About Around the Word Bible Studies
Around the Word Bible Studies are prepared for use in the congregation and home and are great for both group and personal study. Each study is formatted on two pages and is intended to lead you deeper into the Scriptures to receive the Lord's truth and comfort. These studies are free to use, in whole or in part, in any way you find helpful to the Gospel. Sign-up on right to receive these Bible Studies weekly via email. 
The Seven Words of the Cross
Author: Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz There’s a joy and satisfaction in finishing a project around the house, an important presentation for school or work, or even completing a good book. So too, in the Christian church year, there is joy in every season as God’s work of salvation unfolds for us. This is especially apparent in the holy season of Lent, a season that calls our eyes, ears, and voices to the cross of Jesus where he cried out “It is finished”. On the cross, Jesus made satisfaction for our sins, and joy and satisfaction for the Christian is found in Jesus’ work of fulfillment on the cross. There is great joy, comfort, hope, and promise in those words “It is finished”. During this holy season of fasting, repentance, prayer, and meditation we will study the last words of Jesus spoken on the cross. In good biblical fashion, there are seven of them. Seven is a biblical number of completion, fullness, fulfillment, and finality, as in on the seventh day God rested from all his labors and from the work that he had done. Just as creation was completed on the 7th day, so too, our salvation is completed and accomplished in these seven words of Jesus. So then, it is fitting that during this Lenten season we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest God’s holy Word in our Lord’s final words to us from the cross. For they are also Jesus’ words for us from the cross. The First Word | Download Here The Second Word | Download The Third Word | Download The Light of Christ
Author: Rev. Benjamin Hertel Though the Christmas season has ended, the light of the Gospel shines as brilliantly as ever. With each passing week, the Advent wreath burned ever more brightly as we recalled God’s promise to bring Light and Life into our dark and dying world. In this Epiphany study, we will continue to ponder the mystery of the Incarnation and bring the Gospel to light by looking at the Sunday Holy Gospel readings from the historic lectionary. St. Matthew 2:1-12 | Download Here St. Luke 2:42-52 | Download Here St. Matthew 3:13-17 | Download Here St. John 2:1-11 | Download Here St. Matthew 8:1-13 | Download Here St. Matthew 8:23-27 | Download Here St. Matthew 17:1-9 | Download Here St. Matthew 20:1-16 | Download Here St. Luke 8:4-15 | Download Here St. Luke 18:31-43 | Download St. John the Baptist
Author: Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller John the Baptist is the great character of Advent. He came before Jesus to prepare the way. He preached repentance, baptized in the Jordan River, and was arrested and murdered for his faithful work. According to Jesus, John was the greatest of the prophets (see Matthew 11:11), but John says, “He [Jesus] must increase, and I must decrease,” (John 3:30). In fact, the church has most often painted and pictured John in the Jordan River pointing to Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). In this study we consider the promise of John in the Old Testament, and the birth of John. The Birth of John | Download Here The Preaching of John | Download Here The Baptism of Jesus | Download Here The Death of John | Download Here 1 John
Author: Rev. Quintin Cundiff John the Evangelist's pastoral heart comes through in his Epistles, and his comforting and gentle way of teaching the faith is helpful for us to hear even today. As we dig into John's first letter, we will see the importance of the incarnation as a historical reality of God's work in our midst and the importance of what it means to "walk in the light." While James' approach to the Christian life is driven by urging us by the Law, John makes it clear that our good works are an outpouring of our thankfulness for the grace that we have received in Christ. 1 John 1:1-10 | Download Here 1 John 2:1-14 | Download Here 1 John 2:15-25 | Download Here 1 John 2:26-3:6 | Download Here 1 John 3:7-15 | Download Here 1 John 3:16-24 | Download Here 1 John 4:1-12 | Download Here 1 John 4:13-21 | Download Here 1 John 5:1-12 | Download Here 1 John 5:13-21 | Download Here Original Sin and Human Nature
Author: Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller A correct understanding of sin is foundational to understanding of the Gospel. The more we come to realize the severity of our condition, the more our appreciation of the Gospel’s beauty grows. If our problem is only that we do bad things, then the solution is to do the right thing. If our problem is that we are “sick” or “weak”, then salvation is a matter of healing and giving us spiritual strength. The Bible, though, tells us that we are “dead in trespasses and sins.” This means that salvation must be God’s work. In this series of Bible Studies we will let the Formula of Concord (1577) lead us into the Scripture’s teaching on Original Sin. When we see the depth of our sin we also see the height of God’s great love for us in Christ. Original Sin, Part 1 | Download Here Original Sin, Part 2 | Download Here Original Sin, Part 3 | Download Here Free Will, Part 1 | Download Here Free Will, Part 2 | Download Here Free Will, Part 3 | Download Here Free Will, Part 4 | Download Here Free Will, Part 5 | Download Here The I AM Sayings of Jesus
Author: Rev. Samuel Schuldheisz During this Easter season we reflect upon Christ’s saving work in his death and resurrection on our behalf. The season of repentance has given way to rejoicing. The fast has given way to the feast. The prophecies and promises are fulfilled. As Jesus declared on the cross, “It is finished.” Through Jesus’ dying and rising, we receive God’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Everything that Jesus promised, has come true for you. This is abundantly true in the famous “I AM sayings” of Jesus in John’s Gospel. Jesus used these seven titles for himself in order to fulfill God’s promises in the Old Testament and to point us to his saving work on the cross. In this bible study series, we will study the seven “I AM sayings” of our Lord in their context as well as their fulfillment in Jesus’ death and resurrection. We will also look at a second set of Jesus’ “I AM sayings” that are less familiar, but equally important in declaring Jesus’ saving work. Join us for this study as we rejoice in our risen Lord, whose saving Name, I AM, delivers God’s promise, presence, and peace to us. John 6:22-71 | Download Here John 8:12-30; 9:1-41 | Download Here John 10:1-10 | Download Here John 10:11-18 | Download Here John 11:1-44 | Download Here John 14:1-14 | Download Here John 15:1-17 | Download Here The Blood of Christ
Author: Rev. Jeffrey Ries Blood is often not a pleasant subject. It appears in such uncomfortable phrases as “blood and guts,” or “blood, sweat and tears.” The sight of blood makes many squeamish. Because of infectious diseases, blood is treated with no small amount of caution. But blood is a very prominent biblical theme. And just like the phrase used by the Red Cross’s blood donation program, “Gift of life,” when the Bible speaks of blood, it’s all about life. Jesus shed His holy, precious blood to give us the gift of life eternal. This Lenten Bible study series focuses on this gift of life – the blood of Christ. Hebrews 2:10-18 | Download Here Hebrews 9:6-14 | Download Here Hebrews 9:15-22 | Download Here Hebrews 10:11-25 | Download Here Hebrews 12:18-29 | Download Here Hebrews 13:7-16 | Download Here Hymn Study: O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
Author: Rev. Eric Andersen The hymn, “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright” was written by Pastor Philipp Nicolai during the Great Pestilence of 1597, which claimed the lives of 1300. In July alone, 300 people died, and Nicolai often buried up to 30 people in a single day. “O Morning Star” is a hymn that overflows with the comfort, peace, and joy of the Gospel—even as it looks death square in the eye. Stanza 1 | Download Here Stanza 2 | Download Here Stanza 3 | Download Here Stanza 4 | Download Here Stanza 5 | Download Here Stanza 6 | Download Here Isaiah on Christmas
Author: Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller Jesus is the “promised One.” All the prophets testified of Jesus, of His suffering, and of our forgiveness in His name. Chief among these prophets is Isaiah. His writing has been called “The Fifth Gospel” because he preaches so clearly of Jesus, His birth, His life, His suffering and death and resurrection. Isaiah preaches Christ crucified for sinners. In this four-part Bible Study we will consider Christmas in Isaiah, looking specifically in Isaiah 7:10-16, 9:2-7, 11:1-10, and 12. Isaiah 7:10-16 | Download Here Isaiah 9:2-7 | Download Here Isaiah 11:1-10 | Download Here Isaiah 12:1-6 | Download Here Parables
Author: Rev. Jeffrey Ries Things are not always as they seem, and this is definitely the case with our Lord’s parables. The characters and items in the parables stand for something else (allegory) and teach us about the reign of God in Christ Jesus. But our Lord also uses the parable genre to convict His hearers of their sin. Like Nathan, who tricked David into indicting himself by telling him a parable about “a little ewe lamb” (which was really about Uriah and Bathsheba; see 2 Samuel 12), our Lord often uses the parables to get His hearers right where He wants them before pulling the rug out from under their feet. In this way, the parables do the very important work of both convicting us of our sin and preparing the way for grace. Matthew 20:1-16 (Laborers in the Vineyard) | Download Here Matthew 21:33-44 (Wicked Tenants) | Download Here Matthew 22:1-14 (Wedding Banquet) | Download Here Matthew 25:1-13 (Wise & Foolish Virgins) | Download Here Matthew 25:14-30 (Talents) | Download Here Matthew 25:31-46 (Sheep & Goats) | Download Here The Seven Churches of the Revelation
Author: Rev. Travis Loeslie Revelation records seven sermons of our risen and exalted Lord Jesus Christ, sermons that are absolutely packed full of Law & Gospel. Here the Great Preacher does His work of killing and making alive by calling His Church to repentance and faith, admonishing, encouraging, and assuring us of His steadfast love. These letters are an excellent window into Holy Scripture and couldn't be more relevant for the contemporary church. Introduction to the Seven Churches | Download Here Revelation 2:1-7 | Download Here Revelation 2:8-11 | Download Here Revelation 2:12-17 | Download Here Revelation 2:18-29 | Download Here Revelation 3:1-6 | Download Here Revelation 3:7-13 | Download Here Revelation 3:14-22 | Download Here I Am Content: A Study of Ecclesiastes
Author: Rev. Eric Andersen King Solomon was known for his practical wisdom, and the book of Ecclesiastes is no exception. In this book, he takes a no-nonsense approach to the follies of materialism and hedonism and points to Christ, the only source of true and lasting contentment. Introduction to Ecclesiastes | Download Here Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 2:1-8 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 2:9-26 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:6 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 4:7-5:9 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:12 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 7:1-22 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 7:23-8:9 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 8:10-9:18 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 10:1-15 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 10:16-11:6 | Download Here Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14 | Download Here Resurrection! A Study of 1 Corinthians 15
Author: Rev. Randy Asburry St. Paul puts forth his teaching of the resurrection in this great chapter. We will spend five weeks unfolding the beautiful and wonderful truth of the Lord's resurrection and our own. 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 | Download Here 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 | Download Here 1 Corinthians 15:20-34 | Download Here 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 | Download Here 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 | Download Here The Seven Penitential Psalms
Authors: Rev. Eric Andersen & Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller The seven penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143) teach us the Biblical doctrine of repentance, sorrow over our sin, and the sure and certain hope of the forgiveness of all of our sins. We offer these seven studies for the seven weeks of Lent, 2015. Psalm 6 | Download Here Psalm 32 | Download Here Psalm 38 | Download Here Psalm 51 | Download Here Psalm 102 | Download Here Psalm 130 | Download Here Psalm 143 | Download Here |
Pastor Eric Andersen is the Around the Word Bible Study editor. He is pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Summit, IL and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hodgkins, IL.
Thank you to Issues, Etc. for sponsoring these Bible Studies. Visit www.issuesetc.org and listen now.
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