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

FUZZY MATH - Part 2

Today I concluded the lesson "FUZZY MATH - 1+1=1". After reviewing the five men we discussed last week who walked with God (Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Peter), I introduced one last man of faith: Habakkuk.

This short, three-chapter book shows Habakkuk's journey from faith to faithfulness. We learned that men of faith who trust God can and do question God.

Habakkuk was a man who "wrestled" with God by expressing his outrage at the violence and injustice that had overcome Judah. "How long, O Lord, will I call for help and Thou wilt not hear?" Habakkuk 1:2. 

After enjoying 31 years of significant spiritual reformation in Judah under the leadership of King Josiah, Habakkuk watched as God allowed the Babylonians (Chaldeans) to rise to power. "Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs." (Habakkuk 1:6)

The book of Habakkuk is a steady progression upwards (spiritually) towards God from worry to worship and from fear to faith. In this lesson, we looked at the six practical steps that Habakkuk took to get "tight" with God: 1) Desire 2) Withdraw 3) Wait 4) Watch 5) Write it Down 6) Worship

In the end, Habakkuk said, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:17-19

In these two lessons titled FUZZY MATH, we learned that God is working in us to teach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become ONE... 1+1=1.

FUZZY MATH - Part 1

This week we started by looking at how God created in people, as well as animals, the desire to be joined with another person/animal--to feel connected, significant, and valued. To be loved. Thus, when one is added to one, the result is one.

Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 10:6-9

Before Sue Marie and I were married, I had read Into the Glory, a book by Jamie Buckingham about the Jungle Aviation and Radio Service. It mentioned that Jim and Elisabeth Elliot had inscribed in their wedding bands Psalms 34:3. The verse reads: "Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together." Sue Marie and I were inspired by the Elliot's lives and felt that the verse in Psalms explained perfectly what we believed was the ultimate purpose for our marriage. We chose to inscribe the same verse in our wedding bands.

The last scene in the movie: The Notebook (by Nicholas Sparks) is a wonderful example of how two can become one.

She asked, "Do you think our love can take us away together?"

He replied, "I think our love can do anything we want it to do."

God desires to have a oneness with us that exceeds our human imaginations. It is His greatest command that we love Him above all else. Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38.

God is working in us to teach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become one. I spent the remainder of the class highlighting five men who walked with God and became one with God. How God's purpose became their purpose. These men were: Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Peter.

Next week, I will continue with the lesson, FUZZY MATH, as we look at another very interesting character: Habbakuk. Habbakuk's situation will point us to SIX STEPS TO GETTING TIGHT WITH GOD. 

CRACKING THE COCONUT - Living in God's Will

Cracking a coconut is not an easy task. No better place can this be seen than in the movie Cast Away. In this movie, Tom Hanks does a great job of dramatizing how difficult it is to crack open a coconut. Remembering that scene, I thought about how hard it is for Christians to break free from their hard outer shells of independence from God and willfully surrender to His will for their lives.

I began the class today with a challenge. Each Sunday, we all need to take time to prepare our hearts for the few minutes we have together. I used the example found in the Parable of the Sower. Only with our sins confessed and our hearts pure will we see God: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8.

The lesson focused on how difficult it is for us to empty our hearts of the clutter that keeps us in bondage--constantly clouding our ability to see God's will for our lives. We have been conditioned from childhood to accumulate, accumulate, accumulate. As we fill our nest with our worldly possessions (literally and figuratively), we strive to store them in a "safe" place (locked in our hearts) and guard over them. These possessions become our "treasures": "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21. I can say from experience, the thing you love the most will usually be the thing God uses to get your attention. He does not want to compete for our love. I can hear Him now telling me, "You can do it the easy way or the hard way...it's up to you."

The Parable of the Rich Young Ruler shows us an example of the tight grip our practical lives have on us and how difficult it is to release them for something much better (100x). In order to know God's will for our lives and live out God's purpose, we MUST confess our sins and be filled with God's Spirit. This is a minute-by-minute process.

We all stand at the crossroads of "our will" and "God's will". Only in a state of ABSOLUTE SURRENDER are we able to fully live in God's design for our lives. Because of the Resurrection of Christ, we possess all we need or could ever want: A home in Heaven awaits us; a life free from guilt and shame; God's unconditional love; no fear of death; and the Holy Spirit to give us power and direct us in our purpose.

"I have been crucified with Christ; It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me..." Galatians 2:20

The foundation of a wonderful marriage is the understanding of ABSOLUTE SURRENDER and COMMUNICATION.  When we surrender everything to God, Jesus has told us that we will receive "a hundred times as much in this present age..." Mark 10:31. There is nothing in this life that even comes close to what God wants to give us as a result of our surrender to Him. The tough part is believing it--or "Cracking the Coconut."

For the remainder of 2013, I plan to continue sharing on the topic of "walking in God's will." Beginning in 2014, we will spend a few weeks dissecting the results of your "Strengths Finder" test (which I hope you will all complete before the year ends). I am asking everyone to complete the thirty-minute, on-line test and turn in your top 5 strengths (talents). We are posting the talents on our bulletin board. NOTE: Each couple will be given a book which includes a code to take one test. The second code (for your spouse) can be purchased online for $10 (the address is in the back of the book).

After we complete the initial series on the Strengths Finder, I am planning a series based on Larry Crabb's book: The Marriage Builder.

In between our series, I plan to have a Jeopardy-type review. We will play Jeopardy using each of the previous Sunday lessons as a category. So far we have two categories: HEART FOR GOD and CRACKING THE COCONUT. For example: With the Jeopardy board on the screen, you might call, "Mike, I'll take CRACKING THE COCONUT for $100." If you get it right, you get to keep playing. With each correct answer, you will accumulate points that can be redeemed for prizes: a dinner for two, etc. So, if you miss a class, be sure to review the blog. All of the questions will come from our lessons.

Beyond that, we can discuss what direction might best benefit everyone. I have a lot of ideas, but this is your class. It needs to be a place where you grow in wisdom and become better equipped to live life skillfully.

CRACKING THE COCONUT - Living in God's Will