A review of Colossians 1, which Paul wrote to refute Gnostic teachings and emphasize the supremacy of God the Father and Jesus Christ and the importance of His sacrifice.

A person who is meek is generally considered to be feeble, fearful and easily intimidated. The biblical truth is totally different.

Bible Study - The Kings of Israel and Judah (#4) - 1 Samuel 14-16

Trials are part of our Christian walk. What is our attitude towards them and towards God? What do we think and what do we do as a result of the trials we go through? And how does that align with what the Bible says?

There will be many prophetic events that will happen in the future before the Return of Christ.  Along with prophetic events there will be five trends to monitor as the end time draws near.

We look at evidence in God's Word, in both the Old and New Testament, that the Word, the One who became Jesus Christ, is the God in the Old Testament who interacted with, spoke with, and was seen by mankind. This understanding leads to proper perspective of God, leads to obedience to God, and helps us have proper reverence for God.

We take a look at the example of Epaphras in prayer and see how it can be applied to our own prayer habits.

How would you complete the sentence? Scripture says the foundation for happiness is obedience to God. What’s the connection? How do trials factor into happiness?

Bible Study - The Kings of Israel and Judah (#3) - 1 Samuel 12-13

It has long been understood that taking God’s name refers to the words that come out of our mouths. But is there more to it? Is there more to ‘taking God’s name’ in our lives?

Our life is defined and limited by time. We are to keep track of what is happening in the world as time passes and to use our time wisely so we can be protected by faith and hope.

This afternoon let’s see what we can learn from their prayers and how we can improve our prayer life.

We mourn when we repent and seek forgiveness; we mourn when we experience trials and with others when they experience trials; we mourn by having compassion for the suffering we see in the world.

What changed with the New Covenant? Was God's Law only established for ancient Israel? We look at when God established His law, what sin shows us about His law, what God's law shows us about God, and how God's law applies to us today.

Jesus Christ teaches that being responsible or faithful in the little things directly impacts one’s success in the big things. David’s life is one example of this. What areas of our lives reveal if we are being faithful in little?

How does a person with wisdom behave? What is the result of wisdom in action? We apply wisdom by building life on a solid foundation of obedience. Wisdom is evident by good works and humility. Wisdom will be critically important at the end of the age when “the wise will understand.”

Bible Study - The Kings of Israel and Judah (#2) - 1 Samuel 10-11

God is the only true source of wisdom—a gift that He offers. We grow in wisdom as we are led by the Holy Spirit. We grow in wisdom when we have a “hearing” (understanding) heart. And we grow in wisdom as we obey God’s instructions.

The more our attitude reflects the attitude of Jesus Christ the better we will treat each other and handle the stresses and irritations of the world around us.

Israel rejects God and chooses to have a physical king.  Saul is chosen and anointed king.

Being poor in spirit includes being humble, but there is also a deeper meaning—it is a significant element of character. One who is poor in spirit recognizes his complete dependence on God, submits his will to God, and doesn’t have an exalted view of himself.

We live in a complicated and dangerous world. God is the source of the wisdom and discernment we need. Wisdom is a gift that God gives to those who have an understanding (hearing) heart.

Life is full of making the right decision in the various situations we may find ourselves in.  How did Jesus react to various circumstances?  Did He approach every situation the same or did He change how He approached depending on the scenario?

This is the day for the traditional blessing of little children. Jesus honored the faith of parents who brought their children to Him to seek God’s blessing for them. One way God protects the family is through parents teaching God’s way to their children. The promise of the Holy Spirit is extended from the parents to their children.

4 points in 2 Timothy 3:16 that will help us take advantage of what we learned at the Feast. And just as importantly we can use these points for our daily Bible Study making us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

At the start of the Feast of Tabernacles we’re often asked the question “Why are you here?” Most of us have observed the feast for many years. We might ask the question “Why are you here… again? Why do we keep the feast year after year?

The Restoration of SOME Things?

We eagerly anticipate Jesus’ return. We know that God will complete His plan. Jesus said He is preparing a place in God’s kingdom for His disciples. Paul was certain he would receive his crown of righteousness. Will we be prepared for His return? On the day Christ returns, may you have nothing else to do.

Learn from a few examples in the Bible of character traits we need in our lives now.  We need to stand strong alone, stand strong together and always have endurance.

The disciples hoped Jesus would restore Israel in their time (Acts 1). Jesus said we won’t know when He will return but we should always be ready. Part of watching for His return is to understand prophecies given in Daniel, Matthew and Revelation.

In his epistles Paul refers to those who “eagerly wait” for Jesus’ return. What does he mean by that phrase and how do we maintain our anticipation of His return?

Trials and challenges in our lives should strengthen and encourage us, giving us hope and vision as we face more difficulties. We walk by faith every day by looking beyond immediate circumstances to the Kingdom, by being obedient, accepting God’s will and persevering .

The third category of seed in the parable of the sower is entangled by thorns (cares, riches and pleasures of life) and does not bear fruit. How can we guard against being “lost in the weeds?

Discouragement can be a hard thing to deal with.  What happens when discouragement sets in?  How can we overcome discouragement?

The Feast of Pentecost is about the firstfruits—those who are called and being saved in this age. Being saved puts us on the path to salvation, but we aren’t there yet. There is still much work to be done.

Review of scriptures promising the gift of the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit functions in our lives.

What difference can one day make in your life? What if that one day was before you were even born? Let’s find out by putting ourselves in the shoes of the first century disciples back on that amazing Day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

We need to have convictions based on real living faith that is only possible with the power of the Holy Spirit. Is God’s Word a book of preferences or do we live a life of conviction based on true living faith?

Analyzing the outgrowth of having the Holy Spirit by having the law written on our heart and mind.

We are told in the Bible about the value of encouragement.  We are not only to encourage others but each of us need encouragement as well.  There two ways brought out in this message of how we are to encourage.

Bible Study

In Hebrews 10 Paul urges us to continue in unwavering faith, not forsaking assembling together “so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Are we living up to his instruction? And are we aware (do we see) that day approaching?

Bible Study

We produce spiritual fruit by “abiding” with Jesus: by becoming “slaves of righteousness” and “walking worthy of the Lord.” The first two servants in the parable in Matthew 25:15 both were rewarded because they gave a full effort to grow and produce.

Now that the Days of Unleavened Bread are ending, do you have a plan for continued grown into a new year? James 1 provides an outline for an “exit plan.”

During the Days of Unleavened Bread, we’ve heard many analogies from the experience of ancient Israel (most from the time of Moses’ leadership). What further lessons are there from the days when Joshua led them?

David prayed that God would forgive his sin and create a clean heart within him. What is a “clean heart?” How does God create a clean heart with us?

For change and growth of a Christian to happen we must have repentance.  But what is repentance?  Repentance is made up of the seven fruits of Godly sorrow which make up the 7 building blocks of repentance.

Now that we’ve completed our self-examination prior to the Passover and Days of UB, what will we do about what we’ve seen in ourselves? What should we focus on as we move forward?

Bible Study

In the first chapter of Colossians the apostle Paul refutes some of the fundamental teachings of Gnosticism – and emphasizes what Jesus’ sacrifice means to us.

Jesus taught that as we have been forgiven we need to also be forgiving. It’s a simple enough concept, but not always easy to live by. We can learn to be forgiving by considering how God forgives us.

Bible Study

The world we live in is filled with stress and trouble. But Jesus left us the blessing of peace. Scripture shows us to be at peace with God and other people. And how to have peace of mind. Ultimately Jesus will return and bring the blessing of peace to mankind.

This is the first in a series of studies on the messages to the churches in Revelation 2-3. In the introduction we review Revelation 1, setting the stage for Jesus’ messages to each of the churches

Romans 5:1-4 outlines how we can move from the anguish of tribulation and trials to hope. We see a progression from tribulation to perseverance to character and, ultimately, to hope.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave the example prayer recorded in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. But by His example and instruction Jesus taught a great deal more about how to pray.

Jesus taught His disciples to begin prayer with “Our Father in heaven…” Consider what it means to have the privilege of coming before God’s throne in prayer.

Instructions a servant of God can take from lessons found in Matthew 24
 

When Israel was rescued from Egypt they had to learn what it meant and how to be God’s nation. The book of Leviticus is a basic “text” to teach Israel to be holy as God is, teaching them how to be God’s people.

The Bible focuses a good deal of detail on King Hezekiah for our learning. King Hezekiah faced a challenge where faith and deeds worked together to bring victory against a fierce enemy. God gives us a formula with promises, to bring victory over a different enemy, but just as fierce.

People aren’t naturally content – we’re always are looking for something else. God promises to satisfy all of our needs. As the Apostle Paul did, we can learn to lesson of being content.

One of the most subtle and dangerous natural characteristics of human nature is pride. Scripture warns us of the dangers of pride and how we can overcome it

Each year the church has the blessing of little children ceremony. In it Jesus expresses His love for our children. His blessing of our children extends far beyond that ceremony.

One of the most harmful attitudes a person can take towards others is that of contempt - the feeling that another person is beneath consideration or even deserving scorn. It devalues them and their opinions. It divides groups and makes it impossible to bridge the gap. A personal attitude of contempt must be rooted out and replaced with love and outgoing concern.

Who are we? We're more than what we see on the surface. Deep at the core of who we are is a powerful and life-changing confidence in God. Confidence in ourselves only gets us so far. We have weaknesses and flaws as humans. Confidence in God on the other hand is lasting and permanent. Having confidence in God, His calling, His plan for us, His promises to us, His steadfastness, is lasting confidence that gives us the ability to go beyond our human shortcomings.

I’d like to encourage you to express your heartfelt personal praise and thanks to God for all He has done for you.

Many people are confused about what they believe about Satan the devil. Is he real or just a symbol of evil? What about you? Do you view him as a threat to your spiritual life? It is important that we periodically review what the Bible says about our adversary. Is he real? Why does he need to be put away? How should we respond?
 

In Leviticus chapter 16 we see the Old Testament Symbolism for the Day of Atonement and its part of the plan of salvation as God explains the meaning of it to ancient Israel. In Leviticus 16: it says, Aaron the high priest was to select 2 goats, one that represented Jesus Christ and the other goat… satan the devil. We understand the goat that represented Jesus would be the one to be slain as a representation of His sacrifice for all mankind and the other representing satan. This goat would be sent away from the children of Israel picturing satan being bound and chained for a thousand years.

Reminders of what we can do to make this ‘the best Feast ever.’

The Feast of Trumpets gives a glimpse ahead to the events preceding Jesus’ return. They will be disastrous times but will make possible the “new world” that He will establish.

As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets let’s explore what it means to be a king or priest in the family of God.

The great tribulation is a period of 3 ½ years that leads up to and includes the return of Jesus Christ. It will be the most difficult time mankind has ever experienced. Jesus warns His disciples not be caught unaware when that comes.

We all have spiritual flaws in our lives, which is no surprise to anyone. But what matters is what we do with that knowledge. Do we sit on it and bury it, to be dealt with "tomorrow"? Or do we act to correct it? The day in which we will be called to answer for our actions will come upon us suddenly and unexpectedly. Therefore, we must not wait to address our failings lest we miss our chance. 

We pray for Christ to return, and establish God's Kingdom here on earth, which triggers the fulfillment of the fall Holy Days.  We will briefly review each of the fall Holy Days, to remind and encourage us that the fulfillment of these days, IS a sure thing!

Endurance is a special kind of strength – not raw power but the ability to continue over a long period of time. Jesus said that “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” How can we have the kind of enduring strength that will see us through to the end?

Do you remember the first time you really understood the impact of God’s Truth in your life? When you loved the Truth? Maybe you had an incident in which you had seen the result of a Godly principle working in your life and it was positive. You got a very good result because you had the faith and patience to allow God’s way to work in your life. There has to be a first time when it clicked. You may have wanted to do things your own way but instead you stopped and did it God’s way. And you realized the truth of God was of more value and worth than your ways because His way of life worked every time. So we worked at it to make it our way of life and we learned to love the Truth, even if it was hard to do. One of the main priorities as God’s people is to love His Truth. 

 

God fulfills His promise that Israel would be able to drive out and eliminate the Canaanites. But Israel wasn’t faithful and were not able to do so completely. As God had warned, Israel was seduced by the remaining Canaanites and was not faithful. Both Israel and Judah were eventually evicted from Canaan. A remnant of Judah returned to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Jesus prophesied that the temple would be completely destroyed but that later the “abomination of desolation” would pollute the altar and lead to the great tribulation.

Jacob’s wives and sons. Joseph is sold into Egypt and rescues his family from the severe 7-year famine and drought. Jacob’s sons move into Egypt and develop into the nation of Israel. They fall into slavery. God rescues them and delivers them to Canaan – but they refuse to enter and are condemned to wander in the wilderness for a total of 40 years. When they finally enter the land they begin to eliminate the Canaanites, but are not faithful to God and are not able to do so completely.

In addition to the Canaanites, the descendants of Abraham’s families (through his nephew Lot, his son Ishmael and his grandson Isaac) populated Canaan and nearby areas. The special blessings promised to Abraham were reserved for the descendants of Isaac. God intended that Jacob would receive the birthright and blessing, but he created hostility with his brother, Esau, by taking advantage of him to take away his birthright and gaining the blessing through deceit.

To better understand the hostilities in and prophecies of the Middle East, we first need to consider the origin of the peoples who populate that part of the world.

The Spirit of God changes lives, and none more dramatically than the life of the Apostle Peter. How’s it working in your life as we keep Pentecost in 2022?

The temple Solomon built was an incredible building in terms of value of materials and care in construction. How much more valuable and how much more care is Jesus taking as He builds the spiritual temple (the church)?

From the very beginning of time human beings have been responsible for their decisions. Whether good or bad. Without the help of God’s Holy Spirit people cannot regulate their lives in a manner that brings about real lasting change and happiness. Without the Holy Spirit mankind does not have the capacity to please God and can never inherit Eternal Life. But God has a God has a process that He uses to call people into a relationship with Him and Jesus Christ. It's found in John 6:44, 65. 
 

People are naturally forgetful – and it’s especially easy to overlook or forget God’s hand guiding and protecting our lives. God’s way and truth are passed through generations by parents who remember God and teach their children.  

Paul urged Timothy to “Fight the good fight of faith.” Why and how is faith a fight? Abraham’s example of faith in the face of the impossibility that God could fulfill His promises. He didn’t doubt God, but it doesn’t say Abraham didn’t need to struggle to maintain faith. We also fight the fight of faith by fleeing sinful behavior and pursing righteousness,

The parable of the sower warns of those who have no root and stumble when they are faced with trials and difficulties. A tree is stabilized by its root system; Psalm 1 describes a tree that is planted by rivers of water (symbolizing the Holy Spirit) and remains stable and secure even in times of drought.

We aren't perfect now and we will never reach perfection in this lifetime. But we are to become spiritually mature and go on to perfection. We are to be growing into the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Sin is a Trap by Don Henson

The Master of Distraction by Doug Johnson

Keeping These Days, the Need to Think by Gary Summers 4-16-2022

This afternoon let’s see what lessons we can apply this week from the Red Sea experience.

A beacon provides a signal that shows the way or warns of danger. God’s holy time (weekly Sabbath and annual festivals) are a beacon, guiding us away from the dangers of sin and toward His kingdom.

What is a conscience? David didn’t appear to have a conscience problem until he was confronted by Nathan. The world we live in is evil, but most seem to have no compunction or guilt about sin. How do we train our minds to be sensitive to sin and of the necessity of living by God’s law?

Guardrails

Slaves of Righteousness

Paul sternly warns against taking the Passover symbols in an unworthy manner. How can we determine whether we participate in the Passover worthily? How can we effectively examine ourselves in preparation for the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread?

Grace and peace come to us through God and Jesus Christ. By His grace, God miraculously gave His Son to be our Savior. By His personal sacrifice, the Word became our Savior. We are purchased by His blood – He also our Lord and Master.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, beginning with the phrase “Our Father in heaven…” Who is He? What are His dominant characteristics? What is our personal relationship with Him? How do we relate to Him as a Father? Ultimatel the full mystery of who He is and what He is doing will be revealed.

We understand God’s plan through our observance of the annual festivals. But there is also a summary of God’s plan from a different perspective in Ephesians 1. A review of the first ten verses reveals through Jesus Christ, God is fulfilling His “good will and pleasure” to create His family.