New Arbor Sunday Messages

1 Corinthians 12

1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 

2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 

3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

3 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures….”

1 Corinthians 15:3-4

3 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 

4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures….”

1 Corinthians 11:27-34

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 

28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 

29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 

30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 

31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 

32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 

34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Joshua 2:1-24

1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 

3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 

5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 

6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 

7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 

9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 

10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 

11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

12 “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 

13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 

16 She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”

17 Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 

18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 

19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. 

20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.” So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22 When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. 

23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 

24 They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”

Acts 2:22-32

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 

23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 

24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 

25 David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope,

27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.

28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 

30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 

31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 

32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

1 Corinthians 11:17-27

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.

18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 

19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 

20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 

21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 

22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! 

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 

Psalm 5 NIV

*For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.*

1 Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament. 

2 Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 

3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. 

4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. 

5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; 

6 you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest. 

7 But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence. I bow down toward your holy temple. 

8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me. 

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. 

10 Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. 

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. 

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. 

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 

3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 

4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 

5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 

6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 

8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 

9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 

10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. 

11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 

12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 

14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 

15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 

16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.