Reading Scripture with Redeemer, Langford

08/08/2024

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

06/14/2022

Wonderful Bible Study By Dr Tom Winger

01/21/2022

Lenten Devotions for 2022 from Lutheran Hour ministries: https://lll.ca/lenten-devotions/

01/20/2022

There are daily devotions at Lutheran Hour Ministry's page: https://www.facebook.com/LutheranHourMinistriesCanada

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Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and equipping others to do the same.

06/10/2021

A word was secretly brought to me, my ears caught a whisper of it. Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on people, fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake. (Job 4:12-14) Eliphaz describes how received a message in a dream. The term “deep sleep” comes up again in the book of Job at 33:15 when Elihu describes how God uses frightful dreams to show human beings they will die. Confronted with death, people should turn to God as the source of all life. Elihu’s conclusion is not explained well by Eliphaz. Eliphaz realizes that to be corrected by God is a good thing so that you may be healed (Job 5:17-18). Eliphaz omits God’s motivation to correct and heal a person. In his other speeches, Eliphaz puts God’s motivation to correct and heal on human action. Do bad and God will punish; do good and God will reward. The truth is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were enemies of God, the Lord reconciled us to Himself through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. All this God does out of love for us (Romans 5:8-10). God’s love is not motivated by our actions but in spite of them. It is an unloving parent who does not care enough to correct their child. God loves for us, so He gave His law to correct us and His gospel to heal us. We need both, not one or the other. God desires that we not wallow in wickedness but be saved when Christ cleanses us from our guilt. A message of the law is not finished until it reaches the gospel: that Christ has fulfilled the law on our behalf so we can be children of God.

05/03/2021

Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. At the breath of God they perish; at the blast of his anger they are no more. (Job 4:7-9) While Eliphaz has been professing bad theology before this, he does have a point here. God does punish evil. The problem is that Eliphaz misapplies the statement. Job is innocent and upright, but was “destroyed.” Eliphaz is implying that God will save Job if Job is indeed innocent and upright, but that is not where Job is right now. Job is still suffering. Hearing this, Job will assume that Eliphaz is actually implying that Job is evil and received due punishment. God’s desire for us is that we hear the Word of God, come to Him, and live. The whole of scripture is to direct us to Christ and have eternal life in his name (cf. John 20:31). When we encounter the passages condemning us for our sins, these too are trying to point us toward Christ. God’s Word reveals our sinfulness so that we understand our need to be forgiven in Christ. Job does not need to be consoled by the fate of the wicked, that does not save him. What saves Job is the work of God in his life, driving Job toward the love of his Lord. When you are stressed by the evils of this world or your own sinfulness, you do not need to worry about if you are condemned. You actually just need Christ. In Christ you have comfort and truth, love and care, forgiveness and salvation. God first and foremost wants to love you through Christ.

02/23/2021

Should not your piety be your confidence… ? (Job 4:6a) In a word: no, your piety should not be what you take confidence in. Eliphaz makes the same error as many preachers do in this day and age by making the believer look to their faith instead of the object of faith which is Jesus Christ. Without Christ, faith is nothing. If possessing faith is the important thing, then the incredibly faithful followers of false gods like Baal or Zeus would be saved, but they are not saved because their gods lack any power. Faith is the conduit through which we receive the salvation of Christ (Ephesians 2:8). Are you then responsible for having faith in order to be saved? No, you’re not. Faith is created by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Although you are the one hearing the Word, the Word (who is Jesus himself, John 1:1-3,14) creates your faith for you. When you call upon Jesus as Lord to save you from your sins, you call upon him because the Holy Spirit has already come upon you (1 Corinthians 12:3). It does not fall upon you to save yourself, your salvation by grace through faith is completely the work of God. When we doubt in our faith (as happens from time to time), we should look upon what God does for us in our lives. He has given you His Word in scripture that declares you forgiven in Christ. He has baptized you with water and the Spirit to save you and cleanse your conscience. The Lord does this all through the faith which He has given as a gift to you. Your confidence is not in your faith but in the one who gives you faith because He is the one who is actively saving you.