Download Pentecost 01-8 A

Our New Life Depends
On the Power of the Holy Spirit
The Coming of the Holy Spirit: Pentecost—A
God’s Word for Today
With the Festival of Pentecost, the Christian Church begins its
celebration of the non-festival half of the church year. During
the very long season of Pentecost (which lasts until the middle
of autumn), the lessons and Gospel for the day concentrate on
our lives of Christian sanctification (sanctify=to make holy). As
we will see today and over the next several weeks, our
sanctification—like our salvation—depends entirely upon the
working of our almighty God through the good news of eternal
salvation. This good news naturally moves Christians to bear
good fruit in their lives. Yes, our new life as Christians depends
on the power of the Holy Spirit.
First Lesson (Joel 2:28-29)
1. What day was the prophet Joel looking forward to?
2. Who would receive the blessings and power of the Holy
Spirit?
Second Lesson (Acts 2:1-21)
3. What did the Holy Spirit enable the apostles to do?
4. How did the people react?
5. What was Peter’s answer for this miracle?
Gospel (John 16:5-11)
6. What promise did Jesus make his disciples in verse 7?
7. What would the Holy Spirit do when he came?
Answers:
1. In particular, Joel’s prophecy looked forward to the Day
of Pentecost that we hear about in the second lesson.
2. All Christians, both men and women, young and old,
would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit
comes gifts of many kinds, as, for instance, St. Paul
points out in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
3. He gave the apostles the ability to speak in recognizable
languages that they had not previously learned or
spoken.
4. Most of the people were amazed that they heard these
men “declaring the wonders of God” in their own
language. Others assumed that they were drunk.
5. Peter pointed out that this miracle was the beginning of
the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.
6. He promised that after he ascended into heaven he
would send his disciples the Holy Spirit as their
counselor.
7. He would convict the world of sin through the law of
God, and bring comfort to burdened souls through the
gospel of salvation.
Our Entire Being Depends
On the Holy Trinity
The First Sunday after Pentecost: Holy Trinity—A
God’s Word for Today
We like to think that we can take care of ourselves. God has
given us many talents and gifts so that we can provide for
ourselves and our families. And yet we shouldn’t forget that
God is the one who ultimately provides all things. Apart from
him we can do nothing. If it weren’t for our Triune God—our
Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier—we would be absolutely
helpless and hopeless in our lives. Yes, apart from him we
wouldn’t even exist. Our entire being depends on the Holy
Trinity.
First Lesson (Genesis 1:1–2:3)
1. How did God create most everything in this universe?
2. What clue do we get in Genesis 1:26 about God’s
unique makeup?
3. Why is God’s creation of human beings so unique?
Second Lesson (2 Co 13:11-14)
4. Why are the key words of the apostolic blessing in verse
14 so important to our lives as Christians?
Gospel (Matthew 28:16-20)
5. According to Jesus’ words, what has been given to him?
6. How are we to make disciples of Jesus?
7. What promise does Jesus give his disciples?
Answers:
1. Almost everything in creation was brought into being
simply by God speaking his powerful Word.
2. He says: “Let us…,” indicating his unique being of being
one God yet multiple persons: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit.
3. God created Adam from the earth and breathed the
breath of life into Adam. This account shows us how
special human beings are in the eyes of God.
4. The word “grace” reminds us that God loves us because
of the type of person he is and not the type of people we
are. His “love” is undeserved and unearned; it’s free.
And through his love and the working of his Spirit in our
hearts and lives, we are brought into “fellowship” with
him. Our relationship with God is entirely his doing.
5. Jesus declares that all authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to him. The exalted Jesus, now even
according to his human nature, has controls over all
things.
6. Jesus says that we should baptize in the name of the
Triune God and teach everything that he has
commanded. That’s how disciples (pupils) are made.
7. He tells us that he will be with us always, even to the
end of the age (until he returns again). He gives us a big
task—to preach the gospel in all the world—but he also
gives us big promises!
Our Fruits of Faith Depend
On the Spirit’s Working Through the Word
The Second Sunday after Pentecost—A
God’s Word for Today
How do things in this world grow? Usually they don’t grow
up overnight; it takes lots of patience. We water, fertilize
and cultivate. Then we wait. That’s true of the growth that
takes place in our Christian lives, too. It doesn’t happen
overnight. Instead God waters and fertilizes us through his
Word. Slowly but surely through the gospel the Spirit brings
forth growth and eventually fruits of faith. The encouragement of the Lessons and Gospel today is: Stay connected to
God’s Word. The fruits of our faith depend on it!
First Lesson (Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28)
Answers:
1. He wants us to fix his Word in our hearts, minds and
heads; for it to become second nature to us.
2. Only through the Word and sacraments does the Holy
Spirit work faith and Christian life (cf. Ro 10:17).
3. The Lord promises a curse upon those who disregard
his Word of promise.
4. To justify someone means to declare them “not guilty” by
judicial act, as when a jury declares a defendant “not
guilty.” The defendant is acquitted or justified.
5. God has declared all people “not guilty.” All have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified.
3. What’s consequence of disregarding God’s Word?
6. St. Paul uses two similar phrases: “freely” and “by
grace.” God didn’t owe us anything. He doesn’t forgive
our sins because he has to. He does it without
obligation, free of charge, according to his merciful
nature because of the sacrifice that Jesus made.
Second Lesson (Romans 3:21-25a, 27,28)
7. Jesus says that we can recognize them by their fruits.
4. What does the word “justified” mean in verse 24?
8. False. Jesus is interested in more than mere words. He
is looking for the natural fruits of faith that the Holy Spirit
works in our lives through the gospel.
1. How familiar with his Word does the Lord want us to be?
2. Why is a familiarity with the Word so important?
5. Who has been justified?
6. How have we been justified?
Gospel (Matthew 7:15-29)
7. How will be able to recognize false prophets?
8. True or false: Everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” on the
Day of Judgment will enter into heaven?
9. Why were the people amazed at Jesus’ teaching?
9. Because he taught with authority. In other words, he
didn’t base his teachings on what someone else had
said (like the teachers of the law). Instead, Jesus would
say things like: “Truly, truly I say to you…” Jesus can do
this because he is God.
Our Life of Faith Depends
On God’s Promises
The Third Sunday after Pentecost—A
God’s Word for Today
Trusting people isn’t easy, because people tend to let us
down when we’re depending on them. It’s also hard to
confess our sinfulness to others because we’re afraid that
those people will use our sins and mistakes against us and
hold a grudge. We shouldn’t have the same concerns with
our Savior! Jesus is totally reliable, entirely trustworthy. He
keeps his promises! Most of all, he keeps his promise of
forgiveness through the gospel. We can confidently confess
our sin to him, knowing that in him we have certain
forgiveness and eternal life.
Answers:
1. He wanted them to confess their sins.
2. Because he promised us that he will heal us and bind up
our wound, that we may live in his presence.
3. God promised Abraham a son in his old age.
4. False. Paul says that Abraham indeed “faced the fact
that his body was as good as dead…and that Sarah’s
womb was also dead.” Despite this evidence, however,
Abraham “against all hope…in hope believed” God’s
promise.
5. Abraham was “fully persuaded that God had power to do
what he had promised.”
First Lesson (Hosea 5:15–6:6)
1. What did the Lord want his Old Testament people to do?
2. Why can we confidently acknowledge our sin to the
Lord?
Second Lesson (Romans 4:18-25)
3. What promise of God to Abraham is Paul referring to in
these verses?
4. True or false: Abraham simply ignored the physical
evidence which suggested that there was no way he and
his wife could have a child.
5. Upon what did Abraham base his faith?
Gospel (Matthew 9:9-13)
6. Why were Jesus’ actions so repulsive to the Pharisees?
7. What did Jesus want the Pharisees to learn?
6. They couldn’t believe that Jesus would eat with tax
collectors and sinners. Neither could they believe that
Jesus would call a tax collector to be his disciple.
7. He wanted them to learn what the Lord meant through
the prophet Hosea when he said: “I desire mercy, not
sacrifice.” Jesus’ meaning is this: God has been merciful
and forgiving to us, and he wants us to be merciful and
forgiving toward one another. Jesus was showing mercy
to these “sinners,” something the Pharisees didn’t want
to do.
The Work of the Church Depends
On the Proclamation of the Gospel
The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost—A
God’s Word for Today
What is the primary work of the Christian church?
Surprisingly, many people answer that question in different
ways. Some suggest that the primary work of the church is
to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. Some say that
the church is to work for overall social justice. Others think
that the church’s job is to reform and restore the moral fiber
of our world. Those are perhaps all worthy tasks, but there
really shouldn’t be any debate about the church’s primary
task because Jesus tells us what it is: Preach the gospel of
forgiveness! (Mk 16:15) That’s our work and our privilege!
First Lesson (Exodus 19:2-8a)
1. What is a covenant? (v. 5)
2. How would God view his Old Testament people if they
obeyed his Word?
Answers:
1. A covenant is an agreement. God is here establishing a
covenant with his people: obey me fully and you will be
my treasured possession. This is a two-sided covenant.
God’s covenant with us is one-sided (cf. Jer 31:31-34).
2. They would be for him a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.
3. The Scriptural job description of a priest is to be a gobetween or mediator between God and human beings.
In particular, he offered sacrifices for the sins of the
people. God commanded that there be such priests in
Old Testament times from the tribe of Levi. But in the
New Testament there is no longer any need for such
priests because through the sacrifice of Jesus, our great
High Priest (Heb 7:26-28), we have all become priests of
God (1 Pe 2:4-10), offering up our own spiritual
sacrifices.
4. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners, his
enemies. God’s love is unconditional! He did not wait for
us to love him first.
3. What is a priest?
Second Lesson (Romans 5:6-11)
4. How did God demonstrate his love for all people?
5. What does it mean for us to be reconciled to God?
5. To be reconciled with God means that all people were
estranged or separated from him at one time because of
our sinfulness, but now Jesus has washed our sinfulness
away with his sacrifice on the cross. All people are now
reconciled to God, and as Christians we share that
message of reconciliation with others who don’t realize
or believe it (2 Co 5:18-21).
Gospel (Matthew 9:35–10:8)
6. Because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
6. Why did Jesus show compassion toward the crowds?
7. What is an apostle?
7. An apostle is one who is “sent out” to proclaim the
gospel. The twelve apostles had a special call from
Jesus to proclaim the gospel without boundaries. In a
very real sense, though, we are also “apostles”
whenever we proclaim the gospel.
Our Fearless Proclamation Depends
On the Lord’s Backing
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost—A
God’s Word for Today
Are you afraid to be on the outreach committee of your
congregation? If so, why? Are you afraid of rejection?
Today’s lessons and Gospel remind us that—if that’s what
we’re afraid of—there’s nothing to fear! That doesn’t mean
that we won’t be rejected as he proclaim God’s Word. We
most certainly will. But we’re not the ones being rejected;
Jesus is. And he will take care of himself and us! Jesus has
called us to proclaim his Word to others and he promises to
be with us every step of the way (Mt 28:19, 20). So we don’t
need to be timid or afraid. We can be fearless in our
proclamation. We have the Lord’s backing!
First Lesson (Jeremiah 20:7-13)
1. What is Jeremiah’s complaint?
2. What comfort did Jeremiah have in his suffering?
Second Lesson (Romans 5:12-15)
3. What unpopular message does St. Paul preach in
verses 12-14?
4. What is greater than the sin of Adam?
5. True or false: the message of God’s free forgiveness is
never unpopular.
Gospel (Matthew 10:24-33)
6. Since we are Jesus’ disciples, how should we expect the
people of this world to treat us?
7. If people reject the truth of God’s Word, are they
rejecting us?
Answers:
1. Jeremiah complained that he felt compelled to preach
the word of the Lord, even though the people mocked
him for doing it.
2. He recognized that he had the Lord’s backing and that
he could be fearless in his proclamation.
3. He proclaims the message that God has about us: we
are all held accountable for Adam’s one sin from the
time we enter this world, and the punishment for that sin
is death.
4. Only the gift of Jesus’ perfect life, innocent death and
powerful resurrection was able to overcome to sin of
Adam. In the same way that God held us accountable for
Adam’s one sin, so also he credits Jesus’ perfection to
our accounts (Ro 5:18,19).
5. False. The message of God’s free forgiveness is often
ridiculed as being “too easy.” Many people are
convinced that God’s forgiveness is only for those who
meet certain God-given requirements. Free forgiveness
is thought to be foolishness (cf. 1 Co 1:18-25).
6. We should expect to be mocked like Jeremiah was in the
first lesson and like Jesus was throughout his ministry.
7. No. They are rejecting God, and on the Last Day God
will reject them. In other words, as we fearlessly
proclaim God’s Word, we should never take rejection
personally. God will act with swift justice on the Day of
Judgment.
Our Life of Discipleship Depends
On Carrying Crosses
The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost—A
God’s Word for Today
Being a Christian is painful. Being a Christian means that
there will be crosses to bear. St. Peter once wrote that
Christians are called to suffering, “because Christ suffered
for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in
his steps” (1 Pe 2:21). Jesus clearly states in the Gospel
that anyone who is not willing to take up their cross and
follow him cannot be his disciple. Are you ready to be his
disciple? If you are, recognize that our life of discipleship
depends on carrying crosses.
First Lesson (Jeremiah 28:5-9)
1. What was Jeremiah predicting about the city of
Jerusalem?
2. What did the prophet Hananiah predict about the same
city?
Second Lesson (Romans 6:1b-11)
3. How does St. Paul say we should regard our baptism?
4. Since baptism means the death of our sinful flesh in this
world, what can we expect from our lives in this world?
Gospel (Matthew 10:34-42)
5. What does Jesus mean: he came to bring a sword?
6. Why does Jesus speak such thorny words in these
verses?
Answers:
1. Jeremiah had long predicted that the city of Jerusalem
would face war, disaster and plague because of their
rebellion against the Lord. He said that there would be
crosses to bear for God’s people.
2. Hananiah was predicting, contrary to the prophets of the
Lord, that Jerusalem would soon enjoy times of peace
and prosperity. His message, of course, was popular
among the people of Jerusalem.
3. Paul says that we should understand our baptism as
being buried with Christ. Our sinful flesh has been
crucified with him.
4. There will be many painful experiences as we continue
to battle our sinful flesh and daily crucify it with a life of
repentance.
5. Jesus wants us to realize that he is a divisive figure.
People argue about who Jesus is and what he came to
do. While many people in this world suggest that there is
more than one way to God, Jesus is unequivocal: “I am
the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except by me” (Jn 14:6). As a result, one can
either be for Jesus or against him. There is no middle
ground.
6. He wants us to realize the cost of discipleship and to
make an informed decision before we become one of his
disciples. The life of discipleship is not an easy one.
There are crosses are to bear.
Our Relationship with God Depends
On His Good Pleasure
The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost—A
God’s Word for Today
How do you strike up friendships or relationships with other
people? Most people attempt to find something that they
have in common with another person, and they try to
develop a friendship based on those common interests. But
how do we strike up a relationship with God? We don’t. Our
relationship with God depends on his good pleasure. God is
“out of our league” and really shouldn’t have anything to do
with us. But miraculously he does! Amazingly he loves us
and cares for us. He desires to be our dearest friend! But he
always makes “the first move” through the gospel.
First Lesson (Exodus 33:12-23)
1. What condition did Moses put upon his leading God’s
Old Testament people?
2. How did Moses want God to “seal the deal”?
Second Lesson (Romans 7:15-25a)
3. What struggle does Paul outline in these verses?
4. How are we able to overcome our sinful nature?
Gospel (Matthew 11:25-30)
5. True or false: We make the choice to enter into a
relationship with God.
6. To whom does God choose to reveal the truths of the
Gospel?
Answers:
1. God must go with his people, otherwise Moses was not
willing to lead them. Moses recognized the importance of
having a close relationship with the Lord and that such a
relationship depended on God’s good pleasure.
2. He wanted the Lord to show him his glory as a seal of
God’s presence. The Lord conceded to show Moses his
“back side” and proclaim his name (Ex 34:5-7).
3. The struggle that every Christian has between the sinful
flesh and the new person, who is guided by the Holy
Spirit. Only the Christian has this struggle.
4. We aren’t able to overcome the sinful flesh by ourselves.
We must rely upon the working of the Holy Spirit through
the gospel. This is our Christian life of sanctification. God
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
5. False. By nature, we are enemies of God and objects of
his wrath (Eph 2:3). God is the one who wins us over to
friendship with his wonderful promises. He’s the one who
makes us alive with Christ (Eph 2:5). Our relationship
with God depends on his good pleasure.
6. Jesus says that God reveals the truths of the gospel, not
to the “wise and learned,” but to “little children.” In other
words, to those who do not persistently reject the
working of the Holy Spirit through the gospel. God is the
one who wins us to faith. We have no power to choose
God as our friend; it’s all God’s doing (Luther’s Small
Catechism, Explanation to the Third Article of the
Creed).
The Success of the Gospel Depends
On God’s Power and Blessing
The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost—A
God’s Word for Today
How do you get people to join your church? There are lots of
suggestions. Most people suggest something special for
every age group. It seems that you need to provide people
with all kinds of programs. You also need to tell people what
they want to hear. You may get people to join your church
that way, but chances are they won’t ever become a part of
the Holy Christian Church. You only become a member of
God’s kingdom one way: through the preaching of the
gospel. But even the success of our gospel preaching
doesn’t depend on us. Instead it depends entirely upon
God’s power and blessing.
First Lesson (Isaiah 55:10,11)
1. True or false: Whenever we proclaim God’s Word, we
can be certain that our listeners will be brought to faith.
2. What does God mean that his Word “never returns to
him empty”?
Second Lesson (Romans 8:18-25)
3. What is God’s creation awaiting?
4. What are we eagerly awaiting?
5. Why do we need to be patient?
Gospel (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)
Answers:
1. False. The gospel does not automatically produce faith.
When we use the gospel, we hope and pray that this will
be the outcome, but sadly there are many who reject the
forgiveness that God offers in his Word and harden their
hearts to its truths, as Isaiah experienced in his own
ministry (cf. Is 6:9,10).
2. He means that there is never a “neutral” hearing of his
Word. God’s Word either produces and strengthens faith
in the hearts of his hearers, or it serves to harden those
hearts. Even Jesus’ disciples—although still believers—
were sometimes hardened to the truth of God’s Word
when they refused to believe certain things (cf. Mk 6:52;
Mk 8:17).
3. Awaiting the return of the Lord when it will be freed from
the bondage of decay. In other words, things die and
corrode in this world because of our sinfulness.
4. We await our adoption as children of God, when our
broken-down and decaying bodies will be replaced with
a body like the one Jesus received in his resurrection (cf.
Php 3:21).
5. We need to be patient because Jesus’ return won’t take
place until all those who were elected to faith from
eternity are brought to faith the powerful Word of God.
We don’t know when that will be, so we need to be
patient.
6. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
Jesus told many simple parables to the people of his
day, using everyday events to help people understand
the kingdom of God.
6. What is a parable?
7. What is Jesus’ point in the Parable of the Sower?
7. Jesus is pointing out to us that it is our job to cast the
seed of his Word. That’s all. Whether that seed takes
root is dependent on his power and blessing.