Janet told us that she had done an internet search on the subject of victory over sin, and the worksheet she is sharing with us came off the internet.

The worksheet she got off the internet was in four columns:

1. My Specific Unbiblical Thoughts, Words, Actions (Matt 7:1-5)
2. “Put Off” and Biblical References (Ephesians 4:22-23; Colossians 3:5-9)
3. “Put On” and Biblical References (Ephesians 4:23-24; Colossians 3:10-17)
4. My Plan not to Repeat this Sin and to Respond Biblically Instead (Titus 2:12)

Janet said that she was in a wilderness valley, trying to be true.  This journey for her started a year ago, and she asked God to remove her flesh.  She wanted to walk in the Spirit and work for Him (God).  It is a process.  Sin is caused by a root of bitterness, and it goes to the core of our being.  We can overcome, resist anger, etc.  But when we see negative fruit we know we need to walk more carefully.  God’s timing is perfect.  There is no reason to stumble or stay down, and with God’s help we can always stay victorious.

We looked over the worksheet.

1. My Specific Unbiblical Thoughts, Words, Actions Matthew 7:1-5 “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

We look at ourselves with a Godly standard, not a standard of men.  God will convict us in our hearts about a specific sin.  We are called to judge people, but we can’t judge if we are not in right standing in the area we are judging. 

2. Put Off and Bible References. We need to put off thoughts, words, and actions that are not Godly.  We need to find Bible verses to support what we are trying to change.  We can’t change from our own ideas, for our own ideas won’t work as well as God’s Word. Colossians 3:5-9   Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, God repeats the words “put off” many times, that shows how important it is to God for us to put off these undesirable traits.  God realizes that we have things that cause us to stumble, and we need to ask God to help us learn how to go forward in this.  Ephesians 4:22-25 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. Philippians 2:3  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

3. “Put On” and Biblical References.  When we put off something we need to replace it, put on something that God wants for us. Ephesians 4:23-24 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness Colossians 3:10-17 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

We need to redeem those things that we no longer want – and the best way to do that is to substitute positive attributes for those negatives.

4. My Plan not to Repeat This Sin and to Respond Biblically Instead. Titus 2:12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

We need to plan. God loves us and wants us to give all of us to Him.  He will love us no matter what we do, but He loves us enough to want us to change for the best.
We want to put away those things not pleasing to God.  Ephesians 4:25-32  Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.  Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

How to keep your faith up and resist sin – to work toward completeness in him.

We need to have a contingency plan about how to apply these scriptures to our lives.  We want to be perfect and complete in Him.  Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

In Greek, the word for finisher is “Teleiotes” and it means a (state of) completeness/perfection.

1. Recognize the danger signals.

Avoid putting yourself in the path of sin.  Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; We want to make sure that we are not stumbling ourselves or causing someone else to stumble.  We need to examine what happened, what happened before, and your reaction after.  When we understand ourselves we can then apply scriptures to make changes.

Flee from all evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil.

Avoid all triggers/stumbling blocks that can start you down the road to sin.  Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! We are not making other people stumble.  Check out Pastor Leon Forte’s sermon on offenses. Part 1 and Part 2.

Offences will come, for the righteous, but we DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE OFFENSE.

2 Ask God’s help immediately. Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So often we get into a situation BEFORE we ask for help.  We get our mouth going, and then realize that five minutes previously we should have been praying. Jesus walked on earth the same way we do, and He never sinned.  It is possible. How do we do this?  James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

3. Generate movement NOW! Not in any direction, but in a biblical direction.

James 4:17  Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

We know when we are sinning, we justify and rationalize what we are doing – to our husband, kids, dad, wives.  We are sons and daughters of God.

Isaiah 55:8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

Not having any specific biblical alternatives can lead you onto another path of sin. 

Matthew 12:43-45 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

Neil Anderson has a list of who we are in Christ.  When we put off an old behavior it leaves a void and we need to replace that with the law of substitution.  Scripturally we want to align with the Word of God.

4. Recall Scriptures you have memorized. Actions begin in the mind.

Psalm 119:9-11 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”

The Word of the Lord is true.  There is power in the Word, in His Word.  It will set us free.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;  it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

5. Implement specific biblical put-offs and put-ons (while renewing the mind)  That is the worksheet mentioned above.

6. Seek God’s strength for today. Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Don’t look back at past failures or ahead to what we might perceive as future failures. Deal with each day. Feel peace.  Thank God for the moment and stand in the Scriptures.

Matthew 6:33-34 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Know that it is not who I was before or the unknown future, but who I am now that matters.  We create in our circumstances by what we are saying to ourselves in our minds.

We have God’s grace to handle situations when we need it.  Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

God’s grace is sufficient for us.

7. Solicit help from believers if necessary.

Galatians 6:2  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

In this day we are in constant attacks against our marriages, against the saints.  The devil wants to stop us in our tracks.  The devil knows our weaknesses.  If we are not proactive we may not be victorious. We find as we fall pray to our weaknesses that the joy goes, and than we start looking at situations negatively instead of the way we should.  We need to speak his word forth.  God knows our thoughts, but we still need to speak out loud.  We need to be thankful for the things He is going to do for us in the future.  We walk by faith and not by sight, so call those things which be not as though they are.

Seek the support and prayers of other believers.  Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Prearrange to call someone if you need help. We need people in place that we can call.  Reach out and call them.  Edify each other.

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

1 John 3:16-19 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

Janet told a story about picking up a hitchhiker at a time when she was wondering about God herself. The hitchhiker’s name was also Janet.  In ministering to her, the woman told Janet that she was going to give up on God, that she wasn’t sure God loved her.  Janet heard herself say, “Janet, God loves you.” And realized that God had arranged it so that she not only gave encouragement to the hitchhiker, but also to herself.

8.  Start doing the loving and responsible thing (regardless of your feelings). We develop self control, it isn’t rules and regulations, but over all that the Holy Spirit helps us to do the loving and responsible thing.

Galatians 5:22-25  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Genesis 4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.

John 14:15, 21 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (21) “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Become Complete:

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

This lesson was a blessing for those who attended.  I know it sure blessed me.

Praying you have a wonderful day!

Heather

Isaiah 5:24 (AMP) Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be like rottenness and their blossom shall go up like fine dust–because they have rejected and cast away the law and the teaching of the Lord of hosts and have not believed but have treated scornfully and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Joy told us that she grew up in Iowa where people were farmers.  So often there are examples in the Bible about growing things, seed time, harvest, pruning.  The principles of gardening were used as an example because the people were familiar with the images.  Gardening images are great examples of God’s principles because God invented the Garden and gardening.

When the root is bitter it doesn’t matter how much you feed or water the plant, the fruit will be bitter.  No amount of work on the plant will correct the root of bitterness – the root is the whole foundation of the plant.

Hebrews 12:15 (AMP) Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it–

The root of bitterness shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment.  It can defile many as it spreads around.

Even after a tree is cut down, the root continues to grow.  Unless you kill the root, the tree will not die.  It will continue to bear bad fruit.  You have to destroy the root of bitterness.

Bitterness = gall, poison, poisonous plants, like the poppy.  Poppy and bitterness – the poppy is self medication.  The root of bitterness is self medicating. You become numb, and then nothing affects you.

(Heather’s note – as I was taking notes I abbreviated root of bitterness as ROB – and that is what the root of bitterness does, robs us of so much.)

The root of bitterness clouds perception and judgment, dulls pain and numbs you.  The root of bitterness always finds someone else to blame.

In Hebrew “rosh” - venom, Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel.

Crush the serpent’s head, but it will bruise the heel – the heel is a vulnerable and hidden spot that can keep us from walking the walk. It interferes with our walk and we can’t walk with strength.

The root of bitterness always includes unforgiveness.  Unforgiveness usually is paired with judgment – we find ourselves saying things like “he deserves it,” etc.

Deuteronomy 29:18-19 (AMP) Beware lest there should be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose [mind and] heart turns away this day from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a [poisonous] root that bears gall and wormwood,  And lest, when he hears the words of this curse and oath, he flatters and congratulates himself in his [mind and] heart, saying, I shall have peace and safety, though I walk in the stubbornness of my [mind and] heart [bringing down a hurricane of destruction] and sweep away the watered land with the dry.

The root of bitterness bears gall and wormwood, it flatters and congratulates self, holds pain and suffering, people walk in stubbornness of mind, and it causes a hurricane of destruction.  Self satisfaction wipes out everything good and never bears good fruit.

The root of bitterness is always angry.  Choler, fuming, explosions, muttering, cooked in its own juices.  When you see a person who is angry you often ask, “what’s eating you?”

The root of bitterness always presumes the source is external.  Passive.  they did it to me, they did it.  And often it adds justification.  I am right to feel this way, look at what they did to me.

The truth is that nobody can give you offense if you don’t take it.

It can free you if you back up one step and put your hands down. Don’t take offense, and it will change your life.

The root of bitterness refuses to let God judge.

Deuteronomy 32:43 (AMP)  Rejoice [with] His people, O you nations, for He avenges the blood of His servants, and vengeance He inflicts on His foes and clears guilt from the land of His people.

Psalm 94:1-2 (AMP) O LORD God, You to Whom vengeance belongs, O God, You to Whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render to the proud a fit compensation!

When God says the same thing twice, it means that it is important to God.  We need to keep reminding ourselves that vengeance belongs to the Lord.  He will bring righteous vengeance, but not if you try to get your own vengeance. God is not a bully, and when you are seeking vengeance yourself, you tie God’s hands.

We are called to judge – righteous from unrighteous, but we are the jury, not the Judge.  We do not get to give a sentence (25 to life with no parole, etc.).  God will do a better judgement for God knows the content of a person’s heart, and He knows the end from the beginning.

God has a day of vengeance.

Isaiah 34:8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense, for the cause of Zion.

It is often really long after we think it was to be.

Isaiah 35:4 Say to those who are of a fearful and hasty heart, Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance; with the recompense of God He will come and save you

Fearful & hasty when we are anxious, fearful we want God to do what we want to do and to do it yesterday.  He doesn’t listen to it.  It is good that He doesn’t listen to us in this because if he did, a lot of innocent people would be hurt.

Jeremiah 11:20 But, O Lord of hosts, Who judges rightly and justly, Who tests the heart and the mind, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have revealed and committed my cause [rolling it upon You].

Rolling it upon You (God), not seeking revenge for ourselves.  Roll it over onto Him for He will bring righteous judgment.  Only God tests the mind and the heart. 

Isaiah 38:1-5 IN THOSE days King Hezekiah of Judah became ill and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said, Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord and said, Remember [earnestly] now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in faithfulness and in truth, with a whole heart [absolutely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add to your life fifteen years.

The root of bitterness results in calamity, destruction and disqualification.

Isaiah told Hezekiah to get his house in order, but it was not Hezekiah’s plan to line up with God’s will.  He wept and pled with God, saying basically, “I want, I want…”  God gave him what he asked for, and that resulted in having a son named Manasseh who did worse than all the kings before. It would have been better if Hezekiah had no children.  It would have been better for Hezekiah to have listened to what God said and shut up rather than weep bitterly and plead.

It was told to Hezekiah that the time after he died would be a mess and Hezekiah said that he didn’t care as long as his life was peaceful.

Isaiah 38:15-17 But what can I say? For He has both spoken to me and He Himself has done it. I must go softly [as in solemn procession] all my years and my sleep has fled because of the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live; and in all these is the life of my spirit. O give me back my health and make me live!  Behold, it was for my peace that I had intense bitterness; but You have loved back my life from the pit of corruption and nothingness, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

Isaiah 39:5-8 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:  Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your predecessors have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.  And some of your own sons who are born to you shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good. And he added, For there will be peace and faithfulness [to His promises to us] in my days.

God’s plan is the best plan, even though we may not like it.

Joy shared with us how she wanted a 1865 Victorian house in Kingston, she loved that house, prayed for that house and claimed that house.  But the house was a disaster, it was not God’s plan, and 2 1/2 years later the owners asked for $27,000 above the original asking price, and they were given 72 hours to vacate.  They got all their stuff into a 4 room apartment, and then had a vision of Elijah by the brook.   By that time she was a mature enough Christian to let God give her the desires of her heart, and ended up in the perfect house for her family. She wanted the desire of the Victorian house, but that did not glorify God.  When she held onto her desires she got burned. 

Hezekiah, because he pled with God, God gave him his way, but that ended up producing Manasseh, who was so evil.

Ezekiel 25:12-17 Thus says the Lord God: Because Edom has dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance and has greatly offended and has become doubly guilty by taking revenge upon them, therefore thus says the Lord God: I will also stretch out My hand against Edom and will cut off and root out man and beast from it, and I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan they shall fall by the sword.  And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they shall do upon Edom according to My anger and according to My wrath, and they shall know My vengeance, says the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God: Because the Philistines have dealt revengefully and have taken vengeance contemptuously, with malice and spite in their hearts, to destroy in perpetual enmity, therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites [an immigration in Philistia] and destroy the remainder of the seacoast. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with wrathful rebukes and chastisements, and they shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.

The root of bitterness plots revenge.

Jacob and Esau.  Esau did not esteem his birthright, he gave them up for a bowl of pottage. Yet he hated Jacob for “stealing” it.

Genesis 27:42 AMP These words of Esau her elder son were repeated to Rebekah. She sent for Jacob her younger son and said to him, See here, your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you [by intending] to kill you.

Rebekah was sad, she knew of Esau plotting to kill Jacob.  Esau is comforted by the revenge plot and is happy about it.  This animosity will continue through the generations for Herod was an Edomite, and he killed the baby boys in his demonic attempt to destroy the Messiah.

God knows what happens if you don’t kill the root of bitterness.  Little trees, little plants grow bigger, if the root is not destroyed they will never go away.

The root of bitterness makes you sick. 

Long term disability can be the fruit of it.  Choler, the eating way of the lining of the stomach, high blood pressure, cancer, headaches, gall bladder, and many other diseases can be the result of a root of bitterness.

Acts 8:10 AMP They all paid earnest attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that exhibition of the power of God which is called great (intense).

Simon the Sorcerer formerly practiced the magic arts, and was seen to be an extraordinary and distinguished person, but he did not give all the glory to God.

Acts 8:13 AMP Even Simon himself believed [he adhered to, trusted in, and relied on the teaching of Philip], and after being baptized, devoted himself constantly to him. And seeing signs and miracles of great power which were being performed, he was utterly amazed.

Simon got saved and baptized, trying to get closer to God, but he was disqualified from being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:20-23 AMP But Peter said to him, Destruction overtake your money and you, because you imagined you could obtain the [free] gift of God with money!  You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is all wrong in God’s sight [it is not straightforward or right or true before God].  So repent of this depravity and wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this contriving thought and purpose of your heart may be removed and disregarded and forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in a bond forged by iniquity [to fetter souls].

Peter saw a yoke of bitterness on Simon.  You cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit and still have a root of bitterness.  The Holy Spirit will reveal the root of bitterness to you and if you repent, you can be free of it. they call it sweet revenge.  

The root of bitterness disqualifies us from the power of God, signs and wonders because the root of bitterness cannot bear good fruit.  The Holy Spirit will not come alongside us because we will have bad fruit.

Luke 3:8-9 Bear fruits that are deserving and consistent with [your] repentance [that is, conduct worthy of a heart changed, a heart abhorring sin]. And do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father; for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up descendants for Abraham.  Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees, so that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

We have to lay an ax to the root. The roots can be deep and entangled.   For example with crab grass is difficult to pull it out, and if you leave even the tiniest root, it sends up another shoot. You pull the root out in one place, but a shoot has been sent out across to the other side of the lawn.

God reveals what you are able to be free of in the process, and gives us the strength to trust in the Word and let it go.  Trust God for He is a righteous judge, so you can give up your right to revenge.

You are in the position of father God to your children, and as a parent, how you deal with them will affect how they think about God. If they learn that you are trustworthy, they can more easily learn to trust God.  If you are not trustworthy, reliable and faithful, it makes it difficult for them to trust Father God.

With righteousness, if you are making harsh judgments it is not from a relationship with God. You can say things in a sweet way, but your face may show condemning.  If the messages are mixed it disrupts trust.   

Joy, who works with children, told us about how sometimes parents put their children in impossible situations and expect reactions from them that are inappropriate.  She gave the example of a parent trying to tell a hungry toddler that in 30 minutes or so they can eat, the child is crying and upset and hungry, and the parent is frustrated that the child can’t wait.  It is inappropriate to punish the hungry child, when the parent could have just brought a snack to tide the child over.  She said that detachment occurs when the expressed need of a child and the response of the parent are incongruent in time. The response needs to be specific to the needs of the child.  For example a Barbie Jeep is not suitable for lack of attention that a child needs. A child needs to feel secure in his dependency in order to be free to move towards independence.  If he knows we will respond to the need in a timely and appropriate manner, then the child will feel secure.

The root of bitterness stemming from our experiences with our parents can cause us not to trust that God is righteous. We need to trust God to bring the appropriate vengeance for our mistreatment, not to take it in our own hands.

Luke 3:10-14 AMP And the multitudes asked him, Then what shall we do?  And he replied to them, He who has two tunics (undergarments), let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do it the same way. Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?  And he said to them, Exact and collect no more than the fixed amount appointed you.  Those serving as soldiers also asked him, And we, what shall we do? And he replied to them, Never demand or enforce by terrifying people or by accusing wrongfully, and always be satisfied with your rations (supplies) and with your allowance (wages).

Romans 12:19 AMP Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God's] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord.

God promises He will make things right.

Hebrews 10:30 AMP For we know Him Who said, Vengeance is Mine [retribution and the meting out of full justice rest with Me]; I will repay [I will exact the compensation], says the Lord. And again, The Lord will judge and determine and solve and settle the cause and the cases of His people.

We know Him.  If we know Him, we know His faithfulness.  He will not fail us.

We need to cast all our roots of bitterness into the fire, so that we can begin to bear good fruit.  Lay our roots of bitterness on the altar of sacrifice.  There will be pain, but the nerves that feel pain are peripheral, and the longer you stay, the less it will hurt.  So often we want to get off the altar of sacrifice too quickly.  But what we want is that everything that is not of God is to be burnt off.

Romans 12:1-2 AMP I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

It hurts worst at the beginning.  The more you burn up, the easier it is to continue.  God does not want medium rare, He wants to look at us and say, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”

I hope this study blesses you.  It is funny how easily a root of bitterness can escape my notice, and yet, I am glad that God shows us the roots and helps us to deal with them. 

Have a blessed day!

Heather

Ah, our house is a bit quieter now.  I just got back from dropping off Edward at his college – first year Rochester Institute of Technology.

Here are a few pictures.

Convocation – it is a huge school.

Moving in

In front of his building

Edward & roommate Justin

My last view of Edward before driving back home.

While I was taking Edward to college up North, Jim (my husband) was driving Christopher down South to his college, Univ. of Richmond.   They seemed to be able to make a stop at  Cabella’s.

Christopher loading up the car with his stuff – notice the golf clubs & fishing gear.

Cabellas

The last rest before hitting the books.

Starting to unload the car.

A reunion with a few friends.

Have a blessed day.  Now that the happy chaos is settling, I should be back more consistently on Xanga.

Heather

I was unable to attend Ed’s Bible study on the Thursday that he presented this, but he graciously gave me his notes, and I am going to share them with you. I have included all the verses in total because I think it is important to know the verses that would be helpful to show Jesus in the Old Testament.

We have the Roman Road toward Messiah, and Dr. Ed said that there is a similar road in the Old Testament.

1.  Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

“God” is a plurality, a tri-unity, a trinity.  Father – Son – Holy Spirit.  We are tri-une beings, a trinity.  Body (the flesh) Soul (mind, will, emotions) and Spirit.   Thus we are made in the image of God.  Furthermore, we have been given characteristics that God possesses.  We are emotional beings.  Have cognitive thought and reasoning.  Isaiah 1:18 “ Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD,  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” The action based on reasoning is our will.

2.  Genesis 3:14-15 So the LORD God said to the serpent:  “Because you have done this,  you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed;  He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

The curse – and the serpent must have had legs.  Notice it is HER SEED.  The virgin.  A head bruise is fatal, a heel bruise is not.

3.  Exodus 12:21-24 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. 24 And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.

v. 21 The lamb was to be enough for the whole family.
v. 22 First bloody cross
v. 23 He sees the blood on the lintel and door post of your heart
v. 24 It is eternal.

4.  Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’

Jews were commanded NOT TO EAT BLOOD. Animals were ritually slaughtered and bled, why?

5. Deuteronomy 6:4-5  “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

SHEMA ECHAD – composite oneness, 1 bunch of grapes – YACHIO – absolute, 1 grape Go to Genesis 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  one flesh – 2 people – ECHAD (Why he called her woman – Genesis 2:21-23  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said:  “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

6. Deuteronomy 18:15-19  “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ “And the LORD said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”

The Messiah would be a Jew, the very word of God, in His mouth – John 17:8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. John 17:13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. Speaking all that the Father commanded him.  John 17:1-4  Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  Like Moses, led his people to the Promised Land.

7.  Psalm 2:7-12 “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’” Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.  Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

We are blessed, trust in Him.

8. Psalm 22: 1, 6-18 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? 6  But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”  But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I was cast upon You from birth.  From My mother’s womb You have been My God. Be not far from Me, for trouble is near;  for there is none to help.  Many bulls have surrounded Me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint;  my heart is like wax; it has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.  For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. 

Verse 1 – God did not forsake His son!! Jesus was quoting scriptures that identified Himself as Messiah. Verse 6, He was despised by the people, v. 7 ridiculed, v 8  mocked, verses 9-11 more about him, verses 12-18, more Messianic prophesies.

Matthew 27:35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”

Luke 23:34-37 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” 

9. Psalm 110:1-4 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power;  in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The LORD has sworn and will not relent, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” 

Messianic Prophesy. Hebrews 5:6-10 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”

10. Proverbs 30:1-4 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: Surely I am more stupid than any man,  and do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom  nor have knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?  Who has gathered the wind in His fists?  Who has bound the waters in a garment?  Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?

No knowledge of God, lack His wisdom = stupid

11 Isaiah 6:8-10  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:  “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”  Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” And He said, “Go, and tell this people:  ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;  keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull,  and their ears heavy,  and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.”

Why don’t they see or hear?  This will end when Jesus returns.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. That’s a sign. Virgin – ALMAH Genesis 24:4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” Genesis 24:12-16 Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.  Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. Genesis 24:43  behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,” 

Isaiah 8:8, 10 He will pass through Judah, He will overflow and pass over,  He will reach up to the neck;  and the stretching out of his wings will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel…Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak the word, but it will not stand,  for God is with us.”

God is with us.

Isaiah Chapter 9:1-7 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first He lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, and garments rolled in blood, will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called  Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,  Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace  there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

PELE YO EATZ EL GIBBOR ABI-AD SAR SHALOM Jewish Bibles corrupt the English translation, but don’t tamper with the Hebrew – that’s a sin.

More Messianic prophesy and Old Testament evidence of Jesus the Messiah:

Chapter 11:1-5, 10  There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.  His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. 10.  “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.”

Isaiah 40:10-11 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.

Isaiah 42:1-9  “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him;  He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench;  He will bring forth justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law.”  Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it:  “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.  I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

Isaiah 49:1-2; 5-7 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar!  The LORD has called Me from the womb; from the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me.” …“ And now the LORD says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD,  and My God shall be My strength),  indeed He says, 
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,  and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers:  “Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.”

Isaiah 52:13- Isaiah 53 ALL:  Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men; so shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall consider. Isaiah 53 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted,  yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation?  For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken.  And they made His grave with the wicked— but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;  He has put Him to grief.  When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The Rabbis claim that the suffering servant is the nation of Israel, suffering at the hand of the Gentiles.

Isaiah 1:2-18  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!  For the LORD has spoken:  “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know,  My people do not consider.” Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom;  give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah:  “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands,  I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD,  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 29:9-14 Pause and wonder!  Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with intoxicating drink. For the LORD has poured out on you  the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;  and He has covered your heads, namely, the seers. The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”  Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate.” Therefore the Lord said:  “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths  and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me,  and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;  to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

The Religious Jew claims the New Testament was made up by the Apostles, led by Saul (Paul) who stole His (Jesus’) body and hid it and claimed he had risen from the dead.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Blinded eyes, deaf ears cannot perceive.

Daniel 9:24-27  24 “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city,  to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.  “And after the sixty-two weeks  Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.  And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

God gives Daniel His timetable. Do the math and discover Jesus came right on time.

Micah 5:2-5a “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah,  yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”  Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; and this One shall be peace.

More evidence as Messiah’s birthplace is revealed to his people.

Zechariah 2:10-13  “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the LORD. “Many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you. And the LORD will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”

Messiah is with us.

Zechariah 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey,  a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Matthew 21:5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

Zechariah 12:10-14 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.  In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

Messiah is pierced, God’s only Son.

Zechariah 14:1-9 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You. It shall come to pass in that day that there will be no light; the lights will diminish. It shall be one day which is known to the LORD—neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen that it will be light. And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur.  And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “The LORD is one,” and His name one.

Messiah’s Second Coming.

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.  And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant,  in whom you delight. 
Behold, He is coming,”  says the LORD of hosts.

Messiah would come before the Temple is destroyed in AD 70.

Isaiah 6:8-10 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:  “Whom shall I send,  and who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”  And He said, “Go, and tell this people:  ’Keep on hearing, but do not understand;  keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’  “Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes;  lest they see with their eyes,  and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.”

Genesis 22:1-13 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”  Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”  So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”  So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”  And he said, “Here I am, my son.”  Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”  And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.  But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”  So he said, “Here I am.”  And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”  Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.

Have a blessed day, and thanks for your prayers.

Heather

Someone asked Pastor Don about the recent number of pastors who have been caught in various sins – divorces, monetary problems, etc.

Pastor Don then pointed out how a pastor really needs to be living the Word of God in his or her life, how secret sins, even little secret sins can impede the pastor’s work for God’s kingdom.

To illustrate, he picked up a pillow from his chair and said that this was a little sin.  But if unconfessed and not dealt with, the pastor then carries that sin around with him all the time, so that the pillow, weighing 1 1/2 pounds, while little is still being carried by the pastor. It takes an arm to carry that pillow, and the pastor’s ability to reach out and help others is impeded, for there is only one free arm available to do the work, the other arm is holding the pillow.

SIN IS SIN.  Any unrepented sin, no matter how small is still practicing sin. Yes, you can carry that little sin around with you – for example, smoking cigarettes, and you carry it everywhere and it is a hinderance.  You may practice it in secret, but you are still bound to it, it affects your body, your lungs, etc. Even though no one sees you doing the sin, you still carry it to the pulpit. To confess the sin, to let people know you are struggling with a particular sin brings it out into the open so it can be dealt with. But if you are practicing the sin in secret it means that you are not a balanced person.  Sin weakens our character, and has nothing to do with faith and love of Jesus.  We are not helped to freedom and deliverance if we keep our sin secret.  We need to let go of that little (pillow) sin. Who’s my Father?  We need to take that sin to the cross and crucify it.

The thief on the cross made it to Heaven.  He had belief that Jesus was Lord, but had not repented of his sins. Jesus told him that that day the thief would be with Him in Paradise.  The thief carried around a lot of sins, and had not repented during his life. But still he did come to the Lord and receive salvation.

Pastor Don said that some sins are heavier than the pillow, there are chair sins (10-15 lbs) and table sins (30-40 lbs) and even bigger. This was a walking illustration.  Pastor Don then told us that if we pick up little sins and carry them around in secret, they tend to grow, and it becomes easier and easier to pick up bigger sins. He then picked up a chair, and still had the pillow, and walked around the room. My husband took a picture of him which I am sharing so you can get the image.

Can a pastor carrying around so much sin be an effective pastor?  No, his arm is shortened, and he can’t reach out and help others as well.  He is carrying around a lot of stuff and the burden is much greater, he is having to deal with his own stuff, and cannot be there for others. Pastor Don says, “I got my hands full. I’m bound,” when I’m carrying around all this stuff, and when opportunities come, I can’t take them as easily.

Pastor Don said that secret sins in a pastor’s life ultimately lead to them beginning to tamper with Biblical truth.  It is not only what is said from the pulpit, but what isn’t said.  A pastor carrying around secret sin can’t preach it from the altar, for then that would expose him.  For example, if a pastor is practicing sexual sin, he can’t preach not practicing sexual sin from the pulpit. The pastor would know, for satan would surely let him not forget, that he was guilty of that kind of sin.  When a pastor can’t touch certain areas from the pulpit, the people cannot get free and delivered from those sins.  And not only that, but that church begins to be a safe place for sinners who practice the same sorts of sins to hang out.  Those sinners will not fear being exposed by the Word of God.  Those who have serial sins can hide out safely in that church.

God is not pleased with this, and the pastor carrying such sin is not living up to his calling as pastor.  Preaching requires scriptural adherence.  If I am living in sin, I will find ways to adjust the scripture to justify my weakness, and then I am preaching a false Gospel.  I may leave out stuff, not preach the Whole counsel of God, or I may try to use a scripture out of context to justify my position. Either way, I am out of God’s will. 

We see a lot of that in churches today, where people are changing what God’s Word says.  They try and convince people that I am ok with God, God is ok with me, and therefore, it’s ok to be like me (even if I have those sins). 

When a pastor goes to the pulpit, they have to get their lives in line with the Word.  You have to put down your secret sins.  God has NEVER said that sin is OK.  Therefore, if a pastor uses scripture to justify a sin, they are teaching a false doctrine, and picking up a new sin.  Often a pastor who is flagrantly violating God’s word will be exposed, and often that pastor will end up with sickness and premature death.  They are carrying too much stuff around.

Some ministers with good ministries will flourish, but if those ministers are carrying around secret sins, God will renounce them, and remove them from their ministry.  God will change the political climate and raise up righteous people. 

Pastor Don then shared how Paul, who believed in error he was doing God’s will by killing Christians, was faced with Jesus and found out how out of line he was with God’s will, and Paul repented.  He went away into the wilderness to be taught and transformed.  Sometimes a pastor in blatant sin needs to step down from the pulpit and work on getting their own life in order first.

Judas also got out of line with God’s word, but he rejected Jesus, the one path of salvation for himself, and didn’t repent. He ended up dead.  Peter spoke against Jesus three times, but came to Christ and repented. 

The Key to salvation – do you believe it?  If you do, your sin is not capable of sending you to hell.  If you have no faith, reject the Gospel, and do not reach out to God’s love, there is no hope for you.

1 Corinthians 5 and Revelation deal with immorality in the Church.  People who hold onto their immoral behavior, will face repercussions for that.

Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

How can a sexually immoral person make it to Christ.  We were all that before we accepted Christ.  We practiced these sins, and did not realize that they were sins.  We were not willing to confess them as sin.

The temptation of the carnal mind, is that we become used to these sins and think that they are not the abominations that they are.  The devil never leads us into the full impact of our sins instantly, he leads us in little stages, making us think that that little sin that we have is not such a big thing.  If we smoke cigarettes (Pastor Don picked this particular example among many) it is not such a big thing – satan does not tell you about lung cancer that awaits around the corner.  Satan does not show us the full impact of our fornication, drugs, or other sins. Those sins ultimately lead us away from Christ.

But TRUTH CAN SET US FREE.
Romans 7 talks about sin, and Paul explaining how Christ frees us from the law and sin.  I recommend reading that chapter. Paul concludes realizing that except for Christ we are lost. The only hope for the criminal on the cross was Jesus, the Good News.  God forgives us and gives us the truth.  Jesus paid for our sins completely, our past sins, our present sins, and our future sins.

1 John 2:28 -3:9  And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

We need to stay in Christ and not change our confession, not walk out of the covenant, but stay in the marriage, stay in Christ, no matter how tough it is.  Trust Christ for prosperity, physical and mental health.  We can ask and trust Christ for salvation, but not who have salvation choose to go to Christ for freedom from drugs, to stay married, etc.  We need to put our faith in Christ and then we become the righteousness of Christ.  Saved people do not all know that they are born again, that they are new creations in Christ and that the old has passed away.

Pastor Don told us that when he was seven he was saved, but it wasn’t until his late 20′s that it dawned on him that the Don Moore who drank screwdrivers and took cocaine is dead, passed away.  That what tempted him before, doesn’t tempt him now. He could declare death to wrong thinking.

There is stuff in our mind that we hold and believe in error.  When we get saved, we need to get in the Word of God and stay in the Word.  1 John 3:1  Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. helps us to see how radically changed we can be when we know how much we are loved.  Our hope in HIM, purifies our lives.  The increasing reality of Christ in our life will produce change. There is hope for the Church if more begin to realize just how much Christ loves us and can change us. Christ takes away sin, and if we abide in Christ we will not sin.

If our flesh sins, we must keep pursuing and abiding in Christ, and then the sin MUST leave – our small sins and our large sins.

Pastor Don cautioned us to not talk negatively about people, not put people down.  We need to trust in Christ for salvation and we won’t sin.  Pastor Don said that if he told a lie the Holy Spirit would bring it up in his conscience.  If we confessed it He can fix it, instead of turning our backs on it.  God will forget about it.

1 John 1:9-10  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

If we abide in Christ we don’t sin, for if we confess our sins and repent, they are eradicated.  The state of sin is not a perpetual condition.  We need to believe and act on this for the time period is short.

Praying this blesses you.

Heather

The Jew and the Gentile are together with Christ as Mediator of a better covenant.

Hebrews 8:13 In that He says, “A new covenant, ” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

This verse states clearly the reference to keeping ALL the Mosaic Laws. There were some 660 laws.  God gave the 10 commandments and men added to that piece by piece. No one could keep the Mosaic law. Yet, the Jews had cows, goats, etc. that needed to go out to pasture, even on Sabbath. They had a goyim to come in on the day of rest to do the work that they could not do on the Sabbath. That was not the intent of the law of God, they took it to the next level.

Hebrews 9:1-3 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All,

Pastor Don told us that on the way to Sight and Sound, an annual church trip, they stop by a place that has a complete model of the Tabernacle, so that we can see a picture of it. Israel also had wonderful models of the various temples and historical sites, some of the models were huge. 

Just so you can get an idea of the scale model of the Israeli models, I have included  pictures from last year’s trip to Israel. This was a model of the temple at the time of Jesus, and the surrounding area.  I especially love that little boy in the white hat at the right of the picture. He was talking with his Israeli father, calling his father, “Abba.”

Hebrews 9:4-5 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

We visited the Temple Institute in Israel, and they have been making the Temple tools in preparation for the rebuilding of the Temple. I did not get a picture of this in Israel, but this is a picture of the Ark from the Temple Institute site.

When Paul wrote this passage in Hebrews, he had seen the things in the Tabernacle (remember he was a Levite and served in the Temple) and he had had the vision of the Heavenly Tabernacle.

At the time of Paul, the Romans had no love for the Jewish Nation. They had 20,000 soldiers stationed at Caesarea, which had a feel of little Italy, with prostitutes, horse races, and things that were familiar from their home.  Here are some pictures from our trip to Israel. You can see the Roman influence.

Here is the stadium where they held their horse races.

Buildings and arches

and a wonderful waterfront view.

This was a swimming pool.

Below is a picture of me sitting on some columns

And our group listening to a lecture. Pastor Don is in the green shorts just left to the woman in blue.

Pastor Don then continued to talk to our Friday Bible study about the altar, especially at the time of the major feasts, where the priests would be ankle deep in blood at the High Holy Days, sometimes sacrificing 2,000 sheep.  Pastor Don pointed out that at the High Holy Days the price of lamb would be at rock bottom, but the best parts were used for the sacrifice and given to the priests.  The rest of the animal was given to the public.  There could be a million people in Jerusalem at the time. God wanted people to be happy and fellowship with Him.  The feasts were times of parties and fellowship with God.

During the Dark Ages the Church became a place of penance and suffering, far from the idea of what God wanted for His people.

When the people were in the wilderness, the Shekinah Glory of God would be over the tabernacle – there would be a fire by night and a cloud by day.  The people would move when God instructed them to move.  It would take about 45 minutes to take the whole tabernacle down and load it on carts. The moving was very organized.  The people were organized like an army. Each person had a job, and a position around the tabernacle.

The Tabernacle we had on earth is a copy of what is in heaven.

Hebrews 9:6-7  Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance;

The High Priest went alone into the Holy of Holies, with blood sacrificed for himself, for his sins, and then for the people.  If the Priest’s sins were not paid for and he went into the Holy of Holies he would drop dead.  The priest’s garment had bells on the hem that would make noise as he moved around the Holy of Holies performing his duties, and there was a rope tied around his ankle so that, if he had not atoned properly for his sins and dropped dead, he could be dragged out of the Holy of Holies.

Pastor Don told us that the High Priest had a small group of priests who trained with him.  Once a year, the sacrifice for atonement occurred and it had to be perfect.  The priest had to remember to do everything in the correct order, and trained to do this.  He had to wash ceremonially the right way, do the necessary sacrifices for himself and his family, and then the sacrifices for the people of Israel. The priest was going to go into the presence of God on the earth, meeting Him at the Mercy seat.  There was no liberty at all to make mistakes.  There could be no sin, and the priest could not touch an unclean thing, or anything dead.   All his actions, legal and business had to be in order, nothing wanting.  The priest could not touch alcohol or herbs.  Eli, the High Priest’s two sons died because they were using alcohol and robbing the people, not doing the sacrifices in the way that God ordained and taking their portions from the best cuts that belonged to God.

Pastor Don told us that you can’t get drunk on Saturday night and then come into church and minister on Sunday. We are in God’s Holy place and some things don’t change. God is holy and He expects us to line up with His word.

Unclean is Unclean.  We trust the Word of God, and we know that what is unclean is subject to death.  A prophet or teacher can drop dead for what they say if it is not lining up with God’s Word.  There is a weight of responsibility in serving God.

I want to save the rest for tomorrow for I have a wonderful picture that my husband took showing how Pastor Don illustrated the next part.

Hoping you have a blessed day!

Heather

Pastor Don continued with his study of Hebrews (6/27/08).  We reviewed a bit about Melchizedek, and pointed out that no one on earth except Jesus could fit all the criterion for being a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 8:1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,

This is Jesus who sits at the right hand of God, which is a seat of power.

Hebrews 8:2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

We need to understand that the tabernacle and temple that we have on earth was a pattern given to Moses, David, and Solomon by God.  And soon we will see the Temple of Ezekiel. These patterns were given to show us what the Tabernacle in Heaven is like.

Hebrews 8:3-4 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;

Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi, He was not a priest of the Levites.  A question was raised about how could Jesus then debate with the Levites in the Temple. Pastor Don told us that the Jews were never afraid of a debate or a hot discussion. Nothing was forbidden to discuss, so Jesus could have debated with the priests and Levites.

Jesus was a priest on earth, but did not wear the robes of a Levite, for He was of the tribe of Judah.  He had spiritual authority over the Levites, for Jesus came from the higher order of Melchizedek. The Levites were priests under the Law, but Melchizedek was before the Law.

Hebrews 8:5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

The temple on Earth and the worship is a type and shadow of the Heavenly Temple.  Moses was given the pattern and did as God instructed.  The Levites followed the pattern God gave to Moses.

Hebrews 8:6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

What was the better covenant established on?  It was established on the oath made by God to all of us through Abraham.  Jesus’s promises came directly from the Father and His covenant.  They are the very Word of God.

Hebrews 7:21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “The LORD has sworn and will not relent,‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’”),

God spoke the promise and gave an oath and His oath and promises are better than any made by man, no way will God take them back. He gave them directly to the Son.  God gave the power and authority to Moses, but none of the Israelites were without sin.  Jesus was without sin.

Hebrews 8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

If Moses and the Israelites were faultless, (Deuteronomy 28-32) in keeping of the covenant, then there would have been no need for a second covenant.  If they were able to keep the law, if they could have been perfect, but they were not able to keep the law or be perfect.  So there needed to be a substitutionary sacrifice – the blood of bulls and goats – to cover the sins of the people.  But bulls and goat’s blood is not equal to the Blood of Jesus.

Hebrews 8:8  Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

A new covenant – through Jesus.

Hebrews 8:9-12 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Judah means praise -praise and worshippers.  God is a covenant God, and will establish his covenant in the Last Days with the Jews, and those who are of the faith who are praisers of the Lord. In this dispensation we will need all those in the five fold ministry.  In the Last Days, everyone will know Him, hear Him speak by the Spirit, and will be in places and position to serve Him.

Hebrews 8:13 In that He says, “A new covenant, ” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

The first covenant (the Law) is obsolete.  The people who think that strict keeping of the Law of Moses is the way to God, will realize that that is impossible to keep – only Jesus could keep that law.  Moses sinned, Elijah sinned.  Why do people look at Jesus and think that more of the same law keeping will get them into heaven?  Moses had no tabernacle when he sinned.  Jesus is the perfect embodiment of the Law, if you know the Law, how is it you can say that you do not know Jesus?

Someone asked about relatives who are Jewish, who do not want to hear about Jesus, or haven’t had the opportunity to learn about Jesus, and what would happen to them and all those who have never heard about Jesus. Pastor Don replied that God has ways of doing things that exceed our mercy.  In our small way of thinking, we could judge others and send everyone to hell, based on narrow and small theology, but in God there is hope. Even today angels are manifesting to muslims, and God is preparing people to receive Jesus.  Jesus, when asked to show them the Father, said John 14:8-11   Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Someone wondered about those Jews who never heard about Jesus, and Pastor Don said that they would be judged on what they know, that God is perfect Justice.  Pastor Don then pointed out that if you reject Jesus after hearing about Him, you will lose more than you know.

Pastor Don pointed out that the Torah was read in a cycle, and wherever you are on a particular day, the same passage of Torah is read.  There are scriptures in Isaiah that deal with Jesus, such as Isaiah 53 which are taken out of the cycle of readings.  If you read Isaiah 52-54 you will see Jesus.  The Jewish teachers try to say that this is really a reference to the nation Israel, not a person, but this does not line up with the scriptures, for the scriptures read “he”, but the Nation of Israel is referred to as “she”.

Equal weight is given to oral law and written law, and the scriptures are seen as subject to interpretation in some churches.  So there are traditional teachings regarding the scriptures even in some Christian churches that do not line up with the Word of God, for the churches have gone toward tradition.

God’s mercy is so big, BIG.

Pastor Don told us that most of us do not want the truth, we want to be right. We learned stuff in childhood that we cling to, even though we know that it does not line up with the Word of God.  We tend to justify our dysfunctionality. Sometimes we get so used to a particular way of thinking or believing that we don’t see the truth anymore, and we just do it, preferring to suffer the consequences rather than change and see that we are a new creations in Christ.

Pastor Don called it the 4 D’s:  Distraction; deception, devastation, and death.  By His (Jesus’s) grace, we don’t see death.

Romans 2:14-16 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Hebrews 8:13 In that He says, “A new covenant, ” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

A NEW COVENANT, the first is obsolete.  Often it is not instantly that we break away from the old covenant, it is not a clean break. As we grow older and more mature in Christ, we will find that our old habits will pass away and we will be doing them less and less.

We talked about some recent Jewish history, such as the Hasidic Jewish leader who passed away, that people believed was the Messiah, and when he died and was not reborn, their hope for a Messiah passed with him.  He had no children to pass his line on, and before he died, he had a stroke which took away his ability to speak or write, so he could not tell his followers what to do. 

The Jews did not want to accept Jesus, the suffering Messiah, they were looking for a victorious king.  But one day, they will call out to the Lord, and God will save them.  They will see the Messiah as King, for they are still part of God’s covenant.

When we hear the truth, we have to override our desire to be right, and adjust our lives to the truth, God’s truth.

We did not have a Friday Bible study on July 4, and continued with Hebrews on July 11.

I will share that with you next.  I just want to have you remember that God is not through with the Jewish nation, He has plans and purposes for them, and has not written them out of His plans.  God keeps His covenants, ALL OF THEM.

Have a blessed day!

Heather

Part one of this study can be found here.

After our break, Pastor Don took us to Page 122 of our Discipleship Manual.

     “This section deals with a deeper understanding of what “Faith” is.  The definition of Faith is found in Hebrews 11:1, but we still get hope, believing, and Faith mixed up.  Are they the same?  How much Faith is enough Faith?  When do we have Faith?  These questions will be addressed in the following paragraphs.
     For starters, let us think of hope and believing as prerequisites to Faith, a doorway to Faith.  To help our discussion, remember hope is associated with expectancy, therefore, a process, a progression toward Faith.  Believing is a process, a progression toward Faith and is opposed by unbelief.  Faith is in opposition to doubt – Faith is the “I know“, doubt is the “I don’t know” and “I don’t think so.”  When “I know” is present, believing for has been replaced.  Faith is substance and evidenceof what’s hoped and believed.  Therefore - I know.  Or as some say, “I know (Faith) I have what I was hoping and believing for.  Let’s explore this further so we can move as effective disciples toward true Faith.”

Hope and believing are prerequisites for faith.  Believing for something is not faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” NOW – not the future. If we are believing for something to happen in the future, we are not having faith in the NOW.  Believing for is a prerequisite to faith, we have to start somewhere.  When I have absolute, total faith, we know we have – even if the circumstances are not demonstrating that fact yet.

Why are there not more miracles in the church?  It is because people are thinking believing for and hoping for is faith.  They feel that until they see the substance of what they are believing for, that they can’t have faith for it. But once we have the substance of what we are hoping for, then we do not have to believe in faith for it, because we have it.

God hears us and His answers are “Yes and Amen.” We can stand in a room and look at a light bulb and hope and believe that the light will come on, but the light won’t come on until we go over to the switch and flick the switch on.

It is not difficult to become born again and know you are going to Heaven, to have faith that salvation is possible.  Yet that is a great miracle of God.  Faith for healing or anything we need is no greater miracle than that of salvation, yet so many in the church stop at salvation.

The problem is that Church folk are not honest.  They say that they were in faith for something but it didn’t happen. The truth was they were not in faith, if they were in faith it would have happened.  They were really in the stage of believing and hoping for. If it was true faith, it would have had to happen.

I am believing for my healing is different from I KNOW that I am healed.  If we are praying for healing and it isn’t happening, be honest.  Admit that we must have missed it.  I was believing that the condition was gone, is different from I know it’s gone.  It may take months or more for the flesh to demonstrate the healing, but the healing HAS ALREADY HAPPENED.

Pastor Don talked to us about a wart that had grown on his face. He went to a dermatologist and the dermatologist told him that he would have to freeze the wart off.  Pastor Don held off on that for he had a conference to go to, and decided that he would pray the wart off.  He prayed, and waited. He had the hope and desire that the wart would be removed, but it was still there.  He looked at his life to see if there were hidden sins that needed to be addressed, he was in faith, but God did not seem to answer his prayer.  He thought to himself, perhaps he didn’t pray and fast enough or had an evil thought, so he didn’t get healed.  He said, “maybe it’s my wife’s fault…”  But he was mature enough to realize that I KNOW wasn’t there.  I didn’t have I KNOW FAITH to say I KNOW IT’S GONE. He said over and over the passage, “By His stripes I am healed.  I believe I receive my healing.”  Said it over and over and over, filling his mind with the truth of God.  At some point when we speak the truth of God, we know I KNOW drops in.  At one point he knew that in three days the wart would be gone.  Gave it no other thought, and sure enough brushed his nose with the back of his hand three days later and the wart fell off into his hand.

Sometimes when we pray we feel the thing leaving our body right now, sometimes we know it will happen later, sometimes it takes longer.  Faith is an action.  The Word came up in the Spirit, and the Spirit received the Word.  Pastor Don knew in his Spirit that in three days the wart would be gone.  He had no doubt in his mind.  Made the statement of faith, and it happened.  When the third day came, he knew it was gone, did not even look in the mirror to see if it was there or not, just trusted in I KNOW FAITH.

We have to be honest and locate ourselves, to find out where we are – are we in hope, believing for, or faith?  The Holy Spirit is aware when we say we are in faith and we are not.  Pride cannot have a part in this.  When we think we can do this in our own strength we are in error.  We start thinking I am so good, or I’ll bargain with God that if He heals me I will give God the glory.  God will get the glory whether we are healed, dead, or resurrected. 

We do well to stay humble.  To realize that God loves me, I love God and His Word.  And He will do His Word at the right time, and I will wait for God. We are to do for God from love and because we should, and God will get the glory.

We wonder why faith manifests for some but not for others, but we don’t always know the whole story.  Four percent of the people keep hoping.  People pray for a manifestation but they don’t keep the faith when it doesn’t happen quick enough, they move from faith to doubt and unbelief.

When Jesus healed the person with the withered hand, the person had to have the faith to stretch forth their hand.  They happened to be at the temple.  When the person stretched forth their hand, their faith entered in the picture.  The guy knew that this was Jesus, and obeyed, did not think that it was the Sabbath, or I have to believe for this Healing. He knew that when Jesus said stretch forth your hand, his hand would be healed.  Jesus says I KNOW, all I need is for you to get a hold of faith.  To go from the progression of believing for to I KNOW.  The man with the son told Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.”  He was believing for and hoping for, but was not in faith. 

Obedience is necessary, the man had to obey and stretch forth his hand, the paralyzed man had to pick up his bed and walk.  When faith is present I KNOW is present, and then we have to tell the truth.

Not everyone in the prayer line wants to be healed.  Pastor Don shared about a man who wanted relief from pain, but knew that if he was healed, he would then lose his insurance payments, so he did not want healing.  Some like the attention that their sickness gives them. 

How do we know the will of God?  Some say that “if it is God’s will, I will be healed.”  It is always God’s will that we are healed.  The Word of God tells us His will.  We need to adjust our statements and what we are thinking and saying to line up with His Word.  His Will.  God gave us His Word so that we will know His Will.  He has given us His Will – therefore we can know His Will.

We have His Will, some circumstances are hidden from us and we don’t have His specific will at the specific moment.  We believe certain scriptures’ interpretations, but the interpretations are in error.  For example, people use the following passage to say that we can’t know God’s will, but that is not true – we have His Word and with His Word we can know God’s will Isaiah 55:8-9 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

We need to take this passage and study it in context.  Who is talking, who is he talking to, and what are they talking about?  We can understand the verse in context if we look at Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

Verse 8 and 9 are in reference to the wicked and unrighteous who cannot know God’s ways and God’s will, for they are not in Him.

Then we looked back at Isaiah 55:6-7  Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

We are told to seek the Lord, let the wicked forsake their ways.

Isaiah 55:3-5 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you,  because of the LORD your God, and the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you.”

This is also a passage about us. David and his everlasting covenant, the gentiles and saints in the future, a nation not called a nation.  If our first allegiance is to USA, instead of God, we are in trouble.  Jesus is our king.  We are members of the Kingdom of God, and the Head is Jesus.  Our priorities should be God first, USA second.  Remember Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this earth.”  We have our allegiance to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Who is he talking to?

Isaiah 55:1-3 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you— the sure mercies of David.

God has His Kingdom, and His covenant.  David was an example, but this is written to those who are hungry and thirsty and want to come to God, not the wicked and unrighteous. Like David, those who hunger and thirst for God can know God’s ways and thoughts.  God’s Will is that you prosper, by faith the gold will emerge, once the dross has been burned off.  We can know His will.

Wait on the Lord and He will reveal His thoughts and ways if we come to Him.  God will interrupt our thoughts that are in error, He will strengthen us, He will lead us by the Spirit, and we need faith to believe that.  Faith is not wishing and hoping, it is I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT I KNOW. 

We don’t know what God knows, but we have access to it. We can hear His voice and trust His judgment.  Just because it is hard doesn’t mean it isn’t God. His thoughts are not our thoughts.

Isaiah 55:10-13 For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

When we get in faith, believe, and know that He made a covenant with us.  The wicked cannot know God’s ways or will.  But by FAITH WE CAN KNOW.

Faith works when we trust God.  If there is something about us that is not pleasing to God we want to abandon it, and be obedient to God.  Believe HE IS.

We want to take our thoughts and capture them and make them obedient to Jesus, to have the Mind of Christ.  The catch phrase WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) is a good one to consider.

We want the words we speak to come forth from Heaven, through His Spirit and register in our head, so that we are operating out of the Mind of Christ.  He wants us to know His thoughts.

We then looked at PP 124 in the Discipleship Manual.

     “Believing is what we do when we hope. Faith is what we do when we know.  Let me say it again.  Believing is what we do when we hope.  Faith is what we do when we know.  Now, the benefit of believing and hoping is that we arrive at Faith.  The benefit of Faith is knowing and causing to come into material reality.  Believing is hoping, Faith is knowing. You either know or you don’t know because the knowing is seeing.  Faith is the factual representation of that which is not yet, to your physical eye, a fact, but you know it as a fact. You know that you know that you know that you know, and ‘you know’ is better than and beyond belief.
     Believing is the road that leads to knowing.  When you get to the knowing, you have seen, whether or not with the physical reality, but the spiritual reality is as real to you.  You can’t get any more Faith, but there always is more believing. We believe and believe until that thing we hope for has substance.  Once the thing that we hope for has substance, it thus then becomes knowing.  Now, once it becomes knowing, it is not believing any more.  When I came up from under the table (Heather’s comment: illustration of hiding under the table and Pastor Don asking if we could believe he was under the table when we couldn’t see him) your believing stopped. You were not believing for it, you knew it.

**Blessed is he that comes from believing
and gets to the knowing- before he gets to the seeing.
**Anybody can have Faith once they see it,
but seeing it and knowing is not Faith -
Faith is knowing before you see.”    

  pp. 124  “Where does that knowing come from?  The knowing comes from hoping and believing.  A Faith comes to the heart.  You don’t know it in your head, but you know it in your heart.  If I can get people to stay at hope, believing and confessing long enough, they’ll get to Faith and the knowing.   Once they get to there, they’ve got the knowing and then it’s just a matter of time before the seeing comes.  Sometimes the seeing is instant.  In the spiritual realm, it’s instant because you have the knowing.  It’s in here and you say, “I see it. I have it, now!!!”

We need to work this until it becomes our reality.

(Heather’s comment) This was an intense Bible study, with much to think about. I know that there are areas where I am in faith, and other areas where I am believing and hoping.  As I continue to walk with God, it seems that I get closer and closer to faith in those areas.  I sure am glad God loves us enough to help us grow in faith.

Have a blessed day,

Heather

This is a Bible study I taught today at Bible study.  Hope it blesses you. I gave each person the handouts that follow this post.  They decided which king was a good king or a bad king, finding out that there were only 8 good kings, all in Judah. 

Kings & Idolatry

During the time of Moses, God knew what would happen when the Israelites reached the promised land, and prophesied it through Moses.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 “When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.
18 “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

God promised the Israelites that the Kingdom would stand as long as they obeyed His commands and did not go to the left or the right.  Notice the things a King was not supposed to do.

1. Multiply horses
2. Not return to Egypt
3. Not multiply wives – lest his heart turn away
4. Not multiply God or silver for himself

The King was supposed to (verse 18 & 19) write out the copy of the Law in his own hand and then read it day and night.  There is no way a king could pretend that he was unaware of the Law.

The People enter the Promised Land at the exact time God wanted them to enter the land.

But God first wanted to give the Amorites a chance to change and follow His ways.  They did not, they persisted in their sinful living and accumulated iniquity upon iniquity so that God’s justice would be unquestioned, as he removed the iniquity from the land.

Genesis 15:13-16 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance

Sometimes we think that because God is not acting on a situation we see as wrong that that means that God doesn’t care. God does care, but He is patient, wanting all to be saved.

The Israelites made Covenant with God and would frequently break their Covenant.  God allowed the Israelites to be ruled by judges. The people would come in line with God’s will and God would send a judge to defend the people.  They would be thankful to God for a time, and then fall back into their old ways, cry out to God, and then He would send another judge.

Remember in Deuteronomy, God predicted that the people would clamor for a king, especially when they saw that the surrounding nations were ruled by Kings. They went to the prophet Samuel.

1 Samuel 8:6-22 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” 10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. 22 So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.”

Oh this is a sad situation, when the people will demand a King from God, when that was not God’s best for them.  God had a King for them – the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, but at the time they wanted a King it was not God’s timing for them. Sometimes we think our solution will be the salvation of our problems, but the problems the Israelites would not be changed by having Kings, and ultimately they will only worsen.  No matter the physical person over us, our ultimate allegiance needs to be to God, not man.  And a mortal King cannot solve the heart issues of the people.

1 Samuel 12:13-15 “Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. 15 However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

The first Kings were to the UNITED KINGDOM of Israel – we saw Saul who was a bad king, not obeying God and losing his kingdom.  DAVID was a man after God’s own heart, but even he sinned.  But still God deemed him a man after His own heart, for David’s love was for God, SOLOMON started out pleasing God, but then started intermarrying and bring in idols to the Kingdom. The united Israel ultimately fell because of idols. Solomon’s disobedience of God’s rules for kings led to his sons being rebellious and problems for the nation of Israel.

YOUR PART:  each will get a King, and have to decide by reading if they are a Good King or a Bad King.  Kings of Israel into captivity 722 BC:  Kings of Judah captivity        586 BC:  Judah was in existence 136 more years.

Israel’s kings had few mentions in book of Chronicles.

Give them the good/bad king names.  Do the handout.

A lot of times the book of Chronicles gives us more information about what is shown in the Book of Kings.  I heard a teaching once that the Book of Chronicles gives us God’s perspective.

1 Kings 12:25-33 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
32 Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. 33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.

Notice what Solomon’s son did – he got so concerned about his power that he did not want the kingdom to be reunited, so instead he created idols – the same idols that got Aaron in trouble – calves of gold for the people to worship.  The nation of Israel never had a good king – all their kings succumbed to idolatry, and ultimately the nation was dispersed.

2 Chronicles 11:1-4 Now when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 4 ‘Thus says the LORD: “You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.”’” Therefore they obeyed the words of the LORD, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.

Now let’s look at one of the most righteous kings of Israel. I am going to read passages from Kings, and then I want you to follow along in Chronicles, and point out to us what is different between the passages.  Let’s see what God adds to the description in Kings.

2 Kings 23:21-22 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.

Look at 2 Chronicles  Chapter 35 and look at the detail.  God knows us by name and notices our worship. Instead of a simple two verses about Passover he gives specific details, mirroring what is said in Leviticus, and shows how important this celebration of Passover was for God.

2 Chronicles 35:25 Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They made it a custom in Israel; and indeed they are written in the Laments

Hand out the other 2 lists.  Ask people what is the one sin that God seems to point out for the bad kings in every instance, and what the good kings did in response to that sin.

IDOLATRY.

What is an idol?  It is anything we try to put in place of where God belongs.  Idols, while not God, can hold a power over us and cause us to miss God’s best for our lives.  We try and use other things such as roots of bitterness, pride, the car, money, power, good works, pleasure, fashion, gluttony, anything to try and fill what we are missing in our lives, but only God and God alone can fulfill our deepest needs. 

I think it is safe to say that at one time or another we have all succumbed to idols. Satan tries to convince us that our idols will free us or make life better, then we buy into the lie and find that instead of freedom we are more bound and unhappy than ever before. The Holy Spirit will convict us about what we are using as idols, and it is not to condemn us, but rather to help us achieve the freedom that Christ shed His precious blood to make possible for us.

Sometimes we think that we can serve our idols in secret, but the truth is that God sees what we are doing, even when we think we are doing it in secret.  When we serve an idol God is very aware of it.

HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY OUR IDOLS?

1. The Love Test.  What do we love and desire?  How do we spend our money, our time, our possessions.  Do we put these things before God?
2. The Trust Test.  What do we trust?  What or who do we turn to in time of trouble.  Some people trust their addictions, themselves, their jobs, their social position, other people.  Do we turn to God?

We can so easily be tempted to trust and love many things other than God. But all the things we recognize as idols are really less than the biggest idol – ourselves. We want to serve God, but so often we put our own needs plans, problems and desires before God.

The truth is, we can recognize our idols, but removing them in our own power is not always possible – and often it does not happen instantaneously.  Some of our idols have been in place for a very long time, and only the power of God can budge them.

HOW CAN WE REMOVE AN IDOL?

1. Choose to recognize it’s existence.
2. Admit that it cannot keep us satisfied.
3. Ask God and the Holy Spirit to help us displace the idol.  Fall passionately and deeply in love with God, and trust His Son, Jesus Christ, for He is the only way we can overcome our idols.
4. The law of substitution that Pastor Don teaches.  We need to fill our minds and hearts with the Word of God, and build our relationship with God, so that it crowds out all the idols and we find that there is only room for Him.

We need to remember that God never feels that our idols are OK, we need to realize that Jesus is exclusive.  John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

What is awesome is that God loves us so much that He wants to remove the idols from our hearts and minds and replace them. Our idolatry saddens God and does not make a great witness for Him.  But He is still willing to heal us, to make us whole and free. 

Ezekiel 36:22-38 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”
33 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.”
37 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”’”

Leviticus 26 shows how God will still help Israel when they turn back to Him

God sent His Son to die for us, so that our hearts of stone could be replaced by hearts of flesh, and so that the idols that have so bound us no longer have any power over us. Since He has done that for us, we need to do what

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

It is out of His great love for us that He wants us to be free of our idols. God wants the best for us because He loves us so very much.

This is a worksheet that I am going to use when I teach some information on the various kings of Israel. I don’t know if it will line up properly if you print it out. But the gist of the study is that as a group I am going to assign each person during the Bible study one of the kings to look at and determine if they were G (good) or B (bad) did evil in the Lord’s eyes, and why. Mostly the reason they did wrong was idol worship, but there are other reasons. There is something very interesting in this, for a pattern forms. You will see. And then we will share that during the study. Then I will take one good and one bad king and do a detailed study on them, and also show the people how when you compare Chronicles to Kings there is more information given – sort of a God’s eye view in Chronicles.

My question is, I used Kay Arthur’s list of kings for the dates of the kings’ reigns, but there are many other dates given – it seems that it is not exact about the dates, so the dates here are approximate. I have to figure out why some have an overlap. Any idea where to get the most accurate dates?

When reading 1 and 2 Kings I kept getting confused as to which king was which – so by breaking it apart this way, it makes it a bit more easy to understand. I will also have another worksheet, which I am working on now that details a few salient points about each king and which prophets were speaking at the time of the various kings. That is taking a bit longer.

Hope this is helpful for you.

Heather

Read the passages involving the king and deterimine for yourself if the king is Good or Bad. Circle the answer. God tells us about his assessment of the king in the scripture.

GOOD KING/BAD KING

ISRAEL                                                                          JUDAH

(Northern Kingdom)                                                                             (Southern Kingdom)

G/B   Jeroboam     (931-910 BC)                                                          G/B   Rehoboam (931-913 BC)

         1 Ki 12:1-14:20; 2 Chron 10:1-19                                                        1 Ki 12:1-24; 1 Ki 14:21-31
         2 Chron 11:1-4                                                                                      2 Chron 10: 1-12:16

G/B   Nadab (910-909 BC)                                                                    G/B   Abijah (913-911 BC)

          1 Ki 15:25-28, 31                                                                                  1 Ki  15:1-8; 2 Chron 13:1-22      

G/B   Baasha (909-886 BC)                                                                 G/B   Asa (911-870 BC)

         1 KI 15:28-16:7                                                                                        1 Ki 15:9-24; 2 Chron 14:1-16:14

G/B   Elah (886 BC)                                                                              G/B   Jehoshaphat (873-848 BC)

          1 Ki 16:8-14                                                                                            Ki 22:41-50; 2 Chron 17:1-20:37

G/B   Zimri (886 BC)                                                                            G/B   Jehoram (853-841 BC)

          1 Ki 16:15-20                                                                                          2 Ki 8:16-24; 2 Chron 21:1-20

G/B   Omri  (885-874 BC)                                                                    G/B   Ahaziah (841 BC)

          1 Ki 16:21-28                                                                                          2 Ki  8:25-9:29; 2 Chron  22:1-9

G/B   Ahab (874-853 BC)                                                                      G/B   Athaliah (Queen) (841-835 BC)

          1 Ki 16:29-22:40; 2 Chron 18:28-34                                                     2 Ki 11:1-20; 2 Chron 22:10-12

                                                                                                                         2 Chron 23:12-16

G/B   Ahaziah (853-852 BC)                                                                G/B   Joash (835-796 BC)

          1 Ki 22:51-53; 2 Ki 1:1-18                                                                     2 Ki 12:1-21; 2 Chron 22:11-12

                                                                                                                          2 Chron 23:1-11; 23:17-24:27

G/B   Joram (Jehoram) (852-841 BC)                                                G/B   Amaziah (796-767 BC)

          2 Ki 3:1-9:26                                                                                           2 Ki 14:1-20; 2 Chron  25:1-28

G/B   Jehu (841-814 BC)                                                                      G/B   Azariah (Uzziah) (790-739 BC)

          2 Ki 9:1-10:36                                                                                         2 Ki 15:1-7; 2 Chron 26:1-23

G/B   Jehoahaz (814-798 BC)                                                              G/B   Jotham (750-731 BC)

          2 Ki 13:1-9                                                                                              2 Ki 15:32-38; 2 Chron 27:1-9

G/B   Jehoash (798-782 BC)                                                                G/B   Ahaz (735-715 BC)

          2 Ki 13:10-25; 2 Ki 14:8-16                                                                   2 Ki 16:1-20; 2 Chron 28:1-27

G/B   Jeroboam II (793-753 BC)                                                          G/B   Hezekiah (728-686 BC)

          2 Ki 14:23-29                                                                                          2 Ki 18:1-20:21; 2 Chron 29:1-32:33

G/B   Zechariah    (753-752 BC)                                                          G/B   Manasseh (697-644 BC)

          2 Ki 15:8-12                                                                                            2 Ki 21:1-18; 2 Chron 33:1-20

G/B   Shallum (752 BC)                                                                       G/B   Amon (642-640 BC)

          2 Ki 15:13-15                                                                                          2 Ki 21:19-26; 2 Chron 33:21-25

G/B   Menahem (752-742 BC)                                                             G/B   Josiah (640-609 BC)

          2 Ki 15:16-22                                                                                          2 Ki 22:1-23:30; 2 Chron 34:1-35:27

G/B   Pekahiah (742-740 BC)                                                              G/B   Jehoahaz (609 BC)

          2 Ki 15:23-26                                                                                          2 Ki 23:31-33; 1 Chron 36:1-4

G/B   Pekah (752-732 BC)                                                                    G/B   Jehoiakim (609-597 BC)

          2 Ki 15:27-31                                                                                          2 Ki 23:34-24:6; 1 Chron 36:5-8

G/B   Hoshea (732-722 BC)                                                                  G/B   Jehoiachin (597 BC)

          2 Ki 17:1-6                                                                                              2 Ki 24:8-16; 2 Ki 25:27-30
ASSYRIAN CAPTIVITY                                                                              1 Chron 36:9-10

          2 Ki 17                                                                                          G/B   Zedekiah (597-586 BC)

                                                                                                                          2 Ki 24:17-25:7; 1 Chron 36:11-14

                                                                                                                THE FALL OF JERUSALEM

                                                                                                                          2 Ki 25-29; Jer. 52:4-20

                                                                                                                          2 Chron 36:15-22