Faith

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 waterthat 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 Test1 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, forGod 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 sa

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 1. You don’t Recognize his voice, yet1 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. 4. Fear 5. Tested by the Word Psalms 105:16-21 (ESV)“When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply

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 delivererThis 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

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: 1. 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.” 2. 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.”3. 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… 24 Now 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, 26 that 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. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of His body… 33 However, 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. Listen2. 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. TeachDeuteronomy 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.”2. 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.”3. 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.” 4. 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 Cale

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 th

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-mentLove and JusticeHebrews 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. 1. The Ark of the Covenant - Gold pot with manna - Aarons staff that had budded- The 10 commandments stone tablets 2. The table for the bread. 3. The Golden Lamp stand 4. The bronze altar 5. 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.”2. 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.” 3. 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.”4. 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.”5. The court of the tabernacleMatthew 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.”PentecostOld Covenant A cloud descended with loud noise and fireGod wrote the law on tablets of Stone3000 people died that day. God established the nation of Israel that day. PentecostNew Covenant The Holy Spirit Descended with a loud sound and fire. Wrote His law on our hearts3000 were savedGod established His churchIndividuals 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.” 1. Nile turned to blood2. Frogs3. Gnats4. Flies5. Death of livestock6. Boils7. Hail8. Locust9. 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 5Jesus: “Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 1 Peter 1:19 2. Lamb: “slaughter at twilight” vs 6 Jesus: “as evening approached” Christ died Mark 15:42 3. Lamb: “blood was to be shed” vs 7 Jesus: “a sudden flow of blood” John 19:34 4. Lamb: “Blood to be applied” to save you vs 22 Jesus: “atonement (Salvation), through faith in his blood” Romans 3:25 5. Lamb: “No bones of the lamb were to be broken” vs 46 Jesus: ““Not one of his bones will be broken.” John 19:36 6. 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 7. 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: BerítGreek: 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

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.”1. God designed and defined gender.2. 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.”3. 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 Events1. Creation2. Fall of Humanity3. Fall and rebellion of angelic beings4. 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 BabelDeuteronomy 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 1. Abraham2. Isaac3. Jacob4. 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

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 ThingColossians 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. 1. 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…”

1. 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.”2. 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 it and 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-SpyTruths to Live By1. 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 ChristmasPart 2John 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 itwith 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 meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captivesand 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 ChristmasGalatians 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 1. 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 2. 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.” 3. 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…” 4. 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 Difference1 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 Difference1 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.”1. Without love, our words push people away.2. 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.”3. 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.”4. 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 India5. 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. 1. 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.” 2. 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 3John 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 SpiritTeaches 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 Gifts2 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 SpiritPart 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…” 1. 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 1. 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 ShepherdPart 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 1. You respond to His voice. John 6:37 (ESV)“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me…” 2. 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.”