Pastor John shares how the story of Jacob is a story of God transforming Jacob from a jealous deceiver to the man God had designed him to be. Jesus wants to do the same thing in your life.

Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,

Notes:

A Midweek Bible Study with the Staff of Avalon Church. In part 6 we look at James 1:22-27.

Series: The Book of James,

The perfect mom does not exist. But living a noble life of virtue and valor can happen as we move beyond comparison into the freedom and liberation that Jesus offers.

Today’s message is for moms,

It’s for all of us.

Some want to be a mom,

Some this year,

…are grieving the loss of their mom,

It’s in times of Uncertainty,

…We often discover who we are,

…And are open to God showing us

My hope is that today will be part of your journey

…to be exactly who YOU

There are many virtuous and capable women in all the world, but you surpass them all. --Proverbs 31:29 (NLT)

What a beautiful ode to a wife and mother.

May that be said of all of us!

chayil = valor

It literally means a person of valor.

It’s not Chy-Eel.

Chayil. (One syllable, CHayl)

Woman of valor = eshet chayil (E’shet CHayl)

The whole chapter of Proverbs 31,

She’s trustworthy.

She has her own business.

Then she stays up late

She cooks.

She makes clothes for her family,

She doesn’t worry.

Her husband is honored and successful.

this picture of the perfect woman,

One woman stated,

I never thought the hardest part of battling a global pandemic would be 4th grade math.

Another,

Quarantine - School Day #2: At what point can I request a transfer for my 2nd grader?

Quarantine School Day #3: I moved a table into the living room. Now the kids have a great workspace to sit… and throw fruit snacks at each other.

And the last,

Sure. Paint the dog’s toenails. Cut your brother’s hair. Whatever. #My House Is A Zoo

Which one sounds more like your life?

I’m sure these messages… all by men,

Unfortunately, they usually didn’t.

Being compared to perfection

For men, our bible heroes are wonderfully imperfect.

Moses sinned and wasn’t allowed into the Promised Land.

These were deeply flawed men,

We can all relate to that.

So, when we come to this list describing the perfect woman,

It’s hard,

…Because this is not how the Jews read it

…Each line beginning with the next letter

What’s interesting

There’s only one instruction in the entire poem.

…and it’s to men.

31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,

Why? Because she is an…

“Eshet Chayil” (E’shet CHayl)

…Not because of how she measures up.

Being a woman of valor is not condensed to marriage,

And how do we know that?

Because this isn’t the only place in the Hebrew Scriptures

In fact, this term was also used for Ruth in the Bible.

In fact, she was a widow,

Ruth’s children didn’t rise up and call her blessed.

She didn’t have her own business

She worked all day in the scorching sun,

She was the poorest of poor.

And guess what Boaz, a leader in the community,

…Before she got married,

All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character (eshet chayil) --Ruth 3:11 (NIV)

There’s that phrase,

Ruth is identified as a woman of valor,

…But because she lived her life

Throughout Jewish culture,

…A blessing,

…but to be bestowed unconditionally.

It’s encouragement,

…Not about following a list of rules,

It’s like, “You go, girl!”

Imagine, men, how the women in our lives would feel

They get accepted into the school or program they applied to.

They get an “A” on that test.

They announce their pregnant!

Being a man or woman of valor is NOT about what you do,

He finally gets to cleaning out the garage.

She stumbles through the front door after a long day

…Pizza?! You truly are a woman of valor!

Imagine what a little poetry can do in a relationship!

Think about the different women heroes in Scripture.

Old Testament

Miriam - she was a prophet and worship leader

Deborah, the judge and prophet who led Israel to victory

Huldah, the great prophet who was chosen by King Josiah in 2Kings 22 to read and interpret the Scriptures.

Josiah could have called Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Nahum, & Habakkuk, but he chose Huldah!

And let’s not forget Esther,

And in the New Testament,

Those women who were chosen before anyone else,

And Junia - the female apostle that Paul considered

And Priscilla, who was a teacher of Scripture and theology

And Phoebe, who was a deacon at the Church in Cenchrae

Some were married.

Some had children.

They were rich, poor,

It’s not what they did.

Be strong.

If you’re a nurse,

Be Jesus’ hands of healing and encouragement.

If you’re a CEO or a barista at Starbucks,

Live as a person of valor.

…You are valuable to God

Maybe you have dreams that have gone unfulfilled.

You, too, can live

When Ali, our high school senior, was about 18 months old,

Unfortunately, within a month or two,

Overnight, Rae Lynn became her mom’s full-time care-giver.

A year or so later,

We were planting a church at the time,

Rae Lynn went back to work so we could survive.

She is a woman of valor.

There is no single model for womanhood or manhood.

Jesus invites all men and woman to follow him.

…Pursuing Jesus and his kingdom

To invest our energy and creativity

…Loving God and loving others.

…blessing your family,

…succeeding in your jobs

Being a people of valor,

…And not worrying about measuring up

I think it was Judy Garland who said,

“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.”

You are free in Christ to live

He has given you passions to pursue.

So, experiment.

Make mistakes and then

And surround yourself

And be a person who cheers others on.

When you see someone step out in faith

Cheer them on.

“You Go”…

Man of Valor

Being a person of valor,

…is NOT what you DO or accomplish.

So, don’t compare yourself to anyone.

The perfect mother,

The perfect business owner

The perfect Christian

These only exist in the Land of Unicorns.

We all feel inadequate at times.

Valor is recognizing that we need Jesus,

Valor is trusting that I am his,

…In the mundane, everyday activities of life.

Valor is living for an audience of One.

Knowing that Jesus delights in you.

He offers grace.

So exhale,

Embrace the you Jesus created you to be.

If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.--John 8:36 (NIV)

I want to close with a prayer by reading a prayer.

Read along with me.

Oh God, let me not live by comparison,

Grow me into the person you designed me to be,

I want to live as a person of valor.

I can do that because you, God, are enough.

In you I can live confidently and bravely.

A Midweek Bible Study with the Staff of Avalon Church. In part 4 we look at James 1:19-21.

Friendship God means that God is not just for us… he is with us. But what does “God with us” look like in our daily lives?

So, our series called “Uncertain.”

…Discovering Who We Are THROUGH Difficult Times.

You see,

…It’s IN the difficult times that we are moldable.

I hope these have been helpful messages.

It’s in him that we truly find abundant life

And we are going through it, right now,

Which is what we’re talking about today.

“I am a friend WITH God.”

…Not just a friend ‘OF’ God.”

We’re going to focus on a specific aspect of that friendship,

…That God is with us.

And to begin,

I want to share a story about a friend named Ronnie.

I was all in.

There was an 11th grader in the youth group.

We quickly became best friends.

2 years later, we went to PBAU together

We became known as the “Ronnie and Donnie Show!”

We were inseparable.

My relationship with Jesus,

All of it was shaped with Ronnie.

I got married in college and Ronnie was my best man.

He graduated from college a year before I did

It was toward the end of my final year in college

It was after midnight on March 3.

I have no idea how the word got out so late at night,

…Ronnie and my youth pastor were there

4 hours each way,

That’s true friendship,

A couple nights later, Ronnie brought 4 or 5 other friends over.

Then we started sharing stories.

It was such an incredible time of healing.

Half of that is true.

Jesus is our king.

Being a friend doesn’t minimize his glory,

…It shows his immeasurable love and

…grace, which he has freely given us. That he has lavished upon us. –Ephesians 1:6-8 (NIV)

That’s a word of adoration.

It’s a “friend-kind-of-word.”

…Let’s make today more like a devotional.

There are so many amazing Scriptures

Let’s listen to how God speaks to us through his Word.

Maybe you’ll want to grab a notebook

Because we’re going to be all over the place.

Before going to the cross,

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. –John 15:12-14 (NIV)

Jesus gives us a command.

But then he explains, that the greatest way to love someone

But… But people lay their life down for kings.

And that week,

“You are my friends,” He said.

…Not because of power or authority,

That’s what I command.

And he continues…

15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you… –John 15:15-16 (NIV)

Kings usually have servants.

But the ultimate relationship our king desires with us,

And what does friendship look like to Jesus,

…Sharing with you my deepest secrets.

To Abraham, to his children,

The message was the same…

I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. –Joshua 1:5 (NIV)

Wherever you are,

Whatever you go through,

You are not alone.

The Psalmist declares,

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. –Psalm 34:17-18 (NIV)

God is close to us.

When the Jews were facing exile

God told them,

…You descendants of my friend, Abraham…

You are scared.

I am with you.

I know you want it to end now.

In fact, that is what the name Immanuel means.

When Isaiah made that prophecy that we quote each Christmas, that…

14 … The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’). –Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

God was affirming that his promised Messiah

Jesus is “God with us.”

He walked with us.

And what does “God being with us” look like?

12… leaving the ninety-nine to go to look for the one that wandered off? –Matthew 18:12.

It’s leaving the comfort and security of home

…and invite them to come home with you.

But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. –Mark 4:34 (NIV)

It’s Jesus patiently explaining over and over

…How his kingdom is the exact opposite

…and allowing them the time to process and change.

The Great Commission,

GO and GROW TOGETHER

“Go and Grow Together.”

Jesus says that surely he is with us, always,

…Through Coronaviruses,

Through it all, I will be with you each step of the way.

And in the age to come?

That’s when we feast together at his banquet table.

To all those who have heard my voice and opened the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. --Revelation 3:20

As we have been imitating through Communion for 2,000 years,

Feasting together,

…Not as servants,

…Made possible because the greatest friend

And that banquet will happen

…A new heaven a new earth,

And we will hear a loud voice from the throne of God saying

3…Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ u or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” --Revelation 21:

We will be his people.

God desires friendship.

Being together.

Growing us.

…Who experience life, and peace,

Like my experience with Ronnie

…Genuine friendships are always transformative.

You cannot remain stagnant in a friendship.

I didn’t.

Choosing to be with him

I want to give you an action step that you can either

I want you to spend some time in a very famous Psalm this week,

Psalm 23.

You know, “The Lord is my shepherd.”

Every single line of this Psalm reveals

I encourage you to read the Psalm several times this week.

…Write how the Psalm says that

And then write down examples

For instance,

So… God is my provider.

Then list some specific ways he provides for you.

Maybe it’s a job.

Maybe he’s provided a safe place while you look for a job.

The list is endless for this one attribute.

It might take you a couple of days to get through the whole Psalm,

You will begin to recognize God’s love

Who’s willing to do that with me?

Maybe you don’t experience God as a friend.

Maybe you haven’t chosen to follow Jesus

He is inviting you to do that today.

IF that is your desire,

As I pray,

A Midweek Bible Study with the Staff of Avalon Church. In part 3, we will look at James 1:13-19.

God is faithful and keeps his promises. Not in our time frame, but he always keeps his Promise. It’s who he is. It’s his character. And it’s God’s desire for ALL to know him and for ALL to experience life in him. We look at his promises and how we can depend on them.

Series: UNCERTAIN: Discovering Who We are Through Difficult Times,

In the 1940’s,

…his grandpa and grandma were two young teenagers

As a result, they got married way too young.

So they bought an old house in a low-income area of town,

She told her new husband,

The husband’s response is the chorus of the song.

eleventyseven – All the Doubt in Town

The story continues with the husband losing his job

The wife was scared.

They had a new baby, now.

And the husband with resolve said

All the doubt in town

Cause girl, I love you now,

Then the story jumps to the their 60th anniversary.

Mama is reflecting on how fast the years went by,

And he responds,

Girl I love you now

Though I leave you now

And then the chorus repeats

No matter how much doubt,

I made a promise to you

My daughter Ali and I

There’s something moving about

It’s inspiring.

And did you know that Scripture records

7,000 promises.

Some were very specific,

But God is a God who keeps his word.

Peter, one of the disciples,

…And God’s faithfulness to keep his promises,

He said to them,

9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

God is faithful.

Not in our time frame,

It’s who he is.

And it’s God’s desire

…For ALL to know him.

That we’re part of this epic journey with God;

God is moving the story forward.

With us or in spite of us.

But his deepest desire,

Is to share the story with us.

The story is huge.

So God, throughout history, has given us these promises

…Kind of like

The promises, they assure us

It is good.

The promises arouse faith.

Those that have been fulfilled

Like the lyrics I shared at the beginning,

So what are these promises?

At the end of the message

that will lead you to discover some great ones,

But I want to quickly mention

…the greatest,

…And how they relate to our story with God,

These are the pillars of our story with God.

In fact, I would say

Is under God’s promise to Abraham.

Abraham was told to “go”,

2 “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” –Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)

Through this one chosen family,

Through the nation they would become,

This promise revealed God’s love for humanity,

This promise marked the early chapter of God’s story,

Where he pursued all of us

And God’s promise to Abraham’s

…Moses and the Israelites

5 “Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant… 6 you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.”–Ex.19 (NLT)

Their part of the story,

IF they would remain faithful to God,

through which God would bring

They would be a nation of priests.

But it was too hard.

So God made another promise,

16 [David], your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’ ” –2 Sam 7:16 (NLT)

And then the poo hit the fan,

Then the Northern kingdom was obliterated.

Honestly, it looked like God

And right in the middle of lost hope,

…About a special person sent from God,

6 [The Lord] says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” –Is 49:6 (NLT)

Where have we heard this before?

“You are the light of the world” – Matt. 5:14

He told his followers,

You are the light of the world.

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea,

Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises.

…We are a people of a great promise.

A letter in the NT, Hebrews,

…Inspired a group of suffering Jewish Christians,

39 All these people (Abraham, Moses, David, the Prophets)  earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. –Heb 11 (NLT)

These people were given a promise from God,

…And they believed God even though

Abraham never saw more than 2 descendants.

Moses didn’t even enter the Promised Land.

They never saw the fulfillment.

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. –Hebrews 12 (NLT)

The men and women who went before us

…They trusted God to be faithful,

If they could trust God before seeing the promise,

…Living on this side of Jesus?

Here’s how…

Don’t keep your eyes on COVID.

We are a people of a great promise.

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” –2 Corinthians 1:20 (NLT)

Live your life as a disciple of the One

Get to know him.

Live as Jesus’ hands and feet to those around you.

Be someone who keeps their promises.

Do what you say you will do,

We follow a God who keeps his promises.

Keep our eyes fixed on our Lord of integrity.

There’s something powerful and moving

I want to encourage you to join me

Just go to AvalonChurch.org/PromisesDevo and accept the invite.

Let’s pray together.

A midweek Bible study where the pastors and staff lead an interactive study in the book of James. Other members joined by watching and commenting on Facebook and YouTube Live. Part 2 is a look at James 1:5-12.

Series: ,

In 1 Chronicles 21, we learn that Just like King David, In an uncertain world you can be certain that you are part the grand, epic story of God.

Each week, we will observe communion together

Make sure you grab some bread and juice.

Several weeks ago we began this series called Uncertain.

We all feel displaced.

We have no idea when it will end,

But as followers of Jesus,

…In Christ, we have certainty.

Last week was Easter.

We talked about the certainty of Jesus’ resurrection,

Transformed lives is what this series is about.

…Discovering who we are as followers of Christ.

…Our identity in him.

Pretty relevant!

It was during the time of David,

David was comfortable in his role as king.

And his passion was towards success.

He was the king.

God had become routine.

And then came the plague.

He was watching his people suffer,

…It was a wake-up call.

That beautiful moment when you realize

That there is something bigger going on here.

And rather than fighting for control,

He turned back to God.

He repented of his self-centeredness.

This is what made David so great.

It’s not that he was pure.

He was a hot mess,

But when confronted with his sin… his brokenness,

So in the midst of this plague,

He told David,

18 …“Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite–1 Chron. 21:18 (NLT)

Go to this specific piece of property in Jerusalem.

Seems a little weird.

So King David shows up at the property unannounced,

…And Araunah (AH’ Rauna), the owner,

He bows.

And the King says,

Let me buy this threshing floor from you at its full price. Then I will build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.” – 1 Chron 21:22 (NLT)

Araunah is just grateful that’s all David wants.

Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, and the threshing boards for wood to build a fire on the altar, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you.” –1 Chron 21:23 (NLT)

Take it. All of it.

I’ll give you everything you need for the sacrifice.

24 But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!” –1 Chron 21:24 (NLT)

My life is the Lord’s.

I will not force you to obey what God has told me to do.

There’s a powerful message in here,

Because, I don’t know if David realized

But the writer of 1 Chronicles did.

We catch a glimpse of that story a few verses later.

1 Then David said, “This will be the location for the Temple of the Lord God and the place of the altar for Israel’s burnt offerings!” – 1 Chron 22:1 (NLT)

Think about it.

And as a result,

…David is convinced this is where the Temple should be built.

For the next 2500 years,

Whether the temple was there or destroyed,

But why here?

I wonder if David knew how special this spot was.

…That this very piece of land

2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” –Gen.22:2 (NLT)

Now, as you know, God never did require that sacrifice.

…and Isaac lived to a very old age.

But, I’m not sure if you know this detail,

…That’s Jerusalem.

It was this very spot,

The spot that David purchased,

…The spot that he would not take freely,

Was the exact spot where God provided a substitute sacrifice

And now, 1100 years later,

David makes a sacrifice and purchases this property

And this piece of property would soon be

Where Jews would offer sacrifices to God

And it was this very piece of property where 1000 years later,

…to save the world

All of that happened right here

Abraham had no idea that this his willingness

…Would be a foretaste… the anticipation

David had no idea that when he obeyed

…He was purchasing the land

…God’s ultimate sacrifice

It’s a good story, isn’t it?

None of them knew the part they were playing

There is so much going on

This story reminds us that

No matter how crazy things get,

We can be sure that God has a grand plan,

God is continually involved in history.

He is working in the midst of our decisions,

He is working in the midst of a fallen word

No matter what is going on around us,

God has a plan to redeem us,

Even now, in the midst of all we are experiencing,

A plan to repair our brokenness and restore us to wholeness.

…to return us to the intimate relationship with him

…to reestablish our original purpose of participating with him,

To accomplish this plan,

That’s what he did when he promised Abraham

… to bring the world back to him.

God stepped into history

…Telling David to buy this property.

And God stepped into history

…And Jesus taught about God’s grand plan… his kingdom.

…Especially by dying and rising from the dead,

God is working his plan.

…using our good choices and bad ones,

…even using things beyond our control,

Like COVID-19.

God has a plan.

And a plague can’t stop it.

Bad decisions can’t stop it.

God uses everything a broken world throws at him,

…He uses everything to bring people to himself

God’s plan is the eventual restoration of all creation.

So here’s the question for you.

Are you a David?

Or, is God working out his story in spite of you?

You can live life on your own terms.

…Suffering the painful and empty consequences of

…Or you can live the life you were designed for,

A life in God,

It’s your choice.

But you were made

That no matter what plagues and uncertainty surround us,

…A plan that is so much bigger than this life.

Is that the life you are experiencing?

And right now, Jesus is offering you the opportunity once again.

Will you choose to follow him?

…In his story.

You will never regret it.

(pray for salvation)

If you did that.

Text “life” to 407-559-8210.

Next week,

I hope you’ll join us.