Daily Bible Readings – Week 52

Daily Bible Readings
Week 52: September 25-30, 2017

❏ Monday Psalms 23-28
❏ Tuesday Psalms 29-34
❏ Wednesday Psalms 35-41
❏ Thursday Psalms 42-47
❏ Friday Psalms 48-53
❏ Saturday Psalms 54-60

Note that the readings are assigned from Monday to Saturday, leaving Sunday as the day to catch up, and also indicating that we will be corporately hearing the Word at church. The following questions are optional, for your personal growth.

Study Questions: Week 52

1. Why do you think Psalm 23 has had such enduring popularity as a Psalm?

2. What sort of themes do you see in Psalms 24-28?

3. What does the voice of the Lord do, according to Psalm 29?

4. Why is Psalm 32 a good psalm to use when struggling with sin?

5. How does Psalm 34:19-20 prophesy Jesus’ death on the cross?

6. Psalm 35 is one of the imprecatory psalms. These are psalms of anger, calling out curses on the Lord’s enemies. They can be hard to read, but what does the existence of these psalms as part of the inspired Scripture show us about the importance of praying to God even when we are angry?

7. Psalm 38 is an example of a Hebrew acrostic poem. These are virtually impossible to translate into English in acrostic form. Each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, going from aleph (א) to taw (ת) (equivalent to our a-z). What is the theme of this psalm?

8. The Book of Psalms is really a compilation of five books of psalms. How does the first book end?

9. Psalms 42 and 43 echo a common theme. What is that theme?

10. Who are the Sons of Korah, writers of many of the psalms in Book 2? (See 1 Chronicles 6, and carefully look at the family tree of Heman in verses 33–38.)

11. What reformation hymn is based on Psalm 46?

12. Who is Asaph? (See 1 Chronicles 15:16-24.)

13. Sometimes the ascriptions to the psalms give us background to when they were written. What do we learn about psalms 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, and 60 from their ascriptions? (Feel free to review 1 & 2 Samuel as you read these psalms!)

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Sermon for September 24, 2017

It’s Not Fair! — Matthew 20:1-16

Preacher: Pastor Alex Klages

Recorded at Trinity, Winkler

Sermon for September 17, 2017

You’re Not Who You Think You Are — Romans 14:1-12

Preacher: Vicar Lief Mauricio

Recorded at Zion, Morden

Daily Bible Readings – Week 51

Daily Bible Readings
Week 51: September 18-23, 2017

❏ Monday Job 38:1-41:34
❏ Tuesday Job 42:1-17
❏ Wednesday Psalms 1-6
❏ Thursday Psalms 7-11
❏ Friday Psalms 12-17
❏ Saturday Psalms 18-22

Note that the readings are assigned from Monday to Saturday, leaving Sunday as the day to catch up, and also indicating that we will be corporately hearing the Word at church. The following questions are optional, for your personal growth.

Study Questions: Week 51

1. God shows up to answer Job and his friends. How does God respond to Job’s many requests and complaints?

2. How does Job respond in chapter 40, now that God is answering him?

3. Behemoth and Leviathan—both of which have been variously explained— are two examples of the Lord’s marvellous work of creation. How does Job respond to the Lord’s second speech?

4. Does God ever answer Job’s questions of why bad things happened to him?

5. How does Job intercede for his friends?

6. How does the Lord restore Job’s fortunes?

7. A note on reading the Psalms: The Psalms are the hymnal of the Old Testament. As such, they tend to be grouped by theme and author. Having said that, there is no narrative to them, and, like a hymnal, they are sourced from various writers spanning a great deal of time; from Moses to around Ezra’s day. King David is one of the most prolific psalmwriters. Psalm 1 forms a fitting introduction to the collection of hymns.

8. Psalm 2 is the first Messianic psalms—that is, it prophesies Jesus. Where in this psalm is there a prophecy of Jesus?

9. What is the theme of psalms 3-6?

10. David’s psalms often contain a complaint against the unrighteous and a call for God to act. How is this different from the book of Job?

11. The phrase “the law of the Lord” speaks of more than just “Law” per se. The term “law” in Hebrew is torah, which refers to the written Word of God— in David’s day, primarily the Books of Moses, which contained law but also gospel. Psalm 19 uses this phrase along with several others to denote how wonderful God’s Word is.

12. When does Jesus quote Psalm 22? How is this an appropriate psalm for use in Holy Week, especially Maundy Thursday and Good Friday?

Daily Bible Readings – Week 50

Daily Bible Readings
Week 50: September 11-16, 2017

❏ Monday Job 20:1-21:34
❏ Tuesday Job 22:1-24:25
❏ Wednesday Job 25:1-28:28
❏ Thursday Job 29:1-31:40
❏ Friday Job 32:1-34:37
❏ Saturday Job 35:1-37:24

Note that the readings are assigned from Monday to Saturday, leaving Sunday as the day to catch up, and also indicating that we will be corporately hearing the Word at church. The following questions are optional, for your personal growth.

Study Questions: Week 50

1. Zophar claims that the wicked get their punishment for wickedness in this life. Job, in ch 21, says that just isn’t so. Which view better fits the world we see?

2. Eliphaz declares that Job’s suffering is because he must be a wicked, evil man. Job instead claims to follow the Lord’s laws. What does Job demand of God?

3. Job maintains he has done nothing to deserve what is happening to him. Bildad undercuts this in the brief chapter 25. Is Bildad’s statement right? Why doesn’t it help Job?

4. What is wisdom and understanding?

5. Job makes one final plea to God to hear his case. He points out that, to the best of his knowledge, he has followed God. How does Job’s language here reflect on his faith in God?

6. Why does Elihu feel a need to jump in?

7. Has Job been trying to justify himself rather than God?

8. Elihu also falls into the same pattern as Job’s other counsellors, accusing Job of being wicked, but on one ground, primarily; what is the ground on which Elihu accuses Job of wickedness?

9. The picture of God which Elihu and the other counsellors have given is one of God as Almighty, powerful, and just. Which characteristics of God are missing from the picture, generally speaking? (See Exodus 34:6-7)

Sermon for September 3, 2017

Taking Up The Cross — Matthew 16:21-28

Preacher: Pastor Alex Klages

Recorded at Trinity, Winkler

Daily Bible Readings – Week 49

Daily Bible Readings
Week 49: September 4-9, 2017

❏ Monday Job 6:1-7:21
❏ Tuesday Job 8:1-10:22
❏ Wednesday Job 11:1-12:25
❏ Thursday Job 13:1-14:22
❏ Friday Job 15:1-17:16
❏ Saturday Job 18:1-19:29

Note that the readings are assigned from Monday to Saturday, leaving Sunday as the day to catch up, and also indicating that we will be corporately hearing the Word at church. The following questions are optional, for your personal growth.

Study Questions: Week 49

1. To put Job’s situation in modern terms, Job is suffering from depression, brought on by the extreme events of chapters 1-2. How does Job’s speech in chapters 6-7 reflect both his depression yet also his continuing faith in God?

2. Of what does Bildad accuse Job, by implication?

3. Why does Job despair of being right before God?

4. How does Zophar respond to Job? Do his words give Job any comfort?

5. One of Job’s repeated statements is that he wants to talk to the Lord directly. Why?

6. Job recognizes that all are bound to sin (14:1-4). Does he believe in the forgiveness of sins, according to 14:15-17?

7. Eliphaz basically accuses Job of being godless. Why?

8. How does Job respond to Eliphaz’ accusations?

9. Why is it important not to assume problems in a fellow believer’s life are somehow their fault or that God is punishing them?

10. Bildad likewise accuses Job of not knowing God. Job’s response includes one of the most familiar passages of Scripture. How does Job confess his faith in God as Redeemer?

Daily Bible Readings – Week 48

Daily Bible Readings
Week 48: August 28-September 2, 2017

❏ Monday Esther 3:1-4:17
❏ Tuesday Esther 5:1-7:10
❏ Wednesday Esther 8:1-10:3
❏ Thursday Job 1:1-22
❏ Friday Job 2:1-3:26
❏ Saturday Job 4:1-5:27

Note that the readings are assigned from Monday to Saturday, leaving Sunday as the day to catch up, and also indicating that we will be corporately hearing the Word at church. The following questions are optional, for your personal growth.

Study Questions: Week 48

1. Why does Haman want to exterminate the Jews?

2. How does Mordecai respond to this edict?

3. Why does Mordecai ask Esther for help?

4. What does Haman plan to do to Mordecai?

5. How is Haman shamed?

6. Why is Haman executed?

7. What decree is sent to counteract the decree which Haman had set out concerning the Jews?

8. How many of the enemies of the Jews are killed on the day originally intended for the slaughter of the Jews?

9. What is the name of the feast which the Jews inaugurated based on the events?
10. Although God is not mentioned by name anywhere in Esther (the only book of the Bible without any direct mention of God!) how can we see Him at work in this book?

11. The book of Job steps back in time a little bit and changes ‘genres’. The Bible is a collection of books written at different times by different people. We jump back in time from Esther (about 480 BC) to Job (about 2000 BC). As you read Job, keep in mind that the great covenant with Abraham is not yet fully in place and that the laws for sacrifice and priests do not yet exist. There are followers of the true God other than Abraham and family; Job is one of them. How does Job show his faith in the true God?

12. How does Satan attack Job’s property and children? Why?

13. How does Job’s wife respond to the further attack to Job’s own health?

14. Why does Job lament his birth?

15. Job’s friends try to offer comfort, but at times their comforting runs off the rails. Is it true that you have to do something bad in life in order to have bad things happen to you? (See John 9:1-3)

16. How does Eliphaz’ conclusion to his speech in chapter 5 show that he doesn’t understand that this isn’t Job’s fault?

Sermon for August 27, 2017

Christ, the Son of the Living God — Matthew 16:13-20

Preacher: Pastor Alex Klages

Recorded at Trinity, Winkler

Daily Bible Readings – Week 47

Daily Bible Readings
Week 47: August 21-26, 2017

❏ Monday Nehemiah 2:1-3:32
❏ Tuesday Nehemiah 4:1-6:19
❏ Wednesday Nehemiah 7:1-8:18
❏ Thursday Nehemiah 9:1-10:39
❏ Friday Nehemiah 11:1-13:31
❏ Saturday Esther 1:1-2:23

Note that the readings are assigned from Monday to Saturday, leaving Sunday as the day to catch up, and also indicating that we will be corporately hearing the Word at church. The following questions are optional, for your personal growth.

Study Questions: Week 47

1. How does the king find out about Jerusalem’s devastation by fire?

2. Who jeers at the rebuilding crew?

3. Why are the Judahites armed while they rebuild the wall?

4. Nehemiah is appointed governor. How does he help the struggling Judahites to re-establish themselves?

5. Who was conspiring against Nehemiah? Why?

6. How long did it take to finish rebuilding the wall?

7. When Ezra reads from the Book of the Law he also “gives its sense”– he preaches on it, possibly even translating it for the younger ones who may not have spoken much Hebrew because of the time in Babylon. This is where the practice of preaching a sermon originates!

8. How do the people react to the reading of the Law?

9. Nehemiah 9 recounts the history of God’s people; to what purpose is this history remembered?

10. The covenant is again renewed. What do the people of God promise as part of the covenant renewal?

11. Lots are cast to determine who stays in Jerusalem and who repopulates the countryside. What is the relative proportion?

12. What does Nehemiah do to reform Sabbath practice?

13. Nehemiah is a governor and not a king; having said that, which king’s reign is Nehemiah’s most like and why?

14. What happens in the reign of King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes) which leads to a search for a new queen?

15. How is Esther made queen?