Chapter VII: Part 7

3. Our Lord tells us to pray for _our_ daily bread. It is true, our daily bread is the gift of our Father in heaven, but He will generally bestow this gift upon us _by means of our labor._ God wants us to work, and He will provide what we need for this life. The bread that we eat should be the bread _that is honestly coming to us. "If any would not work, neither should he eat."_ 2 Thess. 3,10.--We do not say _my,_ but _our_ bread, because we _include our neighbor_ in our prayer, asking God to give also him his daily bread. This reminds us of our duty willingly to help our neighbor whenever he is in need and want. Our Father in heaven very often gives us more than we need for our own support and the support of our family; He does this for the purpose that _we may have to give to those that are in need._ God, then, desires to give our neighbor his daily bread through us. _"Deal thy bread to the hungry."_ Is. 58,7.

4. We pray God to give us our daily bread _this day._ Our Lord reminds us _that we should not be anxiously concerned for the morrow._ We have a rich and kind Father in heaven, who cares for us, for our life and welfare. We pray to Him for our bread to-day and every day, and we know that He will not forsake us. Our Lord admonishes us: _"Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."_ Matt. 6,34.

5. In the Fourth Petition we pray for our _daily bread,_ for all that is necessary for our life and bodily welfare here on earth. In the first three petitions we pray for _heavenly gifts,_ for the gifts which we need for our soul, for our eternal welfare. Our Lord in this way teaches us that the heavenly gifts are much more important, that we should pray for them first of all. _"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."_ Matt. 6,33.

REMEMBER:--

1. _We pray in this petition: My dear heavenly Father, give me this day my daily bread. Grant me grace to know and acknowledge that my daily bread is Thy gracious gift in order that I may receive it from Thy hand with thanksgiving._

2. _Do not forget to say your prayers at meals. Thereby you confess that your daily bread is the gift of your Father in heaven, and you show your thankfulness to Him._

3. _Pray also for your neighbor and give from your abundance whenever he is in need._

MEMORIZE:--

_He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust._ Matt. 5,45.

_Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me._ Prov. 30,8.

_Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content._ 1 Tim. 6,8.

_Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you._ Matt. 6,33.

QUESTIONS.

1. What is meant in this petition by "daily bread"? 2. Why does the Lord teach us to pray for our daily bread? 3. Wherewith should we be content? 4. Does not God give us our daily bread without our Prayer? 5. On whom even does He bestow this gift? 6. Why, then, do we pray for our daily bread? 7. Why do we pray God to lead us to know that our daily bread comes from Him? 8. How will we receive our daily bread when we know that it is He who gives it to us? 9. Why does our Lord teach us to pray for our daily bread? 10. Why do we not say _my,_ but _our_ bread? 11. Of what should this remind us? 12. Why do we add the words _this day?_ 13. Why do we not need to be anxious for the morrow? 14. What does our Lord teach us by putting the petition for our daily bread after the petitions for His heavenly gifts?

LESSON 44.

The Lord's Prayer.

The Fifth Petition.

Which is the Fifth Petition?

_Our Father who art in heaven, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us._

What does this mean?

_We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor on their account deny our prayer; for we are worthy of none of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them; but that He would grant them all to us by grace; for use daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So will we also heartily forgive and readily do good to those who sin against us._

1. _"And forgive us our trespasses,"_ thus the Lord teaches us to pray in the Fifth Petition. That means, as our Catechism explains these words: _"We pray in this petition that our Father would not look upon our sins."_ A child that has disobeyed his father approaches him sorrowfully, asks his forgiveness, and promises to be more obedient in future. We, the children of God, do the very same thing. Every day we come to our heavenly Father with a contrite heart and ask His _forgiveness._ Daily we confess that we have sinned again. We are deeply sorry that again we have been disobedient to His good will, that we have deserved His punishment. But we also know that God is _our gracious, loving Father,_ always willing to forgive us our many sins. We know that Christ has paid the _ransom for our transgressions_ and earned God's forgiveness for us. In our Savior's name, trusting in Him, we come to God every day and pray with deep shame, but also with firm confidence: My dear Father in heaven, I, a poor sinner, come to Thee and humbly confess that again I have trespassed and sinned against Thee. Do not look upon my sins, do not punish me as I have deserved, but regard Thy Son's righteousness and for His sake forgive me all my sins. We pray as did the prodigal son: _"Father, I have sinned against heaven and in Thy sight, and I am no more worthy to be called Thy son."_ Luke 15,21. However, accept me again for Christ's sake.

2. We have a _special reason_ for asking God's forgiveness in our prayers. We pray to God for many blessings, for many precious gifts, both heavenly and earthly. But we are sinners; _"we are worthy of none of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them."_ If God would look upon our unworthiness and sin, how could He grant us our petitions? _"For we daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment."_ As long as our sins separate us from God, we are certain that God will not hear us. Our prayers would indeed be in vain. Therefore we pray to our Father that He would not look upon our sins, _"nor on their account deny our prayer,"_ as we have so well deserved. We pray that He would grant us His forgiveness and give us all His rich blessings _by grace, for Christ's sake._ In Christ's name we come to our Father and confidently pray with the _publican_ in the Temple: _"God be merciful to me, a sinner."_ Luke 18,13.

3. Our Lord adds something to this petition. He says: _"As we forgive those who trespass against us."_ These words contain a _promise_ on our part. Because God so graciously and willingly forgives us our many and great sins, we promise that _we also will forgive those who sin against us._ There are such as sin against us, wrong and grieve us with word or deed. But how small are their faults over against the great and grievous sins we have committed against our Father in heaven! Having received the gracious forgiveness of our Father, how could we do otherwise than forgive also those who trespass against us? Willingly we promise to forgive them, and to do so _heartily, from our hearts,_ as our Father has forgiven us, and not only to forgive them, but _readily_ to _do good to them._ Does not our Father do the same thing to us? We sin against Him and grieve Him daily, and nevertheless He not only forgives us, but He also blesses us every day with all His gifts for body and soul. If, on the other hand, we refuse to forgive our brother, we shall not obtain forgiveness from our Father. _"When we stand praying, forgive if ye have aught against any, that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."_ Mark 11,25.26. (Read carefully the beautiful parable of our Lord about the _wicked servant,_ Matt. 18,23-35.)

REMEMBER:--

1. _We pray in this petition: My dear Father in heaven, do not look upon my sins and do not on their account deny my prayer. I am not worthy of any of the things for which I pray, but on account of Thy grace hear my prayer and forgive me all my sins for Christ's sake._

2. _We promise in this petition: My dear Father in heaven, as Thou hast forgiven me the multitude of my sins and hast granted me daily all Thy precious blessings, so will I show Thee my gratitude by heartily forgiving those who sin against me and readily doing good to them. Grant me grace to do this, dear heavenly Father._

MEMORIZE:--

_Father, I have sinned against heaven and in Thy sight and am no more worthy to be called Thy son._ Luke 15,21.

_God be merciful to me, a sinner._ Luke 18,13.

_When ye stand praying, forgive if ye have aught against any, that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses._ Mark 11,25.26.

QUESTIONS.

1. What is meant by the word "trespasses" in this petition? 2. What do we ask our heavenly Father to do in this prayer? 3. How do we know that God will forgive us our sins? 4. How has Christ earned forgiveness of sins for us? 5. For whose sake, therefore, do we ask forgiveness? 6. What special reason have we to include this petition in our prayers? 7. Why are we unworthy of the things for which we pray? 8. What, on the contrary, have we deserved? 9. What moves God to hear our prayers? 10. What words does our Lord add to this petition? 11. What promise do we give God when we add these words? 12. How are the sins our neighbor commits against us to be regarded as compared with our sins against God? 13. What should we therefore willingly do? 14. What will happen to us if we do not heartily forgive our neighbor? 15. What must we be willing to do in addition to forgiving our neighbor? 16. What should induce us to forgive our neighbor when he trespasses against us?

LESSON 45.

The Lord's Prayer.

The Sixth Petition.

Which is the Sixth Petition?

_Our Father who art in heaven, lead us not into temptation._

What does this mean?

_God indeed tempts no one; but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us, nor seduce us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may finally overcome and obtain the victory._

1. _"And lead us not into temptation,"_ this is the Sixth Petition. Our Catechism explains it in the first place by saying: _"God indeed tempts no one,"_ that is, He tempts no one _for evil._ That is most certainly true. Our heavenly Father is the holy God. He hates sin and all those who willingly commit it. How could He tempt us to sin, try to lead us into evil ways which He hates? Scripture tells us: _"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man; but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed."_ Jas. 1,13.14.

2. As God does not tempt us for evil, why, then do we pray our Father not to lead us into temptation? We pray _"that God would guard and keep us" that our enemies may not lead us into sin and shame._ There are such as always try to lead us, the children of God, into sin, those _enemies_ of whom we heard in the Third Petition--the _devil,_ the _world,_ and our _own flesh._ Our most dangerous foe is the _devil. "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith."_ 1 Pet 5,8.9. Remember how he tempted _Adam and Eve_ in Paradise and seduced them to fall into sin. Our next enemy is the _world,_ that is, all the wicked men around us. How often do our friends or schoolmates entice us to do wrong! _"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."_ Prov. 1,10. The third enemy is _our own flesh,_ our old sinful heart, which is full of evil lust. Our own lust draws us away from God and entices us to sin.

3. These our enemies have an _evil will_ against us. They want to lead us away from God and our salvation, to lead us again into the kingdom of Satan and sin. They try with all their power and cunning to _deceive_ us; they try to give us the impression that it would be good for us to follow their temptations. By such enticements they try to seduce us to lead us astray from God and His Word, into _misbelief,_ into a wrong faith, or into _despair,_ so that we abandon all hope for our salvation. (Remember _Cain,_ Gen. 4,15, and _Judas,_ Matt. 27,4.5.) Or they try to lead us into _other great shame and vice,_ into sins that will bring shame upon us, to yield to evil passions, which will destroy our faith.

4. Against these mighty enemies we are _powerless._ We could not seriously think of taking up the fight against them by our own power. If we did, we would soon learn to our sorrow that we cannot successfully resist their temptations. Our enemies would gain the victory over us. In this our pitiful condition we come to _our Father in heaven,_ who has promised us His help, and who is always with us. We pray to Him in the name of our Savior not to lead us into temptation, that is, we pray that God would _guard_ or watch over us that such temptations may not come near us, that He would graciously defend us against them.--_If is true, temptations will come._ We live in this sinful world, which is full of temptations. The devil "walketh about" to devour the children of God, and our flesh tempts us with evil lust. These enemies will again and again _assail_ us to gain their evil ends and desires. _And it is for our good that God permits them to do so._ But we pray God to keep us steadfast in all these temptations, to _strengthen_ us in order that we may fight the good fight of faith against them. We pray to our Father that He may _preserve_ us in the true faith, so that we shall _finally,_ in the end, _overcome all temptations and obtain the victory._ Our heavenly Father will hear our prayer. _"God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able."_ 1 Cor. 10,13. According to His good and gracious will He wants us to be faithful to the end and to be saved.

REMEMBER:--

1. _We pray in this petition: My dear heavenly Father, guard and keep me against my powerful enemies, the devil, the world, and my flesh; hinder their evil will that their temptations may not approach me._

2. _We pray in this petition: My dear heavenly Father, be with me in all temptations, whenever my enemies assail me, and grant me grace to fight the good fight of faith. Keep me in the true faith in Christ, my Lord, that I may finally overcome all temptations and obtain the victory._

MEMORIZE:--

_Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist steadfast in the faith._ 1 Pet. 5,8.9.

_My son, if sinners entice thee consent thou not._ Prov. 1,10.

_God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able._ 1 Cor. 10,13.

QUESTIONS.

1. Which is the Sixth Petition? 2. What does God indeed not do? 3. Why are we certain that God will not lead any one into temptation? 4. Why, then, do we pray God not to lead us into temptation? 5. Who are our enemies that lead us into temptation? 6. Why is the devil compared to a roaring lion? 7. Who is our second enemy? 8. What do we understand by our own flesh? 9. What is the evil will of these our enemies against us? 10. Into what do they try to lead us? 11. Who alone can help us against our powerful enemies? 12. What does it mean when we pray that God would guard us against our enemies? 13. When their temptations do assail us, what do we pray our Father in heaven to do? 14. What makes us certain that God will hear our prayer?

LESSON 46.

The Lord's Prayer.

The Seventh Petition And The Conclusion.

Which is the Seventh Petition?

_Our Father who art in heaven, deliver us from evil._

What does this mean?

_We pray in this petition, as the sum, of all that our Father in heaven would deliver us from every evil of body and soul, property and honor, and finally, when our last hour has come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven._

Which is the Conclusion of the Lord's Prayer?

_For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen._

What is meant by the word "Amen"?

_That I should be certain that these petitions are acceptable to our Father in heaven, and heard; for He Himself has commanded us so to pray, and has promised to hear us. Amen, Amen, that is, yea, yea, it shall be so._

1. _"But deliver us from evil." "We pray in this petition, as the sum of all";_ in this petition we sum up all the others. We include in the word _"evil"_ our misfortunes and troubles of every kind, all our wants and needs: all the ailments of our _body,_ such as sickness and the like; everything that is hurtful to our _soul,_ sin with all its fearful consequences; anything that injures or destroys our _property,_ such as is done by fire, water, or bad, evil-minded men; whatever harms our _honor,_ loss of our good name through lies and calumnies, etc. All these things we sum up in the word _evil._

2. We pray that our Father would _deliver_ us from all these evils. We beseech Him to _spare_ us from as many evils as He sees fit. We know that days of sorrow and afflictions will indeed come to us. It is our Father's good will that _"we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."_ Acts 14,22. God sends us afflictions because He _loves_ us, His children, because in His wisdom He knows that it is good and salutary for us. _"Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."_ Heb. 12,6. We willingly submit to His will. But whenever the Lord has afflicted us, in every need and distress, we lift our hearts to Him, the Father of mercies, and _pray Him to be with us in our affliction,_ to help _bear the cross_ He has laid upon us. We ask Him that He would turn every affliction _to our benefit_ and in His own good time take it from us. It is our earnest prayer that through everything that seems evil to us He would keep us steadfast in faith to everlasting life.

3. True, as long as we live here on earth, we shall not be entirely free from evil. On earth we are living in a _"vale of tears."_ But the time will come when _"the Lord shall deliver me from every evil and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom."_ 2 Tim. 4,18. And when this time has come, _our last hour,_ the hour of our departure from this world, we pray _that our Father would grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven,_ and thus wholly deliver us from all evil. In that hour we shall say: _"Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation."_ Luke 2,29.30. When our dear Father takes us to Himself in heaven, all our prayers will have been granted, all earthly sorrow and affliction will be at an end; we shall have and enjoy with our Father and our Lord all His heavenly gifts.

4. In the Conclusion of the Lord's Prayer we say: _"Thine is the kingdom."_ We mean to say: Thou alone art my Lord and King, from whom I am to seek help, and who certainly will hear my prayer. _"Thine is the power":_ that is, Thou alone art the almighty God, Thou alone hast the power to grant my petitions. And so _"Thine is the glory";_ that is, all glory, all honor, all praise, shall be given to Thee alone _forever and ever._

5. The word _"Amen"_ with which we conclude our prayer means, as our Catechism explains it: _"Yea, yea, it shall be so."_ We express in this word our assurance that our prayers are _acceptable to our Father in heaven,_ and that _He will hear them._ May we really be certain that our petitions are acceptable to God? Most assuredly. _Our Lord Himself has given us this prayer,_ He has taught us these petitions, and _"has commanded us so to pray."_ When in true devotion, in the name of our Redeemer, we come to our Father and pray these petitions, how could it be otherwise than that our Father is well pleased! And He Himself, our Father, has so often _promised that He will hear us,_ that He will grant our prayer. Our Lord has promised us: _"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you."_ John 16,23. How could we doubt that God will hear us when we pray in Christ's name, according to His will?--Indeed, it sometimes seems to us as if God _did not hear_ our prayers. But it only seems so; God hears every true prayer. But we must not forget that God grants us our petitions _in His own manner,_ which we often do not understand. He does not always grant our petitions at once, but _at His appointed time,_ at the time He has appointed for His help, which, indeed, is the best time for us. Confidently we always want to conclude our prayers with, _"Amen; yea, yea, it shall be so."_

REMEMBER:--

1. _We pray in this petition: My dear Father in heaven, lead me through all my afflictions according to Thy gracious will and pleasure, and when my last hour has come, grant me a blessed end and take me up to Thee in heaven, and so deliver me from all evil._

2. _We are certain that this, our Lord's Prayer, as well as all the prayers we are bringing before God in accordance with it, are acceptable to God, and heard; for He Himself has commanded us so to pray and promised to hear us._

MEMORIZE:--

_We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God._ Acts 14,22.

_The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom._ 2 Tim. 4,18.

_Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation._ Luke 2,29.30.

QUESTIONS.

1. What do we mean when we say: "We pray in this petition,_as the sum of all"?_ 2. What is meant in this petition by the word "evil"? 3. Why does God sometimes send us afflictions? 4. What do we ask our Father in heaven to do when He has afflicted us? 5. To what should He turn all our afflictions, all that seems evil to us? 6. What should God preserve in us at such times? 7. Why do we call this life a "vale of tears"? 8. When, finally, will God deliver us from all evil? 9. What kind of end do we ask our heavenly Father to grant us? 10. Why will all our sorrows then be at an end. 11. What do the words of the Conclusion mean? 12. What the word "Amen"? 13. What do we mean to express by adding this word? 14. Why may we be certain that all our petitions are acceptable to God? 15. Why are we certain that God will always hear our prayers? 16. How will God hear our prayers and grant us His help?

LESSON 47.

How We Should Pray.

Review Lesson.

1. When we pray we frequently use the prayer which the Lord has given us. It really does contain everything we need, everything we may pray for. But we also use other prayers; we bring our petitions before God in our own words, or offer praise and thanks to Him. This is well-pleasing to our Father in heaven. But we must not forget _that all our prayers should be in accordance with the Lord's Prayer._ He has given us His prayer also for this purpose, that we should learn from it _how to pray._ The Lord's Prayer should be _the model for all our prayers._ If that is our model, we are certain that we are praying according to God's will. Let us see what the Lord's Prayer teaches us in this respect. _Let us learn how we should pray._

2. Whom do we address in the Lord's Prayer? Who is "our Father in heaven"? Our Father in heaven is _the only true, the Triune God, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost._ To Him we pray, and to Him alone. Such is His will. _"Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."_ Matt. 4,10. Against which commandment do we sin when we pray to any one but the true God? We pray only to the true God because He alone is _able_ and _willing_ to hear and answer our prayer.

3. The Lord teaches us to call the Triune God _"our Father."_ Why does Christ teach us to use this dear name? Through whom is God our true Father and we His true children? In whose name should we pray? Our Savior says: _"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you."_ John 16,23. In the Fifth Petition we learn why it is so necessary to pray in Jesus' name, trusting in His merits. We daily sin much. We deserve nothing but punishment. We pray that God would not look upon our sins, but graciously answer our prayers for Christ's sake, who has earned forgiveness of sins for us. Only _in Christ_ is God well pleased with us; _only for His sake will our prayers be heard and answered._

4. Christ teaches us to address God as our Father, to believe that in Christ He is indeed our true Father. By this endearing name our Lord would _encourage_ and _tenderly invite us_ to come to Him as His children and ask Him with all confidence. We should always pray with confidence, never doubting that God for Chris's sake _will hear us and grant our prayers. "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."_ Matt. 21,22. We are praying to the _almighty God,_ who is able to give all good things; we pray to Him who is our _Father,_ who has promised to hear our prayers.

5. For what do we pray in the first three petitions? For what in the Fourth Petition? We learn from this that we may pray for _everything that is needful for our welfare, both spiritual and temporal things. "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."_ Mark 11,24. In how many petitions do we ask for the heavenly or spiritual things, which we need for our souls? In one petition the Lord teaches us to pray for our daily bread, for our wants here on earth. Whenever we pray, we should first of all pray for those gifts which we need for our salvation. _"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,"_ our Lord tells us. Matt. 6,33. Above all we should pray for the gift of God's pure Word, for the Holy Ghost, in order that by His grace we may believe His holy Word and lead a godly life, that His will may be done among us, and that we may remain faithful to our Lord and obtain eternal life.

6. The Fourth Petition follows the one in which our Lord teaches us to pray that God's good and gracious will may be done. When we are praying for our daily bread, asking God for the things we need for our body and our temporal welfare, _we should submit everything to God's will,_ that is, we should pray that God would grant us these gifts, _if it is His will, if they tend to His glory and to our welfare. "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us."_ 1 John 5,14.

7. Our Lord teaches us to say not _my,_ but _our_ Father; indeed, throughout the whole prayer we always include our neighbor in our petitions. He wants us to _pray for our neighbors,_ not only for our friends and relatives, but for _all men,_ even for our _enemies. "Pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you."_ Matt. 5,44.

8. In the last three petitions the Lord tells us to bring our cares and troubles, our afflictions and sorrows of every kind, before the Lord. Indeed, we ought to pray _at all times. "Pray without ceasing."_ 1 Thess. 5,17. Especially, however, we should pray in times of _trouble and need. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me."_ Ps. 50,15.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Always pray to the true God, the Father of your Lord Jesus Christ, who through Him is also your Father. Come to Him in Christ's name. That is His will, and He alone can and will hear such prayers._

2. _Pray in Christ's name, with full confidence that your prayer is acceptable to God and heard. Pray in the same manner as a dear child asks his dear father._

3. _Ask Him for all you need for the welfare of your body and soul; in the first place, however, for the welfare of your soul, for your salvation. In asking for temporal blessings submit your will to God's will. Not my, but Thy will be done, my heavenly Father._

4. _Do not forget to include in your prayer your neighbor, all men, even your enemies. Finish your prayer with a confident "Amen; yea, yea, it shall be so."_

MEMORIZE:--

_Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve._ Matt. 4,10.

_This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us._ 1 John 5,14.

_All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive._ Matt. 21,22.

_Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me._ Ps. 50,15.

LESSON 48.

Holy Baptism.

What Baptism Is.

What is Baptism?

_Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water comprehended in God's command and connected with God's word._

Which is that word of God?

_Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew: Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost._

1. After having explained the Lord's Prayer, our Catechism tells us about _Holy Baptism._ You all, most probably, have seen children baptized, and some of you, perhaps, also adults. You yourselves were baptized in your infancy in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. You, therefore, should learn what Baptism is, and what it gives and profits. Let us hear what our Catechism has to say about this sacred act. In the first place, it explains _what Baptism is._

2. _"Baptism is not simple water only."_ In baptism there is indeed _water._ The person to be baptized is sprinkled with water, with simple, common, natural water. We must use water in baptism and nothing else. _Water is the external means_ which God Himself has instituted for baptism. But Baptism is not only water, it is more; _"it is the water comprehended in God's command and connected with God's word."_ In baptism there is both God's command and God's word.

3. Baptism is the water comprehended in God's command, that is, _we use the water in baptism because God has commanded it._ Without this command of God Baptism would be water only. Before our Lord ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples this command: _"Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."_ Holy Baptism, therefore, is an act instituted and ordained by God. For that reason we call it a _sacred act._ Christ gave this command to His _disciples, to His Church, to all Christians._ The called ministers of Christ, our pastors, ordinarily administer baptism; but in cases of necessity every Christian can and should perform it. Christ commands us to _baptize;_ that means He commands us to _apply_ the water _by washing or sprinkling the person to be baptized with water, or by immersing him into the water._

4. _Baptism is the water connected with God's word._ The word which Christ has commanded us to use in baptism is this: _"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."_ This word must always be connected with the water to make it a Baptism. _"Without the word of God the water is simple water, and no baptism. But with the word it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life."--We are baptized in the name of the Triune God._ What does this mean? God's name is God Himself, as we have learned in the Second Commandment. We are baptized in God the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. By baptism we are _received into communion with the Triune God._ He gives Himself to us _as our Father_ and accepts us _as His children,_ He bestows upon us all His blessings, all that He has done for us to save us. _With_ the word of God baptism is indeed a gracious water of life.

5. Our Lord commands us to baptize _all nations,_ that is, _all human beings,_ old and young, men and women. _"Preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."_ Mark 16,15.16. Baptism is necessary to salvation; consequently God wants all who believe in Him to be baptized. But a _certain distinction_ should be made. Those who are old enough to be instructed we baptize after they have been _previously_ taught the main doctrine of the Word of God, _confess their faith_ in Jesus Christ, and _desire to be baptized_ and thus become Christians.

6. _Little children_ are baptized by us soon after their birth, before they are able to learn the Word of God. We teach them after their baptism in our homes and schools and churches. We baptize our little children because in the word _nations_ the children, too, are included. We baptize them because our Lord says: _"Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God."_ Mark 10,14. Christ bids us bring our little children to Him that He may bless them. We can do this only by means of Holy Baptism. Without baptism they are under God's wrath, and their sins are not forgiven. By baptism the Holy Ghost Himself brings them to Christ and kindles in them the true faith in Him. God becomes their Father, and they are made His children.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Holy Baptism is a sacred act instituted by God. God Himself has commanded us to baptize, that is, to apply water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. It is the water comprehended in God's command._

2. _Baptism is the water connected with God's word. In baptism the water must be applied with these words: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." By baptism we are received into communion with the Triune God. He becomes our Father, and we are made His children._

MEMORIZE:--

_Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost._ Matt. 28,19.

_Preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved._ Mark 16,15.16.

_Suffer the little children to come unto Me and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God._ Mark 10,14.

QUESTIONS.

1. What is the external means which God has instituted for Holy Baptism? 2. What kind of water is to be used when we baptize a person? 3. In what is the water of Baptism comprehended? 4. What is meant when we say: "The water is comprehended in God's command"? 5. Recite the words of God's command. Matt. 28,19. 6. To whom did Christ give this command? 7. Who does now ordinarily administer Holy Baptism? 8. Who may and should do it in cases of necessity? 9. What does the word _baptize_ mean? 10. What is the word of God with which the water in baptism is connected? 11. What does it mean to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost? 12. What does God become to us in baptism? 13. Whom did Christ command us to baptize? 14. Whom do we generally baptize? 15. How can you prove that it is right to baptize little children? 16. What does Christ say about the little children Mark 10,14?

LESSON 49.

Holy Baptism

What Baptism Gives, Or Profits.

What does Baptism give, or profit?

_It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare._

Which are such words and promises of God?

_Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark: He that believeth, and is baptized shall be saved, but He that believeth not shall be damned._

1. In our last lesson we learned what Baptism is. _"Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water comprehended in God's command and connected with God's word."_ Now the question arises, What good does it do one to be baptized? _What does Baptism give, or profit?_ Baptism must indeed be a great and wonderful thing. God Himself instituted it. He put His name, His word, into it. Where His name and His word are, there, indeed, must be great, eternal blessings.

2. Our Catechism answers the question: _"What does Baptism give, or profit?"_ by saying: _"It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare."_ Three great blessings of Baptism are mentioned: 1. It works forgiveness of sins; 2. it delivers from death and the devil; 3. it gives eternal salvation. It does this because of the words and promises of God: _"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."_ Mark 16,16. How can we prove by these words that Holy Baptism also works forgiveness of sins and delivers from death and the devil? Christ merely says that he who believes and is baptized shall be _saved._ Remember, however, that there is no salvation where there is not forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death and the devil. _Salvation consists in forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death and the devil._ If Baptism gives us salvation, it must also work forgiveness of sins and deliver us from death and the devil.

3. _Baptism works forgiveness of sins. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins."_ Acts 2,38. How are we to understand this statement: Baptism works forgiveness of sins? Has not Christ Himself merited this heavenly gift? Christ, our Savior, has indeed, by His sufferings and death, atoned for our sins; _He has redeemed us from all our sins and so indeed earned for us, for all men, forgiveness of sins._ But Holy Baptism is the _means_ by which the Holy Ghost _makes the forgiveness_ which Christ has earned for us _our own._ In baptism He presents to us and gives us this great blessing. The apostle says: _"Ye are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus; for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."_ Gal. 3,26.27. We are baptized _into Christ._ In baptism _we put on Christ_ with all His merits. As in a beautiful, white, spotless garment we are clothed in baptism in the perfect righteousness Christ has merited for us. _Baptism works forgiveness by making Christ's righteousness our own._

4. _Baptism delivers us from death and the devil._ By sin death came into the world; death is the wages of sin. In baptism our sins are washed away for Christ's sake, and in this way we are delivered from death. In our dying hour we do not really see death, but have eternal life. In death we rejoice: _"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ... But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."_ 1 Cor. 15,55-57.--Baptism works forgiveness of sin and therefore _delivers us from the devil._ When our sins have been washed away, the devil no longer has any power over us; we are free from hell and damnation. If Satan still tempts us to sin, we may, in the power of our baptism, resist him and gain the victory.--By working forgiveness of sin, by delivering us from death and the devil, _Baptism gives us eternal salvation. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."_ Mark 16,16.

5. To whom does Baptism give all this? It gives these things _"to all who believe this."_ Our Savior says: _"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."_ Mark 16,16. All those who believe, trusting in the promises God has given in His Word concerning Baptism, receive these heavenly gifts. It is true, Baptism _contains_ all these precious gifts and blessings, _whether we believe or not._ They are _offered to all who _are baptized._ But we must take them and _make them our own._ This is done _by faith in Christ._ Baptism is _God's hand,_ by means of which He hands down His gifts, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. Faith is our _hand, with which we take God's gifts and make them our own.--_During our whole life_ we should remember our baptism and the grace God therein has bestowed upon us. Whenever we have sinned, we should in true repentance take refuge to our baptism, to the grace of God which He has promised us there. _"The covenant of my peace shall not be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."_ Is. 54,10.

REMEMBER:--

1. _Do not forget to thank your Father in heaven for your baptism. It makes you certain that His heavenly gifts, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, are indeed yours. It makes you certain that God is your Father and will remain your Father and you His child._

2. _If you have sinned and grieved your heavenly Father, take refuge to your baptism. Trust to His unfaltering grace which He has promised you there. Believe in Christ, who is yours through Baptism, and you will be saved._

MEMORIZE:--

_Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins._ Acts 2,38.

_Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus; for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ._ Gal. 3,26.27.

_O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ._ 1 Cor. 15,55-57.

QUESTIONS.

1. What three great benefits does Baptism give us? 2. Where did Christ Himself promise this? Mark 16,16. 3. Prove that in these words of Christ forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death and the devil are included. 4. Which is the first benefit Holy Baptism gives us? 5. Who, indeed, has redeemed us from all sins? 6. How, then, can we say that Baptism works forgiveness of sins? 7. Whom do we put on in baptism? 8. What does that mean? 9. How, therefore, does Baptism work forgiveness of sins? 10. Which is the second benefit of Baptism? 11. How does Baptism deliver us from death and the devil? 12. How does it give us eternal salvation? 13. To whom does Baptism give all these blessings? 14. Baptism is God's hand, by means of which He gives us all His gifts. Which is our hand with which we receive them? 15. How long should we remember our baptism? 16. When, especially, should it be our refuge?

LESSON 50.

The Lord's Supper.

What Is The Sacrament Of The Altar?

_It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself._

What is the benefit of such eating and drinking?

_That is shown us by these words, "Given and shed for you for the remission of sins"; namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins there is also life and salvation._

1. You have often seen how on certain Sundays confirmed members of our church went up to the altar to receive bread and wine to eat and drink, while the minister said to them: "Take and eat; this is the true body of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Take and drink; this is the true blood of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." We call this sacred act the _Lord's Supper,_ or the _Sacrament of the Altar. What does this sacred act mean?_

2. The holy evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and St. Paul the Apostle write about the Lord's Supper thus: _"Our Lord Jesus Christ," etc. The Lords Supper was not instituted by men, by the Church, _but by Christ Himself._ Therefore it is _a sacred act._ The Lord instituted His Supper _"the same night in which He was betrayed,"_ in the night before His sufferings and death. After He had given His disciples the bread and the cup, He added: _"This do in remembrance of Me." The Lord _commanded_ His disciples that after His ascension _they should do as He had done,_ that they should take bread and wine, give thanks over them, and eat and drink in remembrance of Him. _He commanded His Church to celebrate His Supper to the end of days._ "As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death _till He come."_ 1 Cor. 11,26.

3. In the night in which Jesus was betrayed by His disciple Judas, our Lord _took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it into small pieces, and gave it to His disciples, and said, Take and eat. After the same manner also He took the cup, filled it with wine, gave thanks, and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, drink ye all of it._ The Lord took _bread and wine_ and gave them to His disciples to eat and drink. We should do likewise in celebrating the Lord's Supper. We should take bread and wine, eat and drink both in remembrance of the Lord. As in Baptism the water, so in the Lord's Supper bread and wine are the external, visible means. The Lord's Supper is the bread and wine _comprehended in God's command._

4. In the Lord's Supper bread and wine are also _connected with God's word._ While the disciples ate the bread and drank the wine, the Lord said to them, _"This is my body, which is given for you. This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins."_ These words of Christ we must also have in His Supper, together with the bread and wine.--In His Supper, under the bread and wine, our Lord gives us, according to His promise, _His body, which was given for us,_ which was crucified, _and His true blood, which was shed for us on the cross for the remission of our sins._ Under and with the bread and wine we eat and drink the body and the blood of our Lord. We cannot understand how this is possible, but we _believe_ it because our Lord has promised it. _"The Word of the Lord is right, and all His works are done in truth."_ Ps. 33,4. Our Lord is the _almighty God,_ who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think and can understand. Eph. 3,20. The Lord's Supper, or the Sacrament of the Altar, _"is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself."_

5. _What is the benefit of such eating and drinking?_ Our Catechism answers: _"That is shown us by these words, 'Given and shed for you for the remission of sins.'"_ In the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. Our Lord, it is true, speaks only of remission, or forgiveness, of sins; but _"where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation."_--In His Supper my Lord gives me, and I eat, His body, given for me, and He gives me, and I drink, His blood, shed for the remission of my sins. He gives me His body and blood, by the giving and shedding of which upon the cross He purchased and earned and procured for me the forgiveness of my sins. So the Lord's Supper _strengthens our faith in Christ,_ our Redeemer. When we believe these words in the Sacrament, we have in it _forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation._ How we ought to thank our Lord for making us so certain of our salvation in His Supper!

REMEMBER:--

1. _We have two Sacraments, two sacred acts, wherein our Lord, through visible, external means, connected with the word of God, offers and gives us His grace which Christ has merited._

2. _Very many of those who call themselves Christians, and who are Christians, deny that in the Sacrament there is really Christ's true body and blood, because they cannot understand how this is possible. We firmly believe the plain and clear words of our true and almighty Savior._

3. _Let us give thanks to the Lord, who has prepared for us such a wonderful means of grace to strengthen our faith in the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation._

MEMORIZE: --

_The Word of the Lord is right, and all His works are done in truth._ Ps. 33,4.

_As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come._ 1 Cor. 11,26.

QUESTIONS.