Rev. Dr. Gerson Mgaya
INTRODUCTION TO BIBLE STUDY READINGS: OUR HOUSES ARE BLESSED BY GOD
This Bible Study will cover three passages provided by the Calendar for sermons on the Lord’s Day for the week in question. The main goal of having this Bible Study is to help us members who are servants of the Word to have a broader understanding of the Word but since we are one institution, we share experiences and have a Common understanding. The unity that Jesus Christ prayed for us in John, we pray that it will be manifested even in our teachings, because we all serve among the Christians in the ELCT–SD.
PSALM 119:81-88; MARK 2:1-5
The calendar and traditions of our Church, on this Sunday, have brought us the title that says *OUR HOUSES ARE BLESSED BY GOD*. With this title in mind, we need to use these verses to show how God blesses our homes. We have been given a place to arrive at understanding: God blesses our homes. What is expected of us now is for us, the servants of the Word, to understand how God blesses our homes. With that understanding, we can tell the people we serve so that they do not miss out on those blessings.
No one wants to see themselves blessed. No one wants to see their congregations blessed. Because in the blessing of the people we lead, and those we serve among, there are many benefits for us personally and for our ministry as well. Let us thank God that we have agreed to have this period. Let us ask God to maintain it throughout our lives and continue it even for generations to come.
*PSALM 119:81-88*
The first thing we should look at here is what is Psalm? The Psalms, now we are talking about those in the Bible, are a collection of 150 poems that are songs, and prayers, that is why they are called songs of praise. These Psalms show what a person goes through in his relationship with God. These Psalms reflect different periods in daily life that is why we have Psalms of lamentation, praise, thanksgiving, wisdom, and hope. That is, life has its ups and downs, mountains and valleys, and there are also plains. The writers sang these Psalms after encountering something in their lives. These Psalms were composed by different people and at different times. Those mentioned as the composers of these Psalms include King David, Asaph, and Moses. The church has taken these Psalms and used them as sacred songs in worship. Many are in the Antiphon. These Psalms cover deep feelings, teach about the character of God, and provide guidance for living life. Let us thank God that there is such a treasure. This will help us too learn what to do when we are in circumstances like theirs.
*Psalm 119*
Unlike the other Psalms, Psalm 119 is the longest of all. It has 176 verses. This psalm contains all 22 consonants of the Hebrew language and each letter (consonant) is repeated eight times. It is easy to divide this chapter because you only look at where the first letter ends, then the second, the third and so on. That is why even the verse that is read on this Sunday has eight verses. Each of these 22 verses has a specific idea.
*Psalm 119:81–88*
In Hebrew, all these verses begin with the same letter, the letter Kaph which is the 11th letter. This passage called the Kaph passage main idea
Meaning & Key Theme
The great need for God’s presence in times of trouble: The psalmist’s soul longs for the salvation of the Lord (verse 81) and his eyes grow dim, comparing himself to a withered bottle dried up in smoke, symbolizing great distress and the weariness of trials. God’s presence will revive him, will bring him blessings.
Faith in God’s Word: Despite feeling weak, he does not forget God’s laws, saying, *All your commandments are amen* (verse 86). Amen in Hebrew to us means truth. His hope is based solely on God’s Word, and not on the fleeting things of this world. Did you notice that? He sees the way that will connect him to God is the Word of God. So, we are not wrong in agreeing to focus on the Word. The Word will bring us into the presence of God (John 14:23; John 15:1–7). And when the presence of God is with us, then we have all the blessings of God. Let us focus on the Word, and let us urge our people to focus on the Word.
Prayer for Help and Justice: The Psalmist cries, when will you comfort me? (v. 82) and *How long will your servant bear with me? (v. 84). The Psalmist asks God to act and judge his persecutors. This is the prayer of many, especially when they have been righteous all along and then they see their persecutors prosper. My brother, always fear that the prayers and cries of the righteous and the weak will not reach God. For they bring down the wrath of God upon the wicked. Look at what happened during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Compare this with what God said to Abraham (Genesis 18:20)
Dedication and Patience: The passage encourages moving forward by waiting for God’s timing, remaining humble, and drawing strength from His word even when things seem unclear. Look at what David did in 1 Samuel 30:6.
The Word of God is a Shield: God’s commandments are true and trustworthy and are a source of enduring strength, providing assurance to people living in a world that is trying and full of doubts.
The overall message of Psalm 119:81–88 in conjunction with the week’s theme.
In this mortal life there are times of great distress, suffering, and weakness. These times come to everyone. Even Jesus, it is said, experienced them. It is the lot of every living being. However, not everyone seeks refuge in the right place. What we need is God’s presence at all times and we need to see God as our shield and refuge. We need God’s blessings at all times. The Psalmist shows that true refuge and true strength come from nowhere else but the unchanging Word of God, holding fast to the hope of His deliverance and trusting in His sure promises even when comfort seems a mystery – let me say it in a roundabout way.
In other words, if we ministers understand the role of the Word in bringing down God’s blessings in the lives of men, not only will we focus on the Word, but we will go many steps further. We will encourage and make plans to see our congregations saturate themselves and be saturate with the Word of God. If we desire to be blessed, let us also be ready to walk in His path. You are told if you desire someone’s success, be ready to also receive their paths. Thank God for bringing us this Psalm again at the beginning of this year. And thank you for helping us ministers have this season.
The second reading is Mark 2:1–5
This passage gives us the account of a miracle that Jesus performed in Capernaum, the city that Jesus made his headquarters and here many miracles were performed. Today if you go to Capernaum, you will encounter many things about Jesus. I swear I will bring only three:
This city is where Peter and Andrew lived, it is also a neighbor of Bethsaida. Because it is Peter’s hometown, there is a large statue of Peter and under it is written, “On this rock I will build my church”. The question remains whether the rock meant by Jesus is Peter or Jesus himself.
Second, in that city there was a house of Peter. On top of that house a church has been built. Only bad people have prevented tourists from entering for now so that it does not collapse.
Then in the square at the entrance to the church, near the remains of the Synagogue, there is a statue of a man lying on the ground as if he is helpless. And that is what this story of the healed man is about.
Of the four Gospels, Mark is the shortest. But compared to the others, this is the one that records more miracles than the others. For him, Jesus did more than he talked. Jesus was a doer – God’s servants we are supposed to be more active than we talk. But in action, what is the purpose of acting? What do we do?
Jesus is called the Son of God, the servant of God. According to Mark, Jesus came to serve and to give his life or his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The pioneers of the DKU understood this gospel and Jesus’ ministry so well that they ended up taking that verse as our motto.
In service there are special blessings, but that is not the point of this passage. The point is with Jesus and the people who brought the sick to him. When Jesus is there, there is blessing, there is forgiveness, there is healing.
That is, if these people went to the extent of breaking through the roof of the house to reach Jesus, and leaving the sick man there, it clearly shows that they saw something special in Jesus. You and I must bring people to Jesus, and in order to bring people to Jesus, we ourselves must have a special understanding of Jesus. Because if we are not convinced of what Jesus can do, we will never bring people to Jesus. The only way to know Jesus well is to enter into the Word. If we know Jesus and his power, we will run to him. And if we run to him, we will not lack blessings from him.
SERMON STUDY: HEBREWS 13:1-4
Often sermon studies are from the Gospel, but here we have it from Hebrews. Bishop Dr. FIhavango prepares sermon study explanations every Sunday. Some of the things we will find there, here I will write what is the focus of this Bible Study and perhaps different from what he wrote.
For many years it was not known who the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews was. But in recent years, researchers have found new methods of examining the scriptures and through them have determined that Paul wrote this letter. Among the criteria they used are:
*Hiding the name of the author is a common practice*. At this time when Paul wrote this letter, the Jews had great hatred against him. But Paul for his part loved them very much and saw that they should not miss the mystery of the Kingdom of God revealed in Christ Jesus. What he did was write the letter and remove his name. For him, the name was not an issue, the issue was the truth and the gospel reaching the target audience.
*The contents of this letter reflect the argument and desire he had for the Jews*. They know Jesus Christ and that Christ is above all the priests, prophets and all the systems of the Old Testament since Abraham, Moses and all the covenants and sacrifices. That understanding could not have been given by anyone except a learned Pharisee who was converted and knew Jesus as the Messiah. That is, the writer showed great competence in the Old Testament and again in the stories of Jesus. Paul was an expert in both areas.
Paul identified the Jews with Hebrews, and that is what he shows here in the letter. His main argument is the position of Jesus and his importance. He shows that if people understand Jesus, and accept him, there is no place they will regret it. Because Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and when the glory of God is among people, they will receive blessings. But they must know this Jesus, they must accept him, that is, receive him. And that was a great test for most Jews.
Hebrews 13 is the last chapter in this letter. The previous chapters have been full of arguments to show who Jesus is and why people believe in Jesus. He has shown that Jesus is more than Angels (spirit creatures); He has come to show that Jesus is more than Moses (he is given a special place in the Old Testament) and is considered the father of the nation of Israel. He has also shown that Jesus is a type of a priest, a wonderful man named Melchizedek, whose history is difficult to find because his lineage is unknown and his life is not found in the scriptures. Jesus has become the high priest and through his priesthood, humans are saved by believing in him.
Paul shows the special thing that Judaism without faith does not help because since Abel things have gone by faith. And the matter of faith in Christ was a problem for the Jews. Having been sure that his argument is complete; he brings us to everyday things. How can the faith we have in Christ be manifested in life.
Let us consider carefully here: We cannot say we believe if our lives speak differently from our beliefs. And here Paul takes these things:
- Love: here love according to Jesus is the identity of a Christian (John 13:34–35). And according to Jesus’ love is a manifestation or sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Where the Spirit is, there is love. But we must ask ourselves what is love? Love is the power within a person that manifests the presence of God and that power transforms a person (2 Cor. 5:14) to reach out to another person and do whatever is needed regardless of the cost, where he is, how long this thing takes, and the time it will take. If we succeed here, our communities will be unique and truly the presence of God within us will be an attraction for those outside of us, that is, they will just come. The main thing here is for us to welcome the presence of God to be with us and he will arrange the rest.
- Generosity: Generosity is the opposite of selfishness. It is like the application of love – love in action. It is being willing to spend what you have for another. This ranges from life, time, energy, to wealth. This lesson asks us if our love is manifested in generosity? When we see others in need, what do we do? When we see our fellow human beings in need, to what extent are we drawn to help them?
- Paul is talking about the prisoners. Here, the old man should not be afraid, he was looking at his chains and ended up showing that people should remember him. But let us not forget ourselves. There are many types of imprisonment. Let us thank God that Paul reminds us here. Let us work to release them from their chains so that they too can be free. If we cannot free them, we can seek help from their place of release, including praying.
- There are those who are oppressed. What do we do for them? Do we just look at them? Is our faith in Christ silent? Is it full of fear? We see people being oppressed, their rights being stolen, we have put on Christ: what do we do?
- After that he comes to the purity of life, especially married life. Every generation in human history has had its challenges. Some were idols, some were false teachings, some were fornication, and some were superstitions. Let us pray that our generation does not take on all of them. Because if only one thing to deal with is a problem, what if all of them? When these things occur in society, they remove us from the presence of God and therefore we fall short of the glory of God. If we fall short of the glory of God, we will lack blessings. In other words, let us remind each other to keep our covenants of relationships or marriages; our covenants with God – that is, not to engage in spiritual fornication by engaging in idolatry and polytheism. These things bring curses and not blessings. If ministers understand this, it will be easier to explain them to others.
Summary of all three lessons:
The Psalmist showed us that we are in trouble and challenges. However, our hope is in God and we understand God through His Word.
In Mark we saw that where Jesus is, there is victory. Let us strive to reach Him. There are those who cannot reach Him, we carry them in our teachings and on our shoulders. When they reach Jesus, they are healed.
Once we reach Jesus, let us remember that Jesus is enough, He is above every system. Let us believe in Him and trust Him. And the result of believing in him is a life full of love, generosity, doing justice and compassion for the oppressed. But also, a life of faith separates itself from evil. When the presence of the Lord is with us, we will see how the Lord blesses us from individuals to institutions – the locality, the congregation, the diocese and the country as a whole. Let us encourage all people to trust in God.
@2026