Advent Calendar, 12 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>

Monday Zechariah 9:9-17 “The Coming of Zion’s King”

"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. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’ “As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you. For I have bent Judah, My bow, Fitted the bow with Ephraim, And raised up your sons, O Zion, Against your sons, O Greece, And made you like the sword of a mighty man.” Then the LORD will be seen over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, And go with whirlwinds from the south. The LORD of hosts will defend them; They shall devour and subdue with slingstones. They shall drink and roar as if with wine; They shall be filled with blood like basins, Like the corners of the altar. The LORD their God will save them in that day, As the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, Lifted like a banner over His land– For how great is its goodness And how great its beauty! Grain shall make the young men thrive, And new wine the young women." (Zechariah 9:9-17, NKJV)

Advent Calendar, 11 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>

Week Three: Joy and Anticipation--Luke 2:8-20

Candle Lighting: Two purple candles and the pink candle

Scripture Memory: Luke 2:10-11

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Daily Scriptures:

Sunday Luke 2:8-20 “The Shepherds and the Angels”

"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them." (Luke 2:8-20, NKJV)

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)