Weekly Teachings

Judges 2:11-19 The book of Judges repeats a cyclical theme throughout. First, the people forget and forsake God for idols. Then, God withdraws His protection, and oppressors take advantage. Amidst great suffering, the people cry out for deliverance. So, God raises up a judge to rescue the people. While that leader lives, the people remain faithful, but then they once again forget and forsake God. Around and around we go with generation after generation repeating the same pattern. Judges 3:15 God raised up Ehud to deliver the people from King Eglon of Moab. (On his left-handedness, see Judges 20:15-16; 1 Chronicles 12:2.) Judges 3:19-21 Ehud courageously used his left-handedness to assassinate the king and bring relief to God’s people. Judges 3:31 Shamgar was a farmer with an ox goad, but God worked through him to save Israel from the Philistines. Judges 4:4-9 Deborah was a judge and a prophetess who brought a word of the LORD to Barak to attack Jabin, king of Canaan. Judges 4:13-15 Barak fought against Jabin’s commander, Sisera, and his 900 iron chariots and routed them. Sisera escaped on foot, but met his demise at the hands of a woman, Jael, who lulled him to sleep and hammered a tent peg through his skull. Judges 6:1-6 Once again, Israel turned away from God and faced the consequences. The Midianites scraped Israel clean of food, making the people hide their food in caves. Judges 6:12-16 God finds a scared farmer named Gideon and sends an angel with the words, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” After working with him extensively to build his faith, God brought a huge victory through Gideon, defeating 135,000 Midianites with 300 Israelites. Psalm 18:2-6 The LORD is our rock, fortress, and deliverer! Let us call upon Him and cry out for deliverance in our own time. Let us put our trust in Him. Judges 9:52-54 Gideon’s son, Abimelech, was a power-hungry, fratricidal tyrant. He attacked other Israelites that didn’t accept his legitimacy until an unnamed woman dropped part of her bread maker on his head. (See also 2 Samuel 11:20-21.) 2 Chronicles 16:9 Likewise, Jephthah and Samson were outcasts through whom God brought sensational deliverance for His people. His eyes are running to and fro, looking for people to work with-those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. Is your heart blameless toward Him? God delights to use unqualified people in the hardest times to accomplish His greatest work. He is our deliverer. Let us look to Him for our deliverance now.

Deuteronomy 24:17-22 God made provision for the vulnerable in ancient Israel. This included the sojourner, the orphan, the widow, and the poor. He put safeguards in place to ensure these people would have what they needed. Psalm 82:3-4 The rulers of God’s people were supposed to enact justice for the weak and fatherless as well as rescue the weak and needy. Leviticus 19:18 Beyond those in positions of power, God commanded regular Israelites to love their neighbors as themselves. Jesus, himself, echoed this great commandment (Mark 12:31). 1 John 4:16-21 Perfect love casts out fear. God calls us to act from love and not fear. Those who act out of fear are self-focused and driven by self-preservation, but those who act out of love are other-focused and driven by genuine concern for others. We can learn a great deal from the example of our Lord as well as his followers through the ages, especially in times when plagues broke out. 2 Timothy 1:7 God gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-control rather than fear. This equips us to ground our security in God’s hands while acting in conformity to Christ’s example of self-sacrificial love on the cross. The darker our times, the brighter the light shines.

Self-control (enkrateia): restraint of one’s emotions, impulses, or desires; self-control 2 Samuel 11:1-5 David provides us with an excellent example of the disastrous consequences that unravel when we lack self-control. In this case, a single impulse that he could have easily overcome led to increasingly more difficult circumstances. Self-control is telling yourself “no” when you’re tempted to do something wrong and “yes” when you don’t feel like doing something right. Mark 14:53-63 Jesus provides a sterling counterexample to David. Instead of allowing his own desires or others to push him around, he stays true to God even in the most stressful moments. He knew the prophecy and conformed his behavior to it, even though it was excruciatingly difficult (Isaiah 53:7). Even when he hung on the cross, he continued to resist sin, deceit, returning insults, or uttering threats (1 Peter 2:21-23). Mark 2:14-20 Self-control can become a vice if we overdo it. The Pharisees so trained themselves to control the minutiae of their lives that they devolved into legalism and self-righteousness. They even looked down their noses and accused the only perfect man of not living up to their standards! Although the Pharisees are famous for going to the maximum with self-control, there was a group of Christians who made the Pharisees look free-spirited. In the sparse reports we have about them, we have the name Ecratites, which translated literally means something like “Self-Controllers.” This group didn’t believe in eating meat, drinking anything but water, or sexual intercourse even within marriage. Even so, Scripture warns us not to fall into such extremes (1 Timothy 4:1-5).

Our God is faithful (Deut 7:9; 1 Cor 10:13), so we too should be faithful (Eph 5:1). Luke 12:35-48 This is a double parable with the first focusing on a servant faithfully keeping watch for his master’s return home after a late-night wedding feast. The second is about a household manager whom his manager put in charge of faithfully taking care of matters while he is gone. Both of these have much to teach us about remaining vigilant and faithfully serving day after day, year after year, and decade after decade. If Jesus should come back in your lifetime, what do you want him to find you doing? Whatever that is, do more of that. Luke 16:1-15 This is one of the more colorful parables in Scripture since it features a dishonest employee who gets fired. However, Jesus is not telling this story to endorse cheating the boss by giving discounts out for favors. No, his point is that we need to be wise and generous with our money. Then Jesus appends a conclusion about the importance for his followers to be faithful in the little issues of life. Luke 19:11-28 Our last parable is about a king who entrusted 1 mina (100 days wages) each to ten of his servants before leaving for a long trip. Upon his return, he calls them to account and is eager to discover how they have improved his estate while he was gone. To those servants who multiplied what he entrusted to them, he said, “You have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten (or five) cities.” Are you faithfully serving God? Are you faithfully taking care of the little matters of this life? If not, you can confess this to God since He’s faithful to forgive and cleanse (1 John 5:9).

2 Peter 3:9 Our God is a God of patience. He is patiently waiting for more to reach repentance before he brings about the end. Luke 8:15; Romans 2:6-7 It’s important for us to be patient with ourselves as we seek to produce godly fruit in our lives. We can’t allow ourselves to get frustrated by slow progress. We need to endure steadfastly. Romans 8:24-25; Hebrews 6:11-15; Psalm 37:7-9 We can get worn down by the world while waiting for the hope. Even so, we must patiently endure in faith, knowing that what God has promised will come to pass. 2 Timothy 4:2 It’s also important for us to be patient with each other. How much patience has God showed you to get where you are today? Sometimes people have breakthroughs and make huge progress, and other times they become stagnant or backslide. God calls us to be steady-to have complete patience as we seek to help others. James 5:10 The great Hebrew prophets have much to teach us about patience. Think of the patience of Abraham and Sarah who waited twenty-five years to have their child. What about Elijah whom the government hunted for over three years while drought dried out the land of Israel. Galatians 5:22-23 We have such an advantage today over those who came before us. We have the full canon of Scripture, the powerful redemptive work of Christ, the aiding help of the holy spirit, and a clear vision of the hope.

Galatians 5:22-23 These are the nine fruit of the spirit. We’ll be spending the next weeks focusing on each one to gain a greater understanding so that we can live these out. In fact, these nine fruit are to be our normal behavior because God’s spirit is living in us. Galatians 5:16-17 We have a war going on within us. On the one hand, our flesh inspires selfish desires opposed to God; on the other, God’s spirit motivates godly behavior. Galatians 5:18 The law can cause our flesh to rebel, but God’s spirit sets us free from that trap. Galatians 5:19-23 If you want to slay the dragon of strife, you need kindness; if you want to defeat anger, you need gentleness; if you want to conquer divisiveness, you need faithfulness; if you want to overcome sexual sin, you need genuine godly love; if you fall prey to drunkenness, you need self-control. The fruits of the spirit squeeze out the works of the flesh. Galatians 5:13-16 Today, our focus is on love. This is such an important mindset and behavior for us to cultivate in our lives. In fact, Jesus taught that loving God and others is the most important commandment in the whole Bible (Mark 12:29-31; Deuteronomy 6:4-5). 1 Corinthians 13 contains a love poem that tells us “love never ends” (v8). Even though prophecy will pass away, tongues will cease, and miraculous insight will stop, love is forever. It’s better than faith and hope. “The greatest of these is love” (v13). Love is a big deal! Galatians 2:20 The chief way Paul grounds his understanding of love is God’s extravagant expression of love in giving His only Son to set us free. This is home base. Galatians 5:13-16 The emphasis here is on loving one another rather than treating each other harshly. How are you doing on this? Do you love your neighbor as yourself?

Exodus 34:6-7 Compassion/mercy is the first of God’s attributes that He listed out when He revealed His glory to Moses. Exodus 22:21-27 God cares about the sojourners, widows, and orphans. He hears their prayers and takes up their cause because He is compassionate. Deuteronomy 24:10-22 God wanted His people never to forget that they were once slaves in Egypt. The benefit of that corporate memory was that they would have compassion on others in need like the poor, the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 God installed an automatic system to ensure that widows would have the chance to get remarried quickly. Deuteronomy 26:12-13 The people’s tithes went to provide for the Levites, sojourners, orphans, and widows. It was important to God that His people not forget these categories of people. Psalm 68:4-5 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! 5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Zechariah 7:9-14 Sadly, God’s people did not act in compassion to the vulnerable members of their society. They took advantage of the weak and closed their ears to hear their cry. Other than idolatry, their lack of compassion was the chief reason God exiled them from their land. Luke 6:30-36 Our Lord taught us that we too should be merciful just as God is. We too should be generous to the poor and kind to the undeserving.

Exodus 34:6-7 Compassion/mercy is the first of God’s attributes that He listed out when He revealed His glory to Moses. Exodus 22:21-27 God cares about the sojourners, widows, and orphans. He hears their prayers and takes up their cause because He is compassionate. Deuteronomy 24:10-22 God wanted His people never to forget that they were once slaves in Egypt. The benefit of that corporate memory was that they would have compassion on others in need like the poor, the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 God installed an automatic system to ensure that widows would have the chance to get remarried quickly. Deuteronomy 26:12-13 The people’s tithes went to provide for the Levites, sojourners, orphans, and widows. It was important to God that His people not forget these categories of people. Psalm 68:4-5 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him! 5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Zechariah 7:9-14 Sadly, God’s people did not act in compassion to the vulnerable members of their society. They took advantage of the weak and closed their ears to hear their cry. Other than idolatry, their lack of compassion was the chief reason God exiled them from their land. Luke 6:30-36 Our Lord taught us that we too should be merciful just as God is. We too should be generous to the poor and kind to the undeserving.

Leviticus 1:1-9 God explained precisely how He wanted His people to perform their sacrifices. Although this scene is foreign and perhaps repulsive to us, to them it would have been both obvious and accepted. Also, in their agrarian world, killing animals was completely commonplace. Since many more people raised livestock, they did not have our modern separation between packaged meat and living animals. Furthermore, their wealth was often tied up in their physical assets rather than currency, so offering a sheep or a bull was akin to a financial sacrifice. Even so, they had to be sure to choose an animal without blemish (22:21). Leviticus 6:1-7 Although some of the sacrifices were to show gratitude, others were to atone for sinful behavior. For example, a thief had to pay back what he stole plus twenty percent as well as offer a ram for a guilt offering to God. Leviticus 11:1-3, 12, 20-21, 44-45 Cleanness was an important concept that extended to several areas of life, including what kinds of animals were permitted for food. God never explained His reasoning for these particular prohibitions, but many probably had to do with health. Leviticus 15:31 Further reasons for uncleanness included giving birth (12), having a rash (13), touching certain dead animals (11:31-32), touching a corpse (21:1-3), discharging certain bodily fluids (15). Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 God was also interested in moral holiness including sexual behavior (18), honoring parents (19:3), keeping Sabbaths (19:3), abstaining from idolatry (19:4), providing for the poor (19:9-10; 25:35-55), honesty (19:11-12), employment equity (19:13), fair treatment of the disabled (19:14), just courts (19:15), kind treatment of neighbors (19:16-18), child sacrifice (20:1-5), talking to the dead (20:6), harming others (24:17-22), keeping vows (27:1-13), and much more (19:19-37). Leviticus 20:22-26; 22:31-33 God wanted His people to be different than the nations. They were to be holy to Him--His special people. He gave them special weekly, monthly, and annual times for rest and feasting (23). Additionally, He set aside one day each year for national repentance, fasting, and forgiveness (16). God wanted to dwell among His people. This is why they needed to be holy (26:11-13). Leviticus 21:6 God instated stricter rules for priests because they came closest to the holy place, including no burying the dead except for close relatives, mourning limitations, marriage limitations, harsher penalties for children, no loose hair, and no tearing clothes. Furthermore, if a priest had any physical blemish or disability, he could not draw near and enter the tent (21:16-24).

Psalm 104:1-4 God is King over all creation. He is above all. (Isaiah 40:12; 48:12-13) Psalm 104:5-9 God set the boundaries for water. (Job 38:4-11) Psalm 104:10-13 God is not only Creator but also sustainer. He makes sure everything gets the water it needs. He takes credit for the hydrologic cycle. (Psalm 147:8-9; Amos 9:5-6) Psalm 104:14-18 God designed the ecosystems of interdependency among animals, providing habitats for even extreme conditions. Psalm 104:19-23 God uses the sun and moon to help us have a rhythm to our days, months, and years. He has partitioned the day and night for humans and animals respectively. Psalm 104:24-30 Now we take a praise break. Looking over all that God has made, His phenomenal engineering in the design as well as maintenance of creation, we feel overwhelmed by His majesty and wisdom. The book of Job describes the Leviathan in great detail (Job 41). Psalm 104:31-35 We sing to God for His magnificence in creation. He is unique beyond comparison to anything or anyone else (Isaiah 40:12-26). As a result, He commands His people to recognize His oneness and sole role as our God. Furthermore, He seeks our wholehearted devotion to Him (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). This is our fitting response.

It’s hard to love the lost. Oftentimes, they have critical views of God, the Bible, and Christians. They think we’re foolish, superstitious, judgmental, hypocritical, and narrow-minded. It’s easy to harden our hearts in the face of such slander. However, this is not the way of Jesus. Luke 15:1-7 Jesus tells a story about a shepherd who finds his lost sheep. Just as that shepherd rejoices when he brings that sheep home, so God and the angels rejoice when one sinner repents. Luke 15:8-10 In a second parable, Jesus uses a domestic example to show how a woman who finds a lost piece of jewelry likewise rejoices with her friends when she finds it. Once again, this exemplifies our Father’s jubilation over the sinner who repents. Luke 15:11-32 The Prodigal Son pictures God as a father who is eager to forgive once his lost child comes home. Though the older brother is faithful, he refuses to come inside and celebrate. His father gently corrects him with the words, “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” God wants everyone to reach repentance and be saved--even those who defy Him, malign Him, and criticize Him. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. If this is God’s attitude toward the lost, shouldn’t it be ours as well?

1 Samuel 18.5-9 1 Samuel 18.17-21 1 Samuel 19.19-24 1 Samuel 21.12-15 Psalm 34.1-8 Psalm 55.1-8 Psalm 118.5-9 Psalm 3.1-8 Psalm 27.1, 14 Isaiah 43.1-4

Philippians 4:6-7 We don’t need to be anxious. It’s actually possible to have God’s peace guarding our hearts in the midst of extreme uncertainty about the future. Philippians 1:12-17 Paul was going through a great period of stress in his life. He was awaiting sentencing in prison while others were out undermining him. Philippians 3:5-8 He had lost everything, but he was fine. Compared to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus,” all of it was just disposable. Philippians 4:10-13 The great key for Paul was knowing that he did not need to depend on his own strength. He could do all things--face any and every circumstance--because of Christ who strengthened him. Philippians 4:6-7 We don’t have to be anxious. There’s another way, but it starts with turning to God and trusting in Him. Philippians 1:18; 2:17-18; 3:1; 4:4 The epistle to the Philippians is full of joy and rejoicing! Psalm 46:1-11 You don’t have to languish in anxiety, always living in fear of what is to come. With God’s help, you can overcome. You can run to Him as your refuge and strength.

Mark 2:13-17 After calling Levi the tax collector to come and follow him, Jesus spent an evening eating with many tax collectors and sinners. People did not like tax collectors since they were taking money from the Jewish people to give to the Romans who had occupied Judea for nearly a century. The Pharisees questioned Jesus’ decision to spend time with this kind of people. Mark 5:1-20 A man who had lived in a cemetery, naked and out of his mind, approached Jesus. His fellow villagers had bound him with shackles and chains, but he broke out of them as the demons seized him and drove him out into the desert. Yet, Jesus didn’t run away or avoid this man. He cast out the spirits and showed him compassion. John 4:3-43 Jesus sat and talked with a Samaritan woman at a well. Unlike most of his dealings within Galilee and Judea, he wasn’t shy about revealing his messianic identity with her. As it turned out, she was an effective and eager evangelist such that the whole town came to hear and believe in Jesus. Luke 10:25-37 When asked by a Bible expert his definition of a neighbor, Jesus replied with the parable about the good Samaritan. Jesus set up the story just right, having the least likely person in the world helping the wounded man. Thus, Jesus shows us that true godly love should break through political, ethnic, and even religious barriers. What about us? What if we welcomed outsiders? Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Will you be like Jesus? Will you do your part to seek out and save the lost?

Psalm 127:3; Proverbs 17:6 Even though children had a low status in antiquity, the Bible takes a surprisingly high view of them. Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 18:3, 10 Jesus, likewise, favored children and used them as the example for how adults need to be to enter the Kingdom of God. Some typical objections to getting involved in children’s ministry: Objection 1 - “But, I don’t have any kids.” Objection 2 - “But, I’m not good with kids.” Objection 3 - “But, isn’t that the parents’ responsibility?” Objection 4 - “But, I don’t have a clue how to work with kids.” Deuteronomy 6:4-7; 11:18-19; Ephesians 6:1-4 Parents have a responsibility before God to teach and train their children. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Let’s be the kind of community that values children and trains them up in the way of the Lord, without falling into the trap of idolizing them on the one hand or neglecting them on the other.

Leviticus 19:32; Job 12:12; Proverbs 17:6; 20:29 The Bible holds a strong appreciation for the aged, resulting in honor and respect. Proverbs 5:18-19; Song of Solomon 2:8-13; Ecclesiastes 12:1-3 The Bible also recognizes the goodness of youth, including the delights of a newlywed couple and the vigor of young strength. Jeremiah 1:6-8 It’s tough to be young sometimes, especially when someone is inexperienced. Since older and younger people have so many different advantages, they can help each other in many godly ways. 1 Samuel 3:4-11 Eli taught Samuel to hear from God, and when he did, he delivered a critical message to Eli. Ruth 1:16-17 Ruth committed herself to take care of Naomi, and Naomi’s advice landed Ruth a wonderful husband. Then, Ruth’s son brought Naomi great joy in her old age. 2 Kings 2:9-10, 14 Commissioning Elisha to prophesy in his place gave Elijah a legacy while Elijah’s word enabled Elisha to have twice the portion of spirit Elijah had. Deuteronomy 1:38; 34:9 Moses groomed Joshua to take over and prepared the people for him. When the time came, Moses could die, knowing Joshua would lead them into the Promised Land. Luke 1:36, 39-45 Elizabeth encouraged Mary when she turned to her for support, and Mary’s arrival prompted great joy for Elizabeth (and her unborn child). 1 Timothy 4:12; 1:18 Paul mentored Timothy and empowered him to carry on important work while Paul was in prison. Ephesians 4:15-16 We need each other for the body of Christ to work properly and grow into maturity.

Isaiah 53:1-3 What God plans to do is so upside-down, so paradoxical, who would ever believe it? What follows in the chapter is God’s supernatural wisdom (1 Cor 1:18-24). There was nothing extraordinary about Jesus’ appearance. Even so, he was despised and rejected (Mark 14:65; 15:9-15; John 19:15). Isaiah 53:4-6 Jesus died on our behalf, bearing our transgressions. He was the perfect mediator who stood in between God and humanity as our representative (1 Tim 2:3-6). However, his suffering for our sin does not mean we are free to live however we want (John 15:1-2, 6, 10). Three questions about Jesus as our substitute: 1. How is it just for the perpetrators to go free while an innocent person suffers instead? 2. If the debt is paid, then how can we say God forgave? 3. If my sins are paid for, then why does it matter how I live? Isaiah 53:7-9 Though he suffered unjustly, he remained quiet (Mark 14:58-62; John 19:9-11; Mat 27:11-14). No one understood what was really happening except for him and God (1 Cor 2:6-8). Isaiah 53:10-12 Yahweh was pleased to crush him, not because He enjoyed the process, but because of the incalculable good that would result from this voluntary action. This is no case of divine child abuse but the horrifying result of our own sin meeting the wrath of a holy God, hungry for redemption not blood. Furthermore, it is essential to stress that this servant of Yahweh volunteered for this work.

Isaiah 1:1-4 As Isaiah drew closer to God, he became aware of sin, both his own and that of his people. He prophesied for decades while his country went through huge political and economic changes (e.g. Isaiah 1:7 to 2:7). Isaiah mentions many different types of sins, including: 1. Greedy leaders (56:10-11) 2. Violence (59:6-7) 3. Hypocrisy (66:3) 4. Rejecting God’s prophets (30:10-11) 5. Refusing to trust God (30:1-2) 6. Arrogance (3:9, 16) 7. Drunkenness (28:7-8) 8. Unclean speech (59:3, 13) 9. Dismissing God (17:10; 57:11) 10. Rebellion against God (22:12-13) 11. Injustice (3:14-15) 12. Idolatry (57:5-6) Isaiah 59:1-4, 7-11, 14-15 This description pulls together many threads of the people’s sin into a striking tapestry. Isaiah 1:11-15 Even amid all this sinning, the people continued with their religious duties. Isaiah 1:16-20 God appeals to His people to come and reason together. He yearns to show them favor (30:18) and to cleanse them.

Luke 1:26-56 Mary was a young woman living in Nazareth who was betrothed to Joseph. The angel, Gabriel, came to her with a mind-blowing message--she would bear the future king of Israel! She courageously accepted this role with the words, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” In these words, Mary exemplifies to all of us courageous faith. Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph was deeply disturbed to discover his betrothed was with child. God intervened with Joseph through dreams to confirm her wild assertion that she was pregnant through a miracle rather than another man. Luke 2:19 When the shepherds arrived shortly after Jesus’ birth, Mary saw God’s confirmation and treasured these things in her heart. (See also Luke 2:51.) Other validations of Jesus’ identity occurred when Simeon and Anna testified in the temple as well as when the strange men from the east arrived with treasures. Matthew 2 After God warned Joseph in a dream, Mary and her family fled to Africa to take refuge from the evil king. It is likely that some of Jesus’ siblings were born then, but also afterward when they settled in Nazareth (Mat 13:55-56). An experience like this must have greatly bolstered Mary’s confidence and trust in God to take care of her. Mark 3:20-21, 31 Even though Mary had been through so much, she came to doubt Jesus during his ministry. John 19:25; Matthew 27:55-56 However, she accompanied him to Jerusalem during his last fateful week and was there during his crucifixion. Acts 1:14 In the end, Mary was there, at one accord with the early church, devoting herself to prayer.