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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.