2013 Summer - Higher Things Magazine (with Bible Studies)

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Higher Things

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Born and Living from Above • Dying and Rising from Above What God Cannot Do • Delirium

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Coming to Campus in 2013

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Contents T A B L E O F

Volume 13/Number 2 • Summer 2013

Special Features

4 Born and Living from Above

By Rev. George F. Borghardt Your Greek 101 word for the day is: anothen. From above. Get a taste of this year’s conferences from one of our plenary speakers, Rev. Borghardt, as he sheds some light on Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nicodemus in John 3.

14 A New Song

By Rev. Alan Kornacki, Jr. The mark of a good hymn is a combination of a tune and words that can carry the weight of the truths of Scripture that we so treasure. Perhaps Rev. Kornacki, a hymn writer himself, will encourage you to investigate this avenue of giving to the church for yourself.

HigherThings

®

Volume 13/Number 2/Summer 2013 Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor

Katie Hill Art Director

Steve Blakey Editorial Associates

Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Bart Day Copy Editors

Lu Fischer Dana Niemi Bible Study Authors

Rev. Mark Buetow Rev. Sam Schuldheisz Subscriptions Manager

Elizabeth Carlson

6 Dying and Rising from Above

By Rev. Mark Buetow No matter how brave you are, the thought of getting a shot for anything is not likely to be something you relish. There’s one inoculation, however, that you can rejoice in and look back on as a purely positive experience—your baptism! Another one of our plenary speakers, Rev. Buetow, continues the theme of “from above” as he focuses on our death as Christians and the resurrection to come.

8 What God Cannot Do

By Rev. Todd Wilken What? There is something God is not able to do? Surely not! Thankfully, there actually are a number of things God cannot do—things which are contrary to who He is. Thank heaven for that! Rev. Wilken definitively brings the truths of Scripture to bear against the common fallacy, “God can do everything.”

10 This Diamond Christ Jesus

By Rev. Evan Goeglein As a child of Christ, you will have those days when your own sinful nature, the devil or the world try to force you under the weight of your burdened conscience. Thankfully, your ability to defend against this does not depend on you.

Instead, it is through your Savior, Jesus, that you can freely lay your burdens at His feet, because of what He did out of His love for you.

12 Delirium

By Kelly Klages Read Kelly’s moving account of her own terrifying experiences where reality and her skewed perceptions became so blurred she didn’t know who she was anymore. This time of crisis for Kelly was one during which she became vividly reminded about the love Jesus has for her—the same love He has for you, no matter how dark things might become.

22 My Unbelieving Friends

By Rev. Philip Young Have you ever felt guilty because you believed that perhaps it was your fault your unbelieving friends haven’t yet bought into Christianity? Perhaps your argument wasn’t smooth enough. Your case wasn’t intellectual enough. Well the good news is, as Rev. Young explains, you can’t persuade someone to embrace Christianity. It is only through the work of the Holy Spirit—through Word and Sacrament—that your friends will come to Christ.

Knowing this frees you up to be Christ to your friends who are still in darkness.

24 Trust Issues

By Sara Scheler It’s great to be a planner and organized but the danger comes when your happiness and joy hinge on the outcome of your plans. Thankfully, we believe in a God who can do all things—whose plans can never be thwarted (Job 42:2). Sara faithfully reminds us that it all comes back to Christ, in whom we can trust to be there for even the tiniest of details of our lives.

Regular Features 18 Poetry Page

20 Christ on Campus: Brave New World

By Katie Hill Your freshman year of college will usher in many things, not the least of which is challenge and growth.

Katie seeks to encourage those of you who have yet to experience that first year with some practical advice but more importantly with the reminder that your identity in Christ is the key to getting from the start to the finish, no matter what that year may bring.

28 Catechism The Table of Duties: Rulers and Citizens

By Rev. William M. Cwirla If you’ve ever been frustrated by a particular rule that your parents enforce, or wonder why there is a need for a speed limit, you are sure to gain some insight by reading through Rev. Cwirla’s persuasively written explanation about civil authority and where we as citizens fit in.

30 Bible Study: “Dying and Rising from Above”

Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies that links up with Rev. Buetow’s article on P. 6.

IT Staff

Stan Lemon Jon Kohlmeier ___________

Board of Directors President

Rev. George Borghardt Vice-President

Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher Treasurer

Chris Loemker Secretary

Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. William M. Cwirla Rev. Brent Kuhlman Sue Pellegrini Matt Phillips Chris Rosebrough ___________

Executive Council Deputy Executive/Media

Rev. Mark Buetow Conference Executive

Sandra Ostapowich Business Executive

Connie Brammeier 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 2013. Higher Things® and Christ on Campus® are registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved.

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from Above

By Rev. George F. Borghardt

Lockport, New York (NY): First Presbyterian Church: Nicodemus Came to Him by Night (1910, Tiffany Studios)

Anothen

. Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless someone is born anothen, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Anothen is the Greek word for “from above.”

“You can’t exactly go back into your mom’s womb and be born again!”

Nicodemus gets that part right. Mom’s womb is exit only. That’s crazy talk!

To be born anothen is to be born of water and the Spirit with the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

These aren’t just any old words—they are life-giving Spirit words, water words, baptismal words! These are His words, which bring us from death to life eternal.

Flesh gives birth to flesh. We work, we hold up our deeds before God, we sin, the Law condemns us, we die. And so on and so on and so on.

But the Spirit gives birth to the Spirit. Life-giving, water-filled words raise us from the dead as certainly as Jesus has been raised from the dead. New life, new salvation, new existence—not from our own straining for it within us, but from above.

We don’t choose to be conceived or knock gently on mom’s belly when we decide to be born. And we certainly don’t give birth to ourselves. That’s just more crazy talk! We weren’t born like that the first time. We aren’t born like that for the “anothen” time either.

We are born “from above.” Passive!

The Lord does all the work by the water and the Spirit. Eternal life isn’t earned or deserved—He washes it upon us. We are bathed in it. We are cleaned by it. We are baptized into eternal life in Christ.

For Christ is our eternal life. He’s heaven for us. He’s the kingdom of God among us. He took upon Himself our sins and He suffered and died for them.

Christ’s holy life and terrible sufferings and death save us—His life lived for us and His death for our death.

His resurrection drips on us from above at the baptismal font. We died in Him. We rose in Him. We live in Him. But what about faith? Don’t we have to believe for the anothen to work for us? Faith flows from the water and the Spirit and is created from above within us. We are baptized into the faith. We are in the faith in the waters of our baptism like we are in the water when we jump into a pool. Water is around us.

It’s in us. Faith’s the same way!

Faith receives Christ who lived perfectly for you. It lays hold of Christ who died for your sins. Faith clings to that forgiveness for our sins and it believes this Word of Gospel in the water.

Faith is alive and active, working within us for others.

It doesn’t live for itself but for others. We don’t live for ourselves anymore, but for others. That Spirit-filled water from our baptism seeps into all areas of our lives! We haven’t been born from above to keep on living the way we lived before or to be the walking dead. We were born anew to a faith-filled life, certain that the death and resurrection of Christ answers for our sins and the sins of the whole world.

You are not going to be alive anothen just some day in the future.

You are raised anothen from the dead right now. You see the kingdom of God now by faith and you will enter it for certain on the Last Day. You are alive this very moment to serve others. By faith you have been set loose to put their needs first—their wills

before your will; their ways before your way. Why not? You’ve already died and been raised from the dead! You are born from above to live each moment of each day in service to those around you.

Will you fail? Will you mess up? Will you sin? Will you live like you haven’t been born from above? Duh. Of course you will—daily and much. Living from above isn’t living perfectly. It’s admitting to God when you haven’t lived as you should, and receiving His forgiveness. That’s by faith, too.

You were born anothen into His life.

You live anothen. You care for others anothen. You serve others anothen.

When you sin, you receive forgiveness from Jesus anothen. When you fall asleep and you can’t do any more in this life, you will die anothen.

On that day, on the Last Day, He’ll raise you up anothen, too, and you’ll see just how much you were born to live from above by the water and the Spirit. You will see all the forgiveness and life that came to you from above in the waters of Holy Baptism. And you will live anothen with Him forever and ever.

Anothen. Anothen is “from above.”

We are born from above. We live from above. “For whoever is born anothen shall see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Rev. George F. Borghardt is the president of Higher Things and serves as the senior pastor at Zion Ev. Lutheran Church in McHenry, Illinois.

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Dying and Rising From Above

By Rev. Mark Buetow

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T

he purpose of a vaccine is to inoculate you against a disease.

By putting some of the disease into your body (usually an “inert” version of the illness) your body reacts and builds antibodies against that disease. Then later on, when you are exposed to that particular germ, your body is ready with its defenses to fight off the disease. Baptism is just such an inoculation against death. When you are baptized—born “from above”— you are given the death and resurrection of Jesus as your own.

That means the death He died for your sins you have died: at the font!

And the life He lives, you now live, having risen to that new life through the waters of Baptism. And since you have His death and resurrection in Baptism, that means that when you die, death cannot keep you down; you will be raised up and live forever. You’re inoculated against death!

Science and medicine continue to overcome illness and disease. Many sicknesses that would have surely caused death just decades ago are treatable or perhaps even curable. But the one thing we have found no physical pill for or vaccine against is death. You can cure a disease and treat some symptoms, but in the end, death will have its way. We might be able to use biology and chemistry to extend our lives, but we can’t keep death away forever. Plus, any kind of tragedy could strike at any time, ending someone’s

life. We don’t like to talk about that. Everyone hopes they’ll live a nice long life and die peacefully of old age in their sleep. But we know better. We’ve seen family and friends fall asleep in death. We’ve seen it happen to young and old. We’ve watched loved ones waste away with something that cannot be cured. We’ve known someone whose life was cut short by tragedy or accident. No, there is nothing in this world that can defeat death.

So the Enemy of death comes “from above” into this world: the Son of God in the flesh—Jesus, whose name means “Yahweh saves.” Saves us from what? Saves us from our sins, the wages of which is death. Sin brings death, so Jesus takes on both.

He takes on sin by suffering and dying for the sins of the world on the cross. He takes on death by taking a last breath and being laid in a tomb before coming out the third day and triumphing over death. When Jesus comes out of that tomb on Easter, something is different. Death no longer has the last word. It is the final enemy to be defeated, and on the Last Day when our bodies rise from the dead, then death will be done away with once and for all (1 Corinthians 15)—all because Jesus came out of that tomb after He paid for the sins of the world with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.

Now, how do the death and resurrection of Jesus benefit you? How do you receive the blessings of what Jesus has done for you by His death and resurrection? That’s where Baptism comes in. The Large Catechism gives us this great picture of what Baptism does: Imagine there was a doctor somewhere who understood the art of saving people from death, or even though they died, could restore them quickly to life so that they would afterward live forever. Oh, how the world would pour in money like snow and rain. No one could find access to him because of the throng of the rich! But here in Baptism there is freely brought to everyone’s door such a treasure and medicine that it utterly destroys death and preserves all people alive. (Large Catechism IV.43) The way that Baptism does this is described by St. Paul in Romans 6: Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even

so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4, NKJV). Baptism is the water to which the Lord attaches His Word of promise: Christ died; you die.

Christ rose; you will rise. The power of Holy Baptism is that it joins us to Christ’s own death and resurrection.

You have died at the holy font to inoculate you against your physical death some day. You have been raised to new life at the font so that you will rise from the dead on the Last Day and live forever.

This means that for those who are baptized into Christ, death is no big deal. That’s right! No big deal. It might be sudden or lingering. It might be painful or peaceful. It will cause tears and grief. But know this: Even though you die, you will rise. The promise of Holy Baptism is that not only does your Old Adam die daily but the New man arises to live in righteousness, innocence and blessedness. This means that when you are confronted by death, you can mock it, scoff at it, shrug it off as no big deal.

That’s because just as much as Baptism prepares you for death, it also promises eternal life. Yes, you’ll die. Then you’ll rise and live forever, because Jesus did. What He did is made yours by water, Word and Spirit from above.

So we live in a world surrounded by death, but we are vaccinated against it. We die and rise from above, in Christ, through the water and His Word.

Therefore, we boldly confess, while sneering at death, that we believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

Rev. Mark Buetow is pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, Illinois and serves as the deputy and media services executive for Higher Things. He can be reached at buetowmt@gmail.com.

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What God

Cannot The pastor is retired now, but at the time, he served one of the most influential congregations in the Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod. I heard him say it with my own ears. I didn’t believe it then, and I still don’t. He was being interviewed on the radio. The interviewer asked him a question.

Q: Does God have some other way of salvation, other than Jesus?

A: God can do anything. So, he can save people anyway he wants. But Jesus is the only way we know of.

This idea is very popular now among Christians living in a world full of all kinds of beliefs and religions. It seems to make sense. There are so many different religions— maybe there is more than one way to be saved. Maybe there are a lot of ways.

Those who think this way will ask, “Who are we to say that God couldn’t have some other way of salvation, in addition to Jesus?” They say, “For us Christians, Jesus is the way of salvation; there could be other ways for other religions.” They caution, “We shouldn’t put limits on God. Maybe he has decided to save different people in different ways.”

These statements sound open-minded and tolerant. But these statements are horribly wrong. They all begin with the premise: God can do anything. That is wrong.

Christians do believe that God is omnipotent (Latin for “all-powerful”). But that does not mean that God can do anything.

According to the Bible, there are several things God cannot do. @ He cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13). @ He cannot be tempted to evil, nor can he tempt man to sin (James 1:13). @ He cannot endure open iniquity (Isaiah 1:13). @ He cannot lie or break a promise (Psalm 89:33-35). @ He cannot fail (Deuteronomy 31:6).

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Think about it. If God could deny Himself, how would we know He was telling the truth? If God could be tempted to evil, or tempt man to sin, how would we know He is good? If God could endure sin, how could we be saved? If God could lie or fail to keep a promise, how could we ever trust Him? If God could fail, could we have any hope?

In other words, if God could do any of these things, He would be more like the devil than the God we find in the Bible. He would be a terrible, awful, fearsome God. A God who can do anything just might do anything. He might decide to destroy you for no reason. He might give you cancer just for fun. He might send you to hell, just because He can.

This is the kind of God lurking behind those seemingly tolerant and open-minded statements: A God who can—and might—do anything. This is not the God revealed in the Bible.

t Do

By Rev. Todd Wilken

Thank God that He cannot do just anything. And, thank God that He cannot save people in any way He wants.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me.” And, that’s true. God could have spared Jesus. But that would mean condemning us. That would mean breaking all of His promises, going back on his word, and failing to save sinners.

This is what God cannot do. He has promised to save sinners, therefore He cannot spare Jesus. Jesus must die. There is no other way, even for the omnipotent God. This means that Jesus isn’t just one possible way that God could have saved us.

Jesus is the only way. This means that we can be certain that Jesus’ death on the Cross for us really does save us. God has kept all His promises, He has kept His word, He has not failed. Your sins really are paid for, in the only way they could have been paid for. Death has been conquered for you, in the only way death could have been conquered. Eternal life has been earned for you, in the only way eternal life could have been earned.

Now, think about this: There is comfort for sinners like us in what God cannot do. @ He cannot deny himself. He has saved the world through Jesus. @ He cannot be tempted to evil, nor can he tempt man to sin. His sinless Son Jesus was your substitute on the Cross. @ He cannot endure open iniquity. He punished all of our iniquity by putting Jesus to death on the Cross. @ He cannot lie or break a promise. He has kept all His promises in Jesus. @ He cannot fail. He has not failed. He has accomplished the salvation of the world through the crucified and risen Jesus.

And, now we can take real comfort knowing that God is all-powerful. We need not fear His power, but can trust that for God who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all (Romans 8:32), nothing is impossible.

There is no sinner He cannot save, no sin He cannot forgive. Nothing is able to separate you from Him (Romans 8:35-39), not even death.

Does God have some other way of saving sinners, other than Jesus?

No. There is no other way than the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Rev. Todd Wilken is host of the radio show, Issues, Etc. He is also the assistant pastor of Trinity Lutheran-Millstadt, Illinois and believes that he can hug every cat.

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“This Diamond

By Rev. Evan Goeglein

Joey felt terrible.

He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he did it anyway. He couldn’t sleep and he didn’t feel like eating. Joey knew his high school guidance counselor was a Christian, so he thought he would talk to her. He confessed his sin, hoping to find some relief from the torment in his conscience.

His guidance counselor was taken aback that Joey was bothered by this, as it was something most kids his age do and never feel bad about it. The counselor concluded Joey must suffer from low self-esteem or perhaps some kind of inferiority complex. Therefore, in an effort to assure him of God’s love she said, “Joey, you are a great kid. God loves you for you and no matter what you do, nothing can change that fact.” Joey liked hearing this, but it didn’t change the fact that he knew he had done something wrong.

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Stories like Joey’s are all too common. Maybe it’s like your story. You hear your conscience tell you not to do something, but you do it anyway.

A terrified conscience is unmistakable. It comes with a vengeance when we realize our standing before God after we’ve done something we know to be wrong. The reason this bothers us so much is because we realize what we deserve before God and what our sins mean for us. This bothers us tremendously and there is only one solution.

Many Christian books, preachers and wellmeaning counselors attempt to answer the problem by overcoming your sense of guilt with

the magnitude of God’s love. They emphasize that you are very precious to God and that He loves you unconditionally. Certainly, God does love you unconditionally and there is no doubt that you are precious to Him. But just knowing that God loves you isn’t the solution to your sin. It’s why God loves you and why you are precious to Him that is the answer to your sin: God loves you because you have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus in His death and resurrection.

It is important to understand this distinction. It was not because you are precious to Him that Jesus died for you—it is that Jesus died for you, therefore

d Christ Jesus”

you are precious to Him. In and of yourself you are not worth dying for, but Jesus died for you to forgive your sins and to declare you righteous. Having been made righteous by His blood, you are indeed His beloved child. You are worth dying for.

Romans 5:6-8 says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (ESV). It is not because we could make ourselves worth saving that Jesus died. It is because God is love that He died for us sinners.

Let’s look at it another way. Imagine a husband learns his wife has been kidnapped, so in order to secure her freedom, he offers himself in her place.

That in itself is a loving act, but that would be what

the husband should do—it would be expected of him. He does it because his wife is dear to him and she’s his wife. But imagine if the one who kidnapped his wife had been arrested and thrown in prison and then the husband were to give his life in place of the kidnapper. This is the kind of sacrifice God made for us. We are born enemies of God and yet, God’s love is such that He became flesh to die the death we deserved.

Martin Luther understood all too well what wrestling with a terrified conscience was like. As a monk he would go to his confessor so many times, he was admonished for it. Luther rediscovered the sweetness of the Gospel in Romans, that God’s grace through faith in Christ alone is what saves. In his commentary on Galatians, specifically chapter 2, is a section regarding Paul’s writing on salvation by faith and not works, Luther states emphatically, “For a true and steadfast faith must lay hold upon nothing but Christ alone, and in the terrors of conscience it hath nothing else to lean upon but this diamond Christ Jesus.”

This offers great comfort to a terrified conscience. It’s not about puffing up your ego so you don’t feel bad, it’s about there being a real answer when we know we have sinned against a holy God. It’s the answer God provides for us—a substitute for the punishment for sin in the person of Jesus. He didn’t wait to see if you would be precious to Him. Instead, He died for you, declared you righteous, so that now you are precious to Him. This diamond, Christ Jesus, is what gives you comfort because in Him you know your sin is truly, completely, and forever forgiven by God. Rev. Evan Goeglein is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Rogue River, Oregon. He co-hosts the weekly internet radio show Table Talk Radio and can be reached at pastor@faithrogueriver.org.

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delirium

By Kelly Klages

I

’m not an expert in the field of mental health problems. Most people who experience a sudden attack of the things I’ve listed probably aren’t, either.

All I know is that one day, I was a sane, lucid, intelligent person—and then, all of a sudden, reality turned upside down on me. My senses went topsy-turvy.

My world was filled with confusion, distrust, and Fear with a capital “F.”

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We talk all the time about that nagging, accusing voice of Satan, or our consciences being hammered and terrified with the Law. But what if you actually heard those voices—spelling out all your faults—out loud?

In my case, it was brought on by childbirth complications. After an emergency C-section, I hemorrhaged... and didn’t stop. No one understood what was happening. They gave me oxygen and lots of transfusions. I gasped for air and felt myself dying. My doctor didn’t think I would make it. But then, after an airlift to the city hospital and a LOT of work from about a zillion doctors, the miraculous happened. I was a physical wreck, but I was stabilized. Two days after they brought me in, I woke up in the ICU. That’s when I started hearing the nurses’ conversations.

It started when a nurse, hidden behind one of the ICU partitions, found something I’d written.

I didn’t know how she’d found it; in fact, I didn’t recognize anything she was reading. But it made her upset. And angry. She hated me.

She showed the other hospital staff. They agreed that I was, in fact, a terrible, ignorant, hateful person. They spread what I’d written to the whole hospital staff. They told everyone that I was uncooperative, lazy and evil. But I only seemed to hear these conversations coming from behind partitions, walls, and doors.

After a few days, I was moved from the ICU into the cardio ward—I had a form of congestive heart failure and needed monitoring.

The conversations I heard followed me. It got worse. The staff was constantly talking about me behind my back. They were cussing me out

Photo: Robert Borel

and saying vile, filthy things. They threatened to purposefully mess with my medication. They said my kids would be taken out of my custody.

They fantasized about killing me. They said a rash I’d gotten was probably the result of a terminal disease brought on by the transfusions. They hid in my room at night and hissed at me. They said my children would die tragically at a young age.

You’d think that all of that would be so overthe-top, it would be obvious that I was hearing things that couldn’t be real. But it wasn’t obvious.

It sounded very, very real. And I was terrified. I phoned my husband at 4:00 in the morning one day, begging him to pick me up immediately (we live an hour and a half away). The hospital staff sounded so united in their consensus about me, I started to believe what they were saying. Maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough to be a good patient. Maybe I wasn’t helpful enough, or appreciative enough. So I started going out of my way to be polite. I wrote thank-you notes to staff members. But it wasn’t enough. Behind closed doors, I could hear the ripping of paper and the shrieks of disapproval. I wasn’t doing enough to make amends.

Eventually, they realized that something was up and got the psych staff involved. To me, these voices were the very voice of Satan, uttering evil unimaginable things, threatening me, and above all, accusing me. I had a million crimes and I could not atone for a single one. My very motives for trying to make things right were rejected as insincere and hypocritical. I felt like the biggest spiritual failure in the world.

In the midst of this chaos, I had some visits from some wonderful and caring pastors (and our vicar). They probably didn’t really get what was happening with me, but they gave me something precious. Not vague platitudes about a far-off God in heaven. Not a list of Bible tips to help me improve my situation. They didn’t even focus on a big, powerful God who’s in control of everything. Instead, they gave me Jesus—a weak, broken Jesus who suffered and died for me.

I remember lying in the hospital bed, with the image of Jesus on the cross before my eyes. The voices were still there. As those two things were juxtaposed there in my mind’s eye, something happened. I didn’t “feel a peace” or “feel blessed” or anything like that. I felt like garbage, in fact.

But I did realize somehow that in the midst of everything, I was right where I was supposed to be: under the cross. Ultimately, it didn’t matter who accused me. It didn’t matter that I had lost my own senses. I had a word, from a God who does not lie, that those accusations and threats were taken into Jesus’ own body and done away with.

Admittedly, it’s the sort of thing that I had to cling onto by my fingernails. It’s like looking at something black and believing it’s white. But I realized from all this just how much I tend to trust and rely on the strength of my own feelings and senses, despite the fact that we confess in the explanation of the 3rd article of the Creed that those things cannot bring us to Jesus. And one day (who knows how soon?) those feelings and senses will desert us for good. In that hour, you and I will need the Jesus who knows our weaknesses, whose triumph is the cross, and whose grace is sufficient—the Jesus who will pull us out of the grave again.

In my case, the voices stopped after a few weeks. But the voice of Satan doesn’t. He always accuses, tempting us with lies and despair. That is why we always need Jesus. His voice is always stronger, always true, and it always saves.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

-Psalm 73:26 Kelly Klages lives in Morden, Manitoba with her husband Alex and their three children. She is the author of Water with the Word: A Baptism Q&A and Hosanna, Loud Hosanna: Illustrated Hymns for Children.

Pastoral Note Christians are not immune to mental illness. If you are wrestling with the sorts of symptoms Kelly has shared, or any other sort of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or other struggles, we encourage you to let your pastor, parents, or a trusted adult know.

There is a temptation as Christians to think that if we have enough “faith” then we won’t suffer the anguish of mental illness. Mental illness, because it can’t be readily seen like a physical symptom or wound, is often thought of as something we can just “get over.” The truth is that these sorts of struggles are real ailments and they are often quite treatable with medication and counseling.

So if you are afflicted by such symptoms, remember there is help! And remember that not even these sorts of issues can erase what your baptism has given you in Christ.

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A NEW

By Rev. Alan Kornacki, Jr.

Open your hymnal to your favorite

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hymn and read it carefully. Look at the bottom of the page to see who wrote it and when they wrote it. Now dare to imagine that you could write something that would compare to what Martin Luther wrote 500 years ago or St. Patrick wrote 1,600 years ago. Dare to imagine that you could write something that could stand the test of time, of correct biblical doctrine, and the fickle whims of sinners who would rather hear the newest Katy Perry song. Intimidating, isn’t it?

It certainly was for me. I didn’t start writing hymns until I was nearly 35 years old, even though I’d been writing poems about ordinary stuff—sad musings about love and heartache—since I was 13. But I was afraid to write about Jesus or faith or anything related to my life in Christ. Comparing myself to writers like Martin Luther and Paul Gerhardt and St. Ambrose was terrifying. Even the hymns I didn’t enjoy seemed like they were beyond anything I could imagine myself writing.

But now I’ve written a number of hymns. Some are awful. Some may have potential. Are they as good as anything that’s already in the hymnal? I don’t know. I’ll leave that for others to decide.

Why Write Hymns?

The point of writing new hymns is not to be compared with those who go before you. The point of writing new hymns is to praise God in Christ, to thank Him for His many gifts to you in and through Jesus, to teach the Christian faith, and to continue the song of the church confessing her faith for generations to come. If you look in your hymnal, you will see hymns God has used to teach and forgive His people for nearly 2,000 years, and, believe it or not, you will see hymns that were written even in the last twenty years.

Every generation of the Church has contributed something to the church’s song.

Getting Started Now, by the grace of God, it’s your turn. The writing of hymns is not just for stodgy old men and women. If you know how to use a pen, if you know the Word of God, then you, too, can write hymns.

Christ died to forgive your sins. Our God has given you faith in Christ through the waters of Holy Baptism. He has shaped and continues to mold that faith through the instruction you received at home from your parents, in Sunday School, in Catechism class, and in the preaching of the Word that you receive in the Divine Service. Jesus feeds that faith with His own body and blood.

He has given you your mind. These are the gifts from which flow your writing to His glory and the building up of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

It helps if you read a lot. Reading and studying the Bible, the Catechism, and the hymnal help you to write things that are faithful to the Word of God. That’s important. After all, the way the Church prays and sings shows what we believe. Studying hymns and poetry— Robert Frost, Shakespeare, even the better top-40 radio songs—helps you to write more powerful words. It’s also beneficial if you sing a lot of hymns, so you have a feel for how the song of the Church sounds. And it helps to write a lot. Don’t be afraid to admit that what you’ve written might not be God’s gift to the Church, but even your worst efforts in writing hymns are a blessing to you as you study the Word and allow it to shape your own words. No time you spend in the Word can be a waste, for the Word of God is never powerless.

Go For It! There’s a lot that goes into writing a good hymn, and a lot more that goes into writing great hymns. That being said, God led someone to write “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It,”“Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones,” and other familiar hymns, or else we couldn’t sing them. Such hymns are a gift of God to you. So are the gifts of faith, of intelligence, of writing, and these are qualities that the Holy Spirit can use in you to contribute to the song of the Church. The Order of Matins begins with the words, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” So get to writing! Our God will guide your mind and your pen (or keyboard or touch screen) to words which will glorify Him and teach the Church. Who knows? You might even write a hymn that Higher Things decides to use for a conference someday. And if not, Jesus will still use His Word in you to feed your faith.

Rev. Alan Kornacki is pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Campbell Hill, Illinois. He has written over 40 hymns, 3 novels, and hundreds of sermons. You can read some of the things he writes at http://pastoralkorn.blogspot.com

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Purdue University July 9-12, 2013

West Lafayette, IN

Pacific Lutheran University July 16-19, 2013

Tacoma, WA

Jesus answered Nicodemus, “...unless one is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.� (John 3:3)

University of Scranton June 25-28, 2013

Scranton, PA

Higher Things Conferences 2013

FROM

Visit

www.fromabove2013.org or email conferences@higherthings.org for more details.

You have been born of water. You have been born of the Spirit. You have been born From Above!

You were born of God, born anew, born from above in the Baptismal Font. You are alive now, eternally alive, never to die ever again for you already died in Christ. As surely as He is risen from the dead, you will rise from the dead. In fact, you already have risen from the dead, by faith. Now, you live eternally From Above, in service to others, just as God in Christ has saved you.

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17

Baptism Now Saves You

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In a basket Moses boated; Noah arked in buoyant wood; by the Lord these two were floated all to do us sinners good,

points to Christ, whose word-and-water washing to dissolve the sin of each son and every daughter makes eternal life begin.

for these fathers God appointed to preserve His progeny pointed to the Lord’s anointed Savior for eternity.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, when at last we close our eyes trusting in our Savior’s merit, buoy us up to Paradise.

Mercy’s rainbow after flooding, water in a desert land, Aaron’s dry staff quickly budding— each sign of God’s saving hand

© 2011 Kathryn Ann Hill.

Kathryn has published three books of Christian poetry.

Visit her Author’s Spotlight at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kah1952.

A Higher ThingsÂŽ Lutheran Youth Retreat

Thy Strong Word

A Higher ThingsÂŽ Lutheran Youth Retreat

Sex is for Marriage. Jesus is for Sinners.

Fall Higher Things Retreats!

When:

August 9-10, 2013

When:

September 27-28, 2013

Where:

Zion Lutheran Church Mitchell, South Dakota Pastor Thomas Brown (605) 999-2873 or tbrown80@gmail.com

Where:

Zion Lutheran Church Beecher, Illinois Tabitha Moldenhauer (708) 804-0300 or Tabitha@bcmil.com

Cost:

$50 per person

Cost:

$40 per person

RSVP:

via online registration at www.higherthings.org/retreats/ registrations

RSVP:

via online registration at www.higherthings.org/retreats/ registrations

or Sandra Ostapowich Higher Things Conference Executive retreats@higherthings.org

or Sandra Ostapowich Higher Things Conference Executive retreats@higherthings.org

Mark your calendars and watch for more details about Higher Things Retreat at the following locations!

September 27-28, 2013 November 1-2, 2013 November 7-8, 2013

St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamel, IL Trinity Lutheran Church in Darmstadt, IN Zion Lutheran Church in McHenry, IL

More retreats are being scheduled and planned all the time!

If your church would like to host a junior youth retreat this fall or winter, contact retreats@higherthings.org.

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My Unbelieving Friends

By Rev. Philip Young

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

T

alking to your unbelieving friends can be difficult. The passage above seems to present a problem that makes it harder. How can I get my unbelieving friends to believe when they can’t understand what I am saying? How do they get the Holy Spirit in order to understand the truth, so that I can speak the truth to them?

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My framing of the problem is really the problem. There is no sequence of the Holy Spirit coming and then the truth. It does not happen that the Holy Spirit is received and then the truth of God’s Word is received. Rather, Christ gives us his Holy Spirit with his Word. Our Lord’s words are Spirit-filled. Jesus said that his words are “Spirit and life” (John 6:63). Therefore, the Holy Spirit is received with the truth, with God’s Word. In fact, we cannot expect to receive the Holy Spirit apart from God’s

Word and the Sacraments, which are God’s “visible” Word. Luther wrote, “We should and must insist that God does not want to deal with us human beings, except by means of his external Word and sacrament” (SA III VIII:10).

When it comes to an unbeliever, God prepares that person for conversion through His law—His commandments. All people have an innate knowledge of God’s law through having a conscience. This is called the natural knowledge of God.

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him. However, people deny this knowledge and pervert it. But when God’s law as revealed in Holy Scripture is proclaimed, the Holy Spirit convicts and allows no denial of what is good, right, and holy. It says in our Lutheran Confessions, “The Spirit of Christ must not only comfort but through the function of the law must also ‘convict the world of sin’ [John 16:8]. Thus, in the New Testament the Holy Spirit must perform (as the prophet says in Isaiah 28:2) “alien” work—which is to convict—until he comes to his “proper” work—which is to comfort and to proclaim grace. For this reason, Christ obtained the Spirit for us and sent him to us” (FC SD V:11).

First the law is proclaimed, and then the Gospel. It is through the Gospel that God works conversion, or brings people to faith and life in Christ. Conversion also occurs through Holy Baptism, which is Gospel, as is the case with infants. But for the unbelieving adult, the spoken Word will be the means by which the Holy Spirit penetrates the stony heart. Through the Gospel, sinners who are blind, dead, and enemies of God are given sight, made alive, and turned to love God. This happens by the Holy Spirit acting upon people, for unbelievers cannot understand and cannot help themselves. It says in the Small Catechism’s explanation to the Third Article of the Creed: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith . . .”

This reminds us that you can’t reason someone into the kingdom of grace. It didn’t happen for us that way. Why would we then try to argue our unbelieving friends into a confession of true faith?

So the answer to reaching your unbelieving, undiscerning friends is God’s Word. Speak God’s law and Gospel to them. The Holy Spirit works through the Spirit-filled Word. Bring God’s Word to bear on their lives, and the Holy Spirit will act upon them. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Faith does not come from reason, from the best argument, or from the most knowledge.

You don’t have to win anyone with your skills. In fact, you can’t.

Let me offer two other important points. First, the Holy Spirit can be resisted (Acts 7:51). Therefore, we are never to judge our confession of the truth by “results.” Second, the Word of God does not return empty (Isaiah 55:11). Therefore, as God gives you the opportunity, continue to speak the Word to your unbelieving friends and bring them to the public proclamation in the Church. There may come a time later in their lives when God brings to mind that Word you spoke.

Finally, rejoice in the Gospel of your own forgiveness as you receive absolution and are reminded of your baptism, hear the Word of Christ preached and partake of His body and blood in the divine service.

Then by the Holy Spirit you continue to receive for certain the complete forgiveness from the Father for the sake of Christ, which you then declare to others.

Rev. Philip Young is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and he serves as the pastoral advisor to the Lutheran Student Fellowship group at Vanderbilt University.

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(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 @ Cornell College (IA)

Christ On Campus

Brave New World

By Katie Hill

A

futuristic novel? No…your freshman year in college.

Perhaps you’re just about ready to launch this fall, or maybe you’re looking to finish your senior year in high school with this transition in your sights. Be of good cheer.

There are ways you can successfully navigate through the adventurous waters of that first year of college.

If you decide to scour websites for advice, you will encounter all kinds of interesting suggestions. I encourage you to be discerning. For example, I came across this little nugget of wisdom on a random “college help” website: “Remember that college life is not really that difficult. All you need is to be an optimist. The correct attitude would make a lot of difference. You will definitely succeed if you have a good plan and the will and determination to achieve your goals!”

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Suuuure. If it were only that simple!

So here is some basic heartfelt advice, as one who successfully made it through her freshman year out of state many years ago and now as one who has just experienced her firstborn’s freshman year and lived to tell the tale.

As you read through this column, remember one unchanging truth: You are Christ’s and no matter what highs or lows you experience this next year, He is always there for you, in Word and Sacrament. Whatever your struggle is, He has taken care of your biggest challenge ever—having conquered sin, death and the devil on your behalf.

Realistic expectations and goals Regularly seek out the counsel of those whom you trust. This includes peers/friends who’ve been there, done that, your high school guidance counselor, your pastor, but especially your parents. Take to heart what they say because trust me, they know (Proverbs 15:22).

You may go into your first year thinking you know what you want to do with your life, and you may complete it having changed your major…perhaps even more than once. It is okay to start the journey without having your life perfectly mapped out.

Whether you plan to live at home during college or relocate halfway across the country, that first year will be an adjustment. If you choose to live at home you will have the pressure of a new schedule, budgeting your time, etc.

However, if you live on campus, whether in your hometown or out of town, one of the things that you will contend with is homesickness to some degree. This is absolutely normal. It will fade in time and before you know it, you’ll have adapted to your new surroundings. This will happen more smoothly if you take some proactive steps with the help of those who know and love you.

And of course through it all, remember who you are in Christ.

Finding Your Niche and Building Support The French word niche (pronounced nitch or neesh) describes that “perfect fit” you can find for yourself, whether it’s your studies, your job or other activities. No matter how large or small your college is, seek to find a niche as quickly as possible. Get to know your professors personally.

Even in a large lecture class you can introduce yourself to the professor after class and sit near the front. Join a campus club of some sort. Make it a point to get involved in dorm activities. Some of the friendships you forge in college will be lifelong ones.

Above all, and I cannot stress this enough: Find an LCMS church or campus group to become a part of (Christ on

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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

) @ Dickinson State University (ND) @ George Mason University @ 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

And while you it’s important to establish a good support network on campus, keep lines of communication open to your folks and other important

people in your life. We have so many ways of keeping in touch nowadays. Use all of those ways and use them often.

Time management How you budget your time will make all the difference. There is not enough space here to include every helpful tip that would make this first year less stressful but here are some general ideas.

Make a list. Yes, a list. Perhaps you hate lists. I recommend you learn to love them. I don’t care if you handwrite the list on a post-it note or in type it into your iPad or smart phone. Just keep a list. Regularly look at this list and reevaluate and reprioritize. A weekly schedule is essential. I had one semester with 18 credit hours, two parttime jobs and active involvement in a Christian ministry. To keep everything straight I had things scheduled down to the hour. That ended up being one of my most satisfying semesters ever.

As the more demanding times come upon you, you might take to heart one of my favorite quotes, which comes from author and humorist Mark Twain:“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” I applied it way back in college and I still try to today.

Don’t allow yourself to procrastinate, as tempting as that is. Look at the syllabus for each course you take and map out your study plans for the

semester to the best of your ability. You will get better and better at this.

Take advantage of study groups.

Not only does this help hold you accountable to get your study time in, you end up having a lot more fun along the way.

There will be those days when your schedule seems overwhelming and finals week is creeping up and you want to panic. Using time management tips is a great practice, but more importantly know that God will make perfect what concerns you today (Psalm 138:8).

Now what happens when you have all this great advice and fail to follow it?

When you’re overwhelmed, have put things off, and are not prepared? Well even that was carried to the cross by Jesus. Yes, He died even for stressed-out college freshmen!

Hang in there as you head down this exciting and life-changing road, lean on good counsel, but most of all, remember who you are in Christ: beloved, cherished and forgiven, all for His sake.

Katie Hill (formerly Micilcavage), is the very recently and happily remarried editor of Higher Things Magazine and is mom to two active teens in Gilbert, Arizona and stepmom to three energetic kiddos in Holbrook, Arizona. She is an elementary teacher in her spare time. And yes, she relies heavily on lists.

Christ On Campus Is: @ The campus ministry arm of Higher Things @ Pastors and laity interested in confessional Lutheran campus ministry @ A growing and developing network of 113 campus ministry chapters @ A great source for campus ministry resources

Learn More About Our Chapters: http:// higherthings.org/campus

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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) @

Campus, LCMS U or some other LCMSaffiliated group is ideal). In my daughter’s particular situation, the previously existing LCMS campus group no longer existed and so we compensated by picking her up whenever possible to get her to our home church. She also, on her own initiative, purchased a Lutheran Book of Prayer to help sustain her, as well as had time in the Scriptures. There may be an LCMS church near your campus that would be thrilled to help you get to Divine Service on Sundays. Feel free to contact the church and find out what your options are. The more you can have mapped out before you move onto campus, the better. If there isn’t an LCMS church in the nearby area, you will want to talk to your home pastor and parents about how to handle this. College, like any part of life, is still a daily struggle with sin and the Old Adam.

Having a faithful pastor to care for you while in college means being strengthened in the forgivness of sins as you study and grow into your chosen vocation.

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

Trust

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By Sara Scheler

The Sotrm on the Lake of Galilee, Rembrandt, 1633. Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Issues My plan = A. God’s plan = Z. Faith = everything in between.

I

am not exactly what you would call spontaneous. I plan, prepare and schedule every hour of my day, sometimes down to the last minute. I know exactly what I’m going to wear tomorrow and what I’m going to eat for breakfast (Cheerios with a banana and some milk, in case you’re curious). I may or may not color-coordinate my closet.

This aspect of my personality makes it very difficult for me to trust in God’s plan for my life. Often, my prayers end up sounding like a petulant child: Are you sure that’s going to work?

I don’t know if I can do that.

I have a better idea…

What’s taking so long?!

However, Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow.”

I am famous for designing elaborate, multi-faceted plans for my life, only to have them dashed to pieces when something goes wrong. Looking back at these instances, however, I realize that it eventually worked out even better than I could have possibly imagined. No, this isn’t a coincidence. It isn’t crazy, random happenstance. It isn’t karma or luck or good fortune (although that fortune cookie did say something about the lucky number 7…), it’s God. It’s funny but Jesus says over and over that He’s got us covered; even better than the lilies and the sparrows.

Sometimes, I learn that! I like to call these “God moments.”

After experiencing so many of these awe-inspiring moments, I become frustrated with myself. I know our Lord’s plan is ten thousand times better than anything I could ever invent. So why can’t I trust, wholeheartedly, in His plan for my life? Why can’t I be still and know that He is God? Why is that so hard for me?

Well, it’s sin. It ruins everything. It caused the downfall of the human race many, many years ago and it is still working (and strongly, I might add) in my life and in the lives of every human on the planet. Even though I know that it will turn out splendidly if I simply trust Jesus, my sinful self ruins everything. Doubt creeps in like a disease that infects and destroys. When only moments before, I was all set to go with the Lord’s plan, now I hesitate. I reason with myself and make excuses.

You don’t really know that He’s going to follow through, do you?

He’s taking too long.

It’s time to take matters into your own hands.

If I eventually cave in to my sinful nature and stop trusting God, my situation worsens. Now I am frustrated and tired and confused and afraid. I desperately try to strategize and make my plan work but it never does.

When my human plans fail, as they so often do, Christ doesn’t bail on me. He brings me back from my self-absorbed state and comforts me with forgiveness, gentleness and peace. Rather than punish me for my puny faith or abandon me with the problems I tried so hard to solve, He welcomes me back with open arms. He takes my burdens upon His shoulders and carries my load while I stare in awe at His forgiveness and generosity.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” - Jeremiah 29:11. My Baptism and the Lord’s Supper remind me that whatever my plans are, the Lord’s plans are forgiveness, life and salvation for me.

Not only is He a God who promises to prosper and bless His people, He fixes our lives when we mess up.

During all the moments of life when our silly plans fail, we find Jesus there, in our midst, fixing what we have broken, and always forgiving us, renewing us and keeping us in Him. Sara Scheler frequently worries about petty things like the weather and what’s for lunch. Occasionally, she worries about larger things like what she’s going to do after college. Her favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11. She would love to hear from you and can be reached at sarascheler@hotmail.com.

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Attention!

Friends of Higher Things!

As you prepare for the upcoming summer From Above Conference, please consider supporting Higher Things as a part of your congregational mission/outreach/youth budget.

Higher Things is a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization that relies on primarily volunteer and part-time labor along with the support of donors and congregations who “Dare to be Lutheran” together with us.

Your support will help defray the rising costs of conferences and publications so that they will continue to be affordable to youth and their parents, pastors, and congregations. If you would like more information about our summer conferences, email Sandra Ostapowich at ostapowich@higherthings.org.

Checks can be sent to: Higher Things P.O. Box 155 Holt, MO 64048 Or you can donate online at www.higherthings.org We invite you to join in partnership with us to continue promoting and modeling liturgical Lutheran worship and confessional teaching for the next generation of Lutherans.

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HIGHER THINGS

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Higher Things is pleased to provide free daily devotions, called “Reflections,” for youth and their families. These Reflections are centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and are based upon each day’s texts from the weekly readings in the one-year lectionary and from Luther’s Small Catechism.

You can download and print a seasonal Reflections booklet, subscribe to the daily Reflections and receive them in your e-mail box or connect to an RSS Feed and Podcast by visiting: www.higherthings.org/reflections.html

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Catechism The Table of Duties:

RULERS & Civil society is ordered. Order is what makes civilization

civil. The opposite is anarchy. Without government and the “sword,” there would be lawlessness, chaos, and anarchy. Imagine what it would be like if all the police officers in a city were to announce on Sunday evening that they were not coming to work on Monday morning. Or, simply notice what happens when the traffic lights fail at an intersection. Chaos ensues.

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Order is God’s gift and blessing. The Word is a creatively ordering Word that sets things in place, including our civil life together. Civil life begins with our parents, who are also our first rulers, but it doesn’t end there. When we step out of our homes onto the streets of our communities, there are still rulers over us and rules to curb us and keep us in line. God knows we are sinners even as Christians and, left to our own devices, we would destroy ourselves and each other.

So God places us into a civil order.

Scripture calls the governing authority “God’s minister” or “servant” (Romans 13:1-4). All governing authority is God’s authority, regardless of the form that government takes. It matters not whether the governing authority is a king or an elected president.

Jesus reminded the Roman governor Pontius Pilate that he would have no authority had it not been given him from above (John 19:11). Pilate’s authority to sentence Jesus to death was an authority that came from God! Civil authority is the authority of the “sword” to use the rule of law to reward the good and punish the wicked. This, of course, presumes that those who govern know the difference between goodness and wickedness, right and wrong. That’s why Luther says that those who know the Ten Commandments well

are in a good position to govern. If you’re going to wield a sword, you need to know how to swing it accurately and correctly.

Does this mean that the ruler should be a Christian? Not necessarily. The gift of civil authority belongs to God’s gifts of creation and applies to everyone in the same way. The laws of society are not based on the Bible but on work of the law hardwired into our hearts and the conscience that monitors our thoughts, words, and actions (Romans 2:13-14). Our civil laws are based on reason, conscience, and our innate sense of what is right and wrong. We don’t need the Bible to tell us to stop at a red light and to drive in the correct lane. Common sense alone will tell us that.

What do rulers owe their people? Temporal justice. Punish those who do wrong; reward those who do good. Maintain temporal peace and order.

Defend life, liberty, and property. Protect those who are defenseless and most vulnerable, including the poor, the frail, children, and the unborn. Keep us from infringing on one another’s liberties and from hurting each other, much like a referee in a football or basketball game. The old Adam, our sinful nature, is a natural-born anarchist who wants his own way at the expense of others. God’s gift of government is to curb

CITIZENS

By Rev. William M. Cwirla

and leash him so he doesn’t get out of control.

And what do we owe our rulers? Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21). The apostle Paul listed taxes, revenue, respect, and honor. These are the things that are due “Caesar.” While we may not think of taxes and revenue as “holy work,” governing costs money and those who govern deserve to be paid for their labors in the same way as pastors earn their living from the Gospel. Even Jesus paid the temple tax with a coin taken from a fish’s mouth. But the kingdom of heaven belongs to Christ who seeks faith and not coins.

We owe our rulers respect and honor. They are “God’s ministers.” To dishonor the ruler is to dishonor God Himself. “Respect is earned,” some say, but that’s not correct. We owe respect and honor to our rulers, not because they’ve earned it but because of their office. Even if they act disreputably or we don’t like them or didn’t vote for them, that doesn’t mean we are free to dishonor or disrespect them. They are still “God’s ministers.”

We owe the government our obedience. “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Peter 2:13-14).

Does this mean we blindly obey the government? No! When the government tells us to do something that is clearly against God’s Word or our conscience, “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). When we disobey the governing authority, we must also be prepared to accept the temporal consequences for our disobedience. The apostles were beaten and jailed because they disobeyed orders not to preach the

name of Jesus.

Just be sure it’s God you are obeying, rather than man and not your sinful old Adam, if you choose to disobey the government. And since nothing we do is ever without sin, even our conscientious objections are always made with repentance.

Finally, we owe our rulers and leaders our prayers. “I exhort, therefore, that, first of all supplications, prayers, intercession, and thanksgivings be made for all men; for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

(1 Timothy 2:1-2) When I served on jury duty, the judge asked me if I, as a Christian minister, could serve in good conscience on a jury. I told him that we considered the court system of our country a gift and instrument of God, and that our congregation prayed weekly for judges and other officials. He replied, “Thank you. We need it.”

And they do need our prayers, much more than they need our snarkiness and criticism. It’s our priestly duty and privilege to pray for all in authority. If we don’t pray for our leaders, who will?

Gracious Father in heaven, we thank you for the gift of civil order. Bless all who make, administer, enforce, and judge our laws that we may lead quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness until we rise to attain our citizenship in your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rev. William M. Cwirla is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, and serves as on the board of directors for Higher Things.

He can be reached at wcwirla@gmail.com.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 3 _ 29

Dying and Rising

From Ab ove A Higher Things Bible Study • Summer 2013 Introduction: This article on page 6 highlights the way in which the death and resurrection of Jesus have become our death and resurrection through our Baptism into Christ. The benefits of what Jesus has done bestow new life on us now and the promise of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

1

8

2

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.

. Read Genesis 2:17 and Romans 6:23. What has sin brought into the world? Why do we call this thing an enemy?

How does Jesus deal with this enemy?

See Philippians 2:5-11. How does God deal with death?

3 4

What does the death of Jesus do to death?

Check out Hebrews 2:14

Read 1 Corinthians 15:20-26. How does Jesus bring victory over the death that Adam brought into the world? Since Jesus rose from the dead, what does that say about our sins?

5

Why do you think Paul says death is the “last enemy defeated” in the passage above?

What do we believe about our physical death and future beyond it? See Job 19:23-27.

6

Read Romans 6:1-11. What makes Jesus’ death our death? And how does His resurrection become ours? What does this mean for our daily life?

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 30

7

If we have died with Christ, what does it mean that we will be raised with Him?

Read together the Fourth Part of Baptism from the Small Catechism:

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.” (Romans 6:4) How does the Old Adam die? What are contrition and repentance? For how long is the New Man righteous and innocent? How do we overcome the enemy of death by baptism?

9

Close by singing or reading LSB 594, “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It.”

To Access the Leader’s Guide for this study, as well as Bible studies for articles in this and previous issues as a part of an HTOnline subscription, point your browser to: http://higherthings.org/magazine/biblestudies.html.

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BORN AND LIVING FROM ABOVE A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 Leader's Guide Introduction: This study focuses on the “anothen” (Greek for “from above”) which is taught to Nicodemus in John 3. Our life as children of God begins “from above” in the waters of Baptism and continues in a life lived “from above” as faith clings to the promises of God in Christ.

1. Did you choose to be born? Did you get to choose your parents? How do your parents become your parents? What do you inherit from them when you are born?

Of course we have no choice in our birth. We don't exist until we are conceived and our conception is certainly not our choice. Because we are born of human parents, we are human beings. Because we are born of sinful parents, we are sinners. We inherit not just eye color or physical and personality traits but also our sinful nature from Mom and Dad. 2. Read John 3:1-6. What does Jesus tell Nicodemus must happen to him to see and enter the kingdom of God? What does it mean to be “born again?” How is one born “again” or “from above?”

English translations, for the most part, miss the nuance of the word here. Jesus tells Nicodemus he must be born “anothen,” that is, “from above.” The word “anothen” doesn't really mean “again.” It is probably translated that way because of Nicodemus confusion about a second birth. The “again,” however, doesn't capture the meaning of what Jesus is saying, that “from above” means “from God.” To be born from above means to be baptized with water and the Spirit, as Jesus instituted, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

3. What do most people think of when they hear the words “born again?” Who is doing the action?

How is what Jesus saying actually quite different? What is different about being born “from above?”

Being “born again” is usually meant as a personal decision by which a person “makes Jesus Lord” and then changes their behavior. As is apparent, you don't choose your birth, so saying that you choose to be “born again” makes no sense. Being born from above is the Lord's work. He gives us a new birth by water and the Spirit (baptism.) This birth is similar to our first birth in that it is not something we choose but something that happens to us. We are not active, rather we are passive. It is given to us, done to us, happens to us.

4. What is the difference between “flesh” and “spirit” as Jesus explains it to Nicodemus?

“Flesh” refers to our “sinful flesh,” “sinful nature,” and “Old Adam.” We inherit this by our birth from fleshly, human, sinful parents. “Flesh” however does NOT mean “material, physical, flesh and blood” as being in and of themselves bad. What ruins our flesh is sin. Remember, we believe in the resurrection of the BODY, not just a “spiritual” existence for all eternity. Likewise, “spirit” means “of the Holy Spirit.” It does NOT mean “incorporeal, non-physical.” It means that which is born of the Spirit, namely, through the water, Word, and Spirit of Holy Baptism. The Holy Spirit always works through means to make us a new creation in Christ.

5. How does being baptized mean we are born “from above?”

To be baptized is to be born of the Spirit, because it is the Spirit who is at work through the water and the word. You might emphasize that we are, in fact, “born again” in Holy Baptism. Some connections you might consider: In the beginning, the Spirit hovered over the waters, and God spoke and created the universe. At the announcement from Gabriel, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and Christ, the Word, became flesh conceived in her womb. In Holy Baptism, the Spirit hovers over the waters of the font, and we are given new birth from the womb of the font, the church being our Mother and God our Father.

6. What is the connection between faith and baptism; faith and our conversion and salvation?

Faith does NOT mean we make some choice to be followers of Jesus (as in the wrong notion of being “born again.”) Faith receives the Lord's gifts. When you are baptized, you are made a child of God. Faith receives that and says, “Amen.” The illustration to use is that faith is not taking a drink of water but being thrown into a swimming pool. You are “in the faith,” that is, it is all around you and in you and you in it. Faith believes the promises but it is no the believing that does it but Jesus' promises.

7. Read John 3:7-8. How does Jesus describe the Christian life and what does it look like?

Like the wind, it is not immediately obvious that a person is a Christian. You can't tell just by looking at them. Our birth and life from above are not always obvious or evident. Many preachers try to tell those who are “born again” how to live and the steps for growing spiritually and all that. But the Spirit works in us as HE chooses. Just as every person born of human parents is unique, so the way in which the Spirit works in our lives is unique, though He is forgiving sins and strengthening our faith all the time through the Word and Sacraments.

8. What sort of life does the Spirit work in us through this birth from above? See Galatians 2:22-24.

The Spirit, through the Word, works in us all those various fruits. These are not things we can come up with on our own. They are given to us by the Spirit. Rather than worry about cranking up those sorts of things in us, we receive the forgiveness of sins by water, Word, body and blood and the Spirit promises to produce His fruits in us.

9. Read John 3:14-17. For what reason does God give us a new birth from above? Why did Jesus come? How does our baptism show this?

Our new birth from above is God's own promise that we are His children and that His Son has come to take away our sins and give us everlasting life. The world thinks God's job is condemning but Jesus says He has come to save us, not condemn us. Baptism is your promise that you will rise from the dead and have everlasting life.

10. Close by reading or singing LSB 596, “All Christian Who Have Been Baptized.�

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BORN AND LIVING FROM ABOVE A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013

1. Did you choose to be born? Did you get to choose your parents? How do your parents become your parents? What do you inherit from them when you are born?

2. Read John 3:1-6. What does Jesus tell Nicodemus must happen to him to see and enter the kingdom of God? What does it mean to be “born again?” How is one born “again” or “from above?”

3. What do most people think of when they hear the words “born again?” Who is doing the action?

How is what Jesus saying actually quite different? What is different about being born “from above?”

4. What is the difference between “flesh” and “spirit” as Jesus explains it to Nicodemus?

5. How does being baptized mean we are born “from above?”

6. What is the connection between faith and baptism; faith and our conversion and salvation?

7. Read John 3:7-8. How does Jesus describe the Christian life and what does it look like?

8. What sort of life does the Spirit work in us through this birth from above? See Galatians 2:22-24.

9. Read John 3:14-17. For what reason does God give us a new birth from above? Why did Jesus come? How does our baptism show this?

10. Close by reading or singing LSB 596, “All Christian Who Have Been Baptized.�

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WHAT GOD CANNOT DO A Higher Things Bible Study Spring 2013 Leader Guide Opening Prayer: Almighty God, You have called Your Church to witness that in Christ You have reconciled us to Yourself. Grant that by Your Holy Spirit we may proclaim the good news of Your salvation so that all who hear it may receive the gift of salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

1. Have you ever heard similar kinds of statements from Christians or people of other religions?

What’s the logical problem with saying that all religions could have a source or way of salvation?

Answers may vary for the first question. As to the second, the logical error here is what is known the logical law of non-contradiction. While it is logically possible that all the world’s religions are false, it is logically impossible for them all to be true. The one thing all world religions have in common is their mutual incompatibility. Therefore, when it comes to the question of salvation and multiple sources there is a logical problem there. All of the world’s religions say mutually contradictory and incompatible things when it comes to who God is, what he has done, man’s sinful (or not so sinful) condition, how man is saved, how we live, and so forth. It is entirely possible that all world religions are indeed false, but they – and their claims to save man – cannot all be true. The question is, which, if any of them, have any firm basis to be trusted in as reliable. And the answer to that is the Christian faith for Christ died and rose in human history for you.

2. Although it is a popularly held belief in our day that because there are many religions there is more than one way of salvation, what do the apostles teach in Acts 4:1-12 that teaches us otherwise?

In Acts 4 St. Peter preaches that there is salvation found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. Jesus is the Savior. Period. This is a great opportunity to teach the Solas of the Reformation. Christ alone. Faith alone. Scripture alone.

Grace alone. Soli Deo Gloria! It’s also a reminder that the Gospel is both inclusive–for all people–and exclusive–accomplished by grace alone in Christ alone for you.

3. It’s not that man could ever limit God in any way. But according to Scripture, what limits has God put on himself? See the list of passages provided by Pastor Wilken in the article.

The list that Pastor Wilken provides is helpful. And it would be worthwhile to go through the list of passages together as time allows. Another common phrase that comes up is: “You shouldn’t put God in a box.” Well, God put himself in a box, or a manger, rather. He put on human flesh and bone and became man for us. The same God who put order and limits into creation also is a God of order himself. Chaos provides no comfort. And so it is good that God cannot do just any old thing. That sounds more like a god of human fashion and design rather than the Lord God of Sabaoth.

4. If God could deny himself, be tempted into evil, sin as man does, or fail to keep his promises, what kind of God would we have? Instead, what kind of God do we hear about throughout the Bible? See Ezekiel 18:32; Psalm 118; and 1 John 4:7-10.

We would have a fickle, capricious God if those things were to be true. He would be utterly untrustworthy, undependable, and unreliable. We would walk through life having no hope, comfort or security in anything he might say to us. However, as Scripture bears out time and time again, God is not a fickle God of whim and fancy, but a God who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. His is a good and gracious will revealed to us most clearly in Christ, crucified and risen. If we attempt to approach God in any other way than through His cross, word and Sacraments, we will be chasing a false god of our own (or the devil’s) making.

5. Pastor Wilken writes, “Thank God that He cannot do just anything. And, thank God he cannot save people in any way He wants.” What are the specific ways God has promised in order to save us? Romans 6:1-5; Titus 3:5-7; John 20:22-23; Matthew 26:28.

The beauty and joy of the incarnation is that the God who is the Creator of the world comes to be a part of His creation. The Word becomes flesh! God becomes man. He locates himself in a human body–not just for three years–but into all eternity in his ascension. Likewise, He extends his locality to His word and sacraments. So that wherever He promises to put his Name (Exodus 20:24) he is there to bless and save us. Think of all the places God’s name is given and declared in the Divine Service–countless ways. So for us men and our salvation, God locates

himself in words, water, bread and wine. These are the specific places God locates himself for us in Christ.

6. According to John 14:1-6, what does Jesus say about the way of salvation?

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Him. Again, this is the teaching of Christianity, that Jesus’ message is both inclusive (for all people) and exclusive (through Him alone). We dare not remove the scandal of particularity, the scandal of the cross. For the cross of Christ is the very source and hope of our salvation. There’s no doubt that this is not an easy or popular message in our day and age. Nevertheless it is the only message that actually gives what it promises, namely, eternal life and salvation for all who believe.

7. Read Colossians 2:6-15. What has Christ–and Christ alone–done for your salvation?

St. Paul gives us a cup of overflowing gospel in this section of Colossians. Of special importance for this article are Paul’s points about being wary of being taken captive by philosophy or empty deceit. Reason is a good gift of God, however, reason can also be used for sinful purposes by sinful men. Reason under the guidance of the Word of God (ministerially) is God-pleasing. Paul also points us to Baptism and the new life given to us in Christ by His death on the cross. God has cancelled the record of our debts because they were nailed to the cross of Jesus. It’s a blessed exchange. Jesus takes all your sin and death and guilt and you get all of his righteousness, life and freedom. Instead of making wishful attempts to satisfy man’s ego by saying salvation is possible some other way, point people to the only way of salvation, Jesus crucified for you!

Closing Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, You would have all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. By Your almighty power and unsearchable wisdom break and hinder all the counsels of those who hate Your word and who, by corrupt teaching, would destroy it. Enlighten them with the knowledge of Your glory that they may know the riches of Your heavenly grace and, in peace and righteousness, serve You, the only true God; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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WHAT GOD CANNOT DO A Higher Things Bible Study Spring 2013

1. Have you ever heard similar kinds of statements from Christians or people of other religions?

What’s the logical problem with saying that all religions could have a source or way of salvation?

2. Although it is a popularly held belief in our day that because there are many religions there is more than one way of salvation, what do the apostles teach in Acts 4:1-12 that teaches us otherwise?

3. It’s not that man could ever limit God in any way. But according to Scripture, what limits has God put on himself? See the list of passages provided by Pastor Wilken in the article.

4. If God could deny himself, be tempted into evil, sin as man does, or fail to keep his promises, what kind of God would we have? Instead, what kind of God do we hear about throughout the Bible? See Ezekiel 18:32; Psalm 118; and 1 John 4:7-10.

5. Pastor Wilken writes, “Thank God that He cannot do just anything. And, thank God he cannot save people in any way He wants.” What are the specific ways God has promised in order to save us? Romans 6:1-5; Titus 3:5-7; John 20:22-23; Matthew 26:28.

6. According to John 14:1-6, what does Jesus say about the way of salvation?

7. Read Colossians 2:6-15. What has Christ–and Christ alone–done for your salvation?

TABLE OF DUTIES: RULERS AND CITIZENS A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 Leader’s Guide Opening Prayer: O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

1. Look at the Scripture passages found in the Table of Duties in the Small Catechism that refer to citizens and rulers. What do these passages tell us about the unique duties in each vocation?

For Civil Government, the Table of Duties lists Romans 13:1-4 and for citizens lists Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:5-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13-14. For rulers and government we could also add 1 Peter 2:13-14 and John 19:1-11. See the table below for a summarized list of the various duties, responsibilities and purposes of each vocation in both the temporal and spiritual realms.

2. Why did God create government? What are the distinct purposes, goals, and means God uses in the temporal authorities for the good of all people? See Romans 13:1-7.

In short, God institutes government for our well being, for order of a civil society, so that the gospel might be declared freely by the church, to prevent chaos and curb evil, and to execute temporal justice. For the answers to the second question, see the table below that spells out what these goals, purposes and means are given God’s two-fold gift of authority.

3. Although there are two kingdoms, there is one only King, the Triune God. According to Matthew 28:16-20 and 1 Peter 2:14, what are the two kinds of authority God has established?

And specifically, where does God exercise his spiritual and temporal authority?

God has established and given his authority to forgive sins. Recall Jesus’ words in John 20 with his disciples and the forgiving and retaining of sins. This is a unique authority given to the Church. And it is primarily based on the Gospel. Likewise, the authority given to earthly rulers is unique. Earthly rulers are given the power and authority of the sword. This is their office, to curb chaos, order society, execute justice and, when necessary, punish those who break the law.

The state operates by the law.

4. Scripture clearly commands Christians to obey the governing authorities (1 Peter 2:13-17). But who are the temporal authorities called to obey? See John 19:1-11. How do Jesus’ words Pilate shape our understanding of God’s authority in the civil realm?

Jesus makes it clear before Pilate that he would have no authority unless God had first given it to him. Therefore, God’s Law is the law above the temporal law. And Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords. This means that even earthly rulers are accountable, not only to their citizens, but also to the Lord of heaven and earth who has placed them in the office that bears his temporal authority.

5. Is there ever a time when it is ok for Christians to disobey the civil authorities God has placed over us? Acts 5:27-32.

According to Acts 5, we are called to obey God rather than men when, for example, the government tells us to do something that clearly goes against the Word of God and the Christian conscience shaped by His Word. Although, as Pastor Cwirla points out, we also must be willing to bear the consequences for our civil disobedience.

6. Why is it important to pray for our earthly rulers? 1 Timothy 2:1-3.

As Pastor Cwirla noted in his article, the temporal authorities need our prayers. By praying for them we are acting according to our vocation as citizens. But we are also serving our neighbor.

As Christians, we are called to be a people of priests who live their lives as living sacrifices. As Psalm 141 reminds us, we lift up our hands as the evening sacrifice. By our prayers we are supporting the temporal authorities God has placed for our good. We are also caring for them as is good and proper. And by praying for them we are acknowledging that they are indeed placed in authority by God’s command. In this way, the fourth commandment is kept among us as we honor those in authority over us.

7. How do we serve our neighbor by upholding God’s authority in the civil realm?

By upholding, supporting, and praying for our earthly rulers, we are also serving our neighbor.

When we pray that our rulers would do what is good for their citizens we include our neighbor in that prayer as well. For when there is peace in our cities, our streets are safe, our laws are just, our neighbor’s reputation and life are also protected and prospered. Think of Luther’s explanation to the 5th commandment as well as commandments 8-10, namely to always support our neighbors both in his physical well-being but also by his vocation, goods, and property.

Closing Prayer: Gracious Father in heaven, we thank You for the gift of civil order. Bless all who make, administer, enforce, and judge our laws that we may lead quiet and peaceful lives in all godliness until we rise to attain our citizenship in Your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Further Reading and Study:

•

The Lutheran Confessions: For a brief overview, see the Table of Duties in the Small Catechism. Also read Augsburg Confession articles V, VII, VIII, XIV, XVI, XXVIII, and the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope.

•

Lutheran Service Book, page 313 lists numerous prayers for matters of the civil realm.

•

The Spirituality of the Cross: The Way of the First Evangelicals. Gene E. Veith, Concordia Publishing House.

•

The Anonymous God: The Church Confronts Civil Religion and American Society. Edited by David L. Adams and Ken Schurb, Concordia Publishing House.

•

The Temporal Authorities to What Extent They Should be Obeyed and Whether Soldiers Too Can be Saved. Martin Luther. Luther’s Works, volume 45. Concordia Publishing House.

God’s Left-Hand Rule  Scripture: Romans 3:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17  Catechism: 4th Commandment, 1st Article, 4th Petition  Purpose: civil justice/order  Goal: curb evil; an orderly, just society– not “Christianize”  Means: Reason/natural law  Civil righteousness (before man)  Law  “Lesser of two evils”  Rewards good / punishes evil  Active in vocation  Temporal authority (God’s gift)  The fisted sword of steel

God’s Right-Hand Rule  Scripture: Ephesians 1:22; Col. 1:13-14  Catechism: 2nd & 3rd Article, Means of Grace, Lord’s Prayer  Purpose: forgive sin  Goal: salvation through preaching sin and grace  Means: Word/Sacraments  Spiritual Righteousness (before God)  Law & Gospel  Calls sin, sin  Works: not merit, fruit of faith  Passive recipients  Spiritual authority (God’s gift)  The oral sword of the Spirit

TABLE OF DUTIES: RULERS AND CITIZENS A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013

1. Look at the Scripture passages found in the Table of Duties in the Small Catechism that refer to citizens and rulers. What do these passages tell us about the unique duties in each vocation?

2. Why did God create government? What are the distinct purposes, goals, and means God uses in the temporal authorities for the good of all people? See Romans 13:1-7.

3. Although there are two kingdoms, there is one only King, the Triune God. According to Matthew 28:16-20 and 1 Peter 2:14, what are the two kinds of authority God has established?

And specifically, where does God exercise his spiritual and temporal authority?

4. Scripture clearly commands Christians to obey the governing authorities (1 Peter 2:13-17). But who are the temporal authorities called to obey? See John 19:1-11. How do Jesus’ words Pilate shape our understanding of God’s authority in the civil realm?

5. Is there ever a time when it is ok for Christians to disobey the civil authorities God has placed over us? Acts 5:27-32.

6. Why is it important to pray for our earthly rulers? 1 Timothy 2:1-3.

7. How do we serve our neighbor by upholding God’s authority in the civil realm?

DELIRIUM A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 Leader's Guide Introduction: You should provide a magazine or copy of the article “Delirium” from the Summer 2013 issue of the Higher Things magazine to each participant.

Pastoral Note: In the course of discussion or in your interaction with the teens in your congregaetion, the topic of mental illness and its symptoms might arise. Be sure to emphasize (1) that Christians are not immune from the real suffering of mental illness and (2) the people (trusted adults) from whom they can receive help.

1. Read the article “Delirium” in the Summer 2013 issue of Higher Things Magazine. What struggle does Mrs. Klages share with us? How did the Word of God help her in her struggle? Is God's Word an “instant cure” for such suffering?

After nearly dying in childbirth, Mrs. Klages suffered some severe symptoms of mental illness. Mental illness can be chronic (ongoing) or acute (temporary and caused even by physical trauma). God's Word didn't magically make Mrs. Klages’ symptoms disappear but it DID remind her of God's love for her despite what she thought she heard and saw. Her comfort was in the solid promises of God's Word and not in some useless hope of “making herself better” with enough faith or effort.

2. Do you think Christians can suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses? Why do you think some people might suppose that mental illness should be overcome with enough “faith” or “inner strength?”

Very often, the causes of mental illness are physiological. Chemical imbalances, the mind's reaction to physical trauma, and other factors can lead to and cause mental illness and its symptoms. It is important to be reminded that these sorts of sicknesses are not “wrong” for a Christian to have, any more than having cancer or a cold is wrong. Rather, like all illnesses, we pray for the Lord's healing and blessing to those afflicted while seeking the best help the Lord provides in dealing with these issues (counseling, medications, etc.) Often, and incorrectly, “mental illness” has been associated with “demonic activity.” While the two could certainly be related, we should not (1) attribute the very real influence of the demonic in the Bible to “mental illness.” Neither do we automatically assume that someone who has a mental illness today is “possessed.”

3. King Saul was often plagued by a “distressing” spirit. What was it that soothed him? Read 1 Samuel

16:14-23. Why might the Lord allow us to suffer the things like Mrs. Klages deal with?

Saul was soothed by David's playing of the harp. This points us to many of the psalms that David wrote. The Lord allows us to suffer such weakness so that we learn all the more to trust in Him. As Mrs. Klages notes in her article, while it didn't cure her, having the Word of God brought to her by pastors and the vicar was a great comfort to her.

4. What do you know about the Book of Psalms? Why were the Psalms written? How might we use them when we are troubled by physical and mental struggles?

The Psalms are the prayers and hymns of God's people. They point to Christ and were used by Him in His own prayers. The Psalms cover every range of human emotions from the heights of joy to the depths of sorrow and misery. They cry out to God in fear and anger as well as in faith and trust. What they teach us is that no matter what we endure, we cry out earnestly in prayer to the Lord and have the promises of what He has done to remind us that He saves us from all enemies and evils.

5. Read Psalm 22:1-19. What does the psalmist think God has done? Why is He praying to God? Where was this Psalm used by Jesus? How would this be a reflection of our own prayers in suffering?

The psalmist asks why God has forsaken and abandoned him. Notice however that he still speaks to God. These words were prayed by Jesus on the cross. No doubt we often feel abandoned by God and others. As you read the words of this psalm, be sure to point out how the psalmist cries out in his afflictions and yet is always crying out to the Lord, never forgetting that He is the One who hears and answers. So even though He feels forsaken, yet He knows the Lord will take care of Him. 6. Read more from the Psalms: 27:1-4; 88:1-3; 98:1-2; 143:1-5. How do these verses capture the struggles of someone who is troubled? How do they look to God for help?

Answers will vary. Be sure to point out the way in which the Psalms cry out with suffering and struggle and yet they are crying out to the Lord who has promised to hear and has answered and saved.

7. Read 2 Corinthians 11:24-30, 12:7-10. What is the result of all of Paul's suffering and weaknesses?

What can we learn for our own struggles, no matter what kind they are?

Paul suffers all kinds of physical and mental trauma. The end result of all of this is that he sees God's power in his weakness. Paul learns from his weakness that what matters is the Lord's strength and power for him. For us, this is a reminder that even when we suffer, even if we are “out of our minds,” what matters is not our strength or happiness or level of “faithfulness,” but rather what the Lord has given us in Baptism, His Word and His Supper.

8. What does Jesus tell us about these burdens we bear? See Matthew 11:28-30. Does this mean we'll never suffer or that we're “bad” Christians when we suffer?

Jesus teaches us that all of our burdens are for Him to bear. When something seems to crush us, He

comforts us through His Word that He has come to bear our burdens. It is a horrible false teaching that ties our suffering with our faith in some way, as in the more faith you have, the fewer troubles you will have. As Mrs. Klages makes clear in her article, what sustains us is God's Word, which doesn't change.

Even if we don't FEEL better, the truth of His promises and what He gives us in Christ cannot be defeated or overcome by our suffering.

9. To close, sing or read together LSB 713, “From God Can Nothing Move Me.�

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DELIRIUM A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013

1. Read the article “Delirium” in the Summer 2013 issue of Higher Things Magazine. What struggle does Mrs. Klages share with us? How did the Word of God help her in her struggle? Is God's Word an “instant cure” for such suffering?

2. Do you think Christians can suffer from depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses? Why do you think some people might suppose that mental illness should be overcome with enough “faith” or “inner strength?”

3. King Saul was often plagued by a “distressing” spirit. What was it that soothed him? Read 1 Samuel 16:14-23. Why might the Lord allow us to suffer the things like Mrs. Klages deal with?

4. What do you know about the Book of Psalms? Why were the Psalms written? How might we use them when we are troubled by physical and mental struggles?

5. Read Psalm 22:1-19. What does the psalmist think God has done? Why is He praying to God? Where was this Psalm used by Jesus? How would this be a reflection of our own prayers in suffering?

6. Read more from the Psalms: 27:1-4; 88:1-3; 98:1-2; 143:1-5. How do these verses capture the struggles of someone who is troubled? How do they look to God for help?

7. Read 2 Corinthians 11:24-30, 12:7-10. What is the result of all of Paul's suffering and weaknesses?

What can we learn for our own struggles, no matter what kind they are?

8. What does Jesus tell us about these burdens we bear? See Matthew 11:28-30. Does this mean we'll never suffer or that we're “bad” Christians when we suffer?

9. To close, sing or read together LSB 713, “From God Can Nothing Move Me.”

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THIS DIAMOND, CHRIST JESUS A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 Leader's Guide Introduction: This Bible study directs hearers to see that the only answer for a sin-stricken conscience is the good news that sins are forgiven, put away, and gone, on account of Jesus' death and resurrection. The Word and Sacraments deliver this forgiveness in a concrete way that comforts the terrified conscience.

1. Why do our consciences trouble us when we do wrong? What are some ways the world tries to silence a guilt-stricken conscience?

Answers will vary. But our conscience shows that the Law is written on our heart, that is, we are naturally born knowing not to do wrong. This doesn't keep us from sinning but it does, when it works, remind us that things are not right and that we have transgressed. The world seeks to overcome the conscience with all sorts of excuses and explanations. “It's OK, it's just who you are.” “That's an outdated morality. Don't be so old-fashioned.” “God wouldn't want you not to be happy.” And so on.

2. Read 1 John 3:19-21. Our hearts may condemn us, that is, our conscience troubles us, reminding us of our sin. What is the thing that can overcome that guilt and accusation?

God is greater than our hearts. Jesus overcomes our sin and teaches us that in Him our sins are forgiven. Our hearts and conscience often condemn us for what we do but John reminds us that our hope and trust are not in our trying to fell better or come to terms with our mistakes, but trust in Jesus who has taken away all our sin.

3. Does Jesus dying for our sins depend on how stricken our conscience is? See Luke 23:33-34. How much do we have to “feel” our sins before they can be forgiven?

Jesus asks forgiveness even for those whose conscience didn't bother them, who didn't know what they were doing. While our consciences do trouble us, they don't always. Sometimes we're content to do our sins and not worry about them! It is the Scriptures that ultimately teach us our sinfulness, regardless of how much we “feel” it.

4. What washing does Baptism accomplish for us with respect to our standing before God? See 1 Peter 3:21.

Baptism gives us a clear conscience before God. It is the promise of God Himself that our sins are forgiven and we don't have to worry about them condemning us.

5. Read Mark 16:16. To what gift does Jesus refer and what promise does He attach to it?

Here Jesus says that baptism saves us. Baptism is an outward sign to which Christ attaches His promise of salvation. This is a fact regardless of how much we “feel” the guilt of our sins.

6. Read John 20:21-23. What gift does Jesus give to us and what promise is given with that gift?

Here is the gift of holy absolution, real words spoken by Christ's ministers to declare that our sins are forgiven. The promise is that if Christ's ministers forgive us, Jesus Himself has forgiven us. This word is truth, over against the ringing condemnation of our conscience.

7. What gift is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 and what promise does it bring?

Here is the gift of preaching. In preaching, the Christ speaks through the preacher to tell the hearers that He has reconciled us to God. We were separated by our sin (which we often “feel”) but Christ has overcome our sins and made peace between us and the Father.

8. What gift and promise does Jesus institute in Matthew 26:26-28?

Here Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper and says clearly it is given “for the forgiveness of sins.”

Receiving the Sacrament of the Altar is yet one more way we can be certain that our sins are indeed forgiven.

9. How do baptism, absolution, preaching, and the Sacrament of the Altar, overcome our guiltstricken conscience?

When we are troubled by our sins, these gifts are real, tangible ways in which Christ delivers His forgiveness. When our sins trouble us, we are not left to “hoping” or “wondering” whether God will forgive us or if He still loves us. He cannot turn us away because of Jesus and these gifts are our real and visible and audible proof of His promise to forgive and restore us.

10. To close, sing or read together LSB 602, “The Gifts Christ Freely Gives.”

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THIS DIAMOND, CHRIST JESUS A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013

Introduction: This Bible study directs hearers to see that the only answer for a sin-stricken conscience is the good news that sins are forgiven, put away, and gone, on account of Jesus' death and resurrection. The Word and Sacraments deliver this forgiveness in a concrete way that comforts the terrified conscience.

1. Why do our consciences trouble us when we do wrong? What are some ways the world tries to silence a guilt-stricken conscience?

2. Read 1 John 3:19-21. Our hearts may condemn us, that is, our conscience troubles us, reminding us of our sin. What is the thing that can overcome that guilt and accusation?

3. Does Jesus dying for our sins depend on how stricken our conscience is? See Luke 23:33-34. How much do we have to “feel� our sins before they can be forgiven?

4. What washing does Baptism accomplish for us with respect to our standing before God? See 1 Peter 3:21.

5. Read Mark 16:16. To what gift does Jesus refer and what promise does He attach to it?

6. Read John 20:21-23. What gift does Jesus give to us and what promise is given with that gift?

7. What gift is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 and what promise does it bring?

8. What gift and promise does Jesus institute in Matthew 26:26-28?

9. How do baptism, absolution, preaching, and the Sacrament of the Altar, overcome our guilt-stricken conscience?

10. To close, sing or read together LSB 602, “The Gifts Christ Freely Gives.�

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DYING AND RISING FROM ABOVE A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 Leader's Guide Introduction: This article highlights the way in which the death and resurrection of Jesus have become our death and resurrection through our Baptism into Christ. The benefits of what Jesus has done bestow new life on us now and the promise of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

1. Read Genesis 2:17 and Romans 6:23. What has sin brought into the world? Why do we call this thing an enemy?

Sin brought death. Death reminds us that nothing is this world is forever anymore. That teaches us that we need a Savior and God who can save us from death. Death is an enemy because it comes to anyone at any time. Teenagers in particular don't give much thought to death although they may certainly have experience with it because of the death of a family member or friend.

2. How does Jesus deal with this enemy? See Philippians 2:5-11. How does God deal with death?

The Son of God became man so that He could die. He shares in what we have gotten from sin so that He might save us from it. In other words, even though death is our enemy, God Himself endures it as the judgment for our sins, but He approaches it as a Savior from death.

3. What does the death of Jesus do to death? Check out Hebrews 2:14 Jesus' death destroys the power of death. In Jesus, all our sins which brought death upon us are judged.

The purpose of Jesus' death is to rescue us from the power of death. He does this by His resurrection from the dead.

4. Read 1 Corinthians 15:20-26. How does Jesus bring victory over the death that Adam brought into the world? Since Jesus rose from the dead, what does that say about our sins?

Death came into the world through the man Adam, whose disobedience brought death into the world.

(Remember that he was to teach Eve God's Word; sin is the MAN's fault!) By one man, then, Jesus, death is overcome and defeated because He brings life. Jesus does this by rising from the dead. Jesus dies because He has our sins. Sin means death, so He dies, because He carries our sins. But the fact that Jesus is alive the third day must mean the sins are gone. If the sins are gone, Jesus can't stay dead.

Therefore His triumph over our sins is also His triumph over death.

5. Why do you think Paul says death is the “last enemy defeated” in the passage above? What do we believe about our physical death and future beyond it? See Job 19:23-27.

Though Christ has overcome death, we will still die (unless He returns first). Therefore we believe that even though we die, we will rise to everlasting life. Job believed in the physical resurrection of the body. He knew that even though he would die, and his body decay, he would still stand before the Lord in his body and see Him. So, Jesus' resurrection is called a “firstfruits” because He rose and we will follow in our resurrection later on.

6. Read Romans 6:1-11. What makes Jesus' death our death? And how does His resurrection become ours? What does this mean for our daily life?

It is in Holy Baptism that we are washed in Jesus' death. Think of it as the water, which flowed from His side when He was crucified for our sins, is splashed upon us with the Word and Spirit at the font.

Therefore, His death becomes our death. This is not a physical death but a death to sin. Death to sin means that our Old Adam dies. Our sins are dead to God. And we live before Him in new life. Every day is a day to drown the Old Adam in our Baptism and live a new life in Christ. We do this by faith in Christ's promises that by our baptism, we are dead to sin, our sins are forgiven, and we have the promise of everlasting life.

7. If we have died with Christ, what does it mean that we will be raised with Him? First of all, our new life in Christ is the life of faith we live now, trusting that for Jesus' sake, God doesn't hold any of our sins against us. But it also is the promise that even though we are going to die, we will be raised from the dead on the Last Day, as the Creed says, “The resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”

8. Read together the Fourth Part of Baptism from the Small Catechism: 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.” (Romans 6:4) How does the Old Adam die? What are contrition and repentance? For how long is the New Man righteous and innocent? How do we overcome the enemy of death by baptism?

Contrition and repentance are being sorry for our sins and believing that for Christ's sake they are

forgiven. When the Holy Spirit works that faith in us, it puts the Old Adam to death. He is always trying to lead us into sin. So we run from Him and flee to Christ. The New Man is righteous and pure forever.

This is reminder that our Baptism is for this life and the life to come. Since baptism is Christ's Word and promise, it gives and does what it says, namely, forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. Baptism is God's promise to you that your sins are forgiven and that you will rise from the dead on the Last Day and live forever!

9. Close by singing or reading LSB 594, “God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It.�

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DYING AND RISING FROM ABOVE A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013

Introduction: This article highlights the way in which the death and resurrection of Jesus have become our death and resurrection through our Baptism into Christ. The benefits of what Jesus has done bestow new life on us now and the promise of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

1. Read Genesis 2:17 and Romans 6:23. What has sin brought into the world? Why do we call this thing an enemy?

2. How does Jesus deal with this enemy? See Philippians 2:5-11. How does God deal with death?

3. What does the death of Jesus do to death? Check out Hebrews 2:14

4. Read 1 Corinthians 15:20-26. How does Jesus bring victory over the death that Adam brought into the world? Since Jesus rose from the dead, what does that say about our sins?

5. Why do you think Paul says death is the “last enemy defeated” in the passage above? What do we believe about our physical death and future beyond it? See Job 19:23-27.

6. Read Romans 6:1-11. What makes Jesus' death our death? And how does His resurrection become ours? What does this mean for our daily life?

7. If we have died with Christ, what does it mean that we will be raised with Him?

8. Read together the Fourth Part of Baptism from the Small Catechism: 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.” (Romans 6:4) How does the Old Adam die? What are contrition and repentance? For how long is the New Man righteous and innocent? How do we overcome the enemy of death by baptism?

9. Close by singing or reading LSB 594, “God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It.” www.higherthings.org

MY UNBELIEVING FRIENDS A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 Leader’s Guide But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you – 1 Peter 3:15 Opening Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, You desire not the death of a sinner but that all would repent and live. Hear our prayers for those outside the Church. Take away their iniquity, and turn them from their false gods to You, the living and true God. Gather them into Your holy Church to glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

1. Have any of you encountered any difficulties sharing the gospel with friends or neighbors who are unbelievers? What were some of the difficulties you experienced?

Answers will vary from participants. The leader can easily set the tone for this opening discussion question by offering a few personal examples if necessary.

2. Pastor Young reminds us that God works through means in order to bless, forgive, and save us.

What are those means of grace? Have participants find a Scripture passage which talks about the blessing and promise of each means of grace.

Have participants take some time to go through their memories or physically look through the Scriptures and the Catechism together, even in pairs if there are enough people present. Verses that come to mind for something like Baptism, for example, are in 1 Peter where it is written, “Baptism now saves you.” Or in John 20 where Jesus gives his disciples and his church the authority to forgive sins. This is where private and public confession come in. Also 1 Corinthians 11 and the Lord’s Supper.

3. Why are the means of grace so vitally important when it comes to Christ giving us salvation?

First of all, they are Christ’s clear and express promise of forgiveness of sins, life and salvation; it is both a command and promise. Secondly, as pointed out in the article, God has not promised to work for us and with us in any other way than through means. To chase after God in some other way outside of what he has promised is to chase after ghosts. Thirdly, there is little comfort in any other means, whether it is my emotions, decision, works, etc. or some other attempt of man to earn salvation or the forgiveness of sins. These means of grace are as sure as the one guaranteeing them and in Christ all God’s promises are yes.

4. According to Romans 1:18-23 and 2:12-16, what is the natural knowledge of God? What are its benefits? What are its limits?

Natural knowledge of God is that knowledge known on the basis of what God has written on the human heart (conscience / right and wrong) and what we can observe of God and his work in creation. The benefits include a common knowledge shared with all men, granted all men are fallen and there is a great deal of confusion on what this means and how it is used.

Nevertheless, there remains a time and place for use of natural knowledge of God type arguments, especially when dealing with people who are hostile to the Christian faith and may not listen to arguments based on the Scripture, but will listen to arguments in defense of the Christian faith based on reason. To be sure, reason has its limits, but also many benefits when used ministerially. Natural knowledge also helps to expose people’s misplaced belief that there is no God and that creation is purely the product of random chance and natural selection. The human eye or DNA is a case in point. However, theism is not Christianity, hence there are limits. Natural knowledge can only tell you so much, namely, there is a god, he created all things, you are not him, so you better watch out. For the complete revelation of who God is we must be pointed to Christ, the Word (and knowledge of God) made human flesh. All speculation ends at the incarnation and the cross. Now we can look and say that man is both God and man, for me. He was born, lived, suffered, died and rose for me. And I know this for a fact because he did all this in human history. In other words, faith is founded on fact, not fantasy.

5. According to Romans 3:9-20, what is the chief purpose of God’s Law? See also LSB 579 and 580.

Many of the old catechism instruction booklets summarize the work of the Law and the Gospel this way: SOS. The Law shows us our sin. The Gospel shows us our Savior. While this is simplistic, it is helpful and gives the participants – especially those unfamiliar with Law and Gospel – a foundation with which to build upon. It also reveals and teaches the chief use of the Law as taught by Paul in Romans 3, namely, by the law comes knowledge of sin. The Law – and the 10 commandments in summary – are a mirror, revealing who’s the greatest sinner of all – me! And yet, Paul goes on from Romans 3 and the judgment of the Law to the free salvation

won for us in Christ. The LSB hymns listed above are also a marvelous rendition of this Biblical teaching put to song.

6. How does the Law serve the Gospel? Why is it important to speak the proper word of Law or Gospel at the right time to anyone we are speaking to?

St. Paul says the Law serves as a teacher or a pedagogy that leads us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). By this he means – not that we are saved by works of the Law but–that the Law reveals our sinful condition and though it offers no help to remove our sin, it does expose it for what it is, death and eternal condemnation, for the wages of sin is death. Think of the Law in terms of a doctor’s visit. The Law provides us the proper diagnosis, but offers no treatment. For that, the healing Word of the Gospel and the Sacraments must come and rescue, heal, forgive, and save us. There is an old Lutheran saying from the Reformation: “The Law tells you to walk but gives you no legs. The Gospel tells you to fly and gives you wings.” Therefore it is important to listen to the person you are talking to and properly diagnose what word it is that is needed at that particular moment; they could be in need of either Law or Gospel. For it is the work of the Law to make those who are comfortable in their sins uncomfortable and those who are uncomfortable in their sin comforted. The Law kills. But the Gospel gives life. The Law brings down. The Gospel raises up. Clearly distinguishing these two doctrines is, as C.F.W. Walther once said, best learned by the Holy Spirit in the school of experience.

7. Pastor Young writes that Christians cannot argue people into believing, after all faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Thus, what two important things did the apostles do when sharing the gospel with unbelievers? See Acts 1:1-3; 4:1-12; 10:34-43.

In the book of Acts we hear about the apostles routinely doing two things, namely, 1) proclamation and 2) giving reasons, signs or arguments for why that proclamation is true. The apostles in Acts 1) declared the good news that Jesus died and rose again and 2) that this was in fact an historical event seen by eyewitnesses and that many signs now accompanied it as well. Acts 4 and 10 give us the content of what these sermons sounded like. And in Acts 1, Luke tells Theophilus and the modern reader that the apostles presented Jesus as alive after his suffering and death by “many infallible proofs”. This is similar to the case for Jesus’ resurrection that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 15.

8. Read Isaiah 55:10-11. What does the Lord promise and declare about His word through the prophet Isaiah? How does this compare with what St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9?

The token theological word for this passage in Isaiah is “performative.” God’s Word does what He says it will. It gives what He bestows and promises simply because His word is living and active, and it is the power (dynamis) of God for salvation. Compare God’s Word to our word. When we tell someone else to do something, such as, clean their room or pick up their garbage, it’s not always done and when it is, it takes time. God’s Word, however, does what it says. Let there be light…and there was light. People often like to say actions speak louder than words. That’s because we don’t always follow through with our promises. In Christ, God follows through with His promises. Unlike our word, God’s word is action. This is why Paul and Apollos are nothing, simply vessels, instruments and voices of the Gospel. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to call, gather and enlighten us with faith and trust in Christ. Sure, we may plant or water, but God gives the growth.

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide, For round us falls the eventide.

O let Your Word, that saving light, Shine forth undimmed into the night.

In these last days of great distress Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness That we keep pure till life is spent Your holy Word and Sacrament. LSB 585:1-2

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MY UNBELIEVING FRIENDS A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you – 1 Peter 3:15 1. Have any of you encountered any difficulties sharing the gospel with friends or neighbors who are unbelievers? What were some of the difficulties you experienced?

2. Pastor Young reminds us that God works through means in order to bless, forgive, and save us.

What are those means of grace? Have participants find a Scripture passage which talks about the blessing and promise of each means of grace.

3. Why are the means of grace so vitally important when it comes to Christ giving us salvation?

4. According to Romans 1:18-23 and 2:12-16, what is the natural knowledge of God? What are its benefits? What are its limits?

5. According to Romans 3:9-20, what is the chief purpose of God’s Law? See also LSB 579 and 580.

6. How does the Law serve the Gospel? Why is it important to speak the proper word of Law or Gospel at the right time to anyone we are speaking to?

7. Pastor Young writes that Christians cannot argue people into believing, after all faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Thus, what two important things did the apostles do when sharing the gospel with unbelievers? See Acts 1:1-3; 4:1-12; 10:34-43.

8. Read Isaiah 55:10-11. What does the Lord promise and declare about His word through the prophet Isaiah? How does this compare with what St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9?

Closing Prayer: LSB 585:1-2

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A NEW SONG A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 Leader’s Guide O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. Psalm 51:15 Opening Prayer: Almighty God, who through Your eternal Word spoke creation into being, so fill the mouths of Your faithful people with thanks, praise and proclamation in Your Son Christ Crucified.

Grant that the hymns and praise of your holy Church on earth would reflect that of the unending praise before the Lamb’s heavenly throne, so that the whole church on earth and in heaven, together, we may be united by a high doxology, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

1. Pastor Kornacki takes time to point out the author and date of a hymn when looking in our hymnal. Pick any hymn out of the hymnal (Lutheran Service Book and The Lutheran Hymnal both have this in different places) and also note the Bible verses listed for that hymn. After reading one or more passages, what do those verses tell you about the hymn?

Answers will vary for this depending on which hymn is selected either by the leader or participants. It’s noteworthy to point out that the hymns are (very often anyhow) based on, or direct quotations from, Scripture. Although hymns are written by men and women, God uses these words as his means to proclaim the forgiveness of sins to all who hear.

2. According to Pastor Kornacki, what makes a good Lutheran hymn so good?

He lists four essential criteria: 1) for praise of Christ, 2) thanks for the many gifts God gives us through Jesus, 3) for teaching the Christian faith, and 4) for the unity of the church on earth throughout the ages and a confession of faith for future generations. Perhaps explore other answers to this question, especially in regards to what separates a Lutheran hymn apart from other hymns and songs sung by Christians. A few additional, and helpful, criteria would also be that a Lutheran him is primarily about 1) proclamation not entertainment, 2) being a vessel for the living voice of the gospel and not about our feelings, mood or opinions, 3) focusing on Christ Crucified and not ourselves (theology of glory), 4) putting the words of Scripture into

song, intentionally pointing the singer to Christ and his saving work and gifts, and 5) uniting the church in heaven and on earth in singing the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. This means that good hymns are not bound to the culture of the times but rather to the church catholic.

3. After looking at the rich heritage and treasury of hymns in the Lutheran hymnals available to you, take some time to examine the Scriptures together. Are there any hymns in the Bible?

Where would we look to find them?

Yes! There are tons of hymns in the Bible. There’s even an entire hymnal; we call it the Psalms.

But for the OT and NT people, the Psalter was their hymnal. It’s rightfully called the prayer book of the Bible. This is why Psalms are sung in the Divine Service and the weekly prayer offices. There are also wealth of hymns in the OT among the prophets – like Isaiah 40-55 and in the NT, especially the Gospel of Luke. There are four canticles, or songs, in Luke 1-2: Benedictus, Magnificat, Gloria in Excelsis, and Nunc Dimittis. Philippians 2:5-11 is often thought to have been an early Christian hymn of Christ and a confession of faith. There’s also the song of Hannah – 1 Samuel 2 – and many more. NOTE: Lutheran Service Book has an entire section on Biblical Canticles in the back portion of the hymnal.

4. Did Jesus and his disciples sing hymns? Why is that important for the life of the Church today?

See Mark 14:26; Ephesians 5:19; Where and to whom does the book of Revelation direct our songs? Revelation 5:9-10.

Jesus most definitely sang hymns. We know this from 1) Mark’s gospel in chapter 14 where Jesus and the disciples sang hymns (probably Psalms from the Passover liturgy around 116-118) on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. 2) Jesus and his disciples are also found in the synagogues and would’ve been accustomed to the liturgy that would’ve been common during that time, which had also come down from the OT days of the tabernacle and temple.

Revelation 5 is interesting as well for this reveals that the worship of heaven is much the same that it is on earth, focused entirely on the Lamb and his saving work.

5. Pastor Kornacki wisely states that “the way the Church prays and sings shows what we believe.” How is this true? And why is it important to keep this in mind when reflect upon the words and content of Christian songs, hymns or music?

Everything we say and do in the Church confesses. Anything after the statement, “I believe…” is a creed. Hymns are sung confessions of faith, creeds. The practical and the theological

always run together. In Lutheran doctrine classes this is what is known as doctrine and practice. When one changes so does the other and vice versa. Lutherans worship the way we do because we believe the way we do. What we believe, teach and confess as Lutheran Christians informs, shapes and works its way into everything we say and do, whether it’s church architecture, hymns and the language we use. That is why it’s especially important to pay attention to the content of any song that claims to be Christian. Often times record labels or church denominations slap the label, “Christian” on a song but the words may have little to say about Christianity. Or, worse yet, the words may actually say something false or contradictory to a true confession of faith. A helpful way to diagnose the content of a hymn is to parallel and cross check it with the clear words of Scripture. Does it harmonize or cause dissonance? Does it sing in unison with the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions or out of tune (or another tune altogether!)?

6. Read Exodus 15:1-18. What is the context of this famous song of Israel? Who and what are the focus of this great Old Testament hymn? How does that hymn inform our understanding of where a hymn focuses our attention?

The context is the exodus. The children of Israel have just crossed the Red Sea. And the Lord has delivered them from slavery and death at the hands of the Egyptians. He worked victory over his enemies with his mighty right hand. Moreover, this hymn does what all good hymns should do: points the hearer and singer to the Lord and his saving work. The Lord is actively delivering his people and the people are passively receiving everything he has to give them.

This is the proper rhythm of worship as seen in the Divine Service and witnessed throughout the Scriptures: God speaks and we listen. In Divine Service we receive his gifts and then we say back to him what he has said to us in his word and by his sacraments. Good hymns come from Christ to us and then from us to Christ and the neighbor (in the pew and in our vocation throughout the week). For a good hymn also is evangelistic in the best sense of the word, that is, bestowing the gospel for all who hear!

7. How does the singing of hymns bless, strengthen, and support the Christian faith give to us in Baptism? Psalm 100; Colossians 3:1-17

The blessings are manifold. In times of sorrow, hymns give us joy, such as at a funeral. In times of confession they are a solid rock to stand upon, a mighty fortress. In times of doubt and despair they lift our heads and ears to hear of Christ’s sure salvation for us. In times of joy they give thanks for all Christ has done for us. In times of festival – such as Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Reformation, etc. – they give us words to shout the praises of Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil and blow the trumpets of salvation. Hymns are a way to sing and confess the whole counsel of God, from Genesis to Revelation. Even the Catechism is put to

song. Hymns are also good preparation for the new creation where there is endless feasting and singing before the Lamb’s throne in his kingdom (and song) which has no end.

Closing Prayer: Sing praise to the God of Israel!

Sing praise for His visitation!

Redeeming His people from their sin, Accomplishing their salvation, Upraising a mighty horn within The house of His servant David! LSB 936:1

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A NEW SONG A Higher Things Bible Study Summer 2013 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. Psalm 51:15 1. Pastor Kornacki takes time to point out the author and date of a hymn when looking in our hymnal. Pick any hymn out of the hymnal (Lutheran Service Book and The Lutheran Hymnal both have this in different places) and also note the Bible verses listed for that hymn. After reading one or more passages, what do those verses tell you about the hymn?

2. According to Pastor Kornacki, what makes a good Lutheran hymn so good?

3. After looking at the rich heritage and treasury of hymns in the Lutheran hymnals available to you, take some time to examine the Scriptures together. Are there any hymns in the Bible?

Where would we look to find them?

4. Did Jesus and his disciples sing hymns? Why is that important for the life of the Church today?

See Mark 14:26; Ephesians 5:19; Where and to whom does the book of Revelation direct our songs? Revelation 5:9-10.

5. Pastor Kornacki wisely states that “the way the Church prays and sings shows what we believe.� How is this true? And why is it important to keep this in mind when reflect upon the words and content of Christian songs, hymns or music?

6. Read Exodus 15:1-18. What is the context of this famous song of Israel? Who and what are the focus of this great Old Testament hymn? How does that hymn inform our understanding of where a hymn focuses our attention?

7. How does the singing of hymns bless, strengthen, and support the Christian faith give to us in Baptism? Psalm 100; Colossians 3:1-17

Closing Prayer: LSB 936:1

www.higherthings.org