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Am I willing and obedient to God? What does the promise of "eat from the best of the land" mean? Jesus states that in this world we will have troubles but He is our peace. God doesn't want to harm us, cause us misery, or put us through non-stop testing. He longs to draw us close and wrap us in His love. Am I willing to be blessed by God? Am I willing to be obedient so I may see God's continual blessings, love, and support in my life?

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Children and Heirs Bible study on Luke 18:15-17

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Children and Heirs Bible study on Luke 18:15-17

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Sermon Text: Luke 18:15-17
Sermon preacher: Rev. Timothy Seabaugh, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Appleton, WI
Sermon notes/Bible study written by Tanya Johnson; permission granted to copy/print for personal or group study without charge. All commercial use is prohibited.

How do we teach our children the faith?

Martin Luther was adamant regarding how we teach our children, and so was Jesus.

You've heard it before. Maybe you said it before: kids are so distracting in church! The pastor asks, "Is there something wrong?" Yes there is -- there are too many kids, they are too loud, they are too distracting... children don't belong in church! They make a mess in the sanctuary because they spill crumbs or write all over the prayer cards. They are distracting during holy communion; they distract me from my meditation and don't seem to realize the importance of the sacrament.

1. Have you ever felt this way? Be honest. It's easy to be annoyed by distractions in worship.

Jesus' disciples had the same attitude. Having kids around was a distraction back then too! The disciples viewed children as something outside of the ways that ministry was supposed to be done. There are rules and requirements for all different places in life -- especially in our modern life. If you go to an amusement park, there are height requirements for the rides. If you want to drive a car, you have to be a certain age and pass a test. If you want to get a college degree, you must take all the required classes and pass all the tests.

Jesus told His disciples that they had it all wrong. Jesus loves and welcomes all children, just as it says in John 3:16. He tells His disciples to let all people come to Him for theirs is the kingdom of God.
2. When, where, and how do you (or your Church) demonstrate that Jesus loves children?
When: ___________________________________________________________
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Where:___________________________________________________________
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How:_____________________________________________________________
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Baptism is the door to the kingdom of God because through it, we become children of God. It has nothing to do with that particular person -- nothing to do with the baby, the parents, etc -- because baptism is receiving God's grace and forgiveness. All of God's promises are Yes in Christ.
3. Are you baptized? List as many details of your baptism as you remember: _____________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________. If you were baptized as an infant or young child, list as many details about your baptism as you know (were told by someone else): _____
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4. We know that every promise that God the Father has ever made to Jesus, He also gives to us. What are some promises that you now have because of Jesus? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One of the promises that we have is that Jesus is always with us. He promises to be with each one of us until the very end of the age. We are never alone. We are God's children and part of God's kingdom. We are heirs to every promise that God has made.
5. Write a short prayer of thanksgiving for the promises of grace and forgiveness: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Inheritance is something that is "set aside" for the children. God gives us the kingdom of God.
6. Look at that word: gives. We do not earn it. We do not serve our way to the kingdom of God. We do not teach enough Bible studies, Sunday School classes, or volunteering enough hours to earn eternal life. We do not refrain from bad behavior enough or do enough acts of charity towards others to keep our place in heaven. We are given the kingdom of God. Whether you serve a single hour or not, whether you can ever physically attend a worship service or not, whether you donate a multi-million dollar building or never give a cent towards anything ministry related, you have the kingdom of God.
You do not need to serve others to become a child of God but you can serve others to celebrate that you are a child of God.
What are some ways that you can show that you are a child of God?  ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Children are an important part of our body of Christ. How do we support them in our midst? Our church has a cry room for children who are loud during the service. We have activity bags for children to look at in the pews. There is a nursery with someone on staff, even during the Sunday school time, so parents can still participate in Bible study. Children receive the blessing during holy communion so they can see what it is all about and learn the importance of it.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to remember this:
Repent. Believe. Saved. Be in the kingdom now and forever. Amen.

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"Amazing Grace" Bible study on Luke 2:15 

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"Amazing Grace" Bible study on Luke 2:15 

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Sermon preacher: Rev. Daniel Thews, Faith Lutheran Church, Appleton, WI
Sermon Text: Luke 2:15
Sermon notes/Bible study written by Tanya Johnson; permission granted to copy/print for personal or group study without charge. All commercial use is prohibited.

Amazing Grace Bible Study

Old Testament Reading: Numbers 6:22-27 (The Aaronic benediction)

Epistle Reading: Galatians 3:23-29 (Baptism makes you a child of God)

Gospel Reading: Luke 2:15-21 (Jesus was given the name meaning “Savior” which the angel had announced)

We often use the word amazing. What does “amazing” actually mean?

Write your own definition here: __________________________________________________

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What amazes you? ____________________________________________________________

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Some people are amazed by professional athletes. If you do a search online of the 10 most amazing things in the world, the list would be varied. It could include buildings, natural landscapes or features, cars, diamonds, art work… it just depends on whomever you ask.

Sometimes we appreciate the “ordinary” things as amazing: long standing marriages, watching children grow, a dead seed suddenly grows and brings new life, the work of local churches in communities, watching a sunset… these all seem amazing to us.

Do the “ordinary things” still amaze you from time to time? _____________________________

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Did you know that the dictionary states that amazing means something so extraordinary as to be barely believable and causes extreme surprise? “amazing". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 1 Jan. 2017. <Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/amazing>.

God’s grace is the most amazing thing you will ever know. There are many times when we see our own brokenness. Things that we wish we wouldn’t have gotten angry about, times we have been frustrated, selfish, mean spirited, etc.

Think of some of your own struggles. Which one(s) seems the hardest for you right now? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Romans 6:23 states that The wages of sin is death...If all we do in our lives is sin, our reward will be eternal death.

Romans 6:23 goes on to state but the gift of God is eternal life… One simple word changes our eternity: “but”. We don’t get what we naturally deserve. We deserve eternal death, suffering, and pain because of our sins. No amount of good works can undo our sins or the eternal punishment for those sins.

We don’t get what we deserve -- that is grace.

When have you been shown grace by someone, especially when you least expected it? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Christmas is Jesus. It is Jesus coming to Earth to start the journey to the Cross in order to fulfill Romans 6:23’s promise of eternal life. No matter what you are going through in your daily life, you are loved and forgiven.

Despite our sins, we can be confident that we are truly loved and forgiven -- and that God’s grace means we will be going to heaven no matter what.

This is why grace is so amazing.

Write a prayer in which you say thank you to God for His amazing grace in your life: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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"What's the Cost?" Bible Study on Matthew 10:34-39

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"What's the Cost?" Bible Study on Matthew 10:34-39

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Sermon preacher: Rev. Dr. Martin Koeller, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Appleton, WI; July 2, 2017
Sermon Text: Matthew 10:34-39
Sermon notes/Bible study written by Tanya Johnson; permission granted to copy/print for personal or group study without charge. All commercial use is prohibited.

Sometimes we do things that are dangerous. In those situations, we may ask ourselves, Why did I do that?  We may have heard stories of others who did something dangerous in order to help someone else. Someone drowns while trying to save someone else. Someone is burned or killed while rescuing someone from a fire. Just as a parent will do or risk anything for their child, these same situations show us how deep God's love is for us.
1. In what ways has someone else given up something important to them for you?
2. In what ways have you been willing to give up something important to you for someone else?
3. Do you consider yourself a "risk taker"? Why or why not?
4. Would you rush in to save someone from a fire or from drowning? Or are you more cautious and thoughtful? Do you ponder a situation and take time to assess what is going on?

Jesus was sent, gave up His life for all so we can have eternal life, and still has the scar to prove it.
5. Why would Jesus choose to keep his scars? As God, He would have the power to fully heal or renew His flesh. What purpose do His scars have in our lives? We have not physically seen them -- yet.

We have a Savior named Jesus who wants us to follow Him every day.
6. What are some ways in which you already follow Jesus every day? What are some resources that God has provided so you can follow Jesus every day?

Jesus appeared to the disciples and said, "Touch my scars" - would you have touched them?
7. Try to imagine Jesus standing right in front of you, His nail scarred hands held out for your inspection. What would you do first? What would you say?

His hands -- before time -- in Creation, worked on Earth, stretched out on the cross, stretched out to hold out our hands every day.
8. When have you felt God's presence in your life recently? Are you aware that Jesus is there, holding your hand through this time? Why or why not?

Satan also tries to hold our hands and tries to make us focus on being "happy today". Satan tries to make us doubt Jesus.
9. When have you felt yourself being pulled away from God? Are you aware that Satan is trying to drag you away from Jesus? How have you handled these situations? Have your attempts to stop Satan's attacks been successful or not? How can you tell?

Satan will do anything, anything, that he can to break us from Jesus. How can we withstand this attack?
10. We know that we are going to fall victim to Satan. We sin daily. The apostle Paul said that he struggled with sin, especially the sin that he did not want to do. He struggled with living out his faith at times; what he wanted to do, he failed to do. When have you felt that way too? (See Romans 7:15 and Romans 7:19)

When Satan attacks, we must depend on the arms of Jesus to hold us. Depend on Him. Jesus will strengthen us, give us guidance from God. We feel worried and weak but through God's Word and Sacrament, we can stand. We know that Satan keeps trying to pull us away from God... he will never stop trying!... but God never stops either! God is much stronger than Satan.
11. Jesus' death and resurrection has already sealed our victory against sin, death, and the devil. We may continue to struggle during our lives now but we know that there will no be struggle in eternal life. Write a short note to thank God for His loving sacrifice.

Closing prayer:
Jesus, by your stripes we are healed,
Strengthen Your grip on us. Amen.

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"Living Confessors" Bible Study on the Augsburg Confession

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"Living Confessors" Bible Study on the Augsburg Confession

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Sermon preacher: Pastor Timothy Seabaugh, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Appleton, WI; June 25, 2017
Sermon Text: Matthew 10:26-33
Sermon notes/Bible study written by Tanya Johnson; permission granted to copy/print for personal or group study without charge. All commercial use is prohibited.

1. What does it mean to be in agreement with others?

2. Do people have 100% agreement on anything? Give an example of a topic or event that you'd expect people to completely agree upon but they don't.

100% agreement -- all confessing the same thing about Jesus -- doesn't even exist.

3. Is it bad to have disagreements? Why or why not?

Not everything is important, not everything has to be based on an emotional decision. Being objective can help you find the truth in situations.

4. When have you had to look at facts objectively in order to make a decision?

Sometimes we say, "we will agree to disagree" but this never leads to agreement in the future. This simply allows us to permanently disagree with that person. Jesus says that He will acknowledge us if we acknowledge Him. Simple truth: Jesus alone saves. We are all born sinful, enemies of God.

5. When have you had the opportunity to acknowledge Jesus before others? Have you always acknowledged Him? If not, what stops us from acknowledging Him to others?

If you feel that you have failed to acknowledge Jesus in front of others, you might feel shame or embarrassment. The truth is that we've all failed to acknowledge Jesus before others. Some of us doubt our ability to speak to others. Some of us are afraid of being judged by others. Some of us just don't care about telling others because we may feel that they've made their own choices in life -- why should they deserve the Good News of Jesus? In our own selfishness or fear, we fail to acknowledge Jesus before others. We must confess these failures and trust in God's forgiveness, trusting that we are saved through faith in Christ alone.
6. Write a short prayer of confession and thanksgiving right now.

We are all born sinful, enemies of God. God gives us baptism to make us agreeable to Him through a new Life. See Romans chapter 6. We are connected to Christ in both His life, death, and resurrection through our baptism. As one of my professors told us, "you are completely fused to Christ and nothing will undo that."

Being "fused to Christ" would make us able to live in perfect harmony with other Christians, right? Wrong! Even fellow children of God aren't going to agree with us.
7. How do you handle situations when you disagree with other Christians? Do you let your own anger or frustrations take over? Do you seek to forgive and live in peace with them?

Non-believers will deny Jesus but we have God's Word to strengthen us every day. Our entire lives are to be a confession of our faith in Jesus. Daily we have hope, peace, and joy because of our faith in Jesus.
8. When have you struggled to find hope, peace, or joy in Jesus? Which Bible passages give you comfort when you are struggling?  Read 1 Timothy 6:11b -12.  How do you pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness? Do you need help with that pursuit? Are you able to help others pursue these things?
Write a prayer now about these pursuits.

The Augsburg Confession is a wonderful confession about who Jesus is and who we are because of the clear teachings found here. Martin Luther didn't feel worthy of forgiveness and eternal life but God led Luther to Ephesians 2:8-9. Read those verses now. Salvation is a gift of God. Luther saw how different this was from what the Roman Catholic church taught. He knew it had to be shared.
9. If you did not grow up in  the Christian faith, describe what you felt as you first understood that salvation is a free gift of God.

Martin Luther game up his reputation. He gave up his fellowship with others and the Roman Catholic community that he had known for his entire life. He had to confess, "Here I stand, I can do no other." He was exiled. His life was threatened. He wasn't even present in 1530 at the presentation of the Augsburg Confession.
10. How would you feel if you were called to give up your reputation, friends, community, home, and even the opportunity to travel freely because of your faith in Jesus?

The Augsburg Confession contains 21 statements from God's Word that we will never compromise on and 7 abuses that needed correction. If you've never read the Augsburg Confession and are curious, I recommend Article IV on Justification.

Closing prayer:  Loving Father, thank you for the gift of this day. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to enlighten us through your Holy Word. Thank you for sending faithful believers to stand up in confession to salvation by faith in Jesus alone. Help us to confess you boldly to all of those around us and forgive us when we fail to do this. In Jesus' Name. Amen.