Faith: Recent Episodes

Faith Arvada

Join us every week for a new message from our teaching team at Faith Arvada.

Unconformity

Leviticus 11:45 (NIV)

“I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:14-16 (NIV)
“do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Leviticus 18:3-4 (ESV)
“You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God.”

Ezekiel 11:12 (NIV)
“for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”

Matthew 6:8 (ESV)
“Do not be like them…”

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Challenge

Pluralism

John 14:6 (NIV)
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

1 Corinthians 8:6 (ESV)

“for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist."

Your Response to the Kingship of Christ

Luke 6:46 (ESV)

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

Matthew 13:23 (ESV)

“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

John 12:24 (ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Luke 9:23-24 (ESV)
“...If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Galatians 5:16-17 (NIV)
“...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Christ is King

Matthew 28:18-20a (ESV)

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Genesis 1:26a (ESV)

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion…”

Genesis 5:1-2a (NIV)
“…he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them.”

Genesis 2:17b (NKJV)

“for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:1-6 (ESV)
“He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he [her offspring] will crush your head, and you [Satan] will strike his heel.”

Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’

Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written:

‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’

Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”

Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn’t say You idiot! You can’t offer to me what doesn’t belong to you?

John 12:31-32 (ESV)
“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Matthew 28:18-20a (ESV)

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Colossians 2:15 (NKJV)
“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”

Revelation 1:5 (ESV)

“Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.”

Ephesians 1:19-23 (ESV)
“what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV)

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Walking in Spiritual Authority

Mark 1:27 (ESV)

“They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

Luke 9:1 (ESV)

“He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.”

Spiritual Authority

Where do you get it?

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

“Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 12:49 (ESV)

“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has Himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”

John 14:10 (ESV)

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does His works.”

John 16:13-15 (ESV)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.All that the Father has is mine; therefore, I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

“So, if Jesus and the Holy Spirit functioned under God’s Authority then naturally you and I as followers of Jesus and temples of the Holy spirit should also.”

How do you get it?

Matthew 21:18-22 (ESV)

“In the morning, as He was returning to the city, He became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, He went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

How do you lose it?

Matthew 8:5-10 (ESV)
“When He had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him, appealing to Him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And He said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed Him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

James 4:7 (CSB)

“Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

How do you use it?

2 Corinthians 13:10 (ESV)
"For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.”

Spiritual Warfare - Watch Your Mouth

Ecclesiastes 10:12 (ESV)

“The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor,

but the lips of a fool consume him.”

Ecclesiastes 10:12 (NLT)

"Wise words bring approval,

but fools are destroyed by their own words”

Proverbs 18:20-21 (NLT)

“Wise words satisfy like a good meal;

the right words [chosen words] bring satisfaction.

The tongue can bring death or life;

those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

James 3:3-12 (NLT)

“We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

Matthew 12:34b (NLT)
"For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”

Matthew 12:34b (ESV)
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Genesis 35:17-18 (NLT)

“After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, ‘Don’t be afraid—you have another son!’ Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means ‘son of my sorrow’). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin [which means ‘son of my right hand’ [or strength]).”

Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV)

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

Psalm 141:3 (ESV)

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

keep watch over the door of my lips!”

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

July 23, 2023 // Pastor Mark Davies How to Wage Warfare in the Arena of the Heart

Four Ways to Wage Warfare in the Arena of the Heart

Recognize the value of your heart

Proverbs 4:23–27 (ESV)

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”

Craft offensive strategies

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV)

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Job 31:1 (NIV)

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.”

Question: If I were the Devil, how would I attack me?

Issue eviction notices

Galatians 5:24 (ESV)

“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Colossians 3:5 (ESV)

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Psalm 119:11-12 (ESV)

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord ; teach me your statutes!”

Psalm 51:10 (ESV)

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Psalm 119:10 (ESV)

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!”

Rest

1 John 3:19-20 (ESV)

“we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

“Delight yourself in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

2 Chronicles 16:9a (ESV)

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.”

The Gate and Access Point of the Mind (thought life)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV)
“though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”

The Gate and access of our mind (thought life)

John 8:44 (ESV)

“…When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Thoughts that destroy.

Pride

Proverbs 8:13 (NIV)

“I hate pride and arrogance”

Criticism, judgment and negativity
Fear
Unbelief
Strife and contention
Inferiority
Condemnation

Deuteronomy 27:26 (NIV)

“Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’”

Galatians 3:10 (NIV)

“’Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them”

Galatians 3:11-14 (ESV)

“Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Not Today Satan

Ephesians 6:11 (ESV)
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Matthew 16:13-18 (ESV)
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’”

Revelation 3:20

“Behold I stand at the door and knock if any man will open then I will come in and have fellowship with him.”

Gate is a Human Choice

Three influences on this Gate of Choice.

God
Devil
You
Prayer
Pray specifically against the influence of the enemy
Preach the Gospel
Stand for Biblical truth and righteousness

Micah 6:8 (NKJV)
“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?”

Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Anchored
1. Nothing Matters More Than Knowing Christ

Philippians 3:7-9a (ESV)
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him...”

Knowing: GREEK: gnōsis - A first-hand experiential knowledge of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (ESV)
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

Galatians 6:14 (ESV)
“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Three Beliefs

July 2, 2023 // Pastor Mark Davies

It’s All Grace
Philippians 3:9b-12 (ESV)
“...not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”
1 Corinthians 15:9-10a (ESV)
“For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.”
Eternity Is Home
Philippians 3:13-16 (ESV)
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.”
Philippians 3:17-21 (ESV)
“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
Lord: GREEK: kyrios (Coo Ri Os) the owner, the decision-maker

1 Corinthians 15:48-58 (ESV)
“As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written. ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV)
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 5:4-6a (ESV)
“For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage.”

Remaining Anchored in Eternity Pray - Read - Fellowship

Ephesians 3:14-21 (ESV)
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Victorious Weapons

I believe the Lord would have us consider two points today.
First Point:

Jesus’ victory at the cross over sin, sickness and death has ushered us into the family of God as adopted sons and daughters. Therefore, our lives one to be lived in victory not victimhood.

Romans 8:37 (ESV)
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Romans 5:6, 8-10 (NIV)
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly...But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

In order to obtain the victory, Jesus secured for us at the cross He has given us weapons to combat our enemies.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV)
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

Mighty in God .
They pull down strongholds.
Casting down arguments [which may also be translated imaginations]. Every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Second Point:

Romans 12:2 (ESV)
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

So, let us rehearse the truth our experience and standing with God.

Romans 8:1 (NKJV)
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Romans 8:11 (NKJV)
“...if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Romans 8:14-17 (NKJV)
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...”

Romans 8:28-29 (NKJV)
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Romans 8:31 (NKJV)
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Romans 8:35-39 (NKJV)
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

‘For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Knowing God as FatherWhat is the Father like? John 14:9 (ESV)

“Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father’?”

The Father wants to be known by you.

Father God Loves, Always Isaiah 40:10-11 (ESV)

“Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”

Father God Welcomes All Who Turn to Him Psalm 68:5-6 (ESV)

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.”

June 18, 2023 // Pastor Mark Davies

Luke 12:32 (ESV)
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Galatians 4:4-7 (ESV)
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

2 Corinthians 6:16b, 18 (ESV)
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people...and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Ephesians 2:18-19 (ESV)
“For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”

Father God Disciplines For Our Instruction John 15:1-2 (ESV)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Matthew 20:25-28 (ESV)
“But Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

Spiritual Warfare – Part 2

Ephesians 1:18-22 (NIV)

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church”

Ephesians 6:10-20 (NIV)

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

Putting On Your Armor

Belt of Truth

Ephesians 5:6-9 (ESV)
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true)”

Ephesians 4:21 (ESV)
“the truth is in Jesus”

Breastplate of righteousness.

Isaiah 59:17 (NIV)

“He put on righteousness as his breastplate”

Gospel shoes.

Isaiah 6:15 (ESV)

“as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace”

Isaiah 52:7 (NIV)

“How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,

who bring good tidings,

who proclaim salvation”

Shield of Faith.

Psalm 18:30 (ESV)

“he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”

Psalm 28:7 (ESV)

“The Lord is my strength and my shield”

Helmet of salvation.
Sword of the spirit.

Peter

Three Noteworthy Characteristics

1. Peter Spoke his mind, even when no one else would.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:13-19

2. Peter was zealous.

Zeal = emotionally reacting without thinking about the consequences

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
Mark 8:31-33

3. Peter was H.O.T.

Humble, Open, and Teachable

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5

Humility = Deep awareness of one’s own “littleness”

For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].
Romans 12:3 (AMP)

Humbition = Humble, God-oriented ambition

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Question to ponder:

Where in your thinking, speaking, and acting do you need to humbly invite the Holy Spirit to teach you, returning to a simple and genuine child-like faith?

Thankfulness in Difficulty // Abundant Gratitude in Lack

Three Fruits of Thankfulness

1. Protected from Impurity

But among you, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
[Ephesians 5:3-4]

a) Gratitude and Greed cannot coexist

b) “Gratitude looks to the past, and love to the present; fear, greed, lust, and ambition look ahead.” - C.S. Lewis

2. An Uplifted Heart

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13:1-6

3. A more Enjoyable Person to be Around

Pastor:

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31

ALL:

Lord God, our hearts overflow with gratitude! Thank you for life, it is such a beautiful gift! Father, it's clear to us that when we choose to go our own way, we end up in darkness and despair. Mature us, Lord! Teach us to stay close to you.

Pastor:

God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your Word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your Word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your Word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.

You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.

Psalms 23:1-6 (MSG)

ALL:

Yes, Lord, we agree with your Word. You are our good shepherd, leading us and having everything we need each day.

Pastor:

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5

ALL:

You, God, were not content to leave us in our sin and filth, so You came and made your home with us! You are the one who was and is and is to come. Your light shines brightly in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome it, Let your light shine in and through us!

Pastor:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

ALL:

The Lord is our strength and shield; our hearts trust in him, and we are helped. Our hearts leap for joy and we will give thanks to him in song. (Psalm 28:7)

We will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness, and we will sing praises to the name of the Lord Most High. (Psalm 17:7)

Pastor:

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:15

And whatever you do, whether in Word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

ALL:

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name, not forgetting to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased.(Hebrews 13:15-16)

Pastor:

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

ALL:

Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"(Revelation 7:12b)

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.(1 Corinthians 15:57)

Pastor:

Thank you, God, for your everlasting kindness toward us. Jesus, thank you for the gift of your life on the cross. You opened the way back into a relationship with you. Holy Spirit, teach us to walk humbly and to love the things you love, modeling the father's heart to everyone we meet and declaring your gospel everywhere in everything we do and say.

ALL:

Amen!

The Finished Work of the Cross

John 19:17-30 (NLT)

“Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.” When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did. Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said,

“It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

What did Jesus finish on the cross?

1. The curse of sin.

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NKJV)

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

We all like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, everyone, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Galatians 3:13 (ESV)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us
—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Isaiah 43:25 (NIV)

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live to righteousness;”

2. Mankind's separation from God.

Matthew 27:51 (NIV)

“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

3. Our shame.

Hebrews 10:1-10 (NLT)

“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about me in the Scriptures.’” First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”

Ephesians 1:7, 9-10 (ESV)

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

You Matter To God

Mark 5:24-34 (ESV)

“a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease.”

Malachi 4:1-2 (ESV)
"the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.”

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.”

Psalm 103:1-6 (ESV)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.”

Being Right with God

Matthew 5:1 (ESV)

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.”

Matthew 5:17 (ESV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Matthew 5:18-20 (ESV)
“For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 23:25 (NIV)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

Matthew 23:26 (NIV)

“Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”

Matthew 23:27-28 (NIV)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

John 1:12-13 (NLT)

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”

2 Corinthian 5:21 (NIV)

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Philippians 3:9 (NIV)

“[I am] found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

The virgin birth, does it really matter?

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” [which means “God with us”].

Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” [which means “God with us”].

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”

Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

“I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

Galatians 4: 4-5 (ESV)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Genesis 2:15-17 (ESV)

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Salvation Is Here

Matthew 1:1-17

Verse 1

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah”

Jesus is…

1. The one sent to save us from our sins.

Matthew 1:20-21 (NLT)

“Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

2. The one who came for the morally outcast.

John 3:16

”God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

3. The one who came to bless the world.

Verse 1

"This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham”

Genesis 12:2b-3b (NIV)

“I will make your name great and you will be a blessing… and all the peoples on the earth will be blessed through you”

Galatians 3:16 (NIV)

“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.”

Colossians 1:16 (NIV)

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

The book of Jonah

Matthew 12:40 (ESV)
“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Jonah 1:1-2 (ESV)
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah… saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”

Jonah 1:3 (ESV)

“But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.”

Jonah 1:4 (ESV)

“the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea”

Jonah 1:5 (NIV)
“Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.”

Jonah 1:9-10 (ESV)
“I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.”

Jonah 1:11-12 (ESV)
“What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”

Jonah 1:15 (ESV)
“So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.”

Jonah 1:17a (ESV)
“the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.”

Jonah 1:17b (ESV)
“And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Jonah 2:6 (ESV)
“you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God.”

Jonah 2:7-9 (ESV)

“When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you…what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

Jonah 2:10 (ESV)
“the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land”

Jonah 3:1-3 (ESV)
“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh”

Jonah 3:4 (ESV)

“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Jonah 3:8 (ESV)
“Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands”

Jonah 3:10 (ESV)
“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

Acts 3:19-20 (ESV)
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”

1 John 1:9 (NIV)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Jonah 4:2-4 (ESV)
“O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

Jonah 4:8 (ESV)
“It is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah 4:10 (NLT)
“Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

The Book of Hosea:

The holiness and heart of God.

Hosea 1:1 (ESV)

“The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.”

Hosea 4:1a (ESV)

“Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.”

Hosea 4:1b-3a (ESV)

“There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and no knowledge of God in the land;

there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Therefore the land mourns…”

Hosea 4:11 (ESV)

“whoredom, wine, and new wine,
which take away the understanding.”

Hosea 4:12 (ESV)

“My people inquire of a piece of wood,
and their walking staff gives them oracles.
For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray,
and they have left their God to play the whore.”

Hosea 4:17 (ESV)

“Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone.”

Hosea 4:18 (ESV)

“When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring;
their rulers dearly love shame.”

Hosea 13:2 (ESV)

"they sin more and more,
and make for themselves metal images”

Hosea 1:2-3 (ESV)
“the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” So he went and took Gomer…and she conceived and bore him a son.”

Hosea 3:1-2 (ESV)
“Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech [3 bushel] of barley.”

Hosea 3:4 (ESV)
“For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods."

Hosea 3:5 (ESV)
“Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.”

Hosea 2:14-17 (ESV)

“I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.

And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more.”

Hosea 6:1-2 (ESV)

"Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.”

1 Corinthians 15:4 (ESV)
“he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”

Ephesians 5:25 (ESV)
“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”

2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV)
“I promised you to one husband, to Christ”

1 Corinthians 6:20 (NIV)
“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price”

1 Peter 1:18-19 (ESV)
"you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Receiving Your Restoration

Psalm 51:16-17 (NIV)

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

Receiving your restoration

Psalm 51:10 (ESV)

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

The result of our honest and specific confession before God.

God re-creates our heart.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

“…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

God reestablishes our joy.

Psalm 51:12 (ESV)

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation…”

Re-experience communion with God.

Psalm 51:12 (NIV)

“grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Re-ignition of our calling.

Psalm 51:13 (NIV)

“Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

so that sinners will turn back to you.”

Releasing of our worship.

Psalm 51:14-15 (NIV)

“Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

you who are God my Savior,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

Open my lips, Lord,

and my mouth will declare your praise.”

Restoration of your confidence.

Psalm 51:18 (NIV)

“May it please you to prosper Zion,

to build up the walls of Jerusalem.”

Jesus Our King and Priest

Romans 5:12 (ESV)
“…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men…” (Anthropos - man kind, male and female)

Romans 5:15 (ESV)
“…many died through one man's trespass…”

Romans 5:16 (ESV)
"…judgment following one trespass brought condemnation…”

Romans 5:17 (ESV)
“…because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man…”

Romans 5:18 (ESV)
“…as one trespass led to condemnation for all men…”

Romans 5:19 (ESV)
“…by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners…”

Luke 24:44 (ESV)
“…everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Psalm 110 (ESV)

“The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

The Lord sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.

The Lord has sworn
and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your right hand;
He will shatter kings on the day of His wrath.

He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
He will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.

He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore He will lift up His head.”

Jesus our Messiah is our great King and our high priest.

Psalm 110:1 (ESV)

“The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Matthew 22:41-46 (ESV)
“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls Him Lord, saying, if then David calls Him Lord, how is He his son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask Him any more questions.”

Psalm 110:2 (ESV)

“The Lord sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!”

Psalm 110:3 (ESV)

“Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.”

Psalm 110:4 (ESV)

“The Lord has sworn
and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalm 110:5-7 (ESV)

“The Lord is at your right hand;
He will shatter kings on the day of His wrath.

He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
He will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.

He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore He will lift up His head.”

The Life God Blesses

Psalm 1:1-6 (ESV)

“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;”

“his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on His law he meditates day and night.”

“He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.”

“The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

“Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;”

“for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Three Reasons Why We Worship

1. Thankfulness

Psalms 100:4 (ESV)

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
and His courts with praise!
Give thanks to Him; bless His name!”

Psalms 118:19,20 (ESV)

“Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.” … “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.”

1. Perspective

Psalms 46:10 (ESV)

“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”

2. Warfare

Psalms 68:1 (ESV)

“God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered;
and those who hate Him shall flee before Him!”

Acts 13:36 (ESV)

“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption…”

1 Chronicles 29:26-30 (ESV)

“Thus, David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place. Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer, with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.”

Four Tests We Must Pass To Fulfill The Purposes of God for Our Lives.

1. The Arrogance Test

1 Samuel 17:32–36 (ESV)

“And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

2. The Abuse Test

1 Samuel 19:9-11 (ESV)

“Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

1 Samuel 19:9-12 (ESV)

"Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped."

3. The Advantage Test

1 Samuel 24:16-20 (ESV)

“Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.”

4. The Association Test

2 Samuel 1:13-16 (NLT)

“Where are you from?” And he replied, “I am a foreigner, an Amalekite, who lives in your land.” “Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s anointed one?” David asked. Then David said to one of his men, “Kill him!” So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him.“You have condemned yourself,” David said, “for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV)

“Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

If You Want God’s Favor, Then Do This

Romans 15:4 (ESV)

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction…”

2 Kings 21:1-6 (NIV)
“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.”

“An idol is anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give. Anything that is so central and essential to your life, that should lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.”
- Timothy Keller (Counterfeit Gods)

“An idol is something we cannot live without. We must have it. Therefore, it drives us to break rules we once honored to harm others, even ourselves, in order to get it.”

Timothy Keller (Counterfeit Gods)

2 Kings 21:20-21 (NIV)
“He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. He forsook the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in obedience to him.”

2 Kings 22:2 (NIV)
“He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”

2 Chronicles 34:3a (NIV)
“In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.”

2 Chronicles 34:3b (NIV)
“In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols”

2 Kings 22:11 (ESV)
“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.”

2 Kings 22:19 (NLT)
“You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people—that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord.”

1 Peter 5:5-6 (NKJV)

“be clothed with humility, for

God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”

1 Corinthians 8:1 (NKJV)
“Knowledge puffs up”

Psalm 138:6 (NLT)

“Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.”

Isaiah 57:15 (NLT)

“I live in the high and holy place

with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.”

Philippians 2:5-9 (NLT)

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor…”

Recognizing the Demonic Spirit of Jezebel in Your Life

1 Kings 18:16-19 (NLT)
“…Ahab went out to meet Elijah. When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?”

“I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.”

1 Kings 18:27 (NLT)

“…Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself…”

1 Kings 19:1(NLT)
“When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal.”

1 Kings 19:2 (NLT)
“So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

1 Kings 19:3-4 (NLT)
“Elijah was afraid and fled for his life…he went on alone into the wilderness…He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

Revelation 2:20 (ESV)
“…I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess…”

How does the spirit of Jezebel influence Christians today?

It replaces the authority of scripture with the authority of culture.
It tries to manipulate, intimidate, and control spiritual authority.

Loyalty

Loyalty defined: Merriam Webster:

· Unswerving in allegiance, faithful, steadfast, true, obedient

David’s life may be reviewed in two seasons, Pre Bathsheba and Post Bathsheba.

2 Samuel 11:1-2 (NKJV)

“It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.”

Free Will

· The gift of Free Will is a frightening gift from God.

Consequences of Free Will Choice

· The consequences of David’s free will choice were devastating.

Adultery possibly Rape

· 2 Samuel 11:3-4 (NKJV)

“So, David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.”

Out of Wedlock Child

· 2 Samuel 11:5 (NKJV)

“And the woman conceived; so, she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child.”

Deceit

· 2 Samuel 11:6-13 (NKJV)

“Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. And David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So, Uriah departed from the king's house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord and did not go down to his house. So, when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?"And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing." Then David said to Uriah, "Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So, Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.”

Conspiracy

· 2 Samuel 11:14-15 (NKJV)

“In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die."

Murder

· 2 Samuel 11:16-18, 22- (NKJV)

“So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also. Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war…" So, the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him. And the messenger said to David, "Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate.The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also." Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab: 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.' So encourage him."

Cover up

· 2 Samuel 11:26-27 (NKJV) 7

“When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.”

The greater the influence we have in people’s lives the higher the standards of right actions are required of us.

2 Samuel 12:1-6 (ESV)
“And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds,but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

2 Samuel 12:7-12 (ESV)

“Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”

The Character of David is Revealed.

2 Samuel 12:13-14 (ESV)

“David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.”

Psalm 51:1-19 (ESV)

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and You teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will You delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.”

This Psalm and David’s humble response to his failure confirms David’s standing as “a man after God’s own heart.”

This is what Loyalty looks like

· This is what makes David a “man after God’s own heart”.

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

“…For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

The Consequences of David’s Free Will choice were devastating.

2 Samuel 12:10-12 (ESV)

“Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”

Lifelong conflict

· Death

· Family Trauma

· Public Humiliation

Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Loyalty is what God is looking for from each of us.

Our God is Jealous for us.

Envy: a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.

Jealousy: hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage, intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness.

Exodus 34:14 (NKJV)
“For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

The Psalms and the Life of David Are Like a Window

If we don't see the sheer depravity and destructive, hopeless nature of man, this covenant won't seem as sweet and “world-altering” as it really is.

What is a covenant?

· A binding relationship that God establishes with us and guarantees by His word.

2 Samuel 7:1-7 (ESV)

“Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build Me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”

2 Samuel 7:11-17 (ESV)

“From the time that I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but My steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.”

2 Samuel 2:28 (ESV)

“So, Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.”

2 Samuel 7:16 (ESV)

“And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

Matthew 1:1 (ESV)

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

David’s Response

2 Samuel 7:18 (ESV)

“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”

Are you living in that hope?

Words that Never Fail

Hannah’s Vow:

1 Samuel 1:11-17 (ESV)

“And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to Him.”

1 Samuel 2:12 (ESV)

“Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.”

Samuel Hears the Voice of the Lord:

1 Samuel 2:26 (ESV)

“Now the young man, Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with Man.”

1 Samuel 3:1-21 (ESV)

“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.”

Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So, he went and lay down. And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore, Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if He calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’”

So, Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.

Therefore, I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.”

And he said, “Here I am.” And Eli said, “What was it that He told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that He told you.” So, Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.”

Divine Revelation

“Hearing God’s Voice”

How Does God Speak Today?

Logos

· His written, revealed, and abiding word. Greek for “word.”

Rhēma

· Spoken, revealed word.

1 Peter 1:23-25 (NASB)

“For you have been born again … through the living and abiding word [logos] of God. For, all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flowers fall off, but the word of the Lord abides forever. And this is the word [rhēma] which was preached to you.”

Who Does He Speak To?

Everyone

Five Reasons for Silence

You don’t Recognize his voice, yet

1 Samuel 3:7 (ESV)

“Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.”

2. Ignoring His Voice

3. Hard Heartedness

Hebrews 3:7-8 (ESV)

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness.”

Disobedience produces hardness.

Obedience produces sensitivity.

Fear
Tested by the Word

Psalms 105:16-21 (ESV)

“When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions.”

James 1:2-4 (ESV)

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

1 Peter 1:7 (NIV)

“…Your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Obey the Last Word!

Isaiah 55:10-11 (ESV)

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

A Romance of Grace

Judges 21:25 (ESV)
“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Ruth 1:1-5 (NIV)

“In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So, a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.”

“Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Ruth 1:16-18 (NIV)
“…Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

Ruth 2:3 (ESV)
“…she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.”

Ruth 3:3 (NIV)
"Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.”

Ruth 3:4 (NIV)
"When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”

Matthew 1:1 (NIV)
“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Matthew 1:5-6 (NIV)
“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of King David.”

Matthew 1:16 (NIV)
“…Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.”

John 1:17 (ESV)
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

The Mighty Worrier

1 Corinthians 10:6-14 (ESV)

“Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

The Book of Judges Contains a Pattern

• Lured Away by the neighboring people

• Oppressed by an enemy

• Cry Out to the Lord

• Rescue by a deliverer

This Pattern Repeats Seven times

Gideon - The Mighty Worrier

Judges 6:1 (ESV)

“The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.”

Anarchy

• A state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority.

Judges 6:6 (ESV)

“And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.”

Judges 6:10 (ESV)

“And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed My voice.”

Judges 6:11-27 (ESV)

“Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to Him, “Please, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to Him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” And he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me. Please do not depart from here until I come to You and bring out my present and set it before You.” And He said, “I will stay till you return.” So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to Him under the terebinth and presented them. And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites. That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.”

Judges 6:12-13 (ESV)

“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to Him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

Judges 6:14-15 (ESV)

“And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to Him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

“No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it obliterates God and puts self-interest upon the throne." Oswald Chambers

Judges 6:16 (ESV)

“And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Worrier to Warrior!

Judges 6:34 (ESV)

“…The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon…”

The Question: What did God Say?

Numbers 23:19 (ESV)

“God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”

Signs of Unity

John 17:20-26 (ESV)

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as you loved Me.Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that you have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know that you have sent Me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Psalm 133:1,3 (NIV)

“How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live together in unity!

…For there the Lord bestows his blessing,

even life forevermore.”

Joshua 1:16-18 (ESV)
“And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses! Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command Him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

The Signs of Unity:

You face the future with courage, trust, loyalty, confidence, and cooperation.

Joshua 6:1-5 (ESV)

“Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.”

There is a willingness to try something you have never tried before.

Joshua 8:3-8 (ESV)
“So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night. And he commanded them, “Behold, you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them. And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us, just as before.’ So we will flee before them. Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will give it into your hand.And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire.”

There is a willingness to do what is needed.

Philippians 2:2-8 (ESV)

“Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

The Godly Man

Deuteronomy 6:1-2,4-7 (ESV)
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long”…“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

1 Corinthians. 11:3 (ESV)
“I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.”

Ephesians 5:23-26, 28, 29, 30, 33 (ESV)

“23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church…24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word...28 husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because we are members of His body… 33However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

Ephesians 6:1-3 (ESV)
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),“that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Hebrews 12:8-11 (NLT)
“If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Ephesians 6:4 ESV)
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:3 (ESV)
“that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

The Christian Home

James 3:1 (ESV)

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

Deuteronomy 6:1-3 (ESV)
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it,that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV)
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

1. Listen

2. Love

Deuteronomy 6:5-6 (ESV)
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.”

John 14:23 (ESV)
“…If anyone loves me, He will keep my word, and my Father will love Him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him.”

3. Teach

Deuteronomy 6:7(ESV)

“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Things That Will Hinder You from Possessing God’s Best

Numbers 13:1-3 (ESV)

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.”

Numbers 13:17-20 (ESV)

“Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country, and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many,and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

Numbers 13:25-27 (ESV)

“At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.”

So, remember, they have been living on warm water and manna and don’t ever want to eat quail again… the lushes land of fruit, milk, honey…this sounds really good…. it’s everything God told them it was going to be…But then in the next verse…everything shifts…

Numbers 13:28 (ESV)

“However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.”

Numbers 13:31 (ESV)

“Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

Things that will hinder you from possessing God’s best.

Elevating problems above God’s promises.

Verse 30

“Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

Numbers 14:7-8(ESV)
“…The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.”

Making decisions based off of how we feel.

Numbers 13:32-33 (ESV)

“So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

Not guarding the words that come out of your mouth.

Numbers14:1-4(ESV)
“Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

James 3:3-6(NIV)
“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire…”

Psalm 141:3 (NIV)

“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

Not guarding your heart from negative outside influence.

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

“Above all else, guard your heart,

for everything you do flows from it.”

Numbers 14:10 (ESV)
Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.”

Numbers 14:28-31 (ESV)
“Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in My hearing I will do to you:your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.”

Contending for Contentment

Numbers 10:11-13 (ESV)

“In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony,and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses.”

Numbers 10:33,34 (ESV)

“So they set out from the mount of the Lord three days' journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting place for them…And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.”

Numbers 11:1-3 (ESV)

“And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.”

Numbers 11: 4-6 (NLT)
“Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed.“We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”

Exodus 15:24 (NIV)
“…the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

Numbers 11:11-12 (NLT)
“And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby?”

Numbers 11:12-15 (NLT)
“…Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors?Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”

Numbers 11:16-17 (NLT)
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you.I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.”

Numbers 11:18-20 (NLT)
“And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it.And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”

Numbers 11:21-22 (NLT)
“But Moses responded to the Lord, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”

Numbers 11:23 (NLT)
“…Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”

Numbers 11:31-34 (NLT)
“Now the Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground. So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry. But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt.”

What does complaining reveal?

The lack of trust that God is actually in control leading you to His best for you.

Matthew 12:34 (NLT)
"…For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”

Matthew 12:34 (ESV)
“…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

What does complaining effect?

Complaining poisons the wells that are in your life to bless you.

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Who does complaining impact the most?

Servant leaders God has placed in your life to serve you.

Hebrews 13:17 (ESV)
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

To Make Us One

Leviticus 4:1-7 (ESV)
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them,if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord.And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting,and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary.And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the Lord that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.”

Leviticus 17:11 (ESV)
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”

at-one-ment

Love and Justice

Hebrews 10:1-4 (NLT)
“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.”

Romans 3:25-26 (NIV)
“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—He did it to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Hebrews 10:8-12 (NLT)
“First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then He said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

1 Peter 2:21-25 (ESV)
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

The Tabernacle of Moses Fulfilled in Jesus

You can come in now.

Romans 15:4 (ESV)

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Exodus 25:8 (ESV)

“And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.”

Exodus 3:5 (ESV)

“…Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

The Tabernacle in the Old covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant
Gold pot with manna
Aarons staff that had budded
The 10 commandments stone tablets
The table for the bread.
The Golden Lamp stand
The bronze altar
The court of the tabernacle

The fulfillment of the tabernacle by Christ in the New covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant
The Manna

John 6:31-33 (ESV)
“Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Aarons staff/rod

Hebrews 9:24 (ESV)

“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”

The ten Commandments

Hebrews 10:1 (NIV)

“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.”

Hebrews 9:24 (NIV)

“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.”

Hebrews 9:10 (NIV)

“…external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”

The table for the bread

John 6:35 (ESV)

“…I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.”

The golden Lamp stand

John 8:12 (ESV)

“…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The bronze altar

Hebrews 10:10-12 (NIV)

“…we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”

The court of the tabernacle

Matthew 27:50-51 (NIV)

“when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

John 1:14 (ESV)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Does God Have More for You?

Exodus 19:1-6 (NLT)

“Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.

Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel: ’You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.Now if you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be My kingdom of priests, My holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”

Exodus 19:9 (ESV)

“…Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.”

Exodus 19:16-20 (ESV)

“On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.”

Exodus 20:2-18 (ESV)

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off.”

Pentecost

Old Covenant

A cloud descended with loud noise and fire

God wrote the law on tablets of Stone

3000 people died that day.

God established the nation of Israel that day.

Pentecost

New Covenant

The Holy Spirit Descended with a loud sound and fire.

Wrote His law on our hearts

3000 were saved

God established His church

Individuals received God’s Spirit

Act 2:1-4 (ESV)

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The Silhouette of Redemption

Exodus 7:3-5 (ESV)

“…I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring My hosts, My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”

Nile turned to blood
Frogs
Gnats
Flies
Death of livestock
Boils
Hail
Locust
Darkness

Exodus 10:23 (ESV)

“They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.”

Colossians 2:15 (NIV)

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross”

Exodus 11:1 (ESV)

“The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.”

Exodus 11:4-6 (ESV)

“So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.”

Exodus 11:9-10 (ESV)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land."

Hebrews 3:15 (CSB)

“…if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…”

Exodus 12:1-2 (ESV)

“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.”

Lamb: “without defect” vs 5
Jesus: “Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 1 Peter 1:19
Lamb: “slaughter at twilight” vs 6
Jesus: “as evening approached” Christ died Mark 15:42
Lamb: “blood was to be shed” vs 7

Jesus: “a sudden flow of blood” John 19:34

Lamb: “Blood to be applied” to save you vs 22

Jesus: “atonement (Salvation), through faith in his blood” Romans 3:25

Lamb: “No bones of the lamb were to be broken” vs 46
Jesus: ““Not one of his bones will be broken.” John 19:36
Lamb: “Those redeemed by the blood were God’s possession” Exodus 13:2
Jesus: “You are not your own, you were bought with a price” 1 Corinthians 6:19,20
Lamb: “Eat it with your traveling clothes on” vs 11
Jesus: “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Exodus 12:21-24 (ESV)

“Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever."

There Is a Way Out

Exodus 2:23-3:1 (ESV)

“During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew. Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Exodus 3:1 (ESV)

“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Exodus 3:2-3 (ESV)

“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

Exodus 3:4 (ESV)

“When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Exodus 3:5 (ESV)

“Then He said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Exodus 3:6 (ESV)

“And He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”

Exodus 3:7-9 (ESV)

“Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.”

Exodus 3:10 (ESV)

“Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Exodus 3:11 (ESV)

“…Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Exodus 3:12

“…I will be with you…”

Genesis 3:15(NIV)

“He will crush[b] your head,
and you will strike His heel.”

Genesis 12:1,3(NIV)
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Genesis 22:1-2(ESV)

God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Genesis 22:1-2(ESV)

God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

John 1:14(NIV)
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 3:16(NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

“go to the land of Moriah”

“offer him (Isaac) there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

Gen. 22:3-6(ESV)
So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy[a] will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together.

“(We will) come again to you.”

“Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son”

Genesis 22:7(ESV)
And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

Genesis 22:8(ESV)
Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Genesis 22:9(ESV)
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

Genesis 22:10-12(ESV)
Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

Genesis 22:13(ESV)

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Galatians 3:16(NIV)
“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,”[a] meaning one person, who is Christ."

John 19:1-6 (ESV)

“Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”

John 19:16-30 (ESV)
“So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.[d] But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Matthew 27:45-46(NIV)
From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

John 3:16(NIV)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.”

John 5:19

“I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

John 10:17-18(NIV)
“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Luke 23:46(NIV)
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[a] When he had said this, he breathed his last.”

Genesis 11:9 (ESV)
“…There the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

Deuteronomy 32:8 (ESV)
“…He fixed the borders of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.”

Psalm 82:6-7 (ESV)

“You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;

nevertheless, like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”

Deuteronomy 32:9 (ESV) “But the Lord's portion is His people,
Jacob (Israel) His allotted heritage.”

Genesis 12:1,3 (NIV & ESV)
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” “…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Galatians 3:16 (NIV)
“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.”

Genesis 15:1 (ESV)

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:”

Genesis 15:1 (ESV)
“Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Genesis 15:2-4 (ESV)
“But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

Genesis 15:5 (ESV)
“And He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Genesis 15:6 (ESV)
“And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”

Genesis 15:7 (ESV)
“I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

Genesis 15:8 (ESV)
But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

Genesis 15:12-21 (ESV)
“As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

James 2:23 (ESV)

“Abraham believed God…and he was called a friend of God.”

Galatians 3:29 (ESV)
“…if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”

John 15:15 (ESV)
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

We live in a Spiritual World

Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (ESV)

“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when He divided mankind,
He fixed the borders of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.

But the Lord's portion is His people,
Jacob (Israel) His allotted heritage.”

Deuteronomy 32:43 (ESV)

“Rejoice with Him, O heavens;
bow down to Him, all gods…”

Genesis 11:1-9 (ESV)“Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So, the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.”

Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (ESV)

“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when He divided mankind,
He fixed the borders of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.”

Psalm 82:1-8 (ESV)

“God has taken His place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods He holds judgment:

“How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

They have neither knowledge nor understanding,

they walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

I said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;

nevertheless, like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”

Arise, O God, judge the earth;
for you shall inherit all the nations!”

Genesis 12:1,3 (NIV & ESV)“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Deuteronomy 32:9 (ESV) “But the Lord's portion is His people,
Jacob (Israel) His allotted heritage.”

Deuteronomy 17:2-3 (ESV)
“If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing His covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden.”

Galatians 3:16 (NIV)“The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.”

Luke 10:1-3,9,16-21 (ESV)“…the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to go. And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” “Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.” “The one who hears you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me, and the one who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

A Covenant-Making God

Genesis 6:5-8 (NIV)

“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that He had made human beings on the earth, and His heart was deeply troubled.

So, the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

Genesis 9:9-17 (NIV)

“I now establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” So, God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between Me and all life on the earth.”

What is a Covenant?

Hebrew is:Berít

Greek: Diathéké

Four OT Covenants: Noah, Abraham, Israel, and King David.

God is a Covenant-Maker & a Covenant-Keeper

TRUST

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (ESV) [Eternal and unbreakable.]

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Ezekiel 36:26-28, 33-36 (ESV)
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.” “Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

Ezekiel 37:23, 26-28 (ESV)

“…I will save them from all the backsliding in which they have sinned and will cleanse them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” “I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them and will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

Hebrews 8:6-7,10-12 (ESV)

“But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant He mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.” “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Hebrews 9:15,24-26 (ESV)

“Therefore, He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (ESV)

“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

Ephesians 2:12-13,19 (ESV)

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” “So, then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV)

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen!”

The Deliverance of the Heart

Genesis 4:1-2 (NIV)

“Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.”

Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

“I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 4:3-7 (NIV)
“In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Genesis 4:8 (NIV)
“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.”

Matthew 24:10,12-13 (NKJV)
“…many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another…And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

Genesis 4:9-12 (ESV)
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Matthew 7:1-3 (ESV)
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment, you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

Hebrews 12:14-15 (NIV)
“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

2 John 1:8 (NIV)

“Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.”

Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV)

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

God Knows Best

Genesis 2:8-9 (ESV)

"…the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

Genesis 3:1-13 (NIV)

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Adam and Eve:

Questioned what God had said.
Questioned the sufficiency of God.
Questioned the sovereignty of God.
Trusted human reasoning over God’s instruction.

2 Corinthians 2:11 (NLT)
“so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”

Place your faith in God:

Trust what God has said.
Trust the sufficiency of God.
Trust in the sovereignty of God.
Trust in God’s leading over human reasoning.

Psalm 115:3 (NKJV)

“…our God is in heaven;
He does whatever He pleases.”

God’s Original Divine Design for Marriage and Family

Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

So, God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.”

God designed and defined gender.
God’s designed gender has a complementary function.

Genesis 2:18 (ESV)
“…I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Genesis 2:21-23 (ESV)
“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman and brought her to the man.

Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

Genesis 2:24 (ESV)

“Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

God’s designed gender defines sexuality.

Genesis 1:28(ESV)
“…God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…”

Begin Again

Genesis 1:1 (ESV)

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Psalms 33:6 (NIV)

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of His mouth.”

Genesis 2:4 (NIV)
“This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.”

Genesis 5:1 (NASB)
“…On the day when God created man…”

The Events

Creation
Fall of Humanity
Fall and rebellion of angelic beings
The Flood

Genesis 9:1-3 (ESV)
"God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything”

5.The Tower of Babel

Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (ESV)

"When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
when He divided mankind,
He fixed the borders of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.

But the Lord's portion is His people,
Jacob his allotted heritage.

The People

Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph

Law or Liberty?

Galatians is the first letter written by Paul

Jesus +

Paul asks, Is Christianity really “Solus Christus” Christ Alone?

Legalism / License / Liberty

Legalism (3-4)

“In the beginning, God created man in His image and humanity has been attempting to return the favor ever since." - Voltaire

Galatians 5:2 (ESV)

“Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.”

License (5-6)

Romans 6:15-23 (ESV)

“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Liberty (1-2)

Galatians 5:1 (ESV)

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

613 Laws

Galatians 3:19 (ESV)

"Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.”

Acts 15:10-11 (ESV)

“Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’”

Galatians 2:21 (ESV)

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

Galatians 3:10 (ESV)

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’”

Galatians 5:2 (ESV)

“Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.”

Romans 6:15 (ESV)

“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”

Romans 9:30-33 (ESV)

“What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame’”

Romans 10:1-4 (ESV)

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

Romans 14:23 (ESV)

“…whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”

Romans 8:1-4 (ESV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Galatians 3:19 (ESV)

“Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made…”

Galatians 4:4-9 (ESV)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?”

Romans 3:30-31 (ESV)

“Since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”

Romans 3:24 (ESV)

“…and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

John 8:31-36 (ESV)

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’”

Galatians 5:1 (ESV)

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

The Father’s Love

“The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshipping men...With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence.” ― A.W. Tozer, “The Knowledge of the Holy”

1 John 4:8 (ESV)
“…God is love”

1 John 1:5 (ESV)
“…God is light,”

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 (NIV)
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession."

Jeremiah 31:3 (ESV)
"the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

John 3:14-16 (ESV)
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 3:9-18 (ESV)
“Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 5:8 (ESV)
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Keeping God’s Main Thing Our Main Thing
Colossians 1:18 (ESV)
“And He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.”

Luke 24:13-32 (ESV)
“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered Him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find His body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. So, they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if He were going farther, but they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So, He went in to stay with them. When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?”

Keeping God’s main thing our main thing.

The entirety of the Bible is pointing to Jesus Christ.

Luke 24:25,27 (ESV)
“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” ... “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

John 5:39 (ESV)
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.”

1 Corinthians 1:23 (ESV)
“we preach Christ…”

1 Corinthians 2:2 (ESV)
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Luke 24:26-27 (ESV)
“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

Luke 24:31-32 (ESV)
"And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?"

The Key that Unlocks God’s Biblical Potential in Your Life

1 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)
“Train yourself for godliness;”

1 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV)
“Exercise yourself toward godliness.”

1 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)
“Train yourself to be godly.”

1 Timothy 4:7 (NASB)
“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;”

1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)
“For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
“He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Humility: The key that unlocks God’s biblical potential in your life.

1 Corinthians 8:1 (NKJV)
“Knowledge puffs up”

Mark 10:35-45 (NIV)
“Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” “What do you want Me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, (Jesus is letting them know you will suffer, you will endure incredible pain and you will die because of me) but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

Not so with you.

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

1 Peter 5:5-6 (NKJV)

“Be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

Psalm 138:6 (NLT)

“Though the Lord is great, He cares for the humble, but He keeps His distance from the proud.”

Isaiah 57:15 (NLT)

“I live in the high and holy place

with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.”

Philippians 2:5-9 (NLT)

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor…”

God is waiting for you.

James 4:8 (ESV)
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

Jeremiah 29:12-13 (ESV)
“Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”

Proverbs 8:17 (ESV)
“I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently find Me.”

God is waiting to reveal His glory to you.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (ESV)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”2 Corinthians 3:13 (ESV)
(We are) “not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end.”

2 Corinthians 3:14 (ESV)
“For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

“The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.” – Charles Spurgeon

Why can you have confidence in the Bible?

1. It is unique to all other books.

2. Proofs of early manuscripts.

3. The mathematical probability of messianic prophecies fulfilled in Jesus.

Luke 24:27 (NIV)
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”

John 5:46 (NIV)
“If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me."

4. The archaeological proofs.

Isaiah 40:8 (NIV)

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

How to Experience the Blessing of God Through the Bible

2 Timothy 3:14-17 (ESV)

(Timothy) “Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned itand how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; (cutting deep) it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

How do you approach the scriptures to receive the blessing of God?

1. Stand in awe of His word.

John 5:39 (NIV)

“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.”

2. Kneel in submission to His word.

John 14:23 (NIV)

“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

3. Walk in the illumination of His word.

Psalm 119:105 (ESV)

“Your word is a light to my feet and a light to my Path”

Proverbs 4:20-27 (ESV)

“My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.

Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.

For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.

Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.”

John 15:5 (NIV)

“apart from Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:1:11 (ESV)
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (NIV)

“If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

John 14:1-3 (NIV)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me.My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”

John 14:16-17 (NKJV)
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

John 14:18-19 (NKJV)
“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.”

John 14:27 (NKJV)
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

John 16:8-11 (NIV)
“When He comes, He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in Me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

John 16:20 (NIV)
“Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”

I-Spy

Truths to Live By

1. God will lead you into difficulty, and He will be with you.

John 16:33 (NLT)

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Psalm 23 (ESV)

“He leads me.” “You are with me.”

Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

2. If you don’t take a step, you will never arrive.

Numbers 13:30-31 (ESV)

“But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”

3. Provision is inside obedience.

Numbers 14:7-9 (ESV)

“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

They are our bread

Numbers 23:19 (ESV)

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

The Glory of Christmas
Part 2

John 5:39 (NASB)
“You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me.”

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 7:10-12 (NLT)
“Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead. “But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”

Isaiah 7:13 (NLT)
“Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well?”

Matthew 1:21-23 (ESV)
“She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;”

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
...the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and His name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:7 (ESV)
“Of the increase of His government and of peace
there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over His kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

Luke 4:30 (ESV)
“But passing through their midst, he went away.”

The Glory of Christmas

Galatians 4:4 (NLT)
“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.”

Luke 1:26-27 (NIV)
“God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”

Luke 1:28-30 (NIV)
“‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.’”

Luke 1:31-33 (NIV)
“‘You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.’”

Luke 1:34 (NIV)
“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’”

Luke 1:35 (NIV)
“‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.’”

Luke 1:37 (ESV)
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Luke 1:38 (ESV)
“Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”

Matthew 10:39 (ESV)
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV)
“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’”

Matthew 1:24-25 (NIV)
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.”

Mark 6:3 (NLT)
“Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary.’”

The Good News For and Through the Church

The Good News in 4 Phrases

God with us.

Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

“‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”

Isaiah 14:7 (NIV)

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.”

John 1:14 (ESV)

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.”

John 3:16-17 (ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

“He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, that we who are sons of men have the promise that we can become sons of God.”

- Pastor David Cook

God for us.

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Titus 2:14 (NIV)
“(Jesus) gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV)

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

John 10:18 (NIV)
“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”

God in us.

2 Corinthians 1:22 (NIV)
“(God) set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

Colossians 1:26-27 (NIV)
“The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV)

“Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God…”

Us with God.

Revelation 21:1-4 (ESV)

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:20 (ESV)
“Surely I am coming soon.”

Love Makes All the Difference

1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV)
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.”

1 Corinthians 12:31 (NIV)
“And yet I will show you the most excellent way.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

Love Makes All the Difference

1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)
“If I speak in the tongues of men (earthly) or of angels (heavenly), but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

Without love, our words push people away.
Without love, our spiritual knowledge and mysteries inflates.

1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge...but do not have love, I am nothing.”

1 Corinthians 8:1 (NIV)
“We know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.”

Without love, our faith is dead.

1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)

“If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Without love, giving is selfish.

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NIV)

“If I give all I possess to the poor...but do not have love, I gain nothing.

“You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.” - Amy Carmichael, Missionary in India

Without love, noble sacrifice is self-serving.

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NIV)

“...Give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

Colossians 3:14 (ESV)
“Above all these put on love.”

What does love look like?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Matthew 16:18 (ESV)

“I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

1 Corinthians 12:1 (NIV)

“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed…”

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

“A spiritual gift is an ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used to bless and equip other believers, to witness to unbelievers, to destroy the works of Satan and to highlight and give glory to the work and person of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV)
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Ephesians 4:12 (NIV)
“For building up the body of Christ…”

Numbers 11:29 (NIV)
“I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!”

Joel 2:28-29 (ESV)

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit.”

The church was given the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to finish what Jesus started.

Jesus came to undo what satan and sin had done to humanity.

Luke 4:16-19 (ESV)

“He (Jesus) stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’”

1 John 3:8 (ESV)
“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

Matthew 10:7-8 (ESV)
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.”

The power and gifts of the Holy Spirit are to equip the church to carry out its ministry until Jesus returns.

1 Corinthians 1:7 (ESV)

“You are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 14:12 (ESV)

“Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”

1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV)
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.”

God the Holy Spirit Part 3

John 16:7 (ESV)
“It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.”

The Help of the Holy Spirit

Teaches and counsels you on what to do. (John 14:26)
Makes you aware of sin. (John 16:7-8)
Is with you in every situation. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Gives you illumination of the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
Reveals the unknown thoughts of God to you. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
Gives you wisdom. (Ephesians 1:17-20)
Guides you in truth for today and shows you what is to come. (John 16:13-15)
Strengthens you in your human weakness. (Romans 8:26-27)
Guarantees you eternal life through the righteousness of Jesus. (Romans 8:10-11)
Enables you to produce good fruit. (Galatians 5:22-25)

God the Holy Spirit Has Given You Spiritual Gifts

2 Timothy 1:6 (ESV)
“I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of My hands.”

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

1 Timothy 4:14a (ESV)
“Do not neglect the gift you have...”

1 Corinthians 12:1 (NIV)
“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.”

1 Corinthians 12:3 (NIV)
“I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV)
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NIV)
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.”

1 Corinthians 12:18-20 (NIV)
“In fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”

1 Corinthians 12:27-30 (NIV)
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?”

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

Prayer

“God, I ask You to show me what gifts the Holy Spirit has given me with which I might better serve You and others. I completely surrender my will to You and I am excited to know what supernatural gifts You have chosen to give me. I commit to You that I will give Jesus Christ all the credit and glory for any work or miracle You do through my life, my prayers, my actions and my obedience.

I ask that You cleanse me and forgive me from any compromise, sin, wrong beliefs or pride. I ask that You deliver me of everything not pleasing to You, things that would keep me from being a clean vessel for You.
Father God, thank You for loving me and sending Your Son Jesus for me. Jesus, thank You for exchanging Your life for mine. Holy Spirit, thank You for convicting me of my sin and introducing me to Jesus; and thank You for filling me with Your power and manifesting Your spiritual gifts through my life as You chose. Amen!”

God the Holy Spirit

Part 2

John 16:7 (ESV)

“It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.”

Acts 1:4,5b (NIV)
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…”

The work of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives is for the sole purpose of bringing glory and honor to the Person and work of our Savior Jesus Christ.

John 16:14 (NIV)
“He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you.”

Zechariah 12:10 (ESV)
“I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses…”

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus…”

Proverbs 27:21 (NLT)

“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.”

A Church Familiar with God the Holy Spirit

John 14:26 (ESV)

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name…”

John 15:26 (ESV)
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth…”

John 16:7 (ESV)
“It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.”

Acts 1:4-5 (NIV)
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

“The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of the God in the world, and especially in the Church.”

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

The Activity of God the Holy Spirit

Is to bring life and to be a blessing.

Isaiah 32:14-18 (ESV)

“For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted…until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

Isaiah 44:3 (ESV)

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit upon your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants.”

Isaiah 63:10 (ESV)

“They rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to be their enemy, and Himself fought against them.”

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV)

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”

Making Jesus Famous

Question: Where did the need for missions begin?

Genesis 3:1-7 (NIV)

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”’ ‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Answer: It began at the fall of mankind.

Romans 5:12 (NIV)

“Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”

Question: What is God’s heart for missions?

Genesis 3:8-9 (NIV)

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”

Answer: To restore those lost safely back into His family.

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Question: Who is supposed to help restore those lost safely back into His family?

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’”

John 20:21 (NIV)

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’”

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

“You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 16:9-10 (NIV)

“During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

2 Corinthians 8:1-7 (NIV)

“Now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

Answer: Those who are a part of God’s family are the ones who are to help restore those lost back into His family.

Jesus, Our Shepherd

Part 2

John 10:1-16 (NIV)

“‘Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.’ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what He was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me—just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.’”

When Jesus is Your Shepherd

You respond to His voice.

John 6:37 (ESV)

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me…”

He stands guard over you.

John 10:7-10 (NIV)

“Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’”

Acts 20:28-30 (NIV)

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.”

Jesus, Our Shepherd

Part 1

Ezekiel 34:23 (NIV)

“I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.”

John 10:1-17 (ESV)

“‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.’ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.’”

“I am the good shepherd.”

You are a sheep.

Psalm 100:3 (NIV)

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”

Isaiah 40:11 (NIV)

“He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.”

Psalm 23 (NKJV)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The Church That Just Won’t Quit

James 1:2-4 (NIV)

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Acts 3:7-8 (NIV)

“Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.”

Acts 4:7 (NIV)

“By what power or what name did you do this?”

Acts 4:10 (NIV)

“Whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.”

Acts 4:12 (NIV)

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:13 (NIV)

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Acts 4:14 (NIV)

“But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.”

Acts 4:18 (NIV)

“Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the Name of Jesus.”

Acts 4:19-20 (BSB)

“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you instead of God. (We have made our choice.) We cannot help (ourselves from) speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:24 (NIV)

“‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘You made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.’”

Acts 4:25-27 (NIV)

“You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’ Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against Your Holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed.”

Acts 4:28 (NIV)

“They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”

Acts 4:29 (NIV)

“Now Lord, consider their threats and enable Your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness.”

Acts 4:30 (NIV)

“Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the Name of Your Holy Servant Jesus.”

Acts 4:31 (NIV)

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.”

Matthew 16:18 (ESV)

“I will build My Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

The Church Living Under the Kingship of Jesus Christ

John 12:12-19 (NIV)

“The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: ‘Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’ At first His disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about Him and that these things had been done to Him. Now the crowd that was with Him when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that He had performed this sign, went out to meet Him. So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!’”

How Can God’s People Miss Being Under the Kingship of Jesus?

We selectively read and interpret biblical promises of what Jesus our King came to do.
We are consumed with defeating the wrong enemy.

Ephesians 6:12-13 (ESV)

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

Our primary focus is the earthly preservation of our nation.

Philippians 3:20 (NKJV)

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV)

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.”

How Do God’s People Live Under the Kingship of Jesus?

Become familiar with the heart and context of the whole Bible.
Become consumed with defeating the enemy of our King.
Become consumed with the salvation of all people.

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

The Church Jesus is Building

1 Timothy 3:14-15 (NIV)

“…I am writing you these instructions so that…you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God…”

Acts 5:42 (NIV)

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house…”

· Temple courts - Large gathering

· House to house - Small group ministry

Genesis 2:18 (NKJV)
“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone…’”

The Church Jesus is Building is Aware of Their Need for Each Other

Small groups remind us we are a part of the Family of God.

2 Corinthians 6:18 (NIV)

“‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT)

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.”

Romans 12:15 (NIV)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

1 Corinthians 12:26 (NLT)

“If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.”

Small groups allow for care to be given and to be received.

Acts 2:45 (NIV)

“…They shared with anyone who was in need.”

Small groups help you become more mature in your faith.

1 Peter 2:2 (NASB)

“Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”

1 Corinthians 3:2-3 (NLT)

“I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?”

Small group is a place you find allies.

Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)

“…Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT)

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

The Church Jesus is Building is the Church Resting in Him

Mark 4:19 (NIV)
“The worries of this life...choke the Word, making it unfruitful.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

An Invitation from Jesus

Come to Me.
Take My yoke upon you.

“I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

The Type of Church Jesus Builds to Destroy the Works of Darkness

Acts 20:28 (ESV)
“He obtained [the church] with His own blood.”

The Type of Church Jesus Builds to Destroy the Works of Darkness

Is a church submitted to God’s Word over their desires, personal passions or feelings.

2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

“We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior. ― John Stott

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)
“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Is a church where the pastors and teachers teach and proclaim the whole counsel of the Scriptures.

Acts 20:26-28 (ESV)
“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.”

Colossians 1:28 (ESV)
“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

Matthew 16:13-18 (ESV)
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall notprevail against it.’”

What is the “Rock” Jesus is talking about?

Interpretation #1

• The Church will be built on Peter.

Interpretation #2

• The Church will be built on God by Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the world.

What was Jesus saying?

I will build my Church on top of the gates of Hell and its gates will crumble under its force.

Matthew 16:19 (NIV)
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The Ingredients of a Godly Legacy

Acts 20:17-38

The Example of the Apostle Paul

Integrity

Acts 20:17-19 (NIV)

“From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.”

Steadfastness

Acts 20:20-21 (NIV)

“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”

Boldness

Acts 20:22-24 (NIV)

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

Faithfulness

Acts 20:25-31 (NIV)

“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”

Generosity

Acts 20:32-35 (NIV)

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Impact

Acts 20:36-38 (NIV)

“When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.”

Walk into the rebellion against your diehard sin knowing who is with you.

Acts 4:1-13 (ESV)
“And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

Matthew 9:35-36 (ESV)
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Bring Christ and His provision to bear on your beliefs and desires.

Joshua 1:8 (ESV)
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Enter with joy into your struggle against destructive daily habits.

One of those schemes is this: “Don’t deal with your sin.”

You can face sin instead of hiding it.

You can own your sin instead of blaming others.

You can accept your sin instead of making excuses.

You can identify your sin as sin instead of minimizing it.

You can acknowledge your sin instead of denying it.

You can trust God with your sin instead of despairing.

Understand your real needs in the fight.

Ephesians 4:17-24
“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

The goal of our rebellion with sin is not that we would be better rule followers, but that we would be more faithful Christ lovers.

We are called to do the same for others.

Moving from the Cave to the Castle

1 Chronicles 11:10-19

Who were these mighty men?

1 Samuel 22

Distressed
Indebted
Discontented

There’s some Spiritual STRATEGY involved in moving from the cave to the castle.

*Strategy - “A plan of action, a plan for military operations and movements during a war or battle.”

1. Stare Up

Psalm 121:1-2 -- “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills-from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 57 & 142
Written by David while hiding in the cave of Adullam

2. Strengthen Up

1 Chronicles 11:10 -- “...Strengthened themselves with him...” - “Encouraged”

1 Samuel 30:6 -- “...But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

3. Step Up

1 Chronicles 11:10-11 -- “...With him...” “...Whom David had...” - He had their loyal service!

Volunteers
Psalm 110:3 -- “Your people will be volunteers in the day of your power.”

4. Stand Up

1 Chronicles 11:13-14 -- “...Took their stand...” - Stance of committed continuance

Vs. 14 -- “...So the Lord brought about a great victory.”

5. Speak Up

1 Chronicles 11:16-17 -- “Oh that someone would give me a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem, which is by the gate.”

I have a hypothesis...
David was not physically thirsty...He was thirsty for the will of God to be realized!

Job. 22:28 -- “Declare a thing and it shall be established.”

6. Shore Up

1 Chronicles 11:10 -- “...According to the Word of the Lord concerning Israel.” - David’s mighty men chose to give him a real picture of future victory! - Shore up their leaders’ faith!

- David’s Mighty Men gave him a VISION of VICTORY!

Proverbs 29:18 -- “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Pastor Sam Walker // July 25, 2021

Living for God in an Ungodly Culture

Message Reference - John 8:1-11

John 8:1-3 (NIV)

“At dawn He appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, and He sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.’”

John 8:3b-6a (NIV)

“They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Him.”

John 8:6b (NIV)

“Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger.”

John 8:7a (NIV)

“…they kept on questioning Him…”

John 8:7b (NIV)

“‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’”

John 8:10-11 (NLT)

“‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’”

Three Options to Reach Those in Need of Forgiveness From God

Condemn

“You are too far gone.”

Condone

“You are just fine the way you are.”

Compassionate confrontation

“You are loved by God and in need of forgiveness.”

“Now go and sin no more.”

Jesus Christ

God Wants to Use You

John 4:5-29 (NLT)
“(Jesus) came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ He was alone at the time because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, ‘You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?’ ‘Jesus replied, ‘If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.’ ‘But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,’ she said, ‘and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?’ Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.’ ‘Please, sir,’ the woman said, ‘give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.’ ‘Go and get your husband,’ Jesus told her. ‘I don’t have a husband,’ the woman replied. Jesus said, ‘You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!’ ‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?’ Jesus replied, ‘Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about Him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship Him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.’ The woman said, ‘I know the Messiah is coming —the one who is called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus told her, ‘I am the Messiah!’ Just then His disciples came back. They were shocked to find Him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, ‘What do you want with her?’ or ‘Why are you talking to her?’ The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?’”

Reaching Those Lost and Trapped by Sin in an Ungodly Culture

Understand the perspective of the one you are reaching.
Reach them with the love and grace of Jesus first.

“Jesus replied, ‘If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me,

and I would give you living water.’”

Realize God has given you the Holy Spirit to share Christ with others.

John 4:39 & 42 (NLT)
“Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’ Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard Him ourselves. Now we know that He is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

Vision of Victory

1. Know you are free.

John 8:36 (ESV)

“So if the Son set you free, you will be free indeed.”

2. How to hold onto that freedom.

1 Peter 2:16 (ESV)

“Live as people who are free…”

Vision of Victory

1 Samuel 17:26 (ESV)
“And David said to the men who stood by him, ‘What shall be done for the man who kills the Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?’”

Reaching Those Who Are Lost In an Ungodly Culture

Luke 19:1-4 (NIV)

“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him, since Jesus was coming that way.”

Don’t assume someone doesn’t want to know who Jesus really is.

“He wanted to see who Jesus was.”

You cannot assess if someone is worthy of meeting Jesus.

Luke 19:5-6 (NIV)

“When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly.”

Verse 7

“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’”

Seek out those lost in your life so that they may be found.

Luke 19:8-10 (NIV)

“Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’”

Romans 6:1-14 (NIV)

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Being a Man of God in an Ungodly Culture

Joshua 24:14-15 (NKJV)

“Fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

The man of God…

Accepts that he is accountable to God for his family.
Chooses daily to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to the Word of God.

“Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

James 1:17 (NIV)

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Isaiah 3:12 (NKJV)

“As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.”

Is the protector of those God has assigned under his care.

“Whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Ephesians 5:11 (NIV)

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

Maintaining a Biblical Perspective in the Face of Pressure

Daniel 6:10 (NIV)

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

Daniel 6:16a (NIV)

“So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den.”

We are to rest in the sovereignty of God’s plan.

Daniel 3:17-18 (NIV)

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Acts 4:19-20 (NIV)

“Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to Him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’”

We find comfort in knowing what is impossible with man is possible with God.

Daniel 6:14 (NIV)

“When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.”

Daniel 6:17 (NIV)

“A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed.”

Daniel 6:16b (NIV)

“The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!’”

Daniel 6:18 (NIV)

“Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.”

Your greatest pressure point can become the place of your greatest encounter with God.

Daniel 6:19 (NIV)

“At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’”

Daniel 6:21 (NIV)

“May the king live forever!”

Daniel 6:22-23 (NIV)

“My God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty. The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”

Psalm 46:1 (ESV)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Daniel 6:24 (NIV)

“At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.”

God will use your refusal to bow to an ungodly culture as a catalyst for revival.

Daniel 6:25-27 (NIV)

“Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: ‘May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.’”

Living a Life of Integrity in an Ungodly Culture

“The blessing of our integrity will outlive us and guide others in the right path long after we are dancing on streets of gold. The impact and influence are eternal.” - Dr. Russ Frase, Fight for integrity

Daniel 6:1-3 (ESV)

“It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.”

Living a Life of Integrity in an Ungodly Culture

Integrity positions you for an increase of influence.

“Because an excellent spirit was in him.”

2 Samuel 22:26 (NLT)

“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.”

Integrity positions you to be attacked by an ungodly culture.

Daniel 6:4a (NIV)

“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs.”

John 15:18-20 (NIV)

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”

Daniel 6:4b (NIV)

“They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”

Integrity can cause evil men and women to try to entrap you.

Daniel 6:5-9 (NIV)

“Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’ So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: ‘May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.’ So King Darius put the decree in writing.”

Matthew 5:11 (NIV)

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

A life of integrity remains faithful to God no matter what.

Daniel 6:10-12 (NIV)

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: ‘Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?’”

1 Peter 2:11-12 (NIV)

“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Steps to help you live a life of integrity:

Be brutally honest about your current status of integrity.
Take full responsibility for the areas you lack integrity.
Remember, integrity is impossible without a life anchored to God and His Word.

Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

“Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Warfare Wisdom…Defeating Our Enemies with the Knowledge of God

We live in the middle of two great prophetic declarations of victory.

Matthew 16:13-19

“…I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Revelation 12:11

“And they over came him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.”

Hosea 4:6

“My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.”

“To be dumb or silent thus fail or perish.”
“To fail or perish because of ignorant silence.”

Some Things We Need to KNOW Before We GO!

Know your Enemy

This is one of the most important aspects of military warfare!
John 10:10

“The thief comes but for to steal, kill and destroy…”

Know your Identity

John 1:12

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

Like Jesus in the wilderness, the first thing the devil does is question His identity.
Matthew 4:3,6

“…If you are the Son of God…” – the real temptation was to get Jesus to doubt His identity.

Know your Authority

Luke 9:1

“Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases.”

“Power” = miraculous power
“Authority” = supernatural delegated influence and jurisdiction

1. Operating in our GGA requires us to be surrendered and submitted to the authority of God.

We must be UNDER before we can ever be OVER!
James 4:7

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

2. Operating in our GGA requires us to be believers in the Authority of the Word of God.

Written Word = Jesus over the devil: “It is written…”
Spoken Word = Jesus model prayer: “Come kingdom of God, come Will of God…”
Job 22:28

“…Declare a thing…”

Isaiah 54:17

“…You shall condemn.” To declare as wrong.

3. Operating in our GGA requires us to be active members of the Family of God.

Luke 9:1

“…Called His twelve disciples together…”

4. Operating in our GGA requires us to be active in the Great Commission of God.

Matthew 28:19-20

Daniel 5:1-4 (NIV)

“King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.”

When Living for God in an Ungodly Culture:

There will be events and situations of deliberate mockery and blaspheme of God.
God is the One responsible for defending His own Name.

Daniel 5:5 (NIV)

“Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.”

Daniel 5:6 (NIV)

“His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.”

Daniel 5:7-16 (NIV)

“The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, ‘Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.’ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled. The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. ‘May the king live forever!’ she said. ‘Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.’ So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, ‘Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems…’”

Your godly life will attract those in need of God.

Daniel 5:13-16 (NLT)

“So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king asked him, ‘Are you Daniel? ...I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods within you and that you are filled with insight, understanding, and wisdom. My wise men and enchanters have tried to read the words on the wall and tell me their meaning, but they cannot do it. I am told that you can give interpretations and solve difficult problems. If you can read these words and tell me their meaning, you will be clothed in purple robes of royal honor, and you will have a gold chain placed around your neck. You will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom.’”

Daniel 5:17 (NIV)

“Then Daniel answered the king, ‘You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.’”

You will be faced with the temptation to sellout your character and God’s calling for an opportunity.

Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Daniel 5:18-21 (NIV)

“‘Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.’”

Daniel 5:22-23 (NIV)

“‘But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven.’”

Daniel 5:23 (NIV)

“‘You had the goblets from His temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.’”

Daniel 5:24-28 (NIV)

“Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. ‘This is the inscription that was written:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN

‘Here is what these words mean:

Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’”

Jeremiah 27:4-7 (ESV)

“Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.”’”

Daniel 5:29 (NIV)

“Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

Daniel 5:30-31 (NIV)

“That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.”

God is the only one who holds the authority to pass final judgment, not you.

John 12:47-48 (NLT)

“I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.”

Luke 9:52-56 (NLT)

“He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for His arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because He was on His way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, ‘Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village.”

Living for God in an Ungodly Culture

Lessons About Pride from King Nebuchadnezzar

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Daniel 4:4-12; 18-33 (MSG)

“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home taking it easy in my palace, without a care in the world. But as I was stretched out on my bed I had a dream that scared me—a nightmare that shook me. I sent for all the wise men of Babylon so that they could interpret the dream for me. When they were all assembled magicians, enchanters, fortunetellers, witches—I told them the dream. None could tell me what it meant. And then Daniel came in. His Babylonian name is Belteshazzar, named after my god, a man full of the divine Holy Spirit. I told him my dream. ‘Belteshazzar,’ I said, ‘chief of the magicians, I know that you are a man full of the divine Holy Spirit and that there is no mystery that you can’t solve. Listen to this dream that I had and interpret it for me. ‘This is what I saw as I was stretched out on my bed. I saw a big, towering tree at the center of the world. As I watched, the tree grew huge and strong. Its top reached the sky and it could be seen from the four corners of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant—enough food for everyone! Wild animals found shelter under it, birds nested in its branches, everything living was fed and sheltered by it…”

“…‘This is what I, King Nebuchadnezzar, dreamed. It’s your turn, Belteshazzar—interpret it for me. None of the wise men of Babylon could make heads or tails of it, but I’m sure you can do it. You’re full of the divine Holy Spirit.’ At first Daniel, who had been renamed Belteshazzar in Babylon, was upset. The thoughts that came swarming into his mind terrified him. ‘Belteshazzar,’ the king said, ‘stay calm. Don’t let the dream and its interpretation scare you.’ ‘My master,’ said Belteshazzar, ‘I wish this dream were about your enemies and its interpretation for your foes. The tree you saw that grew so large and sturdy with its top touching the sky, visible from the four corners of the world; the tree with the luxuriant foliage and abundant fruit, enough for everyone; the tree under which animals took cover and in which birds built nests—you, O king, are that tree. You have grown great and strong. Your royal majesty reaches sky-high, and your sovereign rule stretches to the four corners of the world. But the part about the holy angel descending from heaven and proclaiming, “Chop down the tree, destroy it, but leave stump and roots in the ground belted with a strap of iron and bronze in the grassy meadow; let him be soaked with heaven’s dew and take his meals with the grazing animals for seven seasons”—this, O king, also refers to you. It means that the High God has sentenced my master the king: You will be driven away from human company and live with the wild animals. You will graze on grass like an ox. You will be soaked in heaven’s dew. This will go on for seven seasons, and you will learn that the High God rules over human kingdoms and that he arranges all kingdom affairs. The part about the tree stump and roots being left means that your kingdom will still be there for you after you learn that it is heaven that runs things. So, king, take my advice: Make a clean break with your sins and start living for others. Quit your wicked life and look after the needs of the down-and-out. Then you will continue to have a good life.’ All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Just twelve months later, he was walking on the balcony of the royal palace in Babylon and boasted, ‘Look at this, Babylon the great! And I built it all by myself, a royal palace adequate to display my honor and glory!’ The words were no sooner out of his mouth than a voice out of heaven spoke, ‘This is the verdict on you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your kingdom is taken from you. You will be driven out of human company and live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like an ox. The sentence is for seven seasons, enough time to learn that the High God rules human kingdoms and puts whomever he wishes in charge.’ It happened at once. Nebuchadnezzar was driven out of human company, ate grass like an ox, and was soaked in heaven’s dew. His hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a hawk.”

Pride causes us to return to what we know doesn’t work.

“This is what I, King Nebuchadnezzar, dreamed. It’s your turn, Belteshazzar—interpret it for me. None of the wise men of Babylon could make heads or tails of it, but I’m sure you can do it. You’re full of the divine Holy Spirit.”

Pride inflicts pain on our relationships and to those we are in relationship with.

“At first Daniel, who had been renamed Belteshazzar in Babylon, was upset. The thoughts that came swarming into his mind terrified him. ‘Belteshazzar,’ the king said, ‘stay calm. Don’t let the dream and its interpretation scare you.’”

Proverbs 8:13 (NIV)

“I hate pride and arrogance.”

Proverbs 11:2 (AMP)

“When pride comes then come dishonor.”

Proverbs 13:10 (AMP)

“Through pride…come nothing but strife.”

James 3:16 (KJV)

“For where there is…strife, there is confusion and every evil work.”

Pride hinders spiritual growth.

1 Peter 5:5-6 (NKJV)

“Be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

Psalm 138:6 (NLT)

“Though the LORD is great, He cares for the humble, but He keeps His distance from the proud.”

Isaiah 57:15 (NLT)

“I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.”

Pride attracts the loving discipline of your Heavenly Father.

“The words were no sooner out of his mouth than a voice out of heaven spoke, ‘This is the verdict on you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your kingdom is taken from you. You will be driven out of human company and live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like an ox.’

Hebrews 12:6 (NIV)

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.”

God will honor your humility in His discipline with restoration and intimacy.

Daniel 4:34-37 (MSG)

“At the end of the seven years, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked to heaven. I was given my mind back and I blessed the High God, thanking and glorifying God, who lives forever: His sovereign rule lasts and lasts, His kingdom never declines and falls. Life on this earth doesn’t add up to much, but God’s heavenly army keeps everything going. No one can interrupt His work, no one can call his rule into question. At the same time that I was given back my mind, I was also given back my majesty and splendor, making my kingdom shine. All the leaders and important people came looking for me. I was reestablished as king in my kingdom and became greater than ever. And that’s why I’m singing—I, Nebuchadnezzar—singing and praising the King of Heaven.”

Living for God in an Ungodly Culture

Daniel 3:1-7 (MSG)

“King Nebuchadnezzar built a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet thick. He set it up on the Dura plain in the province of Babylon. He then ordered all the important leaders in the province, everybody who was anybody, to the dedication ceremony of the statue. They all came for the dedication, all the important people, and took their places before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.

A herald then proclaimed in a loud voice: ‘Attention, everyone! Every race, color, and creed, listen! When you hear the band strike up—all the trumpets and trombones, the tubas and baritones, the drums and cymbals—fall to your knees and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Anyone who does not kneel and worship shall be thrown immediately into a roaring furnace.’ The band started to play, a huge band equipped with all the musical instruments of Babylon, and everyone—every race, color, and creed—fell to their knees and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.”

Exodus 20:3-4 (ESV)

“You shall have no other gods before (besides) Me.” You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”

When Your Love for God Causes You to Stand Instead of Bow

You will be criticized for your choice.

Daniel 3:8-12 (MSG)

“Just then, some Babylonian fortunetellers stepped up and accused the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Long live the king! You gave strict orders, O king, that when the big band started playing, everyone had to fall to their knees and worship the gold statue, and whoever did not go to their knees and worship it had to be pitched into a roaring furnace. Well, there are some Jews here—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have placed in high positions in the province of Babylon. These men are ignoring you, O king. They don’t respect your gods and they won’t worship the gold statue you set up.’”

Acts 5:29 (ESV)

“We must obey God rather than men.”

You will continue to be challenged to bow down.

Daniel 3:13-15 (MSG)

“Furious, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought in. When the men were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar asked, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t respect my gods and refuse to worship the gold statue that I have set up? I’m giving you a second chance—but from now on, when the big band strikes up you must go to your knees and worship the statue I have made. If you don’t worship it, you will be pitched into a roaring furnace, no questions asked. Who is the god who can rescue you from my power?’”

Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

“If it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

You will receive courage from the Holy Spirit to stand.

Daniel 3:16-18 (MSG)

“‘Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.’”

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Jim Elliot
You can be confident God is standing for and with you.

Daniel 3:19-26,28 (MSG)

“Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, ‘Didn’t we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?’ ‘That’s right, O king,’ they said. ‘But look!’ he said. ‘I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!’ Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!’ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire…Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him! They ignored the king’s orders and laid their bodies on the line rather than serve or worship any god but their own.’”

Acts 7:54-60 (NIV)

“When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’…they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him… While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Daniel 2:1-13 (MSG)
“In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar started having dreams that disturbed him deeply. He couldn’t sleep. He called in all the Babylonian magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and fortunetellers to interpret his dreams for him. When they came and lined up before the king, he said to them, ‘I had a dream that I can’t get out of my mind. I can’t sleep until I know what it means.’ The fortunetellers, speaking in the Aramaic language, said, ‘Long live the king! Tell us the dream and we will interpret it.’ The king answered the fortunetellers, ‘This is my decree: If you can’t tell me both the dream itself and its interpretation, I’ll have you ripped to pieces, limb from limb, and your homes torn down. But if you tell me both the dream and its interpretation, I’ll lavish you with gifts and honors. So go to it: Tell me the dream and its interpretation.’ They answered, ‘If it please your majesty, tell us the dream. We’ll give the interpretation.’ But the king said, ‘I know what you’re up to—you’re just playing for time. You know you’re cornered. You know that if you can’t tell me my dream, you’re out and out doomed. I see right through you—you’re going to slap together some fancy stories and confuse the issue until I change my mind. No way! First tell me the dream, then I’ll know that you’re on the up and up with the interpretation and not just blowing smoke in my eyes.’ The fortunetellers said, ‘Nobody anywhere can do what you ask. And no king, great or small, has ever demanded anything like this from any magician, enchanter, or fortuneteller. What you’re asking is impossible unless some god or goddess should reveal it—and they don’t hang around with people like us.’ That set the king off. He lost his temper and ordered the whole company of Babylonian wise men killed. When the death warrant was issued, Daniel and his companions were included. They also were marked for execution.”

When it Seems Like an Ungodly Culture is Winning You Must Remember:

Refuse to have a victim mentality and choose to make a difference.

Luke 10:19 (NLT)
“I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy…”

John 16:33 (NIV)
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Romans 8:37 (NIV)
“We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Romans 8:28 (NIV)
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
“We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Revelation 1:5-6 (NKJV)
“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
“I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Respond in the opposite spirit of the culture you are called to serve and reach.

Daniel 2:14-16 (MSG)
“When Arioch, chief of the royal guards, was making arrangements for the execution, Daniel wisely took him aside and quietly asked what was going on: ‘Why this all of a sudden?’ After Arioch filled in the background, Daniel went to the king and asked for a little time so that he could interpret the dream.”

“Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable. It is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature.” ― Peter Scazzero (Emotionally Healthy Spirituality)

Release the matter into God’s hands, then rest in knowing He will take care of it.

Daniel 2:17-18 (MSG)
“Daniel then went home and told his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on. He asked them to pray to the God of heaven for mercy in solving this mystery so that the four of them wouldn’t be killed along with the whole company of Babylonian wise men.”

Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

4. Remember your life exists to bring glory to God.

Daniel 2:24-30 (MSG)
“So Daniel went back to Arioch, who had been put in charge of the execution. He said, ‘Call off the execution! Take me to the king and I’ll interpret his dream.’ Arioch didn’t lose a minute. He ran to the king, bringing Daniel with him, and said, ‘I’ve found a man from the exiles of Judah who can interpret the king’s dream!’ The king asked Daniel (renamed in Babylonian, Belteshazzar), ‘Are you sure you can do this—tell me the dream I had and interpret it for me?’ Daniel answered the king, ‘No mere human can solve the king’s mystery, I don’t care who it is—no wise man, enchanter, magician, diviner. But there is a God in heaven who solves mysteries, and He has solved this one. He is letting King Nebuchadnezzar in on what is going to happen in the days ahead. This is the dream you had when you were lying on your bed, the vision that filled your mind: While you were stretched out on your bed, O king, thoughts came to you regarding what is coming in the days ahead. The Revealer of Mysteries showed you what will happen. But the interpretation is given through me, not because I’m any smarter than anyone else in the country, but so that you will know what it means, so that you will understand what you dreamed.’”

1 Corinthians 6:20(NASB)
“You have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God.”

Psalm 115:1 (NLT)
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name goes all the glory.”

Living for God in an Ungodly Culture

The Testing of Your Faith

In every test, obeying the Word of God seems irrational.

“Unless there is the element of extreme risk in your exploits for God there is no need for faith.”
- Hudson Taylor

Every test of faith is a stepping stone to something greater.

Luke 16:10 (NIV)

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”

Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Every test determines which part of your faith is real and which part is counterfeit.

“A Christian faith that is not anchored and submitted to the full counsel of the Word of God, is not Christian faith at all. It is a counterfeit humanistic faith striving to appease one’s conscience in the Name of God while being void of Him.”

Romans 2:29 (NIV)

“A person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.”

1 Peter 1:7 (NLT)

“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV)

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.”

James 1:2-4 (NIV)

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Daniel 1:15-19 (NIV)

“At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”

Living for God in an Ungodly Culture

Daniel 1:8 (NLT)

“Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.”

How to Pass the Test When Confrontation Comes:

Determine in your heart now that you will not compromise your convictions and commitments to God.

Jeremiah 10:2 (NIV)

“Do not learn the ways of the nations…”

Jeremiah 10:5 (NIV)

“They can do no harm nor can they do any good.”

Jeremiah 10:6 (NIV)

“No one is like you, Lord; You are great, and Your Name is mighty in power.”

Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV)

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.’”

Respond with honor and respect.

Daniel 1:8-10 (NLT)

“He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.”

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

“You are a...royal priesthood.”

Mark 11:17 (NIV)

“…‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.”

Living for God in an Ungodly Culture

Daniel 1:1-6 (NIV)

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.”

The enemy uses culture:

To attack and shape your worldview.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

“We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.”

John Stott

To isolate you from other believers.

“Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man.”

Dwight L. Moody

Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)

“Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”

To indoctrinate you with new truth.

Definition of indoctrination:

“The process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.”

Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

“We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans.”

Voddie Baucham

To attack your God given identity.

“The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.”

Daniel - “God is my judge”

Belteshazzar - “Protector of the king; Lady, protector of the king”

Hananiah - “Yahweh has been gracious”

Shadrach - “Commanded by Aku” (pagan moon God)

Mishael - “Who Is Like God?”

Meshach - “Who is like the moon God Aku?”

Azariah - “Yahweh is my helper”

Abednego - “Servant of Nego”

Isaiah 43:1-3 (ESV)

“But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God.’”

Isaiah 43:1-3 (ESV)

“But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O _______________________, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God.’”

God Wants you to Be Free Luke 4:18

Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew 21: 1-11

Matthew 16:13-23

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIV)

Psalm 23:

Mark 7:31-37

Philippians 1:1-11

Mathew 22:34-39 (NIV) Luke 10:29-37 (NIV)

Ephesians 4: 31-32 (NIV)

Hebrews 10:25

James 3:16

1 Peter 2:17 NIV

Genesis 1-3 and 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

James 3:13-18

Romans 8:31-39

Luke 2:10

Luke 1:26-28

Luke 2:8-18

John 8:12

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Missions 2019

Jesus is Better Hebrews 13:7-9

Hebrews 11:1-40 and 12:1-3

Hebrews 5:1-10

Hebrews 4:1-2

Hebrews 3:1

Hebrews 2:10-11

Hebrews 1: 1-3

Acts 2:42-47

Mark 6:33-44

Luke 5:12-13

Exploring Mark - Mark 6:7-13

Exploring Mark - Mark 6:1-6

Exploring Mark - Mark 5:21-34

Exploring Mark - Mark 5:1-20

Exploring Mark - Mark 4:35-41

Exploring Mark

Exploring Mark - Mark 4:26-32

Exploring Mark - Mark 4:1-20

Exploring Mark - Mark 3:20-35

Exploring Mark - Mark 3:20-30

Exploring Mark - Mark 3:13-19

Lamentation 1:9

Exploring Marks - Mark 3:1-6

Exploring Mark - Mark 2:23-29

Exploring Mark - Mark 2:18-22

Exploring Mark - Mark 2:13-17

He knows you, He loves you, He came to save you

Exploring Mark - Mark 1:35-45

Exploring Mark - Mark 1:14-20

Exploring Mark - Mark 1:9-14

Exploring Mark - Mark 1:1-8

Choosing your Spouse Wisely

Thriving in Your Relationship with God

Breaking free from Approval Addiction

Finding Peace in the Midst of Conflict

Recipe for Thriving Relationships

Seeing Money from God's point of view

Making our Relationships Better

Healthy Thinking

Being Physically Healthy

Spiritual Health

Charting a Course for a Fresh Start in 2019

Rediscover Jesus

Rediscovering Peace

Lessons from the Nativity

Bringing others into God's family

Four things God nailed to the cross for me

Christ Lives in You

Inspiring Awe

Treasures in Dark Places

Eternal Investments

When is Enough Really Enough

Biblical Principles for Healthy Money

How do I know what God's will is for my life?

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Does Our Sexuality Matter To God?

When will Jesus return and does it matter?

Who is the Holy Spirit

Putting on and Maintaining Your Armor

Truths About Spiritual Warfare

The Importance of Biblical Parenting

Instructions for Christian Households

Walk in Love

Letting Jesus Reflect through your life

Are You Marked With Maturity?

Prayers that make stuff happen

Three Mysteries

We are the Church

No Description

Holy Understanding

Salvations

Ephesians It's Good News

How to Keep Building When You Feel Like Quitting

The Journey of Faith

Why Not Me

What God sees versus what you see

Building Blocks To Build Your Faith

Four Ways To Build Your Faith

Easter Service

Palm Sunday

Mark 10:17-31

Be Not Afraid

Mark 10:46-52

Love is Not Rude

Overcoming Bitterness

Love is Patient

What is your aspiration in life?

Better Together

Anticipation in 2018

Let Your Conscience be Your Guide

God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Bear

Principles for Effective Prayer

The Nativity

The Birth of Jesus

Do Not Be Afraid

Don’t Miss It

Helps and Hindrances to having Joy

The Pathway To Joy Is Humility

Finding Joy in Your Relationships

Missions 2017

Giving

God’s Word and Your Fiances

Genesis 12:1-3

The Generous Life

What is God’s call on my life?

God Set Them Free

Exodus 12

Exodus

The Unfulfilled Life

Discovering Your Purpose

Finding Freedom

Knowing God

The Uncertain and Insecure Rich Young Ruler

The Insider and the Outcast