This Week's Sunday School Lesson, God The Great Creator. 9/1/2013

                                           GOD THE GREAT CREATOR

 

Psalms 104:5-9, 24-30

 

V:5.  "He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved."

 A. We serve a powerful God.

     1. We serve a very creative God.

     2. God created the earth out of nothing.

     3. God set the earth in an orbit that didn't previously exist.

     4. God positioned the earth so that it could not move out of it's orbit.

 B. Man can destroy himself, but he cannot destroy what God has created.

     1. Man can make his environment hostile, but he cannot destroy it.

     2. It is because of His love that God protects man from himself.

 

V:6. "You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains."

 A. God covered the entire earth with water.

      1. Water covered the highest mountain.

      2. God created enough water the earth.

         a. The volume of water to cover the entire earth can't be calculated.

         b. We have no idea how high above the highest mountain the water stood.

 B. In  Genesis 7:24, God flooded the earth with water because of the sinfulness of

      man.

      1. Water covered the highest mountain.

      2. Only Noah and his family were saved. 

      3. The God we serve can do some things that we can't possible understand.

 

V:7. " But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to

        flight."

  A. The God we serve is an awesome God.

      1. By His Word, the earth was spoken into existence.

      2. By His Word the earth was covered with a blanket of water.

 B. By a sound from the Lord, the water moved.

     1. The last time I checked, water does not respond to my voice.

     2. The water was alarmed or frightened by thunder of the Lord.

     3. The water moved quickly at the thunder of the Lord.

     4. The disciples of Jesus was in a ship and the sea was rough. Jesus said peace be

          still and the waves calmed down. Mark 4:39.

         a. Water and wind respond to their maker.

         b. The last time I checked, water and wind do not have a mind to think or ears to

              hear.

         b. We have been blessed with both, how much more should we respond?

  

V:8.  "They flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them."

 A. The Lord is in control of His universe.

    1. God assigned the waters a place so that the mountains and the valleys and dry

        land  could be revealed.

    2. One would wonder what did God do with all the excess water.

    3. Did God cause the water to evaporate?

    4. Did God speak to the water and a portion of it disappeared ?

 B. God could have spoken and the depth of the rivers, oceans and seas opened up.

    1. The God we serve is awesome.

    2. All of God's creative process is a small portion of His glory.

 

V:9. "You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth."

  A. God is the ultimate authority.

      1. Man is not the authority.

      2. God set boundaries that cannot be changed.

  B. God spoke and everything was created.

     1. God spoke and everything was placed in His order.

     2. God spoke and an environment suitable for life came into existence.

 

 

Psalms 104:24-30

V:24. " How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."

 A. God is omniscience. He knows everything.

     1. There is nothing for God to discover.

     2. There is nothing for God to learn.

     3. God did not have to figure out how to do anything.

 B. All knowledge is God's.

    1. He reveals to us only what He wants us to understand.

    2. Everything was made according to His wisdom.

 C. God filled the earth with all the creatures.

    1. Some of God creatures we know of and some yet to be known.

    2. God did not tell us all that He created.

    3. He gave us a mind to explore His creation and come to know it.

 

 V:25. " There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number living things both large and small."

 A. God laid out His earth with enough room for everything.

    1. God is not on a remolding program.

    2. The earth will not run out of space for God's creatures.

 B. God created the seas and stocked them with His creatures.

    1. The seas are big, wide and deep enough for all the sea animals.

    2. The animals will always have more than enough room to move around.

 C. God setup a food chain to sustain His creatures.

    1. God gave his creatures a desire to survive by feeding on His creation.

    2. God needed no help in deciding on the shape, size and color of his creatures.

 

V:26. " There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there."

 A.  God made it possible for water to be heavy enough to support the ships built

     with the proper volume to float.

     1. The weight of a ship has a downward pressure.

     2. Water has an upward pressure.

     3. As long as the weight of  the ship does not exceed the upward pressure of the

         the water, it will float.

 B. God created large sea animals to swim in His seas.

     1. The whale is the largest animal we know.

     2. Perhaps others existed that we do not know .

     3. Dinosaurs do not exist today, but we have uncovered their bones.

        a. We know what they look like, and how big they were.

        b. We know what they ate.

        c.  We are not sure why they died out, but we know they existed.

    4. Likewise, there existed large sea animals that God named leviathans.

       a. We have not discovered their bones, but they did exist.

       b. God does things according to His way.

 

V:27. " These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time."

  A. God made ample provisions for all His creatures.

      1. Animals have a need to eat and God provides all they need.

      2. The sea creatures do not worry or plan anything but exist in God's plan.

  B. All sea creatures are dependant on God for their survival.

     1. Sea creatures are dependant without knowledge of their dependence.

     2. We are dependant on God and should be grateful for our dependence.  

  

V:28. "When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things."

 A. Sea creatures eat what God provides without complaining.

     1. Sea creatures do not store food, they eat what God provides.

     2. They cannot anticipate their needs, but God fulfills their needs.

     3. They receive what they need on a day to day basis.

 B. It would be great if we live with confidence that God will always provide our

      needs.

    1. We have a promise from Jesus that whatever we ask the Father in his name will

         be provided.

    2. Our problem is trusting in God's Word.

        a. God will only give good things.

        b. His favor is on us.

        c. All we have to do is to receive His blessings with joy.

 

V:29. " When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust."

 A. God is in control of all life.

     1. Animals are easily disturbed by any change in their environment.

     2. Some changes causes them to retreat and others causes them to attack for their

         protection and survival.

     3. God is in control of all their activities.

B. God controls the span of their life.

    1. He gives breath for life.

    2. At the appointed time, God takes away their breath and animals die.

    3. Animals have no concept of life or death. They exist from day to day.

    4. We have a concept of life and death, but we also exist from day to day according

        to  the will of God.

    5. God formed Adam from the dust of the earth.

        a. He breath his spirit into him and he became a living soul. Gen 2:7

        b. When a person dies, his body returns to dust.

        c. When a person dies, his spirit returns to the Lord. Ecc 12:7

 

V:30. " When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth."

 A. God constantly renews His creation with new life.

    1. Some die and more are born.

    2. God controls the population of man and animals on earth.

        a. He gives life and He takes away life.

        b. When animals die they cease to exist.

        c. When a person dies, his spirit returns to the Lord.

        d. The saved will be blessed into heaven.

        e. The unsaved will receive eternal damnation.

  B. The God we serve is a just God giving eternal life to those who except Jesus as

       their personal Savior.

     1. God created and maintains the earth and all it's inhabitants for His glory.

     2. We are give to God glory for His mercy endures forever.

  

 

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Reclaiming Your Sunday", 8/25/2013

RECLAMING YOUR SUNDAY

 

Nehemiah 13:15-22

 

V:15. " In those days I saw men in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day."

 A. The Israelites had the Word from the Lord to "Remember The Sabbath And To

 

      Keep It Holy."

     1. They had the Word but they ignored the Word.

     2. They had been in captivity for seventy years because they ignored the Word.

     3. Their city had been destroyed and the temple burned down because they were

         disobedient.

 B. God delivered them back into the promise land and they returned to being disobedient.

     1. God is same today as He was in the past. He does not change.

     2. God punished Israel for their sins and He is capable of doing it again.

     3. Some people refuse to learn from there past mistakes.

 C. The job of God's leaders is to look after the flock.

     1. When we see others in the body of Christ going astray, we have a responsibility

 

         to  warn them of their errors.

     2. The Sabbath was designed as a day of rest for themselves and their animals.

         a. The animals used in planting and harvesting needed a day of rest.

         b. The Sabbath was designed as a day of worship.

         c. The Israelites went back to their old ways before their captivity.

         d. Not only were they going astray, but they were leading others

             outside of  the Body of Christ astray.      

     3. We are all God's leaders in some way and have a responsibility to proclaim the

         Word be doers of the Word.

 

V:16. " Men from Tyre who lived in Jerusalem were bringing in fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah."

 A. To Worship the Lord in Spirit and truth, we must separate ourselves from the

 

     world.

     1. The world never takes a break from the pursuit of profit.

     2. There is this never ending desire to buy and sell goods and services.

     3. This desire feeds on it's self and knows no boundaries.

     4. This desire is controlled by the human flesh.

 B. The Christian man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word of the Lord.

     1. Abiding in the Word is the way to sure profit for the believer.

     2. God commands us to set aside a day for worship.

     3. Failure to worship the Lord is a recipe for destruction.

 

V:17. " I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this wicked thing you are doing — desecrating the Sabbath day? "

 A. All unrighteousness is sin and we should be constantly reminded of this fact.

     1. The Jewish community was commanded to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.

     2. It was a serious violation to work on the Sabbath day.

     3. Continuously ignoring God's commands will lead to our destruction.

     4. The Israelites had a history of disobedience and a history of God's wrath.

 B. The Israelites were under the dispensation of the Law and the penalty of the Law.

     1. Jesus death on the cross fulfilled all the requirements of the Law by establishing

         the age of Grace.

     2. Jesus was resurrected on Sunday, establishing a new day of worship.

     3. We are encouraged to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable

         to the Lord.

         a. This is continuous worship of the Lord.

         b. As believers, we have to be careful to put God first.

         c. If we do not put God first, He becomes a second to our worldly desires.

  C. David said, "I was glad when they said let us go into the house of the Lord."

     1.We are not under the penalty of the Law.

     2. It is through the Law that we learn the righteousness of the Lord.

     3. It is through the Law that we understand that all have sinned and fall short

         of the Glory of God.

     4. We must be careful to follow God and not the ways of the world. 

 

V:18. " Didn't your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity upon us and upon this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath."

 A. There are times when we need to be reminded of how bad we were and how God

      dealt with us.

     1. Some of the bad thing that happened to us were a result of our disobedient

 

        behavior.

     2. You can't claim bad luck as the reason for your situation.

     3. Sometimes God punishes us by putting us through difficult times.

B. Disobedience can stir up God's wrath against us.

   1. It is to our benefit to follow God's commands.

   2. God can cause things to work out in our favor. according to our obedience.

   3. God can cause things to work out against us, according to our disobedience.

 

V:19. " When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day."

 A. Leaders have a responsibility to take action that will benefit God's people.

     1. Nehemiah, the Governor of people saw the disobedience of the Israelites and

         took corrective actions.

     2. He closed the gate to the city so that outside traders could come not come to

         to do business on the Sabbath.

    3. He ordered the Israelites to observe the Sabbath, as God commanded.

 B. Sometimes God has to shut doors to keep us out of trouble.

    1. We can't get to busy living that we can't live for God.

    2. The best living we can experience is living with the Lord.

 C. Sometimes God has to shut us down so we can focus on Him.

    1. I am of the opinion that some illness that put us on our backs are designed to

        to give us rest and cause us to focus on the Lord.

    2. When we are on our backs, it is easy to look up and see the Lord.

    3. We load ourselves up with all kinds of activities that burdens us

        to the point that we don't have time for God.      

 

V:20. " Once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem. "

 A. Satan is busy all the time.

    1. Just because you have decided to follow God does not prevent Satan from

        bring temptations to you.

    2. I believe your decision to follow God is an invitation for Satan to test your

        dedication.

 B. The gates were shut, but the traders still showed up for business outside the gates.

    1. If Satan can't get to you in the Church, he will catch you on your way out of the

        Church.

    2. If Satan can't get to you during the day, He will try you in the night time.

    3. Satan does not run out of time. He will try to temp you all day and all night.

    4. Believers have to arm themselves with the Word to resist the devil.

 

V:21. " But I warned them and said, "Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you do this again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath."

 A. You have to give Satan notice.

     1. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

     2. You cannot allow the demands of the world to shut down you worship.

 B. You have to watch your night time.

     1. Satan is the father of darkness.

     2. At all times you must put on the full armor of God.

 C. You have to warn Satan that he is already defeated and that you hold the victory

      with Jesus Christ.

 

V:22. " Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and go and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember me for this also, O my God, and show mercy to me according to your great love."

 A. All believers are priests of God.

    1. We have the Word of God to guide us into His righteousness.

    2. God stands guard over His people.

    3. Jesus Christ is our gate keeper.

B. Our job is to repent of our sins and follow God's commands.

   1. We should ask God the Father to remembers us in good times and bad times

       and keep us from harm and danger.

   2. God loves those who follow His commands.

   3. The mercy of God endures forever because of His love shown through

       the death of His Son on the cross.   

 

 

 

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Getting Prepared For A Celebration" 8/18/2013

GETTING PREPARED FOR THE CELEBRATION

 

Nehemiah 12:27-36,38,43

 

LEADERS OF DEVOTION CHOSEN

V:27. "And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps."

 A. The church is always in a building program for the Lord.

      1. A Church that is alive and growing should always be in the building mood.

      2. The unsaved should always be drawn by the saved to God Church.

      3. Every time a sinner is brought to Christ is the time for a celebration.

 B. The angels rejoice in heaven when one sinner is saved.  Luke 15:10

     1. We should have more baptisms than funerals.

     2. Our funerals ought to be celebrations.

 C. When we come into God's house, the body of Christ, we are in a walled

      community.

    1. God is our protection.

    1. Our celebrations should be with singing and musical instruments.

    2. When we praise God with singing accompanied with musical instrument there

         seems to be more excitement.

 

FORMING A PRAISE TEAM

V:28. "And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi."

 A. Singers should be recruited to form a choir to praised God.

     1. Everyone has talents that can be used in praise and worship.

         a. Our voices can be developed in the service of worship.

         b. All around us are believers with talent who should be sought out for service.

         c. Some people don't serve because no one has asked them to be involved.

 B. Churches are made up of people from different communities who come together

      to worship and to serve God.

 

V:29. "Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem."

 A. Every household has talent that can be used by God.

     1. No one is lacking in skills.

     2. When God called us, He equipped us for service.

 B. We have a duty and a responsibility to be involved in giving God praise.

    1. It takes effort to get prepared to praise God with music and singing.

    2. Praise and worship should be designed to offer thanks to God for His good work

        in us.

    3. To praise God we have to set our voices apart for the holy work of worship.

    4. Everything that has breath ought to praise the Lord.

    5. When know believers who have the gift of singing, we should encourage them to

        bless God with their voices.

 

V30. "And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall."

 A. To be effective in worship, we need to purify ourselves before the Lord.

     1. When we ask forgiveness, God is faithful and just to cleanse us of all

          unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

     2. We should set ourselves apart for the sacred work of worship.

     3. Our worship is pure when we dedicate ourselves to the Lord.

 B. Our worship invokes divine blessings and guardianship over our lives.

     1. God takes note of the quality of our praise and worship.

     2. God inhabits the praise of His people. Psalms 22:3

 

V:31. "Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate."

 A. Its good to have more than one praise and worship team.

     1. Each team can develop different types of praise and worship styles.

     2. Each team should be headed by an experience worship leader.

 B. Having more than one worship leader lightens the load on each leader.

     1. Each leader must have God as their center.

     2. Every opportunity to worship is an opportunity to express our dedication to the

         Lord.

     3. Every one should share in the worship experience.

     4. Giving thanks to God should bring joy in our lives.

 

V:32-35.

32 Hoshaiah and half of the leaders of Judah followed them,

33 with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,

34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

35 and some of the sons of the priests with trumpets; and Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph.

 A. God keeps track of those who worship Him.

    1. God keep track of how we use our skills, gifts and talent in praise and worship.

    2. God knows His sheep by name.

    3. God has called us to serve Him.

 B. We must make ourselves available to God.

     1. It is good to know that God watches our every action.

     2. When God is in our lives, joy will be present.

  C. Our families will be affected by our dedication and worship.

     1. Parents should be good role models leading their children in praise and worship.

     2. If we lead our families in worship, they will have worship in their spirits.

 

V:36.  And his kinsmen, Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God. And Ezra the scribe went before them."

 A. Ezra and Nehemiah were the two chosen worship leaders.

    1. They dedicated themselves to God.

    2. They both came out of captivity in Babylon with their focus on serving and

        worshipping God.

 B. We have all been delivered form the captivity of sin.

    1. We owe our lives to God.

    2. We should not fail to give Him praise and serve Him any way possible.

 C. If we keep serving God, we will find ourselves as God's leaders.

    1. There is always room for us to serve God.

    2. If we make time for God, He will make time for us.

 

DEVELOPING YOUR WORSHIP STYLE

V:38. " The second choir proceeded to the left, while I followed them with half of the people on the wall, above the Tower of Furnaces, to the Broad Wall."

 A. God has given us worship leaders to follow.

    1. Each choir director may proceed in a different direction as God guides Him.

    2. There are many different worship styles.

        a. There is the is the adult choir.

        b. There is the youth choir.

        c. There is the male chorus.

        d. There are dance teams and drill teams.

  B. It is all good as long as the focus is praising the Lord.

      1. My style of worship may be different from another's style of worship.

         a. Every believer should worship the way God has inspired them.

         b. God takes note and honors our worship.

 

SACRIFICE IS PART OF  CELEBRATION

V:43. " And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar. "

 A. God is the author of our joy.

    1. We can have temporary happiness in the world.

    2. The joy in the Lord is permanent.

 B. We ought to make enough noise so the out side world can see and experience our

      joy.

    1. Joy is contagious.

    2. Everybody should have the opportunity to celebrate the Lord.

C. When we come to celebrate the Lord, we should not come empty handed.

    1. We should bring a sacrifice to the Lord to celebrate His kindness to us.

    2. We should offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord.  Romans 12:1

        a. When we dedicate ourselves to the Lord, supporting the church with our

            offering will be our hearts desire.

 D. Every man, woman and child should rejoice in the Lord.

    1. When everyone in the church rejoices, the outside world will hear and take notice.  

 

 

    

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Week"s Sunday School Lesson, Confession, The Key To Fellowship With The Father" 8/11/2013

 

CONFESSION AND REPENTENCE; THE KEY TO FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.

 

Nehemiah 9:2, 6-10, 30-36

 

V:2. " The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers."

 A. We have been set apart by God and called out from the world.

    1. All believers are the saints of God.

    2. The world is the foreigner.

    3. We should consider ourselves separate from the world.

    4. The world is all around us.

        a. We live in the world.

        b. We are not part of the world.

        c. We are the body of Christ.

 B. We must separate ourselves form the world to communicate with the Father.

     1. It is a duty and a privilege to go to God in prayer.

     2. We should confess our sins before the Father.

     3. When we assemble together, we should begin in prayer confessing our sins.

     4. It is the confessing and the repentance of our sins that presents us clean before

         the  Father. 

 C. Once we have confessed our sins, we are restored to fellowship with the Father.

     1. It is in the fellowship with the Father that blessing flow.

     2. It is in the fellowship with the Father that we mature.

     3. It is in the fellowship with the Father that wisdom is gained.

 

V:6. "You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You."

 A. We need to reflect from time to time on who God is.

     1. God is God all by Himself.

          a. God is the beginning of everything.

          b. God is the author of everything.

          c. God is the supreme authority.

 B. God is the creator.

     1. God created the heavens and all the angels.

     2. God created the all planets.

     3. God created all the galaxies we know of and any we have not discovered.

 C. God created the earth for man to exist.

    1. God gives life to the plants and the animals on His earth

    2. God is the one who maintains His creation.

 

V:7. "You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram And brought him out from Ur of the

Chaldees, And gave him the name Abraham. "

 A. God works according to His plan.  Eph 1:4

     1. God planned out all things before the foundation of the earth.

         Amos 9:6, Ps 102:25

     1. The good news is that we are in His plan. Matt 25:34

 B. God has a divine plan for man.

     1. God selects each of us for a specific purpose.

     2. God chose Abraham to be the father of the nation of Israel.

        a. God chose us to be the fathers and mothers of others who will follow Christ.

     3. God called Abraham out of the world.

     4. God has called us out of the world.  1 Peter 2:9

 C. God changed the name of Abram to Abraham

     1. God has given us a new name in Jesus Christ.

     2. We who believe are called Christians.  Acts 11:26

 

V:8. "You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give him the land of the Canaanite, Of the Hittite and the Amorite, Of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite — To give it to his descendants. And You have fulfilled Your promise, For You are righteous."

 A. God chooses those who are faithful to Him to carry out His plan.

      1. God knows the heart of man

      2. He knows who is committed and who are not committed.

 B. God made a covenant with Abraham that he would be given the promise land.

     1. God has made a covenant in the blood of Jesus that we have a promised place in

          heaven.

     2. God made the promise to Abraham that the land would be given to his

         descendants.

     3. The promise God gave to His son is that heaven is the place for all His disciples.

         a. Jesus is the first born of the body of Christ.

         b. We inherited our heavenly place through our faith in Jesus.

 C. Abraham was faithful to God the Father.

     1. Our inheritance is secure in our faith.

 D. God keeps all of His promises.

     1. We can rest assured that God will keep all His promise to us.

     2. God is righteous.

         a. What God said, is what He will do.

         b. All that God have promised us is written in His Word.

         c. God can only keep His Word. He can't do any less.

 

V:9. "You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And heard their cry by the Red Sea."

  A. God is always aware of our troubles.

       1. God knows what we are going through.

       2. God knows the cause of our troubles.

       3. God knows who is behind our troubles; us are someone else.

   B. When we pray to God, He hears our prayers.

       1. God knew the troubles our parents and grandparents experienced.

          a. God provided for them and protected them.

          b. We are here because of what God did with our ancestors.

       2. God blessed our ancestors so that we are in a blessed state today.  

      

10 "Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants and all the people of his land; For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them, And made a name for Yourself as it is this day."

 A. If you want to know the goodness of God, all you need to do is review the history

      of   your ancestors.

    1. God call Abraham to be the father of a nation.

        a. God allowed the family of the grandson of Abraham (Jacob) to grow into a

           nation  during 400 years of slavery in Egypt.

        b. God chose Moses to bring His nation out of Egypt and to bring them to the

            promise land. 

        c. God performed signs and wonders against the Pharaoh forcing him to release

             His people.

   2. God worked miracles in the past to get us to this time and place

       a. It is good for us to review our past so we can know the goodness of God.

B. God used the evil hand of foreign kings to grow His chosen people in to a nation

     in one place.

   1. Because of the hardness of the King's heart, God forced the release of His people

       by killing the first born son of every Egyptian family.

   2. God uses people, places and time fulfill his promises to us.

C. God shows Himself faithful to His promises by His blessing upon us.

 

V:30. "However, You bore with them for many years, And admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, Yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands."

A. The Lord is very tolerant with us.

     1. Even though we are often disobedient and sin against Him, He does not rush to

         punish us.

     2. God gives us chance after chance to get right with Him.

B. God blessed His people with freedom and a promise land.

    1. The Israelites were given the Word of God to live by.

    2. They failed repeatedly to follow God's command and they worshipped idol gods.

        a. God gave these commands to Moses around 1490 BC.   

        b. God allowed Israel to be taken into captivity around 600 BC.

    3. God tolerated Israel sinfulness for almost 900 years.

       a. We serve a God who is longsuffering.

       b. He is not quick to punish His people.

 

V:31. "Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them, For You are a gracious and compassionate God."

 A. The God we serve is a compassionate God.

      1. It is God's desire that we follow His commands.

      2. Following God's commands works to our best.

 B. We belong to God.

     1. He is the supreme parent.

     2. He knows that the heart of His children are not always with Him.

     3. Because of His great love, He tolerates disobedience for a while.

     4. When God could have destroy us, He saves us from ourselves.

 C. We serve a gracious God.

     1. We don't deserve His blessing, but He blesses us sometimes without

          regards to our sin.

     2. He overlooked our sin when He sent Jesus to be our savior,

       

V:32.  "Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness, Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You, Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria to this day."

 A. We should give God honor by being mindful of who He is.

     1. He is our God.

         a. He is our Lord and master.

         b. He is our provider and protector.

         c. He is our shepherd.

     2. He is great.

        a. There is non greater than God.

        b. No one can do what God does.

        c. God speaks and things that were not, come into existence.

        d. He created everything out of nothing.

    3. God is mighty.

       a. God has all power.

       b. It would be difficult for us to fully understand His power.

       c. How much power does it take keep all the planets in their orbit?

       d. How much power does it take to create an orbit?

       e. There is nothing that God can't do.

   4. God is awesome.

      a. All events in time are in His plan.

      b. God knows the end from the beginning.

      c. Nothing escapes His attention. Even the hairs on our heads are counted.

 

         Matt 10:30

      d. He made and controls the seasons for our benefit.

  5. God makes covenants and He keeps His covenants.

     1. God agreed with Himself to save us by sending His son to die for us.

     2. God agreed with Himself to provide and protect us.

     3. God agreed with Himself to provide a place in heaven for those He called out

         of the world. 

  6. God continues to show His love for us in our moment by moment existence.

B. All the hardships we face in life are there to chastise us and to bring us to a

     knowledge  of who God is.

  1. God has to remind us sometimes through trials and tribulation that He is in control.

  2. God reminds us sometimes that He is the only authority. Job 38:4

 

V:33 "However, You are just in all that has come upon us; For You have dealt faithfully, but we have acted wickedly."

A. We need to look in the mirror to see how bad we really are.

    1. We should comes to the realization that we have not always followed God.

    2. We should realize that some of the hardships we face are our on doing.

    3. God is just when He punishes us for our sins.

B. God has always been faithful to us.

   1. God keep His promises.

   2. All the works of God is for our welfare.

   3. The good and the bad works to our advantage.   

 

V:34. "For our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers have not kept Your law Or paid attention to Your commandments and Your admonitions with which You have admonished them."

 A. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

     1. All of our ancestors and each of us have failed to keep God's command.

     2. The Lord Himself said, "here is none righteous, no not one." Rom 3:10

 B. We have to face the truth that while we were in sin, Christ died for us.

    1. We had the Word and knew to do right, but we did not.

    2. God has punished us from time to time but we still sin.

    3. The God we serve tolerates us because of His love for us.

 

V:35. "But they, in their own kingdom, With Your great goodness which You gave them, With the broad and rich land which You set before them, Did not serve You or turn from their evil deeds."

 A. God has been good to us.

    1. He has given us everything we need, yet we will not dedicate ourselves to Him.

    2. We are in the situations we are in because we have not followed God.

 B. The Israelites reflected on the disobedience of their fathers.

    1. They concluded that their ancestors did not serve God and continued in their sins.

    2. When we review our past, we need to face our sinful behavior.

    3. We should give God praise because He has always been good to us.

        a. While we were in sin, God was still good

        b. God could have let us suffer the consequences of our sins, but He blessed us.

 

36 "Behold, we are slaves today, And as to the land which You gave to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty, Behold, we are slaves in it."

 A. If we don't follow God, we will be slaves to sin.

     1. Without God in our lives there is no freedom

     2. Because of the shed blood of Jesus, our Lord and Savior we are counted

         innocence  before God.

 B. God has freed us from the depths of hell.

     1. Our freedom in Jesus gives us a place in heaven.

     2. If we choose slavery, it should be to righteousness of God.

     3. If God is the slave owner, blessing will abound.