SIN - Introduction

Jamie, Georgia Lynn, Gabe Crook

Congratulations to Jamie and Gabe Crook on the birth of their precious baby girl, Georgia Lynn. When Sue Marie and I visited the Crooks on Saturday, little Georgia had not yet spent a full day in this world. As I snapped a few pictures, I realized that I was one of the first people to get a glimpse at one of God's miracles. There is nothing more innocent and fresh than a newborn baby. And just think, God shaped her special and has a great purpose planned for her life.

Today, I introduced the series on SIN. Over the next few weeks we will DEFINE IT, DISSECT IT, and learn how to DEFEAT IT.

As we began our series on SIN, I emphasized how God's plan is often spoiled, delayed, or, sometimes, never even realized because of sin. I used three generations of my family (Coe's) to point out this sad truth. Many generations have been sidetracked from God's will because of sin. Nations have experienced wars and economic panics because of sin. Where would we all be today if everyone in our past had dealt with sin quickly?

After focusing on how sin has changed the course of history and our family trees in years gone by, I encouraged each of us to think about the question: "How will your family tree be altered by sin?" If we want to stop generational sin in our family tree, we MUST deal with sin in our personal lives quickly. A young mother teaches her child to sin when she gets angry or is frustrated. Young children learn to sin as they watch their parents argue over selfish, pity, issues.

During the next few weeks, we will dive into this extremely important topic and hopefully gain a strong respect for sin, and gain the urgency to deal with it quickly. I believe this will be our most practical and valuable lesson yet. Don't miss it!

SIN - Introduction

Jeopardy Review - "Walking with God"

Today we had our review of the series "Walking with God" in the form of a Jeopardy game. I plan to have similar reviews after we complete each series. Our next series will be on the topic of Sin - Define it. Dissect it. Defeat it. I will introduce the series next Sunday.

Following the series on sin, we will have: Strength Finder Series (please complete your Strength Finder test ASAP), Marriage Builder Series, Solving the Money Puzzle Series, and World View Series. 

Today we had FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD place winners. 

I want to congratulate our FIRST place winner, Kristin Rollins, for her hard work and study. She won a $25 gift certificate to the Red Elephant.

SECOND place went to Jerad Sowell. He won a $15 gift card to Carmike Cinemas.

THIRD place was Lindsay Reese. She won a copy of "My Utmost for His Highest" devotional by Oswald Chambers. I should mention that Patrick Reed actually came in THIRD, but he opted to let his prize go to #4. Patrick had been given this same devotional last week. Thank you Patrick.

Congratulations to all of our winners and to everyone for making our review a memorable class.

If you missed the class, you can play along and conduct your own review on the PowerPoint below. See if you can beat Kristin. She scored over 200 points.

The slides with statements have an arrow that you can click to bring you back to the main board. As you probably remember from watching Jeopardy, the statements are presented in the form of answers. Jeopardy requires the contestants to answer the statements in the form of a question: "What is...". The questions from our review are listed after the PowerPoint.

Jeopardy Review

Walking with God

Heart for God

10 – What is “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”?

20 – What is confess your sins?

30 – What is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind… and, love your neighbor as yourself.”

40 – What are absolute surrender and communication?

50 DOUBLE JEOPARDY– What IS love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

Cracking the Coconut

10 – What is “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also?”

20 – What is self-will or your will?

30 – What is absolute surrender?

40 – What is 100x?

50 – What are 1) cares of this world; 2) deceitfulness of riches; 3) lust of other things?

Fuzzy Math (part1)

10 – Who is Enoch?

20 – Who is Noah?

30 – What is “what you believe” and “acting according to what you believe?”

40 – Who is Abraham?

50 – Who is Peter?

Fuzzy Math (part 2)

10 – What is desire?

20 – Who is Habakkuk?

30 – Who is Josiah?

40 – Who is Nebuchadnezzar?

50 – What are: 2) withdraw; 3) wait; 4) watch; 5) write it down; 6) worship?

20/20 Vision

10 – What is power?

20 – What is the Cross of Christ?

30 – What is Holy Spirit?

40 – What is pain?

50 – What is John 17?

THE LAST WALK TOGETHER - John Chapters 14-17

Leading up to their Last Walk Together, Jesus knew that it was time for His ministry on Earth to end. This short 1/2 mile walk from Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane holds many powerful messages and the longest prayer Jesus ever prayed. During this walk, Jesus repeatedly talked about the importance of love, and His promise of the coming of the Comforter--the Spirit of truth.

The following is a dramatic example of this short walk with His disciples. Be sure to see the PowerPoint slides from last Sunday's blog post. I mapped the walk.

“Arise, let us go hence.” John 14:31b

On a bright moonlit night in the spring of 33 A.D., Jesus and eleven of his apostles took a somber walk together around the ancient city of Jerusalem. They had just finished a momentous meal together and were heading for a small garden in the Kidron Valley. Only Judas of Iscariot was missing from the small body who had become so welded together by their experiences of the past three and a half years.

The walk took them from the Upper Room through the Essene Gate on the south side of Jerusalem. The Essene Gate was the only gate open at night. After exiting the city, they walked east in the Hinnom Valley, along the outside of the city walls, then turned north. The terrain was rugged and hilly, but there was a well-beaten path visible in the moonlight.

Coming upon the Hulda Gates, Jesus noticed the carvings of vines and branches in the stones above the gate. He use the artwork as a teaching point. He taught the disciples the importance of the vine as it relates to the branches. (John 15:1-11) 

The group continued to parallel the Kidron Valley as they traveled north along the east wall of the city. They passed the Pinnacle of the Temple where Jesus was reminded of His 3rd temptation by Satan. (Luke 4:9-13)

It was a troubled walk. During the past few months, Jesus had made several cryptic remarks about His imminent death. At the meal they had just finished together, he became more specific. They were finding it hard to accept the fact that He would be so soon taken from them. As they walked, some of the disciples talked among themselves, asking, "What does He mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what He is saying." John 16"17-18.

It was an especially somber walk for Jesus. He alone recognized that this would be His last opportunity to prepare the little band for the tasks that lie ahead. He recognized their human frailties and their petty jealousies. How they would need the new commandment He left with them, “as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34)

It was a walk down memory lane. The route was a familiar one. A goodly part of their ministry had been in Jerusalem and its environs. They had trekked these paths many times in the past, but never before with the intensity of this last walk together.

It was a symbolic walk. Many of the sites they passed held a meaning for them far beyond what the natural eye could detect. They had become symbols of the new ministry which they had shared with their Lord and which they would soon embark upon in an expanded sense.

Just prior to coming to the Golden Gate (gate leading into the Temple), Jesus paused, glanced up at the moonlit, western slope, and recalled descending from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem atop a donkey. Only a few days before his arrival to Jerusalem, He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Word traveled fast of His miracle. Multitudes had gathered to welcome Him. They took palm branches and cried, "Hosanna, blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." (John 12)

He lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee."

The disciples watched as He continued to pray for Himself. Then He prayed for them and for all believers. His prayer was filled with love and the promise of the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. (John 17)

"When Jesus finished praying, He left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and He and His disciples went into it." (John 18:1 NIV)

20/20 VISION - His mission. Our future.

The three main points of today's lesson were FOCUS, CONSISTENCY, and POWER.

FOCUS: Only when we look through the Correct Lens can we see the One who is the essence of our power on Earth. The One who makes it possible for us to fulfill the purpose for which we have been called. We are spiritually blind without the lens God has given us to see Truth. That lens is the Holy Spirit (the Comforter). "...no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." 1 Corinthians 2:11.

The truth of God's Word does not benefit us apart from the work of God through His Holy Spirit. The Corrective Lens that allows us to see Truth is the Holy Spirit. The object of our focus is the Cross of Christ. Jesus said, "The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me." John 12:45. 

The variable that keeps you from experiencing the fullness of God's Spirit is your resistance to God's will. God's will is for you to consecrate yourself fully to Him (see 1 John 2:15; Galatians 2:20; John 17:16).

CONSISTENCY: One of D.L. Moody's life mottoes was "Consecrate then concentrate". Walking with God requires extreme focus. (This is a good place to thank my three volunteers for helping me demonstrate this concept.) As we mature in our faith, our ability to focus on Christ and surrender our will to God's will increases. It is never easy, but, with consistency, we grow in wisdom. There is no growth without change and no change without pain. The reward for our consistency is a life of blessing and the wonderful experience of walking with God.

POWER:  The secret to releasing God's power in your life is to focus your attention on the Cross of Christ. "Look to me..." Isaiah 45:22. "Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters..., so our eyes look to the Lord our God..." Psalm 123:2

If you want more power flowing through your life, then you will need to figure out how to reduce your resistance to God's will. The secret is to consistently focus on the Cross of Christ, confess you sins, and then allow the Holy Spirit to control your life (the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the grave).

Remember, you can always test for the nine fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control) in your life at any moment of the day to see if you are being controlled by the Spirit. If any ONE is not present, you need to confess your sin. The nine fruit come as a complete package. It's all or nothing.

NOTE: This lesson covered PowerPoint slides 1-20. Next weeks lesson, The Last Walk Together, covered the remaining slides 21-32.

FOCUS + CONSISTENCY = POWER