| Catechesis Notes for the Week— Review of the Commandments and the Close of the Commandments — The first commandment is behind all the commandments, and all the commandments are interconnected in the demand to love God above all things. The threat of the Law to punish anyone who turns away from God is visited upon Jesus in His death upon the cross. He was punished for the sin of the fathers in fulfillment of the law. Therefore, there is grace and mercy for us sinners, because Jesus “loved and trusted in God and gladly did what God demanded.” He did this even to the point of suffering the punishment that we sinners deserved. Death and condemnation is the result of turning away from God, the source of all life. The tablets of the Law that were hurled at the Jews from Mount Sinai show how all our righteousness is crushed under the scrutiny of God’s commandments. This is necessary. If we do not feel the crushing blow of the Law, we cannot receive the righteousness of Christ. Christ bore the crushing blow of the Law’s condemnation in His death. He willingly took our place, like a scapegoat, and suffered all that we by our sins deserved. Why did He do this? His love and desire to save us and give us life is at the heart of all that He does for us, even when the Law is proclaimed that crushes our self-righteousness and pride. This week’s Bible verse teaches us that all the commandments are joined together so that it is impossible to break only one commandment and keep the rest. The “fear, love, and trust” demanded in the first commandment is the foundation for all the commandments. Salvation from sin is a free gift of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We receive this free gift by faith alone. Any attempts to attain righteousness by the Law are a denial of Christ’s sacrifice for us under the Law’s condemnation. |
Congregation at Prayer
Monthly Archives: September 2025
Catechism: Ten Commandments—Review and The Close of the Commandments
September 28, 2025
Download (Adobe PDF)Catechism: Ten Commandments — Ninth and Tenth Commandments
September 21, 2025
Download (Adobe PDF)| Catechesis Notes for Week — The Ninth and Tenth Commandments—This week’s Bible Passage is the Lord’s call to: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” As we meditate upon the Ninth and Tenth Commandments this week, which forbid covetousness (the idolatrous desire of the heart), we are called to DESIRE and YEARN for Christ and His righteousness above all things. Jesus’ words are a call to faith in Him. It is as if He were saying, “I am your God and Savior! I have taken your sin and punishment upon Myself. I have died for you upon the cross. My blood cleanses you from all sin. I forgive you all your sin on account of My death for you. My righteousness covers you. I am the source of your life and salvation. If you have Me by faith, then you will have all things that you need because I have redeemed and saved you and I will never abandon you. All that you need I will surely give you.” “Therefore,” as Jesus’ words go on to say, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” The sin of covetousness arises out of the rebellious, unbelieving heart that does not believe that Jesus and His righteousness are sufficient to supply us with all that we need and that He, Himself, is the greatest joy and delight of our hearts. Therefore, covetousness is not merely the desiring of wrong things or good things that we shouldn’t have, but more importantly, it is the belief that Christ is not enough for us. This week’s Bible Stories highlight the themes of covetousness from the Ninth and Tenth Commandments. Covetousness is always selfish and mean-spirited. We see the devastating results of this idolatrous desire in Ahab who Covets Naboth’s Vineyard. The Fall of Man into Sin began with the covetous desire planted in our first parents by the Serpent who accused God of not loving us and of withholding good gifts from us. When Jesus calls us to confess Him and “Take Up Our Cross and Follow Him,” He is calling us to a life of repentance in which the covetous desires of the Old Adam are continually put to death through contrition, confession, and absolution, along with a life of prayer that clings to Christ and His grace for help. The Rich Young Ruler turns away from the only one who is really good, God’s only Son, in favor of clinging to the wealth and works of his own hands that can never really satisfy. The only thing any of us really lack is Christ and His righteousness, but the wonder of the Gospel is that the One whom we lack—the only Good One—actually gives Himself to us as a free gift of His grace that we might live in Him. |
Catechism: Ten Commandments — Seventh and Eighth Commandments
September 14, 2025
Download (Adobe PDF)Catechesis Notes for Week — The Seventh and Eighth Commandments—In the Seventh Commandment, “You shall not steal,” God wishes to protect His gift of property. Christians have a unique perspective on temporal goods. We are given our property that we might use it for the benefit of others. The Catechism declares that we are to help our neighbor “to improve and protect his possessions and income.” This is a concrete expression of love. In the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor,” God wishes to protect the gift of a good name and reputation. We are not only called to speak the truth in love to our neighbor and for our neighbor’s benefit, but we are also called to use our tongue to cover the sin and shame of others. We are called to “defend [our neighbor], speak well of him, and explain everything [about him] in the kindest way.” The Bible stories for the week highlight these two commandments. When Abram gave Lot the choice of the land, he demonstrated his faith in God’s promise to care for him according to the Gospel, and he lived in generous love toward his nephew Lot. When Zacchaeus was brought to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, the selfishness of his heart was transformed, and he restored all that he had stolen from others by repaying fourfold what he had taken. In the story of Zacchaeus, we see the power of the Gospel of God’s generous love in Christ transforming a sinner’s heart. When Jesus instructs us to “Bless those who curse us,” He is articulating how faith in His undeserved forgiveness and love manifests itself in the way we speak about and pray for others. Mercy and undeserved lovingkindness seasons our speech. Ultimately, the Law of Love is only fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus prays for His enemies who had hated Him and nailed Him to the cross. Since Jesus’ speech was so seasoned with the sweet Gospel of God’s undeserved lovingkindness, how much more should we put the best construction on our neighbor’s actions and speak well of those who have sinned against us. This week’s verse is a portion of Jesus’ catechesis on the Eighth Commandment in which He instructs us that our speech should be governed by the truth of God’s Word; anything other than this is of the devil: “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
Catechism: Ten Commandments — Fifth and Sixth Commandments
September 7, 2025
Download (Adobe PDF)| Catechesis Notes for Week — The Fifth and Sixth Commandments—In the Second Table of the Law we see especially the gifts of creation that God wishes to protect and through which He brings many blessings to us. The Fifth Commandment, “You shall not murder,” teaches us that human life is sacred. After the Flood, God instituted capital punishment for murder precisely because man was made in the image of God (Genesis 9:5-7). By the Fifth Commandment, God wishes to protect human life. Inflicting physical harm upon someone, abortion and euthanasia, as well as hatred and grudge-bearing, are all forms of murder forbidden under the Fifth Commandment. The Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” teaches us that marriage and sexuality are gifts of God to be used and enjoyed in the way that God created them. According to God’s Word, marriage is only between one man and one woman for life. The physical attributes of being male or female are gifts of God that are to be used for the most intimate expression of love within the one flesh union of marriage and for the procreation of children. All forms of adultery, homosexuality, transgenderism, and divorce are forbidden under the Sixth Commandments. The sanctity of human life and marriage is taught by Jesus in this week’s Bible Verse. The Fifth and Sixth Commandments not only forbid murder and adultery, but they also teach how love is expressed according to these commandments. We are called to “help and be of service to our neighbor in every physical need” and “to lead a sexually pure (chaste) and decent life in what we say and do,” loving the spouse that God has given us in marriage. The Bible Stories for the week correspond to the Fifth and Sixth Commandments. Cain murders his brother Abel because his faith was not in the Lord’s grace but rather centered in his own works and his self-righteous attitude toward them. The Good Samaritan, as a picture of our Lord, loves and cares for the one who is His enemy, thereby fulfilling the Law of love. In Joseph fleeing from adultery, we see the Spirit of Christ that flees from every temptation to indulge the flesh in those things that God has not given. Even though Joseph did the right thing when he ran from Potiphar’s wife, he suffered for it; nevertheless, the Lord was with him and blessed him through his suffering and self-denial. In Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, He rebukes Satan and conquers his temptations with the only weapon any of us have: the Word of God. |