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Jan 27 2021
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Lessons from Peter, the Apostle

Sunday Sermon Notes from January 17, 2021

Read Luke 5: 1-11

  1. Have you ever had to slow someone down because they were talking too fast as they were trying to communicate with you?
  1. How was this event with Jesus and the others in the boat a time for Peter to slow down?
  • Peter had to stop and listen, he couldn’t continue to fish or he would have missed what Jesus was saying
  • He had no distractions on the boat in the deep water with Jesus,  so he could focus on what Jesus had to say
  • Jesus gave him specific instructions, he obeyed and was successful
  • Peter was fishing all night but had no results. When he slowed down enough to listen to Jesus, although he wasn’t all in, he obeyed Jesus and he was successful
  1. How did Peter’s view of Jesus change from the beginning of the story to the end?
  • Peter went from taking Jesus for granted, to seeing himself as undeserving
  • We can easily forget who God is, do we really trust who He is?
  • When Peter saw the miracle of fish, he really understood who he was dealing with
  1. Read Romans 10: 17- hearing God’s word increases our faith, Peter’s faith grew in hearing from Jesus.
  1. How easy is it to follow Jesus when things in your life are going well or not going well?
  • Read John 6:66-68
  • Peter began to understand that Jesus’s  words had eternal life and he did not want to be anywhere else although things would become difficult in his life
  • Read John 6:26
  • Jesus was trying to remind them to work for spiritual food not just physical food, but they walked away when things became difficult
  1. Read Matthew 16: 13-18, How is Peter unique in this situation?
  • Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah
  • How did Peter get this understanding? From God and spending time with Jesus and his words
  • When we hear God’s words, and believe in God who sent Jesus, we will be saved, crossing over from death to Life: John 5:24
  • Jesus’s words are unique in their ability to give us a relationship with God.
  • You become attached to Christ because the Father calls you to Christ and shows you who He is.
  • The church is built by God in this way.
  1. How did God say He would build His church? Read Acts 2:39
  • Peter has authority in building God’s church
  • Who did they hear about? Jesus
  • Who were they responding to? The Father
  • Who did they want to see more of? Jesus (Acts 2:42)
  • We have been called by the Father into fellowship with the Son (1:Cor 1:9)
  • We have been called by Jesus to obedience and to be saved
  • Jesus sacrificed himself to allow us to have a relationship with Him

Sunday Sermon Notes from January 3

"So what are your reading that is helping you draw near to Christ?" (Jn 5:39)

Great question...but it gets annoying if you don't have a place to start...so here are some ideas:

1) Try turning off the music when you drive - instead memorize some of Jesus's words since they are not just commands, but pieces of Him.

2) Try "Sounding Out" the things that Jesus says until you think you know what tone He used. Now see what He feels like.

3) Pick one Old Testament passage that Jesus quotes and try to read it the way He is saying it. Try to see the picture He paints with it.

4) Try "Sounding Out" entire conversations that Jesus has by acting it out...like in a play. See where He is coming from.

5) Do number 4, but substitute your own words so that you understand Him better.

6) Look at all the times Jesus proclaimed his torture/death/resurrection and notice the reaction. Put yourself in both sides of the argument. Sound it out to see how it feels.

7) Study out what Jesus means when He says "life". How is it different than the way you define it? Wrestle until you see it His way.

8) Find places where Jesus changes the subject by asking a question. Try to memorize it and know the reason.

9) When reading the letters in the New Testament, look for references to the Old Testament that aren't in the footnotes. Go back to the OT passages and see if you can see evidence of Jesus teaching them this.

10) Whenever Jesus says "Therefore", back up a step and see what it is "there for". In other words, make a passage count by actually knowing the reason "why" instead of just the "what". Do the same with the Epistles.

11) Pick an Epistle and see if you can find evidence of Jesus teaching the person who wrote it. Like, were they born speaking that way? Did they always "know" this stuff or how were they taught?

12) Pay attention to the use of the OT in the Epistles. Are you able to use a passage from the OT in the same way it is used in the NT , for example, imitating the way Jesus used OT scriptures in the NT and reversing the process?

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Jan 18 2021
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Faithfulness

Sunday Sermon notes from January 10, 2021

How does God define faithfulness?

Read Numbers 12:1-15

  • God referred to Moses as Faithful, why?
  • Although Moses was a murderer and married to a woman outside the Israelite community, yet God called him faithful, why?
  • What was the difference between the prophet’s faithfulness and Moses’s faithfulness?

 Read Deuteronomy 18: 15 and Hebrews 3: 1-6

  • Who did Moses refer to as a future faithful prophet?
  • God promised to raise up a faithful prophet from among the Israelites: referring to  Jesus.

The word “Faithful” in Hebrew has three characters:

“Alif”- means head or Ox or strength

“Mem”- means water or power to give life

“Nun”- means fish or seed, sprouting of new li

In other words, “Faithful” literally means: God giving life that is new and sprouting. 

Fast forward 3500 years, Jesus comes to the scene:

Read John 6:26-40

  • What is Jesus really saying when he told them he was the bread of life?
  • Jesus is the “manna” that came down from Heaven. 
  • Remember the Israelites ate “manna” to survive in the desert and make it to the promised land?

The word “Manna” or bread in Hebrew has two characters:

“Mem”- power to give life

“Nun”- Sprouting new life

These characters are the same characters in the Hebrew word for Faithfulness.

When we consume Jesus= Bread of Life, we obtain eternal life.

Remember, Jesus told the woman at the well, he was the living water and will give eternal life?

Read Revelation 19:11

  • The word “Faithful” is used as a personal pronoun in one place in the bible: in reference to Jesus.
  • Jesus is the rider who is Faithful and True!
  • To be faithful is to give life- Jesus gives us life by saving us from our sins and leading us to Heaven. 
  • Moses was faithful because he saved the Israelites from Slavery and lead them out to the desert and they eventually made it to the promised land. 

Read Revelation 3:14

  • What is another name for Jesus in the bible? “Amen”
  • “Amen” in Hebrew is spelled with the same three characters as the word “Faithful”
  • Therefore, when we pray or say “Amen” we are saying - we agree with whatever was said to be true and faithful. We are agreeing to accept God’s word as nourishment.

Final Thoughts

  • We need to remember to work for food that lasts forever. 
  • When we take Communion, we remember Jesus is “Manna” from Heaven and gives us eternal life. He meets our daily physical needs with bread and our spiritual needs by giving us eternal life. 
  • Jesus died for us and with his own blood he purified us from our sins. Jesus’s purpose on earth was to be faithful and save us. 
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Jan 03 2021
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What Can We Learn From Jesus’s Birth?

Sunday Worship Notes 12/20/2020

Read Matthew 1:18- Matthew 2:12

From birth, Jesus had to hit the ground running

We are usually taught that Jesus’s birth and coming to the world was an amazing event, but often we overlook what was really going on, he was born in a barn and he was about to be murdered by a king. 

Verse 20: The angel encouraged Joseph to not be afraid. Joseph was responsible for his wife and baby Jesus-the son of God, imagine the pressure. 

Has there been a time when God revealed His plan for your life and you were afraid?

Herod the Great was a Governor of Galilee, King of the Jews in Judea but he was threatened by the birth of a baby- BABY JESUS, the real King!

Herod must have felt insecure and challenged. He was a wicked and suspicious man. He even had a secret service and planned to destroy Jesus by killing all the boys 2 years and younger in the region. 

Jesus’s presence forces us to make a real decision in our lives, we cannot remain neutral.

Matthew 2:13-23

The birth of Jesus is often portrayed as easy, no challenges or difficulties. But actually, Jesus was running from death. 

What is your response when you are trying to follow God’s plan and face challenges and difficulties?

Herod’s response was to try to remove Jesus from his life, with murder.

Do you remain steadfast and  trust God or do you run away and hide?

Do you get negative and pull away from God or do you push God and his people away from your life?

Do you question God’s motivation? Do you question God’s love for you or wonder if he cares for you?

What tempts you to remove Jesus from the throne of your life?

Do you stop seeing the good God is doing and just focus on the negative and hard things?

Herod was no match for even a baby! BABY JESUS could not be defeated by his evil plans.

God gives us warnings to bring hope and life to us.

What is God warning you to do?

Are you listening to God’s warnings?

Chapter 2:12 God warned the Magi to save their life.

Ch 2:13 God warned Joseph to go to Egypt

Ch 2;22 Joseph was warned again to go to Nazareth for safety

Do you see and hear God’s warnings in your life or do you ignore them?

God has a good plan for each of our lives. We need to keep fighting to hold onto God’s plan for our lives. God showed up to make sure Jesus would make it. In the same way, God shows up for us to make it the way he wants us to. 

Philippians 2:1-11

We need to remember to take care of each other

We need to remember to consider each other’s needs

In the end, everyone will worship Jesus

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Dec 20 2020
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Remembering we are family during the holidays

Sunday Worship Notes from 12/13/2020

What do you love about the Holidays?
Many people enjoy connecting with family and friends, good Holiday foods and desserts, Holiday movies and music, decorations etc.


In General, during the Holidays many of us tend to focus on spending time with family. At Christmas, we celebrate Jesus’s birthday, although historically we know that was not his actual
birthday.


What do you think it was like to grow up in Jesus’s physical family?

Can you imagine being one of Jesus’ four brothers or two sisters (Matthew 13)?


What do you think makes a family a family?
What holds a family together?


Some ideas: Shared interests and values, love for each other, supportive members, sharing good times, sharing meals, being intentional to unify, putting work into relationships.


The bond that holds family together is our shared identity.

WHO IS MY FAMILY?
Read Matthew 12:46-50

● Jesus being both Son of Man and Son of God, prioritized his identity with his true family as the spiritual family doing God’s will
● In order to be in Jesus’s family, we have to do the will of God
● Jesus did not disown his physical family but he set a clear boundary for them to be considered his true spiritual family, they had to do God’s will
● We need to remember that loving God also included loving our biological family and calling them to obey God’s will
● Luke 2:41-52- from the time Jesus was a child, the dynamics between the two “families” can be seen, Family by Flesh and Family by Spirit

Read Romans 8:28-30
● God works for the good… we aren’t working, it is God
● We are justified because of Jesus’s death and resurrection
● We are now part of God’s family, an eternal family
● We are chosen to be justified and glorified when we become part of God’s family

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN THE FAMILY?
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
● We are all part of one body in Jesus Christ
● As individuals we are uniquely created and bestowed with certain gifts from God to fulfill the role God wants us to play
● We need each other, each one of us has an important role to play
● The weakest parts of our body need special attention. That’s how we can physically see love

HOW SHOULD WE HAVE HARD TALKS IN THE FAMILY ?
Matthew 18:15
● Compared to other bible versions, the NASB version states, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.
● The common understanding is, “If your brother sins against you…”; this is a completely different condition in our responsibility, to insure we help each other in regards to sin
● Remember to have the hard talks with an individual person in private first with the intention to win them over
● Be gentle, be humble, and help each other out
● Read Galatians 6:1-3, restore each other gently

WHAT ARE SOME GOALS OF THE FAMILY ?
Ephesians 5:1
● “Be Imitators of God, as beloved children…” How can we achieve this?
● Love and obey Jesus (John 14)
● Imitate Jesus by walking daily with him by reading and obeying the word and praying and seeing to it that our lives are aligning with God’s will

● Keep remembering to love each other, restore each other

Prayer and Meditation for Communion

Romans 8:1-11- think about the "flesh" versus "the law" of the Spirit

Romans 8: 12-17- think about -living by the Spirit, adoption as sons, children and heirs with Christ

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Dec 13 2020
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The City of Peace, Jerusalem

Sunday Worship Notes from 12/6/2020

Is Jerusalem a physical city or a spiritual place?

Originally Jerusalem was founded by Shem-from Egypt and Ebur, patriarchs from Abraham. The Egyptians were also known as “Shemites”.

The inhabitants of Jerusalem were disobedient to God and had an evil ruler as their king, Adoni Zedek. The inhabitants were known as giants and feared by others around. They had become “unrecognizable” by God because of their corrupt ways. 

Melchizedek was King and Priest of a place called “Salem” which is eventually known as Jerusalem. It was unusual at that time to be the king and a priest for the people of God.  In Hebrew, the word "Salem" means “Peace”, like the word “Shalom”. 

Look up the following scriptures about  Melchizedek, he is the King of Peace, sound familiar? Remember,  Jesus was referred to as the Prince of Peace. The following scriptures link Melchizedek and Jesus together-  the priestly line of Melchizedek was Jesus- read Heb 5:6; Heb 7:17 and Heb 7:21 and Psalm 110:4 - Jesus is the King of Peace, a forever priest in the Line of Melchizedek. What is the role of a priest in the old testament?

Abraham gave Melchizdek 10 percent of his plunder as a gift, another proof that he was seen as  a priest. 

Read Joshua 10

Joshua was tasked with leading a new group of Israelites from the desert into the promised Land after the death of Moses.

Joshua was obedient to God and totally destroyed these sinful inhabitants of Jerusalem. Joshua obeyed God and destroyed all of the depraved and corrupt nations that were living in that area. The sun even stood still as he accomplished this task. This is a billboard, a parallel of Rev 8:6-13, the destruction that is taking place. 

Adonis Zedek should have had a clue as to what his city’s name really meant.Let’s explore further: Jerusalem means Peace, but not as we know it. 

The word JERUSALEM is a combination of two words. In Hebrew, the words are read from left to right.

“Jeru”- in Hebrew means, “Fear or Awe”, it has two Hebrew characters which translate into “God’s hand” and “ Prince”- remember, Jesus is the Prince”!

“God’s hand” which is 'yod' and “ Prince”- which is 'resh'- meaning, God’s mighty hand doing mighty deeds. 

There is a  linking symbol between the “Jeru” and the “Salem”- “vov”  which means “and”. This symbol  links two words together that go together, like “love and marriage”.

“Salem”- Shalom, which means Peace, has three Hebrew characters: 

“sheen”- which means God’s destruction

“lamed”- two letters together  and is a letter of authority or a shepherd’s staff guiding you to correction 

“mem” - which means flood or destruction, massive chaos or death

Therefore: Jerusalem literally translates into “the mighty hand of God doing mighty deeds of destruction of the enemy, satan. 

There is no peace until the mighty hand of Jesus destroys all the work of the one causing massive chaos and destruction. Jesus does this with authority.

Do you remember where this concept is greatly displayed in the BIBLE?

Jesus’s death on the Cross. 

Jerusalem is destroyed by Joshua, then comes peace for the Israelites.

As disciples we are to carry our cross daily to voluntarily put to death our sinful nature.

We voluntarily fall on the “rock” to be broken in humility, but our Lord Jesus puts us back together as he sees fit. If we do not voluntarily submit, he tells us, the rock  will fall on us, then we will be crushed. Read Matthew 21:44.

What are some ways we can surrender to the rock?

Confess sin- James 5:16, when we confess our sins to each other, we get healing

Pray continually- etc

Jesus will NOT allow anyone in Jerusalem otherwise . Depravity sin is destroyed there. The only way to to deal with the sinful nature is to destroy it completely and categorically. Just like Joshua did in Chapter 10. Sin is hostile towards God and repentance deals with sin. 

So, is Jerusalem a physical city or a spiritual mindset?

Prophecy about Jerusalem

Zechariah 12:2-5 Jerusalem will not be shaken

The physical city of Jerusalem has been at the center of many wars: it was destroyed twice, 23 times besieged, 52 times attacked, 44 times captured and recaptured

Jeremiah 3:17 NIV

[17] At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.

Is God interested in the physical city of Jerusalem as we know it?

Heb 11:8-10, 11:13-16 Abraham saw it.

Rev 3:12 the name of the city is the New Jerusalem

Rev21:2 John saw it in a vision

Jeremiah 3:17 Jeremiah saw it

In Conclusion, Jerusalem is a spiritual place, where sin is not present and God is the full authority. If we surrender ourselves to Jesus’s teachings and obey his word, we will rest in this place of peace.

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Dec 05 2020
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Being Thankful During the Holiday Season

Sunday Worship Notes from December 6, 2020

What are you thankful for this Holiday Season and why?

Read  Matthew 27:27-61

  • In some countries, the Thanksgiving Holiday may not be celebrated, however, there are many things we should be thankful for in spite of what may be going on in the world right now.
  • Jesus is the real reason to be thankful each day. Because Jesus sacrificed his life for us, we are able to have a relationship with God and be saved. He makes it possible for us to even exist. 
  • Jesus’ death and resurrection gives us reassurance that God is still listening and dependable even during trying times. 
  • We can turn to God’s word and seek help during hard times because of Jesus’ sacrifice.
  • When we get everything we want and everything goes “well” in our lives, it is easy to be ungrateful and forget about God. 
  • True testing comes when things are hard and we decide to continue to talk to God and seek out a relationship with Him and be grateful.
  • Jesus will guide us through our trials no matter what, if we let Him
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Nov 29 2020
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Learning To Live Like Jesus Did

Sunday Worship Notes for November 15, 2020

Read Matthew 7:13-29

Read Acts 3

Read Acts 4:1-31

  • When we read the Bible,  listen to Jesus’ words and actually put them into practice in our lives, we will build our lives on a solid foundation. 
  • Unfortunately the opposite is true. When we do not read the Bible, or listen to Jesus’ words nor put them into practice, we do not build our lives on a solid foundation.
  • It takes effort to enter through a narrow gate. We have to make intentional and deliberate decisions like first of all believing that Jesus's words are true and real. The gate narrows further when we decide to not only believe but to obey those words. Finally, we have to consider obedience with the right heart and motivation.
  • Peter and John were putting what they learned and heard from Jesus into practice by preaching the Good News to others and healing people.
  • As disciples of Jesus, today we too can follow this example and learn from Jesus’ words and put them into practice.
  •  As we learn from Jesus, we can teach others to follow Jesus and bring spiritual healing to them.
  • When we let Jesus’ teachings influence our mind, our culture, our actions, we will have a great positive impact on our world. 
  • When we know the Love Jesus has for us, then we will know how to love others the way Jesus did. We will be able to love others beyond their political beliefs, their economic situation, their race, their gender or any circumstance that may be different than our own. 

Question:

What does putting Jesus’ words into practice look like for you? How do we take what Jesus says and make it functional, active, and not just an agreement with a philosophy?

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Mar 26 2017
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Restore to Me the Joy of Your Salvation

Do you feel guilty or feel bad about something that you've done...thought...said? Ashamed? Full of regret? Have you shared your struggle(s) with anyone?

In Psalm 51, David shares how he felt when he was dramatically confronted with his sins by the propet Nathan (2 Samuel 12:1-25): an extended experience of lust and adultery that led to murder and resulted in tremendous guilt and the loss of his infant son shortly after his birth. In this Psalm, he experiences the fulness and depth of guilt, shame and regret, yet in the very realization of how his sin is not just against Uriah and Bathsheba, his court and his nation, but against God...David experiences the joy of hope in God's forgiveness and ultimate salvation. This Psalm is a great example of why David was known as a man who was "after God's own heart." His example of dealing with his adultery, murder, lying and covering up his sin when confronted is a great example not only of true repentance, but of faith and hope in God's power and will to save. To redeem. To transform us into the people he envisions us to be.

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells a story about two men praying. He highlights the spiritual result of being humble and in touch with one's own sinfulness in a healthy way (c.f., Psalm 51:14-19). Repentance and inward spiritual transformation must occur in order for ritual sacrifices to be meaningful (c.f., Psalm 51:18-21).

Psalm 103 reminds us that the God who made us from dust knows exactly who and what we are. He made us. He knows we are weak and sinful and he loves and forgives us. He is full of compassion and grace. "Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in kindness."

Hebrews 10 explains that Jesus is the ultimate "once and for all" sacrifice that really does take away our sins for good. So "let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

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Apr 10 2012
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Passages Exhibit Field Trip


On Saturday, April 14, 2012 many of us will be traveling to Atlanta to see the Passages Interactive Bible Exhibit, an exhibition of how the Bible has been written, copied, translated, published and distributed throughout history.  This special exhibit of the history of the printed Word of God is in honor of the 400th Anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible (1611) in 2011.

Highlights of the exhibit include: The Jewish Scribe Room, The Christian Scribe Room, European Translations, Gutenberg's Print Shop, Reformation Theatre (reenactments) and Early Reformation Bibles, William Tyndale, Jerome's Cave, Early English Bibles, Correction (how printed versions were corrected), and Adornment (artistic traditions in biblical production).
 

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Apr 10 2012
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Exodus 6:2-9 The Four (sometimes Five) Cups of Passover

passover sederDuring the course of a traditional Jewish Passover seder there are four cups of wine which are drunk by those present.  Each cup is connected to an aspect of deliverance mentioned by God in Exodus 6:6-7 (Read Exodus 6:2-9 for full context).  Some Jewish groups have a Fifth Cup which is not drunk, it will be drunk when  Messiah comes (cf. Matthew 26:29).

For our Midweek Bible Study we will discuss this passage and it's fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

We will be meeting at the Hayes' House tonight (Tuesday, April 10, 2012).

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