Burden And Blessing Podcast

In our Bible Study series on the Psalms we continue with Psalm 144, a psalm with a very military feel. David was a mighty warrior, and this psalm seems to follow after at least some of his military victories. The earliest would have been against Goliath, but there were many more victories that would follow that first one. In battle, training is necessary, and the LORD’s presence is decisive! The Psalm contains a strong note of divine justice, and a reminder that the LORD is the Deliverer. Notice also the response of the LORD deliverance by the Christian praise and singing. Join Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Neal Radichel for a personal Bible study on Psalm 144.

Was there really a global flood. This topic has been debated between Christians and Secularists for many decades. What is the evidence? What does the evidence point to? How do we interpret the evidence that we find throughout the world? In this episode of our debate series we are addressing whether there was a global flood. Join us for a valuable review of this topic that is discussed in churches, schools, theology and academia. The purpose of this series is to prepare Christians for the arguments that are made against Biblical truths, and to give them knowledge to defend and proclaim the faith that has been entrusted to us. We hope you will enjoy and benefit from this series and from this topic.

Fear is a natural response of our fallen human nature that results from living in a fallen world and being helpless. Helpless and unable to save himself, David knew where to turn. He confessed: "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?" (Psalm 56:3-4) The cure for our fear is found in the LORD and in His word of promise!    

Do you know what it is like to be hunted by someone who wants you dead? David did. And in such a time he turned to the LORD for help and protection. Our devotion is based on Psalm 59:16: "But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble." The LORD proved His love for David and leaped up to help in his time of need. And the same joy that we have is that David’s God is our God, and our LORD!

In our Bible Study series on the Psalms we continue with Psalm 113, one of the "Hallel" Psalms or psalms of "Praise." While we don't know for sure who wrote this Psalm, it has a strong connection to the Second Commandment, but in a positive sense. The name of God (Yahweh, Jehovah) is mentioned eight times in this short psalm. The LORD wants us to use His name to call upon Him, pray, praise (this word is used five times in this psalm!) and give thanks! Yes, "Praise the LORD!"

The two foundational teachings of the Bible are the Law and the Gospel. We see the ugly truth of the Law revealed and receive sweet and needed comfort and assurance from the Gospel. Our devotion is based on Psalm 5:4-5,7 "For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity….  But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple." The Law reveals our sin and deserved punishment, but the Gospel points us to the mercy of God in Christ Jesus!

We are beginning a new Bible Study series on the Psalms of the Old Testament to go along with our weekly devotions on the Psalms. In this series we will work through each of the 150 Psalms. We begin with Psalm 90, written by Moses as he describes the eternal nature of God and the struggles of the human life under the curse of sin. They will look at Law and Gospel, Vocations, Sin, the Nature of God and much more. Open your Bible and sit down with Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Neal Radichel as they dig into the Psalms together!

The love of the LORD to sinners such as us is enough to make a grown man cry. Yes, cry in a good sense, in thankfulness and praise for all that our Savior has done to accomplish my salvation. Our devotion is based on Psalm 144:3-4 "LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him? Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow." Thank God that He has taken knowledge of us and shown His mercy to all!

This coming weekend the Christian Church celebrates the festival of Holy Trinity. Even though our entire Christian liturgy and worship (every Sunday!) emphasizes the doctrine of the Trinity, on this Sunday we have a special opportunity to reflect on this essential doctrinal truth of Christianity. Join Pastors Ben Libby and Nathanael Mayhew as they review the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity by looking at the history of the church, both in the Old and New Testament periods, and the Scriptures themselves which present and define this doctrine which has been clearly proclaimed and confessed in the church's confessions throughout history. 

This morning we reflect on the nature of the LORD, the one true God and compare the LORD with the "gods" of the world. Our devotion is based on Psalm 113:5-6 "Who is like the LORD our God, Who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?" There are many counterfeit gods in our world, but none are like the LORD! He alone has taken on flesh and redeemed sinners to Himself. He alone is worthy of our praise! 

On Pentecost Sunday the church celebrates the work of the Holy Spirit who was poured out on the Lord's disciples on that day. Join Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Ben Libby for a study of the ancient Pentecost Hymn, Creator Sprit, by Whose Aid (hymn 236 in The Lutheran Hymnal). This hymn, which dates back to the 9th century and was originally written in Latin is a deep theological work on the person of the Holy Spirit who is God with the Father and the Son. Celebrate Pentecost with a deeper understanding of the Spirit's work and this theologically rich hymn of the ancient church.

Join Pastors Neal Radichel and Nathanael Mayhew for a devotion based on Psalm 90:12 "So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." Using the life of Moses we will reflect on the stages of life and the truth that God is with us through each stage, preparing us for service in His kingdom work. The LORD continues to “establish the work of our hands” so that we can be active in sharing the mercy of Christ while we count down the days until we meet Him face to face!

Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples one last time before He physically ascended into heaven. What is this event and where is it spoken of in the Scriptures? What is the meaning of the Ascension for us today? What is the connection between the Great Commission and Ascension? What changes do we see in the Apostles (and the church at large) after the Ascension? Join Pastors Mark Tiefel and Nathanael Mayhew as they discuss these questions and more as we celebrate the festival of Christ's Ascension.

As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus during this Easter season, Pastors Rob Sauers and Nathanael Mayhew take a deeper look at a less familiar Easter hymn found in the "Worship Supplement 2000." Written by modern English hymnwriter, Timothy Dudley-Smith, this hymn recounts the resurrection appearance of Jesus to seven disciples at the Sea of Galilee, as recorded in John 21. Join them as they study this hymn and the meaning of this resurrection appearance for those first disciples and for us still today! 

On May 1st, the church also remembers the Apostle James (the son of Alphaeus). This may be the most challenging of all the apostles, because there is so much confusion around the person of James. There are many men named James in the New Testament and it can be a challenge to sort through the information we have in the New Testament to determine who is who. We will look at the different persons named "James" in the New Testament and sort through what we know about this Apostle who was called "the son of Alphaeus" (Matthew 10:3). Join Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Mark Tiefel for another journey through the apostles of Jesus and what we can learn from them today! 

On May 1st, the church remembers the Apostle Philip. Philip was not one of the most familiar of the apostles, but he was possibly the first to be called by Jesus as a disciple. He was from the city of Bethsaida in Galilee, and has a close relationship to Nathanael (John 1). Join us as we study the scriptures to learn more about Philip and then learn from Philip's example as a follower of Jesus. We will be motivated by his zeal and encouraged by his faithfulness as we too strive to point others to Jesus of Nazareth, "of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote" (John 1:45). 

As we continue our journey through Genesis as we resume the account of the flood in chapters 7-9. We will review the two sources of the water for the flood and some of the chronology for the flood. How long did the water fall? How long was Noah on the ark? We will also look at the effects of the flood, address more evidence for a world-wide flood, and deal questions about finding Noah's ark today. Finally they will look at the meaning of the rainbow and Noah's beautiful response after the flood was over. Join Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Mark Tiefel as they continue though this important book of Genesis and both rediscover and discuss its revealed truths which continue to have a important bearing on our lives today. 

Join Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Neal Radichel as they look back on this series and reflect on the journey. This series was different, challenging, but intended to be devotional. The Bible is the most important book, and it records the most important history. What it records is true and it is necessary, because with out it we are in danger. God is our shield, our protection. Nathanael's series summary verse: "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him." (Proverbs 30:5 ESV) Neal's series summary verse:  "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (Jn. 20:31 NKJV)

The book of Revelation is often seen as a scary book, and is even avoided by many Christians. But it is an important book and its main purpose is to remind us that we live in a sin-filled dangerous world with many enemies, but Jesus wins in the end! The warnings, the power and glory, the victory of Christ our Lamb soaks through this letter. He is our King and our God! Our summary verse is from Revelation 21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” – (KJV)

This third letter of John is very short and has an emphasis on truth and what is "good" in these closing days of the NT. Truth and "goodness" are not relative words that are different for each person, but objectively true for all people because they are established and defined by God. Our summary verse is from 3 John 11: “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” – (HCSB)