Excuses, Excuses Most Christians are so focused on the stuff in the world, so immersed in their business, their family, and their possessions; that they never “hear” the call of God. God has issued a general call to all Christians to study the Scriptures, be ready to defend them, and to serve God and glorify […]

Excuses, Excuses

Most Christians are so focused on the stuff in the world, so immersed in their business, their family, and their possessions; that they never “hear” the call of God. God has issued a general call to all Christians to study the Scriptures, be ready to defend them, and to serve God and glorify Him. In addition to that, all Christians have been given spiritual gifts and are expected to use them, yet the vast majority don’t even know what they are. All of us should represent Christ within two different types of relationships—believers and unbelievers. We are called to edify believers and evangelize non-believers. A few years back, a very talented and able guy in one of my Bible studies said to me, “I would like to be more involved in God’s work, but I’m right on the verge of several big deals that are taking up all of my time. As soon as my ship comes in I’m going to do it.” Apparently there was a storm at sea because I haven’t seen him since.

This Fallen World

James warned about the peril of this immersion in the things of the world in James 4:4, “you adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” The Apostle John echoes this, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him”(1 Jn.2:15). What do they mean by the “world”? John explains it in 1 Jn.2:16, “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” Both James and John are giving a contrast and drawing a distinction between the material and the spiritual, the temporal and the eternal, and the lusts of the flesh versus the leading of the Spirit.

What Would Jesus Say ?

I believe Jesus nailed the materialistic Christians with the third soil analogy in His parable of the soils in Matt.13:22. The seed is the Word of God, the soil represents the heart of man, and the thorns that choked out the Word are “the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of riches” so that he becomes unfruitful. This third soil in the parable represents people who hear the Word of God and believe it, they agree with it, it moves them, they know that it’s true; but they get distracted, and they lose their focus. This is a much more effective scheme of the devil than the obvious aggressive temptations. In C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters,

the devil says to his apprentice, “the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy (God)…edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing.”

Identity Crisis

In 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Paul tells us who we are, what our identity is. You may have thought you were a father, a businessman, an executive, an American, a golfer, a graduate of an esteemed college, etc.; but Paul lists none of these. Biblically, you are a steward who no longer lives for himself, but for Christ. The love of God controls us, He is our motivation for living. We have been reconciled to God through Christ, therefore Christ has given us a ministry of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ, and God is making an appeal to the world through us. This is who we are. In Galations 2:20, Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in this body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

The King of Excuses

The life of Moses is a good study in this being diverted from your true purpose and identity. He resisted his calling in an exaggerated way which serves to make more obvious principles and applications. Remember in Exodus 2:11-15 that Moses started out with good intentions,

Before the Burning Bush I’m sure you have heard of having “a burning bush” experience, or saw the Charlton Heston movie where God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. The question you may not be able to answer is, what was Moses doing out there in the wilderness? Why did God speak to Moses […]

Before the Burning Bush

I’m sure you have heard of having “a burning bush” experience, or saw the Charlton Heston movie where God spoke to Moses from the burning bush.

The question you may not be able to answer is, what was Moses doing out there in the wilderness? Why did God speak to Moses from the bush? What happened to lead up to this important event?

In the original Hebrew that Exodus was originally written in, the very first word is “and”. This simple word functions to connect Exodus with the preceding book of Genesis. Exodus is the continuation of Genesis. In fact the first 5 verses of Exodus are the same as Genesis 46:8-27. The number of Hebrews who came to Egypt was 70. They consisted of the sons of Jacob (Israel) and their children. Therefore Exodus is a continuation of Genesis and one part of a larger story.

Fulfillment of Prophecy

What was getting ready to happen in Exodus 1-2 was a fulfillment of what God had promised Abraham a couple hundred years before in Genesis 15:13, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.” This is exactly what happens in the beginning of Exodus. How did God know? I guess it pays to be omniscient. As you know, Abraham’s son was Isaac and his son was Jacob who was renamed Israel. Jacob had 12 sons and a daughter. His favorite son was Joseph, but the other brothers being jealous, sold him into slavery in Egypt. Through a series of events engineered by God, Joseph became Prime Minister of Egypt. A terrible famine broke out in the world, but Joseph (at God’s direction) had prepared Egypt so there was plenty of food stored up. Joseph’s brothers journeyed desperately to Egypt in search of food, and who should they find but Joseph in charge of the whole kingdom. Naturally, the Pharaoh at that time loved Joseph for saving Egypt so Joseph’s whole family was welcomed to Egypt. In fact, they were the only people who were given their own land in Goshen (Gen.47). Genesis ends with all the Hebrews in Egypt, and living in peace and harmony with the Egyptians. About 300 years later, as recorded in Exodus 1:7, the descendants of Israel had greatly increased in number such that, “the land was filled with them.”

Reversal of Fortune

Exodus 1:8 reveals a dramatic change in the way the Hebrews were to be treated, “Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” Commentators speculate whether this means Egypt had been taken by force by another invading race of people who had no regard for the Jews, or if as time went by, succeeding generations of Egyptians forgot the wonderful things Joseph had done for Egypt and a Pharaoh gained power who both feared and loathed them. Either way they were in for some serious trouble. You may ask, “If they were God’s chosen people, then why would God allow this? Don’t forget God predicted it back in Genesis 15:13 so it was God’s plan for them to be enslaved from the very beginning.

What’s a Tyrant to Do ?

Pharaoh was concerned about Israel’s exploding population so he devised a series of evil solutions to limit their numbers. Phase one was enslavement. He divided them up under cruel taskmasters, I guess the plan was to keep them so busy they could not breed, but “the more he afflicted them, the more they multiplied”. Phase two was to command all the Hebrew midwives to kill all the male children at birth, but the midwives “feared God” and disobeyed Pharaoh. Phase three was the final solution to just murder all male infants by throwing them into the Nile River. The Egyptians failed to discern that the Israelites’ increasing numbers was a sign of God’s presence and blessing.

Irony

The student of the Bible is aware of something the Egyptians couldn’t grasp. The one true God has a sovereign plan for the redemption of mankind. Israel is at the center of that plan.

This is a four week session on prayer beginning on Monday, April 15th, taught by Charlie at the Haggard Party Barn located at the NW corner of Parkwood and Windhaven in West Plano.  All are welcome to attend this brown bag luncheon series.

Lesson 1 Podcast: 

Lesson 2 Podcast: 

Lesson 3 Podcast: 

Lesson 4 Podcast: 

 

 

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The Raising of Lazarus

Lesson 1:  Spring 13 Lesson 1

Message 1:  Message 1- John 11‹Lord of Life

Lesson 1 Podcast: 

The Palm Sunday Entry Into Jerusalem

Lesson 2: Spring 13 Lesson 2

Message 2:  Palm Sunday

Lesson 2 Podcast: 

Cleansing the Temple and Cursing the Fig Tree

Lesson 3:  Spring 13 Lesson 3

Message 3:  Matthew 21‹the Parables of the Passion Week

Lesson 3 Podcast: 

The Olivet Discourse

Lesson 4: Spring 13 Lesson 4

Message 4:  Matthew 24

Lesson 4 Podcast: 

The Last Supper

Lesson 5:  Spring 13 Lesson 5

Message 5:  John 14 Comfort for the troubled heart

Lesson 5 Podcast: 

After Dinner Teaching in John 14-17

Lesson 6:  Spring 13 Lesson 6

Message 6:  John 14-16 the Promise of the Holy Spirit

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The Crucifixion

Lesson 7:  Spring 13 Lesson 7

Message 7:  The Thief on the Cross

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The Resurrection

Lesson 8:  Spring 13 Lesson 8

Message 8: Hope Lost and Regained

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Joel – The Day of the Lord

 God sent the prophet Joel to the southern kingdom of Judah around 830 BC.  He probably ministered in Jerusalem.  Joel’s prophecy concerned the contemporary audience in Judah, but also his prophecies leaped across all future history to the end times.  His favorite expression occurring five times was “the day of the Lord” which would be a time of great judgment.

Study Material Lesson 1:

Fall 12 Lesson 1 

Joel-the Day of the Lord L1

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Lesson 2

 Hosea – The Living Illustration

 The prophet Hosea’s life gave a direct analogy between the marriage of Hosea and Gomer, and the covenant relationship between God and Israel.  Before Israel went into the Promised Land, God warned them about the consequences of unfaithfulness and idolatry.  Now Hosea’s marriage around 710 BC, becomes a “living illustration” to Israel.  There were three stages to Hosea’s marriage: 1. In chapter one, the sinful unfaithfulness of Gomer destroys the relationship.  2. In chapter two, the confrontations and admonishment, and   3. The restoration of the covenant relationship through love.  God used the prophet’s family as a symbolic representation of His dealings with Israel.

Study Material Lesson 2:

Fall 12 Lesson 2

Hosea-The Living Illustration L2

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Lesson 3

 Jonah – The Reluctant Evangelist

Jonah was a prophet in Israel during a time when Assyria was Israel’s bitter enemy and had taken much of Israel’s territory.  This of course was a judgment from God against Israel for its apostasy.  Nevertheless,Israel hated Assyrians. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria.  Jonah feared he would be used to help the enemy that would later destroy his own nation.

Study Material Lesson 3:

Fall 12 Lesson 3

The Sign of Jonah L3

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Lesson 4

 Amos – Shepherd of Tekoa

Amos lived during times of prosperity in Israel and Judah around 762 BC.  The rich were exploiting the poor, while they enjoyed an indulgent lifestyle.  Morality had sunk to a new low, yet hypocrisy in religion flourished.  God sent Amos to prophecy to Israel that judgment was coming because of the immorality and the religious hypocrisy.

Study Material Lesson 4:

Fall 12 Lesson 4

Amos‹The Certainty of Judgment

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Lesson 5

 Nahum – A Major City Disappears

Nahum wrote his prophecies in the time frame around 640 B.C.  The dominant Kingdom and power in the world at that time was Assyria.  The capital of Assyria was Nineveh.  This was the same city that God sent the prophet Jonah to preach a message of repentance to around 760 B.C.  At that time, the people there had repented, but the next generation returned to their wicked ways.  In 722 B.C., Assyria conquered Samaria and the northern parts of Israel.  Around 701 B.C., Assyria had taken every city in Israel and Judah except Jerusalem, which God had protected (see Isaiah 37:33-38).

Joel – The Day of the Lord  God sent the prophet Joel to the southern kingdom of Judah around 830 BC.  He probably ministered in Jerusalem.  Joel’s prophecy concerned the contemporary audience in Judah, but also his prophecies leaped across all future history to the end times.  His favorite expression occurring five times was “the […]

The Gospel of Mark was written between 58 and 63 AD to the Christians in Rome.  The audience is primarily Gentiles because there are very few Old Testament quotations and Aramaic expressions are translated into Greek, and some Latin terms are used, also Mark used the Roman method of reckoning time.  The church in Rome was facing hard times in the early sixties when Mark wrote this letter to them, and the eyewitnesses to Jesus would all soon be martyred.  Therefore, Mark wrote a record of Peter’s eyewitness account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Lesson 1:  Spring_12_Lesson_1 ;  MARK—Introduction ;  Mark-the_Beginning_of_the_Gospel

Podcast Lesson 1: 

Jesus had begun His active ministry after the age of 30 primarily in the area on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee in and around Capernaum.  After He had amazed everyone with His authoritative teaching of the Word of God, He proved He had the power of God by doing many impressive miracles.  In Mark 2:13, Jesus began a practice of calling and appealing to known sinners, as well as contradicting the traditions of the religious leaders by “working” on the Sabbath.  These two practices greatly offended the religious leaders, and together with Christ’s rebukes of their unbelief, caused them to conspire against Jesus.

Lesson 2:  Spring_12_Lesson_2 ;  Steve_Jobs_and_the_Reality_Distortion_Field

Podcast Lesson 2: 

Jesus did everything that should be expected of the promised Messiah.  He fulfilled the O.T. prophecies, He taught with great authority, and He did the signs and wonders that only God can do.  Nevertheless, the religious establishment was not believing in Him, and we find that even His own brothers and sisters were not believing in Him (John 7:5).  Therefore Jesus explained to His disciples the importance of His spiritual family, and He began teaching in parables that unbelievers didn’t understand.

Lesson 3:  Spring_12_Lesson_3 ;  Mark_3-Pursuit_of_Self_Interest

Podcast Lesson 3:  

Although Jesus did a great many miracles, the four Gospels record about 35 for our study.  Although we naturally think Jesus did miracles out of people’s need and His compassion, the primary purpose seems to be a teaching tool for His disciples and a revelation about who He is.  In the miracle recorded in Mark 4:35-41, the disciples were obeying and following Jesus when they found themselves in a great deal of trouble.  The early church saw this story as a sign of the presence of Jesus in the midst of the trouble that was threatening to overwhelm the church.  The storms of life are meant to reveal something new about Jesus.

Lesson 4:  Spring_12_Lesson_4 ; Linmania,Tebowtime,_Superman_and_Jesus

Podcast Lesson 4:  

Jesus had just healed the Gerasene demoniac, and now He returned to the west side of the Sea of Galilee, and was met by a crowd expecting more miracles.  An important synagogue official begged Him to heal his daughter who was laying in his house and near ...

The Gospel of Mark was written between 58 and 63 AD to the Christians in Rome.  The audience is primarily Gentiles because there are very few Old Testament quotations and Aramaic expressions are translated into Greek, and some Latin terms are used, also Mark used the Roman method of reckoning time.  The church in Rome […]