Devoted Church

Nahum 1:7-8

The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes.He is close to those who trust in him.But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into the darkness of night.

In God’s timing, He will bring down the arrogant and prideful and give refuge for those who humble themselves before Him.

Proverbs 16:18

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

God is a Just God.

People come at us, with words and actions and try to destroy us.

Proverbs 8:13

All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.

God is committed to justice and will not allow any arrogant, violent, or evil nation to endure forever.

Persian Empire

Roman Empire

Greek Empire

Assyrian Empire

Babylonian Empire

Six Characteristics of Arrogant and Prideful People

1. They talk down to People.

2. They are unteachable because they know it all.

Proverbs 26:12

There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.

3. They have an attitude that they are better than you.

Luke 18:9-14

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

4. They only think in black and white.

5. They are very judgmental.

6. They have a lack of empathy.

When people have most of these characteristics it is a sign that underneath they are dealing with a great deal of insecurity and pain.

Nine ways to deal with Arrogant and Prideful People

1. Check yourself first.

Romans 12:3

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

2. Understand its usually more about them than you.

3. Try not to let it bother you.

4. Use it as a growth opportunity.

5. Be willing to Forgive them.

6. Avoid interaction if needed. (Toxic People)

7. Be Humble.

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

James 4:10

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

James 4:6

And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud    but gives grace to the humble.”

8. Be honest with them when God gives you the opportunity.

9. Remember this is God’s battle and He is our defense.

Proverbs 16:5

The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished.

The casual use of such words as love and hate has emptied them of their meaning. So we picture God as gentle and kind and our concept of what he hates is tempered by our misconceptions and wishful thinking.

Love and hate are together both unending, irresistible, and unfathomable.

Threefold Indictment

The Indictment of the cities

The Indictment of the leaders

The Indictment of the people

What God Hates

Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil in their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because they have the power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance. Micah 2:1-2

God hates plotting evil, fraud and coveting.

Lately my people have risen up like an enemy. You strip off the rich robe from those who pass by without a care, like men returning from battle. You drive the women of my people from their pleasant homes. You take away my blessing from their children forever. Micah 2:8-9

God hates stealing, dishonesty and greed.

Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. Her leader’s judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.” Micah 3: 9-11

God hates injustice, distorting what is right, murder and taking bribes.

The Final Charge

O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! Micah 6:3

Threefold Response

The People’s Response

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Micah 6:6-7

They bid high

They bid wrong

Micah’s Response

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require with you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

God loves justice.

God loves mercy.

God loves humility.

God loves the sinner.

God’s Response

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from the ancient days. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.

Micah 5: 2-5a

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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

Are You and I Like Jonah?

What is the Book of Jonah all about? Jonah reveals two characteristics of God:

The Mercy of God in how God dealt with Jonah and in how God dealt with Nineveh.

The Sovereignty of God. Sovereignty means that God is God. God is God alone, and God will not take NO for an answer!

• PRODIGAL PROPHET

Chapter 1:” The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” Vs. 1-2

God has good plans for your life.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jer. 29: 11

Quit running from God and start running to God!

• PRAYING PROPHET

Chapter 2. Let me ask you a QUESTION, “How big is your BUT?”  

“I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!” Jonah 2: 6

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8

What was Jonah saying to God?

He prayed a prayer of repentance!

“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me……. I called to you, and you heard me…….. yet I will look once more toward your holy temple.” Vs. 2-4

• PROCLAIMER

Chapter 3: So, after being told twice, Jonah finally goes to Nineveh. Why didn’t he want to go there in the first place?

He was a hypocrite.

He was prejudiced.

He gives a sermon of no hope!

• PITY PARTY

He had an attitude – he was angry.

TWO OBSERVATIONS:

1. Jonah cared more about his personal comfort than for the people of Nineveh.

2. Jonah cared more about the plant/vine than for the people of Nineveh.

He had a divided heart. What matters to God? People!

There is never a good reason to disobey doing what God tells you to do!

We are to fulfill the Great Commandment, to Love God, and the Great Commission, to Love People!

What about you? Are you like Jonah?

1. God is Unchanging.

If God doesn’t change this means we have to change.

Malachi 3:6-7

“I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you

descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. Ever since

the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and

failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to

you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone

away?’

2. Will Man Cheat God?

Malachi 3:8-12

“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!

“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat

you?’

“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to

me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been

cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there

will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of

Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you.

I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough

room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will

be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease.

Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,”

says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call

you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says

the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

A Tithe literally means a tenth.

An Offering is anything above.

We don’t Give to Get. This Feeds Greed.

If we love God we will use Money.

If we love Money we will use God.

We Give so We can Give.

Is everything in the Old Testament done away with in the New

Testament?

Three Ways of looking at Scripture.

One-time Promises

All-time Promises

One-time promises, with All-time principles

3. Giving Reveals Your Heart.

Malachi 3:13-18

“You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord.

“But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against

you?’

“You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have

we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show

the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our

sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those

who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them

suffer no harm.’”

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and

the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of

remembrance was written to record the names of those who

feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.

“They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own

special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an

obedient child. Then you will again see the difference

between the righteous and the wicked, between those who

serve God and those who do not.”

This life is NOT about us.

Four Lessons about Pride

1. Pride is Deceptive.

Obadiah 1:3

You have been deceived by your own pride    because you live in a rock fortress    and make your home high in the mountains.‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’    you ask boastfully.

2. God Despises Pride and will bring it down.

Obadiah 1:4

But even if you soar as high as eagles    and build your nest among the stars,I will bring you crashing down,”    says the Lord.

3. The Proud will Reap what they Sow.

Obadiah 1:15

“The day is near when I, the Lord,    will judge all godless nations!As you have done to Israel,    so it will be done to you.All your evil deeds    will fall back on your own heads.

Luke 6:37-38

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

4. God has made a way of Escape.

Obadiah 1:17

“But Jerusalem will become a refuge for those who escape;    it will be a holy place.

Characteristics of Prideful People

They are fault-finders.

They have a harsh spirit.

They are superficial.

They are defensive.

They desire attention.

They neglect others.

Which one(s) of these characteristics do you struggle with?

The Big Picture: 1500 years into the covenant with Abraham

* By now Israel has a good track record of messing up and needing to be bailed out by God

The Day of the Lord

* Past, Present and Future

Joel’s Prophecy Revealed: The Day of the Lord

Realize your past.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Romans 1:20

* What is it from your past that has taken you away from God?

Receive the present.

* True repentance daily.

That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before.

Joel 2:12-14

* True repentance is of the heart.

* Experience God’s love and mercy.

And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Romans 2:2-4

* Share the present.

o Until we fully understand the punishment we deserve and the magnitude of his mercy, we won’t fully receive the present.

Prepare for the future Day of the Lord.

* Every day is preparation for the future.

* God doesn’t always arrive when and how we want or expect him to

Hosea was a prophet to the northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of material prosperity but moral and spiritual decay.

Hosea 1:2-3

When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord." 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

A BAD MISCONCEPTION ABOUT LIFE

What I’m Missing is Better than What I Have.

Hosea 2:5

…She said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink.'

GOD’S RESPONSE TO SPIRITUAL ADULTERY

His Righteous Anger

Hosea 2:8-10

She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold… 9 "Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens, and my new wine when it is ready. I will take back my wool and my linen, intended to cover her nakedness. 10 So now I will expose her lewdness before the eyes of her lovers; no one will take her out of my hands.

His Unfailing Love

Hosea 2:14-15

Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. 15 There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.

IF YOU HAVE TURNED YOUR BACK ON

GOD WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

1. Admit It.

2. Repent of it.

3. Remember all He has done.

How is Sarcasm Camouflaged?

“They are Witty”

“They are Funny”

“Just Joking”

“I can’t help it”

“Just Sayin’”

“It’s my Spiritual Gift”

Ephesians 4:29

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

Is Sarcasm Innocent?

1. It is Insincere.

2. It is Lazy.

3. It is Dangerous.

Three Questions to ask yourself before saying something

1. Is it Necessary?

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud.

1 Timothy 6:11

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

Psalm 19:14

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

2. Is it Wise?

Psalm 141:3

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.

3. Is it Encouraging?

Hebrews 12:15

Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Life Group Questions

Ice Breaker: If you could visit anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

1. Do you struggle with being sarcastic?

2. Why is it so easy to be sarcastic?

3. Read Ephesians 4:29. Explain this verse in your own words.

4. Read Proverbs 18:21. How can you make sure your words are life and not death to others?

5. Is sarcasm innocent? Why or why not?

6. Since we are usually sarcastic toward the people we are closes to, what do we need to do this week to change that?

Proverbs 18:8

Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.

Who Does Gossip Hurt?

1. The Person that is Talked about.

Proverbs 16:28

A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.

2. The Person who Listens.

Proverbs 17:4

Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.

3. The Person who Speaks it.

Proverbs 25:9-10

When arguing with your neighbor, don’t betray another person’s secret.

Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation.

How To Control Gossip?

1. Protect Your Ears

Matthew 18:15

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.

How to stop Gossip with one question:

Why are you telling me this?

Or

Have you spoke with ____________ about this?

Proverbs 20:19

A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.

2. Close Your Mouth

Proverbs 21:23

Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.

Gossip claims “I’m strong because they’re weak”

The Gospel proclaims “I am weak but He is strong.”

Life Group Questions:

Ice Breaker: What do you like to do for fun and relaxation?

1. Why do you think you gossip?

2. What are you looking to get out of gossiping?

3. What are some of the ways gossip harms relationships?

4. We learned that, “Gossip claims, ‘I am strong because they’re weak.’ The Gospel admits ‘I am weak but He is strong.’” What step do you need to take to fight gossip with the Gospel?

5. When someone comes up to you and starts to gossip what is your game plan?

Ephesians 6:12

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Proverbs 12:22

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.

Ephesians 4:21-25

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.

John 8:44

He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The Enemy’s Plan

1. Get You To Lie.

2. Get You To Lie To Yourself.

3. Get You To Live A Lie.

1 John 2:4

If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

The Root Reason Most of Us Lie is Because We Don’t Completely TRUST God.

God’s Plan

We Confess to God for Forgiveness and to Safe People for Healing.

1 John 1:9

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

James 5:16

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Life Group Questions:

Icebreaker: At a meal, your friends start belittling a common friend. What do you do?

1. What are the most typical reasons you’re tempted to lie?

2. Share about a time you caught someone in a lie. Did it hurt? What did you do?

3. Share about a time you got caught in a lie. What happened? How did you feel?

4. Why do you think it is easy for us not to completely trust God?

5. What do you need to get honest about? Will you share it with this group or with a safe person?