Structure This psalm has a pattern, revealed by its grammatical switching of “person”: Verses 1-2: Being blessed. This is the “third person,” which refers to someone else, not the writer or the audience (you). Verses 3-5: Confession and forgiveness. This is in the “first person,” from the writer of the psalm speaking to the congregation. […]
Romans: Lesson 7: God’s Righteousness for Us
October 2, 2016 by
In Romans 3:1, Paul started focusing on the Jewish Christians’ sin of insisting on circumcision when Christ fulfilled it on the cross, then instituting His baptism. The Jewish Christians’ insistence reveals that a works righteousness had taken hold of them. They saw circumcision as their work for God (viewed from an Old-Covenant template) instead of […]
The “Lament” Psalms: Lesson 2, Psalm 6
September 28, 2016 by
Structure This psalm has a four-part pattern. The psalm’s first part consists of 24 words in the Hebrew, which make up the first three verses. The second part contains 15 words, made up of two verses. Part three is, again, 24 words, consisting of three verses. The final part comprises 15 words, the last two […]
Romans, Lesson 6: Circumcision and the Christian
September 24, 2016 by
The overall culture in the church at Rome is one of division between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. The Jews want the Gentiles to follow the Old-Covenant rituals, as they do. The Gentiles saw this as no longer needed, being fulfilled by Christ. A resultant casualty of this rejection was also a rejection of the […]
The “Lament” Psalms, Lesson 1: Introduction
September 23, 2016 by
The “lament” psalms are a group of psalms that grieve, and or complain, expressing deep sorrow for the travails of a person or nation (Israel). The psalms also ask for God’s blessing or intervention. We find few psalms with a happy disposition. Many are laments, which grumble to God about some experience of trouble, which […]
The “Yes” of Sex
September 23, 2016 by
Adult catechesis at SOTHLC begins with a study of the Small Catechism. After that, the instruction is individualized based on one’s questions, experiences, and the “baggage” he brings with him. This lesson is part of that individualized instruction. From conception on, each human is a sexual being created male or female in the image and […]
Recovery
September 15, 2016 by
This is our pastor’s newsletter article for the October edition of our newsletter. At our last Voters’ Assembly, I said it was dangerous for a pastor to reveal too much personal information about himself. Why? Some in their “empire building” use such information to hurt and harm the pastor to achieve some goal. It’s […]
Romans: Lesson 5: The Remnant of God’s Instruction in the Fallen Heart and the Jewish Failure at Rome
August 27, 2016 by
To confront the Gentile sin of license, Paul wrote that God will judge everyone impartially, even that His impartiality is a character of His righteousness (Romans 2:6-11). Of course, Paul earlier taught that God’s righteousness is our salvation (Romans 1:16-17). So, God has the cure for what ails us. If we stand before God based […]
Understanding Alzheimer’s
August 22, 2016 by
This is our pastor’s article for the September issue of our newsletter. We are defective copies of imperfect copies of flawed copies. Humanity’s fall into sin introduced, not only death but also physical decay and disease. We admit as much every Sunday in our Confession of Sin: “We are by nature sinful” (LSB 151, […]
Romans: Lesson 4: God Gives Salvation but also Judges
August 20, 2016 by
Paul is dealing with both Jewish works-righteousness and Gentile sinful license. Against works-righteousness, he drew from Isaiah 51, affirming that salvation IS the righteousness of God. Against sinful license, he adapted from the Apocrypha book of Wisdom as a foil to confront sin: If pagans have no excuse before God, how much more so for […]
