Scripture Reading  Genesis 29:31-35

BibleStudyTogether app — It’s day 036, but just put in the start date of Jan. 4 and each time you hit “Today’s Reading” you’ll be up where the rest of us are. You could start today.

(Backstory: Jacob worked for 7 years to marry Laban’s younger daughter , but on the wedding night Laban tricked Jacob into sleeping with the older daughter instead…to force him to marry her! Laban demanded another 7 years of work in return for getting to marry Rachel too. This created unhealthy competition between the women and lots of hurt for both women and their servants Bilhah and Zilpah who were forced into surrogate mother roles as well.)

 

Look at what Leah declared after the birth of her first children:

After Leah’s Son:

“The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”

 

 

Leah’s Son:

“The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

 

 

Leah’s Son:

“Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”

Leah’s Son:

“Now I will praise the Lord!”

 

Via Leah: Levi

Tribe of & PRIESTS!

Via Leah: Judah

King David and King !

The Lord sees all, and responds with compassion!

2026-01-18 Trust the Lord

Scripture reading: Genesis 13:1-18

The first Sunday in January, Jan. 4, we introduced and began a Bible reading plan with the website and app called “Bible Study Together.” There are printed versions at the entrances, and if you have our normal church center app and hit the “Worship online” button, you can then click on the link that will take you to their website and help you get the app if you want it. Just remember when you set up the app to put the start date as the first Sun. in 2026, Jan. 4, and choose the 1 reading per day finish in two years option. Today’s reading includes what was just read!

It’s going to take me about 15 minutes to set up everything to really understand that passage, so to start with let’s start with ants. Can ants communicate with each other? Yes.

Can I communicate back and forth with an ? No. I can stomp on them, and they would just be like, “Some huge thing from the sky just eliminated those ants over there.” Ants could never understand me naturally, so if they were to ever understand me, I’d need to reveal to them in a special way, in their own ant language, truths about me that they could understand and maybe say in their own way, “Move over there or you’re gonna die!” SPECIAL REVELATION is needed.

When we’re reading the Bible, we’re looking for special revelation from a God we can’t understand. We can’t understand that God without God coming down to our level and giving us SPECIAL REVELATION. Consider our limitations:

Limits of human ability to know some things: From what I’ve read, in physics there’s the understanding that once we study something really really small like an electron, we can’t know both its position AND its momentum because just by observing and measuring it we’re CHANGING it! Once we get to a small enough thing, we’ll never FULLY understand it. And from what I’ve read in astronomy, SPACE is stretching out faster than the speed of light — which means there’s likely stuff out there we will never be able to see or measure…never, ever.

On top of THAT, we all will be dead before the age of 130. No one’s come close to breaking that barrier. We’re boxed in, limited, like ants on the sidewalk alongside of a giant creator God that’s unknowable and a universe that’s not fully understandable UNLESS we get from that great creator God SPECIAL REVELATION.

Has God given us SPECIAL of who God is and how we SHOULD live? YES, and here’s an example of how we know that is so: Why is murder , if it protects resources for you and your kids? If there were no God at all behind the design of the universe, NO ONE would ever say the murder of someone that’s not your biological offspring is bad, because you just showed that YOU are the fittest and YOUR kids should get all the food and water!

But since the fourth chapter in Genesis story of Cain murdering Abel, we’ve got this deep down sense that this is wrong: unprovoked murder, done out of selfishness, is BAD. It’s wrong. Where did THAT idea come from? It has to be SPECIAL REVELATION because in just materialistic, humanistic terms it’s actually a great idea that would never be questioned.

God’s SPECIAL REVELATION through the years was compiled by in the Bible – such as Genesis 1 and 2. God creates humans NOT to struggle with survival of the fittest, but in a peaceful state of goodness – in the likeness and image of God – with harmony among all including between men and women.

BUT, that is NOT the only option God gives humans. Adam and Eve have the option, as described in Genesis 3, of going against God toward their own desires, their own morality. God warned them, “If you do you’ll die” – but they gave in to temptation.

Then in chapter 4 what does God say to Cain, their son?

GENESIS 4:7 “ is crouching at your door and its desire is for you”

Special revelation – there is evil temptation and sin, and it WANTS YOU! Does that apply to today? YES. It’s there at your door, and if you let it in, it will devour your mind and body!

SO – in Genesis chapters 3-11 we get special revelation: Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, Babel all show that a “Very Good” creation includes freedom to obey & receive God’s blessing OR to disobey & receive punishment.

I’m sorry that this is so, on one hand. The freedom to obey OR disobey that is rooted in God’s creation and a part of the image and likeness we bear, means we are capable of great good AND horrible evil…and in general, God will let people do as they please. Eve sins, God doesn’t stop her; Adam sins, God doesn’t stop her; Cain sins, and God allows a murder and doesn’t stop it; all the people around Noah, all the people in the ancient town of Babel, the fathers of the Nephillim, they ALL choose disobedience and God allows it….and people suffer because of it.

BUT NOAH found favor in the eyes of the Lord, as did Abel and Enoch and a minority of others.

Which will YOU choose?

When we study the Bible, here are the questions to always keep in mind:

BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS: What’s this tell us about ? What’s this tell us about ? What’s God telling ?

This shows us that God’s goodness demands that God allows us freedom to choose to obey or disobey. God loves us and is good and gives us also the option to come to him – we see this most powerfully in the NEW Testament Bible readings our plan is incorporating, but we see it too in the Old Testament passages. God is patient and merciful and will forgive and help us live rightly BUT ALSO will judge us for wrongdoing as well.

This shows us that we are capable of great good AND evil – and will succumb to evil if we don’t trust in the Lord.

SO – TRUST IN THE LORD!

Consider Abram, in Genesis 12:2 – to whom God says: “I will bless you …and you will be a blessing…through you all nations will be blessed” * if you *

It’s a sturdy promise – but requires obedience!

Therefore: THE LORD!

What’s Abram challenged to do? Leave his security, his tribe, and go to a new land…and it’s a difficult road, and he never fully gets to see all these descendants of his live in the promised land. He just has to trust in the Lord each day. Sometimes he gets it right, sometimes not – but overall, gets the most important parts right and God continues to be with him.

He even TRIES to take along his nephew Lot to help raise him up and bless him too, even though he’s not his son. As he leaves with his wife Sarai, they go, and then have to go all the way to Egypt during a famine, and when they get back they have been blessed by God because of Abram’s obedience and turning back to the Lord.

They are too numerous though, so Abram let’s Lot choose where he wants to God.

Genesis 13: How does Lot decide where to go? Does he pray? No. Does he respect his elder, his uncle, who is the whole reason Lot is now rich? NO. He selfishly chooses with his eyes the best land, and leaves the old man to the badlands.

What’s that lead to for Abram? Continued blessing – because he trusts the Lord!

What’s that lead to for Lot? DISASTER! He lives in the Sodom and Gomorrah region that gets more and more wicked!

Ok – so you know what to do with this! Ask the BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS: What’s this tell us about God? What’s this tell us about us? What’s God telling me?

Consider, pray, and commit to do what God says! AMEN!

 

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• What can we learn from Abram’s way of dealing with conflict from this WEEK’S readings (both good and bad!)?
• In what ways did Abram trust God in dealing with Lot?
• Why did Lot choose the Jordan Valley? What other factors should he have considered?
• How can you trust God when facing conflict?
• How is God revealed in today’s reading, and what does this mean for you life?

Scripture Reading – Genesis 6:1-8

If you missed last Sunday, I announced a reading plan that could take us all together at the same time through the Bible with short readings each day, and in just two years we’d be through the whole Bible.

 The website and name of the plan is BibleStudyTogether.com. At that website you can find links to the app, and you can order journals if you’d like to. 

Paper versions of the plan are available, but if you use phone apps you’ll want to have it available too. It’s on the Google Plan and the Apple App store…and will read it to you.

I won’t use all these slides every Sunday for two years but I’ll use this one often AND:

If you get the app, set the start date to the first Sunday in January — Jan. 4, 2026 – the first Sunday of the year, and then when you hit “TODAY’S READING” it will be right every time. Today’s reading is 008.

If you jumped in with us last Sunday as day 1 and kept up, then you’re ready for today’s message AND you probably have been wrestling with some questions because WOW the Bible is mysterious and odd in those first six chapters!

 

 

HERE’S HOW COOL AND MYSTERIOUS THE BIBLE IS from the very start: The very beginning of the Bible starts with TWO creation stories combined into one that are CRAZY ancient. They go way way back in the history of ancient Israel. We Christians have them from the Jews, because the Old Testament is the original Hebrew Bible compiled by the Jews and their ancestors for 1500 years AFTER many more years than that of telling the stories from kids to grandkids.

In Chapter 1 — God isn’t explained or proven; it just jumps right in and assumes you believe in God. The translation from the Hebrew says: “In the beginning God created…” or “When God created.” For believers, it’s an awesome powerful statement that roots us in the deep truth that we can trust that God has power over everything – so if we trust that God, we have nothing to fear!

For those who don’t yet believe, they may be like, “Well who is this God? What is God like? Is there one or many?”

Then you may see that there are six days of creation in Genesis 1, ending with a seventh day of rest, but the story in Genesis 2 that gets into more specifics about humans doesn’t match up exactly with chapter 1. Maybe one is from God’s perspective, maybe one’s from earth’s perspective; maybe they’re two different traditions that help explain how things are and Moses or another author or ancient editor was led by God to include both…we’re not sure.

AND is the earth YOUNG, like if you add up all the dates and ages of people it may only be 10,000 years old OR is there evolution for billions of years and Genesis starts when a humanoid is given the spirit of God in some way?

There’s a mystery there…and legitimate, Apostles Creed and Bible believing traditional Christians have different explanations and interpretations…so if you want to do MORE research here are two different ministries you could check out.

 

TO ME, when you read, START with a literal straightforward approach to the text, then ask, “What’s this teach me about God? And what’s this teach me about Humans?” Then you can go back and look at whether or not it should be taken completely literal or not – but start literal, ask the theological questions, and THEN you can do more evaluation. If you do that, you’ll get to the overall truths that both AiG and Biologos agree upon.

 

WHEN WE GET TO Genesis CHAPTER 3 – the first humans and Eve are tempted to sin against God by a “serpent.” They’re GOOD and are in a good garden in a good world without brokenness and violence, but they are TEMPTED to go against God’s instructions. Who tempts them? A serpent….that’s clearly a created being, NOT an equal to God evil God – not at all! It’s a created being that has chosen to go against God. And the humans Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and eat from a tree that God said not to eat. It was literally the ONLY law God had given up to this point, but because they want to go their own way and do their own thing, they eat from that tree and disobey God.

 

What happens? Does God judge them? YES — GOD’S and curse falls upon them!

A similar thing happens in chapter 4 when Cain murders Abel! Now, what’s all of that tell us about God? God provides for our needs but also gives us the ability to choose to go our own way. God is not an evil dictator. BUT ALSO, our freedom to choose also means HORRIBLE things can happen if we sin against God.

SO, what’s that tell us about HUMANS? We’re created to be good, like God – and CAN, but we choose not to be some times as we have inherited that trait from our ancestors.

IT ALSO SHOWS US THAT HUMAN SIN BRINGS ABOUT GOD’S JUDGMENT.

Does this start a snowball of selfish sin? YES. Through chapter 5, lots and lots of people are mentioned but only a small few are mentioned as calling upon or walking with God.

By the time we get to today’s passage in Chapter 6, things have gone ROTTEN! There’s a short account of “sons of God” sleeping with “daughters of men” in a way that is evil, and Answers in Genesis and Biologos can give you the different interpretation of who the Sons of God are in this passage and who the Nephilim are… there’s great debate: Either powerful human men or angelic beings are mistreating women. So either way, what is NOT debated is the conclusion the Bible makes: the big picture —

 

5 The Lord observed the extent of human on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.

7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.”

OUCH. Now, some branches of Christianity believe God predestines everything and if people are saved or damned, sinful or not, ultimately it’s God’s decision and doing. Does this passage align with that? NO.

 

God created humans, willingly doing so without looking into the future OR causing them to be good or evil. To me this means that God limited God’s self when creating, so He could create them with the freedom to choose, and we chose to rebel and disobey and grow wicked and evil.

And so God, true to God’s good and just and righteous nature, has to judge the world… just as he had judged Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. Our actions demand consequences. Our wrong, sinful actions deserve punishment, and God is righteous and just and must judge us.

Usually the majority of people don’t care too much about God, don’t pray much, don’t try to REALLY be good and holy much. BUT there’s always one or two or a minority group… a “remnant” who does. Up to this point, there are people who have chosen to go against the sinful majority to call on God and walk with God – SETH and some people around him; ENOCH and some people around him… Just not many of them, and in Noah’s day, not many at all.

 

But NOAH – is going to get saved from the destruction of a great flood – and he’ll save his family, and a bunch of animals. “NOAH’S ARK” as it’s called.

God is a judge – but God is always looking for a Noah. Always hoping and watching and calling you and I to stand out from the crowd and stand up for God and what is right. You can be one of those people.

It may not be easy…because right now we’ve lost what Noah found. Let me go negative, and then I’ll come back and end positive. In Noah’s day, and in various times throughout the history the Bible speaks to, people got so messed up and sinful in their thinking that they started thing what was wrong is right.

 

Maybe 1000 years later the prophet Isaiah wrote these words to warn the people of his day:

 

 

Have you ever seen someone do something wrong and other people say it’s right and good? I just had an old friend of mine after many years of marriage and multiple wonderful kids declare he’s gay and they’re divorcing and he’ll live separate from his family. He’s a pastor. Now, that’s selfish, he’s lied and deceived for years, in most cases like this there’s pornography use and affairs that have happened…one’s whole mental and moral wiring gets messed up. He’s wrong wrong wrong. But, many people are like, “oh you’re so brave good for you.” We have THREE couples in our lives that this kind of thing has happened with homosexual sex, and MORE friends whose covenants were broken with extramarital heterosexual sex – and each time it’s self-centered and evil. This guy is communicating to his wife and kids that it’s more important to have illicit sex than it is to be truthful, committed, pure; it’s more important to have the sex he wants than to be present every night for his kids. It’s an epidemic….and….

It feels new, but it’s just new packaging of an ancient problem of sin. The people in Noah’s day had their version of it, and in Isaiah’s day, and in our day.

 

 

“Oh but a good and loving God doesn’t care if you betray your wife and family right? That God just wants you to be individually happy no matter what, right?

 

And in Noah’s day, he sent the flood and destroyed them.

“Oh but Jesus shows us God is just nice and tolerant and just wants you to feel good and happy, right?”

 

Um…well…Jesus said stuff like this, in Luke 12:5 – “But I’ll tell you whom to fear.  Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.

Oh yeah – what book was JESUS’ Bible, as the Jewish Messiah? The OLD TESTAMENT. Now, Jesus changed many of the expectations and requirements, YES – that is true, because his death and resurrection and sending the Holy Spirit to us helps us in ways these Old Testament people didn’t have. BUT the changes are based on the understandings in the OT! Understandings like: GOD IS HOLY AND GOOD AND JUST AND ALL POWERFUL and do NOT mess with Him! Submit, fear, obey him and THEN you will find his great love and tenderness and help and peace. Be the ONE who finds this in your friend group!

 

 

Genesis 6:8 – “BUT NOAH found favor with the Lord.”

Will it be said of you, among the angels and saints in heaven who may be watching you:

BUT found favor with the Lord.

Turn to him NOW with respect and humility and ask and receive his forgiveness that you may find true love and peace in your heart. Turn to him NOW – and by all means you will escape judgment. Amen!

 

 

 

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• How have you grieved the heart of God?
• What does it mean to find favor in the eyes of the Lord?
• God gave Noah specific instructions to guide him in building the ark. How does God guide you?
• In what ways did God provide for Noah?
• In what ways does God provide for you?
• How is God revealed in today’s reading and what does this mean for your life?

Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:24-2:3; John 1:29-34

• What in your daily life brings you UP / ENCOURAGED / JOYFUL? 
• What in your daily life brings you STRESS / SADNESS / DISCOURAGEMENT? 

In Genesis 1 and 2 the Bible declares that you are created in God’s and .

How does THAT make you feel?

At the same time, Genesis 3 declares that because of us giving into the devilish temptation to commit , we are all broken, and the world is broken…so life is a struggle!

John the Baptist declared (in John 1:33-34) that he say the Holy descend upon and rest upon Jesus at Jesus’ baptism, and that Jesus will people with this Holy Spirit. THAT OFFER IS EXTENDED TO YOU!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What’s going on in your life right now that brings you great joy?
2. What’s going on in your life right now that brings you great stress or sadness or difficulty?
3. What might be included in the idea of “likeness” and “image,” in terms of you being created in God’s image AND likeness?
4. How is Jesus the PERFECT image and likeness of God?
5. What might the Holy Spirit be able to do in your life if Jesus were to send the Spirit upon and within you mightily today?
6. What do you need to do in order to be able to DAILY engage the Bible, so that these truths can guide and inspire you throughout the week?

 

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1-12

 

Luke 2:4. — And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.

 

Micah 5:2 —  “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, (Ephrathah means “” –Bethlehem means “house of ” though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

 

Irony of Micah’s prophecy and Jesus’ birth:

• The Savior is born and helpless.
• The religious and political leaders want to ignore Jesus or even him and all the baby boys of Bethlehem.
• The only people excited to see Jesus are outcast shepherds in the fields and foreigners.

 

Matthew 2:3 – “And king Herod hearing this, was , and all Jerusalem with him.”

 

As an adult, did Jesus’ brothers believe in him and support him as the Messiah / Savior? . (John 7:5)

 

 

King Herod, the Jerusalem King

1. Wanted .
2. Wanted prestige.
3. Wanted wealth.
4. Wanted to his power, prestige, and wealth.
5. Used to keep things his way.

 

King Jesus, the Bethlehem King

1. Gave up power.
2. Gave up wealth.
3. Born without prestige.
4. spiritual gifts, ability, leadership.
5. Used -change rather than violence.

 

Micah 5:4 “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.”

• Will you accept the BETHLEHEM king Jesus into your life and heart as your ruler?
• Do you want Him, and Him alone to be your Savior and Leader?
• Will you commit all that you are to this Bethlehem King?

 

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

In the past what has helped you to experience “love” around Christmastime?

Who has been the most loving person to you around Christmastime, and what did they do?

How do you typically try to express love to others at Christmas? Why?

How did God express love to us at the first Christmas — the birth of Jesus? What was loving about it?

Would you rather have a ruling leader who forced people to comply or who offered a change of heart to anyone who wanted it, but some refused to receive it?

How is Jesus’ way of ruling “loving”?

Scripture Reading Isaiah 9:2-7

• Luke 2:10-14 – Jesus is announced by the angel to the shepherds that Jesus is bringing to earth.
• Luke 10:38-42 – Jesus at the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus…which sister chose the “better” option? was the sister who chose the better option: interaction with

 

Isaiah 9:2-7 describes who Jesus is and how to have Peace on Earth through Him:

Child given– received

Wonderful counselor— listened to

Mighty God– submitted to

Everlasting Father– obeyed

• Receive the Son of God whose name is !
• Listen to the wonderful counselor, Jesus
• Submit to the mighty God, Jesus
• Obey the Everlasting Father of Jesus.

 You have to give effort to receive the peace Jesus is bringing you, but God is doing most of the work!

Isaiah 9:7 says: “The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”

 

 

 

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 7:1-14

“Jesus” means “God ”

In the Apostles Creed that Christians developed as a statement of faith in the 100’s AD, Christians said and say today: “I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Mary…”

• LXX = Septuagint = Old Testament translation of the Greek, by around 70 scholars around 280BC = “Virgin”
• DSS = Dead Sea Scrolls = version of the Old Testament copied around 100BC = “young woman”
• Which is “correct”? BOTH!

In Isaiah 7 and 8, God acts in human history, with humans; God influences a pregnancy as a part of God’s action; and in doing so, God shows that God is “with them” by issuing upon evil doers.

In Matthew 1, God is acting anew in human history; God influences a pregnancy as a part of God’s action and causes a VIRGIN to conceive – even MORE special and miraculous than the Isaiah 7:14 initial fulfillment in Isaiah’s day; and in doing so, God isn’t just issuing judgment on evil doers but is offering them through his life, death, resurrection and rule – the cradle, cross, and crown of Jesus!

Believe! Wonder at the miracle given us through the amazing young woman Mary, and worship Jesus as your King!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11:1-9

What have you hoped for and it turned out even BETTER?

What have you hoped for and it turned out much WORSE?

We’ll get some help with Hope through our new sermon series: , Cross, Crown

The Christian hope in the arrival of the Messiah Jesus is powerful and makes life better, healthier, happier…IF we understand what level of hope is fulfilled in his FIRST coming to Earth, and what hope will be fulfilled in his NEXT (Second) coming!

Genesis 3:15 includes the curse of Satan who tempted Adam and Eve to sin when presenting himself to them in the form of a . God curses him and says:

NOW: is available.

NEXT (coming of Jesus): will happen always!

NOW: is overcome, spiritually, with Jesus overcoming evil for us through his death on the cross and resurrection.

NEXT: ALL evil is completely, literally removed from us so it can happen that predators and prey can live together in harmony!

NOW: Strength, forgiveness, courage, rightness is

NEXT: Strength and rightness will be lived out in our complete renewal forever!

SO: We live our the “Stockdale Paradox” — facing the brutal facts that life now is hard because not everyone, all the time lives out what Jesus has made available…BUT have strong for the future, next coming of Jesus when he makes it all literally, entirely ‘right’!

 

 

 

Scripture Reading Matthew 7:9-12

“Your Father in heaven give[s] good gifts to those who ask him! SO —  in everything, to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”       – Matthew 7:11-12

Go act like God. Now 

ANNUAL STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE: Normal yearly expenses; covered 100% by

SERVE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN PLEDGE: Renovate the church to serve people better than a joint!

1. MIDDLE GIVERS who can give to renovate.
2. ANY GIVERS who spend all on themselves.
3. HIGH GIVERS who will determine the scope.
4. LOW GIVERS who will set our spiritual health.

• One little boy fed thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish because he gave his whole lunch to Jesus to feed others!
• One widow had only a couple of small coins to give to God in worship, but SHE is the one Jesus noticed and complimented!

Pause, Pray, and Prepare to give and serve people like God generously serves us!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What do you find it easiest to do when it comes to serving people? (For instance, if you have a gift of exhortation, you may find it easy to say words of encouragement to people).
2. What do you find it hardest to do when it comes to serving people?
3. What things has God given you that could be used to serve people over the next few years? How could you plan a little better to do so?
4. Where have you seen “helping” actually hurt people rather than serve them in a God-led way? What does Paul mean by 2 Thess. 3:10 – if one doesn’t work, he shouldn’t get to eat?
5. How do you decide what you should give in a certain situation, such that at some point you reach the point where you say, “I can give that amount (of money, effort, help, etc.) cheerfully and in a healthy way that is truly helpful in this situation, but also I should say ‘no’ to going beyond that”? Did Jesus ever live that way? (Hint: Yes…but people often overlook it!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scripture Reading Matthew 4:8-11

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, !  For it is written: ‘ the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

This is a WILD passage of the Bible, but it has EVERYTHING to do with my life and your life and even this capital campaign season of our church. Has anyone NOT been tempted by evil?????

I’VE been tempted – to cheat on a test I wasn’t ready for, to fake homework I should have done, to lie to avoid some bad consequences, to avoid talking about something I should talk about – sometimes I’ve resisted and sometimes I’ve failed and given in. Am I alone in this?  Have you ever been tempted to take the easy way out?

We ALL need the power of Jesus to say “NO – I resist – I renounce the Devil and all his works – AWAY from me Satan! For it is written: WORSHIP the LORD your GOD and SERVE HIM ONLY!

I was talking to a longtime Christian salesman and I asked him what made a good salesman and he said, “I was resolved always to tell the truth – that way I didn’t have to worry about remembering what I’d told them before!” Resist the devil, and you’ll become a reliable person of integrity!

Temptation usually is lie that says, “If I do this I can avoid consequences” – but usually bad consequences happen anyway – usually worse than if you’d avoided the temptation!

But sometimes we’re so used to giving in to the fear, the poor self image, the addiction, the lying, the cheating, that we start to feel powerless. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a REAL superhero who could help us?

Well, look at this passage and consider Jesus as the ULTIMATE God-Man superhero:

 

 

Colossians 2:9 – ““… For in all the fullness of the lives in bodily form.”

Why do people like superhero movies and action heroes and supernatural heroes? Because there IS ONE REALLY that we long for and need – JESUS CHRIST!

Oh but is he so perfect and unlike us that he’s unrelatable? NOPE. He was:

 

Hebrews 4:15 – ““… in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin.”

• SO – there is evil in the world that tempts us, because this world is a long test; a sorting time; basic training for eternity…and God is interested in what we decide we truly want. Do we really want a relationship with God, or not?
• Do we really want to be a truly good and holy person, or not?
• Do we really want to love God and our neighbor, or not?
• Do we really want to worship and serve God above all else?

Our ACTIONS will prove our true heart desire – will we choose to act as part of the Kingdom of God, or what Pastor Gary Kesee calls the “Earth Curse System”?

How we approach and use money will be one indicator. If someone looked at how you used your credit card, debit card, cash, checks, and assets whether cattle or farm or gold or stocks or whatever – what would they say you value, serve and worship?

Are there ways in which you need to break free of the Earth Curse System?

The Cards are just spiritual tools for evaluation, reflection, hope, and life – to me, they’re really helpful because they force me to look at where my money really goes, and to decide, “Am I going to live in the Kingdom of God of hard work, frugal spending, prudent saving, and generous giving — or the Earth Curse system of fear and self-centeredness and cheating and greed?

Regular, annual “tithe” giving sustains our hearts and spirits and helps grow the Kingdom of God.

SERVE campaign over and above our tithe giving helps grow our faith and bless future generations of kids!

help us say “AWAY FROM ME SATAN — For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Now don’t assume I’m going all legalistic here saying that you’re going to hell if you play the lottery or gamble or place sports bets – these pictures are just representations of what CAN embody the Earth Curse System. CAN lotteries and gambling of all sorts get ahold of you and waste your money? YES – why? Because they hook us on shortcuts…not working for it…not saving and giving generously. “Oh but I’d give so much if I won!”

How about this—you WIN if you GIVE where God leads you to give – and that’s a guaranteed, 100% win every time! BREAK THE EARTH CURSE SYSTEM!

Invest in the stock market – fine – do not GAMBLE with it looking for shortcuts to wealth!

It’s ALL GOD’S MONEY – how does GOD want you to spend it!

I tried to mentor a kid in school for a long time whose mother and siblings taught him that what was important in life was expensive shoes and a big TV and plenty of alcohol and cigarettes and videogames in the house. That’s what’s most important. As he got old enough to choose that’s what he chose and he’s floundered in life ever since.

I tried to work with a married couple who were in the 1% most wealthy people in America. The wife got ahold of Jesus and became this kind and generous woman. Her husband stayed a self-centered business guru, died, and left her NOTHING – left it all to his sons who treated their mom like a slave. It was hideous. God helped her make it through, but those guys are in danger of burning in hell because they sold out to the Earth Curse system with their wealth.

I was trying to witness to a guy in the middle —  not poor, not a 1% but wanted to be. Was at his house that was bigger and nicer and newer than mine, he had one kid I had multiple kids. He said, “yeah we need to sell this place” – WHY? “We just need more room we’re too cramped here.” His life became a mess, his daughter became a mess, broken relationships everywhere – they sold out to serve themselves in the earth curse system.

USE WHATEVER TOOLS God leads you to use! For me and my house, the Pledge Cards are painful but helpful. They set us free of the greed that would otherwise grip us, and the fear of scarcity, and the hard hearts of greed.

SOMEHOW you need to get to the place where you will stand with Jesus with your wealth —

FROM ME SATAN — For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

 

“AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE WE WILL THE LORD!”   (Joshua 24:15)

 

 

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What have you received from God that probably has some sort of expectation from God that we will use it to “serve” in the world?
2. If someone were to audit the use of your time every minute of every day for a month, who would they conclude that you serve?
3. If someone were to audit how you use every dollar you use for an entire month, who would they conclude that you serve?
4. What acts of worship are you able to do “passionately” that help you to connect best to God? Why is that?
5. How much time do you think you should give to God in passionate worship, in terms of worship services and prayer / Bible study times? What do such times do for you?
6. How much money do you think you should give God by giving to a local church?
7. Which parts of our renovation project will help us serve God in Worship Services? In our daily lives?