Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 4
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Our study opens with a look at Civil War between Rehoboam and Judah vs. Jeroboam and Israel (931-910 BC). 1 Kings 12:1 We read that Rehoboam went to Shechem, “for all Israel had gone there to make him king.” Shechem was an historic site for the nation from about 500 years early when Levitical priests recited the blessings and the curses from Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Shechem is the city near these two mountains. In verses 3 and 4 we read that Jeroboam challenges Rehoboam. Reheboam goes to 2 advisory boards. One was the elders that had served under his father, Solomon. They...
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Big Questions - Lord and God! Jesus' Amazing Claims
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Lord and God? A great moral teacher? A very good man? What claims did Jesus actually make about His identity?
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Big Questions - Stop Doubting and... Believe!
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Faith is essential ... but in what do place our faith? The scriptures make it clear that we are to place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Savior of all the nations, and the Hope of all the earth!
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Big Questions - Receive... the Holy Spirit!
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When Jesus says to His disciples, "Receive the Holy Spirit," it is not a "one-and-done" activity. He desires us all to live continually in the Spirit!
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Dig Deeper - Week 1: In the Beginning
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Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Let’s look at the words “God” and “created.” in this verse in Hebrew the word used for God is a plural noun and created is a singular verb. What day did God create the world? It says God created everything in 6 days and He rested on the 7th day, the Sabbath, and that is Saturday. Which means the first day of creation was on Sunday. What was the day of the week that God began a new creation? That was on the day Jesus arose from the grave. The Bible tells us this was on the first day of the week, on a...
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Big Questions - All Nations: How Close Are We?
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From Genesis to Revelation, God's plan remains the same - to reach all nations and bring people back to Him. How close are we to seeing that happen? Why is belief in Jesus growing at such an astounding pace in much of the world, but not in Europe and North America?
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Big Questions - Israel Reborn: How Significant is it?
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The nation of Israel was reborn suddenly in 1948, and the Jewish people have returned to the Promised Land in great numbers after 1900 years of exile. What does show about God's faithfulness and promises? What does it mean to believers in the Messiah?
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Questions - Week 12: Does God Exist?
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Does God exist? The Bible has described this as a reality for thousands of years. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” ⁃ There was a beginning ⁃ There is a God ⁃ God created everything This is looked at as a religious belief, but it is increasingly a scientific fact as the scientific world sees that the creation had a beginning. ⁃ Natural knowledge of God ⁃ Nature - Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of...
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Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 3
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Solomon: Builder ⁃ Temple construction - 1 Kings 6 (took 7 years to build) ⁃ Temple dedication - 1 Kings 8 ⁃ God appears to Solomon - 1 Kings 9 ⁃ Solomon’s palace - 1 Kings 7 (took 13 years to build) Pastor shares archeological discoveries around Solomon in recent years including a massive stone wall and gate and more. Solomon: Reputation ⁃ Fleet at Ezion Geber - 1 Kings (for the first time Israel had its own navy - 1 Kings 9:26-28 - we read that...
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Big Questions - Birth Pains?
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Wars, violence, persecution - Jesus warned these things would mark the time before His return. These things, He said, were like birth pains - increasing trial and suffering that herald a joyful ending. "When these things begin to take place," He said, "... lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)
info_outlineScripture: Exodus 20:1-2
What are the Ten Words? We read in Exodus 20:1, “And God spoke all these words.” “Words is referring to the Ten Commandments God spoke on Mount Sinai to Moses. God’s Ten Commandments are found in the rest of Exodus 20 and also in Deuteronomy 5.
Because these commandments are unnumbered in the Bible, there have been several ways these 10 Words have been numbered, but it doesn’t matter how you number them - what matters is whether you listen to them or not.
Exodus 20:2 God continues, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” He is saying He’s the Israelite’s Deliverer from bondage in Eqypt. We can also see this truth throughout Scripture as well when God promised to send a Savior and then sent the Messiah, Jesus Christ to Deliver His people from the bondage of sin.
Deliverance - God is the One who saves and all commandments flow from this statement of God’s deliverance for His children.
It’s not that we are saved by obeying the commands. It is God who saves us. He is the Deliverer but in response to His work we desire to do what His 10 Words teach.
We cannot earn His favor, rather it’s God that has shown us His favor by being our Deliverer. Deliverance is at the heart of all 10 Words.
Two dangers around the Ten Words:
⁃ Pride. Thinking we have been good, or at least better than others. Or that we can earn God’s favor, but we ALL have sinned which means we all need to be rescued. We need a Savior because we cannot measure up to a holy God. (We are not measured against others, the measure is against a perfect, holy God and we all have failed) Only Jesus has obeyed the Father fully. Only Jesus lived the perfect life we could not. Only Jesus the perfect Lamb could shed His blood for our sin and save us.
⁃ Rebellion. Some of us refuse to believe there is a god. Others do what they think is “good.” Others may even question is there really good and bad and choose to ignore anything or anyone that says differently. The religious also rebel in thinking that “if God loves me and Jesus came to die for me, than I’m saved by His grace through faith so sin is not that big of a thing - I can do what I please, it doesn’t really matter because I’m saved.” But this too is deception and it is rebelling against the plan and purpose of God.
What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments for those who know God and trust in Jesus? What about the unbeliever, how do these commandments speak into their lives.
God desires to call us ALL to the truth, to deliver us all from bondage to rebellion and foolishness and pride. His desire is to have us come face to face with Him and His love for each one of us.
Consider God’s commandments as an Owner’s Manual, like an owner’s manual for your car. The car’s maker tells the best ways to care for the vehicle. The Ten Commandments are God’s Owner’s Manual for His people. This “manual” shows us how to care for what our Maker made, how to live well, how to live as a thank You note to God.
Understanding God as our Deliverer, through faith in our Savior, changes how we look at the Commandments. Rather than a list of “dos” and “don’ts” we see them as God’s way of showing us how to have a meaningful life for all and to help us create a meaningful culture for all.
Our Maker knows what’s best for us. His words give direction and purpose for our lives.
How does God use the Ten Commandments?
1. As a CURB - to keep us on the right path.
2. As a MIRROR - to show us our faults. As a mirror we see how we need a Savior, especially in a culture that is so far off the narrow path.
3. As a GUIDE - for Him to lovingly direct His will over our sinful nature.
The Ten Commandments are a response to God’s deliverance and we can look at them as the Owner’s Manual spoken by our Maker.
Will we use this Owner’s Manual and will we let it be our curb, mirror and guide that points us back to the truth of our need for a Savior?
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