Meditations in Genesis

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him … And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:18, 21-24

The beginnings of marriage go all the way back to the sixth day of creation when God said it’s not good for the man to be alone and He fashioned woman from the rib of Adam and brought her to the man to be his wife. It is for this reason that still today a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and forms a new family unit.

When asked about the permissibility of divorce, Jesus reminded His hearers of this truth, saying, “Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:4-6). Thus, Jesus Himself tells us that it was never God’s intent for a marriage to end in divorce; and God’s commandment against adultery forbids breaking the vows and commitment of marriage between a man and a woman (cf. Matthew 19:9: Exodus 20:14).

How far short we have come in regard to God’s intent and design for marriage! Husbands and wives divorce, and couples live together without the life-long commitment of marriage. Instead of regarding God’s will and design for marriage between a man and a woman, we abuse our sexuality, lust after one another, and even pervert God’s design in creating woman for the man by tolerating and promoting unnatural acts. While society (and even many churches) winks at our unfaithfulness and disobedience to God’s will and commandments regarding marriage, God does not. God’s Word says, “Marriage in honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers [literally: fornicators or those having sexual relations outside of marriage] and adulterers [those being unfaithful to their marriage vows] God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).

The Apostle Paul warned the churches: “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10). God’s judgment against those who live in rebellion against His purpose and design for marriage between a man and a woman is exclusion from His kingdom and a place in the everlasting torments of hell (cf. Revelation 21:8).

But there is yet one hope for all who have come short of God’s perfect will; and that is in Jesus Christ, God’s Son! He upheld and fulfilled the righteous demands of God’s law for all mankind, and He took upon Himself the guilt and punishment for all our sins when He suffered and died upon the cross. His resurrection on the third day proves that God accepted His death as full payment for the sins of the world. God has made us sinners “accepted” through the sacrifice of His own beloved Son, In Him “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6, 7).

God calls us sinners to look to Him for mercy and forgiveness; and in Christ Jesus He reaches out to us with open arms, offering us life instead of death, the eternal joys of heaven instead of the never ending torments of hell. Yes, in Jesus there is hope for lost and condemned sinners. In Jesus there is unfailing hope for you and for me!

Dear Father in heaven, I have sinned and done evil in Your sight. Thank You for sending Your Son to pay in full for my sins and the sins of the whole world. Grant me Your forgiveness and a place in Your everlasting kingdom for the sake of Your beloved Son and His holy life and innocent sufferings and death in my stead. Amen.

My Dear Children

Our Faithful God

“Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds” (Psalm 36:5). Graciously enlighten us by Your Holy Spirit that we may know Your faithfulness and trust in the certainty of Your promises to us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

My Dear Children,

There is little faithfulness in this world. Men lie and deceive and break their promises. Even the best intentioned promises of people are often broken. And, certainly too, our faithfulness to God falls far, far short. But God is faithful! His every word and promise is sure. Even when we fail in our faithfulness to Him, “He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).

1. In 1 Kings 8:56, the Bible says, “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.” Did the LORD God keep His promises? Was He unfaithful in any part of His promise? Could the same be said of the people of Israel?

2. In Deuteronomy 7:9-10, we read: “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.” What does this passage of God’s Word say about His faithfulness? How long will God keep covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments? How will He deal with those who hate Him?

3. In Psalm 36:5, David writes: “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” What does this passage of God’s Word say of God’s faithfulness? Cf. Psalm 89:1-2.

4. Read 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:3. Is God faithful in His dealings with us? How?

5. Read Revelation 1:5; 19:11. What is Jesus called in these verses?

6. In 2 Timothy 2:13, we read: “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” If we are unfaithful and unbelieving, is God still faithful?

7. Read Hebrews 6:16-20; 10:23. Can we be sure that we have forgiveness of sins and life everlasting in the Son, Jesus Christ? Why?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Psalm 36:5; 2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 10:23.

The Augsburg Confession

Article XIII: Of the Use of the Sacraments

Of the Use of the Sacraments they teach that the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but rather to be signs and testimonies of the will of God toward us, instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them. Wherefore we must so use the Sacraments that faith be added to believe the promises which are offered and set forth through the Sacraments.

They therefore condemn those who teach that the Sacraments justify by the outward act, and who do not teach that, in the use of the Sacraments, faith which believes that sins are forgiven, is required.

Taking a Lesson from Illness

There’s just nothing quite like being ill for several days to remind a fellow of the truth that it is indeed God who holds our breath in His hand and not we ourselves. Our lives depend upon Him and not He upon us.

Being down with pneumonia, I found it kind of interesting that the disease name “pneumonia” comes from the ancient Greek word “pneo” which means breath and wind, and the related word “pneuma” which means spirit or wind.

Of course, the disease is a lung infection which, if it progresses, can make the simple act of breathing difficult or impossible. It always amazes me that a virus or bacteria so small we can’t see it can cause so much harm.

Perhaps it’s even more amazing that a God so great, with evidence of His working all around us, can so easily be out of sight and out of mind. We so easily forget that He gave us the breath of life and that He can at any time take it from us.

It is as the Bible teaches: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25).

“In [the LORD’s] hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10)

“If He set his heart upon man, if He gather unto Himself His spirit and His breath; all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust” (Job 34:14-15).

The God of the Bible gives us the breath of life, He holds that breath of life in His hand, and in His time He takes it from us.

When a person becomes ill and the medicines and treatments don’t seem to be helping — at least not within the expected time frame — the thought of having the breath of life taken away crosses one’s mind. After all, when one publishes obituaries week after week, it’s hard not to notice how many listed there are younger than I. Why not me? I can think of no good reason but the grace and mercy of God.

I will admit I asked my father-in-law, who lives back in Kansas, if he knew a good backhoe operator who could have things ready in case the need arose. He told me I’d have to dig my own hole. Since I didn’t quite feel up to it, I figured I would rest and pray for recovery instead.

And so, with a new lesson in patience and waiting for God’s timing rather than mine and a reminder of who it is who holds my breath in His hands, I have been resting and am slowly getting better.

And to be honest with you, I’m happy that it is the same God who gave me life in my mother’s womb, who also gave His Son to die in my stead and redeem me, that holds my breath in His hands.

What better place could my life be!

(Editor’s note: Though not quite 100 percent yet, I am feeling much better and do look forward to being back in church Sunday. Sunday just isn’t Sunday without starting the day and the week in church with fellow believers and worshiping the God who gives us life and breath and all things!)

Does the Bible teach the concept of race?

In a day when issues of race and interracial marriage continue to be topics for discussion, debate and even argument, it is fitting that we as Christians are not misled into the evolutionary mindset of this world. To help clarify the issue, I offer the following:

The Bible does not teach the concept of race at all but teaches that all people are descended from Adam and Noah. The Bible says that God “giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:25,26).

Thus, everyone in this world is related and a part of the family of Noah. That, of course, means that Adam and Eve and, later, Noah’s sons and their wives had all the genetic makeup for the wide variety of people on the earth today. The fact that certain traits are more prominent in one area than another is only the result of selective marrying and having children together with of those of like traits. Thus, even if it is true that one’s near ancestors have fair skin rather than medium or dark, this does not make them a separate race from their more distant relatives in Central America, Asia or Africa.

The concept of race, as we think of it, is not a Biblical one. If you check the King James Version, the word “race” is only used to speak of a foot contest which is run (though some of the more modern translations now use the word race to refer to varieties of peoples or to the whole human race). Instead, people are identified in the Bible by their families and tribes rather than by race or skin color, and many of those families and tribes derive their names from Noah’s sons, grandsons and great-grandsons.

Skin color was not an issue among God’s people in the Bible. Moses, who led the people of Israel out of Egypt and to the land of Canaan (named after another of Noah’s grandsons) married an Ethiopian woman (a Cushite – a descendant of Noah’s grandson – in the Hebrew but translated as Ethiopian in the ancient Greek. Cf. Num. 12:1). Cushites (or Ethiopians) were apparently people of color, according to Jeremiah 13:23.

The Bible does speak of nations and kindreds of people, but even the English word “nation” comes from the Latin word “natio” which means of common origin or birth. Most nations of the earth were simply the descendants of common ancestors which occupied a certain land or territory and spoke the same language and shared the same culture.

If you don’t believe me, check your Bibles – the only truly authoritative history of the world and mankind. Every one of us – if we are human and not evolved from an ape – is a descendant of Adam and Eve, and of Noah and his wife. After the Genesis Flood, and the Tower of Babel and confusion of languages, the families descended from Noah spread out across the earth. And, yes, if you looked into it, you would be surprised at how many of the ancient names of lands and regions are those of Noah’s sons and grandsons and great-grandsons.

The whole concept of race is really that of an evolutionary world view. The different races are viewed as different threads of evolution from other primates, with some even viewing certain “races” of people as lower on the evolutionary ladder than others.

As Christians, we know better than to think we are descended from apes or chimpanzees, or that anyone else is. We are all God’s creation as the Bible says, “of one blood.” We are all descended from Adam and from Noah. We are all cousins – even if numerous steps removed – of every other human being on this planet.

This becomes especially important when we consider the Bible’s most important message. The Bible teaches that through Adam’s sin all became sinners but also that through Christ’s righteousness all are made righteous.

Romans 5:12 states: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

The Bible goes on to say at Romans 5:15, 18: “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many … Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

Because we are all descended from Adam, we are all sinners through Adam’s fall. But in Christ Jesus, that second Adam promised already in Genesis 3:15, the sins of all men are paid for in full and forgiven. Christ died for all. He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world (cf. 1 John 2:1,2; 1 Tim. 2:3-7).

This, of course, means the message of the Bible applies to all people, of every tribe and nation, because all are sinners and because Christ died for all.

And not only are all people of one family and blood by birth, all who place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ are one family in Christ.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings appointed for Sunday are Psalm 62; Acts 14:1-28; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:1-10. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 11:47ff. What did the chief priests and Pharisees call? Why? What prompted this meeting? What did they say? What was their fear about Jesus? How are their fears similar to the fears which some in church leadership positions have yet today? What did Caiaphas say? Did his words bear more meaning that he, perhaps, intended? What do the Scriptures say of Caiaphas’ words? What did his prophecy really mean? What counsel did they take regarding Jesus? How did Jesus respond? Where did He go? Where is this in relation to Jerusalem? Did Jesus come up early for the feast of the Passover? What were the Jews saying and wondering about Jesus? What commandment had the chief priests and Pharisees issued concerning Jesus?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who is recovering from knee surgery; Dick Stueland, also recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; the mother of Dick Rusch; for Dick Rusch who is scheduled for shoulder surgery on Sept. 30; for Regina Wood (the sister of Lonnie Moll), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is recovering from surgery and starting chemotherapy; for Pastor Moll, who is recovering from being ill several days with pneumonia – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

Our evening congregational Bible study will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. A light supper will precede the study, beginning at about 6:15 p.m.

Anyone wishing to help with costs involved for Sam Rusch to visit the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota may place a gift in the offering with the designation: Sam Rusch.

The choir will be singing “Jesus, Priceless Treasure” in our worship service on Sunday.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.” Psalm 62:1-2

[Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Meditations in Genesis

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ” Genesis 2:7

The Scriptures tell us that, when God created man, He formed man’s body of the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. While few would question today that our bodies are made of dust – the very elements found in the ground – there are many who are unwilling to believe the second part of this passage: namely, that life was given to man’s earthly body by the very breath of God.

The naturalists and evolutionists of our day have come up with explanations (though unfeasible to the sensible) for the physical formation of organisms, but they have no answer as to the source of life. How is it that the physical elements became living beings? Those who believe the Bible know that the physical elements which make up our bodies are God’s creation and that the formation of our bodies is God’s design. But we also know that life was given by none other than God Himself! “In him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

When the Prophet Daniel was brought in before King Belshazzar to interpret the writing of the fingers upon the wall (Daniel 5), he told the foolish king that he had lifted himself up against the Lord of heaven and not glorified “the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways” (v. 23). Not only did the LORD God breathe into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, He formed us in our other’s womb and gave us life, and He holds that very life in His hand (cf. Psalm 139:13-16).

What a great difference there is between the teaching of the Bible and the doctrines of evolution and meaningless fate! The LORD God who created the heavens and the earth specifically formed and created each of our bodies and breathed into us the breath of life. He holds our life in His hand. When He gives the breath of life, we live. When He takes the breath of life from us, we die and our bodies return to dust (cf. Eccl. 3:18-22).

What many don’t realize is that the life God gave Adam in the Garden when He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and made Adam a living soul was not just physical life, but spiritual. God gave Adam (and also Eve) a life in fellowship with Him – they were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).

In John 1:3-4, we read of Jesus, the eternal Son of God: “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” When Christ Jesus first gave life, it was also the light of men. Now, since the fall of Genesis 3, Jesus, that “light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehend(s) it not” (John 1:5). By nature, all are spiritually dead and in darkness – not truly knowing the LORD God who made them. It is only by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God that we are made alive spiritually and come to know our God and Maker through faith in Christ Jesus, the Son of God.

Were it not for man’s sin and disobedience to the LORD God, the breath of life would not be taken from us; but, because of the sin which corrupts our hearts and minds and keeps us from wholly loving, honoring and walking in harmony with the God who made us, He takes His breath from us and our bodies return to dust. Yet, in His love and mercy toward us in Christ Jesus, He has provided a way for us to live together with Him in righteousness and true holiness forever. He sent His only begotten Son into the world a true man (with a body made of dust like ours). Jesus Christ, God the Son in human flesh, fulfilled with perfect obedience the righteous demands of God’s holy commandments and He took the guilt and punishment of our sins upon Himself, suffering and dying upon the cross, and being condemned and forsaken of God the Father in heaven because of our sin and the sins of all the world. And Jesus, though He yielded up His breath and spirit unto God upon the cross, was raised to life again on the third day that He might give us life – everlasting life with Him in heaven!

Though the day will soon come (unless Christ first returns) when God removes from us the breath of life, and your body and my body return to the dust from which they were taken, Jesus Christ paid for your sins and mine – indeed for the sins of the whole world – and God offers and extends to you, to me and to all people a full and complete pardon and forgiveness, and a life which will never end. “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1, 2). “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

Dear Father in heaven, thank You for forming me of the dust and giving me the breath of life that I might learn of You and the glorious salvation You have provided for me through the innocent sufferings and death of Your Son, Christ Jesus, my Savior. Amen.

My Dear Children

The Just and Merciful God

O LORD God, You are upright, and there is no unrighteousness in You. But we are unrighteous and infected by sin in all we think and do. Have mercy upon us and graciously forgive our sins for the sake of Jesus’ holy life and innocent sufferings and death in our stead. Amen.

My Dear Children,

One of the greatest keys to understanding the Bible is to understand the justice and the mercy of Almighty God. God is just. He is Himself perfect and right in all His ways, and there is no injustice or imperfection in Him. His every thought and act is right. Not only is God just and right in Himself, He is also just in His dealings with man. He is just when He punishes sin and evil. But God is also merciful; that is, He is gracious and compassionate and forgiving toward His people. Instead of dealing with us as we deserve on account of our sins, He forgives our sins and deals with us in lovingkindness. Yet God’s justness remains intact; for our sins, and the sins of the whole world, have been laid upon Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, and punished upon His cross.

1. In Deuteronomy 32:4, Moses writes, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” What does this passage tell us about the LORD God? Are God’s ways always right? Is He ever unjust or unfair in His dealings with man?

2. In Exodus 20:5,6, we read: “For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.” What does God say about God’s justice? What does this say of God’s mercy?

3. In Exodus 34:6,7, the LORD Himself proclaimed: “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” What does this passage of God’s Word say of God’s mercy? Of His justice? How does God desire to deal with us? How will He deal with us if we reject Him and His mercy? Cf. 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16-18.

4. Read Matthew 23:37-39. How did Jesus desire to deal with the people of Jerusalem? Would they let Him? What would happen as a result of their rejection of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus?

5. Read Matthew 11:28-29; Revelation 3:20. How does Jesus desire to deal with us? What will happen if we turn away from Jesus and His mercy? Cf. Hebrews 10:26-31.

6. Read Isaiah 53:6 and 1 John 1:9, 2:1,2. How can God be a just God and still forgive our sins?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Exodus 34:6,7; Deuteronomy 32:4; John 3:16-18; Isaiah 53:6.

The Augsburg Confession

Article XII: Of Repentance

Of Repentance they teach that for those who have fallen after Baptism there is remission of sins whenever they are converted and that the Church ought to impart absolution to those thus returning to repentance. Now, repentance consists properly of these two parts: One is contrition, that is, terrors smiting the conscience through the knowledge of sin; the other is faith, which is born of the Gospel, or of absolution, and believes that for Christ’s sake, sins are forgiven, comforts the conscience, and delivers it from terrors. Then good works are bound to follow, which are the fruits of repentance.

They condemn the Anabaptists, who deny that those once justified can lose the Holy Ghost. Also those who contend that some may attain to such perfection in this life that they cannot sin.

The Novatians also are condemned, who would not absolve such as had fallen after Baptism, though they returned to repentance.

They also are rejected who do not teach that remission of sins comes through faith but command us to merit grace through satisfactions of our own.

How to Stand in Christ’s Judgment

Dear Friend,

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is coming again soon to judge the living and the dead. Are you ready to stand before Him and be judged by Him?

The Bible also tells us that: “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This means that all of us – including you – have sinned against God and deserve to be condemned to suffer forever in hell!

There is only one way to be saved from this eternal punishment for our sins. God provided that way for us when He sent His only begotten Son into the world as a true man to live a holy life in our place and to suffer and die upon the cross for the sins of the entire world. Jesus Christ bore the just penalty for all our sins when He died upon the cross, and He rose again from the dead on the third day that He might give us eternal life with Him in heaven.

God, in His Word, tells all of us that we are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). This means that God pardons us and forgives our sins for the sake of His Son’s holy life and bitter sufferings and death in our place.

God’s Word also tells us: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s gracious pardon and gift of eternal life is yours!

Dear Friend, I urge you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ – to trust in Him as your Savior from sin and the eternal torments of hell. Then you will not be condemned in Christ’s judgment but receive instead the everlasting joys of heaven which Jesus Christ won for you!

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). In Jesus, we can stand in Christ’s judgment!

For more information on God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, or for help and guidance from God’s Word, please write to us at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 2335, Rogers, AR 72757 or send us an e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings appointed for Sunday are Psalm 113; Acts 13:44-52; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Luke 16:1-15. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 11:1ff. Who was sick at Bethany? What was the relationship of these three with Jesus? What did Mary later do for Jesus? Cf. John 12:1ff. What message did they send to Jesus? How did Jesus respond? What did He say? What did He do? How does this relate to the ways in which God answers our prayers? What did Jesus’ disciples say to Him when He said it was time to return to Judea? How did Jesus respond to their objection? What did this mean? How might it apply to us today? What did Jesus tell His disciples in verse 11? How did Jesus’ disciples understand Him? What did Jesus mean? What did Jesus then plainly tell His disciples? What else did Jesus say to them? What does this mean? How did Thomas respond? How might this be fitting of his nature as we read of him in the Gospels? What did Jesus find when He arrived in Judea? What was taking place at the home of Mary and Martha? Why? Who came out to meet Jesus? What did she say? How is this often like our prayers? What did Jesus tell her? How did she understand Jesus’ words? What did Jesus mean by them? What did Jesus say to Martha in verses 25-26? What do these words mean? How do they apply to us today? What did Jesus then ask Martha? How did she respond? How is this similar to Peter’s profession in Matthew 16:16? How had Martha come to believe this? Cf. Matthew 16:17. Who did Martha call? Where did she come to Jesus? Where did her comforters think she was going? What did they do? What did she say to Jesus? What did Jesus do when He saw Mary weeping, and the Jews who were with her? Why? What did He ask them? Where did they go? What did Jesus do? What does this tell us about Jesus? Cf. Hebrews 4:15. What did the Jews think when they saw Jesus cry? What did some of them say? What did Jesus say to do when He came to Lazarus’ tomb? How did Martha respond? Why? How did Jesus answer Martha? What prayer did Jesus’ say when they took away the stone from the door of the tomb? Why did Jesus speak these words? What did He desire the people to believe? Does He still desire this yet today? What did Jesus cry with a loud voice? What happened after Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb? What was the result for many who saw this great miracle of Jesus? What did others do? What did the chief priests and the Pharisees do when they heard of Jesus’ mighty miracle? Did they dispute the miracle? Did they believe on Him? Why is this miracle recorded for us in the Bible? How do we respond to Jesus’ miracle and His words?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who is recovering from knee surgery; Dick Stueland, also recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; the mother of Dick Rusch; for Dick Rusch who is scheduled for shoulder surgery on Sept. 30; and for Regina Wood (the sister of Lonnie Moll), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is recovering from surgery and starting chemotherapy – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

Our evening congregational Bible study will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. A light supper will precede the study, beginning at about 6:15 p.m.

Anyone wishing to help with costs involved for Sam Rusch to visit the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota may place a gift in the offering with the designation: Sam Rusch.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.” John 11:25-26

[Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Meditations in Genesis

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth….” Genesis 1:1 (Read Genesis 1 and 2)

How did the heavens, the earth, and everything in them come to be? The Bible clearly tells us that the one true God – Jehovah God, who is one God, yet three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – created them out of nothing by His almighty Word. Reading on in the first two chapters, we see that He said of that which He created, “Let there be….” and “there was.”

It is as the Scriptures teach: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6); and, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).

That the LORD God created the heavens and earth and everything in them in six days is taught not only in the Genesis account, but is repeated as a basis for the observance of the Sabbath in the Old Testament Scriptures. “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11).

The Church, which is made up of all true believers of all time, has always held to the truthfulness of the Genesis account of creation and confesses with Nehemiah the prophet: “Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worhippeth Thee” (Nehemiah 9:6). So also, in the ancient creeds still used today, believers confess: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth….”

This same God, who called all things into existence by His almighty Word, has also created each one of us. He formed the first man from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). He created the first woman from the rib of Adam (Genesis 2:18ff.) and He created and formed each one of us in our mother’s wombs (Psalm 139:13-16).

Not only has He created us and given us life, He sent His only begotten Son to die for us and bear the guilt and punishment for our sins that we might have life eternal through faith in Him; and He calls us to faith through the hearing of His life-giving Word.

This means that the LORD God has created you, forming you in the womb. And, even though you knew Him not because of the sin inherent in each of us through Adam’s fall (Genesis 3), He came into this world a true man to pay for your sins and make you His own, and He calls you to faith in Him through His gracious word of forgiveness and life in His Son, Jesus Christ!

O LORD God, Creator of the heavens, the earth and all things, thank You for making me, giving me breath and for giving me life through faith in the Son. Graciously keep me in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. Amen.

My Dear Children

The Unchangeable God

O LORD God, “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” O unchanging God, grant that we hold fast to You in faith, knowing that You are always the same and that Your lovingkindness toward us in Christ Jesus will not pass away. Amen. (Psalm 102:25-27 NKJV)

My Dear Children,

Everything is changing around us. Schools change. Jobs change. Our world changes. People change. Relationships change. We change. We grow up and grow old and change in our appearance and our thoughts. Finally, we die. But God does not change. Not only is He eternal, without beginning and without end; He does not change! What was true of God at the beginning of the world is still true today. What God judged as wrong in the days of the Old Testament prophets, He still condemned in the days of Jesus and does so in our day. Not only do God’s judgments remain immutable (unchanging), His love for us in Christ Jesus does not come and go, but remains constant and never ending!

1. In Psalm 102:25-27, the Bible tells us: “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” What does God here tell us about His immutability (unchangeableness)? Will the heavens and the earth change? Will God change?

2. In Malachi 3:6, we read: “…I am the LORD, I do not change….” What does God say of Himself?

3. In Psalm 33:11, the psalmist writes: “The counsel of the LORD stands forever; the plans of His heart to all generations.” What does this say of God’s thoughts and plans? Do they ever change? Does His Word ever change? Does the counsel of the LORD change from generation to generation? What does this mean for us?

4. James 1:17 says: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Who is the giver of every good and perfect gift? Is there any variation or shadow of turning with Him? What does this mean?

5. In Hebrews 13:8, we read: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Is Jesus unchangeable? Will His teaching ever change? Will His love and mercy upon His children ever change?

6. Consider what it means to us that God is unchanging. Will His Word ever change? Cf. Matthew 24:35. Will God’s Word ever become outdated? Will our generation be treated or judged any differently by God than other generations before us?

7. What of God’s love toward us in Jesus, will it ever change? Read Romans 8:31-39. If we repent of our sins and turn to God to forgive us for Jesus’ sake, will He always pardon us and wash away our sins in Jesus’ blood? Cf. 1 John 1:7 – 2:2.

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8

[Scripture for this study taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

The Augsburg Confession

Article X: Of the Lord’s Supper

Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed to those who eat the Supper of the Lord; and they reject those that teach otherwise.

Living in Denial of the Truth

People today are living in denial of a fundamental truth which affects us all, and that denial has far-reaching implications for all of us in every station of life. And, sad to say, this denial has infected churches and religious organizations as well as governments, schools and other secular organizations.

The truth of which I speak is the fall of man and the resulting fallen nature and curse upon all of creation. Not only do people question and deny the truth of the Genesis creation account, but many – even within the visible church – do not accept and take to heart the truths taught in Genesis 3 and related passages of Scripture, and this affects everything, from how people live their lives, to church activities, to government roles.

Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator and brought upon themselves and all mankind spiritual death and alienation from God. As a result of their sin, all are born sinners, turned in upon themselves and in rebellion against the LORD God (cf. Romans 5:12). As a result of Adam’s sin, “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). Or, as Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23).

When God confronted Adam and Eve in the Garden, “Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:16-19).

What people deny and do not take to heart is the depravity of all mankind, the wickedness of our hearts and the inclination to evil. People fail to realize and accept man’s – and especially their own – capacity for evil.

Again and again, when a horrible crime comes to light, we hear people express shock that one who was “such a good person” could do something so evil. But I put forward to you that no one is above the most hideous of crimes – most have already contemplated such things in their hearts and minds.

And if any of you are thinking, “I could never….” you had best reconsider. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Secondly, they fail to recognize and acknowledge that this sin which infects us all has brought with it consequences which also affect us all; namely, spiritual death (or a lack of true love for God and others and the inability to please God), sorrow, pain, suffering, hard work, temporal death and eternal condemnation.

And what are the implications of this denial? I’ll name just a few.

In governments, this denial leads to philosophies and dreams of a utopia on earth. Under Marxist communism, there was the foolish notion that the forced destruction of classes and the holding of all property and industry in common under state control would lead to an end of wars and revolutions and to a united world working together for the common good of all. But because it was based on fallacy, it only led to wars, bloodshed, a police state and, of course, to financial ruin.

Not accepting the truth about man’s nature, rulers today – regardless of whether they call themselves Republicans or Democrats, Socialists or Progressives – still strive toward the goal of absolute democracy and one-world government and somehow believe if they can gain enough power and rid themselves of dissenters, a new world order in which wars and killing will cease and people will all work for the common good is achievable. But they fail to acknowledge the depravity of man – that people are by nature self-seeking and sinful, that there will always be evil in this world, that there will always be wars and bloodshed and wickedness.

Remember what Jesus said: “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

How different this denial of the truth is from the way America’s founding fathers defined the form of government spelled out in the United States Constitution! They recognized the sinfulness and weakness of men and divided the federal government’s powers into three branches – executive, legislative and judicial – to guard against tyranny and the foolishness and wickedness of man. They recognized the constant dangers of war and cautioned against foreign entanglements. They realized the danger of mob rule and established a republic with checks and balances rather than a pure democracy in which simple majority wins the day. They also recognized the fact that the government they established could not survive if the people abandoned the moral principles taught in the Bible.

In churches, this denial leads to a false understanding of the gospel and misguided programs. Instead of preaching the gospel of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world and of pardon, forgiveness and everlasting life in heaven through faith in His name, churches have turned their attention toward trying to heal this present world and making it a better place to live by encouraging acts of love and charity, working for equal rights, fighting poverty and saving the environment. Because so many church leaders do not truly accept the truths taught in Genesis 3, they fail to preach the truths taught throughout the Scriptures about man and his sinfulness and about the redemption God provided in His own dear Son, Jesus Christ.

As individuals, we all tend to lead our lives in denial of our own sinfulness and propensity to think, say and do evil. We like to think of ourselves as basically good rather than evil and full of wickedness. For as long as possible, we refuse to face the fact of our own mortality. We place our hopes in diets, exercise and vitamins, but death still comes to us all. We don’t wish to accept the fact that living in this world means hard work to earn our daily bread – along with suffering, pain and sorrow. And, without acknowledging our own wickedness and just condemnation, we fail to grasp the need of a holy and righteous God-man Savior who shed His own blood on a Roman cross to make atonement for the sins of the world and make us acceptable unto God the Father.

My point is not just to show the pivotal importance of Genesis 3; it is to show the foolishness of denying it. We can live in denial of sin and the curse, but the consequences will not go away. We and all people are by nature inclined to evil and sin. Wickedness and evil will continue until God judges and purges His creation of all sinners. No church outreach and no ruler or government program will ever heal this fallen world. There will be no lasting peace, no utopia and no paradise in this present world. To think we can achieve it is a denial of the truth!

We – everyone of us – are sinners and suffer the consequences. We are born into this world in spiritual death and alienation from God, and that leads to eternal death and condemnation. We will all die temporal death. Because of sin, this world is under a curse. It’s dying too and, while we can conserve it, care for it and make wise use of its resources, we can’t change its ultimate end.

Rather than living in denial of the truth, we need to acknowledge and accept it. Governments must rule with a right understanding of God’s truth, of sinful people and the fallen world in which we live. Only then can its decisions and policies be wise. Churches need to refocus on preparing lost souls for the world to come rather than trying to preserve the world that is. And individuals need to recognize their own wickedness and guilt before the almighty and holy God that they might also, by God’s grace, come to know and accept the redemption He has provided for all in the sacrifice of the Son, Christ Jesus!

“Our Lord Jesus Christ … gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5).

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 1; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Acts 13:1-13; Luke 14:25-35. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 10:1ff. What parable did Jesus speak to the people in the opening verses of this chapter? What is the earthly story? What is its heavenly meaning or application? What is the sheepfold? Who is in this fold? Who is the door of the sheepfold? How do the sheep enter the fold? Cf. John 14:6. How do thieves and robbers seek to enter into the sheepfold? Who are these thieves and robbers Jesus describes? Cf. Jeremiah 23:1-2; Matthew 7:15-23; Acts 20:28-32; Romans 16:17-18; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Titus 3:10-11; Colossians 2:8ff. Why do the thieves come? How is this true yet today? Why did Jesus come? How does this apply to us yet today? Whose voice does God’s flock hear? Will God’s children hear the voice of a stranger? What will they do when they hear a strange voice? What will God’s children do when they hear teaching which is not that of their Shepherd and Savior? Cf. Matthew 7:15-23; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Romans 16:17-18. Who is the Good Shepherd? What did He do for the sheep? How does Jesus’ parable compare to Psalm 23 and other Old Testament usage of the illustration of sheep and their shepherd?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who is recovering from knee surgery today; Dick Stueland, also recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

A special congregational dinner has been rescheduled for the second Sunday in September (because of Labor Day weekend) to kick off the new Sunday School and Catechism program for the year and the resumption of church choir practices. A special cookout is being planned for the event.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20

[Except where otherwise stated, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK AND ON THE SAND

Read Luke 6:46-49

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”

Upon what have you built your life? Is it built upon Jesus Christ and His Word? Or is it built upon some earthly foundation? Jesus told this parable because of those who addressed Him as “Lord” and listened to His teaching but did not do what He taught. They heard Jesus’ words with their ears and called upon Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (cf. Matt. 15:8). They did not trust in Jesus for salvation or seek to live their lives as He commanded.

The first man in Jesus’ parable, the man who dug down deep and laid the foundation of his house upon the rock, is like the one who hears Jesus’ Word and then trusts in Him and His redemptive work for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. As a child of God through faith in Christ’s shed blood, he then seeks to live his life for his Lord and Savior by hearing and doing His Word. When floods of trouble, suffering and persecution come his way, he is not moved because his faith and life are built upon Jesus Christ and His eternal Word.

The second man, who built his house upon the earth without a foundation, is like the man who hears Jesus’ Word and even calls himself a Christian; but he does not truly trust in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins and eternal life, nor does he truly seek and desire to live in obedience to the Word of God. His life is not built upon Christ, but upon the earth and its vain philosophies. When trouble, suffering or death come his way, his life crumbles because all that his life was built upon washes away.

Upon what have you built your life? Is it built upon Christ and His Word? or upon the unstable sands of this world? If you live your life according to the ways and standards of this world, both you and your works will not stand in God’s judgment. But if you build your life upon Christ and His Word, you will be “as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever” (Psalm 125:1).

Hear Christ’s Word and build upon it!

In faith, Lord, let me serve Thee; tho’ persecution, grief, and pain should seek to overwhelm me, let me a steadfast trust retain; and then at my departure take Thou me home to Thee and let me there inherit all Thou hast promised me. In life and death, Lord, keep me until Thy heav’n I gain, where I by Thy great mercy the end of faith attain. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #381, Verse 3)

My Dear Children

The Omniscient God

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.” O LORD God, open up our minds and give us an understanding of Your Word that we might know You. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Psalm 139:1-4 NKJV)

My Dear Children,

Our knowledge is limited – we do not and cannot know everything. The more we learn, the more we find out that there is so much that we do not yet know and understand. Only a foolish man thinks he knows it all. But though we only learn and know in part, God knows ALL! Nothing is hidden from Him. This too is beyond our understanding to comprehend. God is omniscient; that is, He knows and possesses all knowledge.

1. In Psalm 147:5, the Bible tells us: “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” What does God here tell us about His knowledge and understanding? What does this mean?

2. In 1 John 3:20, we read: “…God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” Is there anything that God does not know?

3. In Psalm 139:1-6, David writes: “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.” What is David, by inspiration of God’s Spirit, teaching us about God? Is there anything that God does not know about us?

4. Hebrews 4:13 says: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Is there anyone or anything hidden from the presence or knowledge of the LORD?

5. In John 2:24-25, we read that “Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” Is Jesus omniscient? Does He know everything about us? Does He know what is in our hearts?

6. Read John 16:30. Jesus’ disciples said of Him: “Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.” Why did Jesus’ disciples believe that Jesus was (and is) the only begotten Son of God, come into this world?

7.In 1 Corinthians 2:10, St. Paul writes: “The Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” Is the Holy Spirit omniscient.

8. Considering what you have just learned about the LORD God, is there anything hidden from His knowledge? How is this frightening to us as sinful people? How is this comforting to us as forgiven children of God?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Psalm 147:5; 1 John 3:20; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Psalm 139:1-4

[Scripture for this study taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

The Augsburg Confession

Article IX: Of Baptism.

Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God, and that children are to be baptized who, being offered to God through Baptism are received into God’s grace.

They condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism.

Hear, O Israel

“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD: and thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

God commanded His people to listen carefully and hold fast to this truth. The God of Israel was different than the many false gods of the peoples around them. “Jehovah our God, Jehovah is one.” The God of Israel, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (cf. Psalm 2; Isaiah 48:16ff.; Matthew 28:19) is one God – He is the Triune God. In 1 John 5:7, we read: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

Though any who reject the truth that Jehovah God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is one Jehovah do not know and worship the true God, we (by the grace of God) know Him – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But to just know and profess that God is one still comes far short of what God requires of us. It is not enough to just profess and believe that the true God is the Triune God. In James 2:19, we read: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

To worship and believe in the Triune God – Jehovah God – of the Bible is also to love Him with all our heart, soul and strength. It is to treasure His Word in our hearts, to teach His Word to our children, to talk about His Word at all times and to keep His Word continually before our eyes (vv. 5-9; cf. Matthew 22:37; Colossians 3:16; Psalm 119:11; Ephesians 6:4). As we consider who the true God is, we ought also remember how He would have us regard Him and live for Him!

We know who Jehovah God is – the Triune God, three Persons and yet one God – but do we love Him with all our heart, soul and strength? Are we living our lives for Him? Have we studied His Word and kept it in our hearts and before our eyes? Do we speak of Him to our children when we sit in the house, when we walk (or drive) down the road, when we lie down and when we rise up? Our shortcoming and failure is clear. We profess to believe in the true God and to love Him, but our actions reveal the weakness of our faith and the shallowness and absence of our love!

Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah God in the flesh (cf. Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:30ff.; 2:10-11; John 8:58; etc.), so loved us that He went to the cross and died for our sins (cf. Rom. 5:8; Rev. 1:5). He paid in full that we might have pardon and forgiveness and life everlasting! The Bible tells us that “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15). Jesus redeemed us with His holy and precious blood that we might now trust in Him, love Him and serve Him with all our heart, soul and might. He also dwells in us by His Spirit and strengthens us that we might truly worship and serve Jehovah God – the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the one Jehovah, forgive us for our failures to love Thee, keep Thy Word before our eyes continually, and teach our children of Thee. For the sake of Jesus’ holy life and innocent sufferings and death in our stead, pardon our iniquity and sin, and strengthen us that we might live our lives for Thee. Amen.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 131; Acts 12:1-25; Luke 14:1-14. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 9:1ff. Where were Jesus and His disciples? What did Jesus’ disciples ask Him? Why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sin or the sin of his parents? What miracle did Jesus do? How did He do it? On what day did Jesus heal this man? What did the people who knew the man think when they saw the blind man made whole? What did the Pharisees think? What did they do to verify that a miracle had indeed taken place? Why were the parents unwilling to tell all? Are people like this yet today?Did they then believe on Jesus? What did they say of Jesus? How did the healed man answer them? What did they do to the man who was healed? Why? Did Jesus leave this man to suffer alone for the consequences of his witness? What did He reveal to the healed man? How did the healed man respond to Jesus’ words? What did Jesus then say (v. 39)? How are Jesus’ words true today?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who will undergo knee surgery on Sept. 1; Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

The special congregational dinner has been rescheduled for the second Sunday in September (because of Labor Day weekend) to kick off the new Sunday School and Catechism program for the year. Please see the bulletin or next week’s newsletter for more details. A cookout may be in the works.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” Psalm 31:5

[Except where otherwise stated, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE HOUSEHOLDER

Read Matthew 13:51-52

“Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

By the enlightening of the Holy Ghost, Jesus’ disciples were beginning to understand the spiritual truths which Jesus taught in His parables. They had been instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven; so Jesus said, “Every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

Jesus is here comparing a scribe or teacher of God’s Word who was instructed in the truths of God’s kingdom to a householder who brought out both new and old things from his treasure. How true this is! As one, through instruction from God’s Word, grows in his understanding of the kingdom of heaven, he can share from the Scripture more and more insights into God’s kingdom. He can share not only those very basic doctrinal formulations which he learned from the Scriptures; he can share new illustrations of those Scriptural truths and other new things which he has learned from the Word of God. In this way, the Christian teacher brings things new and old out of the storehouse of his knowledge which has been gained through the study of God’s Word.

For this reason, we all continue to search and study the Holy Scriptures, that we may learn more about Jesus Christ and His eternal kingdom, and that we may have more to share with others when we speak to them of God’s Word.

Laymen too can heed the admonition of Paul to Timothy: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (II Timothy 2:15).

Lord of the Church, we humbly pray for those who guide us in the way and speak Thy holy Word. With love divine their hearts inspire and touch their lips with hallowed fire and needful strength afford. Help them to preach the Truth of God, redemption thro’ the Savior’s blood, nor let the Spirit cease on all the Church His gifts to show’r – to them a messenger of pow’r; to us, of life and peace. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #489, Verses 1-2)

My Dear Children

The Omnipresent God

O LORD God, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.” Let me stand in awe of Your greatness, O God, and take comfort in Your presence with me always and in all places. Amen. (Psalm 139:7-10 NKJV)

My Dear Children,

Everything we know is limited to space and time. We can only be present in one place at a time because our bodies are limited by space and time. Our homes, our possessions and everything we know is so limited. The angels are spirits, but they are not able to be present everywhere at the same time. Yet God is omnipresent; that is, present everywhere at all times! Can you understand this or how it can be? I can’t, but I believe it is so because that is what God tells us of Himself in the Bible.

1. The Bible says in Jeremiah 23:24: “‘Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?’ says the LORD; ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the LORD.” Is there anyplace where one can hide from the presence of the LORD? What does the LORD fill?

2. In Isaiah 66:1, the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool.” Where does God say He is present?

3. In Psalm 139:7-10, David writes: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” What is David, by inspiration of God’s Spirit, teaching us about God? Is there anyplace where God is not?

4. Proverbs 15:3 says: “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Is there any place where the LORD God is not present? Is there any place where the LORD God does not see?

5. Read John 1:14-18 (especially verse 18). Was Jesus omnipresent while He lived among us in this world?

6. Read John 1:43-51. Where did Jesus see Nathanael? How did He do this? What did Nathanael believe and confess because of this?

7. Looking again at Psalm 139:7-10 (in question 3 above), is the Holy Spirit present everywhere?

8. Considering what you have just learned about the LORD God, is there any place where you can escape His presence? How is this frightening to us as sinful people? How is this comforting to us as forgiven children of God?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Jeremiah 23:24; Psalm 139:7-10; Proverbs 15:3.

[Scripture for this study taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

The Augsburg Confession

Article VIII: What the Church Is

Although the Church properly is the congregation of saints and true believers, nevertheless, since in this life many hypocrites and evil persons are mingled therewith, it is lawful to use Sacraments administered by evil men, according to the saying of Christ: The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat, etc. (Matt. 23:2). Both the Sacraments and Word are effectual by reason of the institution and commandment of Christ, notwithstanding they be administered by evil men.

They condemn the Donatists, and such like, who denied it to be lawful to use the ministry of evil men in the Church, and who thought the ministry of evil men to be unprofitable and of none effect.

Significant Events in History of Mankind

Being interested in the history which has shaped the present-day world and in historical events which are of significance to all people, I have compiled a brief list of significant events to which all would do well to give heed. They are events about which most – at least in my generation – have heard but which many seem to ignore.

The most significant events in human history are not the rise of the Greek and Roman Empires. They do not include the discovery of the Americas or the formation of the United States. Important inventions or major medical breakthroughs are not on my list, either. Though certainly important, these and other significant events in human history rank small in comparison to the five events which I share with you in the following paragraphs.

The first event, of course, is man’s creation. All else is hinged to this event. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). And on the sixth day, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26-28).

Genesis, chapter two, describes man’s creation in more detail: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (v. 7).

God created man in His own image and likeness. He gave man life, not only physical, but spiritual. Man was created knowing God and God’s perfect will, loving God, trusting Him and seeking God’s honor and glory. Man was perfect and without sin.

Because the LORD God created man, every one of us is responsible to the God who made us and all things. It is a fact we cannot escape even if we deny it.

The second significant event is the fall of man recorded in Genesis, chapter three. This event, too, affects everything. When Adam and Eve doubted God’s Word and disobeyed God’s command, all was changed. Read Genesis three.

Adam and Eve lost their perfect relationship with God. They were afraid of Him, hid from Him and sought to excuse themselves of responsibility for their sin by passing the blame. As a result of their sin, death came into the world – spiritual, physical and eternal. Adam and Eve lost the image of their Maker. Their knowledge of God and His will was darkened. Their love for God, trust in Him and desire to honor Him was gone. Instead, their thoughts and desires were turned in upon themselves and upon their own sinful longings – evil continually (Genesis 6:5; 8:21).

And, of course, this sin infects us all. The Bible tells us: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12; Cf. Psalm 51:5). Each of us, from conception and birth onward, are sinful in that we are self-centered and self-seeking rather than loving God, trusting Him and seeking His will and glory. Indeed, our lives, our families and the world in which we live are in ruins because of our selfishness and sin. Instead of listening to God, we by nature seek our own way and path. And what a mess we’ve made of things! All of creation suffers and is under a curse because of mankind’s sin.

Life, which was meant to be lived without end in fellowship with God our Maker, ends in death. “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). And, as the Bible says, the ultimate end of sinful man is everlasting punishment in the fires of hell prepared for the devil and his evil angels (Matthew 25:41).

The third significant event in man’s history is God’s intervention on our behalf by coming into this world as a man to redeem lost and condemned sinners. God Himself took on human flesh and blood and became true man through the incarnation of the Son of God in the virgin Mary. God the Son, Jesus Christ, became true man, fulfilled all righteousness for us and suffered and died upon the cross, bearing the just penalty for the sins of all mankind, and rose again.

How amazing it is that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son….” (John 3:16)! “Our Lord Jesus Christ … gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Galatians 1:3,4). “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures … He was buried … He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). “He hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6,7).

Because Jesus Christ came into the world, suffered and died for mankind’s sin and rose again, God is gracious toward us and reaches out to us with love and mercy, offering us forgiveness and life everlasting in fellowship with Him! Through faith in Jesus, we can have forgiveness for all our sins and a place in God’s everlasting kingdom!

The fourth history-changing event is the outpouring of God’s Spirit and His gracious working through the Gospel to bring people to true and saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from God’s Spirit, none of us would understand and take hold of the message of the Bible. None of us would see and acknowledge our sinfulness or place our hope and faith in the perfect redemption accomplished for us by Christ Jesus. From the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) to His regenerative work yet today through the preaching and hearing of God’s Word, through the waters of Baptism and through the word and promises connected with the Lord’s Supper, the Spirit of God awakens sinners from spiritual darkness and death to faith in Jesus Christ.

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7).

“And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross” (Colossians 2:10-14).

As man’s fall into sin shaped the history of the world, with nations rising and falling, and people living for themselves and carrying out their own sinful longings, so also the working of the Holy Spirit shaped much in human history, with Christianity spreading around the globe and casting its influence upon governments, thinking and society in general. And, of course, it has shaped for many of us, our history after this world is done.

The fifth and final significant event in history is yet to come but will come just as surely as the first have happened. I speak of the end of this world as we know it and the day of judgment. It is the day “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).

It is the day when all who have turned from their unbelief and sin to faith in Jesus Christ will be received into God’s everlasting kingdom of glory, the day when this world and all the works of it are burned up, and the day when all who have not repented of their evil ways and turned to Christ Jesus will be condemned to everlasting torment in the lake of fire, which is the second death (cf. 2 Peter 3:7-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:11).

This final event will shape all of human history from then forward, for all the impenitent and unbelieving will be forever cast out of God’s kingdom to suffer in hell, and all who have turned to Christ Jesus will dwell forever with the LORD God in a new and perfect creation, never to sin or fall again (Isaiah 65:17ff.; Revelation 20-22).

And what do these significant events mean for us today? Quite simply, it’s time to believe the witness of God’s Word, the Bible, and take it to heart. It’s time to repent and look to Christ Jesus for forgiveness and life! The very reason this sinful world goes on is God’s patience with you and with me. He does not want us to be condemned with the world but to repent and be saved through faith in His Son.

As the Bible says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come….” (2 Peter 3:9,10).

And since the Day of the Lord is coming – perhaps much sooner than most expect – we would be wise to consider these significant historical events recorded for us in the pages of the Bible and place our hope and confidence in the Son! On that day, the rest of human history will matter little.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 50; Acts 11:1-30; Luke 13:22-30. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 9:1ff. Where were Jesus and His disciples? What did Jesus’ disciples ask Him? Why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sin or the sin of his parents? What miracle did Jesus do? How did He do it? On what day did Jesus heal this man? What did the people who knew the man think when they saw the blind man made whole? What did the Pharisees think? What did they do to verify that a miracle had indeed taken place? Why were the parents unwilling to tell all? Are people like this yet today?Did they then believe on Jesus? What did they say of Jesus? How did the healed man answer them? What did they do to the man who was healed? Why? Did Jesus leave this man to suffer alone for the consequences of his witness? What did He reveal to the healed man? How did the healed man respond to Jesus’ words? What did Jesus then say (v. 39)? How are Jesus’ words true today?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who will undergo knee surgery in September; Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

The August evening Bible study has been rescheduled to Wednesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. A light supper is also being planned at 6:20 p.m. for those who wish to come early for a meal.

A special congregational dinner will be held on the first Sunday in September to kick off the new Sunday School and Catechism program for the year. Please see the bulletin or next week’s newsletter for more details.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.” Psalm 119:10

[Except where otherwise stated, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS

Read Matthew 25:31-46

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

On the Last Day, when Jesus Christ returns with all His holy angels to judge the living and the dead, He shall separate the believers and unbelievers from one another as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats, putting the sheep on the right hand and the goats on the left.

The unbelievers, those who have not trusted in Jesus Christ and His innocent sufferings and death for the forgiveness of their sins and everlasting life, will “go away into everlasting punishment.” But those who truly believe that they are forgiven and have eternal life for Jesus’ sake – because Christ died for them and rose again – will go into “life eternal.”

If it is through faith in Christ that one goes to heaven, and if it is through unbelief that one is damned and spends eternity in hell (cf. Mark 16:16), why does Jesus here speak of the works of believers for Him and the lack of works in unbelievers?

Jesus is not saying that those on the right hand go to heaven because of their works; it is only through Christ and His sufferings and death that they are acceptable in God’s sight and are given eternal life (Eph. 1:6-7). But since they have been brought to faith in Christ and are saved by God’s grace, they now love their Lord and Savior and gladly live for Him and serve their fellow-man (cf. Eph. 2:8-10). They – those on the right hand – are not depending on such works to gain God’s favor; they are not even aware of the many times they have served Christ by serving their brethren. Rather they love and serve their brethren because Christ has first loved and served them by winning for them eternal salvation (cf. 1 John 4:9-11,19).

Those who do not have saving faith in Jesus Christ cannot love and serve Him. Even when they outwardly perform many of the same charitable works as Christians, they are not done for Christ; for “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6).

O Jesus, who my debt didst pay and for my sin wast smitten, within the Book of Life, oh, may my name be also written! I will not doubt; I trust in Thee, from Satan Thou hast made me free and from all condemnation. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #611, Verse 5)

“Mark of a Believer”

“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8:47

Many claim to be believers and disciples of Jesus, but a mark of a true believer is that he hears and believes God’s words. A believer has a desire to hear God’s Word, to read and study the Bible, and he accepts and believes God’s Word in all that it says.

The unbeliever, on the other hand, does not hear and accept the Word of God. He has no real desire to hear God’s Word preached and proclaimed or to read and study the Scriptures. And when the words of God say and teach something contrary to his own belief or opinion, he questions God’s Word or attempts to explain in away.

Why is that so? Jesus explains: “Ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” In fact, just a few verses earlier, Jesus told those who did not believe and accept the truth He proclaimed and which is taught in the Scriptures: “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not” (John 8:43-45). Jesus simply told His hearers the facts. They didn’t receive Jesus’ word because they were of their father the devil. As the devil brought about the spiritual ruin and death of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with his lies and deception (Genesis 3), so the devil deceived Jesus’ hearers who were convinced they were God’s children by virtue of their descent from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Of course, the same is true today. Until God’s Spirit opens up and enlightens one’s heart and soul, the Word of God remains a closed book. People may hear and believe the historical accounts – they may even believe they are God’s children by virtue of their upbringing, works or their church membership – but they cannot grasp the Bible’s message of sin and guilt and of God’s mercy, forgiveness and pardon in Christ Jesus. Until a person is born of God, he is the spiritual offspring of the devil and his death-bringing deception (cf. John 1:9-13).

It is as Jesus said: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44); “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63); and “No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:65).

St. Paul also writes: “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 12:3); and “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

By nature – by our natural birth – everyone of us is a child of the devil. We are born into this world in spiritual darkness and death. God’s Word is a closed book to us. We are deceived by our own wicked hearts (cf. Jeremiah 17:9). When God’s Word is preached or read, we may hear the words but we do not grasp their true meaning and we are unwilling to accept the truth the Bible proclaims.

But when the Spirit of God, working through Word and Sacrament, regenerates us, opens up our hearts and teaches us the truth, we begin to truly hear God’s words and accept and believe them (cf. Titus 3:4-7; Colossians 2:12). The Bible tells us: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). And when we are children of God, God’s Spirit dwells in us and gives us the desire to hear God’s Word. He teaches us the truth and moves us to humbly believe and accept it.

Even as Christians, born again of God’s Spirit through the “washing of water by the word” (Ephesians 5:26), we still have, until we die, our old sinful nature which wants nothing of God’s Word and the truth. But the Spirit of God, who dwells in our hearts, is at work as well, creating in us a new nature which loves God, desires to hear His Word and gladly believes and accepts its truth. And that same Spirit, working through the Word, continually assures our hearts of God’s mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus and His blood shed for us upon the cross. He assures us that for Jesus’ sake, we are indeed God’s children and have a place with Him in heaven. He assures us that, as Jesus was raised up from the dead on third day, so we will be raised up on the Last Day with a glorified and sin-free body to dwell with our Lord and Savior forevermore.

May God graciously grant us His Spirit and open up our hearts and minds to His Word that we might hear and believe the truth, that in Christ Jesus we sinners have full pardon and life eternal. Amen.

My Dear Children

Who Is the Almighty God?

“Ah, LORD God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Graciously grant us an understanding of Your almighty power that we might never doubt and lose hope, but trust You in all things. Amen.

My Dear Children,

The God we worship and serve is not limited in strength and power even though we often doubt that He can help in every situation and we fail to trust in Him to hear and answer all our prayers. Our God is almighty – that is, He has limitless power and strength. There is nothing that He cannot do, whether it be great or small! Have you stopped to think about this?

1. The Bible says in Jeremiah 32:17: “Ah, LORD God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” What did God create? How did He do it? Read Hebrews 11:3 and Genesis 1:1ff.

2. Nehemiah 9:6 says: “You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.” If God created all things in six days by His word and still preserves all things (keeps them going) by that same word, is there anything that God cannot do?

3. In Genesis 17:1, God, speaking to Abraham, said: “I am almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” What does God call himself? What does this mean?

4. When the angel Gabriel was speaking to Mary and telling her that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus, he also told her: “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). When Jesus was speaking to His disciples about how hard it will be for a rich man to be saved, His disciples wondered who then could be saved (Matthew 19:25). Jesus told them: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Again, can God do what is impossible to us? Is there anything that God cannot do?

5. List five examples from the Old Testament and five examples from the New Testament where God did what is impossible to man.

6. In Hebrews 1:1,2,3, we read: “God…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Through whom did God create the worlds? Who is the express image of God’s person? Who upholds all things by the word of his power? What is this saying about Jesus? Is He almighty?

7. Read Genesis 1:1-2 and Psalm 33:6. Was the Holy Spirit active in creating the world and all things? Read Titus 3:5 and John 3:5. Who causes us to be born again and trust in Jesus as our Savior? Is this a mighty working of God in us? What does this tell us about the Holy Spirit?

8. If God is almighty, can He punish those who reject Him and disobey Him with everlasting punishment? Can He work faith in our hearts through His Word, save us, and give us everlasting life in a new heavens and earth?

9. What confidence can we have when we go to God in prayer? Is He able to hear? Is He always able to help?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; 1 Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 1 John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; 1 John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Jeremiah 32:17; Genesis 17:1; Luke 1:37.

[Scripture for this study taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

The Augsburg Confession

Article VII: Of the Church

Also they teach that one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered.

And to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. Nor is it necessary that human traditions, that is, rites or ceremonies, instituted by men, should be everywhere alike. As Paul says: One faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, etc. Eph. 4:5-6.

[Editor's Note: a reading of the Lutheran Confessions makes clear that the statement “to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments” is not to be viewed in a narrow sense of the Gospel, as though it is only necessary to agree concerning Christ's death on the cross for all sin. The word Gospel is here used in a wider sense, indicating, as the context reveals, Christians submit to and accept all that the Word of God teaches and they administer Baptism and the Lord's Supper in accord with Christ's command. On the other hand, it is not necessary that Christians agree in human traditions, rites and ceremonies instituted by men. Thus, Christians may use different forms of worship and observe a variety of different traditions and rites and still be one. But a mark of the Church – the place where we expect to find true believers – is where all the divine truth revealed in the Scriptures is accepted, believed, preached and proclaimed.]

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 119:81-88; Acts 10:1-48; Luke 12:49-56. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 8:33ff. Who is a servant of sin? Can we claim to be good Christians or Lutherans and not in bondage to sin? Who alone can set us free? How? Cf. Genesis 21 and Galatians 4. How alone can we have a place in God’s everlasting kingdom? How were Jesus’ hearers of their father, the devil? What works were they doing? What would Jesus’ hearers do if they were truly born of God? Why could they not understand Jesus’ words? Could any convince or convict Jesus of sin? What is a mark of a believer or true disciple of Jesus? Why did Jesus’ hearers not truly hear God’s Word? How should we take all this to heart and apply it to ourselves?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who will undergo knee surgery in September; Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families, for Christians who are alone and have no congregation, and for our adopted soldiers. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

The Church Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 18, in the church.

The August evening Bible study has been rescheduled to Wednesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. A light supper is also being planned at 6:20 p.m. for those who wish to come early for a meal.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.” Psalm 119:81

[Except where otherwise stated, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE TALENTS

Read Matthew 25:14-30

“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We do not know when our Lord Jesus Christ will return. That Day could be very soon, or it may be many years from now. What are we to be doing while we await the return of our Lord and Savior, who died upon the cross to redeem us from sin, death and the power of the devil? With the parable of the talents, Jesus teaches us that we are to be faithfully serving Him and carrying on the work of His kingdom until He returns.

All of us, as Christians, have been given talents, abilities and spiritual gifts to use in carrying on the Lord’s work until He returns on the Last Day (I Peter 4:10; Rom. 12:4ff.). Whatever our gift, talent or ability is, we are to faithfully use it for the Lord and for the upbuilding of His kingdom and Church. We have also been entrusted with the Word of God; this we are to faithfully use and proclaim. Since Christ Jesus suffered and died upon the cross to redeem us and make us children of God, He expects us to respond to His gracious gift of salvation by living our lives for Him; and, as a fruit of our faith, we also desire to do this (2 Cor. 5:15; 1 John 4:19ff.).

When Jesus returns on the Last Day to take to heaven all who trust in Him alone, He will examine our faithfulness. We are His stewards, having been entrusted with His Word and with gifts and abilities to use for the work of His kingdom. “It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). If, as a result of our faith in Christ as Savior, we faithfully serve Him, we will be graciously rewarded with greater opportunity for service when we enter the joy of our Lord in heaven. If we are found to be unfaithful servants who cared to do nothing for our Lord, we will lose not only what has been entrusted to us, but eternal life as well; for such unfaithfulness is the denial of true faith in Jesus Christ as Savior (cf. John 15:1-6).

O God of mercy, God of might, in love and pity infinite, teach us, as ever in Thy sight, to live our life to Thee. …And may Thy Holy Spirit move all those who live to live in love till Thou shalt greet in heaven above all those who live to Thee. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #439, Verses 1,6)

“Continue in the Word”

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

Where can we find the truth? How can we know and be assured of forgiveness for all our sins and a place in God’s everlasting kingdom? Jesus answers those very questions when He said to the Jews who believed on Him: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Like the Jews of Jesus’ day, we may not think of ourselves as slaves and servants of sin? We may not consider ourselves bound by anything because of our religious upbringing. But Jesus says otherwise. He tells us that all who commit sin are the servants of sin, and that the servants of sin will not abide in the house forever – only the Son (v. 34-35). As Ishmael was cast out and Isaac received the inheritance, so it is only the sons of the kingdom who will receive the eternal inheritance of heaven (cf. Genesis 21 and Galatians 4).

As servants and slaves of sin – conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity (Psalm 51), whose hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), and who are inclined to evil continually (Genesis 6:5; 8:21) – we cannot free ourselves or make atonement for our own wickedness (cf. Psalm 49:7-9). Only the Son can set us free and give us a place in His eternal kingdom. And this He did when He bore the guilt and punishment of our sin, suffered and died in our stead, and then rose again on the third day (cf. John 3:14-18; 1 John 2:1-2).

Jesus urges us to continue in His Word that we might know the truth and that the truth might make us free. It is in His Word that we learn the truth. We see our sinfulness and the hopelessness of our condition. But we also see Jesus, God’s Son and our Savior, who fulfilled all righteousness for us and on the cross paid in full the just punishment for our sins and the sins of the whole world. We see that for Jesus’ sake, God is merciful, forgiving and accepts us as His own dear children (Eph. 1:6-7). We see Him reach out to us with love and forgiveness and offer us son-ship and a place in His eternal kingdom.

When we continue in Jesus’ Word and are His disciples, the Holy Ghost, working through that Word, reveals to us Jesus and all He has done for us. The Holy Spirit assures us of forgiveness, son-ship and life in Jesus’ name – of a place in heaven. When we continue in Jesus’ Word – the Bible – the Holy Spirit will reveal to us the truth about ourselves and about Jesus our Savior, and that truth will set us free. Through faith in Christ Jesus, we are forgiven sons of God and free indeed!

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

Grant, O Lord Jesus, that we might continue in Your life-giving Word, learn the truth and be made free through faith in You as our God and Savior. We ask this for the sake of Your blood shed upon the cross for our sins. Amen.

My Dear Children

Who Is the Eternal God?

O Eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, before anything else was, You were there. And, even when all that we now know passes away, You will still be. Without beginning and without end, You always have been and always will be the Living God. Open up our hearts and minds and give us an understanding of Your Word that we may receive its truths by faith. Amen.

My Dear Children,

Everything we know in this world has a beginning and an end. Days begin and days end. We buy something that is new, but eventually it becomes old and is discarded. We start school and we finish school, We start a job and, one way or another, we finish our work. We ourselves are born and sooner or later we die. Yet God is different. He had no beginning. He always has been God! He has no end. He always will be God! This is hard for us to grasp with our limited understanding, but it is what God has revealed to us about Himself. Consider His Word.

1. Psalm 90:1-2 says: “LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” Who has been there and sustained mankind throughout all our generations? Who is God “from everlasting to everlasting”?

2. In Deuteronomy 33:27, the Scriptures say: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” What does this passage say about God? Who upholds us and cares for us all the time? How long will He be there for us?

3. Read Hebrews 1:10-12 (Psalm 102:25-27). What will happen to the present heavens and earth? Who was there before the heavens and earth were created? Who will remain after they are dissolved?

4. Read Exodus 3:1-16. By what name does God reveal Himself to Moses? What does this name mean? The name “Jehovah” (LORD) comes from this name. How long was this God’s name? How long will it be God’s name?

5. Read John 8:56-58. What did Jesus say about Himself? Was Jesus the living God in the days of Abraham (approximately 1800 to 1900 years before the birth of Jesus)? Did Abraham see Him? See Genesis 18:1ff.

6. Read John 1:1-5. Who is the Word in these verses? Cf. v. 14-18. Was the Word there in the beginning? Read Revelation 1:8, 9-18. Jesus died once for our sins. Will He ever die again?

7. Read Hebrews 9:14. What is the Holy Spirit here called?

8. Can you think of anyone else, or anything else, that is eternal? Can you comprehend what it means to be eternal? Describe it.

9. Was God created? Was God the Father created? Was God the Son created? Was God the Spirit created? If God (or any Person of the Trinity) was created, would He be eternal?

10. Was there ever a time when God was not? Will there ever be a time when God is not? If so, would God be eternal?

11. When God threatens to punish the evil angels and unbelieving people with everlasting torment in hell, can He do it? When He promises everlasting life to all who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus as their Savior, can He do this too?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Psalm 90:1-2; Deuteronomy 33:27; Revelation 1:8

Scripture Taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1994 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Augsburg Confession

Article VI: Of New Obedience.

Also they teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruits, and that it is necessary to do good works commanded by God, because of God’s will, but that we should not rely on those works to merit justification before God. For remission of sins and justification is apprehended by faith, as also the voice of Christ attests: When ye shall have done all these things, say: We are unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10). The same is also taught by the Fathers. For Ambrose says: It is ordained of God that he who believes in Christ is saved, freely receiving remission of sins, without works, by faith alone.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 33; Acts 9:32-43; Luke 12:22-40. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 8:23ff. Who did Jesus say He was, and from where did He come? Why did Jesus say to the Pharisees and Jews that they would die in their sins? How is this true yet today? Who will die in their sins? Where did Jesus get his words and doctrine? Whose words are Jesus’ words? When would they recognize that Jesus was doing the will of His Father in heaven and speaking the words of God? What was Jesus saying about His work here in this world? What had He come into this world to do? Cf. John 3:14ff. Who was with Jesus? Whose will was Jesus doing here in this world? What did Jesus say to those Jews who believed on Him? How are these words applicable to you and to me today? How can we be disciples of Jesus yet today? How can and should we continue in His Word? What will the result be? Who works through that Word? What does He reveal to us in the Word? Who is a servant of sin? Can we claim to be good Christians or Lutherans and not in bondage to sin? Who alone can set us free? How? Cf. Genesis 21 and Galatians 4. How alone can we have a place in God’s everlasting kingdom?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families, for Christians who are alone and have no congregation, and for our adopted soldiers. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

Due to a scheduling conflict, the August evening Bible study will be rescheduled and announced on Sunday and in next week’s newsletter.

The Church Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 18, in the church.

“The Word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” Psalm 33:4

[Except where otherwise stated, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE TEN VIRGINS

Read Matthew 25:1-13

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

Are you ready for Jesus Christ to return on the Last Day? Jesus told this parable to admonish us to be watchful and ready at all times for His return.

Jesus here compares the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins who “took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.” The wise virgins took extra oil for their lamps so that they would be ready even if the “bridegroom tarried.” The foolish took only the oil in their lamps and did not consider the possibility that their lamps would go out before the bridegroom arrived. As a result, these foolish virgins were not prepared and ready when the bridegroom came; and they did not enter with the bridegroom into the marriage feast.

With this parable, Jesus warns us against being foolishly unprepared for His return on the Last Day. It is foolish for us who believe in Christ today to fall asleep and not be watching for His return. It is foolish not to have our faith continually nourished and kept burning through the regular use of the Word of God and the Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper). If we do not make such provision through the continued use of the Word of God in our homes and Word and Sacrament in our church, we may find our lamps empty and gone out at Jesus’ coming.

Those who have no living, saving faith in Jesus Christ when He returns in Judgment will be shut out of heaven, for it will be too late to rekindle faith at that time! But those who have wisely provided oil for their lamps – those who continue to nourish their faith by remembering their Baptism, using the Word of God, and receiving the Body and Blood of Christ given and shed for the remission of sins, that the Holy Ghost may through these keep their faith burning and assure them of forgiveness for all their sins and of life everlasting for Jesus’ sake – will enter into heaven with Jesus and enjoy its blessings forever (cf. Revelation 19:7-9; 21:24).

With my lamp well trimmed and burning, swift to hear and slow to roam, watching for Thy glad returning to restore me to my home. Come, my Savior, Come, my Savior, O my Savior, quickly come. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #606, Verse 4)

“Don’t Die in Your Sins”

What a terrible thing to die in your sins – to die and stand before the holy Judge of all, still bearing the uncleanness and guilt of your sins! Yet, this is what was soon to happen to a great many of the Jews in Jesus’ day. Jesus warned them, “I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come” (John 8:21).

Because so many of His Jewish hearers saw no need to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, they would die in their sins and face the eternal wrath and condemnation of God. Where Jesus was going – to be glorified at the right hand of God the Father in heaven (cf. John 14:1ff.; Eph. 2:20f.) – they would not be able to come! Instead, they faced a Christless eternity and the everlasting torments of hell!

Again, Jesus warned them, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).

Jesus’ words still ring out today! Many are headed to an eternity of everlasting punishment for their sins. Unless people repent and turn to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who was lifted up upon the cross to suffer and die there for us and bear the full punishment for our sins and the sins of the whole world, they will die in their sins and come before the holy God in their own uncleanness and guilt to be judged and condemned to hell forever! Apart from faith in Jesus, people will die in their sins.

What about you? Will you die in the guilt of your sins and face the eternal wrath of an angry God? Or, will you, by the grace of God, turn to Jesus and receive His full and complete forgiveness for your sins and enjoy the everlasting blessings of life in heaven with Him?

The Bible tells us: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

Jesus has already died and paid in full for your sins. His resurrection on the third day is proof that God accepted His death as full payment for the sins of the world (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3, 4; Rom. 4:25)!

Why die in your sins and be condemned of God? Trust in Jesus and His shed blood and be saved! (Cf. 2 Cor. 5:19-6:2.)

O dearest Jesus, have mercy upon our wayward hearts and draw us to You that we might not enter into eternity bearing the guilt of our sins and standing condemned, but having instead the assurance of forgiveness for all our sins and life everlasting for the sake of Your holy and precious blood, shed for us upon the cross. Amen.

My Dear Children

O Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You have created us and all things and desire that we know You, trust You and glorify You. You have revealed Yourself to us in Your holy Word, the Bible. Open up our hearts and minds to understand Your Word and learn of You. Amen.

My Dear Children,

You believe in God and worship Him, but do you know who He is? Take a moment and think about it. What do you know about the God you worship and serve? How can you learn of Him?

If you go to an art museum and look at the paintings, what can you learn about the people who painted them? If one artist’s work is simple in composition and lacks any detail, what might that tell you about the artist? If a painting is well composed, has a beautiful blend of complimentary colors and fine detail, what might this tell you of the artist?

Now, look at God’s artwork. Look at the heavens, the sky, the stars, the moon, the planets. Look at the oceans, the lakes, the rivers. Look at the fields, the woods and even the deserts. Look at a leaf, a flower, a butterfly. Look at your own body and how it is designed and works. What does all this tell you about God?

The Bible says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork…..” (Psalm 19:1). What can you learn about God if you look up at the sky or into the heavens? Psalm 139:14 says: “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” What can you learn about God from the intricacies of your own body and soul? Could any of this just happen by chance? Or, did an all-wise and all-powerful God make you and all things?

Do you think it is wrong to commit murder, to hurt other people, to steal, to lie, etc.? Why? How do you feel when you hurt someone else? When you disobey your parents? When you tell a lie? Why is that? How do you feel when you help someone in need? When you tell the truth? When you do what your parents or teachers ask you to do? The Bible says: “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another….” (Romans 2:14-15). Even people who do not have God’s Word know in their hearts that it is good to help others, tell the truth, and not hurt others or murder and steal. When they do wrong, their consciences bother and accuse them. They feel guilty and are afraid of God’s judgment. When they do right, their consciences excuse them and they feel good about what they have done. This is because God’s laws are written in their hearts, and they know, deep down in their hearts, that God will one day be their Judge.

While we can, from God’s creation and from our own consciences, learn many things about God and His will (Natural Knowledge of God), God has also revealed Himself to man in His Word, the Bible (Revealed Knowledge of God). In the Bible God tells us about Himself (Read all of Psalm 19).

Over the centuries, people, because they know there is a god, have worshiped and served many different gods and many different ideas of God. But who is the true God and what does He tell us of Himself?

Please consider the following questions and the answers given in God’s Word, the Bible:

1. In Isaiah 44:6, God says: “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” In 1 Corinthians 8:4, we read: “There is none other God but one.” How many true Gods are there? Were there ever any other true gods beside the LORD God of the Bible? Will there ever be another true god?

2. In Deuteronomy 6:4, God says: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” How many Gods is the LORD God (Jehovah God) of the Bible?

3. When Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize people in God’s name, He said: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost….” (Matthew 28:19). If the LORD God is one God, why did Jesus command His disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”? How many Persons are in this one God? Who are these Persons? Cf. 2 Corinthians 13:14 and 1 Peter 1:2.

We speak of the God of the Bible as the Triune God. You will not find the word “triune” in the Bible, but it simply means that God is the Tri (three)-Une (one) God. This is certainly taught throughout the Bible. God is One God, and God is Three Persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).

4. 1 John 5:7 reads: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” What does this passage of Scripture teach us about the Triune God.

5. Look up and read Isaiah 48:16-17. Can you find the Trinity (three Persons) in this passage? How? Who is speaking? Who sent Him?

6. Read John 1:1-3. Who is the Word (cf. John 1:14, 18)? Who was already in the beginning? Who was and is God? Who created all things?

7. Read 1 Corinthians 3:16. Whose temple are we? Who dwells in us? Is the Holy Spirit God?

8. Read Genesis 1:1-2. Was the Holy Spirit present in creation? Was He there already in the beginning?

9. Read Hebrews 9:14 and 1 Peter 4:14. What do these passages teach us about the Holy Spirit?

10. Read John 3:18, 36; 5:23; 14:6; 1 John 2:23; 5:11-12. Can a person worship and serve the true God if they do not believe in Jesus as God the Son and their Savior? What if they do not believe that the Holy Spirit is true God with the Father and the Son? Cf. the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds (in your hymnal).

11. Some organizations and religions do not believe that the only way to serve God is through saving faith in Jesus Christ. Do they worship and serve the true God when they believe and teach this? What are some examples of such groups?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; 1 Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 1 John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18, 36; 5:23; 14:6; 1 John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Isaiah 44:6; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19.

The Augsburg Confession

Article V: Of the Ministry.

That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake.

They condemn the Anabaptists and others who think that the Holy Ghost comes to men without the external Word, through their own preparations and works.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 100; Acts 9:1-31; Luke 12:13-21. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 8:1ff. Who did the scribes and Pharisees bring before Jesus when He was teaching at the temple? Why did they bring her? How was their question like a double-edged sword? Cf. What did the Law of Moses require? What did the law of the Romans forbid? What did Jesus do? Do we know what He wrote? What did Jesus finally say when the woman’s accusers pressed Him for an answer? What happened? Why? Who was left to throw the first stone? Would Jesus have been justified in so doing? Why? What did He do instead? What admonition did He add? Why? What comfort can you draw from this passage of God’s Word? What did Jesus mean when He called Himself the Light of the world? Cf. John 1:1-14; Psalm 119:105, 130; Psalm 36:9; 1 John 1:1ff. How can we have the light of life? What does this mean? How did the Pharisees answer Jesus’ claim? What proof did Jesus offer that His testimony was true? Where did Jesus speak these words? Why did no one arrest Jesus?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families, for Christians who are alone and have no congregation, and for our adopted soldiers. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

The August evening Bible study will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 11. The Bible study will begin at 7 p.m. A light supper will be held at 6:20 p.m. for those who choose to come early.

The Church Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 18, in the church.

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Psalm 119:130

[Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Matthew 6:5-8

Prayer is not to be a show of religious piety but the sincere communication of the heart and soul to God the Father. Jesus urges His followers to quietly and, in the privacy of their own homes, pour out their hearts before the LORD God, trusting in Him to mercifully hear and answer their prayers. Those who make a show of their prayers to be seen by men have their only reward, but those who pray to God in secret will be heard by God in secret and rewarded openly.

Nor are Christians to use vain or empty repetitions in their prayers, as the heathen do, thinking that God will hear and answer their prayers because of their many words. Jesus teaches us that God desires the prayers of our heart and not empty words uttered by our lips. Thus the mere repetition of prayers will merit us nothing before God and are not really even prayer at all! Rather, Christians are invited by God to come before Him with their petitions and thanksgiving, trusting that He indeed will hear and answer us for the sake of Jesus and His atoning sacrifice upon the cross for the sins of the world (cf. 1 John 5:11-15).

It is not our many words or our religious piety which persuade God to hear and answer our prayers. Rather, it is His love and mercy toward us for Jesus’ sake that moves Him to reach out to us and invite us to come humbly before Him with our prayers and petitions, knowing and believing that He will hear us and grant what is best for us as His dear children through faith in Christ Jesus. And, as Jesus says, our Father knows the things we need before we even ask them of Him.

Dear Father in heaven, we thank You for Your grace and mercy toward us for Jesus’ sake, and we thank You for the privilege of coming before You in prayer. Move us to come before You in humility, trusting that You will hear and receive us for the sake of Jesus and His blood shed for us on Calvary. Amen.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” Matthew 6:9

The Lord’s Prayer is perhaps the most misused prayer in all the world. People recite its words – sometimes repeatedly – with little or no thought as to what the prayer really asks of God. Instead of being a sincere prayer of the heart, it is often only empty words uttered from the lips.

When we remember that Jesus tells us, when we pray, to “not use vain repetitions as the heathen do” (Matthew 6:7), we would do well to consider the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer and take the time to pray through it with our hearts and minds and not just recite its words thoughtlessly.

We pray to “our Father in heaven.”

What a privilege it is for us to address the Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth, as “our Father”! But that is what He is to us – our Father. Not only did He create each and every one of us, He also redeemed each and every one of us from our own sin and rebellion by sending His only-begotten Son to fulfill all righteousness for us and to suffer and die for all our sins.

As believers in Christ Jesus, we sinners have the privilege of addressing God as “our Father” and can be assured that He has forgiven us and will both hear and answer our prayers for Jesus’ sake.

The Bible tells us in Galatians 3:26-27: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Hebrews 10:19-22 says, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

In 1 John 5:13-15, we also read: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

Because Christ Jesus suffered and died upon the cross for the sins of all and then rose again and ascended to the right hand of God the Father to intercede for us with His blood and be our Advocate before the Father, we can come boldly before the holy LORD God and He will hear us!

Is any petition too large when coming before the Maker of all things? Is any request too small for a God who has given such great attention to even the most minute detail?

What a privilege we have to be able to call God, the Maker of heaven and earth, our Father! And we can call Him just that and know that He, as our loving Father in heaven, will hear and answer all our prayers for the sake of His Son, Christ Jesus, who suffered and died for all our sins and rose again.

Dear Father in heaven, we thank You for Your love and mercy toward us and for the gift of Your Son to redeem us and make us Your own children through faith in Him. We thank You for the privilege of calling You “our Father” and for Your promise to hear and answer our prayers for Jesus’ sake. In His name we pray. Amen.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” Matthew 6:9

And what should be our first request, as Jesus here teaches us to pray? “Hallowed be Your name.”

Hallowed means to keep holy and set apart. We might ask, “Isn’t God’s name already holy?” And, most certainly it is. What then do we ask of the LORD God when we ask that His name be kept holy?

We ask that His name be kept holy among us and in our lives. In this petition we ask God to let all we think, say and do bring glory and honor to His holy name. We ask that we would live in such a way that we do not dishonor His holy name and drag it down with us into the mud of sin.

It brings God glory and hallows His name when we humbly believe His Word, acknowledge our sinfulness and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior. (cf. Ephesians 1:3-14).

Isaiah the prophet wrote (Isaiah 8:13): “The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.”

Instead of looking to ourselves, other gods and other people or things for help, we are to look to the LORD God and place our trust in Him.

God Himself says to us in Psalm 50:15: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 23:28, 31: “‘The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?’ says the LORD… ‘Behold, I am against the prophets,’ says the LORD, who use their tongues and say, He says.’“

Thus, we learn that it brings honor to the name of the LORD God when we are faithful to His holy Word in our teaching, preaching and in our witness for Him. It dishonors the LORD when we preach our own words, ideas and opinions and attribute it to Him.

We pray in this petition of the Lord’s prayer that all we think, speak and do may bring glory to our Father in heaven – that His name would indeed be kept holy among us.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” May we bring Him glory!

Our dear Father in heaven, Your name is indeed holy of itself. Grant that we would keep it holy among us also and not misuse it. Let us bring glory to You and Your holy name by acknowledging our sin and trusting in Your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, for forgiveness and life everlasting. And grant that we might live for You here in this world until we join You in heaven in Christ’s eternal kingdom. Amen.

“Your kingdom come.” Matthew 6:10a

Even though God is patient and long suffering with the people of this world, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9), He already rules over all things and the day is coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Ephesians 1:19-23; Philippians 2:10-11). And so, we might wonder, why does Jesus direct us to pray to the Father: “Your kingdom come”?

Jesus here directs us to pray that His kingdom of mercy and grace would come to each of us and to people all over the world. Messiah Jesus was lifted up on the cross and crucified to pay the full penalty for our sins against God the Father – He died for the sins of the whole world and rose again from the dead on the third day. But, in spite of that fact, we would go on our merry way in ignorance of the import and meaning of what took place on that Roman cross outside of Jerusalem.

Of ourselves, we cannot enter God’s kingdom or be a part of it. As Jesus says, we must be born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:3ff.). And so Jesus directs His followers to pray for God’s kingdom to come – for God the Holy Spirit to graciously regenerate us through water and the Word and keep us trusting in Jesus and His shed blood for forgiveness and life everlasting. In this way, with childlike faith in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice, we are God’s children and a part of His eternal kingdom. The Bible tells us: “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26, 27).

Not only do we pray that God’s gracious kingdom would come to us, but that it would come to others also. We pray that people, both near and far, would hear the good news of salvation through faith in God’s Son and that they would turn from their sinful and rebellious ways and trust in Jesus and His shed blood for forgiveness and life.

Jesus Himself was moved with compassion on the multitudes of people around Him because they were weary and scattered abroad as sheep without a shepherd. He tells us: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).

Finally, we are directed to pray for Jesus’ coming and the establishment of God’s everlasting kingdom. As the Scriptures teach us, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21). We look forward to the day of Jesus’ return in hope and longing for the blessings of His eternal kingdom (cf. Romans 8:22-23), and so we pray: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:21).

Dear Father in heaven, graciously grant that Your kingdom would come to us – that we might have a place in Your kingdom for the sake of the Son, Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice upon the cross for our sins. Grant that others too, both near and far, may learn of Your mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus and trust in Him. And, dear Father, as You have promised, come and reign over us forever through Your only begotten Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. In His name, we pray. Amen.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10b

In heaven, all live in accord with God’s perfect and holy will.

The psalmist writes: “Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure” (Psalm 103:20-21).

On earth, since the fall of mankind into sin which is recorded in Genesis 3, it is not so; but man, as he is by nature, rebels against God’s perfect will and seeks to go his own way. Again, the Bible tells us: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

Jesus, in the prayer which He has taught us to pray, directs us to pray that God’s will be done on earth – in our own lives – as it is in heaven! And what is God’s will? We find His perfect will recorded for us in the Holy Scriptures; and so, God would have us faithfully believe and teach God’s Word and live according to it, submitting our will to His perfect will for us.

Though Jesus, God’s Son, faithfully carried out the will of His Father in heaven, even praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42), and being “obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8), we, on the other hand, so often say with our words and actions, “Not Your will, but mine be done!”

Christ Jesus died for our sins and rose again from the grave, and He would have all of us repent of our rebellion against God and His will and submit to Him, trusting in His shed blood for forgiveness and life, and, as a fruit of faith in Him, seek to conform our lives to His. This He desires for all mankind (cf. 1 Timothy 2:3-6).

Thus we pray: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Dear Father in heaven, I am by nature sinful and rebellious. I have not lived in accord with Your holy and perfect will. Forgive my sin for Jesus’ sake. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and grant me both the desire and the strength to live in accord with Your perfect will. “Not my will, but Yours, be done”! “Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Amen.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11

Though the LORD God provides for the needs of both believer and unbeliever, God desires that we look to Him and trust in Him to provide us with food, clothing, and all we need day by day. As the Gospel of Luke says, “Give us day by day our daily bread” (11:3).

God taught His children that very thing when He led them out of Egypt and into the wilderness. When they needed food, He provided them with manna from heaven, sufficient for all to eat. But He also commanded them to gather only enough for each day.

When some disobeyed His commandment and gathered more than needed for a single day, the leftover manna bred worms and stunk on the next morning. On the day preceding the Sabbath, God commanded that they gather enough for two days; and it did not spoil as on other days. Again, when some did not listen and went out on the Sabbath to gather manna, there was none. Cf. Exodus 16.

Thus, God taught His people, who had grumbled and complained because they needed food in the wilderness, to trust Him each day for their daily bread.

Moses told the people: “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3).

God even let His people suffer hunger that He might teach them to look to Him for their daily bread, and to His Word for their very life!

The Bible teaches us that we should be satisfied if we have the food and clothing needed for each day. Paul wrote to Timothy: “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1 Timothy 6:8).

Yet we are often fearful if we do not have our needs supplied for months, or even years, in advance. Jesus would have us trust our heavenly Father and look to Him to meet all our needs each and every day of our lives. He would not have us worry about what we will eat, what we will drink, or what we will wear. Rather, He would have us, in faith, turn to Him who knows our every need and so graciously provides (cf. Matthew 6:25-34).

Indeed, He may even let the cupboards be bare and the closets be empty to teach us to trust Him day by day. God would have us cast all our care upon Him, for He cares for us (cf. 1 Peter 5:7).

And thus, Jesus teaches us to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Dear Father in heaven, we look to You to provide each day our daily bread. Keep us from worry or complaint and teach us to trust You to care for our every need, day by day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:12

The Bible teaches us that “there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20); and that even our best “righteousnesses are like filthy rags” in His sight (Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, our greatest need from God the Father is His mercy and forgiveness; and so we ask that He would not look upon our sins and failures to keep His commandments but forgive our sins for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death for us upon the cross. Like the tax collector who knew his own sinfulness and shortcomings and would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, we also say, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).

Because God’s own dear Son, Messiah Jesus, took our sins upon Himself and bore our punishment when He suffered and died upon the cross in our stead, God is merciful and forgiving toward us.

The Bible tells us: “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You” (Psalm 86:5); “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared” (Psalm 130:3, 4); and, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness … And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 1:8-9; 2:1, 2). It is because of Jesus, who suffered and died for our sins and rose again, that we can confidently come before God the Father and seek His mercy and forgiveness, saying, “Forgive us our sins” (Luke 11:4).

God has graciously provided atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world in His Son. “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12).

Because God has been merciful to us and has forgiven us all our sins for the sake of His Son, we also promise to forgive those who have sinned against us. We pray that God would forgive us “as we forgive our debtors.”

The Bible calls upon us to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). When we consider and remember our own unworthiness to be shown mercy, and the great debt of sin which our heavenly Father has forgiven each of us for Jesus’ sake, certainly we can also share and extend that mercy and kindness toward others who have sinned against us!

When Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive his brother who sins against him, suggesting up to seven times, Jesus said to Peter: “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21, 22; cf. verses 23ff.). Jesus also said, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Dear Father in heaven, graciously forgive us all our sins against You for the sake of Jesus and His blood shed for us upon the cross, and move us also to extend Your grace and mercy to others by forgiving those who have trespassed against us. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13a

The Bible clearly tells us: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:13-14). Therefore, we are not, in this petition of the prayer which the Lord Jesus has taught us, asking God not to tempt us; for He “cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”

Rather, since we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own sinful longings and desires, we ask our Father in heaven to lead us in such a way through our daily lives that we are not tempted – to be lead on such a path where we are kept safe and protected from our own sinful longings as well as from the enticements which the devil and the world put before us.

The Bible also assures us: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Though God does not send temptation to evil, he does permit temptations to come. Yet, He limits the temptations and provides us a way out so that we may be able to endure and overcome them. Thus, we ask our heavenly Father to lead us in such a way that, when temptation does come, He would lead us safely through it and give us the victory.

Connected with this petition to our heavenly Father is the prayer that He would also deliver us from the evil one.

Again, the Bible tells us that we are to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

The devil – or Satan – is the father of lies and the deceiver. He seeks to keep us from God and His truth (cf. John 8:44). Like the roaring lion who stalks his prey and seeks out one that is weak or straying, so the devil watches for our weaknesses and attacks us when and where we are most vulnerable to his ploys. He seeks to keep us from God our Father and life everlasting through faith in Christ Jesus by causing us to doubt God’s Word and by leading us into a life of disobedience and sin.

Therefore, we are in constant need for the protection and deliverance of our Father in heaven; and we humbly pray: “deliver us from the evil one.”

And included in this petition, we pray that, when we do fall into sin and disobedience, God would graciously, for Christ’s sake, deliver us from the grasp of the devil and bring us to repentance. We pray that we would acknowledge our sin and disobedience and turn to the LORD God for His mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead.

The Bible says, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).

When we repent of our sin and turn to the LORD for His mercy and forgiveness in Messiah Jesus, He delivers us from the grip of the evil one and brings us back into His eternal kingdom for Jesus’ sake.

As believers, we take heart in the words of St. Paul to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:18): “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”

Dear Father in heaven, lead me through life in such a way that I do not fall into temptation and sin; and deliver me from the attacks of the evil one upon my soul and upon my salvation in Your Son, Jesus Christ. And, Father, when I do fall, mercifully bring me to sincere repentance and faith, and preserve me for Your eternal kingdom. I ask this for the sake of Jesus’ blood shed for me. Amen.

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:13b

The Lord Jesus teaches us to pray to the Father and say, “Your kingdom come.” Indeed, the kingdom belongs to the LORD God, our heavenly Father; for He not only created all things, He is building and establishing His kingdom of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. Though all other kingdoms of this world will pass away, His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that will never end (cf. Daniel 2:44; Revelation 7:9-17; 19:16; 21:1ff.).

God the Father established this kingdom by sending His only begotten Son to suffer and to die for the sins of the world and rise again. And, by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit, He calls His elect children to faith in Christ Jesus and gives them life in Jesus’ name, thus rescuing them from the kingdom of darkness and bringing them into the kingdom of His own dear Son, in whom there is forgiveness of sins through His shed blood.

It is as the Bible says, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

Thus, we pray to God the Father and trust that He can and will hear and answer our prayers because His is the kingdom and His is the power.

In His grace and mercy, God the Father has brought us to repent of our sinful ways and trust in His Son, and so He has brought us into His kingdom. By His gracious power and working, He has called us from spiritual darkness and death to life through faith in Christ Jesus. And, of course, He continually rules over all and works for the good of His children. He can and will provide us with our daily bread. He can and does lead us safely through this life, and He will deliver us from every temptation and attack of the devil, the world and our own sinful flesh upon us and bring us safely into His eternal and heavenly kingdom of glory.

And, His is the glory. He has done it all. He created us by His almighty Word. He redeemed us by the innocent sufferings and death of the Son, Jesus Christ. As He raised up Christ from the dead, so He, by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit through His Word, calls us from death to life through faith in Christ Jesus. He preserves His children in the faith and keeps them in His kingdom and He shall bring them to glory. All the glory is His!

The Bible tells us, “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). Our salvation is entirely “to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:14).

Dear Father in heaven, we laud and praise Your holy name for creating us, redeeming us and making us Your own dear children through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers. “Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

Clearly connected to the petition, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” Jesus points out a truth we often are ready to forget: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Does our heavenly Father forgive our sins because we forgive others? No, but rather, we forgive others because He forgives us; and, if we are unwilling to forgive those who have sinned against us, it indicates that we have not really accepted and grasped God’s mercy toward us in Christ Jesus – His pardon and forgiveness won for us by the shed blood of His own dear Son. A refusal to forgive another who has offended us in some way, after God Himself so loved us that He sent His only begotten son into the world to suffer and die upon the cross for our sins and the sins of the world that we might be forgiven, is really a refusal to take hold of God’s mercy toward us in Christ Jesus.

In Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 18, verses 21 through 35, Jesus speaks of this further, illustrating with the parable of the servant who was forgiven a great, great debt by his master but who then would show no mercy and forgiveness toward a fellow servant who owed him a very small debt in comparison. Since the servant who had been forgiven so much was unwilling to show mercy to his fellow servant, he was delivered to the torturers until he paid all that was owed to his lord. Jesus concludes by saying: “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (v. 35).

Clearly, Jesus’ words are to us a warning against refusing to pardon and forgive others as we have been pardoned and forgiven by our heavenly Father for the sake of His Son, the crucified and risen Messiah and Savior. Rather than being without mercy and love in our dealings with others, the Scriptures encourage us to: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

And how can we do this? Consider your own sinfulness according to God’s law, and consider the great debt of sin God has forgiven you because He sent His only-begotten Son and punished Him in our stead. When we consider and receive God’s forgiveness in Christ Jesus, forgiving others for their sins against us will suddenly grow easier.

Dear Father in heaven, I have deserved nothing but Your wrath and punishment and am undeserving of the loving kindness and mercy which You have shown to me for the sake of the innocent sufferings and death of Your beloved Son in my stead. Thank You for graciously forgiving and pardoning my great debt of sin against You. Grant to me also a merciful and forgiving heart toward others who sin against me, that I may be like You and show mercy and loving kindness for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

[Devotion by Randy Moll, The Still Small Voice, Gentry, Ark., www. thestillsmallvoice.com. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

Meditations in the Parables of Jesus

THE LIGHTNING

AND THE SIGN OF THE FIG TREE

Read Matthew 24:27, 32-33

“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be … Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”

Jesus compares His return on the Last Day to a flash of lightning coming out of the east and shining to the west. Our Lord Jesus will return quickly and suddenly – “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52). There will be no time for repentance when we see Christ coming in the clouds of glory with all His holy angels! When that time comes, the Judgment will take place. Those who have believed the Gospel and trust in Christ as their Savior will be taken to heaven to enjoy the eternal blessings of the LORD, but those who have not turned from their sins to Christ their Savior will be condemned to eternal torment in the fires of hell! Cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:18,36; 2 Thess. 1:6-10.

While we do not know the day or hour of Christ’s return, we do not need to be caught off guard. We can tell from a fig tree (or from other deciduous trees), when they sprout and put forth new leaves, that summer is near. So also, we should know that with the fulfillment of the signs spoken of in Matthew, chapter 24, the Day of Christ’s return is imminent, “even at the doors.” Since all these things have happened and the Gospel has been “preached in all the world” (v. 14), we can soon expect to see “the powers of the heavens . . shaken” (v.29) and the return of Jesus Christ to judge the living and the dead!

If you wanted to take a still photograph of a flash of lightning, you would never catch it on film if you waited until you saw the lightning streak across the sky and then lifted your camera to shoot. You would always be too late! In order to catch a streak of lightning with a still camera, you must point the camera in the direction of the threatening clouds, open the shutter, and wait until the lightning strikes. In the same way, if we want to be found in the faith at Christ’s return, we cannot wait until we see Him coming in glory! Instead we should take note of the imminent return of Christ, turn from our sins to Him for salvation, and look for His coming to take us and all other believers to be with Him in heaven.

Great God, what do I see and hear? the end of things created; the Judge of mankind doth appear on clouds of glory seated. The trumpet sounds; the graves restore the dead which they contained before: prepare, my soul, to meet Him. Amen. (The Lutheran Hymnal, Hymn #604, Verse 1)

“Jesus, the Light of the World”

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

Have you ever tried to walk some place in total darkness? Perhaps in a cave, or on a moonless light? What happened? Without any light, we lose our way and begin to trip and stumble over everything. But what if a friend has a bright flashlight? If we walk with him, we can see and find our way. But if we do not follow closely, we again begin to stumble and grope in the darkness.

We live in a world of darkness when it comes to a knowledge of the truth. People don’t know or understand who they are, how they got here, why they are here or how to live. People do not know God their Maker or how to walk in fellowship with Him. Instead, people deny the existence of God, believe they are freak accidents of evolution, and have no idea of their purpose here in this world or what will happen to them after they die.

To the people of this dark and sinful world who are groping about in spiritual darkness, trying this and that to find happiness and fulfillment, Jesus says, “I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

Jesus truly is the light of the world. He spoke the truth about our utter sinfulness before God and the judgment we deserve, and He spoke the truth when He called upon lost sinners to repent and trust in Him for forgiveness of sins and life everlasting (cf. John 8:23-24; 8:44; 8:34-36; 8:51; 3:3-6, 14-21).

Jesus, the very Son of God, took on human flesh and blood and came into this world to save sinners like you and me. He lived a holy life under God’s law and then suffered and died upon the cross to bear the punishment for our sins. And Jesus’ resurrection is proof that God accepted His sacrifice for sin and we are justified before God (Rom. 4:25). Jesus is “the Light of Life.” In Him alone can we sinners have life in fellowship with God our Maker, both now and forever!

What shall we do? Shall we continue to grope around in darkness, trying to find our own way? Or, shall we follow Jesus, the Light of the world? Like the person walking next to one with a flashlight, if we walk with Jesus by trusting in Him as our Savior and being led and guided continually by His Word, we will “not walk in darkness,” but “have the light of life.” We will be comforted with the knowledge and assurance of forgiveness of sins and life everlasting through faith in His name! And, we will be led and guided in the right way through this life.

On the other hand, if we wander off and do not follow closely after the Lord Jesus, we will quickly find ourselves groping and stumbling through the darkness of sin and death, not knowing the way to God or how to live for Him.

O Dearest Jesus, “in Thy light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9). Graciously shine upon our hearts, revealing our sin, but comforting us with Thy forgiveness; and lead us safely through this life to Thyself in heaven. Amen.

The Augsburg Confession

Article IV: Of Justification.

Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4.

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 138; Acts 8:26-40; Colossians 2:6-19; Luke 11:1-13. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 7:37ff. What did Jesus say on the last day of the Jewish feast of tabernacles? What does this mean? How does it apply yet today? What did the people say of Jesus? Who is the Prophet? Cf. Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Why did some people doubt Jesus was the Christ (Messiah)? Cf. Micah 5:2. How did God fulfill this passage in Jesus’ birth? Cf. Luke 2:1ff. Did the officers arrest Jesus for His claims? Why? What did they tell the chief priests and Pharisees? How did the chief priests and Pharisees respond? What did Nicodemus say? How did they respond? What argument did the chief priests and scribes use to justify their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and Savior? How were they mistaken? What excuses do people make yet today?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dick Stueland, who is recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families, for Christians who are alone and have no congregation, and for our adopted soldiers. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3

[Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible]