Boast In The Lord

1 Corinthians 1:30-2:5 - And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.


Jeremiah 9:23-24 - Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 11:30 - If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Application:

· Ultimately, only God and my knowledge of and love for Him are worthwhile
· Unless the Holy Spirit works in my heart, the wisdom and eloquence of a preacher are ineffective
· Do I boast in what I have done or do I boast in what God has done?
· Human weakness provides the ideal opportunity for the display of divine power

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

Set Up By The Lord, Not By Man

Hebrews 8:1-5 - Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”


Leviticus 16:34 - And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Hebrews 9:13-14 - For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Hebrews 10:1 - For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

Hebrews 12:25 - See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

Exodus 25:40 – And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

Application:

· The heavenly sanctuary built by God corresponds to the Most Holy Place in Moses tabernacle
· Jesus was both the high priest and the sacrifice itself
· The earthly tabernacle was a lesser copy of the heavenly pattern shown to Moses
· The Mosaic law can never make a person perfect since it is but a shadow of the true form
· Since I have greater revelation, I have greater responsibility and therefore greater danger
· The tabernacle symbolically illustrated the only way sinners may approach a holy God and find forgiveness

All Scripture verses taken from ESV

They Gave Themselves First To The Lord

2 Corinthians 8:1,3-5 - And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches…For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.


2 Corinthians 12:9 - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Application:

· Contributing to the needs of others is made possible by God’s undeserved gifts in my life
· Giving myself to the Lord is the true principle of my giving. Am I giving myself to the Lord?
· Human weakness provides the ideal opportunity for the display of divine power

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

To Fear The Lord

2 Corinthians 5:10-13 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.


1 Corinthians 2:4-5 - My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power

Application:

· I will appear before the judgment seat of Christ accounting for all I have done with my life
· Do I put up a superficial front? Am I more concerned with money, popularity and self-importance than a true, deep relationship with Christ?
· Does the Holy Spirit work in my heart? Or do I rest on intellectual and oratorical ability?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Away From The Body...At Home With The Lord

2 Corinthians 5:8-10 - We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.


Philippians 1:23-24 - I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

1 Corinthians 3:12-13 - If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.

Application:

· When I die, I will be in a preferable state than the present life in this body
· When I die I will be immediately with Christ long before my body is raised from the dead
· I will appear before the judgment seat of Christ accounting for all I have done
· Work that I do in Christ-like faith and obedience will survive and be rewarded; all other work will not
· My works could stand the test or disappear

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Lord Will Be King Over The Whole Earth

Zechariah 14:9 - The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.


Psalm 22:27-28 - All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.

Obadiah 21 - Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD’s.

Habakkuk 2:14 - For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Application:

· There is one Lord and His name is the only name
· The rule of God is universal
· The kingdom will be the Lord’s
· The knowledge of the glory of the Lord fills the earth

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

They Are My People...The Lord Is Our God

Zechariah 13:8-9 - In the whole land,” declares the LORD, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”


Malachi 3:2 - But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.

Daniel 11:35 - Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

Psalm 50:14-15 - “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 105:1 - Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

Zechariah 8:8 - I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

Application:

· God is merciful in the midst of judgment.
· Have I been restored to proper covenant relationship to the Lord?
· Do I have clean hands and a pure heart?
· Do I stumble so that I can be refined, purified and made spotless?
· Do I honor God with praise and obedience to His covenant law?
· Do I seek the Lord in public worship?
· Do I live with God in faithfulness and in righteousness?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

I Am The Lord

Hosea 13:3-4 - Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window. “But I have been the LORD your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.


Hosea 6:4 - “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears.

Jeremiah 2:6 - They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’

Exodus 20:3 - “You shall have no other gods before me.

Psalm 18:46 - The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!

Hosea 4:1 - Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land.

Hosea 8:2 - Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’

Application:

· Is my repentance superficial?
· Have I forgotten who saves and sustains me?
· Do I have real or imagined gods who rival the one true God in my heart and life?
· Have God's interventions and blessings in my behalf shown Him to be the living God?
· Am I loyal to the Lord? Do I deal rightly with men?
· Is my worship of the Lord corrupted by pagan notions and practices?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Acknowledge The Lord

Hosea 6:2-3,6 - After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”… For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.


Hosea 4:1,5-6 - Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land…You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother—my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.

Hosea 5:4

Application:

· Do I participate in God's covenant? Do I exprress steadfast love and knowledge of God?
· Have I been unfaithful to God? Have I broken God's covenant? Have I been loyal to the Lord? Have I dealt rightly with men?
· Have I failed to teach God's laws? Do I lack knowledge of God's laws and His ways?
· Is their persistent sin in my life?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Day Of The Lord

Amos 5:19-22 - It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light—pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.

Jeremiah 48:44 - “Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring on Moab the year of her punishment,” declares the LORD.

Obadiah 15 - “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.

Jeremiah 7:21 - “‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves!

Psalm 40:6 - Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but my ears you have opened—burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.

Jeremiah 14:12 - Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”

Micah 6:6 - With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Application:

· Divine judgment, once determined, is unavoidable.
· Will the Day of the Lord result in my judgment or my salvation?
· My sacrifices are worthless if my deeds are sinful.
· Am I obedient to God's moral law?
· Sacrifice is to no avail when unaccompanied by repentance.
· It does no good to offer sacrifices without obedience.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

God of our Lord Jesus CHrist

Ephesians 1:3,7-8,13-17 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ…In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding…And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Romans 3:22-24 - This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 11:2-4 - The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Philippians 1:9-11 - And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Colossians 1:9 - For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Application:

· Did Christ in His death pay the ransom for me?
· Does the Spirit endow me with the wisdom to undertake wise purposes?
· Is my love rooted in knowledge and understanding or just sentiment?
· Are my spiritual struggles against flesh and blood or against great spiritual forces that war against God in heaven?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Lord Is My Portion

Lamentations 3:24 - I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

Psalm 73:26 - My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Genesis 15:1 - After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."

Application:

• Do I wait for the Lord?
• Do I confess the Lord as my Sustainer, My Preserver, my very life?
• Though I am rich, is God Himself my greatest treasure?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Lord Is Coming

Micah 1:1-5 - The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it, that the Sovereign LORD may witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. Look! The LORD is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth. The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope. All this is because of Jacob's transgression, because of the sins of the house of Israel. What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria? What is Judah's high place? Is it not Jerusalem?

Isaiah 1:2 - Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: "I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.

Psalm 96:13 - Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.

Genesis 32:28 - Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."

Micah 3:8 - But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.

Micah 5:2-3 - "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.

Conclusions:

• Isaiah begins and ends the book of Isaiah with the condemnation of those who rebel against God
• Isaiah calls on heaven and earth to testify to the truth of God's accusation against Israel and the rightness of His judgment--since they were witnesses of His covenant
• Because God reigns over all things and is the Lord of history, Israel lived in hope of the coming of God--His future acts by which He would decisively deal with all wickedness and establish His righteousness in the earth
• The Lord is coming is an Old Testament expression describing the Lord's intervention in history

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Grace

1 Timothy 1:2 - To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 1:7 - To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jonah 4:2 - He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Conclusions:

• The basic idea of the Greek for saints is holiness
• All Christians are saints in that they are positionally set apart to God and are experientially being made increasingly holy by the Holy Spirit
• Jonah uses a fixed, confessional formula
• God is slow to anger. In contrast, Jonah became angry quickly
• “Peace…my peace” is a common Hebrew greeting, which Jesus uses in John 14:27 in an unusual way
• Peace speaks, in effect, of the salvation that Christ’s redemptive work will achieve for His disciples—total well-being and inner rest of spirit, in fellowship with God
• All true peace is Christ’s gift, which the repetition emphasizes
• In its greetings of peace the world can only express a longing or gift
• But Jesus peace is real and present.

Application:

• Are you a saint?
• Do you see God as gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love?
• Is your heart troubled? Are you afraid?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-5,23 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time…For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

Ephesians 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Titus 3:4-7 - But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 3:6 - But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

1 Peter 2:21 - To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1 Peter 3:15-16 - But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Conclusions:

• God’s comfort flows to all believers when they suffer for Jesus’ sake, and it equips them to comfort others who are in trouble
• Paul perceives that in the exaltation of Christ and in the Christian’s union with the exalted Christ ultimate issues are involved—issues that pertain to the divine realm and that in the final analysis are worked out in and from that realm
• Salvation is not achieved by human effort or merit, but comes through God’s mercy alone
• The imperishable seed is doubtless the word of God, which is imperishable, living and enduring
• Failure to persevere reveals that a person is actually not a child of God, whereas perseverance is the hallmark of His children
• The patient endurance of injustice is part of God’s plan for the Christian
• The Christian is always to be a gentleman or gentle woman, even when opposed by unbelievers

Application:

• Do you suffer for Jesus sake?
• Are you spiritually united with Christ?
• Your salvation is from God's mercy alone.
• Have you repented and believed in Christ?
• Are you persevering?
• Are you patiently enduring?
• Are you a gentleman or gentle woman?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Near

Philippians 4:2-5 - I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Philippians 2:1-2 - If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Romans 12:12 - Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

James 5:9 - Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

Romans 13:11 - And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

1 John 2:18 - Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

Conclusions:

• Being like-minded, having the same love and being one in spirit and purpose emphasize the unity that should exist among Christians
• Being like-minded is not uniformity in thought but the common disposition to work together and serve one another—the attitude of Christ
• Being patient means enduring triumphantly—necessary for a Christian, because affliction is his inevitable experience
• One must not only pray in hard times, but also maintain communion with God through prayer at all times
• Gentleness is Christ-like consideration for others
• Gentleness is especially essential in church leaders
• James calls for patience toward believers as well as unbelievers
• The New Testament does not say when the judgment will take place, but its certainty is never questioned and believers are consistently admonished to watch for it
• This hour is the time for action
• Every day brings us closer to the second advent of Christ
• The Christian is to be alert waiting for the return of Christ
• With other New Testament writers, John viewed the whole period beginning with Christ’s first coming as the last days

Application:

• Are you in unity with other Christians?
• Are you enduring triumphantly?
• Do you have Christ-like consideration for others?
• Do you show patience toward believers and unbelievers?
• Do you see this hour as the time for action?
• Are you alert and waiting for the return of Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

The Lord Almighty

James 5:4-5 - Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.

Genesis 17:1 - When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless.

Ezekiel 16:49 - " 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.

Jeremiah 12:3 - Yet you know me, O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter!

Luke 16:22-23,30 - "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side…" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

Conclusions:

• Thirteen years had passed since Ishmael’s birth
• The Hebrew for God Almighty (El Shaddai) perhaps means “God, the Mountain One”, either highlighting the invincible power of God or referring to the mountains as God’s symbolic home
• God Almighty was the special name by which God revealed Himself to the patriarchs
• After Abram’s and Sarah’s attempt to obtain the promised offspring by using a surrogate mother, God appeared to Abram
• The Lord made it clear that if Abram was to receive God’s promised and covenanted benefits, he must be God’s faithful and obedient servant
• Abram’s faith must be accompanied by the obedience that comes from faith
• The sin of your sister Sodom highlights social injustice rather than immoral perversion
• Jeremiah asks that his wicked countrymen receive the fate they had sought for him
• Jeremiah’s request arises not so much out of a desire for revenge as the vindication of God’s righteousness
• The Talmud mentions both paradise and Abraham’s side as the home of the righteous
• Abraham’s side refers to the place of blessedness to which the righteous dead go to await future vindication
• Its bliss is the quality of blessedness reserved for people like Abraham
• Hades is the place to which the wicked dead go to await final judgment
• That torment begins in Hades is evident from the plight of the rich man
• The location of Abraham’s side is not specified, but it is separated from Hades by an impassable chasm
• Hades includes the torment that characterizes hell
• Some understand Jesus description of Abraham’s side and Hades in a less literal way
• The story of the rich man and Lazarus may suggest that Lazarus was intended, but Luke’s account seems to imply that Jesus was speaking also of His own resurrection
• If a person’s mind is closed and Scripture is rejected, no evidence—not even a resurrection—will change him

Application:

• Are you God's faithful and obedient servant?
• Are you arrogant, overfed and unconcerned?
• Do you seek vindication of God's righteousness?
• Are you prepared to go to the place of blessedness?
• Are you doing what you need to do to keep from being tormented for eternity?
• Is your mind closed?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Over You In The Lord

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 - Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

1 Timothy 5:17 - The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Hebrews 13:17 - Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Mark 9:50 - "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."

Conclusions:

• All elders were to exercise leadership and to teach and preach, and all were to receive honor
• Those who excelled in leadership were to be counted worthy of double honor
• Double honor was especially true of those who labored at teaching and preaching
• Double honor should include financial support
• Dictatorial leadership is not condoned by the command to submit to authority, but respect for authority, orderliness and discipline in the church are taught throughout the New Testament
• Hold elders in the highest regard in love, not merely because of personal attachment or respect for their high position, but in appreciation for their work
• Living in peace applies to Christian relationships in general, but in 1 Thessalonians 5:13 they probably refer especially to right relations between leaders and those under them
• The distinctive mark of discipleship typified by salt is allegiance to Jesus and the gospel
• Strife is resolved and peace restored when we recognize in one another a common commitment to Jesus and the gospel

Application:

• Do you honor your elders?
• Do you obey your leaders and submit to their authority?
• Do you hold your elders in the highest regard and live at peace with them?
• Do you have a commitment to Jesus and the gospel?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Jesus Died And Rose AGain

1 Thessalonians 4:14-15 - We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

Romans 14:9 - For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 - For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.

1 Corinthians 1:7 - Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

Conclusions:

• Christ’s Lordship over both the dead and the living arises out of His death and resurrection
• In 1 Corinthians 15:3, Paul links himself with early Christian tradition
• Paul was not the Christian traditions originator, nor did he receive it directly from the Lord
• Paul’s source of the Christian tradition was other Christians
• The verbs Paul uses are technical terms for receiving and transmitting tradition
• What follows is the heart of the gospel: That Christ died for our sins, that He was buried and that He was raised from the dead
• A spiritual gift is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit enabling one to minister to the needs of Christ’s body, the church
• A spiritual gift is a gift of grace

Application:

• Does Christ have Lordship over your life?
• Are you a source of Christian Tradition for other Christians?
• What are your spiritual gifts?

All Scripture verses from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible