Being told “no” is not easy.

Times in the Bible when God answered petitions with “yes”:

Exodus 32; Numbers 14 – Moses interceded for the Israelites

II Kings 20 – Hezekiah’s request to live longer

Sometimes God’s answer is “no.”

II Samuel 12:13-22 – David and Bathsheba’s baby

II Corinthians 12:7-10 – Paul’s thorn in the flesh

Considerations for prayer

We must be in a right relationship with God. I Peter 3:7

We must not ask for something that contradicts His will. James 4:3

Our perspective is limited by our minds. Isaiah 55:8-9

God told Paul “no.”

I Corinthians 2:3

Galatians 4:13-15; 6:11

“My grace is sufficient for you.”

When life doesn’t go our way, we may question our faith.

God may say “no” because we need reminding of what He has done for us. Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9

The effects of God’s grace must be seen in our lives. II Corinthians 9:8; Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-14

Sufficient à to be enough

Application: Even in being told “no,” there is good.

“My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Is this the way the world works?

God works through man’s weakness to show His power.

Exodus 7-14: Moses vs. Pharaoh

Joshua 6: The walls of Jericho

Judges 7: Gideon and the 300 men (Judges 7:2-7, 9)

I Corinthians 1: The gospel message

Made perfect à to perform, execute, complete, fulfill. Psalms 28:8; Isaiah 40:29-31

Application: In weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and calamity, show God’s power in your life.

Genesis 21:1-5

Mark 10:46-62

Acts 16:16ff

II Corinthians 11:23-29

Matthew 26:26-29 – Jesus’ death

“I am content with …”

Content à it seems good to me, is one’s full pleasure

NOT “I’ll only be happy/content if …”

Philippians 4:11-13

Isaiah 53:7 – At what point did Jesus ever express discontent?

Paul boasted of his weakness.

There is value in sharing our challenges with others. James 5:16

Revelation 3:15-17 – A false impression of strength is damaging.

Application: How might your challenges, or those facing society, allow you to show true contentedness?

When God’s answer is “no”

Remember His grace.

Let His power shine in your weakness.

Be content with your lot in life.

I Thessalonians 4:1-18

I Thessalonians 4:1-2 – “Excel still more.” Every church should want to mature to this point. They were not perfect, but were doing well and the next step was to grow.

I Thessalonians 4:3-8 – In Paul’s day, chastity was regarded as an unreasonable restriction. The phrase “possess his own vessel” has been debated for a long time. It could mean one’s own body or could be a reference to one’s wife. (Romans 6:13; I Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:2) The overall message is to abstain from sexual immorality.

Job 31:1; Matthew 5:27 – We have to guard ourselves from sexual immorality.

The idolatrous practices in those days involved sexual immorality, which was part of what made it so popular. These Christians had come out of these idolatrous practices.

I Thessalonians 4:8 – See Nehemiah 9:30; Acts 7:51-52; I Thessalonians 1:5; 2:2, 8-9, 13; 3:2; 4:1-2, 6, 11. The gospel was from God! The “Holy Spirit” here refers to the inspired message they had received and were receiving through Paul as a messenger.

I Thessalonians 4:9-10 – See Matthew 23:23; I Corinthians 13:1-3. It’s possible to follow every law precisely, but ultimately fail if you lack love. Verse 9 is an example of a figure of speech called paralipsis, in which emphasis is added by professing to say little about it. Compare other examples in Philemon 1:9; I Thessalonians 5:1.

I Thessalonians 4:11-12 – Compare II Thessalonians 3:11-12. Get to work!

I Thessalonians 4:13-18 – The dead in Christ will rise first, then those alive in Christ will meet him in the air. This should be a great comfort to us. This does not say that Jesus will come to earth (pre-millenialism). The doctrine of rapture comes from a misinterpretation of this verse. John 5:28-29

II Corinthians 7:4

Do I understand that I am personally guilty of sin?

Children start out innocent. Acts 2:38; Luke 18:15

But at some point, God starts holding us accountable for our sins.

Numbers 14:29; Deuteronomy 1:39 – Twenty was the cutoff age in the wilderness, but this is not a universal rule we see elsewhere in the Bible.

II Chronicles 34:3 – Josiah started serving God at age 16.

Baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience.

I Peter 3:21

Guilt à Baptism à Clean conscience

Acts 9:5-6, 9 – Saul realizes he is guilty.

Acts 22:16

Notice how it’s personal.

Acts 2:23, 36

Acts 9:19

Acts 16:34

Do I know the good news?

Matthew 28:18-20

Acts 2:40-41

Acts 8:12, 35

The act of baptism is based on Jesus and His death.

Romans 6:3

We don’t have to know it all to be baptized. None of us do!

Am I convinced?

Mark 16:15-16; Acts 8:12-13

Acts 17:2-3, 11; 18:8 – People were reasoning through the scriptures and believing!

Hebrews 11:6

Romans 10:8

Am I prepared to start a new life?

I must repent.

Acts 2:41; Ezekiel 18:30-32; Jonah 3:4-5, 8; Acts 26:20

Change of mind à change of life

I must prepare to walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:3-4; Luke 14:26; II Corinthians 7:8-10

Repentance is lifelong!

Micah 1-7

Introduction

Micah means “who is like Jehovah.”

Micah was contemporary with Isaiah, which we can see by comparing the kings mentioned in both books.

Micah primarily prophesied to the poor and downtrodden, from about 735 B.C.

God’s judgment on Samaria and Judah with a ray of hope for salvation for a remnant (Micah 1-3)

Messianic hope (Micah 4-5)

Micah 4:1-3 – Compare Isaiah 2:2-4.

Micah 4:3-5 – God’s kingdom would be peaceful, not defended with carnal weapons. II Corinthians 10:4-5

Micah 4:4 – Christians have more power than Satan. We can resist him!

Micah 5:2 – Jesus would come out of Bethlehem and be eternal (deity – see John 1:1).

Micah 5:7-9 – We should be as dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass. This is referring to the positive influence the righteous should have on those around them.

Micah 5:8 – See Proverbs 28:1. The righteous will be bold like a lion, standing in truth. II Corinthians 10:4-5.

God has a controversy with Israel (Micah 6)

Micah 6:1-5 – Israel had no gratitude for God’s blessings.

Micah 6:6-8 – It is possible to do the right things in worship and still not be saved. God wants a right life, not ritual.

Penitent prays and the divine promise (Micah 7)

Micah 7:1-6 – Confession of the people’s guilt.

Micah 7:14 – Prayer for God’s blessings.

Micah 7:15 – God would show them marvelous things!

Micah 7:16 – Nations will be confounded at the might of the righteous. Proverbs 28:1; II Corinthians 10:4-5

Micah 7:18-20 – God delights in mercy and will pardon iniquity. Hebrews 8:12

Lessons for us:

God requires us to live righteously. We must be merciful and walk humbly with God.

The holiness of God and righteousness of God must be stressed today.

Ritualistic keeping of commandments is not sufficient for salvation.

Next up: Zephaniah

I Thessalonians 3:1-13

I Thessalonians 3:1-5 – This is still needed today: older Christians encouraging new Christians. Timothy is a good example of how we can each take on different roles and help the cause of Christ. I Corinthians 3:5-6

I Thessalonians 3:6-8 – Paul was connected to the Thessalonians. He rejoiced and grieved with them (3 John 1:3-4). Are we connected to others like this and concerned for their souls?

I Thessalonians 3:9-13 – Paul wanted them to be complete. They had a good start, but there was more for them to do. II Peter 1:5-11; Luke 18:18-23. Spiritual growth is about forsaking that one hardest sin you struggle with!

Acts 15:36

Is the Bible setting us up for failure? Can we ever reach the standard God sets?

Psalms 130:3-4; I Thessalonians 4:1, 10, 18; 5:8; I John 1:6-9; Revelation 2:4-5

It’s not about being perfect! It’s about striving to grow closer to God. Jesus blood makes us perfect.

I Thessalonians 4:1

Leaving our first love

Ephesus timeline

Paul’s second journey: Acts 18:19-21

Paul’s third journey: Acts 19

Paul’s farewell: Acts 20 (trouble brewing)

Paul’s letter: Ephesians

Timothy in Ephesus: I Timothy, II Timothy

John’s letter: Revelation 2:1-7 (left first love)

The church in Ephesus started so strong and had years of teaching from both Paul and Timothy, but they still left their first love! If it can happen in Ephesus, it can happen anywhere!

John 14:15-23

I John 5:3

I Corinthians 13:3

Acts 19:10 – Ephesus was the center of the gospel in Asia at one time!

Acts 20:36-37 – What happened to this passion?

Forming cliques (Galatians 3:27-28)

Possible cliques:

More money; less money

College students; non-students

Florida College; non-Florida College

Members; visitors

Older folks; younger families with kids

Acts 11:19-20, 26, 29

Matthew 13:53-58 vs Acts 2:9, 46-47 – They were unified spiritually despite their different backgrounds!

Romans 12:10, 16

There is no reason for any of these cliques!

Hosea 1-14

Introduction to the book

“Hosea” means salvation.

Hosea was roughly contemporary with Amos.

The book was written about 750-722 B.C., just before Israel was taken into Assyrian captivity.

The primary message of the book is doom.

Within the book, the God’s relationship to Israel is compared to Hosea’s relationship to his wife, Gomer.

Hosea 2:23 – See Romans 9:25-26; I Peter 2:10. These passages in the New Testament directly connect Hosea’s prophecy of the restoration of the people to Christ. God had a plan!

Hosea 3 – Hosea redeems his wife.

Hosea 4 – God’s controversy with Israel.

Hosea 8 – Israel would reap as it sowed.

Hosea 11 – God’s love for Israel.

Hosea 12-13 – Israel went further into apostasy.

Hosea 14 – Compare Amos 4:12. This is a plea to return to God.

Lessons for us:

The great love God has for fallen man.

Internal apostasy is more dangerous than external enemies.

The folly of trying to direct your own ways.

God always desires to show mercy.

The great blessings from God for those that obey Him.

Lack of knowledge is destructive.

It is now time to seek the Lord!

Hosea 14:9 – The ways of the Lord are right and the upright walk in them.

The concept of denominations is not present in the New Testament.

Organization: We are not part of any earthly hierarchy.

Ephesians 5:22-24

Church in the universal sense:

Ephesians 4:4 – There is one body – the group of people saved by Christ.

Matthew 16:16-19

Hebrews 12:22-23

The Bible often describes the church in the universal sense – all those that are saved in Christ.

Church in the local sense:

Romans 16:16

I Corinthians 1:2

What’s not in the Bible: denominations

Doctrine: We simply try to study and obey the Bible (not a creed book, statement of beliefs, tradition …)

Matthew 7:21-23

John 17:17-23 – We should be unified on truth – not separated by creeds and traditions.

Ephesians 4:5, 11-14 – Let’s just read the Bible!

Failure to be unified leads to church-shopping to see whose beliefs you like best, rather than searching for truth. We should only be comparing to the Bible, not our own desires.

Identity: We are simply Christians, not a type of Christian.

Romans 6:3

Galatians 3:27

We have no Bible authority to identify ourselves as any type of Christian.

I Corinthians 1:10 – Paul tried to stop this sort of division.

I Thessalonians 2:1-20

I Thessalonians 2:1-2 – Paul had been mistreated in Philippi (Acts 16:12-40). Paul was jailed, then miraculously freed and the jailer was converted. Paul persisted in spreading the gospel with boldness.

I Thessalonians 2:3-12 – You are witnesses and so is God.

I Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 4:9 – Paul sometimes used himself as an example.

II Corinthians 12:13 – Paul was prepared to give himself to help them.

II Thessalonians 2:10

Could we use ourselves as examples to others?

I Thessalonians 2:6 – Paul could have thrown his weight around as an apostle but did not.

I Thessalonians 2:9 – Paul was worthy of wages as a preacher but did not burden them (II Thessalonians 3:8).

I Thessalonians 2:7, 11 – Paul described himself as a father or mother trying to help his children toward the end goal (I Thessalonians 2:12).

There may be times when it is permissible to do something, but it’s more beneficial if we give up personal liberties and refrain.

I Thessalonians 2:13 – Paul wrote that the word “performs its work in you who believe.” Compare Psalms 119:103-105; Acts 20:32; Romans 6:17-18; II Timothy 3:15-16; Hebrews 4:12.

I Thessalonians 2:14-16 – The Thessalonians suffered just like brethren in other churches (Acts 4:3; 17:5; Philippians 3:10; II Timothy 3:12). Suffering is a theme and point of fellowship among Christ and Christians and not a sign that Christians are doing something wrong.

I Thessalonians 2:17-20 – Paul had formed a close relationship with them and longed to see them. See Philippians 4:16. Some time had possibly passed between Acts 17:4 and Acts 17:5. He spent at least three weeks with them according to Acts 17:2.

Hebrews 8:1-2

He’s there to save us from our sins forever.

Hebrews 2:17

Leviticus 16:15, 32-34 – The high priest made atonement for all Israel once a year.

Hebrews 9:23-28; 5:6, 9-10 – Jesus made atonement for all mankind, once for all time.

The perfect high priest is in place and will always be there for us!

Hebrews 7:3-4, 7, 17, 23-25; 6:19-20

He encourages us to confess Him and never turn back.

Exodus 28 – The high priest garments.

Exodus 29:9-10, 12, 21, 29

Hebrews 5:1-3; 4:14-16 – The high priest was one of the people, so would sympathize with their weaknesses. Jesus lived and was tempted as we are, so we have an even greater advantage with Him as our high priest.

Hebrews 3:1; 10:19-23 – We can have confidence through Jesus.

Matthew 10:32-33

He has proved His love. Now it’s our turn.

Hebrews 4:15

Isaiah 59:2, 9, 15-16, 20

Hebrews 2:17-18; 9:11-14