#40- The Risen Christ Distributes Riches

Isaiah 4:1. And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day.

…Only let us be called, that is, be named. Only permit us to be called your wives and to have refuge with you. Here there was also an end to the law (Deut. 25:5) concerning the brother who was under obligation to raise up seed, etc. Here to call means to name. It is a Hebraism just as in Genesis. I want Ephraim and Manasseh to be called by the name of the fathers, to be called sons of Jacob and of Abraham (cf. Gen. 48:16). “Thus there your name was also given to us, that is, let us be called by your name.”…

  1. … Beautiful and glorious. Splendid, excellent, glorious, something superb. The kingdom of the Jews was glorious in a physical way, but the kingdom of Christ is now glorious in the spirit. He says, however, that Christ should be extolled with great majesty.

Glory, which comes from importance in such a way that where there is glow, there something else is close by. But he calls Christ One who comes from the fruit of the land because He was born great from the earth, and it is His greatness that He can prevail over all His enemies and protect all His own; and this is a description of Christ as He defends us. Such a One, he says, Christ will be, but for those who will be from among those who have been snatched out of Jerusalem, as he also says. And here he sets forth the fruit of their riches which He will distribute, because Christ will be such a One not only for Himself but will distribute His benefits to the rest. Thus because of Him and through Him they will be called saints, that is, people set aside for divine purposes, people in whom God dwells and who belong to the employment and service of God” (Luther’s Works, v. 16, p. 50-51).

Gospel Reset Bible Class, Pt. 9: Acts 2 and Acts 17

In this Bible study, we compare and contrast Peter’s address in Acts 2 with St. Paul’s address in Acts 17.

The “sermon” in Acts 2 is made to Jews who already knew the Old Testament.  By means of the revealed knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, they knew that the one true God was the Creator of all things.  They knew about the fall into sin and the consequence of death.  They knew that God had promised to send a Savior to redeem the world.  Peter’s sermon simply identified Jesus as the Messiah and fulfillment of God’s promise.

The “sermon” in Acts was made in the Athenian marketplace to a gathering of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.  These Gentiles knew that there was a god, but their attempt at identifying and worshiping Him, was a miserable failure.  We looked at the basic teachings of Greek philosophy from the Epicureans and Stoics.  At the beginning of his speech, St. Paul refers to their natural knowledge, but he also calls their religion ignorance.  St. Paul needs to introduce to them the one true God as the Creator of heaven and earth.  He needs to explain that the required worship for righteousness was not the service of men’s hands.  Instead, the greatest worship is to receive the righteousness which comes by the man Jesus Christ through faith.  St. Paul preached the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Handout 1: Gospel-Reset-Class-Eight-May-19-2019.pdf
Overheads: Gospel-Reset-Overheads-May-26-2019b.pdf

25A Creation: Biblical Truth

“Because the Greeks were an evolution-based culture that had no understanding of biblical truth or terms like God, sin, etc., the message of the gospel was foolishness to them” (p.65).

“Paul would later write that the preaching of the Cross was a stumbling block to the Jews but foolishness to the Greek (1 Corinthians 1:23). …They did not understand the sacrificial system god instituted in Genesis 3:21 (the first blood sacrifice as a covering for their sin, a picture of what was to come in Jesus Christ the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world). (Gospel Reset by Ken Ham, p.62).

Cross: The Answer of God’s Word.
The penalty for mankind’s disobedience was death. Jesus the Messiah, died on a Cross to pay that penalty. He rose from the dead providing eternal life for all who trust in Him.
“Christ has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust” 1 Peter 3:18.

#39 Child’s Play For Learning God’s Word

And let no one think himself too wise for such child’s play. Christ, to train men, had to become man himself. If we wish to train children, we must become children with them. Would to God such child’s play were widely practiced. In a short time we would have a wealth of Christian people whose souls would be so enriched in Scripture and in the knowledge of God that of their own accord they would add more pockets, just as the Loci Communes, and comprehend all Scripture in them. Otherwise, people can go to church daily and come away the same as they went. For they think they need only listen at the time, without any thought of learning or remembering anything. Many a man listens to sermons for three or four years and does not retain enough to give a single answer concerning his faith–as I experience daily. Enough has been written in books, yes; but it has not been driven home to the hearts. (Luther’s Works, v. 53, p.64-67).

24A Creation: More Than Mere Science

“Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. … Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution at the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today “ (A quote of Michael Ruse in Gospel Reset by Ken Ham, p.65).

Christ: The Promise of God’s Word.
The Creator became a man, our relative—a member of the human race. He name was Jesus of Nazareth, who obeyed God in everything, unlike the first man, Adam.
“When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His son, made of a woman” Galatians 4:4

Gospel Reset Bible Class, Pt. 8: Two Religions and Man’s Word

There are only two religions in the world:  the true religion of Christianity based on the true and inerrant Word of God and every other false religion which is based on man’s sinful and fallible word.  God’s Word presents the Triune God as the Creator of all things and teaches that when man fell into sin, God promised to send a Messiah.  That promise comes true in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross.  Through faith in Christ and His work of forgiveness, we are saved.  Every other religion comes from the father of lies.

However, we need to distinguish the natural knowledge of creation, conscience and human reason from the corrupting desires and thoughts of our sinful nature.  If by man’s word we mean natural knowledge, then man’s word is not sinful and fallible.  It is, in fact, useful and necessary for the governance of the state.  God’s Word does not condemn the right and proper use of natural knowledge.  Nevertheless, in the church natural knowledge is completely insufficient to identify the one true God or to determine His will toward us.  If by man’s word, we mean the corruption of the sinful nature, then man’s word is to be rejected both in the state and the church.

Due to the present weakness of modern education, most people are not able to rationally defend the truths presented by natural knowledge.  The Scriptural distinction of the two kingdoms means that science doesn’t need the Bible in order to come to the right conclusions.  Due to our sinful nature, even our human reason becomes unknowingly corrupted.

Handout 1: Gospel-Reset-Class-Eight-May-19-2019.pdf
Overheads: Gospel-Reset-Class-Eight-Overheads-May-19-2019.pdf

#38 Faith’s Pouch for Gold, And Love’s Pouch for Silver

When a child begins to understand this it should be encouraged to bring home verses of Scripture from the sermon and to repeat them at mealtime for the parents, even as they formerly used to recite their Latin. And then these verses should be put into the pouches and pockets, just as pennies, groschen, and gulden are put into a purse. For instance, let faiths pouch be for the gulden, and into the first pocket let this verse go: Romans 5 [:12], “… sin came into the world through one man and death through sin….” Also this one: Psalm 51 [:5], “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” These are two Rhenish gulden for the [first] pocket. Into the other pocket go the Hungarian gulden, for example this text, Romans 5 [4:25], “Jesus … was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” Again John 3 [1:29], “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” These would be two good Hungarian gulden for the [second] pocket.

Let love’s pouch be the pouch for silver. Into the first pocket shall go the texts concerning well doing, such as Galatians 4 [5:13], “Through love be servants of one another”; Matthew 25 [:40], “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” These would be two silver groschen for the [first] pocket. Into the other pocket shall go this verse: Matthew 5 [:11], “Blessed are you when men … persecute you … on my account”; Hebrews 12 [:6], “For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” These are two Schreckenberger for the [second] pocket. (Luther’s Works, v. 53, p.64-67).

23A Creation: Atheistic Evolution Religion

“Almost all atheistic evolutionists claim that because (supposedly) there is no God, their own worldview is not a religion. Many of them would argue that they have a “nonbelief.” …Atheists have an active belief system with views concerning origins (molecules to man evolution—that the universe and life arose by natural processes): no life after death; denies the existence of God; how to behave while alive; and so much more.  Honest atheists will admit their worldview is a faith. Atheistic evolution is a religion! (Gospel Reset by Ken Ham, p.63-64).

Gospel Reset Bible Class, Pt. 7: The Left-hand Kingdom and the Right-hand Kingdom

The Triune God has entrusted the teaching of natural knowledge to the state/government (called the left-hand kingdom) for the protection of body and possessions and to maintain order in this world.  He has entrusted the teaching of revealed knowledge to the church (called the right-hand kingdom) to impart salvation.  In theses VII-VIII, we have already seen that the teaching of the Bible alone is sufficient to create and sustain faith in Christ, who has won our salvation.  With this study, we learn that the Holy Scriptures do not always put down man’s natural knowledge.  As long as it is being used rightly, natural knowledge is to be praised and used in the left-hand kingdom.  Natural knowledge is rejected when it is used for religious purposes to supplement or to deny revealed knowledge.

Handout 1: Gospel-Reset-Class-Seven-May-5-2019.pdf

#37 The Two Pouches of Faith and Love

Likewise in the Ten Commandments, one must ask: What is meant by the First, the Second, the Third, and the other commandments? One may take these questions from our Betbüchlein where the three parts are briefly explained, or make others, until the heart may grasp the whole sum of Christian truth under two headings or, as it were, in two pouches, namely, faith and love. Faiths pouch may have two pockets. Into one pocket we put the part [of faith] that believes that through the sin of Adam we are all corrupt, sinners, and under condemnation, Romans 5 [:12], Psalm 51 [:5]. Into the other we put the part [of faith that trusts] that through Jesus Christ we all are redeemed from this corruption, sin, and condemnation, Romans 5 [:15–21], John 3 [:16–18]. Loves pouch may also have two pockets. Into the one put this piece, that we should serve and do good to everyone, even as Christ has done for us, Romans 13. Into the other put this piece, that we should gladly endure and suffer all kinds of evil. (Luther’s Works, v. 53, p.64-67).