Monthly Archives: January 2019

Theology Summary Bible Class, Pt. 34: Solomon and Divided Kingdom

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God appeared to Solomon a second time saying, “Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statues and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel'” (1 Kings 9:4-5).

Despite God’s efforts, Solomon did not continue in faithfulness to the Word of God.  In his old age, “his wives turned his heart after other gods…” (v.4).  “Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David” (v.6).  “So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice…” (v.9).

Solomon’s reign extended the boundaries of Israel farther, had more peace, and was more prosperous than David’s.  Nevertheless, David’s reign was more pleasing in God’s sight.  And it was for the sake of David that God waited until after Solomon’s death to divide the kingdom.  The  southern kingdom of Judah outlasted the northern kingdom, but in time both were dispersed or taken into exile.  There was no longer a reigning son of David and the temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.  The prophets of that time began to foretell of a rebuilding of David’s tabernacle (Isaiah 11:1-16).

Handout: The-Third-Genus-King-p12-14.pdf
Handout 2: The-Third-Genus-King-p11.pdf
Overhead 1: Divided-Kingdom-Overheads.pdf
Overhead 2: Kings-Overheads.pdf

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#10A Creation: Gospel Only?

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In this current moral climate, we can never assume that people possess a foundational knowledge concerning creation, sin, and death…

But do the generations we are preaching to today really understand what sin is, why there is death in the world, and who Jesus is? I don’t think so. It’s like being told by a doctor that you need an operation, but he has yet to reveal what’s wrong with you or why you need it!” (Gospel Reset by Ken Ham, p.42).

Many Christians are guilty of only preaching part of the gospel, specifically the power and hope of the gospel. But when you preach the power and hope of the gospel, you’re assuming the foundation has already been laid. This is a faulty assumption, especially in our post-Christian, godless culture” (Gospel Reset by Ken Ham, p.41-42).

#14-Spare No Effort, Time or Expense in Educating Your Children

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170 The trouble is that no one perceives or heeds this. Everybody acts as if God gave us children for our pleasure and amusement, gave us servants merely to put them to work like cows or asses, and gave us subjects to treat them as we please, as if it were no concern of ours what they learn or how they live. 171 No one is willing to see that this is the command of the divine Majesty, who will solemnly call us to account and punish us for its neglect, nor is it recognized how very necessary it is to devote serious attention to the young. 172 If we want qualified and capable men for both civil and spiritual leadership, we must spare no effort, time, and expense in teaching and educating our children to serve God and mankind. We must not think only of amassing money and property for them. 173 God can provide for them and make them rich without our help, as indeed he does daily. But he has given and entrusted children to us with the command that we train and govern them according to his will; otherwise God would have no need of father and mother. (Large Catechism -Tappert, p. 388).

Theology Summary Bible Class, Pt. 33: 2 Samuel 7:11-16 and Solomon

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We return to 2 Samuel 7:11-16 in order to examine God’s promise to build a house for David, to set one of David’s descendants upon the throne and to establish his kingdom. Jesus is that promised son of David, who has established the kingdom of His church, which will stand forever.  The second part of verse 14 is a difficult passage to see fulfilled in the sinless Son of God.  Nevertheless, Jesus was “numbered with the transgressors” (Is 53:12) and “he was made to be sin for us” (2 Cor 5:21). He was, indeed, chastened by the rods and blows of men.

Second, we saw that despite David’s sins, he continued to hold to the Word of God.  He confessed his sin and trusted in the words of forgiveness.  He showed forth the fruits of repentance as he bore up under the consequences of his actions (2 Samuel chapters 20-24).  The Scriptures continue to hold up David as the ideal king, the one “after God’s own heart” (1 Sam 13:14, Acts 13:22).

This study also examines the beginning of Solomon’s reign (1 Kings chapters 1-8).  With the exception “that he offered  sacrifices and burned incense on the high places,” (1 Kings 3;3), Solomon’s reign began quite well.  God’s exhortation to Solomon is to emulate his father, David.  “Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statues and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel'” (1 Kings 9:4-5).

Handout: The-Third-Genus-King-p12-14.pdf

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#9A Creation: Law and Gospel

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We have generations who don’t understand the Bible’s original plot—the beginning.  Therefore, they don’t’ fully understand the subsequent message of Jesus dying on the Cross and being raised from the dead. They also don’t understand why they need to believe in Christ in order to be saved.

When I ask people in the Church, ‘What is the gospel?’ I hear people say, ‘Well, it’s the good news: Jesus died on the Cross and was raised from the dead.’

And while this is true, you can’t really understand the good news of the gospel unless you first understand the bad news found in Genesis.  Many in the Church say we need to go out and ‘get people saved.’ But consider this—most people don’t even yet know they’re lost.  So, why would they believe they need to be saved? Saved from what? Saved by whom? Saved for what purpose? You see, unless people realize their need for a Savior, telling them that Jesus ‘loves them’ means very little” (Gospel Reset by Ken Ham, p.38-39).

#13- The Office of Parent, both Material and Spiritual Support of Children

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“167 In addition, it would be well to preach to parents on the nature of their office, how they should treat those committed to their authority. Although the duty of superiors is not explicitly stated in the Ten Commandments, it is frequently dealt with in many other passages of Scripture, and God intends it to be included in this commandment in which he speaks of father and mother. 168 God does not want to have knaves or tyrants in this office and responsibility; nor does he assign them this honor (that is, power and authority to govern) merely to receive homage. Parents should consider that they owe obedience to God, and that, above all, they should earnestly and faithfully discharge the duties of their office, not only to provide for the material support of their children, servants, subjects, etc., but especially to bring them up to the praise and honor of God. 169 Therefore do not imagine that the parental office is a matter of your pleasure and whim. It is a strict commandment and injunction of God, who holds you accountable for it.

(Large Catechism -Tappert, p. 388).

Theology Summary Bible Class, Pt. 32: David, Israel’s Second King

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King Saul did not keep the word of the Lord at Gilgal. Thus, “The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).  When the LORD finally sends Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons, it says, “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). Acts 13:22 says, “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’”  Like “blameless” Noah(Gen 6:9) or “faithful” Moses (Num 12:7), King David is the faithful replacement for King Saul.

King David was not without sin.  We are quite aware of David’s sins of “despising God’s command,” adultery, and murder in 2 Samuel 12.  We know this because the Prophet Nathan was sent by God to reveal David’s sin.  The law worked in David heart-felt contrition and confession. The immediate response from Nathan is the absolution, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”  David bears up under the consequence of his sin by continuing to trust in God.  Despite this sinful personal indiscretion, David is held up as an exemplary King of Israel (1 Kings 3:14, 9:4-5).

This study walks through 1 Samuel 16:1 – 2 Samuel 24.

Handout: The-Third-Genus-King-p12-14.pdf

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#8A Creation: Apologetics

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I believe (and the research in various ways confirmed) one of the biggest reasons so many Millennials are leaving the Church, and why the ones who remain are confused, is that we haven’t show them how to defend their faith.  We haven’t taught them answers to skeptical questions that cause them to doubt and disbelieve the Scriptures. We haven’t taught them apologetics. We’ve given them answers to some of the ‘what?’ but not nearly enough of the ‘why?’” (Gospel Reset by Ken Ham, p.33).

#7A Creation: Secular Culture

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“I realized that we are in a culture that has indeed, changed. They no longer have the foundational information about God, His Word, and their need for salvation. Our culture, and even many within the Church, have such a minute understanding of Scripture, particularly the early pages of Genesis, that they have little to no foundation go understand the message of Jesus. …many in our culture simply don’t have any foundation to comprehend the message of Christ, ever since the Bible and Christianity have been kicked out of schools and replaced with the godless religion of secular humanism” (Gospel Reset by Ken Ham, p.13-14).