Transcript WHAT IS CONFIRMATION? - Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Introduction
Introduction
GOD TELLS US ABOUT
HIMSELF
1
The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
An agnostic says
“I don’t know if there is a
god.”
An agnostic says
An athiest says
“I don’t know if there is a
god.”
“There is no god.”
Time for reflection – How would your family be
different if there was no God?
All people can know that there is a God.
Psalm 19:1 ; Hebrews 3:4
Romans 1:20 ; Romans 2:15
1
The heavens
declare the glory
of God;
the skies proclaim
the work of his
hands.
4For
every house is built by someone, but God is
the builder of everything.
All people can know that there is a God.
Psalm 19:1 ; Hebrews 3:4
Romans 1:20 ; Romans 2:15
1. From nature (the created universe)
15since
[the Gentiles] show that the
requirements of the law are written on their
hearts, their consciences also bearing witness,
and their thoughts now accusing, now even
defending them.)
All people can know that there is a God.
Psalm 19:1 ; Hebrews 3:4
Romans 1:20 ; Romans 2:15
1. From nature (the created universe)
2. From conscience (the voice within us)
Natural knowledge of God =
What can be learned about God
from nature and one’s conscience
20For
since the creation of the world God's invisible
qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have
been clearly seen, being understood from what has
been made, so that men are without excuse.
Natural knowledge of God =
What can be learned about God
from nature and one’s conscience
Nature
Conscience
tells me
There is a God who is powerful, wise and holy
The weakness of natural knowledge It doesn’t tell:
1. Who the true God is (versus idols)
2. About one’s Savior from sin
Acts 17:26-27
26From
one man he made every nation of men, that
they should inhabit the whole earth; and he
determined the times set for them and the exact
places where they should live. 27God did this so that
men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him
and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
God gives people natural knowledge to lead them to
seek after the Lord and know more about him
John 1:18 ; John 14:8-9 ; John 5:39
18No
one has ever seen God, but God the One
and Only [Jesus Christ], who is at the Father's
side, has made him known.
8Philip
said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be
enough for us."
9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even
after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you
say, 'Show us the Father'?
God gives people natural knowledge to lead them to
seek after the Lord and know more about him
John 1:18 ; John 14:8-9 ; John 5:39
God shows what He
is really like through
Jesus Christ
God gives people natural knowledge to lead them to
seek after the Lord and know more about him
John 1:18 ; John 14:8-9 ; John 5:39
God shows what He is really like through Jesus Christ
We find Jesus Christ in the Bible
God
man
Jesus
“Bible” =
The book
“Scriptures” = The writings
Revealed knowledge of God =
What God has made known about
Himself in the Bible
The Bible tells us:
Isaiah 43:11-12
11
I, even I, am the LORD ,
and apart from me there is no savior.
12 I have revealed and saved and
proclaimed- I, and not some foreign god
among you. You are my witnesses,"
declares the LORD , "that I am God.
The Bible tells us:
Isaiah 43:11-12
1. Who the true God is: the Triune God
2. Who one’s Savior is:
Jesus Christ
holy/just (punishes
sin)
unchangeable
eternal (no beginnings
or end
omnipresent
(present
everywhere)
omniscient
(all-knowing)
omnipotent
(all-powerful)
loving
What does the awesome natural wonder you
mentioned earlier tell you about God?
OR
What do the following tell you about God?
A spring garden in bloom
Our bodies’ ability to develop immunity
Agree or Disagree – People could come to
saving faith if they would only look closely at
nature and listen to their conscience.
Agree or Disagree? The Bible is the light of
salvation for everyone who reads it.
Our God is TRIUNE =
Three persons in one Godhead or
Deity
Deuteronomy 6:4
2 Corinthians 13:14
Genesis 1:26
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God,
the LORD is one.
4
GOD
4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
26
Then God said, "Let us make man in our
image, in our likeness, and let them rule
over the fish of the sea and the birds of the
air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and
over all the creatures that move along the
ground."
19Therefore
go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20and teaching them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age."
2 CORINTHIANS 13:14
Father
Son
GOD
Holy
Spirit
14May
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
THE PERSONS OF THE GODHEAD
is not
FATHER
is
is
is
SON
GOD
not
is
is
not
1.The Father, who is the
Creator (one who
made us all
2. The Son, who is the
Redeemer (one
who bought us
back)
3. The Holy Spirit, who is the
HOLY
SPIRIT
Sanctifier (one who
sets us apart)
Note: All of the above descriptions of God –
holy, eternal, etc. – apply equally to each person
of the Trinity.
Agree or Disagree – We
have one God but
sometimes he acts like
the Father, sometimes He
acts like the Son, and
sometimes he acts like
the Holy Spirit.
Agree or Disagree – Essentially all people
believe in the same God. They only call him
different names and worship him in different
ways.
Question: We said that there are three persons
in the Trinity and that they all do divine things.
Can we distinguish between the work of the
Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the
Holy Spirit
Question: Would it be proper to address a
prayer to only one member of the Trinity?
“God is three and one at the same time – just as
a triangle has three sides but at the same time
is only one thing.” In what way is this a useful
illustration of the Trinity? In what way is this
not very helpful as an explanation of the Triune
God?
Why is it a comfort knowing that we have a
Triune God?
Hint: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither
are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD (Isaiah
55:8)
1.
Study carefully the notes you have taken in class; be sure you
understand them.
2.
Study questions 1-5; 148-150 in the Catechism.
3. Complete the “Working with God’s Word” section on this page.
Read the Bible sections and fill in all the blanks.
4. Memorize these Bible verses:
Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of His hands.”
VIP John 1:18 – “No one has ever seen God, but God the only
Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.”
2 Corinthians 13:14 – “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
you all.”
5. Memorize in order the names of the following New Testament books;
and review the ones you learned last week.
1 & 2 Thessalonians
Hebrews
1 & 2 Timothy
James
Titus
1 & 2 Peter
Philemon
1, 2, & 3 John
Jude
Revelation
6.
Complete Worksheet #2 at home and have your parents correct it with
workbook.
7.
Be ready to take a quiz on the Key Truths, VIP and Bible Books from
this Lesson on September 26
Lesson Two
• All people can know there is a god from
________________ and from ________________ . We
call this kind of knowledge the ________________
knowledge of God. The problem is these things will never
tell us who __________________________ or who
__________________________ . Only in the Bible, or the
________________ knowledge of God, do we discover
who ________________ and who ________________ .
Lesson Two
• All people can know there is a god from NATURE and
from CONSCIENCE. We call this kind of knowledge
the NATURAL knowledge of God. The problem is
these things will never tell us who THE TRUE GOD IS
or who OUR SAVIOR IS. Only in the Bible, or the
REVEALED knowledge of God, do we discover who
THE TRUE GOD IS and who THE SAVIOR IS.