Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, you have brought us into the Holy Christian Church through baptism and have kept me a believer in Jesus Christ through your Word. Thank you for giving me a new birth and for making me a saint! Thank you for putting me in a congregation of believers, Good Shepherd, where I can worship you, hear Your Word, serve you and grow in my faith and find help to live a Christian life. Please be with us as we learn more about your church from your Bible. In Jesus name. Amen. 1
Remember in our last lesson, we stated that The Holy Spirit sanctifies Me The Holy Spirit sets me apart FROM the unbelieving world into fellowship or a personal relationship with Jesus FOR a life of service in all that I do Thus I need to depend on the Holy Spirit all my life. So the believer asks: Where does the Holy Spirit do His awesome work? The Apostles Creed answers: I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; 2
Note in Luther s explanation What the Holy Spirit does to make me a Christian or child of God namely, the Holy Spirit called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified, and kept me in the true faith The Holy Spirit carries out this identical process in the Christian Church, the communion of saints Luther explains: In the same way he(the Holy Spirit) calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. The one additional term gathers and that makes sense because when you go from one individual to two or three and more people one speaks of gathering or meeting together. We ll come back to that thought later. So we ask: What is the Holy Christian Church? 3
These words of Peter are very helpful. Take out your Bible and read the entire section. Parents and youth alternate in reading. Parent: 1 Peter 1:22-25 Youth: 1 Peter 2:1-3 Parent: 1 Peter 2:4-5 Youth: 1 Peter 2:6 Parent: I Peter 2:7 Youth: 1 Peter 2:8 Parent & Youth: 1 Peter 2:9-10 Key Verses in New Testament Parent: 1 Peter 2:11 Comments for 1:22-25. Peter is writing to newly converted Christians. These Christians have been born again through the imperishable word of God and this birth does what no human father can do we are changed by the Word into immortal, imperishable beings. How? Peter cites the Word in Isaiah 40 as the Word that stands forever. The Word brings about a change in us. We want to obey the truth obeying the truth of God s love for us we want to love our brothers our fellow believers. Clcik to next slide. 4
Youth reads these verse. The Holy Spirit s work of sanctifying us, or setting us apart is on-going, imperfect, and incomplete. Peter compares our being sanctified or set apart to that of a newborn baby. A baby does not instantly leap into adulthood it is a process. Our spiritual growth is slow. It takes time to know and understand the Bible and the truths of our salvation in Jesus. So as mothers nurse, feed, and continue to see their little ones are feed, so God s Holy Spirit wants to see us connected to God s pure Word. Peter takes a thought from Psalm 34 showing that as we know the Lord or enjoy our relationship with him we see His goodness in our lives. But there s another important thought when Peter talks about spiritual growth. Grow up in your salvation conveys that the truth we now have a choice we can choose what kind of people we have around us! That s why Peter warns: get rid of malice because these things hinder our growing and our relationship with God. 5
Parent reads these verses. Stone is an inaminate object; we don t think of stones like animals they have no life in them. Peter calls Jesus the Living Stone ; he was rejected, died, and rose again. It is unthinkable in our human minds to think of someone who was dead for a period of time to become alive again. The Word that reveals Jesus as the living Stone reveals not only that we are born again but we too are living stones. The Holy Spirit makes us different from the people of this world. Yes, the Spirit wants to set us apart for His purposes. The hymn-writer states: We are God s house of living stones built for His own habitation. (CW #529:3) Our purpose we are God s holy priests offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God -- acceptable as they are offered out of love for Jesus. 6
Youth reads this verse. Peter cites 3 Old Testament verses that foretold the importance of Jesus, the Living Stone. This first passage points to Jesus as the Cornerstone. The Cornerstone was the first and largest stone. Great attention was given to the cornerstone not only in cutting it but also setting it in place. It had to be done with great precision. Why? Because the rest of the building depended on it. Yes, we living stones placed on Christ the cornerstone look to Him as the standard for what is straight, true and correct. Just as Jesus will hold us accountable to God s unchanging standards. As the Holy Spirit leads us to build our lives on Jesus and his truths we will never be put to shame in this life or our eternal life. That s God s promise. 7
Parent reads this verse. Peter cites another passage to the importance of our relationship to Jesus the Living Stone. This picture of Jesus is that a capstone ; a wedge-shaped stone at the top of an arch. In building, once the capstone was set in place the wooden frame that supported the building of the arch could be removed. If this stone was not set in place the arch would collapse. One might add, not just the arch would collapse but the wall as well. Jesus is the capstone of our lives the one who provides strength for our spiritual lives. However, the Psalmist foretells, the religious leaders of Jesus time would look at Jesus and with disgust say: We don t want Jesus! So many people today reject Jesus they do not see him as the key to their spiritual lives. Peter points that Jesus is the difference in believing and in not believing. The Holy Spirit leads us to see how Jesus holds all things together in our lives. 8
Youth reads this passage. This third Bible passage that Peter cites from the Bible sends a chill down our spine. We do see people trip and fall. Sometimes it has happened to us. Scriptures says that people stumble they trip and fall over Jesus the Living Stone. These three Bible verses help us get the picture of a much bigger building project the building of the Holy Christian Church. By faith we see that as parents and our youth we are part of a great, glorious, and growing temple made up of the people of God. One day we will see this project in its entirety. 9
Parent and youth read these 2 key verses. Peter having citing these 3 Bible verses leads us to the point he is making. See the importance of the believers relationship with Jesus Christ, the Living Stone. See the connection between the Living Stone and living stones. These verses unlock the meaning of our existence why we live in the world. We no longer live in darkness, we are not lifeless stones or nobodies. We are no longer dead in sin, blind to the things of God, and His enemies. We have been CALLED to live in the LIGHT. God the Holy Spirit gives new life. We can see who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. We are part of God s bigger plan to be remade into the people of God. Praise the Lord! Alleluia!! In the 3 rd Article we confess: I believe in the Holy Christian Church. Church means called out. The Holy Spirit not only calls me by the Gospel.the Spirit calls other believers. Note #1 Look how special this relationship to Jesus is. Peter uses 4 terms to express the worth we have before God. WE are: 1) a Chosen People we have been picked by God and are on his team. 2) a Royal Priesthood 2 things we are royalty; we as priests have access to God, wow! 3) a Holy Nation we are part of the great army of believers in Jesus 4) a People Belonging to God we know where we fit in, where we belong. This results in a mutual obligation. The obligation: We are to declare His praises. Remember the hymn verse: Amazing grace How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see. God s grace/mercy through the work of the Holy Spirit changes things. I am now part of the people of God the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints. I am part of the special people of God with a heart full of joy to share what Jesus has done for 10
me. 10
Parent reads this verse. Is it easy to be a Christian? Is it easy to be part of the Christian Church? No, it is not! And that s because our arch enemy, Satan, wants to reclaim our soul. There is a war going on within us. Satan wants to use our sinful nature, the pleasures of this world, and all his deceitful tactics to make it seem that living as a Christian is a very lonely kind of life that we are left out from all the fun and frolics of living. The Holy Spirit knows we need all the encouragement we can find. That s why we come together in a Christian congregation for mutual encouragement, for help by looking to Jesus, as we go forward as the people of God the Holy Christian Church. 11
Have youth record these 4 notes. 12
A summary of key truths via pictures. 13
What is the one Holy Christian Church? We could state it this way: the one holy Christian Church is the sum total of all believers the Holy Spirit has called out of darkness into God s wonderful light. The Church which the Holy Spirit gathers is holy because God has set apart the members of this body who have been cleansed from their sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. Only people the Spirit has made holy are members of this Church. It is a communion (gathering) of saints. Christ is the Head of the Church, we are the body. We are united by faith in Him. The one holy Christian Church is universal and it is known only to God. So we ask: What is a Christian Congregation? 14
Youth records these notes. Underscore that a Christian congregation is a group of people in a particular place who gather, or come together, to hear, learn, and share God s Word and use the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord s Supper. We speak of the marks of the Church where does one find the Church? By the marks of the Church we understand that wherever the Gospel is proclaimed and the Sacraments are in use there are believers or Christians. However, in a Christian congregation there may be hypocrites people who pretend to be Christians. Ask: How does this happen? Why are hypocrites not members of the holy Christian Church? Answer: Hypocrites may outwardly go through the actions of the Christian but do not have faith in Jesus as their Savior from sin. 15
Youth reads this Bible verse. By the grace of God the Holy Spirit makes us members of the holy Christian Church. For many of us this happened at our Baptism when our parents brought us to God. Baptism is pure Gospel. We brought nothing but our sinful nature and God Father, Son, and Spirit come with all their gifts and promises. Now baptized, members of the God s kingdom, we have choices. We can choose to get our lives in harmony with God by getting rid of hypocrisy. We learn to say no sin and every form of evil but also learn to say yes to God by having our spiritual appetites feed by the pure spiritual milk of God s Word. God s plan for our lives is one of spiritual growth. It is an on-going process from the cradle to the grave. By no means do we as pastors and teachers know everything there is to be known about our gracious God and his purposes in our lives. We are continually growing as we go to the Word. We want to see God s families growing growing up in their relationships in the family and the family of God at Good Shepherd. Click to the next slide. 16
Have youth record this note. Spiritual growth is life-long process. 17
Parent read these verses. There is a temptation to become self-satisfied and believe we can go forward as a Christian without the Church. It reminds me of my fireplace on countless occasions. I have several pieces of wood burning together but then there is left one large piece. That one piece by itself begins to diminish in burning. It s the same way with Christians. We truly need one another that s the way God designed his Church. Often I hear families relate that through a course of event they were going to skip church and one of their children asks; Why aren t we going to church today? Parents look at each other and find their reasons for not going were weak and now make a better choice. More importantly we grow to understand that is God s will that we worship. We see God s will expressed in the Commandments. The 3 rd Commandment comes to mind not as an obligation; but as a guide to Christian living I need to feed on the Word and Sacraments regularly not just when I feel like it. The reality of other families gathering around the Word and Sacrament is a powerful encourage-ment to my family. That too, is part of God s will in establishing His church. How often don t we that phase: one another. That makes us mindful of the second table of the Law our love for one another all part of God s will for our lives. 18
Youth records note. 19
What congregation or other religious organization should I join in fellowship? There are many different churches, many different denominations, many different religious organizations. Let s start with the term: denomination. A denomination is a church organization which has special beliefs and teachings, such as, the Lutheran Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Baptist Church. Believers in Christ from any denomination belong to the holy Christian Church. Pastorally I expect there will be many Lutherans, Catholics, and Baptists in heaven in the Church triumphant. But remember Peter s words: crave pure spiritual milk (I Peter 2:2) God has taken great pains to give His pure Word to the world through His Church and we need to make sure that the denomination or church we want to belong to teaches God s Word and uses the Sacraments truthfully. We need to exercise great care when we make choices in this area for the sake of our soul. So we appropriately ask: Does God give me any help or guidelines? 20
Youth reads this Bible verse. This is part of Jesus High Priestly Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays for Himself and His mission, He prays for His disciples, and He prays for future believers. Look closely at this verse: Jesus prayed that all who believe in him may be one that they may be in the Father and in the Son that the world may believe in him. Jesus wants all to be one just as the Father and the Son are one. This is the perfect essential unity of the Father and the Son and includes believers of all time. A similar unity results for those who believe in Jesus. We can speak of a spiritual bond similar to a family bond there is something that holds our family together. So spiritually there is the bond of common faith a faith that holds us together. It is spiritual and this bond this relationship grows. This unity or oneness has first and foremost our relationship with Jesus. We are connected to Jesus and all He is I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life ; I am the Vine, you are the branches ; I am the Light of the world; I am the Good Shepherd.. And much more. This relationship is based on everything that God reveals about Jesus in the Bible. Jesus words cannot be taken to mean that he was praying a single visible body of believers in the world a body that is unified or has solely as its goal these words of Jesus. As people come to us we cannot look into their hearts God alone does that. But what we can do is ask people to make a confession of faith. We can state this is what we, a like-minded gathering of Lutheran Christians believe we invite you to examine what we believe, teach, and confess and as you find yourself in agreement with these teachings based on God s Word and are willing to make that confession with us we welcome you into our fellowship. 21
Have youth record this note. 22
Parent read these Bible verses. Jesus shows the contrast of unbelieving Jews to the believers. They listen to His voice. The relationship between Jesus and his believers is intimate and personal. And because Jesus is the Son of God the relationship is eternal. It is in Jesus Christ alone that we believe and live. Jesus who is one with the Father. 23
Have youth read this verse. Jesus saw the tender, sometimes fragile faith of those who believe in him. Jesus knew this faith needed strengthening it needed to be built up. Jesus said there is only one way: hold to my teaching. The sense of what Jesus is saying is that you stay close to him remain in the Word go to the Word for strength, comfort, and direction. But there is more as we stay close to Jesus. Click to the next slide. 24
Parent read this verse. Jesus tells us teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. This means we are to preach the entire message of Jesus without embarrass-ment and without compromise. We don t have to go around and say: I m sorry Jesus was harsh with the Pharisees or so loving to Zaccheus, the tax collector. We are neither to add to nor to subtract from the Word which reveals who He is and what He has done as Savior and Lord. 25
Have youth record this note. 26
Parent read this passage. False prophets direct people through the wide gate and along the broad road that leads to eternal destruction, so Jesus tells us to watch out for them. This implies that we should be able to recognize them and to keep them from leading us astray. They will be not easy to recognize at first glance, because they come in sheep s clothing. In other words, they look rather harmless, as though they belong among us. They may even be gentle and perfectly sincere. They may be convinced int heir own minds that they are proclaiming God s Word on the basis of Scriptures. And they may add that they have some new insights or revelations from the Lord. False prophets this can cover a broad diversity of Bible topics and truths. But they have as their one goal to deceive the hearts of their hearers. That is why Jesus called inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Regardless of their sincerity or intentions, the result of their teaching is that they harm and destroy people rather than save them. So how do we distinguish false teachers. Sometimes the things or ministries that false prophets carry out may look very helpful to people. What s wrong with helping the poor, helping the hurt or disadvantaged. We are concerned about people s needs. But we have to go a step and ask how are we helping the poor, the hurt, the disadvantaged to be closer to Jesus Christ, the way to eternal life. This means we have to look at their fruits to distinguish false prophets from true messengers of the Lord. The fruits are primarily the doctrines they proclaim, not the outward success they might achieve. They may teach differently about creation, they teach directly about the person of Jesus, they may teach differently about Jesus second coming. This is an area where we all can grow and see the importance of being closer to Jesus through the study of His Word. 27
Parent read this verse. Paul has laid out many Bible truths in his letter to the Romans. He has greeted Christians who served and supported him in his Gospel ministry. But now Paul issues a strong warning. He is concerned that false teachers with their false teachings will feed their own appetites. They have their own agenda. Stay away from them! But there is a second reason and more important than the first. The false teacher by his smooth talking and deception will draw you, the believer away from Jesus Christ and away from the salvation Jesus has won. A little yeast works through the whole loaf! If you are standing firm, be careful you don t fall. Scripture warns. I know of more than one occasion when a Christian thinking they were strong in their faith were willing to risk it all by opening their doors to false teachers. How easy it was to hear more from these false teachers. Family members warned them even came to me. Our sister has become a Jehovah Witness. It couldn t be true but it was! It was several years before the sister came back to see the truths in Scripture. The family rejoiced heartily. 28
Youth record note. 29
Take a few moments and see how these pictures help illustrate the importance of letting God s Holy Spirit carry out his important work of keeping us close to Jesus all the days of our life. 30
Note the important summaries at the bottom of the page and close of this lesson. 31
Have your youth complete Assignment for Next Week. We are about complete our second unit. Have you established a pattern? What do you feel needs to be improved? Have we allowed adequate time? Does your son/daughter have a clear understanding of your expectations? Of my expectations? With the Lord s help offer each other encouragement. As parent I ask you to check his/her work with your answer key and sign off or initial that you have checked over the assignment. When your youth makes a mistake this can be a teaching moment to help him or her see what they did was incorrect or not the most correct answer. Plan to take time to listen to his/her memory work. Get into a pattern or routine and do your best to hold to it. Offer encouragement. Perhaps writing out the memory work will help with retention. We have both short-term and long-term memory. Our goal is to get these VIP passages into our long term memory. Try to find an approach that works best. Feel free to have some give and take with me if you have some difficulty in any area. While November 3 rd and our unit review is a few weeks away I ask you to encourage 32
To start preparing for it. The focus is what I call Key Parts the person and work of Jesus and the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Give these areas extra, adequate time. E-mail: pastort@goodshep.com Phone: 612-889-1789 The same is true for your youth. Have them get in touch with me. 32
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