2010 Summer - Higher Things Magazine (with Bible Studies)

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L U T H E R A N

Higher Things

The

Given

Issue!

• Spending the Riches of a Reckless Ruler • The Lord Gives and the Lord Takes Away • Given A Way Out W W W. H I G H E RT H I N G S . O R G

/ SUMMER / 2010

H I G H E R

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Contents T A B L E

O F

FEATURES 4

6

8

Spending the Riches of a Reckless Ruler

By Rev. Bruce Keseman Suppose somebody plunked ten thousand dollars down in your lap. Would you spend it? save it? donate it? hoard it? The good news is that you’ve been given things far more valuable than money—faith, the Gospel, your Baptism, the Lord’s Supper—and they are all yours in Jesus Christ!

The Lord Gives and the Lord Takes Away

By Rev. Joel Fritsche Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why is there so much hurt in the world? Why does God allow suffering? Pastor Fritsche wrestles with these questions and reminds us that God’s will is good and best, even when we don’t understand it.

If Salvation Were a Reality Show . . .

By Rev. Tim Pauls Welcome to Tentatio, the reality show that’s more nerve-wracking than American Idol. Here, we pit your favorite church heroes against each other. Which of our champions will survive the Platform of Salvation? Calvin? Luther? Arminius?

Stay tuned to Pastor Pauls’ broadcasting from the sidelines to find out!

12 Dropping Dead

By Rev. William Cwirla Coming to grips with the death of a loved one is never easy. What happens when a person dies?

What do the dead do while they await the Resurrection? What will the Last Day be like?

Pastor Cwirla wants you to be comforted in your Baptism. Eternal life with Christ is yours!

14 Didomi: Given Unto Death

By Rev. George Borghardt III Everybody who knows Greek raise your right hand. Hello? Tap tap. Is this thing on? Pastor Borghardt wants to teach you the word didomi.

It’s a little Greek verb that means “to give,” and the person who does the giving is our Lord, Jesus Christ.

16 For Better or Worse: God’s Gift of Marriage

By Mr. Stan Lemon For most of you, marriage seems a long way off.

You have to get through high school, graduation, college, and finding a job.Who’s thinking about a wife and kids at age 14? Mr. Lemon gives some insight on how marriage works, why you can already be praying for your future spouse, and the gifts Christ gives in marriage.

18 Given a Way Out

By Rev. Mark Buetow High school and college present plenty of opportunities to do the wrong thing. Parties that get out of hand, smooth talking members of the opposite sex, parents who seem unable to understand . . . so what’s a teen to do when temptation rears its ugly head? Rev. Buetow uses a passage from 1 Corinthians to reassure you in the knowledge that Christ’s death on the cross is your way out.

Volume 10/Number 2 • Summer 2010

22 Real Belief in a Real Savior

By Mr. Matthew Cochran If you’ve heard it once when talking to a nonChristian, you’ve heard it so much that now it’s just getting annoying:“That’s just your belief.”

Just my belief? What does that even mean? If you’re looking for a way to talk to your friends about Christianity using just the facts, Mr. Cochran is here to help you give an apology (or defense) for the Christian faith.

24 Ten Years of Being Given To in Higher Things

By Rev. Marcus Zill Get out your candles and party hats: Higher Things is ten years old this year! Pastor Zill gives a rundown of how Higher Things got started, what it’s about, and how it’s still going strong today.“HT, you look like a monkey, and you smell like one too!”

26 He Who Has Been Forgiven Much Loves Much

By Rev. Bruce Kuhlman When was the last time your mother said,“Tell your brother you’re sorry, and say it like you mean it!”? Sin, repentance, and forgiveness are hard concepts to grasp. Nevertheless, the vastness of Jesus answering for all your rot, filth, and gunk is really amazing, and Pastor Kuhlman is here to remind you of just that.

COLUMNS

10 Feasting with Our Lord: The Feast of Booths

By Rev. Thomas Messer When was the last time your family took a day off of work or school to celebrate something big, like a birthday or a wedding? Imagine enjoying a celebration like that of epic proportions . . . but for seven days! The Israelites celebrated the Feast of Booths, which reminded them of God’s enduring presence and His gracious activities toward them. Pastor Messer says we get to do the same thing today in the Divine Service!

Intrigued? Us too. Read on!

20 Given: Service

By Rev. Jonathan Bakker If you’re headed to college this fall, you’ve probably applied for a scholarship or two, and most of those scholarships probably wanted to know about your leadership qualities in debate or on the soccer field. But what about being a servant-leader in your congregation? Pastor Bakker wants you to know that more important than leadership is your service to others in the name of God, and Christ on Campus is here to help!

28 Sinners Who Know They Are Saints

Rev. David Petersen A saint is not someone who is holy, someone declared to be holy. You can’t be a saint unless you are a sinner. You can’t be forgiven and declared holy unless you have something for which to be forgiven. Pastor Petersen breaks down what it means to be a saint, what it means to be a sinner, and why salvation is yours in Jesus Christ.

HigherThings

®

Volume 10/Number 2/Summer 2010

Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: http://higherthings.org/magazine/biblestudies.html Editor REV. TIM

PAULS

Managing Editor ADRIANE DORR Art Director

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SANDRA OSTAPOWICH Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2010. Higher Things® and Christ on Campus® are registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888448-2359 or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings.org.

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Spending the Riches of a Reckless Ruler

By Rev. Bruce Keseman

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How should you spend your money?

Jesus explains with a parable in Luke 19:12–27.

A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return.

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem.There He will die for us and then rise and ascend to a distant country.There He is crowned with glory and honor. Soon the king will return from the distant country to judge the living and the dead.

He summoned ten of his slaves, gave them ten coins, and said, “Use these until I come back.”

Those are $10,000 coins! What king in his right mind hands $10,000 to any slave, let alone $10,000 each to ten slaves? Maybe King Jesus? With generous, joyous, even reckless abandon, Jesus hands His riches to sinners like us.“Here. Use these while I’m gone.”

Think of the riches King Jesus gives you.We can buy so much food that we overeat and so many clothes that our closets overflow.The most modest of our homes could house ten third-world families. But He gives us more than money.

Some of you are artsy, some are brainy, some are athletic.Your King says,“Here. Use these while I’m gone.”

Jesus gives you Baptism and Absolution, His Scriptures and Supper.

He says,“Have My forgiveness, My life, My love, My strength.” It’s like a millionaire going on vacation, handing you his whole fortune, and saying,“Here. Use this while I’m gone.”

When the king returned, he asked that those slaves to whom he had given money be called to him. The first slave came forward and said,“Master, your coin made ten coins!” And the king said to him,“Well done, good slave. Because you have been faithful in this small matter, take charge of ten cities.” The second slave came and said,“Master, your coin made five coins.” And the king also said to that one,“You be in charge of five cities.”

I would rejoice over a 10 percent return on an investment.These guys get 500 percent and 1000 percent returns! For one, $10,000 becomes $50,000. For the other, $10,000 becomes $100,000.The slaves know they can’t take credit.They don’t say,“Look at all the money we made.”They say,“Master, look at all the money your coin made.”

The king knows the slaves don’t deserve credit. But this king represents generous Jesus. So he gives them credit anyway:“Well done, good slaves! You have been faithful.”

Ahh, notice what pleases our king: not that His slaves accomplish awesome things with His riches but that we are faithful. In other words, that we actually believe He entrusts us with money we don’t deserve, compliments us for work He has done, and then rewards us as if we had done it all.

Then the other kind of slave came and said,“Master, here is your coin which I wrapped in a cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man.You withdraw what you did not deposit and harvest what you did not plant.”

The problem with this slave is not his lack of stewardship. It is his lack of faith. He is scared to use the money because he doesn’t believe his king could possibly be that generous.

King Jesus gives, gives, and gives some more. But if in unfaith we insist on believing He is a demanding taskmaster, that’s what He’ll be for us on Judgment Day. Read the rest of the parable in Luke 19, and you’ll see.

Meanwhile, Jesus shows that there are two kinds of people: those who live in faith and those who live in fear. Slaves who know the generosity of their king don’t spend their time fretting. We just use His gifts in whatever way our faith-filled consciences find best.

King Jesus leaves you His priceless Gospel. He doesn’t tell you whether to attend one Bible study a week or four. He doesn’t tell you to use the ESV or the NKJV. He doesn’t insist that you receive His blood from a chalice or an individual cup. So don’t worry yourself sick. Don’t leave the King’s money wrapped in Kleenex. Use His riches while He’s gone.

Whether you were immersed or sprinkled, bask in your Baptism. Whether it’s corporate or individual, enjoy Absolution. Whether you take it in your hand or your mouth, feast on Christ’s body.

Jesus entrusts you with money. Surveys indicate teens have more disposable income than anyone else.Yet Jesus doesn’t tell you,“Give 15 percent to the church, 5 percent to help earthquake victims, and 10 percent to buy clothing for yourself.” Spend His riches whatever way your faith-filled, Holy Spirit-guided brain sees is best. Do not splurge selfishly like an unbeliever.You are not an unbeliever.You are a forgiven citizen of Christ’s Kingdom. So ask,“How can I use my King’s riches in ways that serve His will, His people, and His Kingdom?”

With generous, joyous, even reckless abandon, use your King’s riches wherever and whenever they seem to be needed. I have a feeling that when your King returns from the far country, you’ll be flabbergasted.“Lord, look what Your coin did!”

Rev. Bruce Keseman is pastor of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Freeburg, Illinois, on the Board of Directors for Higher Things, and can be reached at keseman@sbcglobal.net.

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The Lord gives and the Lord takes away: Gain and loss, success and suffering in the context of Job and the life of youth

By Rev. Joel Fritsche

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

I’ve heard and spoken those words more times in the past few months than I have in a long time. I recently returned to parish ministry after serving four years on staff at one of our seminaries. We’ve had four funerals in that time. At the conclusion of reading the obituary at the funeral service, I always speak the words of Job 1:21.These are not easy words for anyone, even a Christian, to confess. Death and its sting are horrible. graciously called Job to repentance, to fear, love, and trust Him above all things.

He does the same for you.

We may wrestle with the secret things of God about which His Word is silent, but we rejoice in what God has revealed to us for our eternal good. Job knew what it is to have a full, rich, abundant life:“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”

(Job 19:25–27). Job knew the Gospel, God’s work of redemption. Whether you bask in your blessings or lament your losses, the Gospel reveals God’s undeserved love for you. In Christ, God’s wrath is satisfied. In Christ, your Redeemer, you have life that far exceeds earthly gain or success and endures beyond suffering, even death and the grave.You’ve been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.You have the promise of resurrection through Him who is the resurrection and the life. And that changes how you see everything!

God has brought you into His Church where the Gospel of Christ, crucified and risen, is boldly proclaimed, where full, abundant life is given you.You hear it.You taste it.You confess it.You even sing it:

George de La Tour, Job Being Mocked by His Wife, 1632-35. Épinal, Musée Départmental des Vosges

There was recently a very tragic death in our small community.Two girls under age thirteen were out riding an ATV on family property. One was killed.

The other walked away with a minor concussion but with lasting emotional scars. I attended the funeral along with a number of young people from my congregation and spent much of that funeral outside, praying with a handful of my youth who just couldn’t handle sitting in the packed little Baptist church. Seeing the body of one of their peers was difficult. For a couple of them, it dredged up painful memories of saying goodbye to grandparents. It was yet another reminder that death— whether it’s the death of a thirteen year-old girl or a ninety-six year-old woman—is tragic. How can we say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord”?

Consider God’s servant Job.This man from the land of Uz had great wealth: sheep, camels, oxen, and female donkeys. He was blameless and upright (Job 1:1). He had a family that feasted together often. But in the blink of an eye, the Lord allowed almost everything to be taken away: his possessions, his children. Soon after, Job was physically afflicted with loathsome sores that he scratched with broken pottery (Job 2:8). Nasty! Despite his very sudden and tragic losses, Job “did not sin or charge God with his lips” (Job 2:10).Through both blessing and tragedy, Job received it all as gift from the Lord.

Job’s story is a gift to us from the Lord to be sure. In it we see ourselves: children of God, new creations by virtue of our Baptism.Yet we also see the struggle against the Old Adam.Temptation abounds in success and in suffering. Job had friends who fed him cliché sentiments in the midst of his suffering. We hear them too:“It’s ok” or “Your dad is in a better place.” Job’s wife told him to “curse God and die.”We know weighty temptations like that.

We’re tempted like Job was when the fiery darts of the devil tell us that we must have done something to anger God. After considering plenty of advice from friends, even the blameless and upright Job thought God must have made a mistake by allowing him to suffer so severely. God

Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure By the cross are sanctified; Peace is there that knows no measure, Joys that through all time abide.

By God’s grace, you are given to confess with Job and all the saints,“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Rev. Joel Fritsche is pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Staunton, Illinois, a member of the Board of Directors of Higher Things, and can be reached at joelfritsche@me.com.

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If Salvation Were a Reality Show…

By Rev. Tim Pauls

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT: H I G H E R

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[Music fades] Bob: And . . . we’re back! Welcome to Tentatio, the reality show that pits your favorite church heroes against each other. CJ, bring us up to date!

CJ: Thanks, Bob. We’ve whittled down the pack to three, and the surviving trio is a strong group. John and Jacob had a great day yesterday, but the judges were not impressed with Martin, and he’s trailing.

Bob: Ho-ho! You can say that again, CJ. Martin had to spend the night in the penalty cell, sleeping on a straw mat. Great sense of humor though: this morning, he simply shrugged and said it was just like the old days. Ha-ha!

CJ: I don’t think he was kidding, Bob. Bob: Huh. Anyway, it looks like our contestants have arrived at today’s challenge,“The Pit and the Platform.” Let’s go down to our field reporter. Shelly, what’s going on?

Shelly: Thanks, Bob.The three competitors are getting their first look at today’s obstacle. Far above them is that “Platform of Salvation,” way out of reach, and directly below it is the gaping “Pit of Doom.” It’s very deep, very dark, and very smelly. Eww! You don’t want to be down there!

CJ: Shelly, what’s the plan?

Shelly: Each one has to reach the “Platform of Salvation” in a way consistent with his doctrine of justification.This is the greatest test to date. Someone’s not going to make it.

Bob: Shelly, how do the competitors look?

Shelly: Well, Bob, Jacob is psyched! You can see he’s just itching for the horn to sound. John is studying the situation thoughtfully.They don’t call him the Genevan Genius for nothing, you know!

CJ: What about Martin?

Shelly: He’s a tough read.The Wittenberg Wonder suffered a big setback in points yesterday when our contestants were challenged to demonstrate the form of highest worship to God. Jacob took solid control of the lead.

The Dutch Decider was hot yesterday! John did okay, but Martin nearly fell off the board when he asked where he might make private confession and then meditated on the psalms. He needs a comeback!

Bob: There’s the horn for “The Pit and the Platform!” No one’s making a move yet, but John and Jacob are having quite the conversation.

CJ: Now Martin’s joined in, and—oh! Now he’s walking away. Shelly caught him for a quick word, and . . . no, he’s into the underbrush! Shelly, what is going on?!

Shelly: John and Jacob are having quite the disagreement!

John is saying that it’s time to stay still: whether or not he gets onto the platform or into the pit is out of his hands—that it’s not his choice to make.

Bob: And Jacob?

Shelly: Completely opposite! He’s adamant it’s his choice to make and determined to make it onto the platform.

CJ: And Martin? It looks like he said something to you before he disappeared.

Shelly: Just for a moment, CJ. He spoke briefly to the other two, and as divided as they are otherwise, they told him in unison,“That makes no sense at all!” I mean, it just popped out of their mouths simultaneously.

Bob: Shelly, what did Martin say to you?

Shelly: Funny thing, Bob. He sort of growled,“We’re starting in the wrong place” and went off into the woods. I don’t know where he is.

CJ: Bob, something’s happening. Jacob appears to be yelling at the platform. Can you make it out?

Shelly: Sorry to interrupt, but I can. I believe he’s yelling,“I choose the platform! I accept it as my own!”

Bob: Interesting. CJ, does the platform appear to be any closer to Jacob? He sounds sincere.

CJ: No, Bob, it’s still out of reach.

Bob: Huh. And what is John up to?

Shelly: Bob, John is writing up a list of rules to provide structure while he awaitsCJ: Look! Martin’s back! He’s been busy too! It looks like he’s fashioned a ladder out of vines and sticks. Wow! The other two have nothing to show so far, and Martin’s got a ladder! But is it enough? Shelly! You just spoke to him again!

Shelly: And I asked him exactly that, CJ. I said,“Is that enough ladder to reach the platform?” and he said,“It’s enough to get the job done.” He said it kind of weird though.

Bob: How is he going to get it up there? Jacob and John must be wondering too; they’re standing next to each other, and look, Jacob’s smile—oh! Here we go, Martin’s getting ready to throw the ladder. He’s really going to put everything he’s got into it and . . . and . . .

CJ: WOW! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! Bob: He just . . . he just . . .

CJ: He just threw the ladder into the pit! And when Jacob lunged for it, he knocked himself and John into the pit! What a game-changer! Martin has vanquished his opponents to the Pit of Doom! He’s at the edge to survey his handiwork, and—wha-?

Bob: HE JUST JUMPED IN TOO! ALL THREE CONTESTANTS ARE IN THE PIT! Shelly, what . . . ?

Shelly: I have no idea! Let’s drop a mic down and listen in.

[Static] Jacob: Martin, what have you done?

Martin: Me? It’s your own fault that you’re down here, chasing that silly ladder.

John: Ach! I guess I was meant to be here. I did not see this as the end.

Martin: This isn’t the end. Well, it could be. But it’s where we should have started. Originally.

Jacob: “Should have started?!” But we can’t get out! Your little ladder is useless! Now we’ve got to wait for somebody else to rescue us.

Martin: Exactly. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

But St. Paul did in Romans 3:20–24 . . . .

[Music swells] Bob: Back soon!

Rev.Tim Pauls is the associate pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Boise, Idaho, and the editor of Higher Things.

He can be reached at pauls@higherthings.org; and if you’d like to do a little more research, the last names of the three contestants above just might be Calvin, Arminius, and Luther.

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MINING THE RICHES

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Speak

to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the LORD. On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. For seven days you shall present food offerings to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work.

"These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day, besides the LORD’s Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD. "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:34–43 ESV

Schocken Bible. Bible with masorah magna and parva. Southern Germany, c. 1300. Jerusalem Schocken Library,

"

Feasting with Our Lord:

The Feast of

Booths

By Rev.Thomas Messer

Last time, we took a look at the Feast of Passover and saw how that feast finds its fulfillment in Jesus and the ongoing Feast of His Holy Supper. We now fast forward to the last of the feasts on the liturgical calendar appointed by God for the Israelites to observe annually: the Feast of Booths.

The Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles as seen in Leviticus 23:34–43) was a seven-day feast. Israelites went on pilgrimage to gather around the sanctuary of the Lord (first the tabernacle, later the temple).They made temporary shelters in which they would dwell for the seven days.These shelters (called booths or tabernacles) were meant to bring to their remembrance the time of the Exodus from Egypt when the Israelites dwelt in tents and makeshift shelters for forty years until God finally brought them into the Promised Land and established them there.

The Feast of Booths was perhaps the most joyous of all the Old Testament feasts. Each day, the pilgrims celebrated God’s enduring presence and His gracious activities toward them.They processed with bouquets of tree branches around the sanctuary and rejoiced over the salvation God promised and delivered.They brought offerings to the Lord, and sacrifices were made daily to atone for their sins (Numbers 29:12–40).This was also the time of the year when the Israelites gathered the first produce of the land and were thankful for the Lord’s gracious provision.

A holy convocation (i.e., Divine Service) was held on the first and eighth days of the feast. Additionally on the eighth day, the time of processions and booths was over.This was the day on which they held the closing ceremony of the feast and returned to their homes, which was not without special significance.

The Feast of Booths finds its fulfillment in Jesus, the Eternal Word of the Father who became Flesh and dwelt (i.e., tabernacled) among us (John 1:14).The Son of God left His place of glory in heaven to go on a pilgrimage to the wilderness of this sinful world. During that pilgrimage, He dwelt in the booth of our human flesh in order to fulfill the Law by living a sinless life in our place and to offer Himself as the sacrificial Lamb of God on the cross to atone for all of our sins. He rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven in the permanent residence of His resurrected and glorified body to open the way to everlasting life in His Kingdom to all who believe in Him. During His earthly pilgrimage, Jesus made it vividly clear that He was God in the Flesh, the very God who had delivered the Israelites out of Egypt and dwelt among them in the tabernacle and temple. Where Jesus is, there is the sanctuary for there is God dwelling in the midst of His people to save them.Thus, the Feast of Booths finds its fulfillment in Jesus. Indeed, as recorded in the Gospel according to St. John (John 7:1–52;

8:12–59), Jesus appears in the temple in the midst of the Feast of Booths and begins teaching the people that He is the Christ. On the eighth day of the feast, the “great day,” the Pharisees confront and challenge Jesus, which leads to a lengthy discourse in which we hear Jesus tell us that He is the source of “living water,” the “light of the world,” and the great “I Am.” Ultimately, what Jesus is saying to the Pharisees is that the old covenant is now giving way to the new covenant which He has come to usher in the Feast of Booths and all other Old Testament Feasts are reinterpreted by the One to whom they all pointed forward and in whom they all find their fulfillment: the One who ushers in the eighth day of the new creation, the eternal day that has no end!

Do we Christians still observe the Feast of Booths today? Yes, we do, but not in the Old Testament way of observance, since that way has been rendered obsolete

by Christ. Our New Testament observance involves our gathering around the sanctuary for Divine Service where our Lord tabernacles among us in His Word and Sacraments, through which we receive forgiveness, life, and salvation. Each time we do so, the Word of God and the holy liturgy bring to our remembrance, and deliver unto us, the salvation that is ours in Jesus Christ. Like the Israelites of old, we, too, were held in bondage to Egypt (Hell) and Egypt’s pharaoh (Satan) because of our sins.

But we have been delivered from that bondage and brought into the Lord’s kingdom through the Red Sea of the baptismal font, and we make our journey through the wilderness of this sinful world, feasting with our Lord where He promises to be present among us, on our way to the Promised Land of His eternal kingdom. As we make this journey, we dwell in the temporary shelters of the corruptible bodies we now inhabit, looking forward to our Lord’s glorious return on the Last Day.Then, these bodies shall be raised incorruptible and glorified to be our permanent residences in which we shall dwell eternally with our Lord in His kingdom, which has no end, the eighth day of the new creation in which we already live spiritually by faith but long to experience bodily by sight (2 Corinthians 5:1–5; 2 Peter 1:13–14).Thus, we Christians continue to pray,“Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.”

Next time: the Day of Atonement.

Rev.Thomas C. Messer serves as pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Alma, Michigan, and can be reached at pastormesser@gmail.com.

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DROPPING DEAD “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”

(Hebrews 9:27)

By Rev. William Cwirla H I G H E R

T H I N G S __ 12

What happens when we die?

And what is this judgment that comes after death? The end of life is as mysterious as our life’s beginning.We believe that life begins at conception, but we don’t know much, if anything, about how that comes to be, and we know even less about life’s end.The doctors may pronounce us legally dead at some point in time, but what does this actually mean spiritually?

In the Bible, to be alive is to have body and breath. God breathed life into Adam’s lifeless body, and he became a living being (Genesis 2:7). We often speak in terms of body and soul.

Breath is not simply air, but an invisible so-called life force that animates the body. By definition, a body without breath is dead (James 2:26).The Book of Ecclesiastes indicates that at death the body returns to the dust and the breath goes back to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Here’s an analogy from the computer world. A computer’s hardware is to its software as the body is to its soul. Hardware without software is dead, a bunch of lifeless circuits. Software can be stored apart from hardware and even installed into new hardware, just as the soul can exist apart from the body in the Lord, awaiting the resurrection.You might say that in death, the hardware returns to the earth and the software returns to God for safekeeping until the day of resurrection.

Now don’t push that analogy too far! This is not reincarnation. Reincarnation would try to install the old software into a completely different piece of hardware.

Resurrection puts the software back into a renewed piece of hardware that has a concrete connection to the old hardware that came before it. In the resurrection, we get new spiritual bodies (1 Corinthians 15:44), but they have a hard connection to our old bodies. Remember, Jesus still had the wounds of His crucifixion in His resurrected body (John 20:20, 27).

So, how is it with the dead? The Scripture speaks of the condition of the dead in two ways.They are asleep (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14), and they are with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). With respect to the body, they are asleep. In fact, a dead body looks rather like it’s asleep. And with respect to the soul, they are with the Lord, that is, they are in the Lord’s immediate presence.

This appears to be a conscious presence. Both the rich man and Lazarus are quite aware of their surroundings, the rich man painfully so (Luke 16:19ff).The souls of the martyrs are actively engaged in prayer (Revelation 6:9–10).Yet there is a sense of something more to come, a now and a not yet.

We confess in the Creed that we believe “in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting” in that order.We believe in eternal life in a resurrected body where body and breath are once again united forever.This takes place on the Last Day when Christ appears in glory (1 Thessalonians 4:13ff).

The time in between now and Resurrection Day is enshrouded in mystery. Part of the problem is that space and time are not relevant to heaven and eternity. Heaven is not a place in space, and eternity is beyond time. In heaven, everything is now, an eternal present.There are no clocks in

heaven, nor is there sun or moon (Revelation 21:23).There is only endless day in the light of Christ.Time, as we experience it, is irrelevant in eternity.

We who are still alive are confined to space and time; the dead in Christ are beyond space and time.They are with the Lord in eternity.“Today, you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).There probably is no sense of waiting in the same way that we wait for something in the future. Luther speculated that rising from the dead would be similar to falling asleep in one’s easy chair and then suddenly being awakened without any sense of the passage of time. One moment you are asleep; the next moment you are awake.

What about those who claim to have returned from the dead? There are plenty of books and testimonials out there.

Hebrews is clear; we die once.Yes, Jesus revived three people from the dead: Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, and Lazarus. And there was a kind of resurrection at the time of Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 27:53), though we know nothing about that in any detail.

Curiously, there are no reports from any of these people as to what the revival from death experience was like. Lazarus never wrote a book or appeared on television. Since death remains a mystery beyond the probings of science, we would do well to approach reports of returns from the dead with healthy skepticism and stay with the Word of God.These are more than likely near death experiences.“It is appointed for man to die once and then the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

What about that judgment after death? Aren’t we already justified in Jesus? The Bible is clear. All will rise to appear for judgment on the Last Day (Revelation 20:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).The good news for the baptized believer is that you have already been judged in the death of Jesus (John 5:24).

Your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.Yes, your works will be judged, but you will not be judged on the basis of your works. Instead, you are judged on the basis of Christ’s work that justifies you before God. Good news indeed!

One final thought. Don’t spend too much time worrying over or speculating about death. Death is not God’s last word to you. Life is. As a baptized believer in Jesus, you are destined to resurrection and eternal life. Death and the grave are simply a temporary rest stop along the way.The destination is eternal life with God in Christ. All thanks to Jesus!

Rev.William M. Cwirla is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, and the President of Higher Things.

He can be reached at wcwirla@gmail.com.

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Didomi: Given unto Death

By Rev. George Borghardt III

H I G H E R

T H I N G S __ 14

Didomi. It’s a little Greek verb that means “to give.”

It’s a simple little word. One person presents something to someone else without requiring any repayment.

Freely, a gift is given. Freely, a gift is received by the one to whom the gift is given.

We withhold giving ourselves and our things to others and put ourselves first instead.Yet we expect others to give, to sacrifice what they want, for us.

Putting our needs and desires before anyone else’s: that’s sin, isn’t it? You give yourself for me.If it helps me, I’ll give myself for you, but only if it also serves my interests, my needs, my plans.

We push ourselves forward at the expense of everything including God Himself. So He gives us what we want; His judgment is life without Him. And we receive what we earn with our selfishness, an eternity separated from the God who gave us life.

How will we make up for what we’ve done? How will we fix this? Hell isn’t what we wanted! Well, it is, but it isn’t. We need to be rescued. We need to pay for what we have done.

But we can’t. We can’t pay what our sins owe, and we can’t make up for what we’ve done. If we can’t repay, what do we do? We do nothing. He rescues us. He saves us. He gives it all to us.

Didomi: that little Greek verb. Jesus gives Himself for us as a ransom. He is given for you, given to suffer for all the times when you don’t give to others, when you withhold, when you insist on getting for yourself and won’t be given to by God. Jesus bears it all on the cross and dies, giving His own life for yours.

Strangely enough, this is precisely how the Father loves His creation! He would not sit back and see His creation damned, separated from Him for eternity. No, He gives up His own Son as a ransom, as payment, for our sins. And He did this not only for your sins but for the sins of the whole world too!

Didomi. Giving begins with God who gives us life in His Son’s death.The suffering, the pain, the mocking, the hell that you deserve for your sin is all given to Jesus. He is given over by Judas, betrayed into the hands of sinners, rejected by the chief priests and teachers of the Law, condemned and

crucified as a criminal for you, for me, for all. He is given to die so that each one of us would have life in His Name.

We are given to die too . . . in Him. We are given to die to our sins, die to our selfishness, die to our way of doing things, and to be given to solely by Him. Being on the receiving end of Jesus’ giving up His life for us on the Cross . . . that’s faith! In Baptism, faith receives our death to sin and our burial with Him, and even fallen sinners like us are saved.

And living that new life in Christ, we are given to give as He has, by giving our lives for others, serving them, putting their needs before our own, their wants before ours. We die daily to ourselves and live in His love for them. It is that love that suffered all, even death itself, to rescue His creation.

Didomi. Jesus does the giving; we do the receiving (being given to).“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and didomi—to give—His life as a random for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus gives His life as a ransom for many. He is given for our sins. He is raised for our justification. And we are given for others as He was given for us, freely, without cost or desire for repayment, always mindful that what is given was first given by Him. Jesus for us. We for others.That’s the way of Jesus who was given to die for us.

Rev. George Borghardt III is the Associate/ Youth Pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Conroe,Texas. He also serves as the Deputy Executive for Higher Things and can be reached at revborghardt@higherthings.org

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For Better or For Worse: God’s Gift of Marriage

by Stan Lemon

H I G H E R

T H I N G S __ 16

It’s your sophomore year of high school.

You’ve made it through freshman year and managed to stay alive.You weren’t squashed into a locker, and you still have a bit of dignity.

Now it’s time to find that special someone, your high school sweetheart with whom you are destined to spend the rest of your life.

Combine together three years, two proms, graduation, and a brief stint at college together, and that gives you a relationship that will span seven years! You’re all set. Isn’t that what we all dream of?

Sometimes love and dating just don’t work that way. My high school sweetheart broke up with me before midterms first semester and is now a forest ranger out saving the planet. Fortunately, the Lord has a funny way of giving gifts at the strangest times, often when we are least likely to expect or even want them.

My best friend, on the other hand, was set up by his dad with an exchange student from Korea.That didn’t pan out so well; they were doomed from the word 안녕하세요 (Hello). From his dad’s perspective, this was a match made in heaven— literally—since they met at church. Nine years later, I’m happy to report that my best friend met a very nice young lady from southern Illinois and the only thing wrong with her is that she’s a Cardinals fan.

They say love and marriage go together. But that’s not always true. At least, not the way the world thinks of love and marriage.The world believes that marriage is totally dependent on love. If you’re in love and you can tough it out through a couple of proms, college, and the like then you’re all set.The only thing left is marriage.

Unfortunately, marriage doesn’t pan out like that. After four years of marriage, I’m still no expert, but I can tell you that I don’t wake up every morning and think to myself,“I love my wife.” I wish it were that picturesque, but more often than not, I wake up angry and upset, usually at the alarm clock.

Marriage is about receiving gifts, and I don’t mean diamonds or roses. Marriage begins with receiving a spouse set aside for you by the Lord and Creator of the universe. In marriage, God gives you the gift of a husband or a wife and says, “Rejoice!”When you try and do the marriage thing without God or decide not to let our Lord have His way with marriage, then you steal the gift away.You turn what our good and gracious God has given into something you’ve taken, and there’s nothing to rejoice in there.When I look at my wedding band, I don’t think to myself how great a husband I am. Instead, I think of how gracious my Lord is to have promised to keep my wife and me in this marriage. I think that no matter how much of a filthy sinner I am, in Christ my wife is still married to me.

There will be tough times.There always are.Take confidence in knowing that when the Lord gives you in marriage your love will not keep the whole thing together.

It’s going to take someone bigger than you to keep your marriage together. It’s going to take someone incomprehensible and almighty to keep your marriage together. It’s going to take the triune God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit— to keep your marriage together.

That goes for right now too. Live each day like a lily in the field, trusting that the Lord will work all things out for your good.Trust that you have the greatest matchmaker of all eternity, a heavenly matchmaker who knew you before the foundation of the world, a matchmaker who formed Eve perfectly for Adam out of his own rib, and a matchmaker who will likewise form for you one given in marriage.

The story doesn’t end with “I do.” Marriage is about constantly receiving gifts from God and each other. What will start as the gift of one another will continue, sometimes as smaller gifts (wrapped up as a little bundle of joy, of course!). When all is said and done, it won’t be your love that keeps the whole lot together. It’ll be the love of God in Christ Jesus given and shed for you on the cross.

Stan Lemon is Sara’s husband, Lucy’s dad, and Higher Things’ Webmaster. E-mail him at webmaster@higherthings.org.

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Given a Way Out

By Rev. Mark Buetow

“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 (NKJV)

H I G H E R

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hen you’re at a party, the alcohol starts flowing, and you know you shouldn’t be there, what do you do? Call Mom or Dad to come get you. What if you’ve been doing the drinking? Let a sober friend drive you home. What if you’re surfing the Web, and you find yourself just a few clicks away from the porn? What do you do? Shut down your browser? What about when your parents are driving you crazy? You’re on the brink. Do you explode and begin yelling at them, or do you take a breath, count to ten, and walk away before you say something you’ll regret?

Many people read the words of St. Paul above as a promise that when you’re in a bad situation, there will be a way out, a choice to make that will keep you out of trouble.That’s well and good.You should make the right choice. In fact, you should avoid any situation in which you will have to make that kind of choice at all. If only life were so easy for us sinners! If only we could always just do the right thing or make good choices, then we could be proud that we’re good Christians and that God gave us a way of escape, a way out of temptation.

But that’s not what St. Paul means. Paul is talking about the Israelites of the Old Testament, wandering around in the wilderness, complaining against the Lord, making golden calves, worshiping the false gods of the pagans, despising His Word and preachers, and just generally being ungrateful and bitter people. Paul even makes a reference to the snakes God sent to punish them, biting them and killing them. But then St. Paul says that the Lord gives them a way out. When the snakes bit them, what was the way out? How did they survive? Moses made a bronze snake on a pole, held it up, and whoever looked at it would live.

When St. Paul talks about the way out that the Lord gives, he doesn’t mean some boost of your willpower to suddenly do the right thing. He means that when we fall into temptation and sin, the way out is His Son, lifted up on the cross.That’s the way out.You know that long before you come to the point where you’re supposed to make that right choice, you’ll have already fallen into sin.

You already lashed out at your parents, already clicked on what you shouldn’t, already done what you ought not to have done. When that happens, our guilt and the devil say,“Well, where was the way out? See? You failed the test.

You gave in to temptation.You’re no Christian.”

When that temptation to doubt comes, then look up to the cross. Jesus said that He would be lifted up just like the snake was lifted up (John 3:14). People were attacked by snakes and saved by a bronze snake on a pole. Now, when you are attacked by sins, you are saved by the

Savior who was lifted up on the cross for you to look at and be saved. See Him there, covered in your sins, dying for them, pierced for them, so that you will not die for your sins but instead be forgiven of them.

Now when Paul says that the Lord will provide this way out, he doesn’t mean we can look to the cross on a shelf or hanging in the church or on our necklace though those can all be reminders of what Jesus did for you.

Rather, to look up at the cross now means to take comfort in the places where that cross and its forgiveness are delivered to you: your Baptism, the absolution and preaching of the cross by your pastor, and the body and blood of Jesus given to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins.

Should you avoid situations where you might be tempted to sin?

Absolutely. If you find yourself in such a situation, should you make the right choice? Of course! But when you find yourself falling into temptation, when you find that your willpower has failed and that the Old Adam has gotten the upper hand and led you into temptation and sin, the answer isn’t in you.The way out isn’t in your own effort.

That way out is always Christ, lifted up on the cross to die for a sinner like you.That Christ who, by hanging on the cross, wipes away all your sins and failures and in whom you have the truest protection from the devil, the world, and your sinful nature.The Lord is indeed faithful.There is no temptation you’ll have that someone else hasn’t. After all, Jesus was tempted as we are but without sin. And His victory over temptation, sin, and death are your victory over temptation, sin, and death. It is in Jesus that we escape all sin and evil. He really is the Way. . . and the way out from temptation.

Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, Illinois, on the Higher Things Executive Council, and can be reached at buetowmt@gmail.com.

Giunta Pisano, Crucifix of San Ranierino, 1229-54. Pisa, Museo Nationale di San Matteo

W

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Service

(PA) ✠ University of South Dakota ✠ University of Tennessee ✠ University of Tulsa (OK) ✠ University of Pittsburgh and Other Pittsburgh Area Colleges ✠ University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee ✠ University of Wisconsin—Superior ✠ University of Wyoming ✠ Valparaiso University (IN) ✠ Vanderbilt University (TN) ✠ Wright State University (OH) ✠

Air Force Academy (CO) ✠ Ball State University (IN) ✠ Boise State University (ID) ✠ Brock University (Ontario) ✠ California Polytechnic State University ✠ Carthage College (WI) ✠ Central Michigan University ✠ Chico State University (CA) ✠ Colorado State University ✠ Corne

Given:

Did you ever play the license plate game while riding along on the

By Rev. Jonathan Bakker

highway? Whether it was looking for plates starting with every letter of the alphabet or plates from another country (I’m a Canadian), it was always fun to see how long it would take to complete the alphabet in order or find the first foreign or out-of-state plate.Yet, with all the portable electronics available today, the license plate game may soon be going the way of the compact disc.

H I G H E R

T H I N G S __

Have no fear, for there is another game that parents, high school seniors, and college students can play on any college campus in America.Take a walk, and count the number of steps you have to take before you see a sign promoting leadership. Or, if you are feeling particularly adventurous, count the number of seconds that go by in a conversation with a student worker in the admission department before they begin to describe how the unique programs of their university mold students into leaders for tomorrow.

Do I sound a bit cynical about leadership? I admit that I’m laying it on pretty thick; developing leadership skills is important for anyone who wants to thrive in college and the workforce. I wonder, however, whether the massive emphasis on leadership among college students ends up returning the dividends hoped for by parents and administrators. Can we ever reach the point where we have enough leaders? Can we become oversaturated with leadership? What is quickly learned in environments that promote and encourage leadership skills is that there is a time to take the lead and a time to step aside and allow another to lead.

We can all name famous leaders—their ideas inspire people to agree with them and their passion motivates others to action—but what about famous followers? Off the top of your head, can you name five others who were on the boats with Christopher Columbus when he first sailed to North America? What about five of Sir Winston Churchill’s cabinet ministers? Even the average pastor would be hard

pressed to name five other members of the Wittenberg faculty who supported Martin Luther’s teachings!

There is certainly a difference to be noted between those who lead and those who follow, but there can be no doubt that both are equally necessary ingredients for most major accomplishments. It is absurd to think of one man crossing an uncharted ocean, and it took much more than the wits and charisma of Churchill to lead a war against the Germans. Where would Lutherans be without those who followed him proclaiming the Gospel alongside Luther and spreading it after he died?

Leadership is always supported by the service of those who follow, though those who serve rarely receive much of a share of the credit with the leader. Leadership may get the glory, but service is more than merely a necessary element in achieving goals and objectives.

Service is a gift.

Yes, you read that correctly. It is a gift to serve. If you do not believe that, speak with someone who has given up a Saturday sleeping in to help pick up litter on campus. Or talk to someone who traded in their plans (and

20

Duluth ✠ University of Minnesota—Morris ✠ University of Minnesota—Twin Cities ✠ University of North Carolina—Greensboro ✠ University of North Dakota ✠ University of Northern Colorado ✠ University of Northern Iowa ✠ University of Oklahoma ✠ University of Pittsburgh

ell College (IA) ✠ Dickinson State University (ND) ✠ Grand Valley State University and Calvin College (MI) ✠ Harvard University and Other Boston Area Colleges ✠ Indiana University ✠ Indiana State University ✠ Lake Superior State University (MI) ✠ Mississippi State University

Rev. Jonathan Bakker is pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and can be reached at bakker@winntel.net.

Christ on Campus Is: ✠ The campus ministry arm of Higher Things ✠ Pastors and laity interested in confessional Lutheran campus ministry ✠ A great source for campus ministry resources ✠ Discussion forums for college students and campus ministry workers ✠ College retreats and service opportunities ✠ A growing and developing network of campus ministry chapters

Christ on Campus Chapters Fifty-two strong and growing.

Newest chapters: ✠ Our Savior Lutheran Church, Columbus, MS (Serving students at Mississippi State University) ✠ Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, IN (Serving Students at Valparaiso University) Join the network! Apply online or contact us.

2010 Annual Campus Staff Conference Christ the King Lutheran Chapel, Mt. Pleasant, MI June 15–17, 2010 Speakers: Rev. Dr. James G. Bushur Asst. Prof. of Historical Theology, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN “Christian Identity in a Pagan World: Spiritual Wisdom from Early Christian Struggles” Rev. Prof. John T. Pless Asst. Prof of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN “Vocation in a Culture of Autonomy: Teaching Lutheran Ethics in Campus Ministry”

Learn More About Christ On Campus: http://christoncampus.higherthings.org Contact: Rev. Marcus Zill Christ on Campus Executive zill@higherthings.org or (307) 745-5892

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✠ North Carolina State University ✠ NW Oklahoma State University ✠ Pittsburg State University (KS) ✠ Rhode Island College and other RI Colleges ✠ Sam Houston State University (TX) ✠ San Francisco State University (CA) ✠ Slippery Rock State University (PA) ✠ South Dakota State University ✠ Stanford University (CA) ✠

budget) for spring break on the beach with friends for a trip to volunteer cleaning out moldy plaster and drywall in homes in the Gulf Coast region recovering from a hurricane. It is a gift to serve, not only because of what it achieves but because through service we share the love we have for others that is ours from God in Jesus Christ.

If learning leadership in college is important for success in work and life, then learning to be a servant is even more crucial. Christians in college are future leaders of the congregations they attend when they graduate and move to, no matter where they begin their careers.The opportunities they have at campus ministries give them unique experience for stepping into leadership roles in the congregations they join later in life. More important than their leadership, however, is their service to others in the name of God. Christ, though we would surely classify Him as the quintessential leader of all time, did not see Himself as such.

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).That Gospel of Jesus’ death to pay for the sin of the world on the cross is the foundation upon which campus ministry stands.

A big part of what Christ on Campus does in its chapters is nurture this love for service in college students. In this way, they recognize the depth of our Lord’s service to all of us in giving us life and hope, and they are able to teach others that it is through service to our neighbors that we share that life and hope with others.Truly, that is a reward that surpasses any earthly glory a servant may desire!

Still, I would be remiss not to speak of a service opportunity that does receive recognition: the Christ on Campus Volunteers (CCV) program.You will see more than a dozen college students wearing their colorful shirts at the GIVEN youth conferences in Utah and Tennessee this coming June and July, and if you have been to a conference before, you know of their hard work and dedication to making things go smoothly. What you may not know is that these are more than just volunteers.

Not only are they intentionally getting less sleep than attendees every night of the conference as well as arriving early and staying late, they actually pay (a slightly reduced rate) to attend the conferences! I encourage you to thank them for their service when you see them and more than that, to follow them by serving others as you grow and go off to college. After all, servants make the best leaders!

Texas State University (TX) ✠ University of Arizona ✠ University of California—Berkeley ✠ University of Colorado ✠ University of Connecticut—Avery Point and other CT Colleges ✠ University of Illinois ✠ University of Iowa ✠ University of Louisville ✠ University of Minnesota

Real Belief in a Real Savior

By Matthew E. Cochran

“That’s just your belief.” It’s a typical objection when we share Christ, but Christians aren’t always sure how to respond. Christianity is our belief, but why should that be an excuse to dismiss it?

The word just is the tricky part of that statement.

Beliefs are not just ours; they are about something outside of us. Normally they are about the way things are for everyone. We call a belief “true” when it correctly describes reality and “false” when it incorrectly describes it. Beliefs should, therefore, correspond to the real world. When it comes to religion, however, many people think about belief differently.

There are many Americans (even some Christians) who seem to think that religion and real life take place at completely different times. Religious beliefs, rather than being about the real world, are seen as extending no further than our own minds. When someone says “That’s just your belief,” he’s usually thinking about belief along these lines. But this is not what Christians believe. We believe Christianity is actually true, that it’s about the real world. We believe that God really became man 2,000 years ago in Palestine, really died to pay for our real sins, and really rose to life again.

Speaking of a true Christianity can be difficult because people often have strange concepts of truth. Some go so far as to claim that there is no such thing as truth at all. Others will not go that far, but still make claims that keep Christianity away from real life:“We cannot really know the truth.”

“All truth is relative; there are no absolutes.”“It’s impossible to know anything about God.” In order to maintain that Christianity is true, we sometimes need to defend the concept of truth itself.

When people try to play games with truth, we should not be shy about making them play by their own rules. Sometimes statements refute themselves. Is it true that “There is no truth?” Is that how things really are? If so, then the statement must be false because there is at least one truth—the statement itself. If not, then that alone makes the statement false. Either way, it does not correspond to reality. Statements like these are selfreferentially incoherent. They do not stand up to their own scrutiny. Simply by being true, they become false.

The other statements self-destruct the same way.To say that “We cannot know truth” is a claim to know a truth.To say that “All truth is relative” or “There are no absolutes” is to make an absolute statement that is not

relative. In the end, all and no are both absolute terms.

The statement “It’s impossible to know anything about God” is about God. If you know it’s impossible to know about Him, then you must know something about Him. People have reasons for believing incoherent statements like these, and we ought to address those reasons. Nevertheless, this does not stop them from being incoherent.

There are some things that we know simply because God made humans a certain way. We cannot really deny them without affirming them at the same time.This concept of truth is one of these things. At the end of the day, we cannot stop having beliefs about the way things are.The question is whether those beliefs are true or false.

Since Christianity is actually true, then we need to treat it as though it were actually true. Of course, this means going to church, loving our neighbors, praying, and the like. We often forget, however, that it also means rationally defending it as truth.To put Christianity in the realm of truth means subjecting it to scrutiny.

Defending Christianity this way is called apologetics.

Did Jesus really rise? Does God exist? Are the Gospels historically reliable? These are hard questions to answer well. Many of us may not know how. Nevertheless, there are answers given to us by God, and we should learn and understand them (1 Peter 3:15),

not just settle for knowing the bare minimum. God gave us a real belief in a real Savior. Since Christ is real, we should treat Him that way by defending that God-given belief.

Matthew E. Cochran is the author of As Though It Were Actually True, a new book on apologetics from Resource Publications. He can be reached at cochranme@ctsfw.edu.

To view a commemorative video of Higher Things Conferences, go to: http://higherthings.org/10years

Ten Years of Being Given To

By Rev. Marcus Zill

This time ten years ago, the final preparations were being put on the conference that would mark the beginning of what is now Higher Things. By God’s grace in the past decade, well over 750 LCMS congregations have been impacted in some way by the mission of Higher Things, and that influence has even extended overseas. For that we rejoice!

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In late 1998, several young LCMS pastors sought to put on a smaller, more regionally-minded, cost-effective, and accessible conference for youth, designed to be uniquely and unashamedly Lutheran. With the loving labor of many volunteers, in July 2000, the Dying to Live National Lutheran Youth Conference, sponsored by the Wyoming District of the LCMS, was held on the campus of the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

The conference theme was based on the outline of Rev. Harold Senkbeil’s popular catechetical book, Dying to Live: The Power of Forgiveness. Over 700 youth and adults from some twenty-five states were in attendance at what was for all intents and purposes the first Higher Things Conference.

From the sound of the trumpet at the first hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” to the catechetical focus of the plenary sessions, to the mountain hiking and PRCA rodeo, that conference served as a catalyst for the often heard Higher Things motto: Make worship real worship, study real study, and fun real fun!

Even though at the time no one knew precisely how Higher Things would develop, there was a shared sense that something both timeless and true, yet unique and new, had been initiated. The conference hymn chosen for Laramie summarized the hope of those gathered:

O God, O Lord of heav’n and earth, Thy living finger never wrote That life should be an aimless mote, A deathward drift from futile birth.

Thy Word meant life triumphant hurled In splendor through Thy broken world.

Since light awoke and life began, Thou hast desired Thy life for man.

(LSB 834:1) The name Higher Things was chosen because it encompassed what those involved desired for the youth of our church: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1–2 NKJV).

Higher Things incorporated in 2001, and the first issue of this magazine was also released in that year. Many other resources devoted to Higher Things soon followed and have included Bible Studies, devotional Reflections, retreats, and cutting-edge web-based resources such as e-mail lists, forums, blogs, and even the HT Radio podcast. Higher Things also developed Christ on Campus to help young people remain rooted in the faith while at college.

Summer conferences have always remained the flagship, the heartbeat of our extended life together where we gather as one to focus upon, and receive, those gracious and salvific gifts God gives.

To this day, the overwhelming highlight for nearly every one who attends a conference is the opportunity to gather together to pray the Church’s prayer offices, sing her songs, and receive Christ’s gifts. That is as it should be.

Today Higher Things has numerous staff and support personnel who all give of their time and energy as a labor of love, usually in addition to the many other areas of their lives that place demands on their time. Of course, all of this is to support the many congregations, youth, youth leaders, pastors, and parents who “Dare to be Lutheran.”

As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of that first conference in Laramie, Wyoming, the future of Higher Things is as limitless as the Gospel we seek to proclaim. In a post-modern, feel-good age that dismisses truth claims, we at Higher Things remain unapologetically Lutheran. We want to encourage other Lutherans to cultivate and rediscover their roots, to embrace their confession and heritage.

Simply put, we believe that authenticity counts.We are Lutheran.

We dare to be Lutherans. We are given to be Lutherans!

Today, Higher Things is a lot of things, all of which seek to keep young people focused on Christ and His gifts as they grow and mature in their faith. It’s parents seeking to teach their youth the Catechism. It’s youth workers and volunteers seeking to reinforce that which is preached from their congregation’s pulpits and confessed in their pews. And yes, it’s pastors wanting to keep their Lutheran sheep Lutheran as they grow up. As the first LCMS President, Dr. C. F. W. Walther said: “The preacher should care in a heartfelt way for the confirmed youth in his congregation; be serious about this group of Christ’s sheep, who stand in special danger; and keep a watchful eye on them.”

While many dedicated people have been involved in Higher Things over the last decade and many more will be in the decade to come, may one thing continue to remain a constant among us all, namely the desire and dedication to put the Gospel into the ears of young people. Simply put, it is what we believe we are given to do.

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O Spirit, who didst once restore Thy Church that it might be again The bringer of good news to men, Breathe on Thy cloven Church once more, That in these gray and latter days There may be those whose life is praise, Each life a high doxology To Father, Son, and unto Thee.

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“He who has been forgiven much loves much” (Luke 7:47).

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By Rev. Brent Kuhlman

And that’s precisely the way it was for a sinful woman.

Want to talk about sinful? She had sinful down pat! Professionally sinful.

Perfected sinful. Sinful in the way of prostitution. After all, everyone knows why a woman in the ancient world wears a bottle of perfume around her neck. It scents her bosom and sweetens her breath.

And there she is, sneaking in to the dinner party because Jesus the Savior of sinners is there. He is the Savior of all sinners, a whole world full of them. He is even Savior for her.

She is trapped in her sin. Kidnapped. Held against her will. Bound. Powerless to change or save herself.

She is certainly not the Savior. But Jesus is. And she believes in Him. She believes what she has heard.

Jesus declared that He came to give His life as a “ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). He announced that He came to release the captives. He came to liberate those who sit in darkened dungeons of their sin (Luke 4:18-19). He promised: “Come to me all of you who are weary or burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

And now here He is. The Savior of sinners dines at Simon’s house. He has come to do a Good Friday, even for her. Her enormous sin is His. It doesn’t belong to her any more. He has arrived to answer for all her sin by shedding His blood on the cross.

He will die sacrificially in her place. He will take the eternal damnation and hell that she deserves in His sacrificial body at the place called Golgotha. All her sin is forgiven in Jesus. Salvation is hers in Jesus. He has come to die for her. That’s how precious she is to Jesus.

Consequently, “he who has been forgiven much loves much,” Jesus says. No wonder she weeps and weeps. No wonder she washes His feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. No wonder she kisses his feet and pours the perfume on them. Her actions speak louder than any words. The enormity of her sin and her sinful life is forgiven. There is no sin or sinner too big for Jesus. Jesus doesn’t count any of her sin against her, not one bit of it.“Your sins are forgiven.”

So too with you! What is your sin? What does your sinful life look like? Jesus has come for you too. He has given His life into death as a ransom for you. He has come to give you rest and to set you free from your captivity. You are baptized into His death. He

invites you to dine in His house. He provides the meal. His gives you His body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar for you to eat and drink with the bread and wine with this specific promise attached: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” All is forgiven for you.That is how precious you are to Jesus.

Yes, indeed! What counted for this sinful woman also counts for sinful people like you. Jesus announces the same forgiveness in the Divine Service: “Your sins are forgiven. I died for you! Your faith [in Me] has saved you. Go in peace.” His words spoken in the Divine Service by the pastor do what they say. They give what they say. She is forgiven. You are forgiven. She is free. You are free. New creations in Christ you are. The old has passed away. The new has come. Why? Because Jesus says so.

Such complete and total forgiveness from Jesus may just bring you to tears at times. It may just blow you away, leaving you speechless for a while. The reactions will vary depending on each person.

Nevertheless, the vastness of Jesus answering for all your rot, filth, and gunk is really amazing. Faith in Him bears the fruit of love in your life wherever He has put you: sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, students, athletes, congregation members, and citizens. Lives are set free to live for others. The fruit of the Gospel is nothing else than love. Just as Jesus gave Himself for you with His body and blood on the cross to redeem you from your captivity to sin, death, and damnation, so you, too, give yourself to your neighbor who desperately needs your love. After all, “He who has been forgiven much loves much.”

Rev. Brent W. Kuhlman is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Murdock, Nebraska, Vice President of Higher Things, and can be reached at bb5841@windstream.net.

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Sinners

Who Know They Are

Saints

By Rev. David Petersen

The Sacrament of Holy Baptism IV. What Baptism Indicates

H I G H E R

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What does such baptizing with water indicate?

It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written?

St. Paul writes in Romans chapter six: “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.� [Rom. 6:4]

he most profound things tend to be the most simple. The wisdom of Socrates is no exception. It can be boiled down to this: anyone who thinks himself wise is a fool while all the truly wise know they are fools.

T

We can also apply this formula to virtues other than wisdom. Those who imagine themselves humble are proud while those who are truly humble know they are proud. It even works for courage and patience, for courage and patience are never held by fallen men apart from fear and frustration. Anyone who truly holds a virtue knows also his vice. To be ignorant of the vice, to think yourself good, is to be utterly without the virtue. Socrates discerned that all men are fools, even the wise, and that the only advantage one fool might have over another, in the realm of wisdom, is to know he is a fool. That knowledge doesn’t stop them from being fools. But it delivers them, in part, from trusting in themselves or in their own common sense or from the worst of being a fool.

What is true, on this side of glory, of wisdom is also true of holiness and faith. No one who thinks himself holy is holy for to think oneself holy is worse than being a fool who thinks himself wise. The self-righteousness of Hitler and his so-called final solution or of the terrorists who believe they are doing the will of God are good examples of how thinking oneself holy leads to terrible crimes. Criminals who know they are criminals are never so violent as criminals who imagine they have a divine right to inflict their will on others. So anyone who thinks he is a saint is a sinner. The only actual saints are those who know they are sinners.

Socrates’ wisdom turns out to be more true of holiness than it is of wisdom. A saint is not someone who is holy, but, rather, is someone declared to be holy. You can’t be a saint unless you are a sinner. You can’t be forgiven and declared holy unless you have something of which to be forgiven.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not a saint. He is not a saint because He is holy and is not a sinner. He cannot be declared holy or forgiven because He has no sins. And, yet, in order to declare sinners holy, the Lord Jesus Christ was declared a sinner, a worm, a curse. He was declared to be what He was not in order to declare us to be what He is. I think this would make perfect sense to Socrates.

There is an important difference between the saints declared holy by Christ and Christ declared a sinner on the cross. The declared holiness of the saints endures forever.

The saints do not stop being holy, but they will stop being sinners. From the perspective of time, however, there was a time when the Lord Jesus Christ was declared a sinner on the cross, yet even then He was holy, but that declared sinfulness is now gone. It is finished. It is no more. He is no longer a sinner or a curse. He is and remains holy as He has always been.

Is this confusing? Consider this: there is no such thing as evil in itself. Evil has no substance and no creativity. It is the absence of good. Injustice is the absence of justice. Hatred is the absence of love. Violence is the absence of bodily aid.

Since God is love and perfectly fills the Law, He is the only one who is, who has substance, in whom all things that are have their being.The Lord Jesus Christ takes all evil, all sin into Himself, makes full atonement and payment, reconciles all humanity to His Father, and walks away seemingly unscathed. He died, but He lives. He is undiminished. Hell has taken nothing from Him. He suffered and died, but He is no less. He is unchanged. Thus, He was declared a sinner but is no longer a sinner. He is the stronger man and has overcome death. He is and remains holy, and so also do all those whom He declares to be holy.

The declaration is true now. But the consummation has not yet come. Our guilt has been removed. We are forgiven and holy in the sight of God. But while we live in this living death, sin abides in us. We suffer with temptation and consequences. This hardly feels like a mere absence of good. It feels like a strong man, fully equipped in the ways and armor of the world, pressing down upon us, like an irresistible pull, like it is our fate to do evil. When we examine ourselves, we find that we have actively sinned. We have chosen evil. We are not simply passive, weak creatures of habit. We are actually evil people who return again and again to selfish and stupid ways. The more we grow in grace, the stronger our faith, the more aware of this we become. Strong faith never feels strong. It feels weak. And it is weak. Because the strongest faith, the greatest sanctification, is dependence upon God’s grace in Christ Jesus and is, in itself, nothing. And thus, we are saints who know we are sinners Socrates’ wisdom will fail. His wisdom, at best, is only wisdom for fallen men. It will not endure. On the Last Day, our sin will be completely removed. We will be sealed in bliss like the holy angels. The wisdom of Socrates will no longer be true. When the good work begun in you is complete, the wise won’t be fools and the saints won’t be sinners. What a blessed day that will be!

Rev. David Petersen is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His e-mail address is prdhpetersen@gmail.com.

The Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Luther's Small Catechism. © 1986 Concordia Publishing House. www.cph.org. Used with permission.

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News & Notes Thanks, A. It’s with regret that we say goodbye to Adriane Dorr, who has served on the Higher Things Magazine staff for several years, most recently as managing editor. Miss Dorr is moving on to new challenges and opportunities, and we look forward to witnessing her work in other places. Thanks, A, for all of your service to Higher Things: “The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121:8).

Higher Things is excited to announce its new, full-time conference coordinator, Sandra Ostapowich. Formerly a member of the Board of Directors, Ms. Ostapowich will now devote her time to work on Higher Things retreats and conferences.

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“Real Belief in a Real Savior” Article by Matthew Cochran • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 22-23 Bible Study Leader Guide 1. In his article, Mr. Cochran speaks of the common argument by many that “We cannot really know the truth.” Really? Let’s take a look and see if we can find a few examples of things that everyone must admit is true. Read Ecclesiastes 1:5 and Hebrews 9:27.

Ecclesiastes 1:5 observes that the sun rises and the sun sets, while Hebrews 9:27 notes that everybody faces death. Those are certainly evident truths that no one can rationally deny.

2. But wait! Mr. Cochran also notes that many make a distinction between religion and the “real world;” and that while we can know truths in the “real world,” it’s only in religion that we can’t really know truth. Is this a fair distinction? Are either of the two examples above matters of religion? Read Psalm 19:1-2 and Romans 6:23. Both examples show that religion is part of the real world…or is it better that the real world is part of religion?! Psalm 19 declares that the sun rises and sets because God appointed it to do so, while Romans 6:23 says that death is the result of sin—not just a natural part of life.

3. Why does the denial of truth in matters of faith come so easily? a. Read 1 John 1:5-10. What is it inside of us that wars against the truth? We’re sinful. That’s one of the most obvious truths, and also one of the most difficult for us to confess. To confess that God speaks the truth, we have to confess that truth about ourselves, and pride will always resist this. b. Read 2 Peter 2:1-3. What are some of the temptations outside of us that tempt us to deny truth and favor deception? False prophets, heresy, sensuality and greed. What a relevant list!

There are plenty of false teachers who will say it’s true that people are good and their sins are not sinful at all. Sensuality tempts us to deny God’s truth for sins that feel good, and greed tempts us to deny truth in favor of what we want to have for ourselves.

4. What’s the truth about our ability to know the truth apart from God? Read Jeremiah 17:9.

Our hearts even deceive ourselves and persuade us that our sin isn’t sinful. Apart from God, we could never know the truth.

5. Read Romans 1:18. a. Why should opposition to truth and the truth of God’s Word not surprise us?

Part of the consequence of sin is an inability to know truth apart from God, and unbelievers will then oppose the truth. In other words, it’s no surprise when non-Christians oppose God’s Word. b. Given what Romans 1:18 says, which is true: “Christianity blinds people to truth,” or “Christianity sets people free from the blindness of sin so that they can see the truth”?

The latter.

6. Back to 1 John 1:8-9. What truth does God speak to those who deny their sin, and those who confess their sin? Those who deny their sin deceive themselves. To those who confess, He speaks the truth that they are forgiven for the sake of Jesus.

“Real Belief in a Real Savior” Article by Matthew Cochran • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 22-23 Bible Study 1. In his article, Mr. Cochran speaks of the common argument by many that “We cannot really know the truth.” Really? Let’s take a look and see if we can find a few examples of things that everyone must admit is true. Read Ecclesiastes 1:5 and Hebrews 9:27.

2. But wait! Mr. Cochran also notes that many make a distinction between religion and the “real world;” and that while we can know truths in the “real world,” it’s only in religion that we can’t really know truth. Is this a fair distinction? Are either of the two examples above matters of religion? Read Psalm 19:1-2 and Romans 6:23.

3. Why does the denial of truth in matters of faith come so easily? a. Read 1 John 1:5-10. What is it inside of us that wars against the truth?

b. Read 2 Peter 2:1-3. What are some of the temptations outside of us that tempt us to deny truth and favor deception?

4. What’s the truth about our ability to know the truth apart from God? Read Jeremiah 17:9.

5. Read Romans 1:18. a. Why should opposition to truth and the truth of God’s Word not surprise us?

b. Given what Romans 1:18 says, which is true: “Christianity blinds people to truth,” or “Christianity sets people free from the blindness of sin so that they can see the truth”?

6. Back to 1 John 1:8-9. What truth does God speak to those who deny their sin, and those who confess their sin?

Didomi: Given Unto Death Article by Rev. George Borghardt • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 14-15 Bible Study Leader’s Guide 1. Rev. Borghardt writes, "We withhold giving ourselves and our things to others, and put ourselves first instead." Read 2 Timothy 3:1-5. What sort of people are "lovers of self"?

St. Paul classifies them with a long list of sinners who have rejected God and are to be avoided.

2. Philippians 3:18-19 also describes lovers of self. What does it say about them?

Those who love themselves are enemies of the cross of Christ, because their god is their belly.

Thus, their end is destruction.

3. What commandment or commandments are broken by those described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and Philippians 3:18-19?

The First Commandment is certainly broken by those who put themselves first above God, because they have made themselves their god. Therefore, they also misuse God's name (2nd Commandment) and reject His Word (3rd Commandment). After that, the final seven commandments will fall pretty quickly, as demonstrated by the lists in these two texts.

4. So let's say you're not a belly-worshiping, greedy, arrogant parent-hater; but you're just a little selfish now and then. Does that mean you're out of the woods? Read James 2:10. What does it say, and could there possibly be a silver lining to that Law? Even someone who is relatively unselfish is still guilty of the entire Law if he is selfish just once.

In a strange way, there is relief here: Christians do not spend their lives wondering if they've been unselfish enough--they can't be. Therefore, they focus all the more on Christ's selfless love for their salvation.

5. Read Revelation 5:12. What does Jesus deserve? Who should be serving who?

Jesus deserves to receive all power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing. He deserves that we serve Him, and so we should!

6. Read Mark 10:43-45. Despite what Jesus deserves, what did He come to do and to give when He became flesh?

He came to be a servant, to give His life as a ransom for many.

7. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. What did God "give" to Jesus? And because He did that, what does He give to us?

God made Jesus to be sin, "giving" Him all the guilt of all of mankind's sin and judging Him for it on the cross. For Jesus' sake, God gives us His righteousness.

8. If we are righteous, then the Lord has put to death that old self that loves itself above others: Romans 6:6 says so--but how does He give this new life to us? Read Romans 6:3.

We are joined with Christ in Holy Baptism to His death and resurrection. We're certain of our salvation not because we've been unselfish enough (see question 4), but because Jesus has joined us to His cross—His perfectly unselfish act of redemption.

Didomi: Given Unto Death Article by Rev. George Borghardt • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 14-15 Bible Study 1. Rev. Borghardt writes, "We withhold giving ourselves and our things to others, and put ourselves first instead." Read 2 Timothy 3:1-5. What sort of people are "lovers of self"?

2. Philippians 3:18-19 also describes lovers of self. What does it say about them?

3. What commandment or commandments are broken by those described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and Philippians 3:18-19?

4. So let's say you're not a belly-worshiping, greedy, arrogant parent-hater; but you're just a little selfish now and then. Does that mean you're out of the woods? Read James 2:10. What does it say, and could there possibly be a silver lining to that Law?

5. Read Revelation 5:12. What does Jesus deserve? Who should be serving who?

6. Read Mark 10:43-45. Despite what Jesus deserves, what did He come to do and to give when He became flesh?

7. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. What did God "give" to Jesus? And because He did that, what does He give to us?

8. If we are righteous, then the Lord has put to death that old self that loves itself above others: Romans 6:6 says so--but how does He give this new life to us? Read Romans 6:3.

“He Who Has Been Forgiven Much Loves Much” Article by Rev. Brent Kuhlman • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 26-27 Bible Study Leader's Guide Read Luke 6:37-50.

1. What might we suppose about this woman because she is called a “sinner?” What kind of people do you usually expect to see in church?

Such a term was often reserved for those who were prostitutes or “loose women.” She was apparently looked down upon and had a “reputation” (not a good one!) Most people suppose that only “good” people go to church, people that are religious or don't sin or have it all together. This Bible story teaches us that Jesus came for sinners of all kinds!

2. Why do you think this woman shows such affection to Jesus?

Jesus' reputation had spread, that He was a prophet who would eat with anyone, talk with anyone, teach anyone. Most especially He has come to call sinners (See Luke 5:31-32).

3. What does the Pharisee who invited Jesus over to eat think about Jesus when He allows this? How do we judge others who we think are “sinners?”

His assumption is that Jesus, being a prophet, should know better than to have anything to do with this woman. Simon's religion is all about how well a person keeps the Law and those who are obviously sinners are ignored and left alone since they're obviously not righteous and they don't try to live the right way. We are often Pharisees ourselves, judging those whose lives don't seem to be as on track as our own, who aren't as religious, or who act in a way that we know is inappropriate.

4. What story does Jesus tell? Ask the kids whether they would be more grateful to someone who told them they didn't have to pay back the $5 they borrowed for lunch or who came and said they didn't have to pay back the loan on their car.

The point of Jesus story is that those who have a bigger debt will be more grateful when that debt is forgiven. God forgives all sins for Jesus' sake. But those who know their sins to be worse than others, to be terrible, often seem to appreciate their forgiveness much more than those who take their being forgiven for granted.

5. What is the difference between how this woman has treated Jesus and how Simon treated Him? Simon offered Jesus to eat with him as if he were doing Him a favor. The woman shows signs of gratitude for the forgiveness she has received. This points to the difference between the ways of approaching religion: Simon does what he does out of obligation without genuine love for His neighbor, in order to try to keep the Law. The woman worships Jesus by receiving His forgiveness and being stirred up with a genuine desire to do good works to others. The proper order is that we receive from the Lord and then live in love to our neighbor, not try to impress our neighbor with how religious we can be.

6. What does Jesus tell the woman when He dismisses her? What has saved her?

Her faith saves her but not as if her faith is something in her. By “faith” Jesus means trust and confidence in HIM. This woman's only hope is that Jesus is her Savior. Her only rescue from her sinful

life is not that she can fix herself but that the Lamb of God die and rise for her. She believes that He is the One who takes away her sin. Her faith is in Jesus. Her faith IS Jesus.

7. What were the people at the table upset about? How would they react to our church today?

They were annoyed that Jesus presumed to forgiven that woman's sins. Yet that is what He came to do.

Then He established His church to be a place where forgiveness is given out. In Christ's church, through Baptism, Absolution, the Gospel and the Supper, Jesus gives out forgiveness to sinners. Many who complain about church being “boring” or “irrelevant” or who “get nothing out of it” don't remember or know that the purpose of being in church is to receive forgiveness for EVERYTHING we have every thought, said or done. In church we have bestowed upon us the ultimate gift: that our sins are completely taken away by Jesus with no strings attached.

8. Read 1 John 4:10-11. What is our response to being loved by God? We learn, like the woman, to love others. The more we recognize the depths of our sins, the more we will recognize just how great Jesus' forgiveness really is. In that way the Holy Spirit stirs us up to love others unconditionally, not because that makes us better with God but because we have been forgiven and so we love and serve our neighbors for their sakes.

“He Who Has Been Forgiven Much Loves Much” Article by Rev. Brent Kuhlman • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 26-27 Bible Study Read Luke 6:37-50.

1. What might we suppose about this woman because she is called a “sinner?” What kind of people do you usually expect to see in church?

2. Why do you think this woman shows such affection to Jesus?

3. What does the Pharisee who invited Jesus over to eat think about Jesus when He allows this? How do we judge others who we think are “sinners?”

4. What story does Jesus tell? Ask the kids whether they would be more grateful to someone who told them they didn't have to pay back the $5 they borrowed for lunch or who came and said they didn't have to pay back the loan on their car.

5. What is the difference between how this woman has treated Jesus and how Simon treated Him?

6. What does Jesus tell the woman when He dismisses her? What has saved her?

7. What were the people at the table upset about? How would they react to our church today?

8. Read 1 John 4:10-11. What is our response to being loved by God?

“The Lord Gives and the Lord Takes Away” Article by Rev. Joel Fritsche • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 6-7 Bible Study Leader's Guide Read Job 1:1-22.

1. Who suggested Job to Satan? What does the title “Satan” mean? How did he attack Job in his life?

How did he attack him before God? Notice that it is the Lord who suggests Satan go after Job. The Lord does this so that he might demonstrate his glory and strength through Job. The title “Satan” means “Accuser.” He attacked Job through the sufferings that he inflicted but before God, Satan accuses Job of only being godly as long as he has his life. Satan is saying that we are only going to be Christians when we have our “stuff” or, barring that, our physical life. In other words, the accusation is that we are not faithful of ourselves but only when we have things we want or avoid danger.

2. What does Job do when these terrible things happen? What does he confess and say?

He worships! A strange reaction. He then confesses that the Lord gives and takes away, but blessed be the Lord's name. Notice also that even though it is the Satan who is responsible by the Lord's hand for these tragedies, Job credits God with these things. The devil cannot even get credit from Job, who blesses God's name!

3. Read Job 3:1-13. What does Job's wife suggest Job do after he is afflicted? Why does he tell her to be quiet?

She tells him to “curse God and die.” (As a side note, you might mention the notion of “mercy killing” in which people say their suffering is so great that we should let them die. Such a confession shows no trust in God but only in making themselves God.) Job teaches his wife that we are to receive both good and adversity from the Lord's hand. Again, Job directs his praise to the Lord no matter what he receives from Him. 4. Read Job 19:23-27. Job says these words in the midst of his discussion with his friends who were giving him “cliche” answers. What promise does Job believe even in the midst of his suffering?

Job trusts that in the resurrection he will see God and see Him in his flesh, that is, whole and complete in the resurrection. Job knows the promise that he will rise from the dead to new life and in the midst of his suffering, he longs for that day. An additional note: Job is one of the earliest books of the Old Testament. Here we have a very clear confession of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, which some critical scholars claim is not taught in the Old Testament. Job teaches us otherwise, that the promise of salvation, resurrection and eternal life were well known to the Old Testament saints.

5. Read Job 38 and 39 (or selected portions). What is the Lord asking of Job? Does the Lord explain himself to Job? Why or why not.

Job has finally put his integrity against the Lord as if his suffering were not fair. Now the Lord comes in a whirlwind and questions Job who is not as upright as he thought. The Lord doesn't bother to explain himself to Job, rather pointing out that Job doesn't know everything and didn't make everything and so doesn't have a cause to question God. What is interesting is that the suffering is never explained but, rather, Job is called to repentance and faith, trust in God even when he doesn't understand what is going on.

6. Read Job 42:1-6. What is Job's response to the Lord?

Job repents. He recognizes that he is not holy and has no standing before God other than what the Lord gives him. So he confesses his sin that he speaks as one who thinks he knows better than the Lord.

7. Read Luke 13:1-5. What does Jesus say should be learned from these disasters?

Jesus preaches repentance. Disasters and suffering do not have as their purpose, God's punishment of us. Rather, they teach us not to cling to this world and to trust in the Lord to rescue us from all sin and death and suffering.

8. Read Romans 8:35-39. How is a Christian to regard suffering and bad things that happen?

We are to remember that in Christ, we have overcome all of these things and that there is nothing that can truly hurt the baptized child of God. Many things will hurt and cause suffering. But these things will all pass away and we have eternal life and joy in Christ.

9. How does the Lord himself react to suffering? Consider Jesus.

Here you can consider Christ's temptation in the wilderness; his suffering, scourging, crown of thorns and crucifixion. Christ doesn't give some high and mighty secret explanations about suffering and how to avoid it. Rather, the Son of God suffers Himself. He suffers with us. His suffering secures our salvation and sanctifies (makes holy) our suffering. Whatever we suffer in this life, like Job we know that our Redeemer lives (Christ is risen!) and that our suffering will pass and we have eternal life for Christ's sake.

“The Lord Gives and the Lord Takes Away” Article by Rev. Joel Fritsche • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 6-7 Bible Study Read Job 1:1-22.

1. Who suggested Job to Satan? What does the title “Satan” mean? How did he attack Job in his life?

How did he attack him before God?

2. What does Job do when these terrible things happen? What does he confess and say?

3. Read Job 3:1-13. What does Job's wife suggest Job do after he is afflicted? Why does he tell her to be quiet?

4. Read Job 19:23-27. Job says these words in the midst of his discussion with his friends who were giving him “cliche” answers. What promise does Job believe even in the midst of his suffering?

5. Read Job 38 and 39 (or selected portions). What is the Lord asking of Job? Does the Lord explain himself to Job? Why or why not.

6. Read Job 42:1-6. What is Job's response to the Lord?

7. Read Luke 13:1-5. What does Jesus say should be learned from these disasters?

8. Read Romans 8:35-39. How is a Christian to regard suffering and bad things that happen?

9. How does the Lord himself react to suffering? Consider Jesus.

“For Better or For Worse: God's Gift of Marriage” Article by Stan Lemon • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 16-17 Bible Study Leader's Guide Read Genesis 2:18-25 1. What does the Lord say about the man being alone? What is His plan?

It is not good for the man to be alone. His plan is to make the man a helper that is “suitable” or “comparable.” This means that she would be like him (a human being) but also not like him ( a female) so that they would be complementary, “fit” together.

2. How is Eve made? Who brings her to Adam? Where should we look to for our spouses?

Adam receives a wife from His heavenly Father, and yet she is a part of him, by God's gracious design.

It is the Lord Himself who gives her to Adam. When the Scriptures says He “brought her” we see this pictured in the practice of the father walking his daughter down the aisle at a wedding. We are reminded by these words that it is our heavenly Father who will provide us with a spouse according to His will and in His own time. As youth get older, and they begin desiring a husband or wife, they should pray that the Lord will bless them with one.

3. How does Adam describe His wife? What does the Bible say happens when a man and woman get married?

Adam is overjoyed! He recognizes that this wife God has given him is from his own body. Marriage makes them one and gives them a life of their own. Many youth seem to crave being grown up, with the person they love and on their own, but again, this is the Lord's gift in due time.

4. After the fall into sin, how does Adam regard his wife? How does God step in to help them? Read Genesis 3:11-12, 21.

When sin enters the world, suddenly Adam blames his wife and even God for their mess. “The wife YOU gave me,” he says to the Lord. Suddenly their marriage and happiness are marred by sin. They who were once unashamed of their nakedness are now trying to hide themselves and cover themselves.

The Lord, when He has made the Promise of the Savior, then takes the life of an animal in order to clothe them and cover their nakedness. Now, their marriage, though tainted with sin, is bound up in the promise of the Savior to come.

5. There is already (even if you're not married) a marriage made in heaven. What bride and groom is this? See John 19:33-34.

Just as Adam's bride was made from his side, so the Church, which is the Bride of Christ, comes from her Groom's side, here in blood and water, the very sacraments which make and sustain the church.

This is in part why Jesus leaves behind His mother at the cross. We should know that even though our marriages are plagued by sin, the greater marriage of Christ and the church is what preserves us and gives us forgiveness.

6. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. How is love described? Is it feelings or actions? How does this differ from the way the world talks about “love?”

Most people get caught up in the feelings of love, forgetting that those feelings come and go. True love,

as Christ Himself demonstrates is the bearing of burdens, the patient endurance of trouble, the humble and non-boasting nature, etc., as the passage declares. Talk about how most of these actions are ignored when it comes to the way the world talks about love.

7. Read Psalm 127. What is the basis for a happy marriage? What gifts may the Lord give through marriage?

The Lord must build the marriage. It is by His grace and forgiveness that a couple learns to love and forgiven one another. If the Lord wills it, the gift of children is an important part of marriage, too. The life that a husband and wife have with one another and the lives of their children are all gifts from our heavenly Father.

8. What is the purpose of the wedding rings worn by husbands and wives?

The wedding ring is a sign that the person is married. But much more than a “Law” reminder that a person is married and must “behave” is the Gospel promise, “Hey, when I'm a lousy spouse, my husband or wife has promised not to bail on me!”

9. What is the strength for any couple to remain happily married? What should they do when they have trouble? What should they do when things are going well?

Marriage, since it is a picture of Christ and His Bride, the church, has its basis in His love and forgiveness. The strength for a happy marriage lies in the forgiveness of sins that a husband and wife receive in their Baptism, absolution and at the Supper and which they pass on to each other. When things are difficulty, they should learn to confess their sins and receive forgiveness. When things are going well, they should always be mindful and thankful that what they have is a gift from their Father in heaven.

“For Better or For Worse: God's Gift of Marriage” Article by Stan Lemon • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 16-17 Bible Study Read Genesis 2:18-25 1. What does the Lord say about the man being alone? What is His plan?

2. How is Eve made? Who brings her to Adam? Where should we look to for our spouses?

3. How does Adam describe His wife? What does the Bible say happens when a man and woman get married?

4. After the fall into sin, how does Adam regard his wife? How does God step in to help them? Read Genesis 3:11-12, 21.

5. There is already (even if you're not married) a marriage made in heaven. What bride and groom is this? See John 19:33-34.

6. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. How is love described? Is it feelings or actions? How does this differ from the way the world talks about “love?”

7. Read Psalm 127. What is the basis for a happy marriage? What gifts may the Lord give through marriage?

8. What is the purpose of the wedding rings worn by husbands and wives?

9. What is the strength for any couple to remain happily married? What should they do when they have trouble? What should they do when things are going well?

If Salvation Were a Reality Show Article by Rev. Tim Pauls • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 8-9 Bible Study • Leader Guide The three contestants on the reality show are Jacobus Arminius, John Calvin and Martin Luther —three Protestant Reformers who lived at about the same time (Arminius lived a little bit later).

Each of the three championed a different belief about salvation.

Jacobus Arminius taught that man had free will in matters of salvation. In other words, man chooses to believe in Jesus. Therefore, if you end up in heaven, it’s because you’ve chosen to believe in Jesus. If you end up in hell, you’ve chosen to reject Jesus. Salvation is your choice either way. Arminian theology is very popular in many churches today, where pastors have “altar calls” in which people are invited to “accept Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord.”

1. How is Arminius’ theology illustrated in the article?

Arminius “chooses” the platform as his own. However, he’s still not on the platform because he’s unable to attain it by his own work.

2. Let’s break down Arminian theology into two parts. The first is the doctrine that people are condemned to eternal death because they have rejected Christ as their Savior. Read Romans 3:26; Ezekiel 18:20; Acts 7:51. Do those Bible passages support what Arminius said about condemnation?

Yes. 3. The other Arminian doctrine is the teaching that people are saved because they have chosen Jesus to be their Savior. Read Romans 3:10-11; Ephesians 2:1. Do these passages support what Arminius said about salvation?

No. The Bible makes clear that we are dead in sin and can do nothing to save ourselves, including making a decision.

John Calvin taught that man had no choice whatsoever in matters of salvation. He said that God chooses some to be saved and others to be damned. This is a teaching we call doublepredestination. Though not as popular as Arminian theology today, Calvinism remains.

4. How is Calvin’s theology illustrated in the article?

While awaiting deliverance to the platform, John makes a list of rules to live by. When he ends up in the pit, he accepts it as God’s will.

5. Let’s break Calvin’s doctrine into two parts. The first is the teaching that people are saved because God has chosen them to be saved. Read Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12. Do these passages support what Calvin said about salvation?

Yes.

6. The other Calvinist doctrine is that people are condemned because God chooses some to be condemned. Read John 3:16; Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:9. Do these passages support what Calvin said about God choosing some to be condemned?

No. The Bible never says that God chooses some to be damned. It only says that those who are saved are chosen by Him for salvation.

Martin Luther taught that people are saved because God saves them, and people are lost because they choose to reject God. 7. How is Luther’s theology illustrated in this article?

For Luther, the start of the contest must be in the bottom of the pit because that’s where we “begin:” dead in sin and unable to save ourselves, rather than halfway between salvation and condemnation.

8. Do any of the passages you’ve looked up so far confirm what Luther said? Do any of them contradict what Luther said?

All of them confirm Luther’s doctrine of salvation, because it is entirely Scriptural. If we are saved, it is all God’s doing. If we are lost, it is because of our sin.

9. Finally, if you follow the doctrine of Arminius, Calvin or Luther, can you be certain of your salvation?

In reality, an Arminian can never be sure that he is saved, because he can never be sure that he has done a good enough job of choosing Jesus as his Savior; after all, his heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), so he can’t trust his own decisions. Likewise, a Calvinist can never be sure that God has chosen him for salvation or damnation: his works might appear to be the sorts of good fruits that Christians produce, but people who appeared to be Christians have fallen away before. As Lutherans, we can be certain of our salvation: it depends not on our choosing, but God’s—and by Holy Baptism, we know that God has chosen us. Furthermore, because He does not desire the death of anyone, we can be sure that He has not predestined us to hell.

Prayer: Thanks be to you, O Lord, that You have made us Your holy people: not by our reason and strength, but by the grace won by Christ at the cross and delivered by the Holy Spirit in Your means of grace. Give us faith quickly to repent of our sins and turn from all that would lead us to reject you, and grant that we might always rejoice in the certainty of our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

If Salvation Were a Reality Show Article by Rev. Tim Pauls • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 8-9 Bible Study The three contestants on the reality show are Jacobus Arminius, John Calvin and Martin Luther —three Protestant Reformers who lived at about the same time (Arminius lived a little bit later).

Each of the three championed a different belief about salvation.

Jacobus Arminius taught that man had free will in matters of salvation. In other words, man chooses to believe in Jesus. Therefore, if you end up in heaven, it’s because you’ve chosen to believe in Jesus. If you end up in hell, you’ve chosen to reject Jesus. Salvation is your choice either way. Arminian theology is very popular in many churches today, where pastors have “altar calls” in which people are invited to “accept Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord.”

1. How is Arminius’ theology illustrated in the article?

2. Let’s break down Arminian theology into two parts. The first is the doctrine that people are condemned to eternal death because they have rejected Christ as their Savior. Read Romans 3:26; Ezekiel 18:20; Acts 7:51. Do those Bible passages support what Arminius said about condemnation?

3. The other Arminian doctrine is the teaching that people are saved because they have chosen Jesus to be their Savior. Read Romans 3:10-11; Ephesians 2:1. Do these passages support what Arminius said about salvation?

John Calvin taught that man had no choice whatsoever in matters of salvation. He said that God chooses some to be saved and others to be damned. This is a teaching we call doublepredestination. Though not as popular as Arminian theology today, Calvinism remains.

4. How is Calvin’s theology illustrated in the article?

5. Let’s break Calvin’s doctrine into two parts. The first is the teaching that people are saved because God has chosen them to be saved. Read Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12. Do these passages support what Calvin said about salvation?

6. The other Calvinist doctrine is that people are condemned because God chooses some to be condemned. Read John 3:16; Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:9. Do these passages support what Calvin said about God choosing some to be condemned?

Martin Luther taught that people are saved because God saves them, and people are lost because they choose to reject God. 7. How is Luther’s theology illustrated in this article?

8. Do any of the passages you’ve looked up so far confirm what Luther said? Do any of them contradict what Luther said?

9. Finally, if you follow the doctrine of Arminius, Calvin or Luther, can you be certain of your salvation?

“Sinners Who Know They Are Saints” Article by Rev. David Petersen • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 28-29 Bible Study Leader’s Guide 1. Rev. Petersen boils down the wisdom of Socrates to this: “anyone who thinks himself wise is a fool while all the truly wise know they are fools.” Read 1 John 1:8. Who is wise or foolish in this verse? Why? The one who believes he has no sin is foolish, because he deceives himself.

2. Petersen further writes, “To be ignorant of the vice, to think yourself good, is to be utterly without the virtue.” If someone says that they are not sinful, what do they need to hear? Or, to ask it another way, what are some undeniable proofs of sinfulness?

They need to hear the Law of God such as Romans 3:9-19. Death is certainly one undeniable proof: everyone dies because everyone is sinful. You might also want to look at the final question of “Christian Questions and Their Answers” at the end of the Small Catechism.

3. Another interesting observation is this: “Criminals who know they are criminals are never so violent as criminals who imagine they have a divine right to inflict their will on others.” Read Acts 9:1-2: who was the violent criminal here? What did he say about himself later in Philippians 3:6-7? What did he lose and what did he gain?

In his “wisdom,” Paul was at first a persecutor of the Church, zealously believing that this was pleasing to God. However, he would later count all things loss in order to gain Christ Jesus.

4. The article states that “in order to declare sinners holy, the Lord Jesus Christ was declared a sinner, a worm, a curse. He was declared to be what He was not in order to declare us to be what He is.” Is this true? Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Galatians 3:13. What did God make Jesus to be for us? What did we become?

Yes! This is the Gospel! God made Jesus to be sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus also became a curse for us on the cross (Galatians 3:13); because He was cursed for our sin, now God speaks to us blessings of forgiveness, life and faith.

5. Petersen writes, “Evil has no substance and no creativity. It is but the absence of good.

Injustice is the absence of justice. Hatred is the absence of love.” How is this reflected in the explanations to the Ten Commandments in the Small Catechism?

The commandments are fulfilled not just by refraining from harm, but also by doing good. In other words, the Fifth Commandment declares it’s not enough if we refrain from hurting or harming out neighbor: we also need to “help and befriend him in every bodily need.”

6. Read 1 Corinthians 1:22-24. Apart from faith, what wouldn’t Socrates agree with? What is this called in Romans 1:16?

The Greeks loved wisdom, as demonstrated by the philosophy of Socrates and others; but the call to believe in the One who was crucified would seem like foolishness to them, as it does for all

who do not have faith. But this “foolishness of God� is called the power of salvation in Romans 1:16.

“Sinners Who Know They Are Saints” Article by Rev. David Petersen • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 28-29 Bible Study 1. Rev. Petersen boils down the wisdom of Socrates to this: “anyone who thinks himself wise is a fool while all the truly wise know they are fools.” Read 1 John 1:8. Who is wise or foolish in this verse? Why?

2. Petersen further writes, “To be ignorant of the vice, to think yourself good, is to be utterly without the virtue.” If someone says that they are not sinful, what do they need to hear? Or, to ask it another way, what are some undeniable proofs of sinfulness?

3. Another interesting observation is this: “Criminals who know they are criminals are never so violent as criminals who imagine they have a divine right to inflict their will on others.” Read Acts 9:1-2: who was the violent criminal here? What did he say about himself later in Philippians 3:6-7? What did he lose and what did he gain?

4. The article states that “in order to declare sinners holy, the Lord Jesus Christ was declared a sinner, a worm, a curse. He was declared to be what He was not in order to declare us to be what He is.” Is this true? Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Galatians 3:13. What did God make Jesus to be for us? What did we become?

5. Petersen writes, “Evil has no substance and no creativity. It is but the absence of good.

Injustice is the absence of justice. Hatred is the absence of love.” How is this reflected in the explanations to the Ten Commandments in the Small Catechism?

6. Read 1 Corinthians 1:22-24. Apart from faith, what wouldn’t Socrates agree with? What is this called in Romans 1:16?

“Given A Way Out of Temptation” Article by Rev. Mark Buetow • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 18-19 Bible Study Leader's Guide Read Numbers 21:4-9.

1. Why were the Israelites complaining? Did they trust the Lord to take care of them?

The Israelites, punished by having to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, complained because they were hungry and thirsty and sick of the manna bread the Lord had given them. They complained against Moses and God because even after all the miracles they saw in God providing for them, they still did not trust in Him to take care of them.

2. How did the Lord punish the Israelites for their “worshiping their bellies?” What did they do when they recognized their sin?

The Lord sent fiery snakes to bite the people and kill them. Notice that when they repented, they begged Moses to plead to God for them. Even though the people drove Moses crazy all the time, he still faithfully carried out his job of being their pastor and intercessor.

3. How does the Lord save the Israelites from their punishment? What is interesting to note about the means by which they are saved? How does this point us to Jesus? See John 3:14-15.

The Lord tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and hold it up so that whoever looks at it will be saved from the snakes. Notice that in order to be saved from the snakes, they have to lift up their eyes and look at a snake! They are, in a sense, saved by an image of what is killing them. When Jesus is lifted up on the cross, we look to Him and are saved. We are saved from our sins by looking at the One who was “made sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). So we are saved from our sins by looking at sin on the cross; not that Jesus had His own sins but that He was covered with our sins.

Now read 1 Corinthians 10:1-14.

4. How are the Old Testament Children of Israel comparable to Christians today? What things do we have in common?

They were baptized (through the Red Sea) as we are baptized into Christ. They were fed with the spiritual food (manna) as we are fed with the Bread of Life (compare John 6). The Rock from which they got their water was Christ, as we are washed by the water that flows from His pierced side. It is important to understand that the Old Testament saints were saved the same way we are now: through faith in Christ. For them it was the Christ who was with them in the desert and was yet to come in the flesh. Notice also that, just like the Israelites, it is easy for us to complain and no trust in the Lord that He will provide for us.

5. To what sins of the Israelites does Paul point? What do these all have in common? Why does St. Paul point them out?

He points out their lust after food, their idolatry (particularly the golden calf; see Exodus 32). He also notes their sexual immorality, their tempting Christ and their complaining. All of these sins were sins that tested the Lord. Rather than trust in the Lord who so clearly defeated their enemies and rescued them form Egypt, the people never seemed to stop grumbling that they didn't have what they wanted

and that they were going to die in the desert. Paul warns us away from such sins, to repent of our own idolatry and lack of trust because such sins deny that the Lord is going to take care of us, when He gave us His own Son! Complaining is something we are usually very good at: just witness any teenagers pitiful cry, “I'm bored!” as if everything they have been given is no good!

6. Why does St. Paul tell us these things were written in the Bible? What purpose do these examples serve?

These are given as examples to us. They warn us against such mistrust and sin and teach us to repent of our grumbling and complaining and lust, all of which are ultimately idolatry because we are fearing, loving, and trusting in things other than God Himself. Paul warns us not to persist in these sins because we may be punished by the Lord as the Children of Israel were. It is good to point out to the kids that this sort of living--complaining about what you have and lusting after what you don't have-will lead to sadness and difficulty throughout their lives.

7. What are some of the situations we find ourselves in facing temptation? How do we get out of those temptations? What happens when we give in to those temptations?

Let the kids list some situations in which they may find themselves: an opportunity to cheat on an examine, a party where drinking is going on, ending up alone with their boyfriend or girlfriend, seeing an opening to take some money or goods from their job, etc. Point out that the commandments very clearly teach us in each situation what the right thing to do is. However, often temptation attacks suddenly and before they know it, the kids have sinned. Their sin may attack their consciences and the consequences may harm them. Here is where Paul's words save us.

8. What is the “way out” that St. Paul is talking about so that we can endure?

The key part of this study is verse 13. Paul is not saying that the Lord will give us some magic “out” to avoid every bad situation. The commandments already teach us to avoid putting ourselves in situations where we might sin. Rather, as with the Israelites, a “way out” is given as the bronze serpent was given: something lifted up to which we can look and be saved. When we fail to keep any commandment and fall into temptation and sin, the “way out” is to look to Christ and see our sins laid upon Him and be saved.

9. How do we “look up” to Christ to be saved from our sins?

Here we don't just stare at a crucifix or something like that. Rather, we remember our baptism, we confess our sins and receive absolution, we hear the preaching of Christ being our Savior by His death and resurrection and we eat and drink Christ's body and blood.

Conclusion: Emphasize to the kids that they should, by godly wisdom and the guidance of the Law, avoid putting themselves into the way of temptation and living as if they can simply do whatever they want because they can get forgiveness later. However, remind them that we cannot keep the Law by our own strength and our sinful flesh is always leading us into sin. Therefore when we find we've really blown it, messed up, given in and sinned, then the one thing that will save us is Christ, lifted up on the cross and His forgiveness, bestowed on us in His means of grace. There's no better place to be for a teenage who has sinned big time than in church, and under the care of a pastor who will help them learn repentance and comfort them with Christ's forgiveness.

“Given A Way Out of Temptation” Article by Rev. Mark Buetow • Higher Things Summer 2010, pp. 18-19 Bible Study Read Numbers 21:4-9.

1. Why were the Israelites complaining? Did they trust the Lord to take care of them?

2. How did the Lord punish the Israelites for their “worshiping their bellies?” What did they do when they recognized their sin?

3. How does the Lord save the Israelites from their punishment? What is interesting to note about the means by which they are saved? How does this point us to Jesus? See John 3:14-15.

Now read 1 Corinthians 10:1-14.

4. How are the Old Testament Children of Israel comparable to Christians today? What things do we have in common?

5. To what sins of the Israelites does Paul point? What do these all have in common? Why does St. Paul point them out?

6. Why does St. Paul tell us these things were written in the Bible? What purpose do these examples serve?

7. What are some of the situations we find ourselves in facing temptation? How do we get out of those temptations? What happens when we give in to those temptations?

8. What is the “way out” that St. Paul is talking about so that we can endure?

9. How do we “look up” to Christ to be saved from our sins?