Seeds of Faith Podcast

The text for this lesson is Genesis 49:29–50:14.

Key Point

• Jacob requested burial in Canaan, rather than in Egypt, because Canaan was the land to which God had promised to send the One through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed—Jesus (Genesis 12:1–3; 46:2–4).
• Law: How we deal with death—our own and that of a loved one—can sometimes give a witness of doubt, worry, and fear.
• Gospel: By God’s grace, comforted with the assurance of our resurrection in Christ, we are able to testify to the hope that is in us.

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Discussion Points

1. Read Genesis 49:29–33. Why do you suppose Jacob wanted to be buried in Canaan?
2. Read Genesis 50:1–14. What did Jacob’s family do after his death?
3. Why did Joseph ask permission from Pharaoh to bury his father?
4. How do we mourn today when someone dies?
5. How does God help us deal with the thought of our own death and the deaths of people we love? What comfort does Jesus’ death and resurrection give to you?
6. Read Genesis 24:16–21. How did Rebekah love and serve Abraham’s servant? Why did Rebekah water the servant’s camels?
7. What truth about eternal life is revealed in John 3:36?
8. When you are asked to do something difficult, how do you respond? Who has done something very difficult for you?
9. If we have eternal life now, what happens on the Last Day? See Romans 8:18 and 1 Corinthians 15:52.
10. How do Jesus’ words in John 11:25–26 provide you comfort and hope?
11. How did God work through these humans to provide for His people?

The text for this lesson is Acts 1:1–11; Luke 24:44–53

Key Points

• Jesus, our risen Savior, ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us there with Him.
• Law: I sin when I think that Jesus has left me alone when He ascended. It is a sin to want to keep Jesus physically present with me here on earth. Like the disciples, I am tempted to want Jesus to be an earthly ruler and restore His kingdom on earth.
• Gospel: Jesus ascended for me to prepare an eternal home, yet He promises to be with me always. Jesus, my ascended Lord, gave me His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper and His Word to sustain me until I join Him in heaven. Jesus’ death and resurrection restores me to Himself; His ascension promises that He will come again to bring me to His heavenly kingdom.

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Discussion Points

1. Since about the fifth century, the Church has kept a paschal candle lit during worship from Easter through Ascension Day. On Ascension Day, which occurs forty days after Easter (Acts 1:3), the paschal candle is extinguished after the reading of the Gospel. This symbolizes Jesus’ removal from the sight of His disciples. We now live by faith, not by sight. However, the other candles in the church have been lit from the paschal candle, and they continue to burn. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells His disciples, “You are the light of the world,” and in Psalm 119:105, we hear that God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. In light of these verses, what might the candles that remain lit after receiving light from the paschal candle symbolize?
2. Luke begins Acts by saying, “In the first book . . . I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen” (Acts 1:1–2). By saying that Jesus “began to do and teach” things in Luke, it suggests that Jesus will personally continue to do and teach. What do this passage and Acts 1:8 tell us about how Jesus’ “doing and teaching” will continue even after His ascension? How is this reminiscent of Luke 10:16?
3. This week we celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Where is heaven? What insights do Philippians 2:9–11 and Ephesians 4:8–10 give us concerning Christ’s ascension and exaltation?
4. In Acts 1:4–5, Jesus tells the apostles to wait for the promised Holy Spirit to come, “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” We recall that John’s was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Most likely all of Jesus’ apostles had been baptized by John. Yet Jesus promised to baptize them with the Holy Spirit, which was fulfilled when the Spirit descended on the apostles on Pentecost. Some people argue that water Baptism does not give the Holy Spirit, but that there is a separate Baptism of the Holy Spirit. How do John 3:5; Ephesians 4:5; and Acts 2:38 refute the idea that the Lord ordained more than one kind of Baptism for the Church?
5. On the road to Emmaus, two of Jesus’ disciples were lamenting His death and expressing their disappointment, saying, “we had hoped that [Jesus] was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). In other words, they were hoping that Jesus would be a powerful earthly Messiah who would restore Israel to greatness. How does the question from the apostles in Acts 1:6 demonstrate that they had not yet gotten it? What do John 18:33–38 and 19:1–3, 18–19 teach about Jesus’ kingdom? When would the apostles finally get it? How does Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:29–36 demonstrate this?
6. Acts 1:9 says that Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.” Poof! Jesus was gone. Well, not really. In fact, the presence of the cloud was a sign that Jesus was not really leaving but just changing His mode of presence with the apostles. According to Exodus 13:21–22 and 14:24–25, what was the significance of the cloud over Israel during the Exodus? According to Exodus 40:34–38, where did the cloud reside with Israel? What might the cloud at the ascension have to do with that Old Testament cloud?
7. Acts 1:11 states, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” What exciting thing for believers does Luke 21:25–28 tell us about Jesus’ return? What event does 2 Corinthians 5:10 say will occur when Jesus returns? According to Mark 13:32, when should we expect Jesus’ return to happen? What should be the Christian’s constant expectation and prayer, according to Revelation 22:20?
8. The disciples’ separation from Jesus was not a sad one. “They worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:52–53). Based on Matthew 28:20, why were they so joyful? How does the celebration continue in Acts 2:42? What pattern did their worship set for the Church of all ages?
9. Sometimes people call God the man upstairs. Since the ascension, perhaps that’s not such a bad title for Jesus. However, that expression comes from the days when the office of the boss was located above the factory floor. His office had windows, and he could observe what everyone was doing without their knowledge. That’s actually intimidating and scary, but according to Hebrews 4:13, what is the nature of God’s knowledge of our lives? Is that passage Law or Gospel? What do 1 Timothy 2:5–6 and Romans 8:33–34 tell us about the man upstairs? Are those passages Law or Gospel?
10. What words in John 14:1–3 show us that to be in heaven is to be where Jesus is? Why is the passage so frequently used as the text for funeral sermons?

The text for this lesson is Luke 23:26–24:12

Key Points

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Discussion Points

1. “Christ is risen!” “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Perhaps you have already used this traditional exchange today. What does alleluia or hallelujah mean? Why have we refrained from using alleluias during the forty days of Lent only to resurrect its use today?

2. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Even in heaven, He is the “Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12). A crucifix helps us see with our eyes the message of the preceding verses. How does a crucifix also communicate the reality of the Christian’s earthly life more clearly than an empty cross does?

3. Compare Luke 23:32–33 with Luke 22:37. How does the crucifixion scene fulfill this prediction of Jesus? Read Isaiah 53:11–12. What additional knowledge does this prophecy of Isaiah give us concerning the significance of Jesus being numbered with the transgressors upon a cross?

4. In Luke 23:40–42, what remarkable confession does the criminal make about himself and Jesus? What words of Jesus might have brought the criminal to faith? How does the criminal provide an ideal pattern for us?

5. In Scripture, darkness and light are often contrasted. For example, we read in 1 John 1:5, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Darkness usually represents evil things, such as sin, death, and hell. Sin is darkness, for Solomon states that “the way of the wicked is like deep darkness” (Proverbs 4:19). Death is darkness, as David describes those who “sit in darkness like those long dead” (Psalm 143:3). So also, hell is darkness, for Jesus says that those who reject His Gospel will be “thrown into the outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12). In Genesis 1:2, the earth was chaotic and in darkness before God said, “Let there be light.” In view of what we know about the biblical use of darkness, how are Luke 22:3 and 22:53 related to the darkness described in Luke 23:44? What does the darkness suggest is happening to the world during Jesus’ crucifixion? According to Revelation 21:22–23, what did Jesus’ death and resurrection ensure for our new Jerusalem in heaven?

6. Luke emphasizes the innocence (righteousness) of Jesus throughout his Passion Narrative. When Jesus is first brought to trial in Luke 23:4, Pilate says, “I find no guilt in this man.” According to 23:15, neither did Herod. Pilate wanted to release Jesus (v. 16). He pleaded with the Jews to let him free Jesus, and he continued to maintain His innocence (vv. 18–22), but finally he gave into their vociferous demands (vv. 23–25). The criminal confessed Jesus’ righteousness (v. 41), and when He died, the centurion said, “Certainly this man was innocent” (v. 47). We also see Jesus’ perfect trust in His Father when He cried out, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” (v. 46). Luke emphasizes through these things that Jesus was the righteous one who committed no sins at all and did not deserve punishment. According to Leviticus 18:4–5, what would result for one who perfectly obeyed God’s Law? What is the relationship between that promise and Jesus’ resurrection?

7. To justify something is to declare it righteous or innocent. Pilate, the criminal, and the centurion all justified Jesus by declaring Him innocent. Yet God alone can truly declare someone innocent (Romans 8:33), and by raising Jesus from the dead, He declared to the world that His Son is the Righteous One. According to Romans 4:24–25, what else happened in Jesus’ death and resurrection?

8. According to Romans 6:3–5, what is the connection between Baptism and Christ’s death and resurrection?

9. We read in Luke 23:56 that the women remained faithful to the Old Testament Law, which said that they could not handle a dead body on the Sabbath. The women were still living under the Law. Since Jesus, God’s righteous servant, obeyed the Law perfectly, what did Jesus’ Sabbath rest in the tomb symbolize? According to Romans 10:4, how does Christ change our relationship to the Old Testament Law?

The text for this lesson is Luke 22:1–23

Key Points

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Discussion Points

1. What parts of the liturgy are closely connected with Palm Sunday and the Passion Narrative?

2. Today we study part of Jesus’ Passion Narrative. How is the term passion normally used today? What does it mean in the sense of the Passion of Jesus? How are these various definitions related? To what does the passive obedience of Jesus refer?

3. Keeping in mind the Passover theme, what do John 1:29; Isaiah 53:7; Revelation 5:12; and 1 Corinthians 5:7 teach us about Jesus and the Passover?

4. Read Exodus 12:12–13. How did the blood of the Passover lamb save the Israelites? What important event occurred after the Passover? Where would God later lead Israel? In what ways does Jesus’ work for us follow the pattern of the events in Exodus?

 5. Jesus sent His disciples to prepare the Passover feast (Luke 22:8–13). Since it was a festival, they reclined at the table (v. 14). The Passover meal involved both eating and teaching. Jesus taught them about how eager He was to eat this feast with them before He would suffer (v. 15), which brought to mind the numerous predictions He had made about His suffering and death. He taught them that He would not eat and drink again until the Passover meal was fulfilled in the kingdom of God (vv. 16–18). The fulfillment would be brought about through His death and resurrection, and afterwards He would eat and drink with them again to show them that the Kingdom had come (24:30, 41–43). But to this point in the meal, Jesus had followed the basic format of the Passover meal, and nothing too out of the ordinary had occurred. Then, with Jesus’ words in 22:19–20, the disciples heard a teaching that had never been given before. What teaching would have surprised the disciples? What now replaces the Passover meal?

6. What words in Luke 22:19–20 suggest that Jesus’ death will be a sacrifice? What similar language is used in Isaiah 53:12; Galatians 1:3–5; and 1 Timothy 2:5–6? What does Matthew 26:28 say specifically about Jesus’ blood? In what way do we participate in Jesus’ sacrificial death?

7. Question 5 discussed how “This is my body . . . this is my blood” would have surprised the disciples at the Passover meal. Yet the most shocking thing for them probably would have been Jesus’ instruction for them to drink blood. According to Leviticus 17:10–14, why was the consumption of blood prohibited under the old covenant? Why is the teaching of Leviticus about blood so helpful in understanding the value of the Lord’s Supper for us? See John 6:53–56 for further insight.

8. Where do we find the theme of Jesus as our Passover Lamb in the liturgy? In light of Revelation 19:9 and Isaiah 25:6–8, why is the Lord’s Supper sometimes called a foretaste of the feast to come?

9. When Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me,” He was directing His disciples to repeat the Lord’s Supper “until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). This phrase also could be translated “Do this for my remembrance,” in other words, so that Jesus would remember the promises He made at the Last Supper. It may seem silly—or even sacrilegious—to speak of reminding God, but this was common language in the Old Testament. Read Genesis 9:14–16 and Exodus 2:23–25. What things caused God to remember His promises? How would this concept fit with the Lord’s Supper?

The text for this lesson is 2 Kings 2:1–15.

Key Points

• Enoch and Elijah were taken into heaven alive. Jesus, who is our Enoch and our great Elijah, ascended alive into heaven for us and our salvation.
• Law: Death overtakes me because I am permeated by sin and am subject to its penalty.
• Gospel: In the death of Jesus is the death of death itself, and I will be raised up with Christ and seated with Him in heaven.

Context

It’s time for the baton—or rather the mantle—of Elijah to pass to his vicar, Elisha. Cleaving to his master’s side, Elisha follows him on a somewhat circuitous route that ends east of the Jordan. In this same region centuries before, the baton had been passed from Moses to Joshua. Now it would go from Elijah to Elisha—same song, second verse. It is here, too, that the latter-day Elijah, that is, John the Baptist, would bow out so that the Elisha-like Jesus could move forward with His ministry— same song, final verse.

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The text for this lesson is Genesis 49:29–50:14.

Key Points

• Jacob requested burial in Canaan, rather than in Egypt, because Canaan was the land to which God had promised to send the One through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed—Jesus (Genesis 12:1–3; 46:2–4).
• Law: Death is a time of tremendous grief.
• Gospel: We do not grieve as those who have no hope, because Jesus has overcome death and the grave.
• Law: We ourselves must also face death. Gospel: Because Jesus died in our place, we can look ahead to God’s promised land of heaven.
• Law: How we deal with death—our own and that of a loved one—can sometimes give a witness of doubt, worry, and fear.
• Gospel: By God’s grace, comforted with the assurance of our resurrection in Christ, we are able to testify to the hope that is in us.

Context

After Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, their father Jacob presumed him dead (Genesis 37). However, the Lord preserved and prospered Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 39–41). After Joseph helped his brothers during a famine (Genesis 42–45), Jacob came to settle in Egypt (Genesis 46). Joseph and Jacob were happily reunited. Before Jacob died, he blessed his sons (Genesis 49:1–28).
The Messiah first promised to Eve (Genesis 3:15), then to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; Galatians 3:16), Isaac (Genesis 26:3), and Jacob—renamed Israel (Genesis 35:9–12), would come through Judah (Genesis 49:8–12). Matthew 1:1–2 traces Jesus’ lineage from Abraham to Judah. Matthew 1:17 presents Jesus as the promised Christ, “who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

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The text for this lesson is Mark 5:1–24, 35–43.

Key Points

• Just as Jesus by Word and touch raised the dead girl to life, so by His divine Word, Baptism, and Supper, He kills and buries death and raises us to life eternal.
• Law: “The wages of sin is death”—wages death pays faithfully and fatally (Romans 6:23). From the stillborn babe to the gray-haired grandma, death is no respecter of persons. It has its way with us all, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Thus, for the sinner, death is the ultimate defeat, the ultimate fear, the sad end to pre-hell days.
• Gospel: The glory of God is a living man. Death is the foe of God, man, and the God-man Jesus. He is not only life itself, He is a killer of death and the bestower of life. That life He gives via Hiw Word, the very Word that once crafted a living man from dust and will, one day, raise us from the dust, resurrected and re-created to live forever with Him.

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