What about the Communion of Saints? (LD 21; Acts 7)

Stephen is stoned by the Israelites when they hear his testimony.  What is so controversial about his testimony and what does it teach us about the communion of saints?

Why the Holy Spirit? (1 Corinthians 3; LD 20)

Sometimes as church members in America we can think that life is about me living for the Lord.  This is not necessarily a bad thing as we should all individually want to live for the Lord.  This is a mindset that really robs Christians of a great and higher understanding of the church.  So, what is the bigger picture of the church?  How does the Holy Spirit bless the church moving us beyond just a radical individual understanding of His blessings?

When Will He Return? (Matthew 25:31-46; LD 19)

The million dollar question that is on everyone’s mind is, “When will He return?”  That is when is Christ going to come again?  I know when I say everyone’s mind this sounds like an overstatement, but even the skeptic wants an answer to this.  The skeptic is asking the question in a sarcastic way, but the fundamental desire is that the skeptic wants to visibly see Christ.  The problem humanity has is that we tend to think that the long delay of Christ’s return demonstrates that Christ is weak or that we are at least equals with Christ.  The skeptic is not scared, but more curious.  Unfortunately, many times as Christians we are scared of Christ’s return.  Why should we look forward to Christ’s return rather than dread it?

Why Serve One We Never See? (John 14; LD 18)

One would think that serving the king of this world would be very beneficial.  We would see the king, we would be able to bring people to the king, and we could ask the king for favors. So, why is it good that Christ is in heaven?  Why would we want Christ to be in heaven if we are called to serve Him?  What is the benefit of Christ being in heaven as we sojourn through this earth as His royal subjects? 

Let Us Eat and Drink for Tomorrow We Die (1 Corinthians 15:32; LD 17)

Many times when we think of the resurrection we think that it is a doctrine that merely is the last part of our salvation. In other words the resurrection only matters for us to be raised.  Have we ever stropped to think about what would happen if Christ was not raised?  Would that resurrection have an impact besides not securing our physical resurrection? 

Hell’s Descent (Matthew 27:46; LD 16)

The Apostles’ creed states that Christ descended into hell.  This is a statement that concerns people including Calvin.  I do grant that it is confusing to speak of Christ descending into hell, but at the same time when we understand the intention of the statement it is something I would say is unclear, but also communicates something very significant.  What is so significant about Christ bearing hell?  Why does Christ have to endure hell’s suffering to accomplish redemption?

Cursed for Our Redemption (Galatians 3:10-14; LD 15)

Our redemption is something that is very dramatic.  Jesus Christ enters history by taking on the flesh through the virgin Mary.  He then lives a perfect life and dies on the cross.  The cross is something that is very offensive in terms of its design in history as it was engineered to dehumanize anyone executed by the means of crucifixion.  So, if the cross is so offensive then why does Christ die on the cross?  Why all this drama for such a simple goal to redeem the seed of the woman?  So, why was Christ cursed for our redemption?

A Necessary Birth ( Luke 1:26-38 ; LD 14)

Why do we speak of a virgin birth?  Is this something that is really so essential for the Christian faith? 

Why the Only Begotten Son? (John 1:1-18; LD 13)

The Apostles’ creed uses the language, “Only begotten Son” when it refers to Christ.  This is language that could be confusing because it almost sounds as if Christ was created at some point.  In other words tic could sound as if there was a moment when Christ was here and then another moment prior when Christ was not because the Father produced an heir.  Why would the creed use such language?  Why do we want to use such language?  How does this language communicate that Christ is from eternity rather than Christ having some sort of a beginning?  How does this distinguish Christ’s Sonship from our sonship?

Why Are You a Christian? (Ephesians 6:10-20; LD 12)

The weapons listed for our Christian armor are mostly defensive weapons.  If these are defensive weapons what are we defending ourselves from?  How hard can it be for us to go about this age if we are grounded in Christ?  If we are already called a Christian then why such a struggle? So, why are we called Christians that is anointed by Christ if we are just walking through this world? 

Edified by Providence (Romans 8:18-30; LD 10)

The providence of God is something that is magnificent to see that the Lord continues to care for us and watch over us.  This almost sounds as if God is meddlesome.  Is he?  Why would we want this God to interact with our lives?  How does His personal involvement improve our lives rather than harm our lives? 

God and His Providence (Acts 17:22-33; LD 9)

The providence of God is a very humbling doctrine.  It is a doctrine that compels us to see that we are those who are not as self reliant as we think we are.  God is the one who provides for us and for those who are not His people.  All creation finds the substance in Him and in Him alone. This is also a doctrine that commands us to see that the Lord provides for His people. 

God as Savior (Titus 1:1-4; LD 8)

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most confusing doctrines that we have in Christianity.  This is one of those doctrines that really distinguishes Christianity from all other religions.  So, we can see or understand the significance of this doctrine because it defines our God as being very distinct from all other gods.  However, if this doctrine is something that is so divisive how do we know that it is really in scripture?  Is this doctrine so essential for us understanding our Lord? 

Is Assurance as Simple as “Just Believe?” (Hebrews 11:1-7; 39-40; LD 7)

When we go through this life and we struggle in our faith it is hard to know where we find our hope.  Do we find our hope in believing the promises of the Gospel or do we need to wrestle with how many fruits of faith we have to make sure we really have Christ?  If we say that we are not to wrestle with all these fruits then why such a chapter on the heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11?  What is the purpose of calling attention to their works and struggles?  What does the flow of this text tell us about assurance?

Knowing the Cost of Redemption (Luke 22:39-46; LD 4)

When we think about Redemption we can take things for granted that we should not take for granted.  We can look at the work of Christ and minimize what it cost.  How much did it really cost Christ to accomplish our redemption? How hard was it really for Christ the God man to redeem us?  I mean He is God so what is the real challenge?  How can redemption be something that is horrible for Christ when God is glorified in the midst of it?

He Was Made Sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, LD 5)

If we were to think about how we stand before the Lord in ourselves it would be rather frightening.  There is no basis for us to draw near to the living God with all our sin.  We might be tempted to harm ourselves to show some sort of a commitment to the Lord.  There is a problem in that we cannot harm ourselves enough to show real dedication.  It is impossible for us to cleanse ourselves enough to draw near to God.    If that is the case then how can we draw near to such a holy God and enter back into this graces?  How can we approach such a holy God as an unholy people? 

We Really Need Redemption (Psalm 51; LD 3)

David has done a very bad thing in the midst of the community.  He is the one who has been born in sin.  Does this mean that David is not that guilty because he is a sinner anyway?  Where does David turn for his hope and assurance of his sin being taken away? 

We Love a Little Right? (Luke 10:25-38; LD 2)

Our catechism makes a very strong statement that we naturally hate God and our neighbor.  It is not that we have issues with God and our neighbor, but that we actually hate God and our neighbor.  This is not something that we want to affirm about ourselves because we think that we love a little or that there is something in us that is not that bad.  So, why such strong language?  How do we know that we really do have issues loving our Lord?  How much should we love our Lord and our neighbor?

Really, A Comfort in Death? (Ephesians 2:11-22; LD 1)

If you were to poll people on the street they would probably confess a willingness to spend lots of money to be more comfortable.  We want to be comfortable, but there is the issue that we all face in this life: nothing lasts forever.  We know that if we get something new that makes life a little easier it will not last.  It will break.  This is why the promise of the catechism is so radical that we can have a comfort in life and in death.  How can that be?  A comfort in death?  Is this really possible to a comfort that is in this life and extends beyond this life? 

Lead and Deliver Us (Matthew 6:13; LD 52)

One of the greatest temptations we have in this life is to rely on ourselves to arrive at the goal of heaven.  We think that there are strategies we can take or maybe works we can do to please the Lord in our strength.  How do we know that we should be relying on the Lord in everything that we do?  How do we get through this age if we are self deceived and struggle in sin?  What does the request for leading and deliverance teach us about our frailty as humans?