This Weeks's Sunday School Lesson, "Success Follows Obedience", 6/8/2014

SUCCESS FOLLOWS OBEDIENCE

 

Haggai 1:12, 2:1-9

 

V:12. " Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. "

     Defn:  Zerubbabel= sown in Babylon

                Shealtiel= I have asked God

                Joshua= praised

                Jehozadak= Jehovah righted

                Haggai = festive

( Hebrew names had meaning. They sometimes described the mission, position or

 state of a person.

 Zerubbabel was born in Babylon, perhaps because his father asked God for a son.

Joshua praised God perhaps because his father taught him to love God.

Haggai served God during the festive time of Israel's return from Babylon. (My thoughts only).

A. It is interesting note that God had a habit of bypassing the governor and the Chief

     Priest and speaking through his prophets. This may have begun when Israel rejected

     the rule of God's Judges and priest and asked for a King to rule them. They wanted

      to be like the pagan nations around them (1 Samuel 8:6).

    1. This event marked the spiral down fall of Israel. They chose the rule of man over

        the rule of God.

    2. After God reminded Israel of the trouble their disobedience was causing them,

        they listen to the word of the Prophet Haggai and obeyed His command to rebuild

        the temple.

 B. After hearing the Word, the people feared God.

    1. We need a holy fear of God to listen to His Word.

    2. We need a holy fear of God to obey His commands.

    3. We need a holy fear of God to understand that God is in control of all the

         activities of our lives.

   4. Obedience makes our living easier. Our disobedience brings about tough times.

C. Notice the text says that there was a remnant of the people in Israel.

    1. Some of their people were killed doing the Babylonian invasion.

    2. Some of their people died in captivity.

    3. Some of their people were left in Babylon.

    4. Loss always follows disobedience.

    5. Disobedience sometimes leads to violence in our lives.

 D. The God we serve, is faithful to save those He chose before the foundation of the

      world.  Eph 1:4

 

Haggai 2:1-9

V:1. " On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai."

 A. This date is near our October 17th.

     1. This is the last day of the feast of the tabernacles.  Lev. 23:33-44

         a. Solomon's temple was dedicated during the feast of the tabernacles (1 Kings

             8:2).

     2. After the exodus from Egypt, Israel lived in tents.

     3. This festival reminded Israel of God's glory, mercy, grace and love  in freeing

         them from slavery.

 B. Rebuilding the temple should have been a celebration of their exodus from

      Babylon.

     1. When the people of God work together in unison, the work of the Lord can be

          done with speed and ease.

     2. The temple was rebuilt in 3 years according to the Jewish Encyclopedia.

 

V:2. "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them:

  

V:3. "Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to

       you  now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? "

 A. Solomon's temple was probably much larger and lavishly furnished with silver and

      gold.

     1. The first temple was designed by God to be a house of prayer, sacrifice and

         worship.

     2. It was David's desire to build a house for the Lord that prompted Him to design

         and to provide the resources to build a showcase for His Love for Israel for all

         the  world to come and worship.

   B. Even though this rebuilt temple was smaller, it was still God's house of prayer.

      1. The question is, how do you see the structure we call the church?

      2. Are you impressed with the size and the furnishings of the building?

      3. Are you impressed with the size of the congregation?

      4. Why do you come to church?

          a. Do you like the pastor?

          b. Do you like the choirs?

          c. What is your reason for being in church?

          d. Would you prefer a large church or a small church?

   C. It is not the size of the building that counts, but the size of the hearts of the

        believers in the building that counts.

      1. Do you see church as a place of prayer and worship or just a place of

          entertainment?

      2. Are you here to serve God or are you here to be served by God?

      3. Are you here to be impressed or are you here to learn the Word of God?

      4. If you are here to serve the Lord, you can do that in any size building.

      5. If you are here to praised the Lord, you can do that without a building.

  D. Sometimes our disobedience puts us in a position where we loose everything and

       have to start over again.

      1. We don't always regain all we have lost.

      2. Israel lost their homes, their love ones and their Temple.

         a. They began to worship the temple and not the God of the temple.

         b. They began to bless themselves and not the God who blessed them.

         c. Their interest became more important than the God who gave them the

             mind to have interests.

         d. Israel forgot what was most important; God.

      3. If we put God first, He will supply our every need.

 

V:4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the Lord. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the Lord, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the Lord Almighty."

A. The encouragement of the Lord should start with the leaders of the local church.

    1. God commands us to be strong, regardless of our personal situations.

    2. We should be strong in our faith and strong in our dedication to the Lord.

B. The next command God gave was to "work".

    1. Our love and our dedication to the Lord ought to result in serving the Lord.

C. Serving the Lord is a command to everybody, not just a few.

    1. Everyone has been gifted, equipped and empowered to do the work of the Lord.

    2. Everyone has a responsibility to the Lord because of His goodness to us.

 D. God says, I am with you.

     1. Anytime you decide  to serve the Lord, you can expect someone to oppose

         you.

     2. But God says, I Am with you.

     3. Your focus should never be on the opposition, but on the work of the Lord.

     4. You say, you don't have time, God says, I will make some time.

     5. You say, I don't have the money, God says, I will give you the money.

     6. You say, I don't have the skills, but God says start working and you will develop

          the skills.

 E. The Lord's says, I got the power, I got the authority to ensure that what I planned

      will take place.

      1. We are the vessels God uses to carry out His plan.

      2. God did not make vessels that are not fit for His use.

 

V:5. "This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit

         remains among you. Do not fear."

 A. God displays His mercy to us all the time.

     1. Even though we messed up, disobeyed God commands and failed to worship

         Him, He keeps His promises.

     2. God is long suffering.

         a. He tolerates our disrespectful behavior and gives us another chance to

             get right with Him.

         b. God's plan for our lives is not dependent on our behavior, but His love.

 B. God plan for Israel was that redeemer would come through the line of David and

      the seed of Abraham would bless many nations.

    1. God will ensure that His plan is successful.

    2. God does not promise us that we will not have trouble in our lives.

    3. God promised that  in good times and bad times that He will be with us.

 C. God promised that those who serve Him have nothing to fear.

    1. God is more than the whole world against you.

    2. Believers should face trouble with victory in sight.

    3. Our troubles are opportunities for God to be glorified.

 

V:6 "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the

  heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land."

 A. Even though we messed up and our lives are torn apart, God says, I can put you

      back together again.

    1. " In a little while".

    2. The Lord says be patient.

        a. The Lord says be faithful.

        b. The Lord says return your dedication to Me.

    3. You didn't get messed up over night, and you want get cleaned up over night.

       a. It took awhile for you to tear down what God prepared for you.

       b. It will take awhile for God to restore some of what you lost.

 B. If you remain faithful, God promises to show you favor from the heavens and

      the earth.

     1. Once you return back to the Lord, you have to work to regain the favor of the

         Lord.

     2. We have to learn to rely on God.

     3. We have been train to relay on ourselves.

     4. When we walk away from God, we walk into the gutter of the world.

         a. We have to get the gutter out of us before we can trust God.

         b. The world infects us with a virus of mistrust and disobedience.

         c. We treat the virus with the Word.

         d. Unfortunately this worldly virus resist the Word until we learn to

             be submissive  to the Word.

 C.  God said I caused a drought in your life because of your disobedience.

     1. If you remain obedient, God will end the drought and release the rains

         of blessing back into your life.

     2. The continued prosperity of our lives depends on our obedience to God.

 

 V:7. " I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill

         this house with glory,' says the Lord Almighty."

 A. God's glory has nothing to do with the size of your church building but the size of

      your love for Him.

    1. When the church has a love for God, the world will be drawn to your footsteps.

    2. God shows up when the people who love Him show up.

 B. If we want God to be in our presence, all we have to do is start praising Him.

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

    2. The nation of Israel refused to praise God and as a results they walked away from

        the blessings of God.

    3. The nation of Israel refused to serve God by building the temple He commended

        and  as a result He refused to bless the works of their hands.

  C. When we return to God, He returns His favor to us.

      1. Solomon's temple was glorious, but the temple to come will be the Glory of the

          Lord.

      2. The temple to come will not be built with human hands.

      3. The temple to come will be the body of Jesus Christ.

      4. Jesus will build a temple that will have no boundaries.

      5. The temple of Jesus would is in believers all over the world.

 

V:8. "The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty."

  A. The Lord has unlimited resources.

      1. Everything belongs to God.

      2. This second temple was smaller because it was not built to be worshipped, but

           built to be a place of worship. 

      3. This second temple was not built for show, but built for prayer.

 B. Perhaps this second temple was smaller than the first temple because Israel did not

      appreciate the first temple.

     1. According to Malachi, the people of Israel brought lame and sick animals to be

         sacrificed.

         a. The Israelites refuse to pay their tithes and offering.

         b. Israel had a history of disobedience.

     2. Israel failed to realize that all they had belonged to the Lord.

         a. Yet God's mercy continued to flow on His chosen nation.

         b. We should continue to remind ourselves to bless the Lord.

  

V:9. "The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the Lord Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the Lord Almighty."

 A. This second temple was enlarged by King Herod just before the birth of Jesus.

     1. This second temple was visited by Jesus in the flesh.

     2. Jesus was dedicated in this second temple.

     3. Jesus taught the Word in this second temple.

     4. Jesus healed the sick in this second temple.

 B. In this second temple the veil separating the Holy of Holiness from the Holy Place

      was torn in half from top to bottom ending the job of the Chief priest of

      being the mediator between God and sinful man.

    1. From the top of the second temple, Jesus was tempted by Satan.

    2. Jesus was rejected by the Pharisees, the Chief Priest and the scribes of this temple.

 C. This second temple was destroyed after the resurrection of Jesus (70 AD).

    1. This second was only a shadow of the temple to come.

    2. The spiritual temple is Jesus Christ.

    3. The spiritual temple is not built by human hands.

    3. Jesus is the temple, the Chief Priest, the prophet and the King.

    4. Each believer is the temple of the Lord.

 

THANK GOD THAT JESUS IS THE CORNER STONE OF THE NEW TEMPLE AND WE ARE BUILDING BLOCKS.

 

Rev. M. Mitchell

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "The Consequenses Of Ignoring God's Commands", 6/1/2014

THE CONSEQUENCES OF IGNORING GOD'S COMMAND TO GIVE

 

Haggai 1:1-11

 

V:1. " In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:"

A. God worked in the heart of Darius the King of Babylon to enforce His previous

     decree to King Cyrus to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and to restore all the

     assets  taken from the temple when it was destroyed.

    1. When the children of Israel returned to the promised land, they refused to follow

         God's command.

    2. They rebuilt their homes, but neglected the building of God's temple.

    3. Their political government was restored while under the Babylonian control.

        a. Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah.

        b. Joshua was the High Priest of Israel.

        c. Haggai was the Lord's prophet after the captivity.

        d. God re-established the order of government in Israel.

  B. God allowed a transition time for Israel to regain full control of the  promise

       land.

      1. They were still under the discipline of the Babylonian King.

      2.  The Israelites were a hard headed people and still not able to govern themselves

            according to God's commands. 

 V:2. " This is what the Lord Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet  

   come for the Lord's house to be built."

     Defn: Lord= Yehovah= The eternal God.

               Host, almighty= tesbaah= mass of persons, army

  A. The Lord is not satisfied when we put our needs before His commands.

       1. We must be careful not to get into a habit of putting off what God told us to do.

       2. God's commands should be an immediate concern for us.

  B. The Israelites, by the Grace of God were allowed back into the promised land.

      1. God gave them a command to rebuild the temple.

      2. God gave them the resources to rebuild the temple.  Ezra 5:14

      3. God gave them the support from a pagan king to rebuild the temple.

      4. God gave them protection from the enemy by their enemies to rebuild

          the temple.

      5. God gave them the plans to rebuild the temple.

          a. In this case, God only required their time and devotion in the building project.

          b. Giving priority to the Building of the temple required their love for the Lord.

      6. They gave their interest priority and refused to rebuild the temple.

           a. They refused to worship God with their obedience.

  C. In their hearts, they told God it is not time to follow your commands.

       1. In effect, they were saying, God we don't have time to serve you.

       2. In effect, they were saying, God you don't know what is best for us.

       3. In effect, they were saying, God we are not grateful for what you have done

           for us.

       4. In effect, they were saying, God we don't love you enough to put you first. 

 

 V:3. " Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai."

   A. The Lord always has a spokesman.

        1. In the mist of corrupt folk, God has someone who listens to him.

        2. In the mist of corrupt folk, God has someone who is obedient to His

            commands.

   B. Each of us has an assignment in God's plan of redemption for man.

       1. Each of us has an assignment in the Body of Christ (the Church).

       2. Haggai's job was to remind Israel of God's commands.

           a. His job was to relate the Word of God to God's people.

           b. The general body had the job of rebuilding the Temple.

           c. Everyone is important in the Body of Christ.

           d. God expects us to be about His business first.

   C. We are to do what God has gifted us to do.

       1. We should not worry about someone else's gift but concentrate on our

           assignment.

       2. Do what God designed you to do.

           a. God will select others to do what He didn't call you to do.

 

 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house

      remains a ruin?"

   A. We need to continue to look into the mirror to see if we are treating God with

        reverence, love and respect.

       1. Are we working for God or ourselves?

       2. Are we willfully disobeying God's commands to pursue our goals?

   B. Have we made ourselves number one and God number two?

       1. Are we grateful enough to put God before our desires?

       2. Can we say thank you Father with our service?

       3. Will we continue to give God lip service but no hip service?

           a. Do we just say we love the Lord, but have no evidence to prove it?

           b. If we claim we love the Lord, there ought to be something to prove the claim.

 

 V:5. "Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways."

    A. We are accountable to the Lord for what we do.

        1. God is longsuffering. He will tolerate our disobedience for a while.

        2. Most of us have a history of God's love in our lives.

        3. We are in the Body of Christ because He chose us.

        4. God chose us for service, not for our own pleasure.

    B. God has a way of getting our attention.

        1. God put the history of Israel in print to show us how He deals with His people.

        2. He promised to bless them when they were obedient and to punish them

            when they were disobedient.

    C. God says don't neglect to look in the mirror. You might not look so good.

        1. Don't forget to look in the mirror, you might be ready for God's chastisement.

     

V:6. " You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

 A. Sometimes, you need to consider what is happening in your life.

     1. The Lord might be working against you and you don't even know it.

     2. You might be suffering the effects of your disobedience.

     3. You might be under the chastisement of the Lord and  blaming the "man".

 B. Your disobedience might be the reason there is no money in your checking
     
      account.

    1. God's says that if you fail to take care of My House, I will withdraw the

        protection  of your house.

    2. The Israelites may have thought they were having a rough time because of the

        economy. They were having a rough time because of their

        disobedience.

     3. Every once in a while you need to ask the question are God's commands

         important  enough for me to obey them?

         a. Am I the cause of my troubles?

         b. Is my disobedience the cause for my lack of success?

 

V:7. " This is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways."

  A. Do you want to continue living from paycheck to paycheck?

     1. The abundances of the Lord are available to you.

     2. Because you have a relationship with Jesus, you are a heir to the Kingdom of

        God.

  B. God promised to bless the works of your hands if you are obedient to His

       commands.

      1. God did not promise to bless you if you did not obey His commands.

      2. Consider your ways. Are you following God or are you following the world?

      3. Are you seeking the Kingdom or is that just something you say?

      4. Maybe obedience sounds good on Sunday, but you can't handle it on Monday.

 

 V:8. " Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I
   may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord."

 A. Once we have considered our ways, we should be convicted to do more for the

      Lord.

    1. When we think about what the Lord has done for us, we should be grateful

        enough  to be obedient.

    2. The Israelites had been in captivity for 70 years because of their disobedience.

        a. Now being free again, they went back to their disobedient behavior.

        b. They came back and there was no place to worship the Lord.

        c. They came back and there was no place to offer sacrifices for their sins.

        d. Their whole system of worship had been destroyed and they thought nothing of

            it.

    3. The Chief Priest didn't enforce God's commands.

        a. The Chief Priest, in charge of the Temple worship should have been the first to

            push the building of the temple.

        b. The appointed governor of Israel didn't enforce God's commands.

        c. Without an active spiritual leader, Israel had gone astray again.

        d. There should have been someone who said, hold on, let's bless the Lord.

        e. Just because everybody has gone astray, does not mean you need to follow.

 

V:9. "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I

  blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which

   remains a  ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house."

A. God is not mocked! God is not mocked!

    1. You will not go unpunished disobeying God's commands.

    2. You will not go unpunished putting God second in your life.

    3. God has to be THE PRIORITY of your life.

    4. God can not be a priority, because that implies that something else is THE

        NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

        a. If God is not THE PRIORITY, that implies that you are listening to another

            voice.

        b. The other voice that provides nothing has become the god of your life.

 B. When you neglect God, you bring negative actions on to your life.

     1. When you neglect God, you bring a negative economy into your life.

          a. Things could be good, but neglecting God brings the bad into your life.

     2. When you are listening to another voice, you are walking away from the GRACE

          of  God.

          a. If you are listening to your voice and not God, you are in a negative economy.

          b. If you are listening to voices other than God, you are in a negative economy.   

 

V:10. " Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth

  its crops."

  A. God controls the entire universe.

     1. The conditions of the atmosphere responds to the commands of God.

     2. God can cause a drought in your life while everyone else is having rain.

     3. God can lock the doors of opportunity in your life and open opportunities

         in the lives of others.

  B. The devil is not always the cause of your troubles. Sometimes it is the devil in you.

     1. None of us are perfect.

     2. We all have some growing in the Lord to pursue.

     3. There are times when God has to get our attention by withholding His grace.

     4. By withholding His grace, God is actually preparing us for more grace.

 

 V:11. " I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new

     wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor

     of your hands."

  A. God is sovereign.

       1. God does what it takes to reminds us that He is God.

       2. God has a way to bring misery into our lives.

       3. It is the misery in our lives that causes us to call on God.

       4. Sometimes it is the misery in our lives that develops our prayer life.

   B. To get our attention, God can effect every area of our lives.

       1. Notice, God affected the weather around  Israel.

       2. The rains affected the ability to produce crops.

       3. The rains affect the health of the animals that ate the produce of the ground.

       4. God affected the works of the hands of man.

       5. The effects of the hands of God can be negative or positive based on your

            obedience to His commands.

   C. This text is a warning to all believers that the God we serve is a jealous God.

       1. God reminds us that He will not share His worship with anyone.

       2. God is center stage and there are no other players.

       3. The sooner we make God the center of our lives, the sooner we will enjoy all

            the blessings of God.  

 

Amen

 

Rev. Mitchell, Asst. Pastor of GMBC

 

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Love, A Key Ingriedient To Christian Behavior", 5/25/2014

LOVE, A KEY INGREIDENT TO CHRISTIAN 
            
                                                               BEHAVIOR                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Mark 12:28-34

 

Leviticus 19:18

18 "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

  A. Defn: Revenge=nagam= grudge, punish

                 grudge= natar= to guard, anger

                 love= ahab= have affection for

      1. We have to change the way we deal with the issues we have with others.

      2. God gave us the recipe;  "two" don't and "one" do.

          a. God commands us not to attempt to get even or punish others.

          b. God commands us not to get angry with others.

          c. We must not allow our emotions to rule our actions.

          d. We must not allow any wrong done to us, to destroy the love God commands

`             us to show the wrong doers.

      3. God commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

          a. The way we treat ourselves is the way we should treat others.

          b. We should want the best for our neighbors regardless of their behavior.

  B. "I am the Lord".

      1. God does not want our opinion on this issue.

      2. God's commands are not options that we can choose to obey.

      3. God does not care if we like our neighbors or not.

          a. Our neighbors should be treated with respect even if they do not respect

              us.

          b. We should not make the bad attitudes of others our attitude.

          c. As Christians, we are the role models for correct behavior.

     4. What God commands us to do is the right thing to do.

          a. Following God's commands will always be effective.

          b. We do not have to understand God's commands to follow them.

          c. We have a limited view. God has the entire view.

          d. We can only see a short distance, but God sees the end from the

              beginning.                                                    

Deuteronomy 6:4-8

V:4. " Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

  A.  Hear= shama= attention and obedience.

       1. God commands us to pay attention to His Word and to be obedient to His

           Word.

       2. Israel= Yisrael= He will rule as God.

           a. God created us to be under His rule.

           b. God did not intend that we be influenced by the world around us.

  B. The Lord= Yehovah= self existant, eternal

      1. God= Elohiym= Supreme God

           a. The word "Elohiym" is plural indicating the Godhead.

      2. The Lord is about unity. One God in three persons.

          a. God the Father.

          b. God the Son.

          c. God the Holy Spirit.

      3. The Israelites were surrounded by people who believed in many gods.

       a. We have one God, the I Am God, who is everything we need Him to be.

       b. No man, thing or object can serve as our God.

       c. No man, thing or object can provide eternal life.   

 

V:5. " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all

    your strength. "

         Defn: Love= ahab= have affection for

  A. God wants all of you.

      1. God does not share you with anyone.

      2. God wants your total attention and obedience all the time.

  B. God commands us to Love Him.

      1. With all your heart.

          a. The heart is the seat of understanding. ( Barnes Notes)

      2. With all your soul.

          a. The center of your will and personality.

      3. With all your strength.

          b. The out goings of all your energies and vital powers.

      4.  God wants all of our efforts, thoughts and activities to be devoted to Him.

  

V:6. " These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts."

     A. The Word must be the only guide to your way of living.

         1. If you are not living by the Word, it is not in your heart.

         2. When you think, your thinking must start with the Lord.

         3. When you reason, you must start your reasoning with the Word of the Lord.

         4. When you act, you must act according to the will of the Lord.

     B. God promised that obedience to His commands will be the success in our

          lives.

 

V:7. " Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when

   you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

    A. The commands of the Lord must be taught to our children.

        1. It is the duty of the parents to study the Bible with their children.

        2. Our own understanding grows as we study with our families.

    B. Our children are very impressible.

        1. They will be influenced by us or the world.

        2. It the job of the parents to make time in their schedule to study the Word

            with their children.

            a. If parents don't teach their children, the world will teach them.

            b. We must get the Word into our children so they have the tools to resist the

                 world's influence.

    C. We are commanded to set aside time for Bible study.

         1. Bible study must start at home.

         2. When we are riding in our cars, our talk should not be idle, but about the Lord.

         3. We should teach our children to pray before going to bed.

         4. We should teach our children to pray when they get up in the morning.  

              a. We should get on our knees and lead them in prayer while they are

                  young.

              b. We must teach them to pray before every meal.

              c. Think of the impact they will have at lunch time at school when their peers

                  see them praying.

                                                                                                            

Mark 12:28-34

V:28. "One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

 A. There are many people who make it a habit to debate the Word of God with others.

       1. They did not want to learn more about the Word, but to prove they knew

            more than anyone else.

       2. The teachers of the law thought they were the experts on the Word of God.

       3. They believed that Jesus was no match for them.

       4. They failed to realize that Jesus was the Word.

       5. They failed to realize that their knowledge was limited to their human

            teaching and understanding.

        6. There is no limit to the knowledge of Jesus. He is omniscience.

            a. He knew what they were thinking before they said a word.

            b. He knew the motives behind their questions.

            c. His response to them was set before the foundation of the world.

   B. Not everybody that comes with the crowd, is apart of the crowd.

       1. One of the teachers came to learn more about the Word.

       2. He came to listen, not to debate.

       3. He came to be enlighten, not to impress others.

       4. He came to add to his knowledge, not to display what he knew.

    C. "Of all the commandments, which is the greatest?

        1. If we have questions, others may have the same questions.

        2. Questions provide us with the opportunity to have Bible study.

        3. Answers to our questions may enlighten others.

     D. The Word is the resource for all our questions.

        1. Since the Word cannot return void, someone will be enlighten, encouraged

            or given new directions.

 

V:29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our

  God, the Lord is one."

 A. Jesus who is the Word used the recorded Word to answer all questions.

    1. The Word is eternal and will never change.

    2. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word will not pass away"

        Matt 24:35

 B. Jesus uses the Word we have studied to give us answers.

     1. One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to bring to our remembrance the Word

         we have studied.  

     2. Jesus said, " If you abide in me and my Words abide in you, ask whatever you

         wish   and it will be done for you."

        a. All we have to do is ask and Jesus will give us an understanding of His Word.

 C. We must understand that we are in the presence of the Lord at all times and that He

       hears our requests.

     1. Jesus is one with the Father.

     2. Jesus is one with the Holy Spirit that indwells us.

     3. We are connected to the one God who has all the answers.

 

V:30. " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all  

 your mind and with all your strength."

     Defn: Love = agapao= regard with strong affection

 A. God is Love.

     1. Love is the most important aspect of Christian living.

     2. The Word of God never changes.

     3. Jesus repeated the command God gave to Israel some 1400 years earlier.

 B. It is because of God's love that He sent His Son to die for our sins.

     1. God expects us to respond to His love by giving Him our total love.

     2. God expects us to put Him first above all other interest we have.

     3. God promises that if we seek Him first, all other things will be given to us.

 

V:31. " The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment

   greater than these."

 A. Since God has treated us with great favor, He expects us to treat our neighbors with

      the same favor.

    1. We are commanded to love our neighbors.

    2. It is a command, not an option.

    3. This command does not come with any conditions.

 B. We are commanded to love our neighbors regardless of whether they love us or not.

    1. We are commanded to be the role models of Christian love.

    2. Some people don't know how to love because they have never experience true

       Godly love.

 

V:32. "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and  there is no other but him."

 A. The questions from those who opposed Jesus was His opportunity  to explain

      Christian doctrine.

    1. Jesus uses our questions to give us a proper understanding of His Word.

    2. We should look for opportunities to discuss the Word with others.

 B. Notice, the scribe gave Jesus his approval.

    1. The scribe was testing the correctness of the Word based on his limited

        knowledge.

    2. We can't test the correctness of the eternal Word with our finite knowledge.

    3. The best we can do, is to trust the Word.

    4. We will come to know the truth of the Word through our life's experiences.

 

V:33. " To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

 A. By asking questions, this scribe came to a clearer understanding of God's Word.

     1. He stated the Word in His own language.

     2. The Word becomes real in our lives when we can relate it to our conditions.

 B. The Word is stored into our hearts when we can see it working in our lives.

    1. The more we live by the Word, the more we will learn to rely on it.

    2. The more we discuss the Word, the more we will understand the Word.

 C. The scribe came to understand that  Love was more important than all

      our sacrifices to the Lord.

     1. Samuel said that to obey is better than sacrifice.  1 Samuel 15:22

     2. This is love, that we walk in obedience to His commands.  2 John 6

 

V:34. " When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far

 from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more  

 questions."

 A. This scribe was trained by those who opposed the teaching's of Jesus.

     1. By studying the Word for himself, the scribe came to the light.

     2. Just because someone is in the dark does not mean they will stay in the dark.

     3. The Word changes hearts.

     4. The Word draws people to Christ.

 B. Jesus approved the scribe's progress in understanding the Word.

     1. Jesus is always in the mist of our study.

     2. It is Jesus who helps our unbelief.

     3. It is Jesus who elected us out of a world of darkness to be His disciples.

  C. When you know God's Word for yourself, no one can persuade you to

       believe the lies of the devil.

     1. When you know God's Word for yourself, you can easily determine who is

          influenced by the devil.

     2. A knowledge of God's Word gives you advance warning to avoid the devil and

         his influences.

 D. Why did Jesus say, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God?"

    1. The scribe was still in the crowd.  Matt 23:1-12

    2. His heart was different from the crowd, but he did not standout from the crowd.

    3. Perhaps, he wanted to come out and announce his faith in Jesus, but he was

        afraid.

    4. Perhaps he wanted to be different, but he did not want to chance being kicked

        out of his position of being a scribe.

     5. It takes courage to stand up for Jesus.

         a. You have to love Jesus more than you love your position, status or

             connections.

         b. He talked about love but he was not ready to love. 

 

ARE YOU READY TO LOVE?

 

Rev. Mitchell