Galatians 2:14-17

3.

Read Acts 19-28

4.

See the map of Paul’s journeys on page 99.

5.

Catechism References: Third Article – Questions 188-205; 243-261

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 18

The Word of the Lord Grows – 2

The Growth of the Word of the Lord Throughout the World [Acts 15:30-41]

The church in Antioch rejoiced when they read the decree of the Jerusalem Council reaffirming that Gentiles were saved solely through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, Barnabas, and Silas remained in Antioch in Syria teaching and preaching the word of the Lord. When Paul and Barnabas decided to revisit the cities where they had preached the Word, a division arose.

Barnabas was determined to take with them his cousin, John Mark, who had gotten cold feet on the first missionary journey. Final y, they split up. Barnabas took John Mark and revisited the island of Cyprus. Paul and Silas went overland through Syria and Cilicia.

II.

The Second Missionary Journey [Acts 16:1-18:28]

The group journeyed through Galatia and revisited the believers in Derbe and Lystra and Iconium.

Here Timothy joined Paul and Silas. Timothy had not been circumcised because his father was Greek (non-Jew). Even though circumcision was not required in the New Testament era, Paul circumcised Timothy so that a door might remain open for the Jews. “So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily” [Acts 16:5].

Paul had intended to proceed on to Ephesus and establish a beachhead in Asia Minor. The Holy Spirit had other ideas. In Troas, the Holy Spirit in a vision sent a man from Macedonia (northern Greece) saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” [Acts 16:9]. At this point Luke, the author of Acts, joined Paul, Silas and Timothy in the Roman colony of Philippi. This is noted by the “we” of Acts 16:11. On the Sabbath, they preached at the riverside. The Lord opened the heart of a faithful woman named Lydia. She and her household were baptized and constrained Paul and the others to stay in her home. In Philippi, Paul and Silas healed a slave girl possessed with an evil spirit which enabled her to foretel the future. This enraged her owners who realized that their hope of profit was gone. They succeeded in having Paul and Silas arrested and thrown into prison. Here Paul and Silas witnessed to the hope of their faith as they sang hymns and prayed. At midnight an earthquake opened the gates of the prison. The jailer, who was personal y responsible for the prisoners, was about to kil himself. When the jailer found out that the prisoners had not escaped, he asked Paul, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” [Acts 16:30]

Paul’s answer was the heart of the Gospel, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” [Acts 16:31]. The jailer and his family were baptized. When the officials of the city found out that Paul was a Roman citizen, they begged Paul and Silas to quietly leave the city.

They journeyed next to Thessalonica again preaching to the Jews on the Sabbaths that this Jesus who died and rose was none other than the promised Messiah. The Jews were not persuaded. They were envious of the multitude of Greeks who had been persuaded. The Jews stirred up the entire city and succeeded in making it necessary for Paul and his companions to leave Thessalonica. They traveled to the next city, Berea. These people are described as “more fair-minded” that those in Thessalonica because they received the Word and “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” [Acts 17:11]. The Jews from Thessalonica could not leave it alone. They came to Berea and succeeded in again stirring up a mob against Paul and the Gospel. Things became so heated that while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea, Paul was sent by ship to Athens.

Athens was the intellectual capital of Greece and the Roman Empire. It was the home of the philosophers like Aristotle and Socrates. Greek philosophy acknowledged the existence of a god and glorified man. It also denied the physical resurrection of the body. Paul began with the religiousness of the Athenians as evidenced by all the altars to every god they had come across.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

The bankruptcy of this natural knowledge of God was evidenced by an altar to the UNKNOWN

GOD. Paul proceeded to tel them about this “unknown god” as revealed in Jesus Christ. These intellectuals listened until Paul proclaimed that God had raised Jesus from the dead [Acts 17:31].

From Athens Paul went to the wild, seaport city of Corinth. Again having encountered the bitter opposition of the Jews, he turned to the Gentiles with the Gospel. Ironical y, Paul established a preaching station right next door to the synagogue. Encouraged by the Lord in a vision [Acts 18:9-10], Paul preached in Corinth for a year and a half. From Corinth Paul returned to Jerusalem to fulfill a vow. He stopped in Ephesus but was unable to stay there very long. The Gospel was also proclaimed by other faithful people such as Apol os.

III.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey [Acts 19-20]

Paul returned through Galatia and Phrygia “strengthening all the disciples” [Acts 18:23]. When Paul came to Ephesus, he found some disciples of John the Baptist who had not heard of Jesus and His baptism. Paul preached about the Holy Spirit and Jesus. For the two years that Paul remained in Ephesus, the Jews were hardened in their unbelief and spoke evil of “the Way’ [Acts 19:9]. The name of the Lord was magnified in Ephesus by the works of healing done through Paul. The Word succeeded in persuading those fol owing the “black arts” to burn their books of magic and superstition. “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” [Acts 19:20]. The conflict intensified when the Gospel affected the pocketbook of the silversmiths who made their living making shrines for the false goddess Diana.

Paul and his companions continued on to Macedonia and Greece. The opposition and persecution fol owed the Gospel. After three months in Greece, another plot against his life persuaded Paul to return through Macedonia. Paul then sailed to Troas, Assos, and Miletus on the way back to Jerusalem. Paul met with the elders from Ephesus and revealed that he would never see them again because he would be arrested [Acts 20:22-23]. Paul reminded them of the dangers from within and without and commended the congregation to God and to the Word of His grace. Paul landed in Caesarea and journeyed to Jerusalem.

IV.

On to Rome [Acts 21-28]

Paul reported to James and the church at Jerusalem “in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry” [Acts 21:19]. Paul had been accused by the Jews of overthrowing the laws and customs of Moses. In fact, Paul sought to become a Jew to the Jews in order to convert them by all means possible. When Paul brought four men into the temple, he was falsely accused of bringing Greeks into the temple and defiling the temple [Acts 21:28-29].

Paul was saved from the mob by the Roman commander. Paul used this opportunity to proclaim Jesus as the promised Messiah [Acts 22].

The Apostle Paul used his Roman citizenship to appeal his case to the Roman governor Felix.

Again the Lord assured Paul that he would final y bear witness to Jesus in Rome [Acts 23;11].

Felix conducted a trial [Acts 24]. Even though Felix was convinced of Paul’s innocence, he was waiting for a bribe [Acts 24:25-26]. When Festus became governor, Paul appealed his case to the Caeser [Acts 25:10-11]. On the way to Rome he was shipwrecked on the island of Malta.

Final y, Paul arrived in Rome not as he had expected but in chains. This was an opportunity for Paul to preach about Jesus in Rome, “and some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved” [Acts 28:23-24].

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 18

The Word of the Lord Grows – 2

The Growth of the Word of the Lord Throughout the World A. Why did Barnabas and Paul decide to revisit the churches in Galatia? Acts 15:36

B. What was the reason for the sharp contention between Barnabas and Paul? Acts

15:37-38

C. How was this contention resolved? Acts 15:39-41

II.

The Second Missionary Journey

A. How was Paul directed toward Greece instead of Asia Minor? Acts 16:6-10

B. Philippi

1. Why were the slave girl’s masters annoyed with Paul? Acts 16:19

2. What was the result of this uproar? Acts 16:22-24

3. What happened at midnight? Acts 16:26

4. What did the jailer intend to do to himself? Acts 16:27

5. What did the Apostle Paul tel the jailer at Philippi in response to his question, “What must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:31

C. Athens

1. What did the Apostle Paul find in Athens? Acts 17:22-23

2. Who was this unknown god revealed in creation and the Scriptures? Acts 17:24

3. What was the teaching that turned off the Athenians? Acts 17:32

D. Corinth

1. Whom did Paul meet in Corinth? Acts 18:1-2

2. Again, what was the reaction of the Jews? Acts 18:5-6

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

3. How did God strengthen Paul in the midst of these persecutions? Acts 18:9-10

III.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

A. Ephesus

1. What caused the opposition in Ephesus? Acts 19:24-27

2. How did the city clerk quiet the mob? Acts 19:35-41

3. What did Paul tel the elders of Ephesus would happen to him? Acts 20:22-25

4. What warning does Paul leave with the church at Ephesus? Acts 20:28-31

B. Jerusalem

1. What caused the opposition in Jerusalem? Acts 21:27-28

2. Who prevented Paul from being kil ed? Acts 21:31-36

3. Where was Paul final y taken? Acts 28:16, 30-31

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

In Acts 20:28-35, Paul warns against false teachers coming from outside and within the church. Why are there so many warnings against false teachers and false doctrine in the New Testament? Read Romans 16:17-18.

2.

Read Galatians

4.

See map of Paul’s journeys on page 99.

5.

Catechism References: Third Article – Questions 206-211

Study Guide # 19

The Word

Local Congregations and Denominations (Synods) It is important that believers regularly make use of the Word and the Sacraments. The Word and SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

the Sacraments are the means or the channels through which God gives us His grace. It is through these Means of Grace that the Holy Spirit keeps us in the one true faith. Christians gather together to hear the Word and search the Scriptures. God intended that His Word be publicly proclaimed. The regular assembling of ourselves together is important because as we gather together, we can encourage and stir up one another to works of love. The public service is also an opportunity for God’s people to worship and sing hymns of praise to their Savior God.

And final y, we gather together so that we can go out to the ends of the world to baptize and teach. Even after people are brought to faith, it is important that God’s people regularly worship together. Membership in an outward fellowship is established through a confession of belief.

II.

Church Fellowship and the Word of God

As stated, faith in Jesus within the heart makes a person a member of Jesus’ Church. It is also true that this faith can only be seen by God Who is able to look into the heart. However, as a person believes, so he confesses with his mouth and life. God says the doctrine or teaching of an individual and a church body is a very important thing. God wants us to remain faithful to His saving Word. The Lutheran Confessions constantly confess, “Our churches teach….”

We are to be concerned about what is taught and confessed in the church. God tells us to “avoid” those teaching contrary to His Word. This involves avoiding i.e. not joining together in spiritual matters with those who teach contrary to God’s holy Word [Romans 16:17-18]. This is a judgment regarding the teaching of the Word and not a judgment of an individual’s heart or faith. The Word of God is essential to the life of the Church. The orthodox (true teaching) Lutheran Church believes that the Bible is, in all its parts (every word), the Word of God.

Therefore, everything the Bible says is true and is to be believed, taught and confessed by those who confess Christ as their Savior.

One of the key issues in the religious world today is the authority and inspiration of the Scripture.

In the book of John, Jesus makes it clear that the Bible is the Word of God and is absolute truth.

“The Scripture cannot be broken [John 10:35]. In 2 Peter 1:21, God states that the holy men who wrote the Bible spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave these men the exact thoughts and words to write for our learning. The word “inspiration” in 2 Timothy 3:16 means “God-breathed.” God breathed into the writers all the words of Scripture. This makes the Bible useful for teaching, correction, reproof, and instruction in righteousness.

III.

False Teachers

God warns that false teaching is like a cancer that, if left untreated, will destroy the entire body.

In the New Testament there are many warnings against false teachers and false doctrine or teaching. Going back to the entrance of sin into God’s creation in Genesis 3, we learn that the Devil operates through trickery and lies. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:15 that false teachers come in sheep’s clothing even though they are actual y hungry wolves. This means that they come disguised as teachers sent from God and thus deceive the hearts of the simple.

It is the duty of every believer to test the spirits (teachers and preachers) to see whether their message is from God. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” [1 John 4:1].

Every believer needs to compare what he hears to what the Bible says. In Acts, the Berean Christians were praised because they compared what Paul was preaching to what the Bible said.

God also tells us that when we have marked someone “who causes divisions and offenses SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

contrary to the doctrine which we have learned,” we are to avoid them [Romans 16:17-18]. The Lord requires that His people join in worship and church work with those among whom there is agreement in doctrine and to refrain from joint church work and worship where there is no agreement in teaching. This is for the good of the individual as well as for the protection of the body. We do this out of love for the Gospel and the truth of God’s holy Word.

A Lutheran Church, which is faithful to the Word of God, teaches that church fellowship (worship, prayer, the Lord’s Supper) will be based on an agreement with what God’s word teaches. We are a “confessional” church. This means that we do not unite or join spiritual y with those who teach contrary to the word of God. This includes semi-religious organizations such as the lodge whose teaching is contrary to God’s word.

The modern generation echoes Pilate’s question to Jesus, “What is truth?” Everything including religious truth is considered to be relative. God has revealed Himself and His plan in the Scriptures which are able to make a person “wise unto salvation” and perfectly equipped for every good work” [II Timothy 3:14-17]. Jesus wants His people “to search the Scriptures” and “continue in” His Word for then they will be His genuine disciples. It is important that you gladly hear and learn God’s Word at church and in Bible Class. It is also important that you read your Bible in your home and conduct family devotions with your family. As babies need milk to grow, so you are to “desire the pure milk of the word” [1 Peter 2:2]. As the hymn writer states, “God’s Word is our great heritage and shall be ours forever.”

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 19

The Word

Local Congregations and Denominations (Synods)

Why will believers gather together in congregations and synods?

1. John 8:31-32

2. Hebrews 10:23-25

3. Colossians 3:16

4. Matthew 28:19-20

II.

Church Fellowship and the Word of God

A. What does Jesus state about the Bible?

1. John 8:31-32

2. John 10:35

3. John 17:17

B. Read 2 Peter 1:21.

1. Who wrote the Bible?

2. Who caused them to write the words they wrote?

C. How much of the Bible is the inspired word of God? 2 Timothy 3:15-16

III.

False Teachers

A. How is the deceitfulness of false teachers described? Matthew 7:15

B. What is the duty of every believer? 1 John 4:1

C. What does God tel us to do when we recognize that someone is teaching contrary to God’s word? Romans 16:17-18

NOTE: This is for the good of the individual as well as for the protection of the body. A Lutheran Church, which is faithful to the Word of God, teaches that church fellowship (worship, prayer, the Lord’s Supper) will be based on an agreement with what God’s word teaches. We are a “confessional” church. This means that we do not unite or join spiritual y with those who teach or live contrary to the word of God. This includes semi-religious organizations such as the Masonic Lodge whose teaching is contrary to God’s word. We do not participate in religious activities with those whose confession is contrary to the word of God.

IV.

The Use of God’s Word

A. What does Jesus say about the Scriptures?

1. John 17:17

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

2. John 8:31

B. Why should we continue to read and study the Bible?

1. John 20:31

2. I Peter 2:2

3. II Timothy 3:16-17

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

What are the dangers involved in ignoring God’s warning to stay away from those who teach contrary to His word?

2.

How is it possible to answer Pilate’s question, “What is truth”?

3.

How is the authority of God’s word being undermined today?

4.

Read Ephesians

5.

Catechism References: The Bible – Questions 1-28

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 20

Holy Baptism

A Sacrament – a Sacred Act

A “sacrament” is a sacred act. Martin Luther spoke of the sacraments as “visible” Gospel which bring you the forgiveness of sins. The Lutheran Church defines a sacrament as a sacred act instituted or commanded by Jesus, in which there are certain visible elements or outward things present, by which God offers, gives, and seals the forgiveness of sins. According to this definition, the Bible reveals two sacraments i.e. Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Catholic Church, which defines a sacrament as a “church” ritual, has seven sacraments including marriage, penance, and last rites.

II.

The Need for All People to be Baptized

It is important to remember that all people since Adam are born sinful and in need of the forgiveness of sins. Even infants are born with Adam’s sin and are themselves sinful. Children are not born holy or even neutral. David, in Psalm 51:5, said of himself “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” The consequences of Adam’s sin were so far-reaching that every person was made a sinner by the disobedience of Adam [Romans 5:19].

We call this sin “original sin” (sin of origin) or “inherited sin.” Every child born needs the forgiveness of sins in order to be saved.

III.

The Greek Word “Baptize”

The question often is asked whether or not God commands us to baptize by “immersion” (being put total y under water). It is sometimes claimed that the Greek word “baptizo” means to immerse. This Greek word simply means to apply water or wash. The use in Mark 7:4 reveals the common meaning of this Greek word. “When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash (Greek = pantizo, sprinkle). And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing (baptizo, wash) of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.” It should be noted that the Greek word “baptize” cannot be confined to the meaning “immerse.” It simply means to apply water. Sprinkling, pouring, or immersing are all forms of applying water (baptizing). In the Lutheran Church, it is the practice to pour or sprinkle the water at a baptism.

IV.

The Nature of Baptism

There were ceremonial washings in connection with the Old Testament purification rituals.

Jesus, however, commanded baptism as a way of fulfilling the command to make disciples of all nations in Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus was speaking after His resurrection. He commanded His Church (believers) to baptize all nations or all peoples. Baptism is a means by which God adopts us into His family. We are adopted into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Baptism is a Means of Grace i.e. a means or channel through which God gives to us His grace and the forgiveness of sins. Baptism is to be fol owed “by teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” says Jesus.

Infants and Saving Faith

Another question that is asked is whether or not infants can real y believe? The answer to this question depends upon whether you think of faith as a decision of man or a gift of God.

Ephesians 2 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” [Ephesians 2:8-9]. Faith is a gift of God produced by the power of the Holy Spirit. “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God call s Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” [1 Corinthians 12:3]. Faith is a creation of the Holy Spirit.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Jesus, in Mark 10:13-16, which is read at our baptisms, turns things around by saying that adults must become as little children in order to enter into the kingdom of God. Thus Jesus says that a little child can have faith. Jesus rebuked His disciples who tried to prevent Jesus from being bothered by little children. In Matthew 18, Jesus warns in the strongest terms against offending (causing to sin) one of these “little ones who believe” in Him. The Holy Spirit creates faith in the hearts of infants. Infants can believe in Jesus.

VI.

The Benefits of Baptism

The key point is what baptism conveys or gives to us. Some speak of a baptism simply as a public confession that they are believers. The Bible teaches that baptism gives the forgiveness of sins through the water and the Word. On that first Pentecost, Peter told the people to be baptized “for the remission of sins” [Acts 2:38]. Baptism is referred to as a blessed washing, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, cal ing on the name of the Lord” [Acts 22:16]. Baptism gives the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life through Jesus. God adopts us as His children in baptism.

It is important to note that the book of Galatians defines a child of God in terms of faith. “You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” [Galatians 3:26]. The confirmation of sonship is baptism. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” [Galatians 3:27].

In baptism you have been covered with the white robe of Jesus’ perfect righteousness and holiness.

VII. The Description of Baptism

In John 3, baptism is described as a new birth as Jesus talks with Nicodemus. Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” [John 3:5]. This new birth comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. The letter to Titus speaks of a “washing of regeneration.” Baptism is a washing that produces a new birth and a new life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

VIII. The Purpose of Baptism in our Daily Lives Baptism has a purpose and power in our everyday Christian life. In Romans 6, Paul asks if the grace of God means that it is all right to keep on sinning. The answer, of course, is “No.” The reason that we should not keep on sinning is found in our baptism [Romans 6:3-4]. Baptism joins us to the death of Jesus which frees us from sin. Baptism also joins us to the resurrection of Jesus, through which we live a new life. We should daily put to death the Old Man with all its sins and evil lusts. We also should put on the New Man who is revealed in a life of righteousness and true holiness.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 20

Holy Baptism

A Sacrament – a Sacred Act

A. Instituted by Jesus Himself

B. In which there are certain visible or outward things C. By which God offers, gives, and seals unto us the forgiveness of sins which Jesus has earned for us

NOTE: Lutherans acknowledge two sacraments.

1. Baptism

2. The Lord’s Supper or Communion

II.

The Need for All People to be Baptized

What is the nature of all people from birth?

1. Psalm 51:5

2. Romans 5:19

III.

The Greek Word “Baptize”

What items were “baptized” or washed? Mark 7:4

IV.

The Nature of Baptism

A. Who instituted or commanded baptism? Matthew 28:18-20

B. Into whose name are we to be baptized? Matthew 28:18-20

Infants and Saving Faith

A. What does Jesus say?

1. Matthew 18:3-6

2. Mark 10:13-15

B. Through whose power do people believe?

1. John 3:5

2. 1 Corinthians 12:3

VI.

The Benefits of Baptism

A. What does baptism give to us?

1. Acts 2:38

2. Acts 22:16

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

B. What makes us the children of God? Galatians 3:26-27

2.

C. Of what does baptism assure us?

1. Mark 16:16

2. 1 Peter 3:21

3. Galatians 3:26-27

VII. The Description of Baptism

How does the Bible describe baptism?

A. John 3:5-6

B. Titus 3:5-8

VIII. The Purpose of Baptism in our Daily Lives What purpose does Baptism serve in our daily lives? Romans 6:3-4

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Consider the question of whether or not infants should be baptized in view of the answer to the question, “Is faith a product of man’s doing or a work of the Holy Spirit?”

2.

Can an unbaptized person be saved? In light of Mark 16:16, the Bible teaches that it is the “rejection” of baptism that damns a person.

2.

Read Romans 1-8.

3.

Catechism References: Baptism – Questions 220-241

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 21

The Lord’s Supper

The second Sacrament is the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night He was betrayed, the night before He died on the cross. We call this night Maundy Thursday. In this sacrament, the bread and wine are the visible elements. Jesus gives His people the forgiveness of sins in connection with His true body and true blood in, with, and under the bread and wine.

Jesus first celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples on Maundy Thursday. He then took from the Passover Meal the unleavened bread and the cup of wine. With these He instituted the new covenant meal of remembrance. Jesus’ people were to remember His death for their sins.

We continue to celebrate this meal in remembrance of Him.

Jesus stated that all people would receive His body and blood along with the bread and the wine.

This is clearly stated in Jesus’ words of institution. “Take eat, this is my body” and “Drink from it all of you, for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” [Matthew 26:26-28]. In 1 Corinthians 10, God warns against participating in idolatry, and He uses the Lord’s Supper meal as the point of comparison. God tells His people not to partake of the table of demons and the Lord’s table. He reminds us of the participation involved in the Lord’s Supper. “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ” [1 Cor 10:16]?

The cup of blessing is a partaking or sharing in the blood of Christ. The bread is a partaking or sharing of the body of Christ. We confess our unity with each other in this covenant meal of the New Testament.

II.

The Blessings of the Lord Supper

Jesus gives us His body and blood to assure us, in a very personal way, of the reality of the forgiveness of our sins. “Drink…this blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

In 1 Corinthians 11, the Apostle Paul deals with the abuses of the Lord’s Supper within the Corinthian congregation. The congregation’s misuse of the Lord’s Supper was such a serious matter because their misuse made them “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” [1

Corinthians 11:27]. The believer receives the forgiveness of sins in connection with the Lord’s Supper. The unbeliever receives judgment to himself not recognizing the Lord’s body.

Jesus gives His people the forgiveness of sins in connection with His true body and true blood.

III.

Eating and Drinking in an “Unworthy” Manner In 1 Corinthians 11:27, the emphasis is not on the worthiness or unworthiness of the person.

None of us are “worthy” of God’s grace. Instead the Apostle warns against partaking of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. A person who does not recognize the Lord’s body partakes unworthily of this Sacrament to his judgment. This judgment includes weakness, sickness, and death [1 Corinthians 11:30].

The communicant partakes of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy way when he believes that, in the Sacrament, Jesus gives His body and blood in connection with the bread and the wine for the forgiveness of sins. The communicant is unworthy if he does not believe that he receives the body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, or if he is impenitent.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

IV.

Self-Examination

Communion is different from the Sacrament of Baptism. The Apostle tells us that the sinner needs to be able to examine himself before he partakes of the Lord’s Supper. This includes the ability to recognize that one is partaking of the body and blood of Christ. In the Lutheran Church, children are admitted to the Lord’s Supper after they have been instructed in confirmation classes.

Each person is to examine himself. A meaningful examination includes the realization of a person’s sinfulness and a belief that Jesus forgives us our sins by giving us His true body and blood in this sacrament.

Close Communion

We practice “close” communion. We believe that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a confession of a oneness of faith and a oneness of belief (teaching). This confession is made through membership in a congregation.

The congregation has a responsiblity to be careful to whom the body and blood of Christ are given [1 Corinthians 11]. A congregation is responsible for those who misuse the Lord’s Supper.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10 of the unity we confess by partaking together of the Lord’s Supper. “For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread”

[1 Corinthians 10:17]. God also tells us to avoid those who teach false doctrine. Communing with and supporting a false teacher contradicts this precious and most intimate expression of unity in the Lord’s Supper.

VI.

Frequency of Partaking of the Lord’s Supper?

The Passover was celebrated once a year in the Old Testament. However, Jesus simply tells His New Testament people, “As often as you do this, do this in remembrance of me” [1 Corinthians 11:25]. The Christians in Acts 2:42 “continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

Because of the blessings of the Lord’s Supper, God’s people will want to partake of the Lord’s Supper as often as they are able. The custom among some Lutheran churches is to celebrate the Lord’s Supper once or twice a month.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 21

The Lord’s Supper

A. The Sacrament of the Altar (Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion) is the true body and true blood of our Lord Jesus given with the bread and the wine for us Christians to eat and drink. The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus Himself the night He was betrayed.

B. What are the visible (physical) elements in the Lord’s Supper?

1. Matthew 26:26

2. Matthew 26:29

C. What does Jesus give to us along with the bread and the wine?

1. Luke 22:19

2. Luke 22:20

3. Of what four things do we partake in the Lord’s Supper? 1 Corinthians 10:16

II.

The Blessings of the Lord Supper

A. Of what does the Lord’s Supper assure us and seal to us? Matthew 26:28

B. Of what does the Lord’s Supper remind the believer? 1 Corinthians 11:26

C. To whom are these blessings not given? 1 Corinthians 11:27

III.

Eating and Drinking in an “Unworthy” Manner A. The communicant partakes of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy way if he believes that in the Sacrament, Jesus gives His body and blood in connection with the bread and the wine for the forgiveness of sins.

B. The communicant partakes in an unworthy manner if he does not believe that he receives the body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, or if he is not repentant.

IV.

Self-Examination

A. What are we urged to do in 1 Corinthians 11:28?

B. Self-examination

1. Do I realize that I need God’s forgiveness for my many sins?

2. Do I believe that God, for Jesus’ sake, forgives me all my sins?

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

3. Do I believe that Jesus gives me His true body and blood in the Sacrament?

4. Do I intend with the help of the Holy Spirit to live according to God’s will ?

Close Communion

We practice “close” communion believing that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a confession of a oneness of faith and a oneness of belief (teaching). The congregation has a responsbility to be concerned about how the Lord’s Supper is celebrated [1 Corinthians 11].

A. How do we show our unity in the Lord’s Supper? 1 Corinthians 10:17

B. How does God tel us to treat those who teach contrary to His word?

Romans 16:17-18

VI.

Frequency of Partaking of the Lord’s Supper?

We should desire the blessing of the Lord’s Supper and therefore attend the Sacrament frequently. How often should we partake of the Lord’s Supper?

A. 1 Corinthians 11:26

B. Acts 2:42

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Why will you want to partake of the Lord’s Supper often?

2.

Read 1 Corinthians 10-11 and Romans 12-16

3.

Catechism References: Lord’s Supper – Questions 262-279

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 22

The Last Things

The Result of Adam’s and Eve’s Sin

The result of Adam’s and Eve’s sin was death. We learned that this included spiritual and eternal death as well as physical death. The creation was also made subject to death because of man’s sin. The physical creation needs also to be delivered from its futility and bondage of corruption [Romans 8:19-22]. This physical world could never become a heaven on earth. This world and everything in it is subject to the destruction of God’s last judgment and the hope of new life.

II.

The Last Day – Judgment Day

Many teach that Jesus will establish a kingdom on this earth, and there will be a thousand-year reign of the believers upon this earth. This idea of an earthly rule of Jesus is the same error that led the Jews to reject Jesus as their Messiah. When Jesus refused to be their bread king [John 6] and drive out the Romans, many of the Jews no longer fol owed Him. Jesus spoke of His kingdom not being “of this world’ [John 18:36]. The Bible consistently speaks of the coming “Day of the Lord,” which is Judgment Day. This Jesus, who came the first time in lowliness to die for the sins of the world, will come a second time in glory. Sometimes the Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming Day of the Lord in terms of Jesus first and second coming.

There are several things that will come to pass on this Day of Judgment. The Bible tells us that this present world will be destroyed with fire, and all the works of man will perish in the fire of judgment [2 Peter 3]. Then all the dead, both believers and unbelievers, will be summoned from their graves by the voice of Jesus. Al the dead will hear Jesus’ voice and come forth from the grave [John 5:28-29]. Al the people who are alive at the time of Jesus’ second coming will join the resurrected dead. Everyone will have to appear before the judgment throne of Jesus.

Everyone will have to give an answer for everything he has said, thought, and done. The last day will be a day of final judgment. The unbelievers will be sentenced to everlasting punishment in Hel with the Devil and his angels. The believers will inherit eternal life and go with Jesus into an everlasting paradise. On this day, our salvation will be revealed [Matthew 25:31-46].

The early Christians were sure that Jesus would return within their generation. Some of the believers had questions about those Christians who had died before Jesus’ second coming.

They worried that somehow the dead would miss out on Jesus’ return. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, the Apostle Paul answers their concerns. This section deals with the “dead in Christ” i.e.

those who have died believing in Jesus. On the last day, Jesus “wil descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God” [1 Thessalonians 4:16]. At that time, the dead in Christ will rise first and join those who are alive to meet the Lord in the air.

Because of the resurrection of Christ, the dead in Christ will not be left out of the picture when Jesus returns. “Therefore comfort one another with these words” [1 Thessalonians 4:18].

III.

The Resurrection of the Body

Remember that the people in Athens listened to the preaching of Paul until he started to talk about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The Greeks did not believe in a physical or bodily resurrection from the dead. This is why some in Corinth said that there was no resurrection of the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul reveals the certainty of the Christian hope, a hope fulfilled in the resurrection of the body to everlasting life.

The Christian’s hope for the future is based on the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that Jesus rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. What a difference Jesus’ resurrection makes! If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is useless because we are liars, then your faith is useless because you are still in your sins, and then those who have fallen asleep (died) in Christ have perished [1

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Corinthians 15:13-19].

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits (pattern) of those who have fallen asleep” [1 Corinthians 15:20]. The only enemy that still needs to be overcome is death. Death will final y be defeated when the dead in Christ are raised to life. The sleep of death will be broken in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. When Jesus returns on Judgment Day, “the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” [1 Corinthians 15:52]. Our present body which is subject to corruption and decay will be raised incorruptible.

This body, subject to mortality (death), will be raised immortal. Final y, on this day of resurrection, “Death is swallowed up in victory” [1 Corinthians 15:54]. Every Christian funeral echoes these words of victorious hope, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” [1 Corinthians 15:55-57].

IV.

Our Attitude as We Wait for Jesus to Come a Second Time The Bible speaks of the second coming of Jesus so that the believer will be found ready and waiting. When Jesus speaks in His parables of the second coming in Matthew 24-25, the admonition is always there “to watch and pray.” Jesus could come at any time. The believer is always to be vigilant and working while it is still day. Both Peter [2 Peter 3] and Paul [1

Thessalonians 5] warn that the “Day of the Lord” will come as a thief in the night. “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” [1 Thessalonians 5:6].

Everlasting Life

God promises everlasting life to all who believe in Jesus. Everlasting life is pictured in Revelation 21-22 as a restoration of that first Paradise lost when Adam and Eve sinned. We cannot even imagine what Paradise will be like. God tells us in Revelation 21:3-4 that there will be no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no more pain. We will be with God forever. This is the essence of heaven – God will be with His people without the barrier of sin and its effects.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Worksheet # 22

The Last Things

The Result of Adam’s and Eve’s Sin

What was the result of Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience?

Genesis 3:17-19

II.

The Last Day – Judgment Day

Note: There will be no earthly kingdom or millennial rule on earth by the believers.

The Bible consistently points our attention to the Judgment Day and the end of this world and the believer’s entrance into everlasting life.

A. What will happen to this present world? 2 Peter 3:1-13

B. What will happen to all the dead?

1. John 5:28-29

2. Acts 24:15

C. Where will all people be summoned? Matthew 25:31-46

D. What will be the fate of the unbelievers?

1. Matthew 25:41,46

2. Mark 16:16b

E. Where will the believers go?

1. Matthew 25:34,46

2. Mark 16:16a

F. Relate the sequence of events as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

1. 4:16 (a)

2. 4:16 (b)

3. 4:17 (a)

4. 4:17 (b)

“Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

III.

The Resurrection of the Body

A. On what is our hope of the resurrection of the body based? 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

B. What would the consequences be if there were no resurrection of the body?

1. 1 Corinthians 15:13

2. 1 Corinthians 15:14

3. 1 Corinthians 15:15

4. 1 Corinthians 15:17

5. 1 Corinthians 15:18

C. What is the last enemy which needs to be overcome? 1 Corinthians 15:20-26

D. What will happen to our bodies on the Last Day?

1. 1 Corinthians 15:51

2. 1 Corinthians 15:52

3. 1 Corinthians 15:53

E. How is our final victory over death described? 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

F. What is the result of this hope for our present existence and purpose?

1 Corinthians 15:58

IV.

Our Attitude as We Wait for Jesus to Come a Second Time How should we prepare for the second coming of Jesus?

A. Matthew 24:44

B. Colossians 3:1,2

Everlasting Life

What will heaven be like?

1. Revelation 21:3-4

2. 1 John 3:2

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

What is the Christian view of the future?

2.

How does your view of the future affect the way in which you live?

3.

Read 1 Corinthians 15, 2 Peter 3, and 1 Thessalonians 4-5

4.

Catechism References: Resurrection – Questions 212-219

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Study Guide # 23

The Christian Life

Christian Living

God has call ed you to be His own through the Gospel. He has rescued you from sin and death.

There is no greater privilege than to be call ed a “child of God.” You are a new creation in connection with Christ Jesus. We confess in Luther’s explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed, “Jesus has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. He did this that I should be His very own, live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and joy. ”

The will and power to live a Christian life comes from the fact that Jesus has rescued us from sin, death and the power of the devil. Jesus lives in us, and the love of Christ “controls” us. “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all , then all died; and He died for all , that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” [2 Corinthians 5:14-15]. We are to walk the walk of love “as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us” [Ephesians 5:2]. Ephesians 5-6 shows what this “walking in love” means in practical, life situations.

God does not want empty rituals and works from you. The believer presents his “body” as a living sacrifice which is acceptable to God through faith in Jesus Christ [Romans 12:1-2].

Because the Holy Spirit lives in you, you are to flee every form of sexual immorality which is so prevalent in today’s world [1 Corinthians 6:18-20]. The Holy Spirit produces the fruits of the Spirit in your life. These fruits of faith are attitudes produced by the Holy Spirit [Galatians 5:22-25], and are a reflection of Christ’s love [Ephesians 4:32].

The “new life” we live is complicated by three factors. The old man or our sinful flesh constantly fights the new man and the Spirit in us so that we do not do the things that we want to do [Galatians 5:16-18]. The sinful world also tempts us to go its way instead of God’s way [1 John 2:15-17]. Of course, the Devil also constantly seeks our overthrow [1 Peter 5:8-9].

II.

Faith Reflected in Life

Faith in Jesus is reflected in many different areas of our life. The most important is our relationship with the Word of God. The believer loves the Word of God and recognizes the reading and hearing of the Bible as the “one thing needful” in his life [Luke 10:38-40]. Jesus speaks of the “blessedness” of those who hear the Word of God and keep it. Jesus tells us “search” or dig into the Scriptures [John 5:39]. This means that you regularly read the Bible in your private devotions. God encourages you to have family devotions in your homes. Jesus also intended His word to be publicly preached and taught through the public ministry. You should not despise preaching and His word. It is important that you make use of opportunities to hear the Word of God in Bible classes and the worship service. God wants us to gather together as His people [Hebrews 10:24-25].

Faith in Jesus will be reflected in Christian giving. The Old Testament believers were commanded to give 10% of their income. New Testament believers are encouraged to give proportional y as God has blessed them. This giving is to be a will ing expression of their thankfulness for God’s gifts [2 Corinthians 9:6-15]. Those who hear the Word preached to them are to support the ministry through their offerings.

Faith also will be reflected in how you treat one another. The love of Jesus is to be reflected in your love for “one of the least of these” – Jesus’ brethren [Matthew 25:40]. A Christian congregation (fellowship) should be a practical reflection of Jesus’ love.

SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Faith treasures the power of prayer. Jesus’ death for our sins enables us to pray to God in Jesus’ name. Because prayer is an attitude of the heart, we are able to pray without ceasing.

God loves to answer all our prayers; however, God answers our prayers in His own way and at His own time. Learn from Jesus to pray.

Final y, faith will be reflected in our desire to fulfill Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” [Matthew 28:19-20]. Jesus’ people have a desire to share the good news of the Gospel with others. This begins in your own family and community. We do this knowing that our labor in the Lord is never in vain.

III.

Membership in a Local Congregation

It is important that we gather together to jointly worship and praise our Savior God. It is difficult to preserve the unity which the Spirit has created. According to Hebrews 10, gathering together with fel ow Christians encourages and stirs up good works. It is a blessing when people gather together around the Word and Sacraments.

Jesus gives pastors and teachers to congregations in what we call the public ministry. The Lord creates a special relationship between you and your pastor who is call ed by the Holy Spirit to serve you. Your pastor represents Jesus as he brings you God’s Word. Your pastor is to shepherd the Church of God bringing to them the “whole counsel of God.” Part of the work of a pastor is to protect you from false teachers [Acts 20:27-31].

A congregation possesses what we call the “Ministry of the Keys.” This is the authority Jesus gives to His people to forgive the sins of those who repent of their sins and to retain that is – not forgive the sins of those who do not repent [John 20:22-23]. Sometimes, it is necessary for a congregation to “excommunicate” (put away from yourselves) “that wicked person” because of impenitence. Paul commanded the congregation at Corinth to deal with a member who was living with his father’s wife [1 Corinthians 5]. The purpose of this was to deliver this man from Satan and protect the congregation from the leaven of error.

IV.

The Gospel

In all areas of life, the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation and godly living. The love of Christ constrains us. This love moves us to gladly hear and learn God’s word, to give freely and will ingly of time, talents, and money. May you reflect Christ’s love in your lives as you continue to search the Scriptures.

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Worksheet # 23

The Christian Life

Christian Living

A. Why will the child of God want to live a Christian life?

1. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

2. Ephesians 5:1-2

3. Romans 8:9-11

B. What does this Christian life of faith include?

1. Romans 12:1-2

2. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

3. Galatians 5:16, 22-25

4. Ephesians 4:31-32

5. 1 Thessalonians 5:16

II.

Faith Reflected in Life

How is faith reflected in various areas of our life?

A. In the area of reading and studying the word of God –

1. Luke 10:38-42

2. Luke 11:28

B. In the area of regular Sunday School and Church attendance – Hebrews 10:24-25

C. In the area of giving – 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

D. In the area of helping each other in true love – Romans 12:3-8

E. In the area of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth – Matthew 28:18-20

III.

Membership in a Local Congregation

A. What is important about “gathering together” as Christians?

1. 1 Corinthians 1:10

2. According to Hebrews 10 we are to –

1. vs. 22

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2. vs. 23

3. vs. 24-25

B. Membership involves a relationship with your pastor.

1. What is your pastor to watch out for on your behalf? Acts 20:27-31

2. Who is your pastor representing when he preaches the word of God to you?

Luke 10:16

3. Why should you support the work of the ministry through your offerings?

Galatians 6:6

C. What should the congregation do in the case of unrepented sin? 1 Corinthians 5:1;9-13

IV.

The Gospel

In all areas of life, the Gospel is to be the power unto godly living. The love of Christ constrains us. This love moves us to gladly hear and learn God’s word, to give freely and will ingly. May you reflect Christ’s love in your lives.

INDEPENDENT STUDY

1.

Acts 17:11

What should you continue to do as this course comes to an end?

What is the goal of this searching of the Scriptures?

2.

How should you continue to grow?

1. 1 Peter 2:2

2. 2 Peter 3:18

3.

Read Ephesians 4-6; 1 John 1-5.

4.

Catechism References: Lord’s Prayer – Questions 280-316

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Study Guide # 24

Martin Luther

Fol owing Pentecost the early church was persecuted by the Roman Empire. About 300 A.D., the Christian church became the official religion of the Roman Empire. As the Roman Empire declined, the bishop of Rome became more and more powerful. In the centuries that fol owed, the church became more and more corrupt and knew less and less about the Word of God and the Gospel. In the 1500’s God reformed the church and restored His Word to the church.

EDUCATION. Luther’s parents did not have a lot of money, but they wanted Martin to have an education, so they sent him to school. When he was fourteen years old, he went to the city of Magdeburg to continue his education. While there he often had to beg for food. At first Martin wanted to become a lawyer. So after his early training his father sent him to the University of Erfurt. That was in the year 1501. Four years later he graduated with a Master of Arts degree.

THE MONASTERY. While Luther was growing up, he became more and more troubled by his sins. The leaders of the church at that time (the Roman Catholic Church) were not able to comfort him. They kept tel ing him that his good works were able to take care of his problem.

They had also told him that he should pray to Mary. Nothing worked. One day, as Luther was walking on a road to the university, a bolt of lightening struck very close to him and threw him to the ground. He was afraid of dying. He said, “Help me, dear St. Anna! Save me, and I will become a monk.”

So in 1505 Luther became a monk. He went to live in a special place call ed a cloister or monastery. While there he made a special vow that he would remain poor, never marry, and do without question what his monastery leader said. While living in the monastery, Martin had the opportunity to study to become a priest. This way he also could study the Bible. He discovered that the leaders of the church were teaching things which were different from what the Bible said.

He was finding out that God solved the problem of his sins and the sins of the whole world when He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross.

In 1508 Luther accepted a position at the newly formed University of Wittenberg. This became his headquarters and home for the rest of his life. He developed a reputation as an excel ent teacher and preacher. People came from many, many places just to be in his classes.

THE 95 THESES. At this time the Pope, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, needed money to build St. Peter’s Church in the city of Rome, Italy. He authorized the sale of indulgences to help pay for this huge building. The indulgences were written letters from the Pope which promised the people who bought them they would not have to suffer so long and so much for their sins in purgatory. However, the people thought they were actual y buying the forgiveness of sins.

Luther had learned by now that forgiveness of sins was a free gift of God through His Son Jesus Christ. No one could sell forgiveness. And a piece of paper could not assure heaven to anyone simply because he bought it.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed a sheet of paper to the door of the church in Wittenberg. On this paper were 95 sentences (cal ed “theses”) which showed that the sale of indulgences was contrary to what the Bible says about forgiveness of sins and repentance.

Ordinarily the theses would have been used in a classroom for a special kind of discussion call ed a debate. This never happened to these 95 theses. Instead they were quickly printed and distributed all over Europe. Luther’s “new” teaching was regarded as false. He was asked to change his mind. The Pope even sent people to talk with him to convince him that what he had said was wrong. Final y in 1520 the Pope gave his official notice and declared that Martin Luther was excommunicated – removed from the church.

The second most powerful man at that time was Emperor Charles V. He ordered a special meeting – call ed a Diet – to be held to solve the problems created by Martin Luther and his “new”

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teaching. The Diet was held in the city of Worms, Germany, in April of 1521. There Luther was asked whether he would “recant” – that is; retract, or change his mind about what he had written and taught. This was Luther’s answer: “Unless I am convinced by the Holy Scriptures – for my conscience is taken captive by the Word of God – I cannot and will not recant, for it is neither safe nor right to act against conscience. Here I stand. God help me. Amen.” Luther chose to “stand” on – that is, believe – what the Bible said.

With this the Emperor proclaimed that after 20 days anyone in the empire could kil Luther.

Some of Martin’s friends actual y kidnaped him on his way home from Worms and took him to a castle call ed the Wartburg, where he would be safe. He stayed there almost a year.

THE LAST TWENTY YEARS. Luther returned to Wittenberg and continued to teach and write what he learned from the Bible. He was also asked to preach regularly. He wrote many hymns so that the people could once again sing about their Savior. One of his most famous hymns is “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

In 1525 he married a former nun, Katherina von Bora. The Lord blessed their marriage with six children. In 1529 Luther published the Small and Large Catechisms. In these books he wrote down the chief teachings of the Bible so that everyone could learn and understand them.

Luther died on February 18, 1546, in the same city in which he was born. His body was buried beneath the pulpit of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

THE MEANING OF THE REFORMATION. Many important Bible teachings were once again being taught by pastors and teachers in the church. Among them were these: 1) Justification by faith. The church had been incorrectly teaching that God would regard people “Not guilty” if they did good works first. Luther discovered from the Bible that God justified all the people of the world (declared them “Not guilty”) because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. God leads people through His Spirit to BELIEVE that He has indeed declared them “Not guilty” of their sins.

2) The Priesthood of Al Believers. Before the Reformation people had been taught that the only way they could receive the gifts of God was through the church, especial y the priests.

The Catholic Church had developed a system of seven sacred acts (Sacraments), involving the whole life of the people. The priests alone could administer these Sacraments. Luther noted that the Bible call s all the believers priests before God. Each one could talk directly with God and receive His gifts. Each was given the privilege of using the two Sacraments mentioned in the Bible – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Each head of the household could be the teacher and spiritual leader of his family.

3) The Bible. Before Luther’s time there were very few Bibles. Most of those which did exist were in places where the common people couldn’t get at them. They were also written in Latin, a language the people didn’t understand. God had already prepared the world for the Reformation by seeing to it that movable metal type for the printing press had been invented.

The year was 1454. This made printing much faster and cheaper. Already in 1521 Luther started translating the Bible from its original languages (Hebrew and Greek) into German – the language of his country. This way Luther’s countrymen could find out for themselves what God had to say rather than rely on various church leaders.

We in the Lutheran Church appreciate what God accomplished through his servant Martin Luther. We use his Catechism in our instruction classes because it presents in a simple way what the Bible teaches about our Savior from sin, our life as His people while on this earth, and the eternal future He has promised to all who believe in Him.

Taken from Mike Sydow’s “Luther’s Small Catechism.” Used by permission.

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WEEKLY MEMORY PASSAGES

Old Testament

# 1 (Psalm 121:1-2) “I will lift up my eyes to the hills; From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”

# 2 (Romans 5:12) “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

# 3 (Galatians 4:4) But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

# 4 (Genesis 12:2) “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

# 5 (James 1:2) “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”

# 6 (Romans 8:28) “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the call ed according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also call ed; whom He call ed, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

# 7 (Psalms 46:10) “Be still , and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

# 8 (Isaiah 53:4-6) “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

# 9 (Joshua 1:5) “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”

# 10 (Psalms 32:1-2) “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

# 11 (Isaiah 29:13) “Therefore the LORD said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.”

# 12 (Zechariah 9:9) “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.”

WEEKLY MEMORY PASSAGES

New Testament

# 13 (John 1:1-3) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Al things were made through Him, and without SHADOWS AND SUBSTANCE

Him nothing was made that was made.”

# 14 (Hebrews 4:14-15) “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

# 15 (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

# 16 (Ephesians 2:4-5) “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, {5} even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”

# 17 (Ephesians 4:4-6) “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were call ed in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all , who is above all , and through all , and in you all .”

# 18 (Acts 16:31) So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

# 19 (2 Timothy 3:15-16) “And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Al Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

# 20 (Matthew 28:18-20) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “Al authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

# 21 (1 Corinthians 11:26) “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death til He comes.”

# 22 (Matthew 24:44) “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

# 23 (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all , then all died; {15} and He died for all , that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

# 24 (Romans 3:28) “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”