Dedication of Jesus

Sunday, December 20, 2015
Exodus 13:13-15; Luke 2:22-32 KJV

13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. 14 And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What [is] this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem. 


22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. 25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name [was] Simeon; and the same man [was] just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What were the children of God to redeem after taking possession of their land of promise and with what were they to redeem each? (v.13)
2) What were the children of Israel to tell their children when they asked why they made these sacrifices? (v.14-15)
3) What did Mary do following the birth of Jesus? Why? (v.22-24)
4) Who was Simeon and what did God do for him? Why? (v.25-26)
5) What was Simeon doing when Jesus' earthly parents brought Him to the temple and what did Simeon say upon seeing the Christ child? (v.27-32)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) What are you expecting from the Lord before Jesus returns?

LIFE LESSONS
7) To prepare for Jesus' return, we must ask the Lord to rid us of all that is not like Him or of Him.
8) To prepare for the Lord's return, we must ask Him to bring us into alignment with His word and His will.

Gratitude for God's Steadfast Love

Friday, January 16, 2015
Psalm 107:1-15 KJV 

1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for [he is] good: for his mercy [endureth] for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say [so], whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. 5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. 6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, [and] he delivered them out of their distresses. 7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. 8 Oh that [men] would praise the LORD [for] his goodness, and [for] his wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. 10 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, [being] bound in affliction and iron; 11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: 12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and [there was] none to help. 13 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, [and] he saved them out of their distresses. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. 15 Oh that [men] would praise the LORD [for] his goodness, and [for] his wonderful works to the children of men!

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) Why should we give thanks to the Lord? (v.1)
2) What should the Lord's redeemed do? Why? (v.2-7)
3) What else does the psalmist say that the redeemed of the Lord should do? Why? (v.8-9)
4) How does the psalmist describe the unredeemed? (v.10)
5) Why are the unredeemed in such trouble? (v.11)
6) What does the Lord allow to happen to them? (v.12)
7) How do the unsaved respond and what does the Lord do for them? (v.13-14)
8) What is the psalmist's final exhortation? Why? (v.15)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
9) How has the Lord demonstrated His goodness to you this week? 
10) What have you done in response to God's goodness to you?
11) Do you know of anyone who is bound by sin and troubled in soul?
12) What might you do to help them?

LIFE LESSONS
12) The Lord is good to those He has redeemed. 
13) The Lord is worthy to be praised for His goodness to us.
14) Only God can save the lost, but He expects us to tell them about Him.

Worship with Reverence and Awe

Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Hebrews 12:22-29 KJV

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than [that of] Abel. 25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape], if we turn away from him that [speaketh] from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God [is] a consuming fire.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) The writer of Hebrews is contrasting Mount Sinai (Old Covenant) with Mount Zion (New Covenant). What do those who believe in Christ come to, according to the writer of Hebrews? (v.22-24)
2) What is likely to become of those who refuse to hear God's voice and reject Christ's offer of salvation? (v.25)
3) What did the voice of God do under the Old Covenant? (v.26a)
4) What does the voice of the Lord do under the New Covvenant? (v.26b-27)
5) What are believers receiving under the New Covenant? (v.28a)
6) How are believers to respond as citizens of the new kingdom? (v.28b)
7) How does the writer of Hebrews describe our God? (v.29) 

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
8) How have you responded to the voice of the living God? Why?
9) How grateful are you for the blood of Jesus?
10) Have you received Jesus as your Savior and Lord? If not, why not.

LIFE LESSONS
11) The Old Covenant (Mount Sinai) represents the law, but the New Covenant (Mount Zion) represents God's grace. 
12) The blood of Abel represented vengeance under the Old Covenant, but the blood of Jesus represents redemption under the New Covenant.
13) Believers come to Mount Zion (the New Jerusalem) through the blood of Jesus.

Redemption and Forgiveness

Thursday, August 7, 2014
Scripture Reading: Eph 1:3-10 KJV

3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in him:


OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What has God blessed believers with? (v.3)
2) When did God choose us and for what purpose? (v.4)
3) What did God predestine us for and why? (v.5)
4) What else has God done for believers? (v.6)
5) What do we have in Christ and how do we receive it? (v.7)
6) What has God abounded toward us? (v.8)
7) What has God make known to us and why? (v.9-10)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
8) Does this Scripture passage make you feel special to God? Why?
9) What can you say about yourself, based upon this Scripture, because you are a child of God?
10) How does that make you feel about your Heavenly Father and Savior?

PRINCIPLES

11) We have been chosen, adopted and predestined to be children of God!

12) Our God is blessed with spiritual blessings and so are we as His heirs!

13) Jesus owns all things and we possess every good thing as heirs of the  promises of God!