Acts 8:26-39, Psalm 51:7, Isaiah 53

God offers His invitation to every single one of us.

Pastor opens today's class with a story from Ruth Bell Graham's life (the wife of Billy Graham) and how personalizing chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah in the Bible changed her life. 

Our scripture story today is the story of an angel telling Philip to go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. On the road, Philip meets a eunuch who is an Ethiopian high official in charge of the treasury. He is on his way home from Jerusalem.

When God calls, when God invites, we ought to answer, we ought to respond, and Philip did.

Things to learn from this story:     1.    God loves individual people.     2.    God especially seeks seekers.     3.    God arranges encounters.

The Spirit of God told Philip to go to the Ethiopian’s chariot and stay near. As Philip approaches, he hears the man reading out loud chapter 53 of Isaiah and Philip asks the him if he understands what he is reading. And the eunuch says he can’t unless someone explains it to him and so he invites Philip up into his carriage so that Philip can explain the powerful words that we find in this chapter.  It is a chapter that talks about Jesus and who he is. Philip shares the good news about Jesus. This chapter that changed, Ruth Bell Graham's life had previously changed the Ethiopian’s life. 

Through Philip answering God’s call, the Ethiopian is given the invitation to experience life forever through faith in Jesus who died for him, for you, for me and who rose from the grave and who is coming back.

The Ethiopian believed, and they stopped the chariot so that he could be baptized.  Have you received the invitation? Have you received the invitation to believe on Jesus as your Savior? Have you received the invitation to be baptized into His name? If not, we invite you to reach out to us at [email protected]. 

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Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-36, Psalm 104:2, John 14:8-9

Pastor’s teaching on Jesus’ transfiguration on a mountain top with Jesus, Peter, James, John, Elijah, Moses and the Voice of God brings this series of God’s Ten Words to a conclusion.  It’s a surprise ending, because how could Jesus’ transfiguration be remarkably connected to God’s Ten Commandments, while also having a tremendous application to what we have been studying these past weeks?

When Jesus was transfigured his face glowed like the sun. The three disciples Jesus brought along are in awe and amazed. Psalm 104:2 says, “The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;” The disciples knew the psalms well, did this verse come to mind as they saw Jesus shining so bright?  They are witnessing the true revelation of who Jesus is.  True God and true man - God-man who has come to deliver us all.  Then suddenly Moses and Elijah appear with them as a cloud (the presence of God) comes over the entire group and they hear the Voice of God, “This is My Son who I love.  With Him I am well pleased.  Listen to Him.” Jesus is revealed as the Son of the Living God. God in the flesh who has come to earth to deliver us all.

Why do Moses and Elijah appear?     1.    Both were devout followers of God     2.    Both had unique ends to their lives on earth     3.    Both went to Mt. Sinai     4.    Both heard God speak at Mt. Sinai     5.    But neither of them saw God’s face.   But today, at Jesus’ transfiguration Moses, Elijah, John, Peter and James all saw the face of God as revealed in the face of Jesus, the Living God. John 14: 8-9 tells us, “Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Jesus revealed Himself to them. He is the Living God, the Deliverer and He alone saves and He is our only Hope because apart from Him we have nothing.

And then suddenly it is just Jesus and the 3 disciples. Jesus tells them not to tell anyone about what they have just witnessed until after His is risen from the dead.. (but they didn’t understand what He was talking about or what He meant.)

In summary, The Ten Commandments are brilliant, powerful and profound instructions from God, but they can’t save us - they are like a curb, a mirror and a guide but they don’t save us.

In Jesus, the Messiah, are revealed grace and truth and He alone can save. He willingly went to the cross to bring us righteousness as He bore our sin on Himself..

A. W. Tozer says, “The only sin Jesus ever had was ours.  The only righteousness we can ever have is His.”

We are encouraged to follow the Ten Commandments, but that will never save us.  There’s only Jesus, the Living God, The Living Word of God, The Word that became flesh who can do that!

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Scripture:  Exodus 20:17, Mark 7:21-23, Matthew 6:33, 2 Corinthians 10:5, 1 Timothy 6:6-10

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17

Covet - to yearn to possess or have what belongs to another. Covet - insatiable desire for more at the expense of others.

Today’s tenth word is unique as it regulates thought. The other ten words all regulate behavior (e.g. have no other gods, remember the Sabbath Day, honor your parents, don’t steal, don’t murder).

We see in scripture how our thought-life has a huge influence on our behavior: Cain - Genesis 4 Joseph’s brothers - Genesis 37 Korah - Numbers 16 David - 2 Samuel 11 Ghazi - 2 Kings 5 We see in the Bible that our thought-life greatly controls our behavior, actions and even our futures.  As the mind thinks - so we behave. 

Pathology Envy Jealousy Dishonesty Relationships Dissatisfaction Focus Mental health Financial issues

Where does coveting come from?  Mark 7:21-23 tells us, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (ESV)  Jesus is calling us to realize our thought-life matters!

How do we stop coveting?     1.    Christ - we need to look to Jesus and remember that He died on the cross and rose for us. Matthew 6:33 tells us to rely on Him and 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”     2.    Contentment - while in this fallen world, we still know what the future holds: life forever with God. This is where our containment is found - in the promise of our future with Him. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”     3.    Celebration - celebrate what we have. In Philippians 4:4-7 we are told, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Celebrate the good things of God and have a thankful hearts.

God’s 10 Words are still powerful words today. He gives them to us to:     1.    Protect us - keep us on His path     2.    Reveal our sin - so that we come to Him     3.    Give us direction - that guides our lives and shows us how to live

When we take to heart God’s Ten Words - that brings blessings to us as believers AND blessings to the world.

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Scripture:  Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 19:5, John 8:44, Ephesians 4:25, Ephesians 4:15, Proverbs 26:20, Romans 1:28ff, Philippians 2:5, John 8:31-32

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16

The Bible tells us that there is One who is only truth. One who is total and absolute in His Truthfulness and that is our Living God.

God values truth and judges lies. Proverbs 19:5 “A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.”

Pastor shares two examples from scripture.      1.    From the Old Testament in 1 Kings 21 about Naboth     2.    From the New Testament in Acts 6-7 about Stephen These stories encourage us to take seriously the importance of truth.

Lying is an issue in our culture today. Lying is seen in some of the highest places and some of the most common parts of our daily lives.

What does it mean “you shall not give false testimony”     ⁃    REJECT THE LIE - Recognize where lies come from. John 8:44 “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  Lies come from the enemy - He’s a liar and his lies are destructive to our culture and to ourselves.  We are to turn our backs on the father of lies.     ⁃    SPEAK THE TRUTH - we are to speak only truth. Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” God only speaks truths and we are to speak truthfully, too.     ⁃    SPEAK TRUTH IN LOVE - do not be spiritually haughty - that attitude tears people down. We are to speak what is best for people who we know Jesus died for. (Because he died for ALL) We are not to lie in order to seek to get even, or to lie in order to hurt others or to lie to make ourselves look good.  Ephesians 4:15 “ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” Our words are to give glory to God and blessing to others.     ⁃    RENOUNCE GOSSIP - Gossip destroys reputations, it destroys relationship with God. Proverbs 26:20 “Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.”  God detests gossiping - so live like children of God.     ⁃    BE CHRIST-LIKE -  have the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5 “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”

Jesus is Truth and Truth sets us FREE!  John 8:31-32 “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”  God’s truth changes us, changes families, changes communities and changes countries,

God is calling us to embrace the truth and to live the truth.  He is The Way, The Truth and The Life.  (John 14:6).  And we are to reflect His goodness in this darkened world.

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Scripture:  Exodus 20:15, Joshua 6-7, James 1:17, Ephesians 4:28, Leviticus 9:13, 1 Timothy 6:17-18, 1 Peter 2:12, Philippians 2:4, Philippians 3:20, Ephesians 2:8-10

This command is simple words, but words with great depth.

What does “stealing” cover? It’s the taking of what’s not ours. Pastor shares a biblical demonstration from the story of the Israelites of the consequences of taking what is not ours and what the Lord has said not to take. There are consequences to disobeying God’s clear will and He has established moral law that’s be given to us for a purpose - It’s for the protection of society and for everyone.

You Shall Not Steal     ⁃    Ownership - there is personal ownership but this is not absolute ownership, because everything we have comes from God. God is the giver of all good gifts.     ⁃    Stewardship - take care of what we have - use wisely what God has given us, and bless others with what we have.     ⁃    Citizenship - Be a good citizen - we are part of a culture and called to be a blessing. The way we behave: integrity and honor can be seen by others and can bring them to knowing Jesus and the way we behave brings glory to God. We are called to look out for not only our own interests but also those of others. Our citizenship is in heaven and so we live that way. Citizens of this world but above all we are citizens of heaven through Jesus and what He has done for us and THAT calls us to live like we know that!

TWIN DANGERS     ⁃    Legalism - thinking we’ve done so much better than others. Legalism destroys faith, destroys relationship with God and becomes the worship of self rather than worship of God.     ⁃    Antinomianism - is the thinking that since Jesus died for me and paid for my sins, I can do whatever I like. That is not true and is a complete misunderstanding of what the Bible says. It doesn’t say sin doesn’t matter! Jesus DID die, DID pay for our sins, DID rise from the grave, IS returning AND BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT - we don’t want to do what we please.  We want to do what pleases Him!

When God gave the Ten Commandments - He did not say, “Do these (Ten Commandments) to be save.” He began these commands by saying, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of bondage. I am the One who saves you. THEREFORE - now live this way: The Ten Commandments.”

Ephesians 2:8-10: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

So by faith we give thanks for Jesus and we desire to live lives that give God glory and bless others.

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Scripture:  2 Samuel 5, Ephesians 2:14, 16, Luke 21:24, Revelation 21:1-2.

Why is Jerusalem important not only to the Jewish people, but to Christian people? Let’s see what we will discover in today’s study of 2 Samuel 5.

King Saul has died and civil war has broken out in Israel. David is the reigning King of Judea but the Israelites in the northern kingdom are at war amongst each other and realize David is their only hope for unity and for bringing the kingdom back together. A delegation comes to David saying that it is clear the Lord has anointed him as His king and that it is now time for all Israel to come together and acknowledge his kingship. And that is precisely what happened. But what follows is incredibly significant, not just for David’s lifetime, but your ours as well.

After being anointed and accepted as king of all Israel, David proceeds to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites who lived there. But the question is why Jerusalem for his city and not a different city? Herschel Shanks puts it this way, “In non-Israelite hands, Jerusalem separated Israel’s territory in two.” David taking Jerusalem would mean unity of the country because of Jerusalem’s location. It’s also an easily defended city as it is on top of a hill with valleys on all sides except the north which was highly fortified. The Jebusites claimed that there was no way for David to defeat them and take the city. 

David realized there was a way in. It was through the water shaft. Pastor shares the history and archeology of this water shaft and the location of Jerusalem bringing fascinating evidence and clarity to this story of David conquering the Jebusites.

Pastor shares the discovery by Charles Warren in the late 1800’s and also more on the archeological work that has been done recently  in which we have learned there is an ancient shaft and a spring in the southern end of the City of David, when Jerusalem was located more on the eastern side of Old Jerusalem. The Gihon Spring lies in the Kidron Valley and the spring has a tunnel area and it is this tunnel area that ends inside the walls of Jerusalem that the Jebusite never dreamed would be what was used to enter the city and defeat them.

David then takes up residence and calls it the City of David and in verse 9 we read that David became more and more powerful because the Lord God Almighty was with him. And that is when Jerusalem became part of the heart of the ancient Jewish people, but also where it becomes an incredibly important part of the entire Bible story about God’s deliverance of not only Israel but of all nations through “David’s greater son”, the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor digs deep into what we see about Jerusalem and why it has such significance not only in David’s day but in our day: Jerusalem

    •    Peace - called a City of Peace but has much blood shed over it, the greatest blood being that which was shed by the Messiah, Jesus, for all people, the Prince of Peace.     •    Proof - the ancient City of David is one of the largest archeological sites in the world. Solomon’s Wall and David’s palace have been recent discoveries along with others like the Pool of Siloam and the road to Temple Mount that show the stones are crying out that these things really happened!     •    Prophecy - Luke 21:24 of Jesus predicting how Jerusalem would be destroyed and trampled on by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This was reality in the 70 AD when Romans leveled Jerusalem and then in 1967 for the first time in almost 2000 Jerusalem was no longer trodden down by Gentiles. It was occupied by the Israelis.  This is prophetic fulfillment.     •    Perfection - the Book of Revelations ends by talking about the Holy City, a New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. A city where God will reign and live with His people.

Jerusalem is an historic city, but it is also at the heart of the message of the Gospel of Jesus, and it is at the very heart of the character of God where we will all be gathered together in the the New Jerusalem, the City of Our God!

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Pastor Dodge shares an archeological discovery uncovered from the 1980’s that dates back to the early first century. This discovery draws our attention to the Bible’s account of “Jesus Calms the Storm” found in Mark 4:35-41 and speaks to truth #18: “The Lord is near, even in the storm.” The 1st Century fishing boat uncovered on the shores of Galilee in 1986 helps us understand the boat in which Jesus fell asleep during a storm (Mark 4:35-41). This story points to this Truth: The Lord is near, even in the storm. The disciples, seeing the wind and raging waves fall still at Jesus' command, were terrified and asked themselves, "Who is this?" The rest of Scripture gives the answer: He is God, and we can turn to Him when the inevitable storms of life overwhelm us.

The Gospel of John Week 7 Scripture: John 4:31-5:29.

Our study this week begins with a look at people beginning to realize that the Jewish Messiah has come, but He has come to be the Savior of all - not just the Jewish people, but ALL people!

Jesus has been in Samaria and now returns to Cana where a high official in the government seeks Jesus out to heal his son who is dying.  Jesus heals the man’s son and the official and his whole family came to faith in Jesus. 
Pastor talks about the feasts mentioned in the Gospel of John and how each finds its fulfillment in Jesus.  The feast mentioned in John 5:1-3 doesn’t specifically mention which feast event is going on at this particular time, but Pastor speculates that it could be the Feast of Trumpets - Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year - a time when the Jewish people are focused on this feast’s call to repentance.  

As we continue we see Jesus is at the Pool of Bethesda that had 5 colonnades.  Pastor talks about the discovery of this pool in 1890 and shares some photos of his from a visit there in recent years. He also shares additional discoveries and info that are quite interesting regarding deeper insights into the use of this pool and by whom.

As Jesus approached the pool, hundreds of people may well have been at the pool.  Jesus says to an invalid of 38 years “Do you want to get well?”  There were many there but Jesus chooses to speak to just one person. Jesus, on this Sabbath Day, tells the man to get up and walk and the man walks away carrying his mat.

The religious leaders had added many additional specific regulations to God’s Sabbath Day - rest day. They had added 39 additional man made rules and the 39th rule was that carrying a piece of property from 1 location to another location was not allowed and what this man just did in carrying his mat broke their Sabbath regulations. 

Jesus had deliberately provoked the religious establishment’s petty laws saying in effect “How dare you substitute the goodness of God with your own petty regulations and rules.” And the religious leaders become incensed when they hear it was Jesus that healed him and so now they are after Jesus and they begin to persecute Him and desire to kill Him. Not only had Jesus broken their religious man-made rules by doing the work of healing this man on a Sabbath, but also because Jesus called God His own Father making Himself equal with God.  Jesus claimed deity - Jesus is the Living God come to earth!! Yet they desired to reject this truth!

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    ⁃    The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels.      ⁃    The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible.  Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most “Gentile/Greek” of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.

Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

Scripture:  Exodus 20:14; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Mark 10:6-9; Hebrews 13:4; Acts 17:30-31

The Ten Words are the equivalent of an Owner’s Manual - showing us how to live a life that makes a difference for ourselves and everyone. And so let’s wrestle with the question, “Does our Heavenly Father know what’s best for each of us,” especially in light of today’s Word in Exodus 20:14. “You shall not commit adultery.”

From the beginning God was concerned that the family be protected and that marriages be preserved.

Marriage - God’s First Institution     ⁃    One man and one woman     ⁃    For a lifetime     ⁃    Become one flesh - intimacy     ⁃    For family     ⁃    It was “very good”     ⁃    Especially under attack today

God’s plan is and was good, but the consequences of losing, breaking, ignoring and destroying what the Father intended are huge. 

What is the biblical teaching on marriage and what does it tell us today:

Biblical Basics for marriage, sex, family and relationship:     1.    Flee sexual temptation and sin. 1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”     2.    Honor and protect marriage. Mark 10:6-9 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”     3.    Reserve sex for marriage alone. Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

Back to our original question: “Does our Heavenly Father know best?”  Yes… He does….. And so, when we find WE’VE WANDERED from the Creator’s will - HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THAT?

    1.    Listen - to our Father Creator     2.    Repent - have a change of mind     3.    Repent - change your direction.  Acts 17:30-31 “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”   Jesus Christ, cares in spite of what we’ve done. He paid for our rebellion and sins and offers us life, forgiveness and hope through repentance.     4.    Trust - Jesus Christ - The Risen One. We can trust the One who stretched out His arms to die for us, who is risen from the grave and who is returning.     5.    Follow God’s Word and God’s Spirit. 

Our God gave us the Owner’s Manual. He also gave us the Deliverer, Jesus. And in Him we find, hope, forgiveness and power to live a new life freed of bondage to the past.

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Scripture:  Exodus 20:13, Genesis 4, 2 Samuel 11-12, Genesis 9:6, Matthew 5:21-22, 1 John 3:15

Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder.”

Many believe they have not broken this commandment - but what we will discover is that we have all broken it. This will be a message that will offend many and we will see our incredible need for a Savior. We will also recognize He is giving us direction for our daily lives.

The Ten Commandments were given as a Curb Mirror Guide

There are so many stories of murder in the Bible: Cain and Abel - Genesis 4, David and Uriah - 2 Samuel 11-12. In Genesis 9:6 we see that God considers life to be sacred, precious:  “Whoever sheds human blood,
    by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
    has God made mankind.”

Murder is a violation of the very heart of the Living God.

Jesus defines murder in greater detail in Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

We are guilty of sinning against this commandment with our hearts and minds - one we thought we were exempt from. Anger, resentment and hatred - destroy us from within.  “All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.” 1 John 3:15. 

God calls us to be slow to anger, quick to forgive and to take seriously the heart of this commandment. Not just our outward actions but our inner thoughts. This command shows us our inner need for a Savior and calls us to Christ, showing we all need a Divine Deliverer.

What more is in this command?

Specific Issues: PUNISHMENT and WARFARE - Government: death penalty, wars: Romans 13:4 gives authority to government to carry these out. SUICIDE - affects the individual, their families and even communities. We are not to take our own lives. Many think of this is the unforgivable sin - yet the Bible does not say that.  ABORTION - See Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:16 and Luke 1:41-44 where we see that Scriptures do not distinguish between the unborn and born.

Responding to this command - do we accept a world view?

Here’s a common saying today: “If you are against abortion, don’t do it.  But don’t impose your views on others.” With a closer look - try substituting different words in place of “abortion” such as: murder or slavery or sex trafficking. How does that change your view?

Response     ⁃    Realize: I may have accepted a worldview that is contrary to God’s     ⁃    Repent: ask Him for forgiveness     ⁃    Receive: forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ.     ⁃    Rely: on His Word which is true, on His Holy Spirit who guides and directs and gives revelation and understanding.

It is painful to admit our sin, but glorious to receive what God offers: forgiveness and life in Christ.

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