This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "If You Want God On Your Side, You Must First Be On His Side", 7/1/2012

IF YOU WANT GOD ON YOUR SIDE, YOU MUST BE ON HIS SIDE

1 Samuel 7:3-11, 15-17

IN TROUBLED TIMES, SEEK THE LORD

V:3. "And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

 A. Sometimes God allows adversity in our lives to bring us to our senses.

     1. Israel was in sin worshiping idol gods.

         a. As a result, they were facing destruction by the Philistines.

         b. When we quit trusting God, we enter the road of destruction.

         c. Trouble follows disobedience.

 B. Israel  had put their trust in idol gods.

      1. The idol gods were the gods of their neighbors. They

           were to have no relationship with them.

      2. As a result of their disobedience they were in danger of being destroyed.

 C. God gives His people a way out.

      1. Put away strange gods.

          a. Stop what you are doing that displeases God.

          b. Return to worshipping the one true God.

      2. Prepare your hearts.

          a. Repent and ask forgiveness.

          b. Focus on the Lord.

      3. Serve Him only.

          a. Commit your self to the mission of the Lord.

          b. Get active. Work for the Lord.

  D.  God will take charge of your battles.

      1. The enemy is no match for God.

      2. There is nothing to big or to bad that God can't handle.

DEDICATE YOURSELF COMPLETLY TO THE LORD

V:4. "Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only."

 A. It is wise and profitable to follow the commands of God.

     1. There is only one God to serve and that is the Lord.

     2. All other gods are false.

     3. You know you are serving the wrong god when you can't get help when you are

          in trouble.

  B. Israel had a history with God.

     1. When trouble arises, it is best to return to what you know works.

  C. The Hebrew words  'Baalim and Ashtaroth" are plural, meaning

       they worship many foreign gods.

      1. The attraction to these foreign gods were their sexual impurity and

           worldly behavior and the promise of success in all areas of life.

      2. Ashtaroth was the fertility goddess.

      3. Baalim was the male god.

      4. Their worship included sexual prostitution and child sacrifice.

      5. Worship of these foreign gods was expressly prohibited by God.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

V:5. "And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD."

 A. Mizpeh= a meeting place, a look out point

     1. Prayer should be the starting point of all our activities.

       a. We ought to come together for corporate prayer.

   2. Their sins were nationwide, so their prayers should be nationwide.

       a. All the people were gathered together in one place to pray.

   3. Samuel the Judge was acting as Priest and the intercessor for the people before God.

       a. Jesus is our Priest, judge and intercessor before the Father.  

B. Samuel exercised his duty to pray for the people.

   1. We all have a duty to pray for others.

       a. Our prayers can be specific and general as the need requires.

   2. Samuel volunteered to pray for the people.

      a. We should be in prayer for others continuously. 

 V:6. "And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh."

 A. "Drew water and poured it out before the Lord"

     1. The pouring out of water represented the pouring out of ones heart before the

          the Lord in repentance. Ps 62:8, Lam 2:19

 B. "And fasted on the day"

     1. The Israelites abstained from eating for a day.

         a. They denied themselves food to devote themselves to prayer and worship.

         b. There are times when we need to set aside some time to devote to the Lord

              without any distractions.

     2. There is power in unity. Gen 11:5-7

        a. When believers come together in prayer, God listen.

        b. There is power in corporate prayer.

 C. "We  have sinned against the Lord."

     1. To get our prayers answered, we must first prepare our hearts.

         a. Confessing our sins before the Lord is one of the keys to right fellowship with

             the Lord.

         b. We need to see ourselves as we are; sinful by nature.

         c.  We need forgiveness. Jesus is the answer.

 D. "Samuel judged the children of Israel."

    1. To get right with the Father we must first get right with our brothers.

    2. If we have an issue with someone, go settle it. Ask forgiveness.

    

THE ENEMY IS ALWAYS WATCHING

V:7. "And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines."

 A. There is always someone who sees you as an easy target.

    1. When your enemy don't know that the Lord is on your side, they don't know

         the power that is behind you.

 B. The Children of Israel were afraid because they knew their sin.

     1. Israel ceased to trust the Lord when they begin worshipping foreign gods.

         a. If you deny God before men, He will deny you. Mark 8:38

     2. To stand in confidence in the face of adversity, you must believe that the Lord is

         with you.

        a. For God to be on your side, you must be in right fellowship with Him.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

V:8. "And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines."

 A. Regardless of your situation you ought to start your day off in prayer.

    1. Believers ought to pray without ceasing.  1 Th 5:17

    2. The enemy is always around you.

    3. Some of your enemies you know and some you don't.

    4. Everybody that smiles at you or pats you on your back is not on your side.

        a. Some people you think are with you, may be against you.

B. Israel cried to Samuel to pray for them.

    1. We have an advocate in Heaven named Jesus.

         a. We are commanded to pray to the Lord in the name of Jesus.

    2. God hears the prayers of the righteous. Pr 15:29

       a. There is no need to panic.

THE PEACE OFFERING

V:9. "And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him."

 A. The wages of sin is death.

     1. If the Israelites sinned, they were commanded by God to bring a lamb to the altar to

         be sacrificed for a peace offering.

     2. Jesus is our peace offering before the Lord.

     3. Deliverance is available to those who have sinned, if they repent and return to the

         the Lord.  1 John 1:9

 B. Samuel cried to the Lord in faith.

    1. Whatever we ask of the Lord, it must be asked in faith. Heb 11:6

    2. God hears our prayers.

GOD IS THE VICTORY

V:10. "And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel."

 A. God may not come when you want Him, but He is always on time.

     1. As Samuel was making the offering, the enemy was coming to do battle.

     2. God sometimes delays an answer, so that there is no doubt that He is giving

         the victory.

        a. God arranges your circumstances so He gets the Glory.

 B. God can use some unusual ways to get rid of your enemies.

      1. He caused a thunder to confuse the enemy.

      2. God's thunder caused the enemy to stumble.

      3. God caused many of the Philistine army to fall dead by the sound of His voice.

      4. Don't limit what God's does by your way of thinking.

          a. God works in ways that we cannot understand or conceive.

V:11. "And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar."

 A. When God gives you the upper hand, you have to take advantage of it immediately.

      1. God destroyed most of the enemy, but He left some for Israel to destroy.

          a. When we are down, God has a way of restoring our confidence.

          b. God leaves us a part in our victory.

      2. When God does His part, you have to do your part.

      3. God opens the door, but you have to go through it.

     4. When God gives you a job, you have to do the job.

BE A SERVENT FOR GOD

V:15. "And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life."

 A. God never retires His servants.

     1. Samuel served God until his death.

     2. God never stop blessing us, so we should never stop serving

         God.

V:16. "And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places."

 A. God defines the responsibility of His servants.

     1. He expects us to be in our place in time and location.

     2. Samuel was assigned to judge the people in three cities.

         1. He was to be at each place at a given time.

         2. To serve God, we have to be available, reliable, respectable and prompt.

         3. To serve God, we have to follow His directions and commands.

V:17. " And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the Lord."

 A.  God expects his servants to be findable.

      1. If Samuel was not on the road, he was at his home ready to serve.

 B. Worship of the Lord should be a regular part of our routine.

     1. Samuel built an altar to the Lord.

        a. We ought to have a special place where we go to worship the Lord.

        b. It is through prayer that we continue to get His guidance and directions.

          

       

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Man's Best Choice; Commitment To God", 6/24/2012

THE BEST CHOICE; COMMITMENT TO GOD

Deuteronomy 10:12-20, 16:18-20

GOD REQUIRES TOTAL COMMITMENT

V:12. "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul."

 A. The Lord requires reverence in our attitude.

     1. Fear the Lord.

         a. Be motivated to follow the Lord.

         b. Learn of Him and know His ways.

         c. Honor Him with praise and worship.

     2. Walk in the Lord's way.

        a. We were created in the image and the likeness of the Lord.

        b. God expects us to imitate Him in our daily living.

        c. We are to walk in His way of righteousness.

        d. We are to walk in his way of truth.

        e. We are to walk in His way of peace.

     3. We are to love the Lord.

        a. We are to develop an emotional attachment to the Lord.

        b. Believers should be in awe of the Lord.

        c. We should love the Lord enough to trust His Words.

   4. We are commanded to serve the Lord.

       a. We serve the Lord by being compassionate to others.

       b. We serve the Lord by promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

       c. We serve the Lord by helping those in need.

B. Our devotion must  be from the heart.

     1. Our enter most thoughts must be occupied by the Lord.

         a. All the issues of life flow from the heart.

     2. The soul is thought to be the seat of our emotions.

         a. All of our emotions are to be centered around our love for God.

V:13. "To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"

 A. Some theologians believe that in the first 5 books of the Bible call the Torah or Law,

      there are 613 commands.

     1. The commands of God covered every area of life for the nation of Israel.

     2. The commands covered their relationship with God and their relationship with man.

 B. The statutes of God may be the rites of purification, the observant of Holy days and

      tithes and offerings.

 C. Every command that God has given is for the "good" of man.

     1. Man was given the will to obey or disobey God's commands.

     2. God establish rules to guide man in the way of righteousness.

     3. Obedience to God's commands leads to success in life.

 GOD IS THE OWNER

V:14. "Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is."

 A. The Apostle Paul said "He was called up to the third heaven".

      1. Some believe that the sky which contains all the stars and all planets of the

          the universe is the first heaven.

      2. Some believe the abode of the angels is the second heaven.

      3. Some believe that the heavenly throne of God is the third heaven.

 B. God is the owner and the creator of all the heavens and the earth.

      1. God has the authority to command his creation, including man to

          follow in His ways.

      2. His grace and mercy covers His creation.

 V:15. "Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day."

 A. God takes delight in that which pleases Him.

     1.  He chose Israel above all other nations whom He created to give His commands.

     2. In His mercy was the nation of Israel whom He redeemed out slavery in Egypt

         to be His people.

     3. In His Grace was  the nation of Israel whom He used to make salvation available

         to all mankind.

 B. God's grace and mercy was not conditional upon the goodness of Israel but based

      solely upon His love for His creation.

    1. God's choice of Israel was permanent throughout time.

    2. Thank God for the Nation of Israel because through Israel came our Lord and Savior

         Jesus Christ.

    3. God's choice of us to part of the Body of Christ is not conditional upon us, but His

        love.

V:16. "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

 A. Israel was commanded to purify themselves and set them apart for God's glory.

      (stiffnecked= orep= rebellious, turn his back)

     1. Israel was commanded to humble themselves before the Lord and follow His

         commands.

        a. God expects us to live according to His ways and not our ways.

     2. True love of God cannot take place without purification of the heart.

     3. True love of God can only take place with unselfish motives.

     4. True love of God cannot take place in disobedience.

THE SUPREME GOD

V:17. "For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward."

 A. The LORD your God is God of gods.

      1. The Lord is supreme and sovereign. There is no greater God.

          a. Lord=Yahweh, Jehovah=  existing one

          b. God= Elohiym=the word is plural, rulers, judges, divine one

              i. The Holy Trinity may be indicated here; God the Father, God the Son

                  and God the Holy Spirit.

              ii. There is but one God in three persons.

              iii. Ungodly men create gods in their minds that don't exist in reality.

 B. The Lord is over everybody and everything

     1. Lord of lords

       a. Lord = Adonay=my lord

       b. lords= Adown= superintendent of households or of affairs

 C.  "A great God."

       1. Great = gadowl= large in magnitude and extent

       2. There is no match for God.

 D. "Mighty and terrible"

      1. Mighty=gibbowr= a strong man, a brave man

          a.  God has all power.

      2. Terrible=Yare= to fear, to be awed

          a. God should be honored and respected.

 E. "Regardeth not persons"

     1. God sees everybody as the same.

         a. Position, title and status means nothing to God.

 F. "Nor taketh reward"

    1. God can't be brought. God can't be bribed.

V:18. "He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment."

 A. God is a father to the fatherless and a husband to the widow.

      1. God looks after those who have no one to take care of them.

 B. God loves the stranger

     1. Stranger= geer= temporary inhabitant.

     2. We are all temporary inhabitants.

          a. This is not our home, we are just passing through.

          b. The Lord loves us and wants us to have  the frame of mind that is heavenly

              bound.

          c. The Lord does not want us to get attached to what's here on earth, but what's

               in heaven.

LOVE BECAUSE GOD LOVED YOU FIRST

V:19. " Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt."

A. Remember where you came from.

    1. Remember that you were not always part of the body of Christ.

    2. Don't look down on someone  because they are strange to you.

       a. A stranger is your opportunity to let your light shine.

       b. A stranger is your opportunity to let someone see the Jesus in you.

       c. A stranger is your opportunity to return God's kindness.

B. We show our love by how we treat others.

   1. Strangers should be treated with kindness and compassion.

 

V:20. " Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name."

 A. "Thou shalt Fear the Lord thy God."

     1. We are commanded to honor God.

         a. He is our creator

         b. He is our provider and protector.

 B. "Him shalt thou serve"

     1. We are commanded to follow God's commands.

     2. Following God's commands leads to fellowship with the Father.

 C. "And to Him shalt thou cleave."

     1. We should put all our trust in the Lord.

         a. The Lord will do what He said.

         b. The Lord should have first priority in out lives.

         c. Trust in anything or person  will lead to problems down the road.

 D. "Swear by His name"

     1. It is only the Lord we can trust.

     2. The Lord never changes.

     3. The Lord is compassionate towards His people.

     4. His grace and mercy flows fresh daily.

     5. The Lord's love for us is a sure thing.

PRAISE THE LORD, HE IS GOOD

V:21. " He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen."

 A. We should praise God continuously for His goodness never ceases.

      1. We should reflect on what God has done in our lives.

          a. When we look back, we can clearly see the  great works of God in

               our lives.

          b. No man can do what God has done for us.

  B. We should be forever grateful to God for saving us out of our sins.

 

V:22. " Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude"

A. God promised Abraham that his descendants  would be as numerous as the stars in

      the sky.

      1. This was a promise God made to Abraham before he had any children.

      2. Abraham believed God even though  he had no son.

B. When it comes to God's promises, we have to believe what we can't conceive

     of being done.

     1. God can do exceedingly more than we can think.

     2. It is our faith in God that makes us blessed among men.

GOD IS JUST

V.16:18. "Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment."

 A. It is God who gave man laws to govern him

     1. It is God who gives judges to judge His people according to the His laws.

     2. God's laws were given for the good of man.

 B. God knows that without laws man would corrupt himself.

     1. God does not trust man to himself.

     2. The law was given to point to the righteousness of God.

     3. Without the law, man would not know his sins.

 C. God appoints  judges to be just in administering the law.

     1. In dealing with himself and others, man is selfish.

     a. Therefore, man needs an impartial judge to administer justice.

V.16:19. "Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous."

 A. Judges are commanded to administer justice according to the Law.

      1. Judges should not be influenced by a persons status, position or popularity.

      2. Justice should be blind to power or success.

 B. Justice cannot be brought.

     1. A bribe corrupts a judge and perverts justice.

V.16:20.  That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

 A. The righteousness of God is vivid to man in the commands of God.

     1. Man cannot know his corruption without God's laws.

     2. Following God's commands leads to peace and joy.

     3. The quality of our life can be determined by how well we follows God's commands.

        

      

        

It' Time To Celebrate"

IT'S A CELEBRATION; JESUS CHRIST

 

Leviticus 25:8-12,25,35,36,39,40, 47.48,55

 

GOD COMMANDS MAN TO TAKE A BREAK

V:8. "And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years."

A. The sabbath was commanded by God to be a day of rest. He created the universe in

     six days and He rested on the seventh day.

    1. He established a sabbath year of rest for the land and the animals.

        a. The Israelites were commanded to work the land for six years and rest on the

             seventh year.

    2. God does not only care about the welfare of man, but the welfare of all that provides

        for the comfort of man.

        a. God cares about the animals.

        b. God cares about the ground.

        c. God cares about the welfare of everything that supplies the comfort of man.

   3. The comfort of man requires time for praise and reflection.

       a. The comfort of man requires time for rest and relaxation.

   4. God planned a special year of celebration after 49 years.

      a. Men need a special dedicated time to celebrate the Lord.

      b. Celebration brings families together for fellowship and worship. 

V:9. "Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all

your land."

A. Jubile=teruwah= acclamation of joy

    1. atonement= kippur= act of reconciliation

    2. The Jews were to start their preparation for the year of jubilee five months prior.

        a. As we get near to the time of celebration, we ought to get prepared for the

            excitement.

        b. Everybody was to be reminded of the time of celebration.

        c. The trumpet was used to sound the alert that praise time was near.

        d. The trumpet was used to awake men from their work routine to celebration.

        e. Every once in a while, we need to get out of the work routine and get into the

            celebration mode.

 B. The year of jubilee was the year of liberty when God restored property and family

      to their original conditions.

     1. Men were released from all debts and obligation to other men.

     2. God has released us from the debt of sin.

         a. Salvation is liberty from the pits of hell. Luke 4:18

         b. Jesus Christ is the atonement for our sin.

         c. Jesus death on the cross reconciled believers to the Father.  

        d. Every Sunday is a day of jubilee for the believer.

GOD PROVIDES LIBERTY

V:10. "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family."

 A. God knows that left to ourselves, we will destroy the blessing He has given us.

     1. God will not leave us in our sins.

     2. He reconciles us back into fellowship.

     3. Real liberty is found only in fellowship with Father.

     4. God may let us suffer the consequences of our sin before He bring us back to

         himself.

B. The year of jubilee was to be hallowed.

    1. Hallow= qadash= to be clean, keep holy.

    2. The year of jubilee was to be a year of reflection on the goodness of the Lord.

    3. Sunday is the day we ought to give God the glory.

    4. Sunday is the day we ought to praise and honor God.

C. The year of jubilee was the year when God returned the Israelites to there starting

     point.

    1. Property that was lost was returned to the original family.

    2. Man's debt was forgiven.

V:11. "A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed."

A. Trusting requires us to look beyond the normal and believe the impossible.

    1. The Jews were required to take a year off from farming and eat whatever   

        grew in the ground on it's own.

    2. This required them to trust God to provide all of their needs.

B. Faith in Jesus requires us to trust God for all we need.

    1. God is able to provide.

    2. God is willing to provide.

    3. God will provide for those He loves.

V:12. "For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field."

A. God expects everyone to be considerate of his brothers.

    1. Don't be greedy.

    2. Collect only what you need.

    3. Don't store up anything.

B. The Jews were expected to trust God completely.

    1. Anything less than complete trust is doubt.

    2. Anything less than complete trust is unpleasing to God.

C. When we completely trust God, there is no fear about anything.

     1. When we completely trust God, we expect God to make a way out

          of no way.

     2. When we completely trust God our tomorrows are filled with joy.

 D. If you hold your day as holy, then you know that God is in control.

     1. When you know God is in control, you will fear nothing.

BLESSING FOR THE POOR

V:25. " If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold."

 A. God makes provisions for our future circumstances.

      1.God knows beforehand what problems we will face, so He sets up rules,

          regulations and laws to protect us.

      2. At  the time this command was given to the Israelites, no one was poor.

          a. God knew that in the course of time, some would become poor.

          b. God put in place a plan of recovery for His people.

 B. It is God's desire that the family unity be preserved.

     1. The 12 tribes of Israel would stay in tact throughout time.

     2. God love for us is not dependant on our obedience to Him.

 C. God makes the family members responsible for maintaining the family.

     1. God gives family members the resources to maintain the family unity.

     2. The family unit can fall apart unless other family members step in and help.

     3. Some things God gives us should be handed down to the next generation.

V:35 "If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you."

A. God commands us to help others who are not members of our immediate family.

   1. A community that stands together grows stronger.

   2. We have all been helped along the way.

   3. What ever we have God has made it possible through  others.

   4. We have a job because God opened the door for us to get it.

   5. We have our health because God supplied it.

   6. Since we cannot claim to have gained anything without the help of others,

       we ought to help those in need.

B. A brother in need is our opportunity to express our gratefulness to God for

     His goodness.

   1. God has made us our brothers keeper.

   2. What ever we do for someone in need, we do for God. Mat 25:40, 45

   3. When we help someone in need, we store blessings in heaven for ourselves.

        Mat 19:21

V:36. " Do not take interest of any kind from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you."

A. If you loan a family member money, do not charge interest on the loan.

    1. All that we have is a loan from the Lord.

       a. We have never had to pay interest on God's blessings.

       b. God's blessings are continuous.

B. We have a right to expect repayment of a loan.

    1. When we open our hearts, we have to leave the repayment to the Lord.

    2. There are times when repayment will not come from the person you made the

         loan too.

C. Your loan to a family member may help them stay well.

    1. Because you love the Lord, you help without worry about being paid back.

    2. Notice the text says "fear God", which means  to trust Him with your income.

V.39. "If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave."

A. When someone obligates himself to you because a loan or your help, be careful to  

     treat him with respect.

   1. A person in need is not your opportunity to abuse him.

      a. A poor person does not have the means to repay you other than by his labor.

      b. You gain more from a person by being kind than by being mean.

      c A kind word is always encouraging. 

   2. We are all obligated to God because of the gift of His Son for our sins.

V:40. " He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. "

A. The Jews were commanded to treat those indebted to them with respect.

    1. The debt was to be forgiven in the 50th year, the year of Liberty.

    2. The Lord had a plan to restore man to right fellowship with his family.

    3. The Lord had a plan to keep man in the family.

B. All believers have a year of Liberty.

    2. We were liberated by the Lord Jesus Christ from our sins.

    3. We live continuously in the year of Liberty.

    4. The Lord keeps us in the family by the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Eph 4:30

        a. Jesus said, "What the Father has given me, I lose none." John 6:39

V:47. "If an alien or a temporary resident among you becomes rich and one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells himself to the alien living among you or to a member of the alien's clan.

A. Notice the "IF". God did not free Israel from Egypt to become a slave again.

    1. God promised success to Israel, if they obeyed His commands.

    2. The "IF" indicates that God knows that man is incapable of keeping His commands.

    3. The "IF" indicates that because of man's disobedience, strangers will get rich.

    4. The "IF" indicates that God will allow man to suffer the consequences of his

        disobedience.

 B. The "IF" indicates that God has a plan to redeem man from his sins.

    1. The GOOD NEWS is that we are in God's plan of redemption.

V:48. " He retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his relatives may redeem him."

A. God grew the nation of Israel into a nation to serve Him.

    1. He will not allow Israel to be destroyed.

    2. God promised Abraham that his seed would bless all the nations of the earth.

        Gen. 18:18

    3. God promised David that his kingdom would have no end. 2 Sam 7:16

B. The nation of Israel may suffer, but in the end all Israel will be saved. Rom 11:26

    1. Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior was given the authority to redeem all mankind.

        Rom 5:18

    2. All believers are the redeemed of the Lord. Ti 2:13-14, Gal 4:4-5

V:55. " For the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought

 out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. "

 A. The Lord keeps His promises.

    1. The Lord's promises are not dependant on our goodness.

    2. The Lord blesses us even in our sins.

 B. The best thing man can do is to make the Lord his God.

    1. Man would do well to serve the Lord.

    2. Man would do well to trust the Lord.

    3. Man would do well to love the Lord.

    4. There is no greater love than the love of the Lord.