PROVERBS: Lesson 3

This week we completed Proverbs--the 3rd book in our Wisdom Book Series. Next will be Ecclesiastes. We will not have class on Sunday, December 25th, but will have one church service at 10:30. The decision has also been made that we will continue with one church service through the month of January. Bible study will be from 9:15 to 10:15 with one church service beginning at 10:30.

In this week's lesson, I looked at how prayer, belief, and faith are interconnected.

PRAYER: Last week, in preparation for class, I began meditating on one very simple verse in Proverbs--actually it was the second part of a verse: Proverbs 15:8(b) - "...the prayer of the upright is His [God's] delight." I cross-referenced the verse in several translations and commentaries which enlightened me further on the amazing truth that Almighty God finds delight when those who are called by His name pray. God not only answers them, He finds delight in them! (Note: Genuine prayers are the work of the Holy Spirit within the believer).

BELIEF: As we approach Christmas, Christians celebrate a series of supernatural (events attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or laws of nature) events. A baby boy is born to a virgin woman named Mary. This baby boy grows up and accomplishes numerous supernatural acts. He turns water into wine. He walks on water. He heals the blind and the deaf. He brings dead people back to life. He, Himself, resurrects from the grave after being crucified and sealed in a tomb... and more. The Christian faith is undoubtedly founded on supernatural events.

Listed below are over 260 supernatural events (including 8 dead people being brought back to life) recorded in Scripture. This is not a complete list of the miraculous events and supernatural occurrences. John tells us that there are many more things that Jesus did but if they were written the world could not contain them all (John 21:25; 16:12; 20:30).

As I continued to think about belief, it challenged me further. Why do most--who claim to believe the supernatural events to be true--chose to live in the natural? Isn't the supernatural God of the past and the future the same supernatural God of the present? Can't we assume that our supernatural God expects us to have a supernatural belief?

How does what we truly believe affect how and when we pray? If we choose to walk in the natural, our prayers will, at best, be nothing more than hopeful pleas of desperation during times of personal crisis? Prayer is our opportunity to develop a relationship with the living, supernatural God. Remember, He delights when we come to Him in genuine prayer (Proverbs 15:8).

A wonderful example of belief is found in the story of Lazarus. Martha was pleading to Jesus to heal her sick brother, Lazarus. Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus, but He delayed two days before going to Lazarus. During that time Lazarus died. Later, after Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, we see Jesus telling Martha, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:1-44)

Without the supernatural, the Christian faith would have no basis. Although the Christian life is based on a belief in the supernatural, most Christians live their lives solidly grounded in the natural. The Christian who walks daily with our supernatural God understands the supernatural power of prayer and desires to develop a growing relationship with Him through prayer. Interceding for those God puts on your heart becomes an exciting opportunity to strengthen ones faith and grow closer to God. 

"For those who live according to the flesh (natural) set their minds on the things of the flesh (natural), but those who live according to the Spirit (supernatural) set their minds on the things of the Spirit (supernatural)." (Romans 8:5)

FAITH: Our belief drives our faith. What we believe directly impacts the depth of our faith and how we act. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

"It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances." (Oswald Chambers)

What do you really believe?  We need to be honest with ourselves as we contemplate the answer to this very personal question. As Christians, we say we believe the supernatural of the past and hope in the supernatural of the future. If so, do we walk daily with a supernatural God? Do we believe that He delights in our genuine prayers? Do we believe that our prayers--given to us by the Holy Spirit--have supernatural power? Are we eager to come together and pray so that God might show us His delight as He answers our prayers?

During this Christmas Season, I encourage you all to think about the supernatural events upon which validate your identity with Christ and secure your place in Eternity. When you abandon the natural for the supernatural, you will finally be able to walk in the fullness of God's purpose. Why would you want anything less?

PROVERBS: Lesson 2

Why study Proverbs?

Proverbs is devoted to the development of character more than any other book in the Bible. The highest goal of the Christian is to become like Christ in character. 

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son..." (Romans 8:29)

The greatest need in the Christian community today is godly character! A person with godly character is not merely one who professes to believe certain truths, but one who practices them (James 2:14-26).

1. Godly character is influenced and developed by our choices! Daniel was a good example of this when he "...resolved not to defile himself..." in Babylon (Daniel 1:8). It comes down to integrity.

"The integrity of the upright guides them." (Proverbs 11:3a) "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." (Proverbs 10:9)

2. Godly character is the result of the Holy Spirit's work of sanctification. It is the constant manifestation of Jesus in the believer's life where purity of a heart for God (Matthew 5:8) becomes purity in action.

3. Godly character is strengthened through trials.

"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

4. Godly character is developed by controlling our thoughts (Philippians 4:8), practicing Christian virtues (2 Peter 1:5-6), guarding our hearts (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:18-20), and keeping good company (1 Corinthians 15:33).

5. Godly character sets a good example for others to follow.

"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us." (Titus 2:7-8)

As we develop godly character, we are then able to discern character in the lives of others. One of the greatest things you can teach your children is how to recognize character in another individual. It will protect them from being influenced by the wicked, violent, dishonest, and gossipers (Proverbs 1:8-19; 29:24; 17:17). It will help them find the right mate (see slide 13). As a parent, there is no greater joy than when your children walk in truth (3 John 4).

The more we learn of God and develop His character in our lives, the more satisfaction, contentment, and identity we have in our relationship with Him. It is then that we can understand the essence of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and the power within:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I [let them] hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

God waits for us to humbly come to Him in intercession for those He has placed on our hearts. There is no greater work than the miraculous work of intercessory prayer--a great opportunity to partner with God and experience a supernatural miracle through prayer!

Christmas Party 2016

PROVERBS: Lesson 1

Proverbs is, without a doubt, one of the most valuable books in the Bible. It is God's detailed instructions for His people to deal successfully with the practical affairs of everyday life--and it is available to you and to me!

Today we looked at the introduction to this powerful resource. Thanks to the Bible Project, we have two great summaries of the entire book; one is in an animated video format, and one showing a short, but detailed video outlining the "big picture".

Proverbs: Animated Overview

Proverbs: Bible Version Overview 

In the introduction, we hear from a father giving his son instruction: "Listen my son to your father's instructions" (1:8), and four poems from Lady Wisdom. The words of this wise father establish the moral logic of the entire book. The four poems given by Lady Wisdom (1:20-33; 3:13-20; Chapter 8 and 9) claim that we live in God's Moral Universe where goodness and justice are objective realities that we ignore to our own peril.

As we continue to unpack this amazing book, we will see that it is a book for every person in every season of life; it's a guide for living wisely and well in God's good world.

Next week we will continue with Proverbs as we answer the question: Why study Proverbs?

PSALMS: Lesson 2

Today we completed the Book of Psalms; the second book in our Wisdom Book Series. Although I say "completed", we didn't even begin to scratch the surface of this amazing book. I hope you will explore the treasures found in the Psalms more fully on your own. Take time to read, explain, and sing the Psalms to your children. Help them memorize a short Psalm. It will stay with them forever. Just as I said in class, the first scripture I ever memorized as a young boy was the 23rd Psalm and it is still in my memory today.

It's hard to include all of the high points from today's lesson in this short blog, but I've listed a few below. We started with a short review and then focused on the 4th and 5th most downloaded Psalms by the over 100 million users of the YouVersion App:

Psalm 139: This Psalm celebrates the omniscience and omnipresence of God. There is, perhaps, no other place in Scripture where the "bigness of God" is as strikingly set forth as we see in Psalm 139. One scholar wrote, "Both in loftiness of thought and in expressive beauty of language, Psalm 139 stands preeminent, and it is not surprising that it has been called 'the crown of the Psalms.'"

Psalm 23: It is difficult to determine the exact occasion of the writing of this Psalm, but there is evidence that King David writes this Psalm after reaching maturity or adulthood. In verse 5, he was old enough to have enemies. In verse 4 he was facing the danger of death. In verse 3 he was experiencing rest, and in verse 5 he was experiencing prosperity.

David's adult life was filled with grief and heartbreak--mostly the consequences of his many poor life choices and disobedience to God (2 Samuel 12:9; Deuteronomy 17:17). David may have been in the darkest hour of his life when he penned these beautiful words, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." You can feel David's deep conviction by his use of "my" as he describes his Shepherd. He then quickly follows with "I shall not want."  This shows the acknowledgement of his great need and complete surrender to the One he calls "my Shepherd."

David understood sheep. He knew they were very timid, social animals that were completely helpless and in need of a shepherd. He also knew that they were foolish, dependent, and apt to wander. It's only fitting that he compared us to sheep. As it says in Isaiah 53:6, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way..." Just as sheep, we too need "the good Shepherd" to guide, defend, protect and care for us.

As we read in John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" When we realize our great need for the Shepherd, we too will learn his voice and hear it when He calls. In a short video, we saw how sheep hear and respond to the voice of their shepherd:

Sheep Hear Shepherd's Voice

Next week we will begin Proverbs -- our 3rd book in the Wisdom Book Series. Class starts at 9:15 during the month of December as we have one worship service at 10:30.

PSALMS: Lesson 1

The second book in our Wisdom Series is Psalms: The prayerbook of God's people who are striving to be faithful to the Torah (teachings of God) and waiting for the Messianic Kingdom.

The Book of Psalms is the largest and perhaps most widely used book in the Bible. It is the most quoted book of the Old Testament--Jesus Himself used more quotes from the book of Psalms than from any other book.

It explores the full range of human experience in a very personal and practical way. It is an amazing book containing 150 beautifully written "songs" that run from the Creation through the patriarchal, theocratic, monarchical, exilic, and postexilic periods. The tremendous breadth of subject matter in the Psalms includes diverse topics, such as jubilation, war, peace, worship, judgment, messianic prophecy, praise, and lament.

After a short video overview of the entire Book of Psalms, we looked briefly at the top three most referenced Psalms by the 100 million users of the popular Bible App YouVersion.

The Book of Psalms Video

Psalm 119: The longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible mentions the Word of God in 171 of the 176 verses. The format of Psalm 119 is an alphabetic acrostic, meaning that the first letters of each line in Hebrew follow through the Hebrew alphabet, 8 lines per letter, thus 8 lines x 22 letters = 176 lines.

Psalm 51: This great psalm of repentance was written by David after Nathan rebuked him (2 Samuel 12) concerning his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband, Uriah. It is the greatest example of a "penitential Psalm" in which David confesses his sin and prays for forgiveness. (Note: Psalm 32 can be read after/with this Psalm to hear David describe the blessedness and joy of one who has received the forgiveness prayed for in this Psalm.)

Psalm 1: One of my all-time favorite Psalms and the first scripture I memorized as a new Christian back in 1974. The first of the 150 Psalms stands as a kind of introduction to the rest of the Psalms. It is a wisdom Psalm and presents two ways of life: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. There are two great thrusts that flow out of this Psalm: 1) The importance and absolute necessity of the Scripture, and 2) the changed character, stability, and fruitfulness it promises to those who make Scripture the core of their lives.

We will spend another week on Psalms before we move on to Proverbs.

Hank Mosley: 5th Sunday

Thank you Hank for sharing your life story--including your recent snakebite experience. Your mini-Job story was very timely as we have just completed our first Wisdom Book--Job.

This series points us to God's wisdom in all things--something we can never fully understand but helps us see His character. Seeing how you connected your snakebite experience with God's sovereignty, grace, and provision was extremely encouraging. 

It was also very interesting that your stepdad was there to encourage you when he said, "Learn what God is trying to show you through this so He won't have to repeat it."

None of us wants to experience pain and suffering (especially from a rattlesnake), but as you said, you are not the same man you were before this experience. Your perspective on what is important has changed. Just as Job was a changed man after his encounter with the Almighty God. Job said, "I had heard of you by the hearing of my ear, but now my eye sees you." (42:5)

We have and/or will all face times of pain and suffering--for enlargement, for discipline and correction, or even for reasons that are beyond our understanding. Regardless of the reason, in all cases we are to simply learn how to trust God and know that He is in control.

I loved the verses you referenced from the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" when it says:

"O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer."

Thank you Hank for sharing your story.

(Article by Jeff Dute - jdute@al.com)

Hank Mosley's plan was working to perfection. He'd taken off a week beginning April 6 from his job in Dothan and traveled back to his Camden hometown to turkey hunt the mornings and fish in the afternoon.

While the turkey hadn't cooperated for him the weekend before his vacation week officially started, the bass were cooperating nicely and he'd caught a bunch of fish from a local farm pond.

That Monday morning, Hank, 27, excitedly left his mother, Julia Handly's house, and traveled 15 minutes in the predawn darkness to some of family friend Johnny Webb's property located in the Pebble Hill community off Alabama Highway 41 south of town.

He parked his truck just inside the entrance to a dim, woods road and began working his way over the sometimes steep Grampian Hills terrain to get to his listening spot. As the sun peeked over the eastern horizon, he heard two birds gobble. Hank headed toward the closest, but soon realized it was on the other side of the highway. He turned back and despite a steady rain that had begun to fall, headed deeper into the property and toward the other bird that had only sounded off one time.

"I thought about heading home, but figured I was already wet, so I might as well find a place to sit down and yelp a little bit," he said.

Now nearly a mile in and figuring he was within hearing distance of the second bird, Mosley found a good tree on a ridge where he could see into two open bottoms and planned to sit down and yelp to see if he could get it to sound off.

A fallen pine log sat in front of the tree, so he kicked one end of it and a few limbs out of the way.

"I got my little nest made, and sat down," he said.

While searching the surrounding terrain, he used his feet and legs to finish cleaning out the spot.

What's when he felt it - like someone had stuck his right leg below the knee with a needle.

"I'd heard people who'd been bitten talk about feeling the hit, but I felt the sting more than the hit. I believe I might have been outside of its real hard strike range and it caught me on the way down and back," he said. "I might have kicked it out of the way. It's probably a good thing that it didn't latch onto my leg. If it had, I might have freaked out more than I did. It still didn't seem real to me. Maybe that's why I was able to stay calm."

At this point, Hank said he saw the leaves moving on his right side, and quickly realized it wasn't a bee that'd stung him. "I jumped up to get away and got around the tree. That's when it started rattling and I knew then that it was a rattlesnake for sure," he said. "I found a stump about 15 yards away to sit on. I can tell you I looked real good around that stump before I sat down." It was shortly after 7 a.m.

A CALL FOR HELP

Mosley hardly ever takes his cell phone to the turkey woods, but he'd made an exception just this time so he could use an app that provides aerial topography maps of Earth's terrain. "I'm familiar with the property, but I wanted the aerial map to learn that particular piece a little better," Hank said. 

Luckily, he also had cell service. After a call to Webb, who was hunting another property nearby with his grandson went unanswered, he placed a call to his older brother by a year Sam, who still resides in the Camden area about 8 miles from Pebble Hill. Sam would normally have been hunting, himself, but had a meeting that morning, so didn't go. Still, he was outside when the phone started buzzing on the bedroom nightstand. Sam's wife, who he said is normally a heavy sleeper, was awakened and ran outside to give her husband the phone.

"I went into big-brother mode," Sam said. "I jumped in my truck and hauled it out of the driveway so fast. I ran over the trash can and knocked it across the street."

After letting Sam know where he was, Hank decided to check on the snake. It had moved about 5 yards to the left, but started rattling when Hank stepped around the tree. "I keep a dove shell in my vest just for snakes. It'd been there so long that you couldn't read the numbers on the brass anymore." he said. "I could hear it rattling, but all I could really make out was a couple of runs in its body among the leaves, so that's where I shot."

When the mortally wounded snake started rolling, Hank was stunned to see its size. "It was probably 4 inches across the widest part of its underbelly and at least four-and-a-half feet long," he said.

Since larger diamondback rattlesnakes are rare in that part of Alabama, the culprit was most likely a timber rattler, though Hank said he still doesn't know which kind of rattler bit him.

"My level of positivity stops at rattlesnake," he said with a laugh. "I never knew so many things could come through two little pin holes." -- Hank Mosley

Mosley often wears snake boots to the woods, but chose a pair of boots that day that better fit the rigors of climbing longer distances on rough, hilly terrain. He's not convinced the snake boot's higher tops would have prevented the bite since he was sitting when struck. "I know snakes can sense heat, so it might have just bit me higher on my leg," he said. "I guess you also get the sense of being invincible. Snake bites are such a rare occurrence. You only hear about it once or twice a turkey season. You start to think, 'It won't happen to me.'"

Moving back to the stump, Hank took off his belt, wrapped it tourniquet-style above his knee and waited on Sam to arrive.

"He was calm, level-headed," said Sam, who stayed in touch with his brother through most of the drive. "Probably calmer than me. I was driving way too fast and broke all kinds of traffic laws on the way to him. I didn't know what to expect. I've been hunting turkey in the spring since I was a kid, but had no experience with snake bites."

"Fortunately," Sam said, "Hank had pulled his truck out of the road's entrance just enough so I could get by in my vehicle. Luckily, I was able to navigate the wet, hilly and generally rough woods road and pull up right in front of where Hank sat calmly on the stump. He wanted me to go pick up the snake and I told him, 'Get your butt in that truck. We don't have time to worry about that snake.' I might have used a little stronger language than that, but he didn't bother me about getting the snake anymore."

Things came close to taking a bad turn when a front wheel on Sam's pickup fell into a stump hole. The truck wouldn't budge in two-wheel drive. "Sam's four-wheel-drive is a little squirrely and doesn't work every time. He tried it a couple of times and it didn't work," Hank said. "He cut the truck off and said, 'Please, Lord, let this work.' He cranked the truck, pushed the button and the four-wheel drive light came on and we heard it engage. He gassed it and we came on out."

HEADING TO CAMDEN HOSPITAL

The trip out of the woods made Hank realize how lucky he was that Sam could get to him. "Mr. Johnny Webb went back and traced it out at eight-tenths of a mile - and that's horizontal. There is probably two-tenths of a mile in vertical change and a couple of those hills are brutal. There's no way I could have made it out on foot," Hank said.

By this time, the area around the dual fang marks, later measured at 1.18 inches (3 cm) apart, was starting to swell and his lips and tongue were tingling. Hank said he felt a little queasy on the way to Camden, but isn't sure if it was caused by the venom or Sam's death-defying driving along the twisting, roller coaster-like rural road.

Alerted by his mother that her son was on the way with a suspected snakebite, an ambulance was already there when the brothers arrived at the Camden hospital. After a vitals check, Hank was loaded up at about 9 a.m. and, accompanied by his mom, taken to Vaughan Regional Medical Center in Selma. 

It was during the ride to Selma that Hank remembered the snakebite kit he'd carried unused for years in his turkey vest. "It's one of those things you have in your turkey vest so long that you just forget about it," he said.

Hank received his first dose of six vials of CroFab beginning at about 11:30 a.m. He said the drug is a multi-snake anti-venom that is effective in treating bites of three different rattlesnakes along with cottonmouths and copperheads. During the day Tuesday, Hank received two, two-vial maintenance doses. His vital signs were always good, but when the swelling in his leg continued to worsen, he was transferred the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center as a precaution in case he had to undergo surgery to relieve the pressure in his right leg.

"It was pretty uncomfortable," he said, 'but I had some pretty good morphine-induced comfort at that point. My right leg looked gigantic compared to my left and I have some pretty big legs anyway."

With the leg elevated, Hank said the swelling had diminished noticeably by Wednesday evening.

He was released from the hospital late Thursday afternoon.

BITE'S AFTERMATH LINGERS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

Four days later, he is still feeling the venom's effects on his leg. "I'm still walking real slow," Hank said Tuesday. "I'm using a cane mainly because I can't put my full weight on my right calf muscle. It's still a little tight and swollen. I never knew so many things could come through two little pin holes."

Those effects will eventually fade. Hank said the memory will linger much longer and he'll carry a few new lessons with him the next time he enters the turkey woods.

•    Remember that you are not invincible and bad things such as a snake bite can happen to anyone

•    Wear your snake boots

•    Check the area around your tree before sitting down

•    Don't apply a tourniquet. Keeping the bite area below heart level suffices

•    Always have a way to contact someone else in case of emergency

"The main thing I learned is that God will look out for you as long as he wants you on this earth," he said. "The Lord lined up so many things that some people would call coincidences. The fact I had my cell phone with me and had cell service, that Sam's wife woke up when I called, that Sam was home and not off hunting, that I parked in the only place Sam could get around my truck and that his four-wheel drive worked when we got stuck.

"Any one of those things doesn't happen and it could have been a lot worse."