Articles from February 2016

Here are the completed notes from the Sunday AM Service February 28, 2016:

Introduction:

It can go against our grain to be told we must do some thing

Scripture: John 3:1-21

Jesus meets with a religious leaders named Nicodemus and tells him in order to be saved, all must be born again (including Nicodemus himself)

1. The man and his background (vs.1)

Nicodemus – A Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews
Pharisees (separated ones) – A religious and political party in Palestine in New Testament times.

• Legalistic fundamentalists of Judaism, whose zeal to apply the OT scriptures directly to life led to a complex system of tradition and works.
• Many Priests, Levites, Lawyers and Scribes were Pharisees – John 1:19, 24; 3:1; Acts 5:34; 23:9

Characteristics of the Pharisees:
A. The strict observers of the Mosaic rituals and zealous of the law – Acts
26:5 (Strictly held to tradition and OT law
B. Outwardly moral and self-righteous – Luke 6:15; 18:11
C. Their opinions, were a standard for others – John 7:47, 48
D. Lack of compassion for sinners – Luke 7:36-39
E. Hypocrites – Matthew 15:7, 8 (their hearts did not match their outward appearance)
F. Sought to destroy Jesus – Matthew 12:14
“A ruler of the Jews” – A member of the Sanhedrin, the governing council of Israel (ultimately under the authority of Rome)

• It consisted of 70 members and was presided over by the reigning high priest
• They exercised a wide range of powers in civil, criminal, and religious matters

Deuteronomy 27:26
Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Failure to keep the law brings Divine judgment and condemnation – See James 2:10

• The law demands obedience
• The law exposes our sin – the law doesn’t make us sinners but it reveals the fact that we are sinners

2. Nicodemus states his understanding of Jesus identity (vs.2)

“Rabbi” – master (addresses Jesus with great respect)

• Shows Nicodemus inadequate comprehension of who Jesus is

“A teacher come from God” – not as David Jeremiah states, “God come to teach”
“Miracles”
“God be with him”
Nicodemus acknowledges that Jesus is a Rabbi, that he come from God because of the miracles, and that God was with him

3. Jesus response to Nicodemus (vs.3)

Jesus answered . . .
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”
“Born again” – Lit. born from above or be born anew
Regeneration: The act of God that gives eternal life to those “dead in trespasses and sin” as they believe in Christ

4. The confusion of Nicodemus (vs.4, 9)

Nicodemus confuses spiritual birth with physical birth

5. Jesus clarification of the new birth (vs.5-15)

A. A physical illustration – vs.5, 6
Vs. 5 – “Born of water”

• Baptism (Salvation is by grace not works – Ephesians 2:8, 9)
• Water of the natural birth
• The Word of God – Ephesians 5:26, 1 Peter 1:23
• Repentance (as preached by John the Baptist)
• OT truth about spiritual renewal and cleansing – Ezek. 36:24-27

B. A reiteration – vs.7
“Ye must” – An absolute – “Ye must be born again”
C. A natural illustration – vs. 8

• Just as you don’t see the wind, you see the effects of the wind

D. A Scriptural illustration – vs.14-15
Reference to Numbers 21:5-9

5And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. 6And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 8And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

See John 12:32, 33

6. Concluding Truth (vs.16-21)

Jesus summaries both the subjects of salvation and condemnation Vs. 16

• God’s motivation for sending His Son – “So loved”
• The object of God’s love – “the world”
• God’s love displayed – “that He gave His only begotten Son”
• The beneficiaries – “whosoever believeth in Him”

Vs. 17
The purpose –
Not to condemn the world (17a)
To save whosoever will (17b)

Vs. 18-21
He that believeth is not condemned (vs. 18a)
He that believeth not is condemned already (vs.18b)

Vs. 19
Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil

• The most fundamental reason people reject Jesus is that they don’t want to change

Whatever happened to Nicodemus? Remember he was a seeker of truth
He eventually came to believe in Jesus – Evidenced by

• Rebuked the Pharisees for condemning Jesus without hearing Him – John 7:50, 51
• Helped bury Jesus – John 19:38-42

Here are the completed notes from the Sunday AM Service February 21, 2016:

Scripture: John 13:34, 35

Vs. 34 – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Vs. 35 – By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.

Who is Jesus speaking to? His 11 disciples (Judas has left-vs. 31)

What is the occasion of this passage?

• After celebrating the Passover meal (vs.2)
• Jesus has washed the disciple’s feet (vs.3-17)
• Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him (vs. 18-27)
• Judas left to betray Jesus (vs. 27-31)
• Dispute or rivalry among the disciples over who would be greatest (See Luke 22:24)
• Jesus just spoke about going away (vs.33)
• Jesus gives His disciples a new commandment (vs. 34, 35)
• Vs. 34 – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
• Vs. 35 – By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

This command in one sense was not new:
-Leviticus 19:18 – Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself:  I am the LORD.

Jesus affirmed this in Matthew 22:36-40

• Vs. 36 – Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
• Vs. 37 – Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
• Vs. 38 – This is the first and great commandment.
• Vs. 39 – And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
• Vs. 40 – On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

“Neighbor” – Whoever is beside you at the moment (Darrell Painter)

Love others!

But this really is a new commandment – Notice how they are to love, “As I have loved you”

• Jesus here raised the standard
• He took how we are to love to a whole new level

Again, who is Jesus speaking to? His 11 disciples

Vs. 34 – A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
How did Jesus love His Disciples?
Consider the word Love –

• Sacrificial – giving of ourselves
• Unconditional – He loved the church as it was
• Purposefully – Love depends on the one who chooses to love
• Not based on attractiveness, merit or the response of the one loved

God’s Word gives a detailed description of this love in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a (ESV)

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

Description Broken Down:

• Patient
• Kind
• Envies not
• Does not brag
• Not arrogant
• Never rude
• Does not want its own way
• Not irritated or angered in personal offence
• Devoted to truth
• Protects, believes, hopes and endures
• Lasting and has permanence

Consider how Jesus loved these disciples and how that translates to how we should love one another as a church
Jesus loved His Disciples by:

1. Spending time with them
Mark 3:14 – And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach

The Local Church:

• Believers are not to forsake assembling together – Hebrews 10:25
• Invest their lives in one another

2. Telling them the truth
Jesus said to Pilate – For this cause came I unto the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth (John 18:37).

The Local Church:
Believers are to speak the truth in love – Ephesians 4:15

3. Pointing them to the Father

• Priority relationship
• Love relationship – John 14:31
• Glorifying objective – John 12:28; John 17:1, 4

The Local Church:
Pointing others to God is foundational in everything we do

4. Modeling authentic godliness before them (Example)

• John 13:13-17

The Local Church:
Overflow of our relationship with Christ and growth in Christlikeness

5. Correction

• Peter rebuked by Jesus – Matthew 16:21-23
• James and John rebuked by Jesus – Luke 9:51-56

The Local Church:
Believers are to correct one another in humility – Galatians 6:1

6. Prayer
John 17:11-19; Luke 22:32

The Local Church:
Believers are to pray for one another – James 5:16; 1 Timothy 2:1

7. Patience and Support

• They lacked spiritual understanding – Matthew 15:16, 17; 16:9
• They lacked humility – Matthew 20:20-28; Luke 9:46
• They lacked faith – Matthew 8:26, 16:8
• They lacked commitment – Mark 14:50

The Local Church:
Overlook the faults of others – Proverbs 19:11

8. Commitment
John 13:1 – Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

The Local Church:
Commitment of church membership

1. Commitment up front – you bind yourself to a group of Christians
2. Through baptism a person is making a public, upfront commitment to follow Christ – Church membership attaches that general commitment to follow Christ to a specific group of people
3. Authentic church community is bound up in something people don’t realize: Church membership

9. Moving them toward their mission

• The disciples witnessed firsthand how Jesus ministered to people
• He commissioned them to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth – Acts 1:8

The Local Church:

• Pastors are given to equip believers for the work of the ministry –Ephesians 4:11
• Believers are to exercise their spiritual gifts through the church –1 Peter 4:10, 11
• And also work together to fulfill the great commission – Matthew 28:19, 20

10. Sacrifice
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour

The Local Church:

• Move outside our comfort zones for one another
• Forgive one another
• Giving of your time, resources, gifts and abilities for the furtherance of the ministry of this local church

Consider the Disciples Previous Occupations:

• Fishermen
• Tax Collector
• Zealot (Resisted Roman aggression, freedom fighters, extremists, refused to pay taxes to Rome)

Vs. 35 – By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another

Believer’s I.D. Badge as an authentic Christ follower

Here are the completed notes from the Sunday AM Service February 14, 2016:

Scripture: Hebrews 13:4

1. Marriage is of Divine origin

Marriage was a part of God’s plan and He performed the
first marriage ceremony
Genesis 2:18 ( KJV ) 18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man
should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:21-22 ( KJV ) 21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made ahe a woman, and brought her unto the man.

A. God established marriage to be between one man and one woman for one lifetime
The book of Genesis gives God’s original intent for man and his partner:

• God made them male and female – Genesis 1:18-25
• God told the man and woman to be fruitful and multiply – Genesis 1:28
• God made them distinct, unique, different to complement one another, including sexually – Genesis 1:28, 2:24
• God was pleased with His creation – Genesis 1:31

Sexual relations outside of marriage is sin: Hebrews 13:4, 1 Cor. 6:18-7:2

• Pre-marital, Extra- marital, Homosexual, Incestuous

B. God established marriage for procreation
Genesis 1:28 – “God said unto them, be fruitful and multiply”

C. God established marriage for companionship
Genesis 2:18a – “The Lord God said, it is not good for man to be alone”

D. God established marriage for completeness
Genesis 2:18b – “I will make him an help meet for him”
One who would complete and complement

2. Marriage is a picture of Christ’s relationship to the church – Ephesians 5:22-29

• Christ’s relationship with the church is one of the churches submission to Christ – vs. 22-24
• Christ’s relationship with the church is a loving relationship – vs.25
• Christ’s relationship with the church is a giving relationship – vs.25b
  Christ gave everything He had including His own life for the sake of the church
• Christ’s relationship with the church is a sanctifying relationship – vs.26
  Believers are to be sanctified (set a-part to Christ) and cleansed (from sin in their lives) Husband & wife set-apart to one another, pursuing godliness together
• Christ’s relationship with the church is a secure and lasting relationship – vs.27
• Christ’s relationship with the church is a nourishing and cherishing relationship – vs. 29

3. Marriage is meant to be a lifelong commitment

Matthew 19:4-6 ( KJV ) 4And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

• Genesis 2:24b – “They shall be one flesh”
• Matthew 19:6 – “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”
• Malachi 2:16 – God hates divorce

Divorce only comes as a result of sin and the harness of human hearts

4. Marriage is an opportunity to express the love of Christ to one another

God’s Word speaks of love in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a (ESV)
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”
Description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

• Patient
• Kind
• Envies not
• Does not brag
• Not arrogant
• Never rude
• Does not want its own way
• Not irritated or angered in personal offence
• Devoted to truth
• Protects, believes, hopes and endures
• Lasting and has permanence

Love –

• Sacrificial – giving of ourselves
• Unconditional – He loved the church as it was
• Purposefully – Love depends on the one who chooses to love
• Not based on attractiveness, merit or the response of the one loved

5. Marriage Involves Work

A. Giving God His rightful place in your marriage

“Marriage Take Three” B.A.S. © Dickson 1984
Marriage takes three to be complete. It’s not enough for two to meet. They must be united in love. By loves creator, God above. A marriage that follows God’s plan takes more than a woman and man.
It needs a oneness that can be only from Christ – Marriage takes three.

B. Managing expectations

C. Properly dealing with conflict

D. Being intentional about affection and sexual intimacy

E. Prioritizing meaningful communication
“Many marriage counselors say that the number one problem in marriage is poor communication”

F. Maintaining integrity in the relationship
Dishonesty / Deceit – Ephesians 4:25
“The act of lying is much more damaging than the things that are being lied about”
Lying and deceit break down all certainty
Don’t underestimate the power of deception on a relationship
Couples deceive one another in many ways:

• Finances
• Spending
• Failures
• Feelings
• Resentment of things not dealt with

Deception is one thing that is hard to work through because it denies the problem
Couples often live out their lives with falsehood trying to protect and save a relationship, all the while destroying the chance of a real intimate relationship

Here are the completed notes from the Sunday Morning Worship Service February 7, 2016:

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-6

Matthew 7:1 – “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

One of the most often quoted verses (if not the most quoted verse) in the Bible

Introduction:

Because there is absolute truth, there is right and wrong, good and evil, believers will be confronted with situations that require them to judge

“Each generation must confront the world, either to change it or to be changed by it”

Beginning with truth –

• Truth corresponds with reality
• Truth is now defined as my personal opinion of reality
• We have gotten to a place where we think it is better to tolerate error than to look ugly defending the truth
• There is always a tension between doctrinal integrity and unity
• Our unity should be based on the very truth of God’s Word
• If God’s call to holiness (1Peter 1:15, 16) is to be obeyed, we must have discernment

Discernment Defined: The ability to distinguish Biblical Christianity from the counterfeit spirituality and values of today’s world
Thus the need to understand and have a working knowledge of Matthew 7:1 in its proper content!

2 Different responses to the subject of judging others:

Those who are unwilling to make any significant judgements – “Live and let live”

• Short of criminal activity, they believe that everyone should be able to choose his own values and lifestyle
• Neither the church or individual Christians have a right to judge them

Others are only too willing to judge

• Often this group has a critical spirit and are ready to judge not because of an actual breach of Biblical conduct or doctrine but because of petty taboos, preferences and minor infractions
• They are judgmental when others don’t live up to their personal convictions or preferences

Begin by considering the immediate context of this passage as well as some other related passages

Mathew 7:1 – “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

What did Jesus mean in this passage about judging?

Judge: To separate, choose, select, distinguish or discriminate between good and evil plus other shades of meaning depending on the context. To exercise discernment; at other times it can mean to condemn

Judging or discernment, lies at the heart of Christian living

We should not make Pharisaical judgments

• When an individual or group of people develop their own standards of religion and morality, they inevitably judge everyone else by those self-made beliefs
• The Scribes and Pharisees had done just that. Over the previous several centuries they had gradually modified God’s revealed Word to suit their own thinking and inclinations (see Matthew 15:2, 6).
• Hypocritical, self-righteous judgment

Matthew 7:1b, 2 – “That ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

2 Interpretations:

• 1st – If you judge others they will judge you by your own yardstick – you will be treated as you treat others
  • Don’t judge others by a standard you would not want to be judged by yourself!
• 2nd – If you judge others with a strict standard, you will be judged more strictly by God
  • In order to fulfill the following instructions, it is necessary to exercise discernment and make judgments

Verses 3-5 – Remove the beam (a stick of timber, splinter) and the mote or speck (twig or speak of straw)

How can we remove the speck without recognizing it for what it is?

The beam (plank) – We have no right to judge others until we have been willing to admit the truth about ourselves and deal with it

Verse 6 – Recognize pigs and dogs

Dogs and pigs (these animals were repulsive to Jesus audience) were unbelievers who hate the truth

• The principle here is how to handle the gospel in the face of those people
• How could we possibly obey these instructions unless we learned to recognize pigs and dogs?
• The disciples were expected to make moral distinctions

Verse 15 – Beware of false prophets

How can we beware of false prophets unless we can identify them?

1 Corinthians 5:4, 5, 11, 13 – Church given authority to judge in matters of church discipline

How could the church exercise authority unless its leadership make judgments?
“Put away from among yourselves that wicked person” See Matthew 18:17-19

1 Corinthians 6:1-8 – Judgement among believers in legal matters is to be referred to the church

• Believers will judge the world and angels – 6:2, 3
• Believers will one day sit on God’s supreme court over the world and angels

Guidelines for Making Judgments:

1.Humility, Not Superiority

• Taking the plank out of your own eye needs to be first priority – Matthew 7:5a
  See Galatians 6:1- Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

2.Facts Not Presumptions

• Not going on fragments of information or prejudiced information
  Proverbs 18:13 – He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

3.Biblical Truth Not Preferences

4.Words and Actions, Not Motives

• Only God knows the inner motives of the heart – we are not qualified to judge the secrets of the soul
  1 Corinthians 4:4, 5 – For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God

We are allowed to judge teaching and conduct, and sinful behavior but a person’s inner heart motives belong to God