• Water to blood (ex 7:14-25)
• Frogs (ex 8:1-15)
• Gnats (ex 8:16-19)
• Flies (ex 8:20-32)
• Diseased Livestock (ex 9:1-7)
• Boils (ex 9:8-12)
• Hail (ex 9:13-35)
• Locust (ex 10:1-20)
• Darkness (ex 10:21-29)
• Death of Firstborn (ex 11:1-12:30)

Creation- Genesis 1:1-2 The creation of “light” has no connection to a body of light (i.e. the sun) and therefore implies that God himself is the light that is being introduced into the world. The phrasing of Gen 1:1-2 depicts a broken and destroyed world which is covered in darkness. There is a poetic reference in vs. 3-5 that God himself is being revealed to the broken and cutoff world and that he himself is wrapped in light that will bring new distinction between his presence and lack thereof. Some commentators speculate that his intentional distinction between light and darkness (day and night) is to give us a constant reminder of his affect on creation as a whole

.Day 1 – Connection to desolation (v. 3-5)

Day 2 – Earth’s Atmosphere (v. 6-8)

Day 3 – Sea, Land & Vegetation (v. 9-13)

Day 4 – Sun, Moon & Stars (v. 14-19)

Day 5 – Sea creatures & Birds (v. 20-23)

Day 6 – Animals & Humans (v. 24-31)

The Fall-Genesis 3:1 After the fall, the man and woman gained knowledge of their shame and lost their innocence. God prophesied of the war between Satan and the people of God and the ultimate defeat of Satan. The pain of labor was increased to add suffering. The social constructs, which was created with equality, are transformed into that of male dominance. God promises that life will be hard and we will have to struggle because we rebelled against God. Ultimately, we will have to die because we sinned against God.- Blame & Shame (v. 12-13)- War between good and evil (v. 14-15)- Pain in childbearing (v. 16)- Patriarchal dominance (v. 16)- Hard work (v. 17-19)- Death (v. 19)

The Patriarchs- Genesis 12:1-3 After the death of Jacob/Israel, the patriarchs are ended with the tribes. The tribes are the descendants of Jacob’s 12 sons. The tribe that would have been Joseph was split into 2 half-tribes and are always referenced as such.

- Abraham (gen 12-25)- Isaac (gen 21-27 & 35)

- Jacob/Israel (gen 25-37 & 46-50)

- Sons/Tribes of Israel (gen 29-50)

-Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph (Ephraim & Manasseh) and Benjamin.

Ezra 9:1, 3-4

Let’s start addressing sin. No one wants to deal with sin; no one. Dealing with our sin is a painful process. I know… we don’t want to talk about sin. We want to talk about Jesus and love. We want to talk about grace and mercy. We want to talk about forgiveness. We don’t need to talk about things like: righteousness, holiness, repentance and contrition. The rebuild of God’s Church, his bride, the body of Christ cannot be completed without an honest assessment of sin. We have become far too comfortable with our sin and far too intolerant of the sin of others. Sin in someone else’s life is appalling. Sin in my life is just some stuff I’m working through and haven’t perfected yet.

Matthew 5:17-20

The HEART of the Matter.

1.Being angry with someone is just as bad as murdering them, Anger is a heart issue – Matt. 5:21-22

2.Thinking that you can have broken relationships with people and still serve God is a heart issue – Matt. 5:23-26

3.Sexual thoughts about someone [not your spouse] is just as bad as having an affair, it’s a heart issue – Matt. 5:27-30

4.Divorcing because you can’t get along is a heart issue – Matt. 5:31-32

5.Failure to honor your word is a heart issue – Matt. 5:33-37

6.The desire for revenge is a heart issue – Matt. 5:38-42

7.Hatred for your enemies is a heart issue – Matt. 43:47

8.Struggling to be more like Jesus is a heart issue– Matt. 5:48

9.desiring recognition for your generosity is a heart issue – Matt. 6:1-4

10.Thinking that prayer is about you and your words is a heart issue – Matt. 6:5-13

11.Openly fasting so that people will think you are pious is a heart issue – Matt. 6:16-18

12.Refusing to honor god with your finances is a heart issue – Matt. 6:19-24

13.Worrying about your life is a heart issue – Matt. 6:25-34

14.Judging others and ignoring your own sin is a heart issue – Matt. 7:1-6

15. Giving up on prayer is a heart issue – Matt. 7:7-11

16.Mistreating people is a heart issue – Matt. 7:12

17.Thinking that the pathway to Heaven will be easy is a heart issue – Matt: 7:13-14

18.A person’s true Heart is revealed by the fruit in their lives – Matt. 7:15-20

19.If Jesus doesn’t have your heart, you aren’t a true disciple – Matt. 7:21-23

20.Choosing to build your life on anything other than the foundation which has been set by Jesus, is a heart issue – Matt. 7:24-29

The Condition of Your Heart Matters to God. Jesus is making the point that through the law it is possible to be legally right and morally wrong. He is showing that the law does not address the real issues that God is concerned about. He then dives deeper into unpacking what God does care about; your heart! After making this case, he goes on to discuss 20+ items that are matters of our hearts. He is making this case crystal clear for us. You must stop thinking that your technical adherence to Christianity is the same as surrendering your heart to Jesus! They aren’t the same. You can act the part. You can look the part. You can sound the part. You can make people believe your part. But, if you are not surrendering you secret thoughts, and the corners of your life that speak to the reality of your hearts condition, you have no part of God.

1 John 1:5-10 NLT

How healthy is your heart? Are you daily working to purge sin from your heart so that God can have the place in your heart that he deserves?

We were honored to have Jessica Bryan with us for 3 sessions this weekend. Session #1- Back to Basics, James 4:1-10Session #2- Positioned, Matthew 4:1-11, 17Session #3- Raised, Judges 2:10-17

Read: Ezra 1:5-8; 3:10-13Over a period of about 500 years, the Israelites began wondering away from God and turning their backs on him. In 627 BC, the prophet Jeremiah predicts that Jerusalem will fall and lose everything because they have forsaken their relationship with God. The prophecy was fulfilled 40 years later 586 BC) when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon sent his army to attack and conquer Jerusalem. The people held out for some time, but the city was destroyed along with the Temple and the outer wall of the city. Another 40 years go by, (537 BC) and the people of Israel become active again and desire to see the Temple restored. This would be impossible had it not been placed on King Cyrus’ heart to build a Temple to honor the LORD in Jerusalem. The Collision of Hope and Loss. The youngest among them was shouting for the beginning of something new, something that filled them with hope. The oldest among them had seen the former temple and couldn’t escape the feeling of loss that was overtaking them. This new temple wasn’t the old one and never would be. We speak of the need for revival. We have the same collision of hope and loss between our youngest and oldest generations. One is looking forward and hoping for a glorious future. The other is looking back and recalling a more glorious past. The two must find a way to work together. The history of God’s Church must guide us, but it might not shape it to be the exact way that it was. The hope of the future must stir us, but it must be kept in check with that which is appropriate for building God’s Church. If we hope to rebuild faith and hope in our culture, we are going to have to do it with both perspectives in mind. We don’t want to stray from the things that truly matter in faith. We must realize that we are building with new materials and resources. It might not look the same or sound the same, but it has to possess the same power of God in it to be successful. Read: Ezra 4:1,4-5Opposition to God’s Work. There will always be people who oppose the work to which we have been called. We are seeing this on an incredible level today. People have full hatred for the people of God and all that they stand for today. There is a militant move to silence the voice of the church and to extinguish the message of the Gospel. Our world wants God kicked out of everything so that they can live the lives they want to live without having to face the realities of morality that they are side-stepping. Read: Haggai 1:2-6The Cost of Second Place. When God gave Moses the 10 Commandments, the very first thing that he said was that he has to be first. He referred to himself as a “jealous God!” It would be self-seeking if it was coming from anyone else, but this is God talking. Through the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah he repeatedly says against Israel that they have abandoned him and chosen to seek other gods. He expressed his frustration with being placed among all the other idols of the world as though he were just some other god-object. He uses the metaphor of marriage to speak to how we are to be faithful only unto him. He uses the physical possession of money to teach us about how important it is to put him first in tithing. He demands to be first and refuses to be 2nd to anything or anyone. When we fail to prioritize God in the place where he belongs, there is a price to be paid. God makes this very clear through the ministry of the major and minor prophets. Haggai tells the people that they are struggling in life because they have put their own wants and needs ahead of God. As a direct result, God is frustrating their plans. God’s Plan A is HumilityGod’s Plan B is Humiliation

• Acts 2:1-8 NLT
• One camp believes that it served the purpose of spurring the beginning of the church and for serving as a sign as the church was in its formational stages. They believe that the gift was for the Apostles and that when the ministry of the Apostles ended, the gift and its purpose ended as well. (1 Cor 13:8).
• The second camp believes that the gifts were for the church and that their purpose never concluded and that as such we should still be seeking and utilizing this gift. Their are labeled Pentecostals and Charismatics.
• Since there are two camps, we must wrestle with the obvious question. Which one are we and why? We are an Assemblies of God Church and our doctrinal belief is Pentecostal.

• Cessationist – Believe Gifts of the Spirit ended with the ministry of the Apostles.
• 1 Cor. 13:8 - prescriptive or descriptive?
• University of Penn Neurological Study on Speaking in Tongues – Dr. Andrew B. Newberg
• Oral Roberts Univ. study on Immunity Health through Praying in Tongues – Dr. Carl R. Peterson

• Gifts of the Spirit are imparted after salvation
• Spiritual Gifts should be pursued
• They are a gift for everyone, but are individually ordained for each believer
• Tongues has a private and a public expression
• Private Tongues are for Spiritual Prayer
• Public Tongues must be interpreted to be orderly
• Speaking in Tongues is a sign to believers
• After Salvation: Acts 2:4, 10:44-46
• Everyone: 1 Cor. 14:5
• Private vs. Public: 1 Cor. 14
• Rom. 8:26-28 NLT

• Matthew 6:5-8
• Private & Public Relationships. Our public relationship with God should be an extension of our private relationship with God. If our private relationship with God is robust, then our public relationship with God will be as well.
• Hebrews 10:23-25 – Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
• Fundamentals of Connection: Time – the moments that are God’sSpace – the place where you can meetPrayer – Speaking to GodSilence – Listening to GodWorship – in your own wordsScripture – studying the BibleJournaling – writing thoughts and questions
• If we ignore God privately… we’ll never know him.
• Prioritizing time with God is more important than how you do it.

What does the Bible say about sickness and healing?Why do bad things happen to innocent people?The effects of “original sin” are pervasive. There is nothing in the human condition that has not been touched by the affects of original sin. There are also many who suffer needlessly because of the sin of others. No one is an island and as a person is consumed by their own sin, the affects are often felt by many who are completely innocent. Even if there is no one that directly caused our suffering, original sin has radically transformed the “good” world that God created into a fallen state that is marred in sickness and strife. We often hear, “Why would God allow…?” The truth is that our world is functioning in a manner that is counter to the way in which it was created. It was created to be good. Anything in it that is bad/broken did not come from God. It came from us; even though we did not commit the sin of Adam and Eve. We are still born as sinners (Ps. 51:5). Genesis 1:31, 3:16-19

• Sin produces human struggling. Romans 5:12-17

• Jesus is the only hope for human struggling.

Why are even Godly people sometimes not healed? Matthew 15:30-31 NLT

• Jesus heals everyone.

• 2 Kings 13:14 NLT

• 2 Timothy 4:20b NLT

• Jesus healed the effects of sin and our broken relationship with God.

• Racism - White
• Sexism - Male
• Homophobia - Heterosexual
• Transphobia - Religious
• Ableism - Healthy

• Psalm 1 talks about how we should not sit in the council of sinners, this doesn’t negate our call to love them.
• 2 Tim 3 says that we should have nothing to do with sinful people who pretend to be Godly
• Rom 2:4 reminds us that it is God’s kindness (and by extension ours) that leads people to repentance.