A Study in I Kings Week 9

by Associate Teacher, Jerry Blankenship

I Kings 9:1-28

The Verses:

v. 1-9 GOD'S COVENANT IN A SECOND VISION WITH SOLOMON.

“House of the Most High," notwithstanding its beauty and magnificence, would be destroyed, and would remain in a state of ruin and degradation to be a striking monument of God’s just judgment. The record of this second vision, which rehearsed the conditions of God's covenant with Solomon and the consequences of breaking them, is God’s warning before the narrative about to be given of Solomon’s commercial enterprises and his ambitious desire for worldly glory. This king, by encouraging an influx of foreign people and a taste for foreign luxuries, rapidly corrupted his own mind and that of his subjects and their children, so that they turned from following God (1 Kings 9:6).

v. 10-23. THE MUTUAL PRESENTS OF SOLOMON AND HIRAM

According to Josephus, the twenty cities were situated northwest of Galilee, adjacent to Tyre. Though lying within the boundaries of the Promised Land (Genesis 15:18, Joshua 1:4), they had never been conquered till then, and were inhabited by Canaanite heathens (Judges 4:2-13, 2 Kings 15:29). They were probably given to Hiram, whose dominions were small, as a remuneration for his important services in furnishing workmen, materials, and an immense quantity of wrought gold (1 Kings 9:14) for the temple and other buildings. Hiram refused these cities, probably on account of their inland situation making them unsuitable to his maritime and commercial people.

v. 15. A levy refers both to men and money, and the necessity for Solomon making it arose from the many gigantic works he undertook to erect. These high taxes laid the foundation for the division of the kingdom after Solomon’s death and were also a fulfillment of God’s warning to Israel about rejecting Him for a human king (1 Sam.8:10-18).

v. 24-28. SOLOMON'S YEARLY SACRIFICES

Three times in a year--namely, at the Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles (2 Chronicles 8:13, 31:3). The circumstances mentioned in these two verses form a proper conclusion to the record of his buildings and show that his intent in erecting those at Jerusalem was to remedy problems existing at the commencement of his reign (see 1 Kings 3:1-4).

A Study in I Kings Week 8

I Kings 8 1-66

The Verses:

1-13 This describes how they brought the *Covenant Box into the *temple. They all brought animals to *sacrifice to God. The only things in the *Covenant Box were the stones of the 10 *commandments. Then the cloud which was a *sign of the *glory of the *Lord filled the *temple. Uzzah had died because he touched the box. So the priests carried the box on long poles. They offered very many *sacrifices. After they placed the box in its special place, they left the room.

Any person who saw God’s face would die (Exodus 33:20). Afterwards, Moses’ own face shone so brightly that he had to cover it (Exodus 34:24-35). But Paul says that, in the future, we shall see God’s face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

14-21 The *temple was a *sign of his *presence among the *Israelites. In those days, God lived with his people. Today he lives in his people. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:16, ‘We are the *temple of the living God.’

22-30 Solomon stood to pray. He was the king. But he even called himself God’s servant. Kings often thought that the people were their servants. But, in this prayer, Solomon says that the people in *Israel were God’s servants. For the Christian, God really has come to live on earth in the person of Jesus Christ. *Forgiveness is available for all who put their trust in Jesus. This is because Jesus died for us. He is now in heaven and he is praying for his people. He offers their prayers to his Father.

31-40 Solomon asked God to listen to people’s prayers when people prayed towards the *temple. Today, we do not pray towards a place but towards a person, the *Lord Jesus Christ. We can learn about him as we study the *temple. It is Jesus who can forgive us

41-45 Solomon asked God to accept the prayers of foreigners who came to him. He understood that God’s good news was for all people, not just one nation. Jesus said, ‘My *temple is a house of prayer for the people in all nations’ (Mark 11:17).

46-54 Solomon then prayed for those whom God would punish because of their *sin. Romans
5:6 tells us how God shows his *grace to Christians also. ‘When we were still without power, Christ died for wicked people.’ Ephesians 1:4 says, ‘God chose us in Christ before he made the world.’ 1 John 1:9 says, ‘But if we tell God the truth about our *sins then he will forgive us.’

55-61 He prayed that God would assist them daily with their troubles. Then other nations would know that he is the only real God. In Ephesians 1:11-12 Paul says to Christians, ‘God chose us in Christ…. to give honour to his *glory.’ So as God works in our lives, he receives the *glory.

62-66 This was the beginning of the daily *sacrifices for *sin at the *temple. These lasted as long as the *temple stood. Today Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus prays to God for us. His prayers for us are also continuous. But Jesus’ death as a *sacrifice only happened once. That one perfect *sacrifice was enough for all our *sin (Hebrews 7:27; Hebrews 10:10-12).

A Study in I Kings Week 7

I Kings 7 1-38

The Verses:

1-12 Solomon took twice as long to build his own house as he did to build the temple.

However, he made sure that he built God’s house first. Solomon’s own palace had many great
halls. The halls had different designs.

The ‘Hall of the Forest of Lebanon’ used much cedar wood. That wood came from the forests in Lebanon. The hall received its name because of the use of the wood. The hall was a large room with an impressive design. Solomon kept much gold in this hall. He held great parties here (1 Kings 10:16-17; 10:21).

The next room was the ‘Hall of Columns’. The columns were a very splendid entrance for the
room.

The ‘Hall of Judgement’ was a very important room. It contained Solomon’s throne (royal seat). Solomon used this throne when he acted as Israel’s chief judge. The throne itself was magnificent. No other king had ever made such a wonderful throne (1 Kings 10:18-20).

The private rooms where Solomon actually lived were behind these halls. And Solomon built
another palace for his wife, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt.

13-14 The Israelites did not know how to work with metal. So Solomon brought this skilled workmen from Tyre. His mother was an Israelite so he was not a complete foreigner.

15-22 The names of the columns reminded the people about God. Jakin means ‘He (God) establishes’. And Boaz means ‘In him (God) there is strength’. In other words, the people in Israel should receive their strength from God, not from armies or from wealth.

23-26 This was a very large basin, for water. The priests used it to wash themselves before they offered sacrifices. The basin reminded people they must be clean in order to come in front of God. And that would remind them that they also should be holy.

27-39 The ceremonies that happened at the temple were very unlike the ceremonies in a modern church.

People would bring animals to offer as sacrifices. They would hand over these animals to the
priests. The priests would kill the animals at the entrance of the temple.

Then the priests would prepare the sacrifices. There were several different types of sacrifice. The priests had to be careful to obey the right rules for the type of sacrifice. The law permitted the priests to take some meat for their own use. And the priests would burn other parts of the animals as a gift to God. They would do this on the altar in front of the temple.

40 The priests would use the spades to remove the ashes from the altar. They would place the ashes in the pots (Exodus 27:3). The bowls were for the blood of sacrifices. The priests would scatter some blood during certain ceremonies.

41-47 This is a list of what Hurim had made for outside the temple.

48-51 The objects inside the temple itself would be gold. Gold is a pure metal. It is also very
beautiful. It reminds us that God is perfect. God never sins. He is holy.

The temple of the Lord was of supreme importance, and had to represent all that is grand, great and pure about God.

So…what kinds of things do you put inside your temple of the Lord?

A Study in I Kings Week 6

I Kings 6:1-38

The Verses:

1-7 Solomon acted as the temple’s architect. But the plans were not his own. He used the plans that David had already made. And David did not design the plans by means of his own imagination. God’s Spirit put these plans into his mind (1 Chronicles 28:11-12; 1 Chronicles 28:19).

Hebrews 9:24 explains the reason for this arrangement. The temple that Solomon built was a copy of the real temple in heaven. So the design had to be God’s design.

God was using Solomon to carry out his work on earth. And, by means of Solomon’s temple, God would show his power and his honor.

The temple was splendid. But few people would see the beauty of its rooms. Only priests entered the main hall. However, the most special place was the inner room. It was called the most holy place, or “The Holy of Holies.” And only one man, the chief priest, would enter it. Even he could only enter it once each year (Hebrews 9:7).

8-14 And God referred to his promise to David. David’s family would always rule Israel, if they continued to obey him. And that would be God’s promise to Solomon too, if Solomon continued to obey God. The splendid building that Solomon made could not impress God.

What mattered to God was the attitude of Solomon’s heart. And if Solomon obeyed God’s law, God would support Solomon and his kingdom. Hebrews 10:36 says, ‘You need to continue although things are difficult. Then you will receive what God has promised.’

15-22 Solomon covered the building with cedar wood. He covered the most holy place with gold. It contained the box of the Lord’s covenant that Moses had made. Inside the box were the stones of the Ten Commandments.

23-30 The angels were like guards for the Covenant Box. They were half of the height of the room. The room was 30 feet high. There were carvings of angels, trees and flowers on the walls. They were like pictures of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8). God sent people out of Eden because of their sin. They could only come near to God if he forgave their sin. The most holy place was the place where they offered sacrifices for sin. We can only enter heaven if we trust in the sacrifice of Jesus for our sin.

31-38 We are not sure what some of the words in these verses mean. People built such a splendid temple because they recognized the greatness of God. It also taught people that God was with them. It did not keep God in one place. Solomon says this in chapter 8:27.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3:16, tells Christians that they are God’s temple. The Spirit of God lives in them. In Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul says that the church is the temple of God. Jesus is the foundation (the strong base). Christians are like the stones of the temple in which the Holy Spirit lives.

A Study in I Kings Week 5

1 Kings 5 (by Associate Teacher, Jerry Blankenship)

Honor the Lord

Preparing to build the temple (1 Kings 5: 1-18)

Vs2: Solomon sent a message to Hiram

Vs3: God did not allow David to build the temple

Vs4: Peace with Israel’s neighbors

Vs5: Temple to honor the Lord

Vs6: Hey Hiram

Vs7: Hiram said “Praise the Lord”

Vs8- 18: Geter’done!

Questions:

Was Solomon truly the wisest man?

Why the Lord favored David over Solomon?

Where did the Money come from to build the temple?

What does the Lord want?

A BIT OF MONDAY INSPIRATION

THE LOVE OF GOD BY THE NUMBERS.

A Study in I Kings Week 4

I Kings 4:1-34

We are about to embark on a series of chapters that reveal a huge amount about the character of God.

At first blush, this first part of the chapter looks like a rather boring list of names…sort of like the genealogies.

It is anything but.

From the smallest hydrogen atom, made of a nucleus and one electron, to the massive universe itself, God has everything organized in such a way that it works as it is supposed to all of the time.

According to the very character of God, organization is essential. That goes for government and churches.

Organization is not ministry, but ministry without organization is less than nothing and is totally useless to the Kingdom.

We often use the phrase, “Just let the Holy Spirit lead.” That’s a good idea. Sadly, most of the time we just use it because we’ve been too lazy to plan and prepare something ourselves.

In I Corinthians 14:40, Paul tells us, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” This was referencing worship. He’s not saying we should have an order of worship, but he IS saying we should have orderly worship.

The Verses

1-19 Here we see Solomon’s governmental organization. Some of the names you will recognize. Most are obscure flashes in history.

Many of these people were officials when David was king. We are not sure if
‘Nathan’ was the prophet or Nathan the son of David. Unlike his son Rehoboam
(see chapter 12), Solomon took advice from men who had experience.

20-28 This was a time of prosperity, plenty and peace. Deuteronomy 17:16 tells us that a king was not to multiply horses or wives. “Wise” Solomon did both.

These verses show Solomon’s wealth and the size of the country that he ruled. Psalm 72 speaks about his rule, especially in verses 8-11. That Psalm is also a prophecy about Jesus’ rule.

Solomon ruled over the entire land that God promised to Abraham. He was the only
king to do this. A large number of people lived in his country. Each family had its
own home. Everyone had plenty to eat. It was a time of peace. Rulers of the
countries near him paid him taxes and they obeyed him. Some people say that the
rule of Solomon is a physical image of the spiritual rule of Jesus.

29-34 He was a proverb writer and a song writer. He was a botanist, he was a zoologist, a herpetologist, an ornithologist, an entomologist. We have here the beginning of the sciences. He was world renowned

A Study in I Kings Week 3

I Kings 3:1-28

We are reading a historical account of the happenings in Israel. But this is not about history. It is about God’s character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.

The Verses

1-4 The political maneuvering does not stop. Solomon made an alliance with the Pharaoh of Egypt.

What kingdom was it that had kept Israel in slavery until Moses led them across the Red Sea?

Solomon married the Pharaoh’s daughter, thinking that Egypt would therefore leave Israel alone.

How’s that working for the Israelis?

Notice Solomon’s plans to build first a palace for himself, THEN the temple for the Lord and a wall around Jerusalem.

The high places were altars erected on natural or artificial eminences, probably from the idea that men were brought nearer to the Deity. They had been used by the patriarchs, and had become so universal among the heathen that they were almost identified with idolatry. They were prohibited in the law (Le 17:3, 4; De 12:13, 14; Jer 7:31; Eze 6:3, 4; Ho 10:8). But, so long as the tabernacle was migratory and the means for the national worship were merely provisional, the worship on those high places was tolerated.

5-9 We must distinguish between the type of dream related here and the type of dream, for instance, that Daniel had, which was connected to a vision (Hebrew: chezev), and the dream Solomon has here (Hebrew: chalam), which is what we normally do at night.

This dream was not supernatural in its essence, although it featured God, but was authenticated by God after the fact.

Solomon asks for WISDOM. (James identifies 2 kinds of wisdom: earthly wisdom and Godly wisdom (James 3:13-18).

10-15 God is pleased with his request, because it squared with what He wanted for Solomon. (See John 16:24; James 4: 3-4)

16-28 This story is often misread or mischaracterized. Solomon never intended for the baby in this narrative to actually be cut in half. Rather he used this extreme suggestion to demonstrate the WISDOM God had given him in deciding who should be allowed to raise the child…the one who really loved the child.

The WISDOM of Solomon should serve as a reminder to us of the WISDOM of God in deciding to come to earth in the form of a man in order to show forth His love for His creation in giving Himself at the cross of Calvary for the atonement of our sins.

It should also remind us that, no matter what we think, God’s wisdom supersedes ours 100% of the time

A Study in I Kings Week 2

I Kings 2:1-46

In this chapter, David prepares for what comes to all of us: death. He gets a chance to give advice and a charge to Solomon, and Solomon establishes his throne.

The Verses

1-7 The way of man is death. Romans 5:12 ‘…Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…” Solomon was encouraged to “be a man,” probably because he hadn’t demonstrated much in the way of manhood. David tells Solomon that staying close to the Lord will bring prosperity, although not necessarily riches.

Keep in mind that this all takes place in order to guarantee that Jesus would be born of the house and lineage of David.

8-12 David had made a treaty with Shimei not to harm him. Shimei turned out to be a traitor. David realized that Solomon had made no such treaty and warned him to keep his eye on Shimei, that if he step out of line, he was to be executed.

David “rested with his fathers…” He had been a good king, firm but always just.

13-27 In this section, three very interesting scenarios take place. First Adonijah (remember him from chapter one?) wants Abishag, David’s caretaker, for his wife, and tries to talk Bathsheba into convincing Solomon to let it be so. Instead, he winds up dead.

Secondly, Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah, feared for his life and sought refuge at the altar of the Lord (traditionally a place of safety). But Solomon was not deterred, and had Joab killed right there.

Thirdly, Shimei was placed under a sort of house arrest, but violated its terms. So, he, too, was put to death.

What Solomon had done was to kill off the competition. Moreover, he had made it so that there could be no doubt about the lineage that would bring us Messiah.

When you read Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, you see that the line was not broken, and it all started with David’s appointment of Solomon to the throne.

God’s plan for the salvation of the creation He loves was perfect from before time began, and there has never been anything that could have interfered with it, no matter how hard it tried.

God’s love for you was so great that He molded all of history so that you could receive His salvation in Christ. What a mighty God we serve!

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Light at the End of the Darkness-Chris Christian

A Study in I Kings Week 1

A Study in I Kings Week 1

I Kings 1:1-53

The books of I & II Samuel and I & Second Kings can be considered as one book. They chronicle the rise and fall of Israel. I Kings records the division of the kingdom while II Kings records the colapse of the kingdom. The two books open with King David and close with the King of Babylon. The are the books of man’s rule over God’s kingdom. Man’s plan cannot overthrow God’s purposes.

The ultimate theme of I & II Kings is man’s inability to properly rule himself and God’s world.

The Verses

1-10 David came to our attention as a shepherd boy, full of fervor for God. Here we see him as an senile old man. His son, Adonijah, took advantage of David’s condition and determines to become king. Adonijah is full of pride and self-worth. He is conceited…a clinical narcissist.

Adonijah formed a political coalition with Joab and Abiathar, but he could not get Zadok to go along with him. Joab had been faithful to David, but he wanted somebody to be prepared to replace him after his death, and Adonijah was the only one seeking the position.

11-14 Adonijah was obviously a Baptist, because in order to get what he wanted, he put on a banquet and invited everybody to come (except Nathan, Benaiah or the guard or his brother, Solomon).

David had promised Bathsheba that Solomon would succeed him. Nathan conspires with her to tell David about Adonijah and to remind David of his promise.

15-27 So, Nathan and Bathsheba go to King David and tell him what’s going on and pressure him to name Solomon as his successor.

28-48 David reiterates his desire to have Solomon become king and Zadok, Benaiah and Nathan see to it.

49-53 Adonijah learns that King David has made Solomon king, and fears for his life. He runs to the place of refuge: the horns of the altar and won’t come out.

Solomon learns of Adonijah’s fear and promises not to harm him if he will come out and show himself to be “worthy,” that is: a man of character.

It is interesting to compare this situation with our forgiveness in Christ. Solomon did not really forgive Adonijah. Jesus promises us complete forgiveness and mercy if we put our trust in him. Our trust in Him must be a “forever” trust…no turning back. Hebrews 3:14 says, ‘We are partners with Christ, if we trust him to the end. We must trust him to the end, as we did at first.’ If we don’t “trust Him to the end, we never trusted Him at all. But if we do, we have the promise of eternal life in Him.

Jesus In Every Book of the Bible

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our High Priest
Numbers, The fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Moses' voice
In Joshua, He is salvation's choice
Judges, law giver
In Ruth, the kinsmen-redeemer
First and second Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He's sovereign
Ezra, true and faithful scribe
Nehemiah, He's the rebuilder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms, He is our morning song
In Proverbs, wisdom's cry
Ecclesiastes, the time and season
In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
He is, He is, HE IS!
In Isaiah, He's Prince of Peace
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
In Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, He's the call from sin
In Daniel, the stranger in the fire
In Hosea, He is forever faithful
In Joel, He's the Spirits power
In Amos, the arms that carry us
In Obadiah, He's the Lord our Savior
In Jonah, He's the great missionary
In Micah, the promise of peace
In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's pleading for revival
In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage
In Zechariah, our fountain
In Malachi, He is the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
He is, He is, HE IS!
In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God, Man, Messiah
In the book of Acts, He is fire from heaven
In Romans, He's the grace of God
In Corinthians, the power of love
In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servants heart
In Colossians, He's the Godhead Trinity
Thessalonians, our coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon He's our mediator and our faithful Pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting covenant
In James, the one who heals the sick.
In First and Second Peter, he is our Shepherd
In John and in Jude, He is the lover coming for His bride
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords
He is, He is, HE IS!
The prince of peace
The Son of man
The Lamb of God
The great I AM
He's the alpha and omega
Our God and our Savior
He is Jesus Christ the Lord
and when time is no more
He is, HE IS!

WITHOUT HIM THERE WOULD BE NO CHRISTMAS

II CORINTHIANS WEEK 14

2 Corinthians 13 (By Associate Teacher, Jerry Blankenship)

Verse 1: Paul warns them that he is coming to them. Two or three witnesses must prove that someone has done wrong things. During the ‘painful’ visit, he said this: He would punish those who had done wrong things. Now he says that he will do this. This will happen when he comes for the third time. His purpose was to make them better people. This would prove to them that he comes in the power of the *risen Jesus. Christ appeared to be weak while he was on earth and especially on the *cross. His followers share that weakness. Now he is alive in the power of God. The Christians at Corinth will see that power in Paul’s life.

Verse 5-14: He ends with a final warning. They have been testing him. Now they should test themselves. They should see that Christ is in them. That is unless they fail the test. But no real Christian would fail this test.
Examination:

1. Keep Christ’s commandments 1 John 2:3-5

2. Love other Christians 1 John 3:14

3. Experience the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence 1 John 3:24

Paul had not failed the test. The proof of that was that they had become Christians. They must do what was right. Then Paul would not need to show his authority or to punish them. He did not need to do anything against what was true (right and proper). He wanted the Christians at Corinth to do the right things. Then he would be glad to be weak (not to have to show his power). He would be glad that they were strong. He prays that they may be perfect. The word ‘perfect’ here has a special meaning. It describes how people repair an object. Then they can use it again.

The word often referred to *fishermen who mended their nets. He hoped that by warning them he would not need to be severe with them. He wanted to encourage them, not to punish them.

Verse 11: So he says goodbye to them. He encourages them to change their ways. They should listen to his appeal. They should live in peace (that is, calm) and greet one another in a friendly way.

"Be perfect" - Greek verb: katartizo - to be fit, completely furnished
"be of good comfort" - Greek passive verb: parakaleo - be comforted i.e. receive this exhortation
"be of one mind" - a call for unity
"live in peace" - another call for unity

The result? "...and the God of love and peace shall be with you." Can't you just all get along?

His final prayer is that they may know the power of the Trinity. (The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the *Holy Spirit. God describes himself in this way. But there is only one God.) He refers to it in the order that we know about it. We first know the kindness of Jesus by the *cross. This leads us to the love of God resulting in the *fellowship of the *Holy Spirit. So we can have *fellowship with God and with each other.

THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS INFLUENCE IN AMERICA

WHAT IS THIS "CHRISTMAS" STUFF, ANYWAY?

Many people think that the word "Christmas" means "Christ's Birth."

While it can mean that by tradition, its real meaning is a little bit different.

The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass".

Let's take a look at the two parts of the word.

Eric Snow writes: "...the meaning of the word "Christos" (Greek: Χριστός, Strong's Concordance #G5547) (is) in relation to Jesus being called the Messiah. Both the Greek word Christos as well as the Hebrew word that comes out "Messiah" mean the same thing: "The anointed One."

An allusion to the title of Christos is made when a person is anointed with oil in order to be made king. Samuel did this with David when he was first chosen to be king while the prior king, Saul, was very much still alive (see 1Samuel 16:12-13). Hence, being the Anointed One meant, among other things, that Christ was to be a king (John 18:37; Luke 1:31-33). However, in the Gospel of John (John 18:36), He explained that His kingdom was not of this world, meaning, derived from it. So he wouldn't make Himself king by human means, such as when He withdrew from a crowd that wanted to make Him king by their force (John 16:15). Instead, Jesus will be made king by divine fiat when He returns during the Second Coming as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:14-16).

So being the Messiah or the Christ indicates that Jesus will have royal prerogatives, and be able to rule the earth as king when He returns (Daniel 7:13-14; 2:44.) All human governments, whether kingdoms, democracies, or dictatorships, will be abolished then, and the world will have a true direct theocracy (not merely humans ruling in God's name, such as in Iran's "Islamic Republic.") Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit, it should be noted, not literal oil (see Acts 10:38 and Luke 4:18).

Another allusion to Jesus' title here (Christos) comes from the high priests being anointed in the Old Testament when being ordained (Leviticus 8:2, 10, 12). Jesus was also to be the high priest for Christians after His death and resurrection (Hebrews 5:5-6, 10; 7:20-28). He intercedes for their sins with God the Father. So here there would be a union of church and state, of the king and high priest roles in the divine Person of Jesus under the rule of the kingdom of God.

A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.

So, technically, "Christmas" has a deeper, more significant meaning than just the celebration of the birth of Christ.

It is really a celebration of the meaning of the gospel, and the incarnation, which we celbrate at Christmas is only its beginning.

In the end, it is all part and parcel of the essence of being a Christian.

We celbrate His birth, not as the beginning of Jesus, but as the time when God became a man for the very purpose of dying a substitutionary death for man's sin and for the resurrection, which in effect "sealed the deal."

A Study in II Corinthians Week 13

II Corinthians 12:1-21

Experience does not prove the ways of God. We can have many experiences, good and bad, many of which have nothing to do with God’s way of doing things. If our experience does not conform to the Word of God, it is not the way of God, whether it is successful or unsuccessful.

1-6 Paul relates an experience here and he cannot tell us whether it is an actual experience or a vision. A man is caught up into the “third heaven.” (The 1st Heaven is the atmosphere. The 2nd Heaven is space. The 3rd Heaven is where God the Father resides.) This one returns to earth and is not allowed to give us a report of what the 3rd Heaven is like.

Three people have ascended into heaven: Jesus; John, in the book of the Revelation, and this one here. None of them has given us a full report of what it is like. We have only bits and pieces. But we will know just when we need to.

If it had been only his own reputation at stake, it would have mattered little. But it was the gospel itself that was in jeopardy.

7-10 Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” has been the topic of many theological discussions. What was it? Here is the definitive answer: we don’t know. Anybody who tells you they do know, watch out for them…they’ll lie to you about other things, too.

God’s grace is sufficient for every circumstance. His power is shown forth in our weakness. We should delight in our weaknesses.

11-18 This is the second time in these chapters Paul has avowed that he is in no way inferior to the "super-apostles," who claim to have the power of the Spirit at their disposal (11:4; 12:12) and extraordinary visions and revelations to their credit (12:1).

Paul is drawing the Corinthians' attention to the fact that this will be his third visit. His first visit was an eighteen-month stay that saw the establishment of the Corinthian church (Acts 18:1-18). The second visit was a painful one for Paul. While he was there, someone in the congregation
publicly insulted him and challenged his authority, demanding proof that Christ was speaking through him (13:3).

19-21 Paul asserts that he has the best interests of the church at Corinth in his heart.

He fears, though, that when he gets there, he will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.

Do we find any or all of those in our churches today?

So what do we do about them?

The answer is that we submit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ…the one whose birth we celebrate in this glorious season!

The Spirit of Christmas is not shopping or giving, it is God’s Holy Spirit reminding us of why He came…to die for our sins.

Thought for the day: Works don’t lead us to Heaven; they follow us to Heaven. Dr. Adrian Rogers.

REMARKABLE!

DNA only has 5 different atoms, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorous.
There are about 204 billion atoms in each DNA molecule.

DNA can be divided into 23 paired chromosomes, 22 pairs of autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes. There are about 3 Billion nucleotide pairs packed away in there.

Here is a more detailed accounting of the elements making up DNA.

The story is that some millions (or billions...or maybe even trillions) of years ago, in some far, far away primordial stew, a lightning bold caused the appropriate molecules to come together to form amino acids, "the basic building blocks of life," and that somehow those amino acids took the required 204 billion atoms and arranged them in just the right order to create the first DNA molecule of life.

Because you see, no matter what form life takes, it must have DNA and its billions of properly arranged atoms to define it particularly.

Have you ever played your state lottery?

In most states, there is a card on which you select 6 of 50 or so numbers to win...just 6.

That should be easy, right.

Wrong.

The "odds" of winning the lottery are much worse than those of being killed by a lightning strike.

And that's just 50 numbers.

Think of trying to arrange 204 billion atoms just right to form life.

What are the "odds" that that could happen by accident?

Indeed, what are the "odds" that all of the brain power of all of the geniuses that have ever lived could have figured out how to accomplish that deliberately?

What are the "odds" that, knowing how DNA is structured (a relatively new discovery), scientists could construct one by properly arranging the atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorous today.

Even by today's standards, that would take unimaginable intelligence.

Even given the materials to work with, even knowing how its molecules are arranged, science still cannot actually construct a DNA molecule using its raw materials.

That would take more intelligence than we possess.

Yet many of you still believe that life came into being by accident.

There is not one shred of real scientific evidence that that is possible...not one.

Besides...if a scientist could build DNA from its raw materials, wouldn't that require that intelligence was involved?

Or maybe you don't consider scientists to be intelligent.

An open minded person might think of another possibility.

A Study in II Corinthians Week 12

II Corinthians 11:1-33

One of the issues in the church is “false apostles,” those who claim Christ but teach a “different gospel.”

In Galatians, you remember, Paul wrote: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all.” (Gal. 1:6)

The Verses

1-6 What looks like bragging at first blush, turns out to be Paul’s way of getting the point across that until we understand that there is only one Christ, one gospel, one way of salvation, one right doctrine, we are doomed to remain un-reconciled both to God and to each other.

There are plenty of “super-apostles” in today’s “Christian market,” those whose message is other than salvation in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

Paul admits to being an untrained speaker (although I have to tell you I would have loved to have heard him), but insists that he has plenty of knowledge about Christ.

7-15 Paul did not let the Corinthians give anything to him. The Macedonians supplied his needs. He asked nothing of the Corinthians. Who were those false apostles? Satan disguises himself as an angel of light…beautiful…and Paul says these false apostles belong to Satan. They are attractive, but they are deceitful. They glorify themselves, not God, even when they use the “right words.”

16-33 Paul “apologizes” for his “boasting,” which isn’t really boasting at all. Then he engages in a little sarcasm again pointing out how the Corinthians consider him a fool and themselves wise when the opposite is true.

He says in verse 20, “You even put up with folks who preach the Law to you,”(enslaves you) exalting themselves and “slap you in the face” with their piety.

Paul backs up the “quality” of his background: Hebrew; Israelites; Abraham’s descendants SERVANTS OF CHRIST. (That one he just slipped in there to make a point: He was more of a servant that all of them put together). Then he lists the things he went through just because he WAS a servant of Christ.

How much do we sacrifice in order to put forth the gospel of Christ? Who strikes us down for the glory of Christ? When have we suffered a raging storm in a little boat for Christ’s sake, or a rough air plane ride?

Which of us is in danger whether we are going about our daily lives for Christ’s sake? Who among us have gone hungry, or sleepless or been stripped of our clothes and thrown in a dungeon for Christ’s sake?

OK. If we have suffered none of these things, what is holding us back from being the most powerful group of Christians in the city...or the county…or the state…or the country…or the world? WHAT IS HOLDING US BACK?

In verses 30-33 Paul is very clear that we have no excuse. Our weakness before God is the very thing that should make us stronger that strong in the propagation of the gospel.

We are God’s army! We are the church! Hell’s foundation should be quivering at our presence in Lehigh Acres!

I say it is time to put him in his place and for us to march into triumph!

Do you say that?

Thought for the Day: We are free to make choices. We are not free to choose the consequences of our choices.

A Study in II Corinthians Week 11

by Assistant Teacher, Jerry Blankenship

2 Corinthians 10

Paul Informs and Prepares The Corinthians for His Coming Visit
Paul, the true apostle versus the “self-appointed apostles”

1. An Appeal for Obedience: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

In Ephesians 6:14-17, Paul lists the kind of spiritual weapons he did use: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. These are God's weapons for pulling down strongholds! To rely on these weapons takes faith in God instead of carnal methods.

The Corinthian Christians tended to rely on and admire carnal weapons for the Christian battle.

Instead of the belt of truth, they fought with manipulation.
Instead of the breastplate of righteousness, they fought with the image of success.
Instead of the shoes of the gospel, they fought with smooth words.
Instead of the shield of faith, they fought with the perception of power.
Instead of the helmet of salvation, they fought with lording over authority.
Instead of the sword of the Spirit, they fought with human schemes and programs.

Jesus relied on spiritual weapons when He fought for our salvation.

Philippians 2:6-8 describes it this way: "...who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."

This kind of victory through humble obedience was demonstrated to the disciples in John 13:1-15 where Jesus said “All my teaching is summed up in this act.” JBV.

2. Paul's answer to the charges, he urges the Corinthians to look at the obvious facts, 2 Corinthians 10:7-11

"Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do. I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up; it doesn't tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority. Those people should realize that our actions when we arrive in person will be as forceful as what we say in our letters from far away."

3. Paul's counter-charge, he clarifies how to measure who really measures up, 2 Corinthians 10:12-18

"Oh, don't worry; we wouldn't dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. When people commend themselves, it doesn't count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them. "

A Study in II Corinthians Week 10

II Corinthians 9:1-15

Paul was not above a little sarcasm. The church at Corinth had written him with questions about their troubles. In his effort to impress upon them the need for unity and for reconciliation, Paul recalls their initial enthusiasm and how it had stirred the Macedonian churches to action (9:1-2). He refers to the Corinthians' loss of face should any Macedonian delegates come and find them unprepared (9:4). He announces the upcoming visit of the brothers to make sure this does not happen (9:3, 5). And finally he reminds them of the blessings that come from generous giving (9:6-15).

The Verses

1-2 Paul had used the Macedonian church’s response to the Jerusalem church’s need to try to spur the Corinthians to give generously to the cause. He “brags” on Corinth’s desire to give to the Macedonians’ actual giving. There may be a little reverse psychology at work here.

3-5 Paul states that he is “sending the brothers” to help ensure that Corinth not just have a strong desire to be involved, but that they follow through with their enthusiastic intent.

Paul expresses concern that if Corinth did not follow through, he, his fellow ministers and the Macedonian church would be embarassed. So he sent the brothers to make certain that the offering is given.

6- 9 Is reaping related to sowing? _____Yes; _____No

(Yes)

How should we give? a) according to Biblical rules; b) because of compulsion by others; c) according to what he decides in his heart; d) reluctantly.

(c)

According to verse 7, God looks favorably on a) someone who gives with enthusiasm from the heart; b) someone who gives more than the average church member; c) someone who gives according to the rules of giving; d) someone who gives in order to be appreciated.

(a)

What “grace” is God going to “abound to you?” a) the grace of love and mercy; b) the grace of hospitality; c) the grace of salvation; d) the grace of giving.

(d)

10-11 What harvest does God promise to increase in you when you give? a) monitary wealth; b) plenty of food to eat; c) your righteousness; d) a great fruit orchard.

(c)

For what purpose does God prosper you when you give generously? a) so you can brag on Him; b) so you can brag on your goodness; c) so you can have many treasures; d) so you can express your thanks to Him.

(d)

12-15 Here Paul equates giving to the service of supplying the needs of others.

The results of your giving is thanksgiving to God.

The result of your obedience to confessing the gospel is praise to God.

Paul thanks God for the “indescribable” gift of giving. He reminds us that giving is a grace given to you by God.