Advent Calendar, 10 Dec 16

Advent Weekly Themes, Daily Scriptures

I expanded Pastor Dr. James Leonard's recommendation by supplying the Scripture reading and placing each day on a separate page.

Please read these passages, think on them, and study them.

Pastor Dr. James Leonard"s post can be found here:

<http://treasuresoldandnewbiblicaltexts.blogspot.com/2007/11/advent-weekly-themes-daily-scriptures.html>

Saturday Matthew 4:12-17 “Jesus Begins to Preach”

"Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:12-17, NKJV)

Suggested Hymn: It Came upon the Midnight Clear

Advent Calendar, 9 Dec 16

Advent Weekly Themes, Daily Scriptures

I expanded Pastor Dr. James Leonard's recommendation by supplying the Scripture reading and placing each day on a separate page.

Please read these passages, think on them, and study them.

Pastor Dr. James Leonard"s post can be found here:

<http://treasuresoldandnewbiblicaltexts.blogspot.com/2007/11/advent-weekly-themes-daily-scriptures.html>

Friday Ephesians 1:3-14 (The Gospel Paul Preached)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth–in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:3-14, NKJV)

Beating Temptation

Theme: The temptation of Jesus

Objectives:

Know: Jesus overcame temptation by knowing and applying God’s Word.

Think: Have my mind so permeated by God’s Word that my natural response to temptation is to refute it with Scripture.

Do: Follow Christ’s example to overcome temptation.

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Notes and questions:

B1 The parallel passages are Mark 1:12-15 and Luke 4:1-13.

B2 Definitions:

• Temptation:
• In good sense: to test someone to prove them or go through something difficult as in John 6:6
• In bad sense: to get them to rebel and do evil as here and in Matthew 16:6, Matthew 22:18, etc.
• Fast/fasting:
• If short as in 1 day, then both food and drink as in Matthew 6:16-18 and Matthew 9:14
• If longer than 1 day, then choice food. See Matthew 4:2 and Matthew 11:18
• Fasting is always associated with prayer, self examination, and other serious religious issues.
• The Jew had to have a whole day of fasting from even to even on the Day of Atonement(Leviticus 16:29) and the 9th of Ab (fasting and mourning for the fall of Jerusalem to the Chaldeans(586BC) and to the Romans(70AD)http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/110-ab-ninth-day-of). Other days of fasts began at sunrise until the appearance of the first stars.
• Article:
• http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6033-fasting-and-fast-days
• https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/fasting.html
• There is nothing in the New Testament instructing Christians to fast.

B2 Matthew 4:1-2,

• Why was the Lord Jesus led into the wilderness instead of being sent on a preaching tour? (Part of it would be is that He had to be tested, as any would be to see if He would be true to God’s ways. Compare Genesis 3:6-7, 1 Samuel 13, 1 Samuel 15, etc. These were tested and proved untrue, unloyal, and disobedient. The Lord Jesus was true, loyal, and obedient).
• Does the devil tempt everyone?
• Why the fasting?
• What does the phrase “...afterward He was hungry” imply?

B3 Matthew 4:3-4,

• Why did the devil ask the Lord Jesus the question, “If you are the Son of God…?”
• What does the Lord Jesus’s answer tell us about His character?
• How can we apply this to our own life?
• How can we live by every word that God speaks?
• Is making and eating bread a sin? Why would it be so here?

B4 Matthew 4:5-7,

• Why did the devil take the Lord Jesus to the highest point of the Temple? Couldn’t the devil have done the same thing in the wilderness? How can we apply this to our lives?
• Why does the devil quote Scripture?
• What is the devil’s method of Bible interpretation?
• What does Jesus’s answer reveal about His character?
• What does the words “...the Lord your God” tells us about Jesus?

B5 Matthew 4:8-10,

• Why does the devil take Jesus to an exceedingly high mountain?
• Is this a genuine offer by the devil?
• Couldn’t the Lord Jesus simply bowed to the devil for a moment?
• Did the devil obey the Lord Jesus when he heard the words, “Away with you, satan?”
• What two things are listed in Matthew 4:10 that are required for all?
• How do we worship and serve God?
• Does this contradict verses that tell us to obey government?

B6 Matthew 4:11,

• Where the the devil go?
• How did the angels minister to the Lord Jesus?

B7 Why do we give in to temptations?

B8 Does the Lord Jesus understand temptation? Yes, see Hebrews 2:18.

B9 Is being tempted the same as committing a sin? Explain.

B10 Why are we tempted? How does this lead to sin? Can’t we just play with fire? See James 1:12-16.

B11 How did the Lord Jesus prepare Himself to battle temptation? Can we do the same? (We need to know what sin is, what God wants and does not want, what God believes and teaches (doctrine). What is the best way to obtain this knowledge?

B12 Is sin an addiction?

B13 Does impatience play a role in temptation?

B14 Read:

• Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever. 1John 2:15-1Jo 2:17
• How does loving the world and the things of this world affect us?
• What are the three classes of what is in the world?
• Was the Lord Jesus tempted with these three things?
• How did the Lord Jesus overcome these?
• What are the qualifications of the Lord Jesus that can/will help us?

B15 1 Timothy 2:22

• Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  2Timothy 2:22
• How can following these things help us fight temptation?

B16 2 Peter 2:1-3,

• How can we avoid and recognize false teachers and false teaching?
• What happens to the way of truth when false teachers and teaching are listened to and heeded?
• Regarding 2 Peter 2:3, how can these false teachers exploit us?

B17 Read 1 Peter 5:8, how can we be on the alert? How does entering the silence prevent being alert? (Most of the techniques are a form of self-hypnosis. They seek meeting God in the silence and then hearing His message). We have the Scriptures reveal what is the truth. We do not need anything else. We cannot manipulate God to have our prayers answered. God wants us alert. How would anyone know if this god of the silence is the God of the Bible?

B18 How does Hebrews 13:5-6 help us in temptation?

B19 How does the story of Joseph (Genesis 39:6-10) help us in temptation?

B20 How does Psalm 119:11 help us? How did Jesus use Scripture in resisting temptation?

B21 Does committing one sin doom us to hell? Explain. See 1 John 3:8 (He who keeps doing sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was manifested for this purpose: to undo the devil's works. 1John 3:8).

B22 How does 1 Corinthians 10:13 relate? (There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.  1Corinthians 10:13).

B23 Be honest, and pray, believe, study, memorize, confess sins, avoid, seek help, and rely on Jesus Christ. Let your conduct be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for he has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.  Hebrews 13:5-6

B24 Next week:

• Glory Revealed
• Theme: The transfiguration of Jesus
• Scriptures: Matthew 17:1-13

Advent Calendar, 8 Dec 16

Advent Weekly Themes, Daily Scriptures

I expanded Pastor Dr. James Leonard's recommendation by supplying the Scripture reading and placing each day on a separate page.

Please read these passages, think on them, and study them.

Pastor Dr. James Leonard"s post can be found here:

<http://treasuresoldandnewbiblicaltexts.blogspot.com/2007/11/advent-weekly-themes-daily-scriptures.html>

Thursday Galatians 1:6-9 “No Other Gospel”

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-9, NKJV)

Advent Calendar, 7 Dec 16

Advent Weekly Themes, Daily Scriptures

I expanded Pastor Dr. James Leonard's recommendation by supplying the Scripture reading and placing each day on a separate page.

Please read these passages, think on them, and study them.

Pastor Dr. James Leonard"s post can be found here:

<http://treasuresoldandnewbiblicaltexts.blogspot.com/2007/11/advent-weekly-themes-daily-scriptures.html>

Wednesday Romans 1:8-17 “Not Ashamed of the Gospel”

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established– that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:8-17, NKJV)

Advent Calendar, 6 Dec 16

Advent Weekly Themes, Daily Scriptures

I expanded Pastor Dr. James Leonard's recommendation by supplying the Scripture reading and placing each day on a separate page.

Please read these passages, think on them, and study them.

Pastor Dr. James Leonard"s post can be found here:

<http://treasuresoldandnewbiblicaltexts.blogspot.com/2007/11/advent-weekly-themes-daily-scriptures.html>

Tuesday Isaiah 52:7-12 “Blessed Are the Feet”

"How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD. For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard." (Isaiah 52:7-12, NKJV)

Sin Has No Excuse

Often the excuse for some sin is "I was raised that way," or "I can't help it, because I was abused." Now abuse is horrible and has no excuse, but for an abuser or any other sin that cannot be an excuse.

Here is an excellent article by Pastor Jeff Crippen. It is addressed mainly to narcissistic abusers, but it certainly applies to all sinners.

It is quite common for abusers to claim that they were abused when they were children and, when cornered, offer this as an excuse for their abuse of others. We must not permit them to do so. Let me explain why.
Firstly, there are many, many, many people in this world who were abused as children but who are not abusers themselves. And there are abusers who were not abused as children. The one simply does not automatically lead to the other (ie, childhood abuse produces abusers).Secondly, the Lord does not accept this as an excuse for wickedness. Each of us...

 If you are abused, know someone who is abused, or if you are an abuser, then this ministry can help you.

Read the rest here: https://cryingoutforjustice.com/2016/12/05/the-abusers-background-of-being-abused-is-no-excuse-dont-accept-it-as-such/