Here's the Point from CrossPoint Christian Church in Whittier, CA

Sin has consequences. Israel sinned against God, the same God to whom they had cried for rescue while enslaved in Egypt. He delivered them from Egypt, and instead of keeping this great feat in their hearts, they worshiped other gods and followed the practices of other nations. They also secretly did things against the Lord that were just not right. In their disregard for God’s laws they set in motion the beginning of their end, Have you ever became engulfed in a sinful spiral and lived a life contrary to the will of God? How did that work for you? It didn’t work for Israel either. Are you still living with the consequences of sin?

Mothers...we all have them. Whether you believe yours is the best on the planet or one of the worst...we all arrived here through a mother. Throughout Scripture we read about mothers who made a difference. Did they have “it” all together? Of course not! However, God still worked through them. So, if you’ve been down on your own mothering or your mother’s skills, take heart and know that God can work through people even when they don’t have it all together.

If you have ever had to deliver a difficult message or have a difficult conversation with someone, you might understand the position in which two of God’s messengers found themselves. These prophets not only had to deliver difficult messages, but they had to make personal sacrifices. The prophet Elijah announced a great drought (1 Kings 17:1) and ended up living in the wilderness being fed by a raven. The prophet Hosea was specifically commissioned to marry a prostitute, which was an absolute “no-no” in Jewish culture (Hosea 1:2). No one ever said being a messenger of God was going to be easy, but God had a plan. Sometimes life with God can be challenging, but know that he is always working and he has a plan.

Do you remember times when your parents told you to do something multiple times and you were slow to act or didn’t act at all? The final talk may have begun something like, “I’ve told you over and over...” before your punishment. This is what happened with Solomon--the wisest man—who behaved unwisely when he disobeyed God’s command to not follow other gods. He built high places for the gods of his foreign wives where they could burn incense and offer sacrifices. The Lord became angry with Solomon because of this disobedience...after all he had warned him twice. The punishment—the kingdom would be “torn” from the hand of Solomon’s son Rehoboam. With the death of Solomon things began to go rapidly downhill. Start reading at 1 Kings 11 to see how the story unfolds.

La Nacion de Israel se dividio en dos y sufrio mucho por causa del pecado de sus lideres, comenzando con el rey Salomon. Hubo una indiferencia hacia la palabra de Dios, una insensibilidad hacia la necesidad del pueblo y por fin idolatria. La Familia de Dios debe luchar contra estas atitudes dentro de la iglesia.

Imagine if you had it all...everything you could ever want! What would you want? A job, car, a mate, house, food...? Our imaginations might work overtime in an effort to come up with a list, but would wisdom and knowledge be on the wish list? Wisdom and knowledge were the only things on Solomon’s list when God said “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (2 Chronicles 1:7). Solomon understood what was important for leading God’s people and because he understood, God gave him wealth, honor and power in addition to what he asked. He had it all...given by the one who has the power to give us all that we need. You may not always get what you want, but God provides what you need!

In the previous lesson about King David, he went from shepherd to king and as king, he made some questionable decisions. One of his most notorious decisions was to take Bathsheba, another man’s wife, and then orchestrate the death of her husband Uriah. Not good! The prophet Nathan called him on this behavior and to David’s credit, he admitted his sin. But there were consequences. When we transgress God’s law and ask forgiveness, there may still be long-term consequences that we must live with as a result and that’s what happened to David.

This Resurrection Sunday message, “What About Jesus?” explores the questions: Was He really God and, Did He rise from the grave? Because of Jesus our past is forgiven, our life is worth living and we have a future in heaven!

David is probably one of the best known individuals in the Bible--one whom Nehemiah characterized as a man of God (Nehemiah 12:24, 36). He was on track to become Israel’s king, but in the journey, like most of us, he experienced gains and losses. His relationship with Saul started out well, but Saul’s jealousy cost David a job, his wife, his best friend and, eventually his dignity as he pleaded insanity to escape a dangerous situation. Then, his mentor--the prophet Samuel died. In spite of it all, he did not stop praising God as the Psalms of David give his testimony. His life’s journey, like many of us today, was fraught with ups and downs—good times and bad, but he did not leave off prayer and praise to God. Do you praise God continually or only talk to Him during the rough spots?