Religion & Spirituality
Audio from Youtube: https://youtu.be/C13lICkkokU Sermon Discussion Guide PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wOiOZxctkMAlCwq2TfSGkcV4u1jYvvJm/view?usp=sharing Sermon Discussion Guide (for use at home this week) Opening prayer: Thank you, Lord, for revealing yourself as the only true God, our Triune God; AMEN. About Me Are there any topics where the Bible’s answer leads to more questions? Name a topic you’d like to learn more about. Into the Bible – Isaiah 6 Verses 1-3: When did Isaiah see this vision? How is God described? Verses 2-3: Name 2-3 details we learn about these seraphim. Verse 5: Why does Isaiah say he’s doomed? Verse 6-7: How did God cleanse Isaiah’s lips? (And even though the seraph was holy, what did he NOT do with God’s altar? v.6) Verses 8, 9-12: The reading typically ends at v. 8. What will be the CONTENT of Isaiah’s message, and what will be the REACTION to Isaiah’s message? Application 5 Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God! 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised when I tell you that you must be born from above. John 3 In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor talked about our Triune God’s kingdom. What is his kingdom, and how are we made members of it? Name two things this kingdom is NOT. What is the comfort in the truth of this kingdom? In Sunday’s gospel reading from John 3, Jesus talks about bringing people into his kingdom. What are the two options for spiritual kingdoms? How is one made a member of Christ’s kingdom? Identify two verses from John 3 that talk about this as only God’s action, without any human action, decision, or emotion. Look at the verse above. Identify the new birth that must happen, and the two things that God uses to make this happen. What is the spiritual benefit of this second birth? Identify two natural implications or results of being born from above, yet living in a world where the power of Christ’s kingdom is hidden. “We should fear and love God that we do not take our neighbor’s money or property, or get it by dishonest dealing…” Another translation for “get it by dishonest dealing” would be “obtain it by a show of right” – meaning, obtain some property or advantage in a way appears legally correct, yet ethically wrong. Name two instances (from Scripture or from your own experience) where something was obtained by a show of right. What’s the relationship between the Christian’s unwillingness to use the law for their own gain – and the kingdom of Christ discussed above? “To the Point of Death – Our Triune God Builds a Kingdom.” Name as many characteristics or descriptions of our Triune God’s kingdom as you can: Where is it, what does it do, what does it look like, why does it exist, how does it spread, how long will it exist, etc. How does a proper understanding of this kingdom encourage our Christian confession? God builds his Kingdom. Write a prayer asking God to build & spread his kingdom in the Toledo area. Prayer: Almighty God and Father, dwelling in majesty and mystery, filling and renewing all creation by your eternal Spirit, and manifesting your saving grace through our Lord Jesus Christ: in mercy cleanse our hearts and lips that, free from doubt and fear, we may ever worship you, one true immortal God, with your Son and the Holy Spirit, living and reigning, now and forever; AMEN. A Little More about . . . the Athanasian Creed Almost from the beginning of the Christian church, believers have stated their faith in the triune God in brief statements known as creeds. The word comes from the Latin word credo, meaning “I believe.” The three best-known and most widely-used creeds are the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed. Together, these three creeds are known as the “three ecumenical creeds.” Every Christian church confesses these three statements of belief. Every year on Trinity Sunday (the first Sunday after Pentecost), our congregation recites the Athanasian Creed in its entirety. It can be found in our red Christian Worship hymnal on p. 132. (The second part of the Athanasian Creed is often used at Christmas.) The Athanasian Creed seems to have originated the West around the fifth century. It is not a creed in the usual sense, but rather was used as a liturgical statement of faith, regularly chanted in the worship services – similar to the way we use the Te Deum in our Morning Praise worship service (CW pp. 48-49). The creed is organized into two major parts: the first part defends the doctrine of the trinity; the second part defends the divinity-humanity of Jesus, the God-man. Together, these two portions of the Athanasian Creed defend the true Christian faith against two fatal errors: 1) denying that God’s Son and the Holy Spirit are of one Being (or “Godhead”) with the Father, and denying that Jesus Christ, a single person, is both true God and true man. One statement has caused confusion. Near the end of this Creed, it says: Those who have done good will enter eternal life, but those who have done evil will go to eternal fire. That doesn’t sound like “grace alone” – does it? Does this statement belong in the Creed? No, the Athanasian Creed does not teach salvation by good works. And yes, this statement does belong in the Creed. This statement (in bold, above) is a statement of law, spoken particularly against people who believe that having faith in Jesus (i.e., having forgiveness of sins) means they can live however they want. Such an attitude is not an attitude of faith, and directly goes against what God says in his Word. This statement toward the end of the Creed alludes to Christ’s words in Matthew 25:31-46 and John 5:28-30. God restates this same idea in Romans 4 and James 2:14-26. Yes, Christians perform good works; no, those good works do not merit forgiveness or salvation – but they are done, freely, out of thankfulness for salvation through Christ alone. Christ’s death & resurrection - and your present reality of being united with Christ (1Cor6, Rom6, Eph2) freely by grace is a powerful reason, motivation, and purpose for sanctified Christian living. Show Notes Contact the Podcast: RWJPodcast@gmail.com or www.raisedwithjesus.com/podcast Click here to find a nearby congregation or church home. yearbook.wels.net 2021 Bible Reading Schedule: https://bit.ly/rwj2021 All rights reserved. Gospel of John videos from St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church of Beaver Dam, WI - featuring Pastor Paul Stratman: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZkCzVm8cKaTjhcRhxr13na3TEugbO0eQ Produced 2021 by Pastor Hagen: pastorhagen@icloud.com or (419) 262-8280 Music from Joseph McDade: https://josephmcdade.com #raisedwithjesus #lutheran #sanctification #toledome #toledo #welstoledo #jesus #bible #podcast #dailyjesus #jesusdaily #rwjpodcast #jesusfortoledo Sunday school lessons courtesy of Northwestern Publishing House.