Beforehand: Be sure to check out Pastor Ben’s message online if you were not able to catch it on Sunday morning.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Jimmy Beats World – “Not A Victim”

1 – Resist Urge to Blame God – James 1:13-14

2 – Look for the Lie – James 1:14-15

3 – Remember God Loves You – James 1:16-17
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Deep Six Study

Introduction

In the beginning God created Adam and Eve and they gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. They both brought an offering to the Lord and Abel’s offering was acceptable to God but Cain’s was not. Cain was very angry with this outcome and so God spoke these words to him, “Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” It would seem that Cain wanted to provide an offering of his own choosing, while Abel was willing to bring one that was in accord with what God had evidently told them He wanted. So, Abel has ignored God’s “offering” instructions in favor of his own idea of an offering, and then when it gets shot down, he is mad at God and Abel. God warns Cain that the destructive course of sin is spinning into full operation and will soon be out of control. We know the outcome: Cain lets sin master him rather than him mastering sin and he kills his brother. Cain was not aligned properly with God and His intentions for mankind. In the book of Jude near the end of the New Testament a review is given of major examples of ones who lived in opposition to God and Jude describes them as having gone the way of Cain. God’s desire for us is that we go the way of Abel and not Cain. God has a plan in place designed to help us master sin with its temptations and to have true righteousness produced in our lives. This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study. ________________________________________________________________

Part 1 – Corresponds to the first point of the message – “Resist Urge to Blame God”

James 1:13-14 – “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.”

Romans 9:19-21A – “You will say to me then, ‘Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will? On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to Go? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay.”

Psalm 51:1-4 – “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.”

Matthew 6:13A – “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Comment – As Christians we do not normally say to ourselves, “I think I will rebel against God and give myself over to sin.” Usually when we sin we do so with the sense that the circumstances and conditions we are experiencing justify and warrant our wrong choices and wrong behaviors. When we do this we shift the focus off ourselves and on to God and everything he is supposedly allowing to happen to us. Instead of letting the blame fall rightly on ourselves we put the blame on God. The Scriptures above make it very clear that we need to abandon our arrogance and gain a clearer view of Who God really is and Who we are before Him. We can be pretty certain that if we are blame shifting we are not seeing ourselves clearly and of course that means we are not seeing God clearly or ourselves before Him.

Question # 1 – What are some things you have learned about yourself in regard to how you assign blame?

Question # 2 – What have you found helpful in your quest to master temptation in your life?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Look for the Lie”

James 1:14-15 – Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”

2 Peter 2:7-10A – “And if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”

Psalm 51:5-10 – “Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Matthew 26:40-41 – “And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘So, you men could not keep watch and praying for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’”

Comment – The Psalmist speaks of “truth in the innermost being.” How easily we are deceived about our role and that of our circumstances and conditions in regard to our sinful choices and behaviors. In addition, however, we are often deceived in regard to sin itself. We are very good at maximizing the rewards and minimizing the consequences of sinful choices and behaviors. Satan is a liar and poses as an angel of light. It only follows that the choices and behaviors that tempt us promise things that are out and out lies and appear as light and not darkness. Jeremiah described the heart of man as desperately wicked. This is why God has given us His Spirit. The Holy Spirit must infuse our inner being with all that is true so that we can discern the truth about the temptations we face. When we Let the Holy Spirit do this work we will not be mastered by sin but rather mastery over sin will be realized through the strength the Holy Spirit supplies.

Question # 3 – Can you recall a time you fell for a temptation because you did not see the lie that it contained?

Question # 4 – Can you think of a time you overcame a temptation because you did see the lie it contained?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the third point of the message – “Remember God Loves You”

James 1:16-17 – “So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, Who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.”

John 5:19-24 –“Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

Psalm 51:14-17 – “Deliver me from bloodguiltness, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise. For you do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; you are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Romans 6:20-23 – “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Comment – James speaks of the good and perfect things that come down to us from our God and Father. It is important that we see the bigger picture at this point. God made us to live fully for Him. This means that He desires that sin be overcome and that righteousness be produced in our lives. The only way this can happen is if He sends to us His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus alone can accomplish everything necessary. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus came, accomplished redemption, dwells in us by the Holy Spirit, and empowers us to master sin and choose righteousness. What a complete set of good and perfect things the Father has bestowed on us. What doth hinder us?

Question # 5 – How would you describe the good and perfect things God has brought down to your life?

Question # 6 – Is there some particular response God is calling you to make to Him in the light of all that has been considered in this week’s study?

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Conclusion

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Really becoming convinced that we are no longer our own because we are bought with the price of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, will go a long way to our having and living out the commitment of glorifying God in every moment of every day that we are here on this earth in the flesh. Letting God help us master sin and letting Him produce His righteousness in us is really the essence of what it means to glorify Him. May God’s grace prevail in our lives to this end.
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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions in regard to anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Jimmy Beats World – “Trophies”

Pretext – James 1:1; John 7:3 & 5

1 – Setting Expectations – James 1:2

2 – Know What You Know – James 1:3

3 – Let God Loose – James 1:4

4 – What Are You Looking For? – James 1:5-8
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Deep Six Study

Introduction

James 1:1 – “This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!”

John 7:3 & 5 – “And Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!’ …. For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

Hebrews 3:12-14 – “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.”

Imagine a horse race where a horse stumbles out of the gate and quickly falls behind. With great effort some of the lost ground is recovered but then the horse gets mired in the field with little hope of breaking through to challenge the leaders. Miraculously, however, an opening comes and the horse breaks free with the seemingly impossible task of catching the leaders. When one of the leaders begins pulling away from the others our horse that had trouble getting started and almost didn’t emerge from the pack starts gobbling up turf at an utterly ridiculous speed. Soon only one horse is left to catch and of course in dramatic fashion with a display of extraordinary strength our miracle horse catches the lead horse at the finish line and wins by a nose.

We are told that James, the brother of Jesus, got off to a slow start with his personal faith. It seems that along with his other brothers, James didn’t believe in Jesus at first. Somehow, like the horse in our scenario, there is a wonderful reversal for James. Tucked away near the end of the New Testament is a letter written by James that reveals that he finished well. Not only did He become a faith-filled follower of Jesus Christ, but he became the author of a powerful epistle that calls believers to emerge from the pack of those who are bogged down in the mire of worldliness for a stretch run where, with genuine spiritual maturity, victory is secured in the race of true and genuine Christian living. So, with such a focus we come to this week’s Deep Six Study as we begin a series on the Book of James.

Question # 1 – In your spiritual journey are you still trying to get started, mired in the pack of those who are bogged down with the world, or emerging for the stretch run God has in mind for us?

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Part 1 – Corresponds to the first point of the message – “Setting Expectations”

James 1:2 – “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” NLT

James 1:2 – “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” KJV

1 Peter 1:6 & 8 – “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials …. and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”

1 Corinthians 10:11-13 – “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Comment – The world in which we live is full of troubles and those troubles regularly come our way. Often the way we cope with those troubles reveals all. It is not natural to welcome troubles and to somehow have our troubles lead us to joy. The world offers pleasures and comforts and most of us go about life conditioned to pursuing these ends. When we come to faith in Christ this conditioning becomes one of our greatest challenges. God is not committed to our having a comfortable life, however, but rather to our having a righteous life. When we finally join God in His goal of us having a righteous life and we make it our primary pursuit, we will discover through a Divine awakening the joy that God bestows when righteousness is produced in us through the pressure and pain of troubles.

Question # 2 – How would you describe where you are in regard to making “righteousness” your top priority in life?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Know What You Know”

James 1:3 – “Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” NIV

1 Peter 1:7 – “So that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 10:36-39 – “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

Comment – A shift in life’s focus from comfort and pleasure to righteousness is vital, but maintaining that focus so that we finish strong is equally important. We are challenged with this at every turn and so our need for perseverance and endurance is huge.. We think that we need to persevere at handling troubles, but in Romans Paul says that troubles bring about perseverance. What we really need is to persevere at being focused on the goal of a righteous life. When by faith we embrace troubles as the means by which God produces righteousness in us, we are able to maintain the pursuit of righteousness as our top priority in life.

Question # 3 – What things have you learned along the way that help you to keep going in the “race” of the Christian life?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the third point of the message – “Let God Loose”

James 1:4 - “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Hebrews 12:2-3, 7, 10B-11 – “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart …. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? …. but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Hebrews 6:9-11 – “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end.”

Comment – The issue that we are actually facing in all this is the issue of surrender. Notice above those two small words “let it” and recognize in them the choice we need to make in regard to what we give ourselves. Will we be surrendered to the world and its momentary and surface comforts and pleasures or will we be surrendered to God and His goal of true righteous produced by troubles effecting profound and lasting joy in the depths of our being.

Question # 4 – What is it that has made “surrender” difficult for you when it comes to this higher type of life God has in mind for us?

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Part 4 - Corresponds to the third point of the message – “What Are You Looking For?”

James 1:5-8 – “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

1 John 2:15-17 – “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

Hebrews 12:28-29, 13:15-16, 20-21 – “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire …. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased …. Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Comment – At every turn the countless solutions of the world beckon us to turn aside to find in them the help and relief we desire for the pressure and pain of the troubles in our lives. But the deepest need of our heart is God Himself and until it rests in Him there will be no true peace, comfort or joy. It is in the sanctuary of communion with God that He reveals Himself and the wisdom we need for navigating the trouble laden course of life. When we see the beauty of what God has in mind it all makes perfect sense, but how easily our perspective shifts and our awareness becomes dulled. Vacillation is the bane of Christian maturity and staying the course God desires for us. Oh, that our faith would be sure and steady.

Question # 5 – Can you recall a specific instance when God clearly gave you the wisdom you needed for navigating through a difficulty you were experiencing?

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Conclusion

1 John 5:4 – “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

God is so clever! The world and its onslaught of troubles are the very means God uses to bring about our victory over the world and the resultant worldliness that might otherwise keep us from the beautiful righteous life He so deeply desires for each of us. Absolutely amazing!

Question # 6 – What is one outcome you would like to see come about as a result of going through this series on the book of James?

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions in regard to anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

He Loves Us – “Law Meets Love”

1 – Law Meets Love – John 8:1-6

2 – Law and Lawyers – John 8:1-10; John 1:14

3 – Love Beats Law – John 8:10B – 11
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Deep Six Study

Introduction

Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Our need for being loved and accepted is a driving force in our lives. At every turn the world and religion beckons us to turn aside to its countless substitutes for the love and acceptance we desire. The evidence of our lostness is most evident in these contexts. The deepest need of our heart is God Himself and until it rests in Him there will be no true relief from this need. Unfortunately, our looking to other sources for love and acceptance makes it difficult for us to receive it from God in the full and complete way that we need. The relief points of all the substitutes from the world or from religion put together do not compare with one momentary encounter with Jesus Christ and the touch of His love and acceptance upon one’s heart and life. All our efforts to find love and acceptance are futile when we seek to find them outside of God and His unconditional and unending love. This is why we need a Savior who comes, seeks, and saves that which was lost and this is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.
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Part 1 – Corresponds to the first point of the message – “Law Meets Love”

John 8:1-6 - “Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus, ‘“this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’ They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.”

John 3:16-21 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Galatians 3:21-26 – “Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Comment – What a great portrayal we find in this story of Jesus carrying out His mission of seeking and saving that which was lost. Both those whose lostness immerses them in the world where they are held in its grip and those whose lostness immerses them in religion where they are held in its grip. The collision of license, legalism, and unconditional love produces a powerful moment for exposing humankind to the depths. The Scribes and Pharisees called on Jesus to act as a judge but little did they know they were in the presence of One who did not come to either judge or condemn mankind but to rescue and save it.

Question # 1 – Are there substitutes that you have turned to and what have they actually done for you in terms of love and acceptance?

Question # 2 – How would you describe your journey of becoming free from the substitutes that interfere with entering into God’s unconditional love?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Law and Lawyers”

John 8:7-10 - “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’”

John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Matthew 7:1-5 – “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Matthew 23:13, 25-28 – “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in …. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Romans 2:1-5 – “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

Comment – People who were lost but have been found and saved learn not to condemn and not to throw stones. They understand the New Covenant and what it means to abide in God’s grace. They are quick to look to themselves and their own need for confession and forgiveness and are therefore quick to offer grace and forgiveness to those around them. They understand the high standard that God has for His people but they do not wield it like a sword in their relationships with others. With the understanding that any correspondence of their life to the high standard of God is His doing and the outworking of His grace, they are able to extend mercy and grace to others and forsake being easily offended, withholding forgiveness, and holding grudges. They know when this gets turned around, they are not walking in the Spirit and they block themselves from the grace and forgiveness they need in their own ongoing relationship with God.

Question # 3 – In what ways have you struggled with being easily offended, withholding forgiveness, and holding grudges?

Question # 4 – What do you think the key is for you to have victory in your life over these kind of things?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the third point of the message – “Love Beats Law”

John 8:10B-11 - “‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’”

Romans 7:4-6, 13-14, 25-8:2 – “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter ….Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin …. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Comment – The woman caught in adultery left the presence of Jesus with the opportunity to begin again. With the depth of forgiveness Jesus offered, she really could go forward and leave her sinful lifestyle behind. Can you picture yourself in this woman’s place? Would you have been able to walk away in complete forgiveness, feeling fresh and clean with a wonderful sense of spiritual vitality? With only a record of utter failure, without any proof that she could be trusted, she walked away with everything she needed to live victoriously. The only place where her past record and her untrustworthiness mattered were in the eyes of those around her. For Jesus and her all that mattered was the gift of her forgiveness; for with His forgiveness there is no track record and there is no untrustworthiness, just the open door of His kingdom and His righteousness.

Question # 5 – Do you recall a time in your Christian life when you really beat yourself up instead of entering into God’s unconditional love?

Question # 6 – Do you recall a time when you entered into God’s unconditional love and especially went forward fresh and clean with a wonderful sense spiritual vitality?

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Conclusion

Psalm 127:1-2 – “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.”

The Psalmist says that even while we are asleep we are beloved by God and He lovingly gives of Himself on our behalf. What a wonderful and interesting way to express the unconditional love God has for His people. When we are asleep we have “0” behavior. The image of sleep eliminates for us all the possible “conditions” we might otherwise impose on ourselves for being worthy of God’s love. So, if unconditional love from God is bestowed on us in our sleep, why would it be different when we are awake? The goal of our series has been for us to so come to grips with the unconditional love of God that we are prepared to go forward fully immersed in that love for the rest of our lives. It really does not have to be that we don’t do just that.
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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions in regard to anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

He Loves Us – “Pain & Penalty”

Pretext – Matthew 18:21-27

1 – The Other Side of Fair – Matthew 18:28-30

2 – Debtor’s Prison – Matthew 18:31-35

3 – Debt Free – Matthew 18:26-27
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Deep Six Study

Introduction

Matthew 18:21-27 - “Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’ Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.”

Matthew 6:12 – “And forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.”

Exercising influence on each other, both good and bad, is something that readily happens in the course of human relationships. The apostle Paul says in Romans that we should pursue the things that make for peace and the building up of one another and that we must not tear down the work of God. Unfortunately, into each of our lives and with powerful impact, comes the harsh, judgmental, tearing down kind of input of others. Over time, the accumulative effect of such criticism can take its toll on how we go about living our lives. We bear scars that are the result of wounds that are inflicted on us by other people. What a powerful influence these scars have on us. Sometimes, they are more like open wounds. God knows more about these painful wounds than we will ever know. His gift of redemption is not only meant to deliver us from the tyranny of our own sin but from the sins of others that impact our lives so severely. Our Savior bore the sins of humanity on the cross. He patiently waits to heal our wounds and to help us bear the sins of others in a similar manner. Forgiving others and extending unconditional love as we have been forgiven and received unconditional love is the key to life here on earth and is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.
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Part 1 – Corresponds to the first point of the message – “The Other Side of Fair”

Matthew 18:28-30 – “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.”

1 John 3:1, 11, 14, 16, 18 – “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him …. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another ….We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death ….We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren ….Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

Colossians 3:8-10 – “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”

Comment – The impact of unloving people in the world in which we live is not something that we can escape. The spirit of the world is not naturally one of love, but rather one of selfishness and self determination. And so apart from God’s intervention we are both the recipients and dispensers of unloving actions in an arena where people unlovingly clash again and again as each one pursues his own ends and purposes. While we cannot escape being on the receiving end of unloving behavior, we can become ones who exchange the dispensing of unloving actions for the dispensing of loving actions toward others. But this requires preparation, a re-tooling of our hearts and minds, if you will. We must be prepared ahead for the encounters we will have with people. Have we really embraced being agents of God’s love and forgiveness in our relationships with all people or rather are we more like the man in our story. Far too often we are unwilling to dump our hurts, abandon our fears, forsake our own ends and purposes and put on a garment of love on behalf of others? Love and forgiveness truly are a choice, but a choice that is made ahead of time and allows us to engage with others truly prepared with love and forgiveness to bestow freely and abundantly.

Question # 1 – If it is true that God’s love and forgiveness are unmerited why do we in our relationship with others impose conditions on them?

Question # 2 – Do you tend to be one who is more lenient with others and more exacting with yourself or more lenient with yourself and more exacting with others?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Debtor’s Prison”

Matthew 18:31-35 – “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Psalm 34:11-14 – “Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.”

Ephesians 5:1-2 - “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

Comment – We can not earn God’s love. He gives us His love freely and when God and His love becomes our dwelling place, then there is hope for love in our relationships with others. We will be able to love freely, forgive fully, and handle well whatever comes to us from others, good or bad. The apostle Peter says love covers a multitude of sins. To whatever degree you have been hurt by others the love of God can fix it. The apostle Paul says the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. We have been given an ample supply of God’s unconditional love and when we let our lives be impacted by this love, we are able to truly love others in a powerful way. As we extend this love to others, God will use it to help them respond to Him in ways that are needed so that they become properly aligned with His unconditional love. There may be those upon whom we will need to repeatedly bestow unconditional love while in return we receive anything but that from them. The goal is for unconditional love to win out, but all too often we hardly scratch the surface of His love and forgiveness in our actual experience and the whole process of love's impact is derailed. The starting point in all this is for us to enter as fully as possible into the love and forgiveness of God as a moment by moment reality. This is always available to us and entering into it makes all the difference in the world for those who so desperately need our and God’s unconditional love and forgiveness.

Question # 3 – How would you describe where you are in your ability to experience God’s unconditional love and forgiveness on a daily basis?

Question # 4 – How would you describe where you are in your ability to offer unconditional love and forgiveness to others on a daily basis?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the third point of the message – “Debt Free”

Matthew 18:26-27 – “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.”

1 Peter 3, verses 13-14, 16-17 - “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled …. and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

Proverbs 29:25 – “The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.”

1 Peter 2:21-25 – “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

Comment – In our pursuit of being ones who love and forgive it may appear that we are choosing to loose, but in reality we are choosing to win. Jesus said that the one who chooses to save his life will loose it, but the one who looses his life will save it. This is the way of the cross and the kingdom and it is the way that others are reached for the kingdom. We lay down our lives for others so that they might be led to the cross where the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the Sheep. It is difficult to keep focused on this way of life when we are in the throws of being accosted. This is why we need supernatural help. The following words of Peter are particularly helpful with all this: “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God …. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you …. Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” When we live in the reality that we are truly released from our debt to God we will truly be able to release people from their debt to us.

Question # 5 – Have you at times felt justified in your reactions to others and how are you learning to view others and their debts to you differently?

Question # 6 – Have you at times felt trapped in your reactions to others and how are you learning to release people and their debts to you?

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Conclusion

1 Peter 3:8-9 – “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.”

What an interesting arrangement that God has incorporated into the scheme of things: we have been called to be a blessing so that we might inherit a blessing. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” So here is how it all goes together. God in Christ blesses us by bestowing on us His unconditional love and comprehensive forgiveness. As we enter into the full blessing of God’s love and forgiveness we become a blessing to others. This blessing is initially the love and forgiveness they experience from us but the impact of this is that they come to know the love and forgiveness God has for them. Next, they too become dispensers of God’s love and forgiveness. And finally this will then mean that in our relationship with them we experience the joy of unconditional love reciprocated. Truly we are blessed, become a blessing, and inherit a blessing.
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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions in regard to anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

He Loves Us – “The Success Syndrome”

Pretext – Exodus 16:1-3

1 – The Power of Need – Exodus 16:11-16, Exodus 16:35

2 – Enough is Enough – Exodus 16:17-18

3 – Satisfaction is not Stuff – Acts 16:19-20
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Deep Six Study

Introduction

Exodus 16:1-3 – “Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. ‘If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt,’ they moaned. ‘There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.’”

Exodus 2:23B-25 – “…. And the Israelites were sighing and groaning because of the bondage. They kept crying, and their cry because of slavery ascended to God. And God heard their sighing and groaning and earnestly remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the Israelites and took knowledge of them and concerned Himself about them.”

Over 400 years earlier Jacob and his clan of about 70 people were the start of this vast community of Israel that complained against Moses, Aaron, and God in the wilderness. Initially, Egypt was God’s provision to preserve Israel from destruction by famine and then it became His means of building them into a great nation numerically. Finally, a king had arisen who did not remember Joseph. And so with all the benefits of that connection having become history and their size and power having made them an overwhelming threat, Israel became severely mistreated slaves in the land of Egypt. With great concern for the plight of His people, with great regard for His promises to them in the past, and with zealous intent for carrying out His purposes for them at this juncture in history, God set in motion a plan for extracting them from Egypt and placing them in the promised land of Canaan. God extracting Israel from Egypt has been accomplished but it seems Egypt has not been extracted from their minds and hearts. Thus, God placing His people in the promised land of Canaan becomes rather difficult because it requires a co-operation on their part that flows out of faith, surrender, and dependence. Instead, His people are a miserable, grumbling, complaining lot. Down through the ages God continues to be at work establishing for Himself a people who are distinctly His and it always involves extracting them from a path of living for themselves and placing them on a path of living for God. As His people today we often thwart what God is doing in our lives because like Israel of old, we lose our focus when facing adversity. We fall into the trap of longing for that from which God has extracted us in the past, doubting God’s provision in the present, and forgetting about the glorious outcome He has in mind for us in the future. How often we substitute our agenda for what we think will make for a good and successful life for the agenda God has for us. This struggle and the solution for it are the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.
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Part 1 – Corresponds to the first point of the message – “The Power of Need”

Exodus 16:11-16 – “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have heard the Israelites’ complaints.’ Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’ That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. ‘What is it?’ they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, ‘It is the food the LORD has given you to eat. These are the LORD’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.’”

Exodus 16:35 – “So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.”

1 Corinthians 10:1-14 - “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.’ Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

Psalm 46:1-2A, 10 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear …. Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Comment – Our propensity for craving evil things is a bigger problem then we realize and often we do so unaware that we are deceived as we go about pursuing what we think is merely the meeting of legitimate needs. Our drive to succeed so that we have everything we believe we need, desire and have a right to accomplish or gain is an extremely powerful dynamic in our lives. If we are thwarted in our efforts to succeed, have become miserable, and are grumbling and complaining, it is usually because we are not on track with God, His ways, or His purposes for us. The people of Israel got manna in the wilderness for 40 years. He provided this in response to their complaint, but could it be that if they had been on track with God, He would have quickly ushered them into the promised land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Choosing a promised land flowing with milk and honey over 40 years of manna in the wilderness seems like a no-brainer, but what lesser provision are we settling for in our lives because we are not on track with God, His ways, and His purposes. What promised land experiences are we missing because of a lack of faith, surrender, and dependence on our part that keeps us from co-operating with God and hinders His full blessing on our lives. If His people would cease striving, know and experience Him for the God He is, He would freely exalt Himself among the nations and throughout the earth.

Question # 1 – What is one truth you personally have learned from Israel’s failure to trust and obey God?

Question # 2 – Is there some need that is predominate in your life that gets in the way of your trusting and obeying God?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Enough is Enough”

Exodus 16:17-18 – “So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.”

Luke 12:29-34 – “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 – “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.”

Comment – Fear is a powerful force and it can effect us to the core of our being. Israel was afraid of dying in the wilderness and focused on the one place where they could at least survive, Egypt. This kept them from focusing on God and Who He really was and the fact that He could take care of them no matter what. His provision of food in the wilderness was inescapable, so they did what they were told and partook of what God had provided. But they did not grasp within their minds and hearts a sense of context for what was God had done for them. The severity of the wilderness and their perceived plight was less brutal to them than the sufferings of Egypt. They did not seem to have any sense of reality for the promised land of Canaan or God’s ability to get them there. God takes care of His people and they must always live in the reality of Who He is. When we do, He gives us perfect peace and we are able to walk in the fullness of His kingdom. With a deep “knowing” that God and whatever He provides is enough, success for us is now found in the quality of our walk with Him and how free He is to accomplish His purposes in us and through us.

Question # 3 – How has fear of not having enough been something you have had to deal with?

Question # 4 – Is there a time where you experienced in an exceptional way deliverance from fear and an inflowing of God’s peace into your heart and life?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the third point of the message – “Satisfaction is not Stuff”

Exodus 16:19-20 – “Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.”

Hebrews 3:12-16, 4:9-11, 14-16 – “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.’ For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief …. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience …. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Colossians 3:17, 23-24 – “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father …. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

Comment – The generation of Israel we have been looking at spent 40 years in the wilderness and died there never having entered the promised land of Canaan. This land was God’s provision of rest for His people but they were not able to enter because of unbelief. If they had believed and God’s placing them in the land had taken place in the way He had outlined for them, they would have found rest from contending with enemies, rest from the difficult labor of gaining food, shelter, and other physical provision, rest from conflict among themselves, rest from contending with the evil ways of other nations, rest within their minds and hearts because of God’s presence in their midst as the people of God under His loving and watchful care. God’s people today need to make certain that they enter God’s rest. How do we do that today? We have been delivered from the penalty of sin through Christ (extracting). On this basis Christ comes to live in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. By partaking of Christ and giving Him full operation within us and through us we are on a promised land path (placing) whereby we rest from our works in favor letting Him accomplish them for us. This is how God produces for Himself a people who truly live for Him and His kingdom. There is nothing this world has to offer that is more satisfying and fulfilling than a life so lived.

Question # 5 – How do you blend together the concepts of entering God’s rest and working for and serving the Lord?

Question # 6 – Where are you in your journey of truly becoming one to whom God’s love matters more than anything else?

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Conclusion

Psalm 57:1-3A, 7 – “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me …. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!”

So, whatever adversity we find ourselves facing and contending with, God awaits to be a gracious covering to us until it passes by. God is the One Who accomplishes all things for us and so are lives will only become what they were meant to be as He is free to pour out His love into our hearts and He is given free reign to provide for us and do His work on our behalf. We need the power of heaven to make our life here on earth a true success and as God’s saving power works for us in this way we will,, like David, proclaim, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!”
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Related Scripture: Exodus 3:7-9; 6:1-9; 14:10-14, 30-31; 15:22-27

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions in regard to these passages or on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Beforehand: Be sure to check out Pastor Ben’s message online if you were not able to catch it on Sunday morning.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

He Loves Us – “How Unconditional Love Sets Us Free from Rejection”

"The Bad Suit of Rejection"

1 – You Can’t Win – Acts 16:16-21

2 – The Power of a Song – Acts 16:22-25

3 – Free Already – Acts 16:26-30; Romans 8:31, 33, 35
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Deep Six Study

Introduction

A woman was married to a man who was demanding, perfectionistic, and ungrateful. The man felt it was his job to direct his wife and make sure she served his needs and those of his household faithfully. Each day before he left for work he would leave her a list of the things he expected her to accomplish. When he returned home each day the woman had to give an accounting to him and often he was exacting, critical, and harsh. The woman, having endured the man’s controlling ways for years was downtrodden, depressed, and quite weary. The man suffered a heart attack and died. Later on the woman met a man who was kind and gentle. They were married and the woman thrived under the patient, supportive, and encouraging attention of her new husband. One day several years later the woman came upon one of her first husband’s demanding lists. To her surprise they were all the things she was now doing willingly and happily in the context of her new marriage. She thought about the difference and realized that now in an atmosphere of unconditional love she was with great enjoyment freely choosing to accomplish things that would bless her husband and their household. Unconditional love makes all the difference. When we find ourselves pressured by the conditional of love others, God, with the unconditional love He has for us, can set us free. This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study ___________________________________________

Part 1 – Corresponds to the first point of the message – “You Can’t Win”

Acts 16:16-21 - “One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.’ This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And instantly it left her. Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. ‘The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!’ they shouted to the city officials. ‘They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.’”

Psalm 103:8-17 – “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children.”

1 Peter 2:19-20 – “For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

1 Peter 3:13-17 – “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. and do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

Comment – The woman in our introductory story could not please her first husband no matter how hard she tried. In whatever we do if we do it in order to earn a good response from others, we are on shaky ground. Paul may have realized that his action of casting out the demon would lead to a bad response from the masters of the slave girl, but he was not controlled by this and therefore did what needed to be done. Paul lived for God and not the good responses of others. Paul and Silas experienced rather serious rejection and tough consequences at the hands of their captors. It doesn’t seem likely that they were surprised by this. As a matter of fact it seems likely that they were prepared for it. They were living for Christ and His kingdom and their experience was a direct result of seeking to bring Christ to others. They and other early believers not only expected such reactions but actually rejoiced that “they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Life brings rejection and ill treatment our way and how often our desire to be exempt from it compounds its impact on our lives. When we live fully for God and abide in His unconditional love, we are able to let go of trying to earn the good responses of others and we become much better equipped to handle well the rejection and ill treatment that we face.

Question # 1 – What is one way that you experience the pressure of conditional love from others?

Question # 2 – Is there something that makes it particularly hard for you to accept completely that you are unconditionally loved by God?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “The Power of a Song”

Acts 16:22-25 - “A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.”

Psalm 100:1-5 – “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.”

Colossians 3:12-17 – “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Ephesians 4:29-5:2 – “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

Comment – The Lord will ultimately remove all rejection and ill treatment from our experience when we are in glory. But while we are still here it is absolutely necessary that we learn how to turn to Him immediately when it shows up so He can help us deal with it properly. Paul and Silas turned to the Lord in prayer in their prison cell and were waiting on Him for what He would do as they worshipfully sang hymns to God as the other prisoners listened. How often God waits for us to be still so that He can freely bring His order both to our hearts (singing) and the situations for which we need His intervention and when we are still He wonderfully works in powerful and freeing ways.

Question # 3 – How are you doing at becoming more attuned to God with His gracious presence and voice of affirmation than to those who relate to you with conditional love?

Question # 4 – If you were to write down on paper the song God, through unconditional love, is increasingly writing on your heart, what would be some of the words?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the third point of the message – “Free Already”

Acts 16:26-30 - “Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, ‘Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!’ The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’”

Romans 8:31, 33, 35 - “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? …. Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself …. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?”

Galatians 5:1, 13-14 – “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery …. For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Luke 4:14-21 – “And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

Colossians 3:1-4 - “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Comment – It is so hard for us to see the bigger picture of what God is doing. Our take on the situations of life can be so narrow. What if Paul and Silas had reacted differently to being beaten and thrown into prison by allowing themselves to focus on the injustice of it, to be caught up in their personal needs and rights, to demand of God that something be done. They would have missed God and a myriad of purposes for which He allowed them to go through this experience. Two purposes stand out: reaching the Philippian jailor and his family for Christ and setting into motion the sequence of events that would bring Paul to Rome for the sake of God’s kingdom. We think freedom is being free from tough situations including rejection and ill-treatment. Freedom, however, is being so wrapped up in God’s unconditional love that we are able to remain in difficult situations free from fear of rejection and ill-treatment as God works redemptively on behalf of the very ones who misuse us.

Question # 5 – Do you have a standout experience where something another meant for ill, God used for good?

Question # 6 – Is there some particular change about which God is speaking to you that needs your immediate response?

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Conclusion

God’s unconditional love for us is a love we can never earn and it is a love that we can never lose. It is here that we find the freedom to live fully for God. The mission of our church is all about helping people live fully for God. It needs to become absolutely clear to us that we will only be able truly to live fully for God when we truly come to grips with God’s unconditional love. The deepest needs of our hearts will never be reached and met through the pursuit of trying to earn the love of others. Perhaps conditional love is not really love at all. God does not offer a love that has conditions or can be earned. We begin with His freely bestowed love through Jesus Christ and then we are able to live in ways that please Him. May this series on God’s unconditional love bring to us the freedom we need to live more fully for Him than ever before.

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Easter - "The Problem with Happy Endings"

1 – No Way! – Mark 16:1-6; Mark 16:7

2 – Not Me! – Mark 16:7; John 11:25
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Deep Six Study

Introduction

John 1:6-13 – “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Jesus died for the sins of the world. The judgment of sin due to all of us was placed on Him. The judgment of sin is death and death is separation. Physical death is the separation of the spirit from the body. And spiritual death is the separation of the spirit from God. Jesus experienced both of these for us. When the sins of the world were placed on Jesus during His crucifixion on the cross, He was separated from the Father. This is why Jesus said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” And then after He said “It is finished” and as recorded, “gave up His spirit,” His double dying was completed. Through His resurrection Jesus overcame His own death and secured victory over physical death for the rest of us, but in addition, His resurrection validated that His crucifixion truly did secure victory over spiritual death for all of us as well. So, God has secured that which in the end will be a wondrous outcome for all who are willing to embrace His eternal provision. This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

Question # 1 – Can you think of some situation you went through that looked rather bleak but had a wonderful outcome?

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message – “No Way!”

Mark 16:1-16 – “Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, ‘Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.”

Mark 16:7 – “Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

1 Corinthians 15:16-20 – “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-6 – “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep.”

John 20:26-29 – “After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.’”

Comment – Some of the disciples of Jesus had the opportunity to believe in His resurrection through pure faith alone when His resurrection was reported to them by others who had already seen Him alive. But they needed more than just a report; they needed to see Him alive for themselves as well. Jesus said that those who believe without seeing are the ones who are blessed. In one sense believing without seeing is the only opportunity we have today for believing because after completing His post-resurrection ministry here on the earth, Jesus ascended into Heaven and the opportunity ended for seeing Him and then believing. How does one believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ without seeing him alive like the early disciples did? Many have come to believe in the resurrection down through the centuries, but most do so having overcome doubts and uncertainties. For the ones who struggle to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive for evermore and can’t seem to overcome their doubts and believe without seeing, there is a simple way to become sure forever. Prayerfully say, “Lord Jesus, if you are there, reveal Yourself to me as my risen Savior and Lord! He will show Himself to you and you will see Him, not like the disciples of old when they saw Him with their physical eyes, but with the eyes of your heart and then you will be able to believe.

Question # 2 – What has been your experience with doubts about the resurrection and how have they been overcome in your life?

Question #3 - Are you more of a “see and then believe person” or a “believe and then see” person?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Not Me!”

Mark 16:7 – “Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

John 11:25 – “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”

Romans 5:6-10 – “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

John 6:35-40 - “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.’”

John 17:1-3 – “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Comment – Embracing the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings us to the place where we must embrace our own resurrection. The benefit of Christ’s sacrificial death for us and subsequent resurrection is that we become ones who potentially experience “resurrection” in three different ways. Before we put our faith in Christ we are spiritually dead. When we put our faith in Christ and receive the forgiveness of sins, we become spiritually alive to God which could be called our spiritual resurrection. Someday, we will experience physical resurrection in the end times. There is a third way that we experience resurrection that is supposed to follow our spiritual resurrection. Romans 6 says that we are to be raised to newness in life in Christ. We are made spiritually alive to God (First way we are resurrected) so that Christ can live in us by His Spirit to enable us to live a new life (Third way we are resurrected). This is all in preparation for the ultimate consummation of all things which will include are being given glorified bodies (Second way we are resurrected). Thus we will spend all eternity with the Lord as restored beings set to fulfill God’s purposes unhindered forever. This great work of God is the magnificent expression of Grace that He has made available to all who will call upon Him in faith. It is undeserved and unearned and is intended for all. Since it is undeserved and unearned there is no one who is out of reach of this gracious work of God.

Question # 4 – How has being undeserving led to a sense of your not being able to approach God?

Question # 5 – What has helped you get beyond yourself both for accepting His grace and for experiencing the new life He desires for you?

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Conclusion

Jesus says to all of us, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” He is alive and can be alive in our souls to live the life for us that needs to be lived. Any other way of living out our Christianity is heavy, burdensome, and wearying. May God have mercy on us and lead us in the everlasting way.

Question # 6 – Will you prayerfully respond to Jesus now and come to Him in a fresh and vital way for the rest He offers to you?

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Palm Sunday - "Big Words"

1 – Deity - Mark 9:2-8

2 – Grace – Mark 9:5-6, Exodus 33:20-23, Mark 9:7

3 – Atonement – Mark 9:9-10, Matthew 26:39, 1 Peter 3:18

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Deep Six Study

Introduction

Acts 4:12 - “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Down through the ages it has been proclaimed that mankind needs salvation and that it comes through Jesus Christ alone. It would seem that in our day and age particularly the need for salvation would be evident and that it would be enough to simply tell how in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ salvation was made available for any who will believe in Him. Unfortunately, in so many peoples minds today there is very little context for the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and the salvation achieved. In other words, Jesus Christ as a Savior has become increasingly irrelevant in modern thinking and understanding. So, providing a context and a greater sense of relevancy for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study
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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message – “Deity”

Mark 9:2-8 – “Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could ever make them. Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.’ Suddenly, when they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus with them.”

Hebrews 1:1-3 – “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

2 Corinthians 3:12-18 – “Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Comment – Establishing that there is an Almighty, Holy God Who created the entire universe is a great place to start in building a context for the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and providing relevancy. In Biblical thinking you can take away the universe and you still have God. The God of the Bible is big enough to hold the universe in the palm of His hand. While the initial and ongoing existence of the universe is absolutely dependent on God, God depends on nothing for His existence. God has no initial existence and is self-sustaining. Our eternal God created the universe and He did so according to His dictates and His alone. This means that He set things up according to His own purposes and desires and in ways that are completely harmonious with His character and nature. His creation would have stayed this way except that God chose to create living beings with the ability to choose. Mankind has chosen to live in ways that go against God’s Divine and Holy character and His Divine and Holy order for His creation. The Divine and Holy order for God’s creation was lost and it takes that which is Divine and Holy to restore it. So, God the Father sent God the Son into the world to secure Salvation for a lost and sinful world. What an amazing thing that happens on the mountain in the story above. Essentially, God the Father is saying that Jesus is His Divine Son and that He can be counted on to accomplish what He was sent to do. Without the Deity of Christ we do not have a Savior.

Question # 1 – Why do you think Moses and Elijah were present with Jesus on the mountain?

Question # 2 – What is one thing that stands out to you in regard to the reality that without the Deity of Christ we do not have a Savior?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Grace”

Mark 9:5-6 – “Peter exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified.”

Exodus 33:20-23 – “‘But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.’ The LORD continued, ‘Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.’”

Mark 9:7 – “Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.”

John 1:14-18 – “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Ephesians 2:4-10 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Comment – People today have difficulty in acknowledging that there is a Creator who is in charge. The people in Jesus’ day had little trouble with this, but for Jesus to say He was one with God was blasphemous. This is exactly what God was doing on the mountain – declaring somewhat privately that Jesus is His Holy and Divine Son. John goes on to say that it is the Son in human form that proclaims God and that this expression of God is all about grace. First the shift to God in human form and then the shift from the Law to an age of grace. By establishing that there is an Almighty, Holy God Who created everything and that mankind has perverted the Divine and Holy order He intended for His creation, we understand the need for the law. It allows mankind to see that He has missed the mark of what God intended. In Israel we see that what the law declares as God’s intentions man is unable to fulfill. And so we have grace in human form to rescue us and further relevancy established for us in regard to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without grace we do not have a Savior.

Question # 3 – What do think it means when it says, “we were dead in our transgressions” in the Ephesian passage above?

Question # 4 – Where are you in regard to grasping the reality of “grace” and what is one way it is really making a difference in your life today?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Atonement”

Mark 9:9-10 – “As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept it to themselves, but they often asked each other what he meant by ‘rising from the dead.’”

Matthew 26:39 – “He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, ‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’”

1 Peter 3:18 – “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.”

Colossians 1:13-20 – “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Hebrews 10:5-10 – “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me; in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure.’ ‘Then I said, behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of Me) to do Your will, O God.’” After saying above, ‘sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), then He said, ‘behold, I have come do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Comment – So as people today grasp that there is an Almighty, Holy God Who created the universe, that mankind has perverted God’s Divine and Holy intentions for it, and that they need a Savior, they are gaining the context they need to see not only the relevance but the necessity of Christ’s “passion” experience. The reality that salvation is dependent on Christ’s betrayal, arrest, mock trial, scourging, crucifixion, shedding blood, death, burial, and resurrection takes hold. John the Baptist, referring to the atonement that Christ would accomplish, said, “behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” The Divine and Holy One of God took on human form, shed His blood on the cross providing redemption for all mankind and then rose from the dead to be a living Savior to any and all who place their faith in Him, God’s beloved Son. Without the atonement we do not have a Savior.

Question # 5 – What do you think was the purpose of the Old Testament sacrifices and offerings?

Question # 6 ��� What did Christ shedding His blood accomplish in regard to God, sin, and people?

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Conclusion

People at the time when Christ was here were looking for a Messiah to deliver them from Roman oppression. People today are similar in that most would love to have a mighty one come and set everything straight. But what would be “straight” for one would not be so for others and so on. We need the context and relevancy that Scripture gives us for Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection so that we understand that which truly needs to be made “straight.” A suffering Messiah was not a part of the religious understanding when Christ was here. Even the disciples had little context for this. So true was this that when Jesus spoke of His crucifixion and resurrection it went right over their heads. A suffering Messiah is what was given and a suffering Messiah is what we need. God is in the business of setting “straight” one life at a time. Through forgiveness of sins Christ comes to live in the believer’s heart and life by His Spirit. In this way through His indwelling presence He establishes His Diving and Holy order in our lives. Someday, Christ will return as the ruling Messiah and at His feet every knee will bow. He will be King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s. How much better it is to bow now to Jesus Christ, the One who suffered “all” for us so that we might have eternal salvation
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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Monopoly - “Connecting the Dots”

Pretext – Luke 6:38

1 – Giving and Worship – Luke 21:1-2; Luke 6:38

2 – Giving and Proportion – Luke 21:2-3; Luke 6:38

3 – Giving and Blessings – Luke 21:3-4; Luke 6:38

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Deep Six Study

Introduction

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Matthew 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

It is imperative that we always keep in mind that we are created beings. As such we were designed to be ones who serve a master. Whether we keep this in mind or not, we cannot escape this. Those who think they are their own masters will become slaves to that which they seek to master. Again this is because by nature we are merely servants created to be devoted servants of our Heavenly Maker, our true and rightful Master. There is no one on the face of the earth that does not serve a master whether they know it or not and more often than not that master is wealth. Those who love wealth and devote themselves to it are ultimately ones who hate God and reject His rightful claim to be their one and only Master. Who or what we serve is the key question in life and it is this question that forms the basis for what truly happens in our lives in regard to the whole matter of “giving” and this is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message – “Giving and Worship”

Luke 21:1-2 – “While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.”

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Proverbs 15:16 – “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and turmoil with it.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Galatians 6:14 – “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Philippians 1:19-21 – “I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Comment – It seems that as Jesus saw the actions of various people in regard to the collection box in the temple He also saw their hearts. Certainly, He saw some who out of their love and devotion to God served Him alone. And of course, there were those who out of their love and devotion to wealth served it instead of truly serving God. The Old Testament expression, “fear of the Lord,” is not talking about being afraid of God, but rather about being surrendered to our true Master. When we fear the Lord we allow Him to be at the center of our lives, calling the shots and using us for His will and pleasure. The other verses above express this surrender in rather full and complete terms and capture for us what a lifestyle of worship is all about. The true worshipper is one who has given themselves up in a full commitment of surrender and service to God their one and only Master. The widow was a true worshipper whose heart and life were surrendered to God. Thus surrendered the widow was able to give freely and appropriately as God guided and directed her.

Question # 1 – If someone asked you about the level of commitment God desires for His people, how would you describe it to them?

Question # 2 – How is making this connection between surrender of self to God and the matter of giving helpful to you right now?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Giving and Proportion”

Luke 21:2-3 – “Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. ‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said, ‘this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.’”

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 – “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.”

Philippians 3:7-8 – “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”

Matthew 16:24-27- “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.’”

Acts 4:32-35 – “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.

Comment – When we truly give ourselves up to God then we no longer maintain any claim on ourselves or anything we have in the way of earthly wealth. For the widow on this particular occasion it meant putting her two coins in the collection box in the temple. For the Corinthians over a period of weeks it meant putting aside an amount commensurate with God’s prospering on the first of each week until the Apostle Paul came to receive it from them for the needs of the saints. For the Jerusalem believers it meant no personal ownership but all things held in common under the administration of the apostles who would distribute to each as any had need. In each example we have people who were true worshippers whose lives and wealth were not their own. In each instance the dispensing of that wealth was different. Jim Elliot (1950’s slain missionary to the Auca Indians in South America) once said, “he is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep for that which he cannot lose.” When we allow God to get us to this place, we are ready to dispense our resources in whatever manner that He has in mind for us. The result is that the proportion that we give becomes truly “significant” both in quantity and quality.

Question # 3 – What are some ways that you relate to this quote from Jim Elliot?

Question # 4 – Do you think it could be possible that God could lead a group of believers today to do things in the way the Jerusalem believers did in the book of Acts?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the second point of the message – “Giving and Blessings”

Luke 21:3-4 – “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus said, ‘this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.’”

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Mark 10:21-22, 28-30 – “Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property …. Peter began to say to Him, ‘Behold, we have left everything and followed You.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.’”

Matthew 6:1-4 - “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Comment – There is something beautiful about a person whose true master is God alone. Those who are surrendered to God and are allowing Him to be their true master are not mastered by wealth or anything else. Their beauty lies in the fact that they are free. When God is our Master we are free. Surrender to God really does bring freedom from being mastered by anything else. Those who are not surrendered to God think that surrender means giving up their freedom. Little do they realize that surrender to God gives us the freedom to be what we were meant to be –ones who in love and devotion serve God our benevolent Master with full surrender of all that we are and all that we have. There are many blessings that come from a lifestyle of giving that grows out of a lifestyle of worship and surrender, but it is our freedom in Christ and resultant freedom from all other masters that is the greatest blessing of all.

Question # 5 – What are some ways that you have experienced freedom and slavery in your journey with finances over the years?

Question # 6 – What are some of the blessings you have experienced as a result of surrendering yourself and your resources to God?

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Conclusion

As recorded in John 10:27, Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” What a simple prescription for life. We are all like sheep. God made us to follow Him, to live for Him, to yield to Him. Like sheep we turn to our own way and go astray instead. God sent Jesus to bring us back. Jesus laid down His life for the sheep that we might be brought back to God and once again come under the ownership and authority of our Creator and Master. 2 Corinthians 9:16, says, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” What a wonderful gift it is to be forgiven and brought back. Our loving Shepherd speaks to us, knows us, and is out in front leading the way. Under the care and mastery of Christ our Shepherd, we become a gift to the world. Christ expresses Himself through us to those He wants to bless as we follow Him down the path of life. What a blessing to walk with our Shepherd and bless others as we give of ourselves and our resources according to His purposes and the result of His guidance.

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Monopoly - “Needy”

Pretext – Philippians 4:19

1 – God Has a Plan for Need – 2 Kings 4:1

2 – Need Moves Me to Act – 2 Kings 4:2-5A

3 – Need Teaches Me to Trust – 2 Kings 4:5-7

Deep Six Study

Introduction

Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.

1 Samuel 2:7 – “The LORD makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts.”

Proverbs 10:3 – “The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger, but He will reject the craving of the wicked.”

We understand that this earthly realm in which we live was originally created and established by God. We understand that it belongs to Him and that while He continues to have great intentions for it, it is a fallen and corrupt place. His mission is one of bringing redemption and restoration to this world. He never gives up seeking to awaken this world’s inhabitants to the reality that human existence is much more than the earthly realm. He often does so by appropriately dispensing, diminishing, or withholding basic life resources. He knows what it takes, and mercifully, He does what it takes. The Philippians passage above speaks of God meeting needs. For the unbeliever their greatest need is to come to faith in Christ. For the believer who is lacking in devotion their greatest need is to become committed to living fully for God. It is important to note that in the overall context of the book of Philippians this statement about God meeting needs is for those who are seeking to live fully for God and accordingly are involved with the work of His Kingdom. It is not directed at those who are wrapped up primarily in their own concerns and the life they are carving out for themselves while they put God’s Kingdom on hold. God always takes care of us, but it is always in ways that are best for us. How God meets our true needs is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

2 Kings 4:1-7 – “One day the widow of one of Elisha’s fellow prophets came to Elisha and cried out to him, ‘My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the LORD. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.’”

Isaiah 41:17 – “The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them.”

Psalm 34:9-10 – “O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.”

Psalm 84:11 – “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Comment – God loves to expand the horizons of those whose lives consist primarily in the pursuit of having basic life needs met with little attention given to heavenly things. In God’s scheme of things He seems to pit the heavenly against the earthly. He does so not in terms that make it better not to have earthly things in favor of having heavenly things. But rather He does so in terms that make it better not to let earthly things capture our hearts in favor of having them captured by heavenly things. He greatly desires that we do not spend our lives in the relentless pursuit of getting more and more (or if unsuccessful, merely wanting) but that we spend our lives more and more on Him and His kingdom. Hence, we see what a vital part God’s orchestration of the absence or presence of basic life provisions plays in the building of His kingdom. The widow in our story was on the brink of financial disaster and God wonderfully worked to meet her need. The widow, her sons, the prophet, the towns people, the creditor, and countless people down through the ages including us, are all impacted by God doing what He did here on this occasion for His purposes.

Question # 1 – Can you think of a time you were on the brink of financial disaster and how did God help you through it?

Question # 2 – What have you found that helps you to guard your heart from being captured by earthly things?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

2 Kings 4:2-5A - “‘What can I do to help you?’ Elisha asked. ‘Tell me, what do you have in the house?’ ‘Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,’ she replied. And Elisha said, ‘Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.’”

2 Corinthians 9:8-10 – “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, ‘He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.’ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”

James 2:15-16 – “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?”

1 John 3:17-18 – “But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

Acts 20:35 – “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Comment – (The story involves what God led the woman to do as a part of how He met her need, but it also involved the part Elisha the prophet played as well. So, in this study we are going to direct our attention to our being moved to help meet the needs of others instead) We all know how easy it is not to extend ourselves to help others even when we have the resources. But, because God desires so much that helping others becomes a way of life for us, He specializes in making it possible for us to help others even in those times when we don’t have the resources. Helping others, needs to be the rule not the exception even when we have very little to offer. Expect the unexpected: God loves to stretch what we have way beyond what is humanly reasonable so that He can meet the needs of others through us. While God can stretch our resources, sometimes our limited resources for helping others is our own doing. We are called to be stewards of what God gives us and that means that we must use what we have wisely. We must answer the call to be ones who meet needs. This will mean reducing what we spend on ourselves and purposely saving a portion of our resources for meeting the needs of others. We are called to be agents of grace. Even when we seemingly don’t have the means to help someone, don’t be afraid to respond in faith first in anticipation of God expanding your means. God is so very gracious to us and He is waiting to extend that grace through us to others at a level way beyond what we have even begun to imagine up to this point in our lives.

Question # 3 – Have you ever felt that you were exempt from helping others because of how bad your own situation was?

Question # 4 – Can you think of some way you could reach out and meet the need of someone in the very near future?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

2 Kings 4:5-7 – “So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! ‘Bring me another jar,’ she said to one of her sons. ‘There aren’t any more!’ he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, ‘Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.’”

Deuteronomy 8:3, 16-18 – “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.” … “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.' But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

Matthew 6:9-13 – “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”

Comment – Jesus Christ alive in our lives with our full awareness of Him and the kingdom uses He has in mind for us is what living fully for God is all about. Of course this requires an ever developing faith and the whole area of needs and physical provision is often the training ground God uses for this. With Christ and His kingdom as our central focus, our developing faith more and more brings us to the spot where ultimately we don’t care what happens to our physical provisions. When we are in charge and physical provisions dominate, then our needs and having them met consumes us and we are devastated when disaster strikes our lives. We must learn that handling “disaster” properly is all about what happens to us on the inside, in our hearts and minds, and not what happens on the outside. When we have our attachments in the right place (Christ and His kingdom), then there is nothing of true value for the disaster to hit because Christ and His kingdom mission are disaster proof. When this is what we are attached to, we don’t have to worry about disaster; our hearts and minds are secure with no entry point from the outside. But, if we are attached to physical provision which is subject to disaster then we become subject to disaster and there is an entry point to our hearts whereby we become vulnerable to internal devastation. When we live for God and His kingdom, He works at keeping us on target. The meeting of our true needs really is a training ground for our developing faith. His orchestration of basic life provisions is amazing and often there is no explanation for that provision but His direct and miraculous intervention.

Question # 5 – What is one amazing way God provided for you that you see as being directly connected with your putting His kingdom first?

Question # 6 - Are you willing to prayerfully ask Him to show you what adjustments He wants to make in your life at this time?

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Conclusion

Psalm 23:1-6 – “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; he guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house the Lord forever.”

It comes down to whether we have experienced the major shift in perspective and focus that God desires so much to see come about in our lives. He wants us to understand that He does not exist for us, but rather we exist for Him. His miraculous provision is for those who get this right. God has special ways and means of caring for those who are seeking to put living for Him and His kingdom ahead of having their basic life needs met. Those who are on this track are learning to be content with the absence or abundance of provision and are always grateful for whatever He provides, be it miraculously or by more conventional means.

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

The outline of Pastor Ben's message is integrated throughout this week’s Deep Six Study below

Deep Six (plus one) Study

Introduction

Psalm 37:16-26 – “Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD sustains the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they will have abundance. But the wicked will perish; and the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, and his descendants are a blessing."

We are young and then we are old but we are always children in the care of our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father gives and gives to us, His children, sustaining us throughout our lifetimes and then ultimately giving us our forever inheritance, Heaven. As beloved children who are blessed by our gracious and giving Heavenly Father, we bless others as we are gracious and giving toward them day in and day out. We must always live in the reality that we are walking through life with our Heavenly Father who holds our hand every step of the way and thus we are poised to extend our other hand to those who need it. When we forget that God holds our hand, we lose sight of how He gives and gives to us. As a result we become self focused and in fear that we or our descendents might one day have to beg for bread we withdrawal the hand we might otherwise use to bless others. This week’s Deep Six Study is simply a further look at the 7 principles from Pastor Ben’s message with the hope that in doing so we will be further helped to walk in step with our Heavenly Father with one hand secure in His and the other hand extended and open to any and all God calls us to bless.

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1 – It’s All His

Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.”

Romans 11:35-36 – “And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 – “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.”

Matthew 28:18 – “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Comment – If it really is all His, then the implication is that it all exists for Him and that includes us. So then, our need is to be surrendered to Him, so that all that we are and all that we have is entirely at His disposal for His purposes and good pleasure.

Question # 1 – In your struggle with the issue of personal ownership is there something that happened in your life that has really helped you get past the struggle?

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2 – He Gives So We Can Give

Malachi 3:10 – “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’”

John 3:16 - “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

1 Chronicles 29:13-14 – “Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You and from Your hand we have given You.”

Proverbs 3:9-10 – “Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

Matthew 6:19-21 - “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Comment – We don’t own it, so we don’t hold on to it. Accumulating wealth that we don’t need to dispense is not in the equation. We all need a basic life situation from which to operate which includes shelter, food, clothing, etc. From that which God gives, He will show us what we are to dispense (give) to that end. God gives us the privilege of dispensing (giving) what He gives us on behalf of others as well and He will direct us accordingly. As God unfolds our lives there will be greater and lesser amounts we dispense on ourselves and greater and lesser amounts we dispense on behalf of others at different points along the way.

Question # 2 – What role has greed played in your life and what have you found helpful for overcoming it?

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3 – We Are Managers

Matthew 25:14-15 - “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.”

1 Timothy 6:17-19 – “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”

Ecclesiastes 5:13, 15, 19 – “There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt …. As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand …. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.”

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 – “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”

Comment – The practice of dispensing appropriately that which God gives to us is an art which God teaches us as we walk with Him through life. As we keep in mind that it is all His and that He gives it to us to dispense (give) for His purposes and plans, we can readily embrace our role as stewards of the resources God bestows on us.

Question # 3 – What are some of the basics that you think go into being one who is a good steward of God’s resources?

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4 – God Measures Giving

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Romans 8:31-32 – “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

Ephesians 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

2 Peter 1:3 – “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

1 Corinthians 3:21-23 – “So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,  and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.”

Comment – As we are found faithful in our stewardship and openly respond to those opportunities He leads us to give to, we free Him up to pour out additional resources into our lives. We don’t give to get, although we do give with the knowledge that our giving often leads to our being given more so that we have more to dispense for the benefit of others. The Old Testament concept of percentage giving can be a helpful guideline. A designation of 10% of our resources for giving to others is a good place to begin and then we go from there as God leads.

Question # 4 – Where has your journey led you over the years in regard to determining how much to give and where to give it?

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5 – Giving Is Faith

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

Malachi 3:10 – “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’”

Proverbs 11:28 – “He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.”

2 Corinthians 9:12 – “For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.”

Hebrews 6:10 – “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”

Comment – We should always seek to follow God’s leading in the matter of dispensing our resources both in regard to what he wants us to dispense on behalf of others and what He has in mind for meeting our personal needs. However, sometimes His leading will result in our needing to trust Him for resources that are way beyond what would seem to be available to us. Sometimes He wants us to do this sacrificially, whereby we cut back on that which we dispense on ourselves (even to the point of not knowing where our provision will come from) in order to have available that which He wants us to dispense on others. Sometimes He wants us to trust that He will give us resources to dispense on behalf of others that are way beyond the usual resources He brings our way. Either way God provides in an extraordinary way that requires a full measure of trust and obedience.

Question # 5 – Do you have an instance that stands out to you where God provided in an extraordinary way for you as you trusted Him and gave sacrificially?

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6 – God Guarantees

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

2 Corinthians 9:6 – “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

Proverbs 19:17 – “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD,
And He will repay him for his good deed.”

Mark 10:28-30 – “Peter began to say to Him, ‘Behold, we have left everything and followed You.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.’”

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Comment – Is there any doubt that in whatever God leads us to do, He will not only be with us in it, but He will wonderfully care for us throughout it. Once and for all we need to determine to set our eyes on Him and not our needs. It is not about us. It is about God and the building of His Kingdom. We can rest assured that God gives back to us abundantly when we are gracious givers. Again, we don’t give to get, but rather we dispense (give) in order to have more to bless others with for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

Question # 6 – What do you think are some of the basic reasons we doubt that God will provide abundantly for us if we respond to His call to be full givers?

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7 – Happy To Give

2 Corinthians 9:7 – “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Romans 12:8, 13 – “Or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness …. contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”

Philippians 4:15-20 – “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Comment – God’s economy is beautiful and full participation in it is quite fulfilling and rewarding. As we experience doing things God’s way in this area and develop a lifestyle of giving we will increasingly find an inner delight in all of it that will lead to our truly being cheerful givers.

Question # 7 – What is one change you think will help you move more completely toward being the cheerful giver God wants you to be?

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Conclusion

We started with the picture of our gracious and giving Heavenly Father walking along beside us in life holding our hand as we extend our other hand open and poised to be gracious and giving to those we encounter along the way. It is hoped that the 7 principles covered will help us to go forward with greater confidence and commitment than ever before for walking with God in this way.

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Monopoly - “Life and the Rules of the Game”

Pretext – Luke 12:13-15

1 – What’s Real? – Luke 12:16-19; Luke 12:20; 2 Corinthians 4:18

2 – What Matters? – Luke 12:20; 2 Corinthians 4:18

3 – What “Rich” Looks Like – Luke 12:21

Deep Six Study

Introduction

 Luke 12:13-21 – “Then someone called from the crowd, ‘Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.’ Jesus replied, ‘Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?’ Then he said, ‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.’”

1 Timothy 6:9, 17 – “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction …. Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”

This world is not my home I'm just passing through
my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

What a great song to help us capture some important thoughts. Some of us are too at home in this world and others are not at home enough. This world is not our home, we are just passing through, and laying up treasure beyond the blue is critical. But even though we are passing through, what we do while passing through is critical too. How we handle earthly treasures has much to do with laying up heavenly treasures. And herein lies the evidence for how we truly view reality and what kind of blend between the temporal and eternal actually exists in our lives. Because the struggle with greed and the desire to accumulate wealth that we won’t have to dispense selflessly is a major influence on how we live our lives, we need help for guarding ourselves against a wrong view of reality and a wrong blend between the temporal and eternal in the operational aspects of daily living. This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 12:16-19 – “Then he told them a story: ‘A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’”

Luke 12:20 - “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’”

2 Corinthians 4:18 – “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Comment – People who have a proper view of reality are ones who are seeking to allow their temporal life here on earth to be governed by that which is eternal. In praying for the Ephesian believers the Apostle Paul prayed that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened. We get used to seeing primarily with our physical eyes and we become conditioned to thinking about and viewing life accordingly. When God awakens us spiritually and we allow the impact of the eternal to do its proper work, we gain a new perspective and orientation to life here on earth. When we see predominately with our physical eyes, we will be so caught up with temporal things that our earthly mindedness makes us of little heavenly good or we will be so disdaining of temporal things while biding our time on earth that our heavenly mindedness makes us of little earthly good. When we see with the eyes of our heart, we gain a heavenly perspective that allows us maximize our lives here on earth so that they truly count for eternity.

Question # 1 – What do you think it means to store up treasures on earth?

Question # 2 – What do you think it means to store up treasures in heaven?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 12:20 - “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’”

2 Corinthians 4:18 – “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Philippians 3:17-21 – “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 – “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.”

2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-9 – “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens …. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”

Comment – If we seek to be ones who allow our temporal lives here on earth to be governed by that which is eternal, we will be ones who live for the kingdom of God. This is how we maximize our lives on earth. We make it our daily pursuit to exist for God and His Kingdom by letting Him bless the world through us day by day. We do this by experiencing true communion with God our King, by letting Him rub off on us so that our lives exhibit the qualities of true Kingdom members, by serving and being served by other Kingdom members so all are blessed and spurred on by the encouragement given and received, and by blessing those in the world God brings our way with kingdom actions of unconditional love and care and the words of the kingdom that make an eternal difference.

Question # 3 – What things most please the Lord and should be true of us during the time we are absent from Him and our eternal home in heaven?

Question # 4 – What would be the result right now if our lives were measured for how much we are pursuing and achieving both temporal and eternal glory?

Part 3 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 12:21 – “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Ephesians 3:1, 8 – “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles …. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.”

Ephesians 3:14-19 – “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

James 5:1-11 – “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

Comment – If we are ones who truly live for God’s kingdom we will truly be rich. The focus of all true riches is God Himself. There are a multitude of things that go into living for God and His Kingdom that are of eternal value. However, God Himself must be at the center of all we do at every point or these same things can become much less than they were meant to be. We can never do better than making true communion with God our primary pursuit in life. How could actually being in God’s presence not result in our knowing Him, becoming like Him, and being used by Him for the accomplishment of His will. If this is not the outcome of our communion with God, then we have settled for something less than true communion with God. May it be that we find true riches because we have a rich relationship with God where our communion with Him results in the lives we live being His doing so that they count for eternity.

Question # 5 – What are some ways that pursuing and acquiring earthly riches have gotten in the way of your having a rich relationship with God?

Question # 6 – What are some things you have found helpful for pursuing and achieving a rich relationship with God?

Conclusion

In the end God will measure your life by how much you dispensed of yourself and your earthly resources for His Kingdom. Seeking God and learning how to commune with Him is the secret to having it be that in full measure this comes about day by day. Tell God that you want a rich relationship with Him and ask Him to teach you how to commune with Him fully. Ask Him to show you how communing with Him results in everything else coming about. Ask Him to let it be that in His mercy you will learn to dispense of your life and earthly resources in full measure for His Kingdom so that your life truly counts for eternity.

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Josh Adam’s message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Youth Sunday Message and Emphasis

1 – Opportunity – Luke 5:18; Luke 10:2

2 – Obligation – Luke 5:19; John 15:16-17; Matthew 28:19-20

3 – Outcome – Luke 5:20; Daniel 12:3

Deep Six Study

Introduction

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 – “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Is there any question that the world is at odds with God and that being reconciled to Him is the key to life. God took the initiative when Jesus Christ came and accomplished the provision for reconciliation we so desperately needed. To every single person who becomes reconciled to God through Jesus Christ is committed the word of reconciliation and to them is given the ministry of reconciliation. Can you imagine if every believer became truly engaged in carrying out this responsibility. God has no other plan than to use those who have been reconciled to reach those who need to be reconciled.

Someone has aptly said, “It is better to build young people than to repair adults.” While it is true that children and adults alike need the reconciliation God provides, most children have not been hammered much by destructive life experiences like many adults have. So, on the whole, the project of an adult becoming reconciled to God, having their life repaired, and being set on an altered course for life is much more difficult than the project of a young person becoming reconciled to God, having their life built in healthy ways, and being set on God’s path for life. So, as they say it is a no brainer, as believers we must make young people a primary focus as we seek to carry out both individually and collectively the ministry of reconciliation which we have been given. Being helped to embrace and to fulfill this challenge more fully is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 5:18 – “Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus.”

Luke 10:2 – “These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

Galatians 6:9-10 – “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

Deuteronomy 4:9-10 – “Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’”

Comment – The paralyzed man’s friends saw an opportunity and acted on it. Perhaps their reasoning went something like this: Jesus is nearby and is known to be able to heal people; our friend is paralyzed and we certainly would like him to be healed from his condition; our friend in the presence of Jesus will make him a likely candidate for being healed from his paralysis; we are willing to do whatever it takes to bring our friend into the presence of Jesus. We have the opportunity to be like the paralyzed man’s friends. We too can bring others before Jesus. Jesus said that the harvest is great, but the workers are few. Is this really true? Yes, there are countless people to be reached and as we already established our young people need to be a primary focus. But shouldn’t there be ample workers available? The answer should be yes, in the light of what was said earlier: that everyone who has been reconciled has been given the ministry of reconciliation. Perhaps Jesus is saying, there are few “willing” workers. The opportunity to touch the lives of young people is there and all of us can embrace it – all we need to do is bring them before Jesus and He will do the rest.

Question # 1 – In what ways do you relate to the “building vs. repairing” contrast in your own life experience?

Question # 2 – What do you think is the biggest challenge parents face today in seeking to raise their children for the Lord?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 5:19 – “But they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus.”

John 15:16-17 – “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.”

Matthew 28:19-20 – “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

1 Peter 4:10-11 – “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Romans 12:10-13 – “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”

Comment – The friends of the paralyzed man responded to the opportunity they saw for bringing their friend before Jesus but when they arrived with him it was too crowded for them to reach Jesus with their friend. Most likely these men when they set out to act on the opportunity they saw for bringing their friend before Jesus for healing, had told him all about their plan. For them it was like a promise to a man they loved and cared about greatly. So, from obliging hearts that ran true and deep, they set out to find a way no matter what it took to bring their friend before Jesus – and they did just that. Obligation is not cold duty, but rather it is a deep commitment and connection to the one who calls us to reach out and to the ones we are reaching out to with the word of reconciliation. God calls all of us to reach out to the young people all around us and He will show us individually and collectively just what He has in mind and He will empower us to do it.

Question # 3 – In what ways have you struggled with approaching the challenge of reaching others out of cold duty?

Question # 4 – Can you recall a particularly challenging but rewarding moment in which your life impacted a young person ?

Part 3 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 5:20 – “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”

Daniel 12:3 – “Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.”

3 John 1:4 – “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

Psalm 78:5-8 – “For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.”

Comment – The friends of the paralyzed man acted on the opportunity they saw, but little did they know that Jesus was ready to do much more than heal their friend from his paralysis and little did they know that Jesus was ready to do something for them as well. An outcome more wonderful and far reaching than they could have ever have imagined was the result. Because of friends who acted on an opportunity to bring a friend before Jesus and because of friends with obliging hearts that were willing to do whatever it took to overcome all obstacles, Jesus, seeing their faith, healed their friend and forgave His sins. Certainly, their faith brought forgiveness of sins to them as well and launched them all on the lifetime journey of bringing others before Jesus. We cannot begin to imagine the extent of the outcome God has in mind when we let Him use us to reach the younger generation. The Psalm says that children yet to be born will someday arise and reach their younger generation of their day. Do you see how this can go on perpetually, but only if our generation brings the younger generation before Jesus as we have been called to do. And as Daniel so poetically depicts, ultimately there are eternal outcomes.

Question # 5 – Can you recall someone and the particular way their life impacted you as young person for good in an ongoing way?

Question # 6 – What dreams do you have for your life and for your church being used to touch the next generation in the coming years?

Conclusion

Being helped to embrace and to fulfill this challenge more fully is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study. There are a multitude of ways we can do this. Collectively, we must further equip parents to be the best parents they can be. We must continue to develop our children’s and youth ministries as thoroughly as possible so that more than ever they supplement what our parents are doing at home and they stand in the gap for children and youth who get less than they need at home. Individually, we can answer God’s call to engage in the ministry of reconciliation. We can seek out all the help we need to be the best parent we can be. We can ask God to show us if He has a spot for us in the ministries of our church for children and youth. We can find ways to mentor children and youth in our church (or elsewhere) who don’t have as much adult input as they need. We can support, encourage, and help equip other parents as they seek to raise their children for the Lord. We can pray and give over and over again.

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the statement of preparation for this week’s message from Pastor Ben which he included in this week’s all-church email. An outline of this week’s message was not available.

The Deep Six Study follows and is borrowed from a Deep Six Study on Missions from a couple of years ago that fits in with the statement below from Pastor Ben

“The church has been a historical force for good, looking to the needs of people and sacrificing to bring hope and justice to them. The church must always come with ‘gifts’ in both hands, in the one is compassion that meets the need of the body and the day - food, water, medical care, education, justice. In the other hand is compassion that meets the need of the soul and eternity. The saving message of Jesus Christ. Coming with only one hand is an empty offer.”

Deep Six Study

Introduction

John 17 is a prayer offered by Jesus to the Father on behalf of His disciples just before His crucifixion. He is praying that they will be steadfast in their faith when He is no longer with them. But then amazingly Jesus takes it much further and says, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.” What a wonderful picture of how the impact of the original disciples and each subsequent generation lives on. Jesus’ prayer includes us and we are a testimony to the reality that His request was granted. One generation after another has believed through the “word” of disciples who have “gone on” but in a very special sense “live on.” While such considerations are mind boggling, there is one specific consideration that is of supreme importance. When we have “gone on” will we “live on” because the impact of His “word” through us has gone forth so that we leave behind others who have believed? This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Acts 13:36 – “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay.”

Philippians 1:3-5, 27 – “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now …. Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 – “You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything.”

Comment – Each generation of believers has the opportunity to impact their world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we look back we can see both good and not so good examples from generation to generation. God has His purposes in each generation and we must serve those purposes. There are always conditions and needs present in our world and as we impact people with the gospel of Jesus Christ we must remember that we do so in the context of those conditions and needs. We need to embrace people, right where they are in the middle of what they are going through, with love, compassion, and help. When this is done in a genuine way the message of the gospel can be shared with greater receptivity and thus there exists the very necessary and wonderful blend of both the words and deeds of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May it be that when future generations of believers look back to us they will see that we truly served the purposes of God in our time.

Question # 1 – What happens when our impact is more “need” than “gospel” focused?

Question # 2 – What happens when our impact is more “gospel” than “need focused?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

2 Corinthians 1:4 - “Who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Romans 10:11-15 – “For the Scripture says, ‘whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for whoever will call on the name of the lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!’”

Romans 3:21-24 – “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

Comment – In our world today there are conditions that exist and needs that people have that are simply overwhelming. At the same time, however, we often find ourselves isolated and insulated from a world in dire straights. We seem to put great effort into protecting ourselves from the conditions of our times not realizing that when we do we often cut ourselves off from those people who have the greatest level of need as the result of experiencing the brunt of those conditions. We need to take a careful look at our lives for the presence of unnecessary barriers that keep us from impacting our world with the words and deeds of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is for everyone regardless of the risks that reaching certain ones may present. Possible loss of comfort, dignity and respectability, and security, etc. must not keep us from the very people who most need us.

Question # 3 – Can you identify something in your life that is a barrier between you and someone that keeps you from impacting them with the gospel?

Question # 4 – Does your story include a barrier that was overcome so that you were able to impact someone’s life with the gospel?

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Part 3 - Corresponds to the third point of the message

Mark 6:34 – “When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”

Acts 3:4-7 – “But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, ‘Look at us!’ And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‘I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!’”

Matthew 9:35-38 – “Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.’”

Luke 10:1-2, 21-24 – “Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest’ …. At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, ‘I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.’ Turning to the disciples, He said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.’”

Comment – Jesus perfectly served the purposes of His Father. There were no barriers between Him and the people around Him that were of His making. And He was able truly to “see” the people He came into contact with. What happens when we truly “see” the people we come into contact with? It means our focus is off of us. We are not caught up in wanting to be “seen.” We are not worried about what our contact with another will do for us or to us. We are not absorbed in promoting ourselves, our agenda, or our needs. We are simply present and available for the welfare of another. Filled with the presence of God, His love and compassion overflow from us to others as He enables us to “see” people the way He does. As a result the purposes God has for us in the life of another can be fulfilled.

Question # 5 – How are you doing at recognizing and overcoming things that keep you from truly “seeing” others?

Question # 6 – Is there a particular commitment you want to make that will help you have a greater impact on your world throughout your lifetime?

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Conclusion

We have the opportunity to touch our world in ways that are both similar to and distinct from other points in history. The gospel never changes and thus the similarity of our opportunity. But the conditions and needs of our world today are unique and thus the distinctiveness of the opportunity before us. If we let God breakdown unnecessary limitations, if we “see” others through the eyes of our Heavenly Father, and if we embrace people and their needs in the midst of the conditions of our times, we will leave behind a legacy where the impact of the gospel through us “lives on.”

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Beforehand: Be sure to check out Pastor Ben’s message online if you were not able to catch it on Sunday morning.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

The Eye of the Beholder - “Beauty”                                                  

1 – How to “Behold” Beauty – Song of Solomon 4:1-7; Proverbs 31:30

2 – Beholding to the Beholder – 1 Peter 3:3-4

3 – Beauty Is in the Eye of the Creator – Psalm 8:3-5; Psalm 27:10

Deep Six Study

Introduction

It would seem our society is obsessed with personal beauty and appearance. If we could somehow measure to what degree our society engages in the quest for personal beauty and rewards it in others, we would come to the conclusion that personal beauty is truly a core value in our culture. Even though sayings like “beauty is only skin deep” resonate with most of us and the value of inner beauty is significantly present in our culture, our passion for personal beauty and appearance is out of control and day by day it continues to escalate powerfully into a force that dominates the world in which we live. This may seem like a strong statement but for most of us all we have to do is look at ourselves honestly and accurately over the course of one day and we will find all the evidence we need. Do personal beauty and appearance have a place in the scheme of things? or do we have to forsake them altogether in an all out pursuit of inner beauty? If we allow that there is room for both, then the important task becomes one of balancing things out between outer and inner beauty.  But even with this our attempt to do so may be within a framework of trying to find significance, worth, and acceptance. There has got to be a better way. Exploring all this and finding that better way is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.   

Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Song of Solomon 4:1-7 – “You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are as white as sheep, recently shorn and freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin. Your lips are like scarlet ribbon; your mouth is inviting. Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates behind your veil. Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David, jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes. Your breasts are like two fawns, twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies. Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee, I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.”

Proverbs 31:30 – “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.”

1 Samuel 16:6-7 – “When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.’ But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

Cross references:

1. 2 Corinthians 5:14 : Acts 18:5
2. 2 Corinthians 5:14 : Rom 5:15; 6:6f; Gal 2:20; Col 3:3
3. 2 Corinthians 5:15 : Rom 14:7-9

Comment – In the passage above from 1 Samuel, the sons of Jesse are being examined by Samuel in order to discover which one of them will replace King Saul. It is in this context that the Lord says to Samuel, “Man looks to the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” At first glance we see the contrast between the outward and inner person and we think in terms of man valuing the outer and God valuing the inner. While this tends to be true on our part, there is something else here. Most likely, the contrast is not so much between man valuing outward appearance and God valuing the heart, but between God’s ability to look at things and man’s ability to look at things. In other words, we are not able to see a person’s heart as readily as we see their appearance, while God sees the heart instantly, accurately, and fully. It is interesting that when David was brought before Samuel the following was said of him, “Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him for this is he.’” We might have thought the Lord would have said of David that he had a pure heart full of integrity, faithfulness, and love for God. No doubt God looked at David’s heart and his appearance and found him to be suitable for His purposes. So, it is not either or, but rather finding balance and not letting outward appearance be the predominate thing in how we view others. For this, we must let God help us to look at the whole person as we seek to know other people. Certainly, the heart is the foremost indicator of who a person is, but this does not mean that beauty and a good appearance cannot be in the equation. It just means that we must find balance for ourselves in a world that is obsessed with personal beauty and outward appearance.

Question # 1 – Can you think of a time where making a decision based on someone’s outward appearance got you into trouble?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

1 Peter 3:3-4 – “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Cross references:

1. Mark 11:22 : Matt 17:20; 21:21f
2. Mark 11:23 : Matt 17:20; 1 Cor 13:2
3. Mark 11:24 : Matt 7:7f

Comment – Just as we need to balance outward and inner beauty with regard to how we look at others, we must do so similarly in regard to our own inner and outward beauty. Many of us are out of balance toward the outward side and therefore have an abundance of inner remedial work that is needed. But there are some who so disdain outward appearance (for a multitude of good reasons that could be the subject of an entire study) that they are out of balance the other way. So, in the 1 Peter passage above it is not either or when it comes to your own person personal beauty and appearance. It is just a matter of priority and degree. We should concentrate on “the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” When this is our priority, our attention to outward appearance will not be a substitute for what is most important and we will develop a healthy care for our bodies that is balanced and appropriate.   

Question # 3 – How are you doing at making “inner beauty” a priority in your life?

Question # 4 – Can you think of a time in your life where you were out of balance with outer beauty, either in pursuit or disdain of it?

Part 3 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Psalm 8:3-5 – “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.”

Psalm 27:10 – “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.”

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 – “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 – “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Comment – The message of caring for the whole person, with a focus on both inner and outer beauty is not new and has become more and more common in our day even in Christian circles. Often, however, while we may become more balanced in one sense, a problem persists that undermines the whole business. The problem comes when our efforts at this are a part of a pursuit to find significance, worth, and acceptance. When we seek to attain beauty in appearance, personality, and heart in order find significance, worth and acceptance we are on very shaky ground.  Even the use of terminology like: significance, worth, acceptance is problematic. They put the focus and onus on ourselves. Perhaps something like this would be helpful for describing what we truly need: a sense of well being. Surely, feeling that we come across to others in good ways can help us to feel good about ourselves on a more surface level, but these good feelings can never meet our need for a deep sense of inner well being. Gaining a sense of well being at a deep level is a work of God. (see conclusion for how this comes about)

Question # 5 – How has trying to find significance, worth, and acceptance from the wrong things and for the wrong reasons been a part of your experience?

Question # 6 – How are you doing at finding a sense of well being through your relationship with God?  

Conclusion

We desperately need to be convinced that God’s love for us is everlasting and unconditional and that there is nothing that we can do to earn or deserve it. Then we desperately need to come into God’s presence regularly in prayerful worship and dependence so that the deepest recesses of our hearts are actually touched by His love and care over and over again. This is how we come to have a sense of well being that brings a stability to our lives that allows us to so walk with God that we display His beauty as we face together whatever comes our way.

Psalm 118:28-29 – “You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Flinch – “Facing Your Fears”

1 – On the Run – 1 Samuel 17:48

2 – Running at Our Problems – 1 Samuel 17:48

3 – David, Goliath, Jesus – 1 Samuel 17:49-51; 1 Samuel 17:47; Colossians 2:13-14

Deep Six Study

Introduction

Shortly before the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, He spoke those famous words, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” The “flesh” speaks to that part of our being, body and mind, that is oriented to earthly desires and temporal involvements, while the spirit speaks to that part of our being, spirit or soul, that is oriented to heavenly things and eternal involvements. These words which Jesus spoke are only the last half of what He said. They were preceded with these words, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation.” This statement and the setting in which it was said bring before us some very important considerations. We are told elsewhere in Scripture that Jesus came to “seek and to save that which was lost.” To accomplish this Jesus must have a showdown with the “sin of the world.” John the Baptist said, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This showdown will take place on a wicked and cruel cross where Jesus must die in order to conquer the “sin of the world.” Jesus calls this His “cup.” For the purpose of this series we could call it His “Giant.” In order for Him to face His “Giant,” Jesus knew that both spirit and flesh must be willing and strong. So, Jesus takes care of getting spirit and flesh properly aligned and in so doing shows us how to triumph over Giants. Jesus entered into earnest prayer which led to submission of His entire being (body, mind, and spirit or soul) to God’s will, which led to facing His Giant head on, which led to triumph. In turn the disciples did not determine to do business in this way, which led to sleeping rather than watching and praying, which led to focusing on their human predicament rather than on God’s will, which led to fleeing and denial rather than following and faithfulness, which led to defeat. Learning how to face our giants head on and actually conquer them is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study 

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

1 Samuel 17:48 – “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.”

1 Kings 19:1-4 – “Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.’ And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.’”

Hebrews 10:36-39 – “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

1 Corinthians 16:13 – “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

Philippians 1:27 – “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

Comment – At the last supper just before the Gethsemane experience where the disciples failed to watch and pray, Jesus said these words, “You will all fall away because of me this night for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered’ (Matthew 26:31). After Jesus’ time of prayer and the disciples’ time of sleeping in Gethsemane, He was arrested and just as He was about to be led away, we are told this, “Then all the disciples left Him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” It was true when they slept instead of watching and praying and even more true when they ran away in fear. It was true for Elijah as we see in these words, “And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life.” We need to be people who stand firm and face our giants head on or like David even run toward them. Fear is debilitating and can keep us from the victorious Christian life God so desires for us. So, we must face our fears and our Giants and it all begins with prayer, where in communion with God our spirit and flesh are properly aligned, we submit to God’s will in our pursuit of living fully for His Kingdom, and we become properly prepared to fearlessly face and conquer the giants we encounter along the way. Without proper preparation through ongoing communion with God, the weakness of the flesh overcomes the willingness of the spirit. When the weakness of the flesh is prominent in us, we will always move in the direction of safety and self preservation. We are called to the adventure of living fully for God and His Kingdom, which of course includes facing and slaying giants.

Question # 1 – In our struggles with temptation we usually think of the flesh as being strong, so why do you think Jesus says the flesh is weak?

Question # 2 – Is there an area in your life where your temporal and earthly focus consistently overpowers the eternal and heavenly focus that should predominate?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

1 Samuel 17:48 – “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.”

1 Kings 21:20-29 – “Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O my enemy?’ And he answered, ‘I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’ The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat. Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him. He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel.’ It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.’”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

Matthew 17:18-20 – “And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not drive it out?’ And He said to them, ‘Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.’”

Mark 11:22-24 – “And Jesus answered saying to them, ‘Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.’”

Comment – When we think of Elijah being afraid and running for his life at the threat of Jezebel, it is a bit perplexing when we realize that it comes on the heels of one of the greatest showdowns in all of history between good and evil. The showdown between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel has the same powerful impact on the reader (see 1 Kings 18:20-40) as the showdown between David and Goliath. Certainly Elijah faced a huge giant on Mount Carmel and was victorious. So, why the meltdown after the showdown? It would seem that with discipline we must maintain our preparation through communion with God. We are often at our weakest after we are at our strongest. After Elijah ran from Jezebel, God ministers to him is some very powerful ways and restores Elijah in person and mission. If Elijah had turned to God in prayer with the prospect of another giant to face (Jezebel), he would have come to understand sooner that Jezebel would not be a giant that he would have to face personally as is revealed in the1 King’s passage above. As we walk in step with God with full faith and complete humility, our dependence on Him will be steady and strong and His leading will be clear and sure. We will not live in fear and torment over possible threats that loom before us. Rather, we will face our fears and even run toward the giants God calls us to do battle with and we will conquer them by faith.

Question # 3 – Is there a giant that you lived in fear of and were tormented by, that ended up not being a giant God wanted you to face?

Question # 4 – Is there a giant God has for you to face that you are learning to face properly and what has your journey been like with this?

Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

1 Samuel 17:49-51 – “Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.”

1 Samuel 17:47 – “And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

Colossians 2:13-14 – “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 – “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.”

Luke 10:17-20 – “The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.’”

1 Timothy 6:12-16 – “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Comment – David is said to be a man after God’s on heart. The Psalms reveal that David was a man that sought to stay close to God’s heart and knew God’s heart. The difference between one who walks in fear and one who walks with God is the discipline of seeking God. David was a man who sought God and it made all the difference. Truly, our foundational prayer should be, “Lord, have mercy.” Earnestly, pray day in and day out that God will in His mercy, help you to seek Him regularly and thoroughly. When we seek Him, we will be with Him; when we are with Him, we become like Him; as we become like Him, we are more and more filled with Him; as we are filled with Him, we will be used by Him to do His will; as we do His will, we will face and conquer giants on a routine basis. When we are living life like this, wrapped up in the love and will of God, there is no room for fear. David knew just what to do and he did it. David isn’t so remarkable when we realize that the story isn’t really about him, but rather it is all about God and what He can do with someone who is truly surrendered to Him.

Question # 5 – What are your thoughts about the relationship between seeking God and conquering Giants?

Question # 6 – What do you think is the central thing God is doing in your life in regard to overcoming fear and facing giants?

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Conclusion

We quoted Jesus’ words earlier where He spoke of the disciples falling away and being scattered because He, their Shepherd, would be struck down. It is quite wonderful that immediately after this, Jesus says, “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” Certainly, we can picture our lives like this. The Lord Jesus truly goes before us and there is nothing that we will face that isn’t what He allows as a part of His plan for our lives. He is out in front and when we live in the reality of that, walking by faith and not by fear, we can face and conquer whatever giants He has for us to conquer through His powerful presence.

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Flinch - “How God Protects Us”

1 – Practical Protection – 1 Samuel 17:40

2 – “Pre” Protection – 1 Samuel 17:40; Psalm 23:1 & 4; Psalm 119:49-52

3 – Divine Protection – 1 Samuel 17:40; 2 Samuel 21:15A & 22; Psalm 55:3-6; 16-18

Deep Six Study

Introduction

Psalm 46:1-2A – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.”

Us + trouble = fear ---- Us/God + trouble = no fear. That troubles come to us throughout our lives we would say with certainty is a reality. That fear is an issue for us when troubles come our way we would say is certainly an ongoing problem. That God’s presence when troubles are present can eliminate fear does not translate into actual experience as readily as we would like. This has been a series on “Fear” and we have explored it from a number of different standpoints. In this week’s Deep Six Study we are looking more closely at how God involves Himself with us when troubles come and what impact His involvement has on us and our troubles.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

1 Samuel 17:40 – “He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.”

2 Kings 4:1-7 – “Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.’ Elisha said to her, ‘What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?’ And she said, ‘Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.’ Then he said, ‘Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.’ So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another vessel.’ And he said to her, ‘There is not one vessel more.’ And the oil stopped. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.’”

Matthew 14:15-21 – “When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, ‘This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!’ They said to Him, ‘We have here only five loaves and two fish.’ And He said, ‘Bring them here to Me.’ Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.”

Comment – Without God’s involvement, could the Giant have been conquered, could the woman and her children have survived, could the hungry crowd have been fed? Most of us would say no. Imagine the following: (1) you don’t know these three stories, (2) someone tells you the dilemma in each story and that in each one God’s involvement was the solution (3) you are asked to write how you would picture God solving each of these dilemmas. You probably would not come up with a shepherd boy with a sling, a staff, and five smooth stones, nor the woman’s small jar of oil poured out and becoming gallons and gallons of oil, nor five loaves and two fish becoming a truckload of food for a great multitude. Many of us would picture God being involved in a more direct and intervening way. When God does choose to eliminate a problem for us, he often includes us in the solution using our experience and skills as well as the resources we have on hand. We must face our giants expecting God to show up, fully relying on Him, and always ready to participate in any way He has in mind for us.

Question # 1 – What are some of the solutions by God you might have come up with for these stories?

Question # 2 – What is one solution by God that you would like to see in your life right now for defeating a giant you are facing?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

1 Samuel 17:40 – “He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.”

Psalm 23:1 & 4 – “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want …. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Psalm 119:49-52 – “Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. The proud hold me in utter contempt, but I do not turn away from your instructions. I meditate on your age-old regulations; O LORD, they comfort me.”

Proverbs 24:10 – “If you are slack (present), in the day of distress (future), your strength is limited.”

Luke 12:16-21 – “And He told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

1 Peter 4:1-2 – “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”

Comment – Many of the giants we face are the result of our lives not conforming to the will of God. God has revealed His intentions and desires for our lives in His Word and He is always at work through the ministry of the Holy Spirit bringing us into conformity with His will. Israel would not have faced the Philistines and the giant, Goliath, if they had surrendered fully to God and His will for them earlier on. This situation was all the product of earlier disobedience. God can keep us from much of what we otherwise might face if we don’t slack off earlier on. As we seek God and His ways while allowing His Spirit to transform us, we become rich toward Him. As a result we are protected ahead of time so that encounters with many giants do not occur. When we do face giants we are practiced in righteousness and dependence on God so that God is unhindered in working on our behalf to deal with the giant in the best way possible.

Question # 3 – What is one area where disobedience to God’s revealed will is prevalent today that accounts for some of the giants Christians face?

Question # 4 – Is there some area for which you have experienced God’s pre-protection and what has this meant for you in your life?

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Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

1 Samuel 17:40 – “He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.”

2 Samuel 21:15A & 22 – “Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel …. These four Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them.”

Psalm 55:3-6 – “My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down. My heart pounds in my chest. The terror of death assaults me. Fear and trembling overwhelm me, and I can’t stop shaking. Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!”

Psalm 55:16-18 – “But I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me. Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice. He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me.”

Psalm 91:1-11 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!’ For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the LORD, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.”

Isaiah 43:1-3A, 10-13 – “‘But now,’ thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior’ …. ‘You are My witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I am God. Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?’”

Comment – God is our protector. Certainly, He provides a plan of protection from evils that we never have to face if we submit to Him and His revealed will in Scripture, and certainly He is able to protect us from the evils we come up against from time to time that stand before as giants which through Him we conquer in triumph. But the work of protecting He accomplishes on our behalf day in and day out without our ever being aware of it is something we can hardly imagine. If God would suddenly show us a record of all the ways He protected us over the past week we would be absolutely astonished and overwhelmed. Over and over again God keeps us from countless evils that might otherwise befall us. He is so gracious and merciful to us beyond what we could ever begin to conceive. We need to let the magnitude of Who God is and how He is at work protecting us have a life altering impact on us. While flaunting with danger is never appropriate neither is cowering in the corner because of perceived or actual troubles. Look carefully at the descriptions in the Psalms above and in the Isaiah passage of the gracious protection God provides for His people and let Him renew your Spirit with the reality of Who He is and how He works on your behalf .

Question # 5 – What is one instance where you clearly experienced God’s Divine protection in your life?

Question # 6 – How would you describe how you are doing at letting God protect you from fear at this juncture in your life?

Conclusion

Philippians 4:4-7 – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

While God’s protection often includes our bodies, and less our possessions, it always includes our hearts and minds. His will may include injury, illness, or even death for us or those we know and love and it may include loss of employment, shelter, money, possessions, etc. But be assured God’s Divine protection is never more at work than when it comes to guarding our hearts and minds. The Philippians passage above could easily say “Fear nothing.” Troubles (Giants) come and their presence can overwhelm our hearts and minds by unleashing fear and anxiety within us. But we have a choice to make at this point. We must turn to God in prayer and let Him exchange His supernatural peace for the fear and anxiety that crouches at the door of our hearts and minds. God is faithful and He will guard us in this way through Christ Jesus. The heart and mind of David were protected in this way for if it were not the case, he would not have considered, offered, fought, or conquered the giant, Goliath. We can contend with the tough stuff of life fearlessly. We must be prepared with the reality that God might not deliver just like Daniel’s friends expressed as they faced the fiery furnace or like Job who said that though the Lord slay him, still he would trust Him. God is absolutely, the Sovereign Lord of the universe and He is absolutely worthy of our trust and dependence. He never fails.

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Flinch - “What Are You Looking At?”

1 – Counting on Armor – 1 Samuel 17:38-39

2 – Staring at Giants – 1 Samuel 17:32-33

3 – Seeing God on the Battlefield – 1 Samuel 17:45-46; Hebrews 11:27

Deep Six Study

Introduction

Psalm 118:5-9, 14 – “From my distress I called upon the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes …. The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.”

The greatest battle ever fought was the battle for our souls that our Savior waged against sin and death through His death, burial, and resurrection whereby He won eternal salvation for all who put their trust in Him. The battle against sin and death is our battle but it is not a battle that we are able to wage. Jesus Christ had to fight this battle alone because only He could wage it and win. There is absolutely no room for our participation in this battle. Eternal salvation is essentially a forever relationship between us and God whereby we exist for Him and He accomplishes His purposes in us and through us. While we could not participate in the battle to secure this relationship, we go forward in relationship with God facing together the enemies and battles that lie ahead. God’s plan for dealing with the giant Goliath included both David’s and God’s participation. Certainly, God could have directly eliminated Goliath without any human participation. There are a number of instances where God intervened for Israel in a direct way in conquering an enemy that included no participation on Israel’s part. But in the battle against Goliath it is both David and God. How we look to God so that our participation with Him is just what it should be is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

1 Samuel 17:38-39 – “Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. ‘I can’t go in these,’ he protested to Saul. ‘I’m not used to them.’ So David took them off again.”

Philippians 3:3, 7-10 – “For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh …. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

Ephesians 1:18-23 – “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Comment – Understanding what it really means to rely on God is vital. David kept in step with God and knew how to rely on Him. David was prepared for his moment with Goliath because he had learned to rely on God while caring for and protecting his sheep against powerful predators which included acquiring and using a set of skills that made him a formidable opponent. David chose not to use Saul’s armor and sword. They would only get in the way of him being able to employ fully the skill set God had given Him. David would not rely on armor and although he would be using the skills at his disposal, David reliance was on God and not those skills. It seems evident that David’s going forward to do battle with Goliath was no mere response to the need of the moment but a true call by God to be used for His purposes through His strength and power. David relied on God thoroughly and completely and we must do the same. When we participate with God it does not mean part God and part us. It means all of God (with the same power by which Christ was raised from the dead) working in us and through us as we rely on Him thoroughly and completely.

Question # 1 – Can you think of some current way an attempt to wear the “armor of another” might get in the way of contending with a modern day giant?

Question # 2 – Can you think of a time when you experienced “resurrection power” in battling a giant you faced?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

1 Samuel 17:32-33 – “‘Don’t worry about this Philistine,’ David told Saul. ‘I’ll go fight him!’ ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Saul replied. ‘There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.’”

Numbers 13:30-33 - “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, ‘We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.’ So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.’”

Deuteronomy 9:1-3 – “Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven, a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you.”

Comment – For 40 days Israel was confounded by the giant Goliath. This isn’t the first time Israel had a problem like this. Back before Israel took possession of the land God had promised to them, Goliath’s ancestors were seen by the spies who spied out the land in preparation for Israel entering and possessing the land. But instead of it being merely preparation so they knew what they would be relying on God to accomplish, they used Giants as an excuse to be disobedient about going in and taking possession. It doesn’t matter that God is God and it doesn’t matter that God has promised and commanded, giants are too big to deal with. Saul and his army are so like their ancestors and we are so like them. We get so focused on the giant before us that we forget that with every giant we encounter, God has promised His presence and power, the same power with which Christ was raised from the dead. Perhaps giants would not overwhelm us if we were more like David who practiced reliance on God’s presence and power day after day as he fulfilled his duties as a mere shepherd boy and then could go forward in the same way to face Goliath.

Question # 3 – Is there a giant in your life right now that overwhelms you and over which you find it hard to find victory from God ?

Question # 4 – What insights have you gained for why practically speaking giants often seem bigger to us than God?

Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

1 Samuel 17:45-46 – “David replied to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!’”

Hebrews 11:27 – “Motivated by faith he left Egypt behind him, being unawed and undismayed by the wrath of the king; for he never flinched but held staunchly to his purpose and endured steadfastly as one who gazed on Him Who is invisible.”

Hebrews 2:9, 14-15 – “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone …. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

Hebrews 12:1-3 – “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Comment – All through the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come upon select individuals for the accomplishing of God’s special purposes. This was true of Saul initially, but after being severely disobedient, God removed this anointing from Saul and gave it to David. The transition from Saul being king to David being king took awhile. This encounter with the Philistines and Goliath is a part of that transition. It is interesting that David’s anointing took place while he was still shepherding his father’s flocks and surely had a lot to do with His being in step with the Lord and knowing how to rely on Him completely. David certainly stood before Goliath with a perspective that towered above the giant. Surely, God and the armies of Heaven were in David’s view as he went forward boldly and powerfully to do battle with the Giant, Goliath. The beauty of our forever relationship with God is that He dwells within us because we, like David, have been anointed with the Holy Spirit. We too can learn to be in step with God and know how to rely on Him fully and completely day by day, so that when we encounter Giants we will clearly see Him who though unseen with human eyes is seen with the eyes of the heart.

Question # 5 – What are some ways that you have learned to turn your eyes on the Lord so that you see Him more clearly in the midst of your circumstances?

Question # 6 – In a response to God and a renewal of faith will you ask Him to make alive in you and through you all that He is for all that you face?

Conclusion

Psalm 20:6-8 – “Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stood upright.”

We must not rest until we come to understand as fully as possible God’s part and our part in the living out of our lives while we are here on earth. The story of David and Goliath is extremely instructive in regard to how the two are meant to blend properly. As we have said, it is not part God and part us. It is all of God living in and through all of us. We must ask God to show us more completely what this means and of course it must be practiced day by day in the smaller arenas of life if we are ever going to conquer the giants we encounter along the way. This is in reality is what it means to live fully for God and He awaits to help mightily in this pursuit.

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Flinch - “Logophobia”

Pretext – 1 Samuel 17:31-32

1 – Friendly Five – 1 Samuel 17:33; 1 Samuel 17:34-37

2 – Curious Cuts – 1 Samuel 17:41-44; 1 Samuel 17:45

Blessing - Isaiah 42:10-13

Deep Six Study

1 Samuel 17:31-32 – “Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. ‘Don’t worry about this Philistine,’ David told Saul. ‘I’ll go fight him!’”

Ephesians 6:10-13 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

1 Peter 3:15 – “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

In the whole scheme of existence there are two forces: the forces of evil (darkness) and the forces of righteousness (light). God’s masterful plan has been unfolding through the ages and ultimately the forces of righteousness will prevail over the forces of evil. Until then the forces of righteousness are called upon to contend with the forces of evil. This is seen in David contending with Goliath, Peter and the disciples with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, Paul with Felix and Festus, Martin Luther with a religious system of works, Wilberforce and Lincoln with slavery, Martin Luther King with racial injustice. But it is also seen in a young person saving themselves for marriage, a man shunning pornography, a woman staying faithful to her husband, a student not cheating on an exam, a family helping the homeless, hungry, hurting people in their community, a believer taking a stand for his convictions, a church that welcomes and embraces all who are spiritually lost, weary, and searching. In whatever there is that we may need to contend with, verbal exchanges are a significant part of the challenge to be faced. How often our fear of what might be said to us or what we might have to say leads to either a lifestyle of being so unengaged with our world that we have no impact or a lifestyle of being so engaged that our lives are indistinguishable from those of the world. David was well equipped to handle the verbal exchanges that came his way because he was not afraid. Becoming ones who are similarly equipped is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

Question # 1 – What are some ways that you believe God wants to use you to overcome evil with good?

Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

1 Samuel 17:33 - “'Don’t be ridiculous!’ Saul replied. ‘There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.’”

1 Samuel 17:34-37 – “But David persisted. ‘I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,’ he said. ‘When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!’ Saul finally consented. ‘All right, go ahead,’ he said. ‘And may the LORD be with you!’”

Ephesians 4:25-27,29 – “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity …. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

1 Timothy 4:11-12 – “Prescribe and teach these things. Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

2 Timothy 3:13-17 – “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Comment – David is willing to contend with Goliath and is equipped to handle any verbal or physical challenges that doing so will require. But first, he must handle a verbal challenge from King Soul. It is not unusual to have those who are on the same team as us become our detractors as we seek to be used against the forces of evil. We must always remember that those on our team who are bound by fear will have much to say that will challenge our pursuit of being used by God to contend with the enemies of righteousness. We must not only overcome this problem, but we must overcome our own tendency to let fear similarly cause us to be a discouragement to others who are in some way seeking to contend with evil.

Question # 2 – Can you recall a time when someone tried to squelch your desire to serve God’s kingdom in some way?

Question # 3 – Can you think of someway that your words put a damper on those around you who desire to be used more effectively for the Lord?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

1 Samuel 17:41-44 – “Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. ‘Am I a dog,’ he roared at David, ‘that you come at me with a stick?’ And he cursed David by the names of his gods. ‘Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!’ Goliath yelled.”

1 Samuel 17:45 – “David replied to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”

Psalm 59:6-10 – “They return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go around the city. Behold, they belch forth with their mouth; swords are in their lips, for, they say, “Who hears?” But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations. Because of his strength I will watch for You, for God is my stronghold. My God in His lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.”

1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

1 Peter 4:14-16, 19 – “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name ….Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.”

Acts 4:27-31 – “‘For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”

Comment – There are no great and involved secrets for how to handle the verbal reactions of those we contend with as we seek to battle with the forces of evil. For David it simply came down to absolute and complete dependence on the Lord. Peter’s admonition captures it well. We must continually entrust our souls to our faithful Creator as we keep going forward in doing right no matter what. David often said in the Psalms, “To You O, Lord, I lift up my soul.” We must regularly come before the Lord, lifting up our souls for Him to fill with His presence. When we are filled with Him we will not be filled with fear. So filled with the presence of God we can go forward in His name and confidently declare God’s words for the moment and then do anything He calls us to in full and complete dependence upon His strength and enabling.

Question # 4 – What are some of the reactions you get from people as they come up against your attempts to live righteously?

Question # 5 – What are some things that you have found helpful for being able to withstand the verbal onslaughts of those who resist your righteous living?

Conclusion

Isaiah 42:10-13 – “Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands. Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops! Let the whole world glorify the LORD; let it sing his praise. The LORD will march forth like a mighty hero; He will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.”

Psalm 57:1-7 – “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by. I will cry to God Most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me. He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they dug a pit before me; they themselves have fallen into the midst of it. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!”
God is waiting for us as His people to open ourselves up to him. The battle belongs to the Lord and He will graciously help us to join Him in it and be used by Him in any way He wants. He will show us how to partake of Him so that our hearts are steadfast even in the middle of the forays that we face along the way. He is adequate for the verbal attacks that will come to us and for the verbal empowering that we will have for declaring His words for His purposes.

Question # 6 – Is there something you have become aware of that needs to be addressed and how do you think God wants you to respond to Him in this?

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

Flinch - “How Fear Changes Us”

Pretext – 1 Samuel 17:3-4; 8-11

1 – Fear Stops Me from Fighting – 1 Samuel 17:16

2 – Fear Hates to Admit it is Afraid – 1 Samuel 17:22, 26-29

3 – Fear Pretends – 1 Samuel 17:26; 2Timothy 1:7

Deep Six Study

Introduction

1 Samuel 17:1-11 – “The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield. Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. ‘Why are you all coming out to fight?’ he called. ‘I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!’ When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.”

Matthew 10:24-39 – “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

It was not very long at all before Israel’s battle with the Philistines and the Giant Goliath that Israel committed a great sin. Samuel said to the Israelites, “Your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a king.” It is this sin that lies behind the difficulty Israel is experiencing at this juncture. Israel’s fear of their enemies and inability to trust God had reached its peak. Although God was their king they requested a human king and their request was granted. And now under Saul, their human king, the armies of Israel are paralyzed by fear as they stand before the Philistines and their champion, Goliath. This week begins a four week series on 1 Samuel 17 in which the lessons of this chapter will be thoroughly explored so that in our lives our faith will not be overcome by our fears by rather our fears will be overcome by our faith.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

1 Samuel 17:16 – “For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.”

Proverbs 29:25 – “The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.”

John 12:42-43 – “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

Psalm 61:1-4 – “Hear my cry, O God; give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.”

Comment – Israel’s paralysis has been in place for forty days. Fear is what led to Israel moving from God as King to Saul as king and instead of it leading to a better way to deal with their enemies they are so consumed by fear that they are not dealing at all with the enemy before them. Israel under the leadership of their human king seems to be only looking at their enemy in terms of their own strength and abilities. They have not taken into account the difference God could make if they would turn to Him and count on Him. As disciples we will always have enemies to face for the sake of God’s kingdom. We have God’s indwelling presence within us and he always stands ready to lead us in the triumph of Christ with anything and everything that we face. We must come to the end of ourselves and our own resources and rely solely on God and His provision. There will be no paralysis of fear when we trust Him in this way.

Question # 1 – What is one instance you recall where the paralysis of fear really had you in its grip?

Question # 2 – What are some things that you have found helpful for overcoming the power of fear in your life?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

1 Samuel 17:22, 26-29 – “David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers …. David asked the soldiers standing nearby, ‘What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?’ And these men gave David the same reply. They said, ‘Yes, that is the reward for killing him.’ But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. ‘What are you doing around here anyway?’ he demanded. ‘What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!’ ‘What have I done now?’ David replied. ‘I was only asking a question!’”

Galatians 2:11-14 – “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’”

Isaiah 35:3-4 – “Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Comment – Fear is a greater enemy than any actual enemy that we encounter in our journey through life. Not only does fear keep us from dealing with an enemy we are facing, but it actually has a way of keeping us from admitting that we are afraid. We come up with all kinds of explanations for why we don’t go forward. Often, it comes down to an issue of obedience (even the apostle Peter). We become experts at circumventing things God has called us to deal with and we are confident that we are justified. For example, we see the enemies of hunger, homelessness, and poverty but fear keeps us from hearing God’s call for personal and direct involvement. We maintain our personal comfort, pleasure, and distance with perhaps some money thrown in the direction of these enemies and all the while don’t see how deeply blinded we are by fear.

Question # 3 – Is there some fear that you were blinded to that God finally helped you to see and overcome?

Question # 4 – What are some excuses you have used that were a part of your efforts in the past to avoid things you were afraid to be involved with?

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Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

1 Samuel 17:26 – “David asked the soldiers standing nearby, ‘What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?’”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

Psalm 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalm 28:6-9 – “Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is a saving defense to His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.”

Psalm 112:1, 7-8 – “Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments …. He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is upheld, he will not fear, until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.”

Comment – Being true disciples, who put God’s kingdom before all else as we love people, meet needs, and communicate the Good News of redemption in Jesus Christ, is the challenge we face. How easily we merely scratch the surface of genuine kingdom life as our fear of the real deal and the enemies we might have to face, cause us to pretend that the substitute we have settled for is acceptable and sufficient. And when we do face enemies, how often we allow them to loom larger (mistakenly) than God Himself. When it comes to enemies, like David, we must ask, “who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” When we clearly see the enemy, clearly see God, and clearly see ourselves accordingly, miraculous deliverances await us.

Question # 5 – How do you see fear effecting our ability as Christians today to live as true disciples of Christ?

Question # 6 – Is there some particular way God is at work right now in your life in regard to fear and how do you think He wants you to respond?

Conclusion

Psalm 27:1-3, 5-6 – “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident …. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.”

Godly confidence and not fear is God’s desire for us as we seek to live for Him day by day. As we count on Him to make the difference with our enemies, He will make the difference with our fears as well. We will learn to enter the secret place of His presence even while we are in the midst of trouble surrounded on all sides by our enemies. With our hearts and minds protected and kept by God as He conceals us in the secret place of His presence, we go forward in His strength with full triumph over our enemies. God’s perfect love casts out all fear.

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

“Predict or Prepare”

1 – Realizing – Philippians 3:12-13

2 – Forgetting – Philippians 3:13

3 – Reaching – Philippians 3:13

Deep Six Study

Introduction

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). God’s creation of the universe, including every star, planet, and person, was perfect in its entirety. With the fall of mankind, corruption spread throughout all of God’s creation with nothing being exempt. Also, God’s redemptive plan for all of creation became operative. Restoring creation to a place of perfection through His redemptive plan is the course God set in motion until the work is complete with the final consummation of all things at the end of time. How God intends our lives to unfold so that they do so in ways that are in harmony with His redemptive plan as time moves on and on is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

 Philippians 3:12-13 – “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”

James 1:2-4, 12 – “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing …. Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

Matthew 5:20, 48 - “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven …. Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Colossians 1:25-29, 4:12 – “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me …. Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.”

Comment – We are often admonished to live in the moment. There is a very real sense that this is true when it comes to living the Christian life. The life God calls us to, necessitates a healthy connection on our part with the past, the present, and the future. While we do have connections with the past and with the future, they will only be healthy connections if we are dwelling fully in the present. This means that we are able to say, “I am where am and it’s alright to be here.” This does not mean we are not going to continue on the journey toward perfection God has us on. It does mean that I have learned to be in a place of peace and rest. When Paul spoke of not having achieved perfection yet, it did not mean that he wasn’t right where He needed to be in his journey toward it. When Paul speaks of perfection in Philippians, he is speaking of the final perfection that will be realized when we come to the end of our journey. When James speaks of perfection, he is speaking of being complete at any point along the journey. An Oak tree sapling can be perfect or complete for a sapling even though it is not yet a mighty Oak. When Matthew speaks of perfection, He is speaking about our source of perfection and how whatever is accomplished on our journey must be rooted in His perfection and truly His doing as we draw upon His presence and power. So, when we join Paul in saying that we have not achieved perfection yet, we are dwelling in the present in a healthy way. We are not resigning ourselves to a past that cannot be changed or a future that not cannot be realized. What it does mean is that we are resting in God’s presence and the work He is accomplishing in us as we enjoy the peace and rest that come from being in a place of surrender and dependence before Him at this very moment in time.

Question # 1 – When you say I have not achieved “it” yet what are you really trying to communicate to others?

Question # 2 – What are some healthy ways that you are learning to live in the present?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Philippians 3:12-13 – “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Psalm 103:8-12 – “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Colossians 3:5-7 – “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.”

1 Peter 4:1-3A – “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles.”

Comment – When Paul speaks of forgetting the past, he is talking about not dwelling there, not letting it cripple or impair us. It does not mean forgetting the benefits of God’s compassion, grace, and mercy that were extended to us in the past, nor does it mean forgetting the lessons we have learned and benefitted from. Also, we must not forget that which we have been delivered from in the past. We must let the things that God delivered us from remain in the past and not carry them along with us. The reason we remember them is so that we can keep reakoning them as being in the past and no where else. The “forgetting” that Paul has in mind here is in regard to unhealthy guilt and sorrow that binds and keeps us from living fully in the reality of God’s love, forgiveness, and deliverance.

Question # 3 – What is something from your past that needs to be forgotten that you have trouble forgetting?

Question # 4 – What is some past that benefit that God transacted on your behalf that brings confidence to the present and hope for the future?

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Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

Philippians 3:12-13 – “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Hebrews 10:36-39 – “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”

Hebrews 12:7-13 – “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

1 Peter 1:6-7 – “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 6:9-12 – “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Comment – 1 John 3:2-3 says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like him, because we will see Him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Someday the goal of perfection will be realized and it will be when we see Christ face to face. In that moment we will be like Christ because He will complete our transformation into perfection right then and there. Paul said he was looking forward to what lies ahead. Certainly, this would include that final moment of his journey down the path of perfection which would be completed when He stood before His Savior. But most likely, he primarily was looking forward to the day in and day out process of transformation that would unfold as he dwelled in the present, moment by moment, in full dependence on God and the work of transformation that He would produce.

Question # 5 – What is God teaching you in regard to becoming one who truly depends on Him for the life you live day by day?

Question # 6 – What are some things about the future that you are looking forward to and why?

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Conclusion

God has a redemptive plan for the universe that He is unfolding and it is so much bigger than us. And yet He cares very deeply that we each live our lives in ways that are truly in harmony with the outworking of His wonderful redemptive plan that He is bringing about through His Son, Jesus Christ. In Philippians 1:6 Paul says, “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” May this be our abiding confidence as we go forward victoriously on our journey of perfection.

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

The Perfect Gift – “Jesus”

1 – Wrapped – Luke 2:6-7

2 – Make Room – Luke 2:7

Deep Six Study

Introduction

Hebrews 2:14A – “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same.”

John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

There is a story about a small boy who was put to bed but was having a hard time settling down because he didn’t want to be alone. After calling out for his daddy a couple of times with the usual requests like a drink, a light, etc. he finally confessed that he was afraid to be alone. His daddy reminded the boy that God was always with him, watching over him, and protecting him. The little boy thought about this for a moment and then said “but Daddy, I need someone with skin.” So, the boy’s dad climbed into bed with him and held him tenderly until he fell asleep. God the Father sent God the Son, wrapped in “skin” as it were so that we would no longer be alone, alienated from Him because of our sin and rebellion. We don’t have Christ here now directly in the flesh but indirectly as He yet manifests Himself in the flesh through His people (whom He indwells) to those around them who are yet alienated from Him. It is to the degree that His people make room for Him in their actual experience that He becomes someone with skin to a world of waiting, fearful, lonely people. This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study

Question # 1 – Can you think of someway God’s presence became alive and real to you at a time in your life when you felt alone and cut off from Him?

Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 2:6-7 - “And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.”

Philippians 2:6-8 - …. “Although He existed in the form of God, (Christ) did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Hebrews 2:17-18 – “Therefore, He (Christ) had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

Comment – God the Son came wrapped in human form as a baby born in Bethlehem and then was wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger. This baby was announced by the angel who appeared to the Shepherds as Christ the Lord, the Savior of all people. And so Christ grew up and though sinless, was wrapped in the sins of the world upon the cross so that the debt of sin owed by all was paid in full. God the Father giving His Son as a gift to the world He loves requires no payment on our part but rather that by faith we simply receive the gift of His Son and the forgiveness He offers.

Question # 2 – How would you explain to someone why it was necessary for Christ to come in the flesh and dwell among us?

Question # 3 – What are some ways that you struggled with truly believing that Christ and all He provides for you is free?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 2:7 – “She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.”

1 Corinthians 3:16 – “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

2 Corinthians 6:16 - …. “For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’”

Colossians 1:26-27 – “ …. The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Comment – As believers in Christ we are temples for His presence as He indwells us by His Spirit. But often there is little room to operate within us because we are so full of ourselves and our willful agendas. The result of this is that Christ is not free to manifest Himself through us to those around us that need to see God in a real and tangible way. God took on human form so He could become our Savior. When others see the reality of His presence in us, He again takes on human form so that others are helped to respond to Him and become temples for His presence as well.

Question # 4 – What are some ways that one’s life can make God’s presence real to others around them?

Question # 5 – What is something that exists in your life that blurs Christ’s presence in your life for those around you?

Conclusion

God wrapped up in His people individually and collectively is God’s plan for reaching the world. As His presence is manifested in us in this way, He will lead His people in wonderful ways and use them miraculously to touch a world of lonely, fearful, and hurting people who are waiting and longing for God with skin to come and hold them tenderly so they too may find their rest in Him.

Question # 6 – What are some ways that we collectively as His people can manifest the presence of Christ to the world?

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

The Perfect Gift - “How God Gives”

1 – Why Persistence Pays? – Luke 11:5-10, 1 John 5:14

2 – God Never Gives the Wrong Gift – Luke 11:11-12

3 – God is not a Grinch or a Grump – Luke 1:8

Deep Six Study

Introduction

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name, ‘Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:23) The fullness of what God gave us when He gave us His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is more far reaching and complete than we are able to grasp at any one moment. We have various insights here and there while experiencing various impacts of this perfect gift here and there, but there is always so much more to comprehend and experience. Probably there is no better, more succinct, or more comprehensive expression concerning that which God was doing than ‘God with us.’ Somehow, God was not with His people as fully and completely prior to giving of His Son, as He was afterwards. Phillips Brooks in the fourth verse of ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem,” penned the words, ‘O holy Child of Bethlehem descend to us we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in; be born in us today.’ We have captured for us here the difference. For those who have received the Father’s gift, His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, God now dwells within their hearts. God is now with us in the closest and most intimate way possible here on earth and He is always ready to pour into our lives all of Himself and His resources for our good and for His kingdom and glory. This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 11:5-10 – “Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

1 John 5:14 – “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.”

James 5:16-18 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.”

Hebrews 6:9-12 – “But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Comment – While God’s presence within us is real, continual, and forever, our experiencing Him as an indwelling presence and resource for our living of life here on earth is often far from being full and complete. Devotion and diligence at being in His presence are vital. It has been said that we must seek the giver more so than the gift. While this is true, it seems helpful to think of it a bit differently. God is the gift and as we let Him give Himself to us more fully in our actual experience, He will wonderfully bestow all that is needed for every aspect of life here on earth. As we diligently seek God’s presence day in and day out, we grow more and more in our desire to know God and to be with Him and we become less oriented to what we want Him to do for us or provide for us. When we come to God full of our ourselves and our personal desires, there is little room for God to operate within us. When we come to God empty of self-will and our wish list; when we are there for Him and not ourselves, seeking to bow before Him in worship and surrender as ones who exist for Him and not as ones who want Him to exist for us; we are then ministering to God and empty of self and He is free to be God to us and unleash the fullness of Himself and His infinite resources into our lives for our good and for His Kingdom.

Question # 1 – What has your journey been like in regard to learning to seek the giver more than the gift ?

Question # 2 – What is one experience in persistence at seeking God with a request that finally resulted in the answer you were seeking?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 11:11-12 - “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not.”

Acts 17:24-28A – “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist.”

Luke 12:22-24, 29-32 – “And He said to His disciples, ‘For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!’ …. ‘And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.’”

Comment – Someone has likened our lives to a tapestry with our only being able to see the back side of it while we are here. To us it looks like a tangled mess of threads that don’t seem to be making any evident contribution to anything like a work of art. There are threads that are dark and not so beautiful that we cannot understand why they are included and how they will ever be of any value. But someday we will see the other side of the tapestry and we will see how all the threads were necessary and meaningful to the work of art God will have made of our lives by then. Since in that day we will be able to see clearly that God made no mistakes with our lives, we can trust Him now with full confidence that He never brings anything to our lives that isn’t just right.

Question # 3 – Can you think of something God allowed in your life that is still hard for you to accept as being good and right?

Question # 4 – What are some good things that have come about in your life as the result of a difficult experience God allowed you to have?

Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

Luke 11:8 - “But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.”

Luke 11:13 – “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Hebrews 6:13-19A – “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.’ And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast.”

Luke 12:6-7 – “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

Comment – God‘s love for us is unconditional and so very full and complete. He longs for and waits for us to surrender to that love. We get caught up in our needs and wants and we readily deceive ourselves into thinking that we know what is best for us. How easy it is for us to slip into a pattern of coming to God in prayer merely seeking what we want from him so that our purposes and desires are fulfilled. It comes down to whether we are going to view God properly as the Sovereign Lord of the universe who is at the same time our “Immanuel.” Only when we do will we trust Him and surrender to Him fully and completely. He is not stingy, reluctant, or contrary. He knows what is best for us and we never have to worry that His plan for us and His provision for us will be anything but the very best for us in the long run.

Question # 5 – Are there ways that you are afraid of God and the things He might allow in your life?

Question # 6 – How are you doing in your journey of learning to trust God as a loving Heavenly Father Who makes no mistakes and only allows into your life that which is best for you and His Kingdom purposes?

Conclusion

The Apostle Peter captures all that we have been saying in this week’s Deep Six Study in 2 Peter 1:3-4, where he says, “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him (knowing Him in our actual experience) who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” May we partake more than ever of the wonderful gift God is to us as we give ourselves to Him in submission and trust this Christmas.

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Related Scripture: Psalm 33:1-22, Psalm 34:1-22

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on these Scriptures or on anything else from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

The Perfect Gift – “God’s Gift”

Pretext –Luke 1:8-11

1 – The Big Gift is for You – Luke 2:11

2 – You Don’t have to Measure Up – Luke 2:11

Deep Six Study

Introduction

Luke 2:8-11 – “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.’”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Scripture is self-verifying, meaning that in speaking of itself, it declares to be absolutely true all statements it makes on any aspect of existence. Scripture says that God is the Sovereign Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe. Scripture says that God created mankind to exist for His glory by bearing His image but that mankind rebelled becoming sinful and separated from God. Scripture says that in His holiness God was provoked by the sinfulness of mankind so that a penalty for it became necessary. Scripture says the in His love God was so moved by the lost state that sin’s penalty exacted on mankind, that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay sin’s penalty on our behalf. How amazing it is that what God’s Holiness required, His love provided, completely and entirely apart from anything we might do except to believe that He did it. The Bible says that all this is true. However, there are many who do not believe in or receive the Gift of God’s Son. This week’s Deep Six Study focuses on some helpful understandings that help alleviate obstacles that often keep people from receiving the greatest Christmas gift of all – Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior (ICHTHUS)

Question # 1 – What do you know about ICHTHUS and what can you come up with about it?

Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 2:8-11 - “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

James 1:17-18 – “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”

1 John 4:14, 5:1A, 11-13, 20 – “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world …. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God …. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life …. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

Comment – God reaches people one at a time. Salvation is a very personal thing. It is a personal transaction between an individual and the God of the universe. When one thinks of the Father giving His Son, when one thinks of the Son as the Savior who was given, when one thinks of the salvation which was purchased, one needs to think of it as being done for him or her. This one time it is alright to be self focused. Unless a person considers the perfect gift in this very personal way, it will not become his or her own. Each individual must hear the message of salvation for him or herself and understand that all that was accomplished was for him or her. When a person grasps that God would have given his Son and Jesus would have laid His life down even if he or she were the only person in the world, they are often ready to receive the perfect gift of salvation in Christ.

Question # 2 – Was not viewing salvation in a personal way an obstacle that stood in your way before you truly received Christ, the perfect gift?

Question # 3 – When you consider afresh that God and Jesus would do all they did even if it were only for you, how does it effect you?

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Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 2:11 - “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

Psalm 103:8, 10-13 – “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness …. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

Titus 2:11A, 3:4-7 – “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men …. But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Comment – Some unbelievers when they hear the message of the Gospel see no necessity for a Savior for themselves. They really don’t think they need a Savior. Others think that they are undeserving and beyond the reach of a Savior. Either way the underlying problem is the same: having a personal standard of measure with which they check themselves and determine whether they are alright or not alright. Measuring one’s self only works if we check ourselves against God standard of perfection and reach the conclusion that there are none who are righteous and all are in need of a Savior. Then we are ready for the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who alone is perfect and who alone was able to pay the price for our sin and become the Savior of the world.

Question # 4 – With what kind of a standard did you measure yourself before you understood the truth in this regard?

Question # 5 – Who is someone you know who thinks they do not need forgiveness and who is someone you know who thinks they are beyond forgiveness?

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Conclusion

God’s holiness is unwavering and His love is unconditional. His holiness demanded that sin be paid for and His love for us who deserve this judgment moved Him to send His Son to be judged in our place. The gift of forgiveness, restoration, and eternal life was purchased at great cost and is available freely to each one who in faith receives this perfect gift for themselves. May God wonderfully help each person who reads this study to be certain that this gift has been received personally for themselves. May those who have this certainty rejoice in the joy of their salvation in a fresh and complete way this Christmas. And may we all extend the perfect gift to those individuals whose hearts the Holy Spirits opens this Christmas.

Question # 6 – Are you certain you have received the perfect gift of salvation and what would you say to another person if you were telling them how this gift became yours?

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

The Perfect Gift – “Gift Giving”

1 – The Cost! – 2 Corinthians 9:10

2 – What Do They Need? – 2 Corinthians 9:11

3 – No Strings Attached – 2 Corinthians 9:12-14

4 – Cheerful Giving – 2 Corinthians 9:15

Deep Six Study

Introduction

John 1:14, 18 – “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth …. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Praise to our Heavenly Father that He has revealed Himself to us. This is what Christmas is all about. Apart from God’s special revelation of Himself to us we could never truly “know” Him. God gave His son Jesus Christ and He is called the “Word.” The Greek word for “word” is “logos.” Jesus is the “Living Logos” of God. The Scriptures are the “Written Logos” of God. The Scriptures are essentially the Divine record of God’s plan for reconciling and restoring the world to Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. The written word and the living word are God’s gift to us and we must always stay closely connected with both. Our gift to the world is the bringing of both the message of Christ and the person of Christ to those around us. This is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

Question # 1 ��� How would you describe for someone who is without Christ how He is God’s gift to them?

Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

2 Corinthians 9:10 – “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

Exodus 23:16 – “Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field.”

Leviticus 23:10 - “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Comment – Religious and spiritual experience were central to God’s dealings with Israel in Old Testament times when God dwelled in their midst through the tabernacle/temple set up with its human leadership. Supporting this set up and the priestly order that led it through material means of all participants was a important part of the religious and spiritual experience of each participant. In the New Covenant we become the temple of God individually and collectively and with His indwelling presence our experience becomes much more a Spiritual one and less a religious one. And still there is a cost - one that touches us on all levels. It cost God His Son – we were bought with a price; and it costs us our lives. You see when we truly enter into the full benefit of the price God paid in giving us His Son, we give up ourselves completely to God by yielding all claim to ownership and devoting ourselves to His glory and kingdom throughout our lifetime in the flesh. So, our total person with all our abilities, time, resources, and possessions are our gift to Him and become the basis for our giving ourselves to others so that they might become the temple of God as well.

Question # 2 – How would describe what it means to be God’s temple both individually and collectively?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

2 Corinthians 9:11 – “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.”

Psalm 96:1-8 – “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; bring an offering and come into His courts.”

1 Thessalonians 2:8 – “Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”

Comment – Meeting the spiritual needs of mankind through the reconciliation and restoration offered in Christ is central. Christ came and dwelt among us to accomplish this very purpose, but He had great compassion for people and their needs on every level. Jesus went about doing good everywhere as He healed the sick and impaired, fed the hungry, raised the dead, delivered the captives of demonic bondage, etc. As we have genuine compassion for the needs of others, we can sacrificially let God use us in the meeting of those needs either directly through personal involvement or indirectly through our supporting (finances, prayer, auxiliary efforts, etc.) the personal involvement of others who are more strategically placed. Through direct personal involvement in meeting these other needs we will find that God joins our lives with others in ways that readily reveal Christ to them through the person we are and the words we share. Similarly, we anticipate the same for those to whom we give our support.

Question # 3 – Can you think of an instance when someone lovingly reached out to you in a time of need which helped to soften your heart to God?

Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

2 Corinthians 9:12-14 – “So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.”

Acts 3:6 – “But Peter said, ‘I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!’”

Acts 20:32-35 – “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 Thessalonians 2:9 – “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.”

Comment – The “spirit of Christmas” is really the “spirit” of life and the way it was meant to be lived all along. Christmas is a time of good will and putting others and their needs first without any conditions or strings. Perhaps this cultural phenomena can be accounted for in part from the secondary effect on society that comes from the presence of that minority who are truly benefiting from the gift of God’s Son. It may also be due to a residual effect from an earlier time in our culture when God’s gift was more widely received. Regardless, it is this selfless spirit of giving that must permeate our lives if the true meaning of Christmas which sprang forth that first Christmas so long ago is going to be seen in us by others who so desperately need to be reached with the message and person of Christ.

Question # 4 – Where are you in your journey of becoming one who truly reaches out to others with a selfless spirit?

Part 4 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

2 Corinthians 9:15 – “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

Luke 22:19 – “And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”

Romans 12:6-8 – “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Colossians 2:6-7 – “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

Hebrews 12:28 – “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.”

Comment – Dutiful, somber, joyless Christianity often stems from a lack of gratitude. When we truly give ourselves over to Christ and enter into the fullness of His presence, we will not be joyless and ungrateful. We will willingly go about building into the lives of others and they will experience our cheerful disposition that delights in giving ourselves to them for their highest good. Because we are eternally grateful that God delights in giving Himself for us for our highest good, we stay focused on why we are here and how we can be a gift to others too wonderful for words.

Question # 5 – In what ways do you struggle with a lack of joy, gratitude, and cheerfulness?

Conclusion

Jesus said, “As the Father sent Me, I send you. So, the Father gave Jesus; Jesus gives us; and we give the “Good News” wrapped in love to a needy world. We best do this by giving our very selves to others. Their connecting with Christ has much to do with our connecting with them – but in this connection with them they must see our connection with Christ as we stay close to Him, the Living Word, and let Him overflow from us to them. What better gift can we give this Christmas.

Question # 6 – Can you think of someone you have connected with who is not a Christian who really values your friendship and care?

Related Scriptures: Luke 12:22-48; Mark 8:34-38; 2 Peter 1:1-11

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on these Scriptures and anything else from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

A Sheep … A Coin … A Boy - “Found”

1 – Why God Throws Parties – Luke 15:20-21

2 – Surprise Party – Luke 15:22-24

3 – Reason to Celebrate – Luke 15:28-32

Deep Six Study

Introduction

We started with a lost sheep, then moved to a lost coin, and now finish with a lost boy. In each instance we see the heart of the one receiving back that which had been lost. However, with the lost boy, there is a reciprocal connection in that we see the heart of that which has been lost as well. In addition, we see the heart of a second boy who was not lost and of course the condition of his heart reveals the central reason Jesus shared these three parables in the first place which we will come back to later in the study. So, we have the cry of the heart of the lost son who wants to come back to his father, we have the cry of the heart of the father who wants his son back, and we have the cry of the heart of the older brother who is appalled with what happens in the hearts of his brother and his father. Seeing these three heartbeats more clearly and discovering how our own heartbeat needs to be impacted is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 15:20-21 - “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’”

Matthew 7:13-14 – “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”

1 Timothy 2:1-6 – “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”

2 Peter 3:8-9 – “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

Comment – From the moment his younger son left, this father desired for him to return. The father did not know if his younger son would ever return, but regardless, it would always be his desire to have it be so and it would always be up to the son to do so. Unknown to this father, his younger son comes to the spot where he desires to return to his father and he then acts on that desire and returns home. While this is what the father and the younger son both desire, we can be sure that the desire of the older brother is for his younger brother never to return. The lost son does not know what response his father will have at his return. He knows he deserves nothing, but hopes for the bare minimum of at least being received as a hired servant. Our Heavenly Father does not desire that anyone remain lost, but rather He desires that all be found. Like the earthly father in our story, our Heavenly Father’s response to anyone who returns to Him is to welcome that one with love, compassion, an embrace and a kiss. How could He do anything less for one who returns when there are so many who remain unwilling to return.

Question # 1 – Have you or someone else in your life been a “prodigal” and what has this been like?

Question # 2 – In what ways have you struggled with entering into the love, compassion, embrace, and kiss depiction of your Heavenly Father’s response to you?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 15:22-24 – “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”

Genesis 45:28; 46:29-30 – “Then Israel said, ‘It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die’ …. Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared before him, he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a long time. Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.’”

Matthew 22:1-3, 8-10 – “Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come …. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”

Revelation 19:6-9 – “Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.’ Then he said to me, ‘Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’”

Comment – The response of the father at the return of his son reveals that his son’s return has been the desire of his heart all along. The desire of son’s heart has been revealed by the fact that he returned, but now he takes it to the next level by showing his heart further through the words of repentance he utters to his father. The father then goes to the next level in showing his heart. This is pivotal: the Father wants to receive his son back as a son and now he can because his son’s repentance reveals that he knows that he caused the loss of the father/son connection and it reveals that he is ready for this connection to be restored in full. So, the father knowing for sure that that which was lost is truly found, immediately launches a full scale demonstration that this lost boy is again his son fully and completely. The parallels between this restoration of this human father and his son and our restoration to our Heavenly Father are wonderfully helpful and freeing. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is meant to be full and complete right from the start, so we must not let anything interfere with our experiencing this relationship in the full and complete way our Heavenly Father intends for it.

Question # 3 – What role do you think repentance has for the one who returns to God?

Question # 4 – What sense of “party” was a part of your experience with God and His people when you returned to your Heavenly Father?

Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

Luke 15:28-32 - “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Colossians 1:3-5 – “We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel.”

1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 – “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you.”

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Comment – While the father leads his household in the celebration of the full return of his younger son, his older son will have none of it. Filled with anger he reveals a heart not only closed to his brother but to his father as well. The older brother did not abandon his father as the younger brother had nor did he live in ways that were inconsistent with the character and conduct of his father as the younger brother did. And yet even though he had always stayed with his father, he evidently had not enjoyed his father in the fullness and openness of a loving heart that declares, “everything I have is yours.” How often our relationship with our Heavenly Father is depicted by what we see here in the older brother. Not only do we miss the fullness and openness of the heart of our Heavenly Father but we contribute to others missing it as well. Unfortunately, in our profession of being ones who are connected to our Heavenly Father, our lack of experiential connection to Him and subsequent joylessness and obligatory approach to the Christian life proclaim to the lost that being connected to the Heavenly Father is not a very good place to be. When we experience the fullness and openness of the our Heavenly Father’s heart we will be joyful and overflowing with His life. Our lives will reveal His heart and the lost will know that being with the Heavenly Father is a good place to be. They will see the “desire” of His heart to have them return and the “willingness” of his heart to welcome them into a full and wonderful relationship with Himself when they do.

Question # 5 – What are some ways you have been like the older brother in your experience as a Christian?

Question # 6 – What changes do think God is calling you to make in your life at this time?

Conclusion

So, we have a Heavenly Father who desires our return, willingly allows us to enter into a full and open relationship with Himself when we do, and rejoices abundantly that what He has longed for all along has come to be. And we have the joy of a full and complete relationship with our Heavenly Father and a wonderful impact on the lost who see the loving, compassionate, welcoming, accepting, gracious, forgiving, restoring heart of our Heavenly Father revealed in us. May God awaken us and His church everywhere to the wonderful adventure of living fully for Him as ones who have the heartbeat of God within them in full measure.

Related Scriptures: Matthew 26:31-46; Romans 2:4-11; Matthew 23:15,33

Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on these Scriptures and anything else from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

A Sheep … A Coin … A Boy - “Looking”

1 – Worth It – Luke 15:8A

2 – Grace Not Good Works – Luke 15:8B

3 – Don’t Be Ugly – Luke 15:9-10

Deep Six Study

Introduction

It says this in Luke 18:11, “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.”

Everyone wants to be “alright.” The usual course for achieving this involves pursing personal merit which we think will produce a sense of personal worth which in turn we think will produce a sense of personal well being. This is an exercise in futility and self deception. Having a sense of personal well being that is properly hinged to a sense of personal worth is appropriate. However, if the pursuit of personal merit is in the equation these things will never be what we think they are or want them to be.

There isn’t a person who will ever walk the face of the earth who is not absolutely sinful, absolutely cut off from God, and therefore absolutely lost. This is our condition and when God’s provision in Christ for reversing this condition is made known and we believe, the degree to which we truly grasp our condition makes all the difference going forward in both our relationship to God and to the lost. To whatever degree our grasp of our condition is not complete, to that degree personal merit will taint both our view of ourselves before God and our need for absolute dependence on Him and our view of ourselves before the lost and our need for compete humility. Our struggle with a spirit of independence in relationship to God and a spirit of superiority in relationship to the lost will be an ongoing dilemma for us.

God looks out over the whole of His creation with a heart of love that is devoted to restoring us to Himself. Looking out and seeing that which is lost in the way God does is essential and this is the focus of this week’s Deep Six Study.

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 15:8A - “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one.”

Psalm 33:13-15, 18-22 – “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works …. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.”

John 4:23-24 – “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Comment – We are valuable to God but there is nothing we have done or can do to merit our being valuable to Him. If a human parent valued his child only because he or she merited it we would be aghast. If our value to God was based on merit, then or value to Him would be reduced or would cease if we failed in any way to merit it. How wonderful it is to know that God loves us unconditionally and values us completely apart from all merit. He will never stop loving us or valuing us. How freeing it is to know we can be honest about our condition without fear of becoming less loved or valued by God. Similarly we are free to appropriate for ourselves God’s redemptive provision in Christ in a more full and complete way. In all actuality, it is this freedom that draws us more and more deeply into the wonderful experience of being loved and valued by God and makes it possible for us to increasingly relate to the lost in genuine humility and without a superior sense of ourselves.

Question # 1 – Why do think the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him?

Question # 2 – How would you describe those the Father seeks to be His worshipers?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 15:8B – “Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it?

Romans 5:5-8 – “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Titus 2:11-12, 3:4-6 – “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age …. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Comment – Our being lost is totally the result of the fact that we are trapped in the condition of having a sinful nature that cuts us off from God and makes us helpless to do anything about it. We may be less practiced than some in the sins of the flesh or even in the sins of the spirit, but that does not reduce the reality of our sinful condition and standing before God apart from the redemption provision of Christ. This is where grace comes into play. By grace God finds us, redeems us, and restores us. The amazing love and value God bestows on each of us apart from all merit is what grace is all about.

Question # 3 – What is your definition of a sinner?

Question # 4 – Why does Titus speak of grace and salvation in terms denying wrong living and pursuing right living, but then go on to speak of God saving us not on the basis of deeds which we have done but by His mercy?

Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

Luke 15:9-10 – “And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Ephesians 2:1-5 – “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”

Jonah 1:1-3A, 3:1-3A, 5, 10, 4:1 – “The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD …. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.’ So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD …. Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them …. When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it …. But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry.”

Comment – Seeing ourselves properly is the key to viewing the lost properly. How readily we slip into a wrong view of ourselves and a wrong view of the lost. Every person must be viewed as someone that God is seeking to find, redeem, and restore. We must not view anyone as beyond the reach of God’s grace nor must we ever believe that in some way we merited our having been reached by the grace of God. What an oxymoron! And yet, we do allow ourselves to have these tainted views and often they lead to ugly attitudes and behaviors that alienate us from the very ones God desires to reach by His grace. We must forsake the path Jonah took and let God fill our hearts with love and mercy for the lost.

Question # 5 – What are some ways you have struggled with personal merit in your life as a Christian?

Question # 6 – What are some ways you have struggled with a sense of superiority in your relationships with the lost?

Conclusion

The message is clear concerning our need to “look” at the lost the way God does. How to have it truly come about is another matter. Please meditate on the following verse and ask God to transform your life according to the realities that are contained within this wonderful statement. May our transformation translate into lost people experiencing the true grace of God who otherwise might not.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of Pastor Ben's message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

A Sheep … A Coin … A Boy - “The Missing”

1 – “Awkward Church” – Luke 15:1-2

2 – Lost Souls – Luke 15:3-7

3 – Law of Love – Luke 15:4

Deep Six Study

Introduction

Pursuing righteousness for ourselves without demanding it of others is a very difficult thing but is essential to effective kingdom work. Others need to feel there is a climate of welcome, acceptance, and love in our presence. Similarly, others need to feel there is a climate of welcome, acceptance, and love in our corporate presence (church). This is the key to reaching the lost. When others know we really care about them they become receptive to the message of Christ and the life of righteousness He wants to bring to them. When we are offended by unrighteous lifestyles, convey our displeasure, and impose our values, we unnecessarily alienate the very people that need us and the message of Christ the most. The lost desperately need to be rescued but how we go about it makes all the difference. This is the focus of our New Sermon Series and the Deep Six Study

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Part 1 - Corresponds to the first point of the message

Luke 15:1-2 – “Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!”

Matthew 9:10-13 – “Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’ But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.’ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Luke 7:36-39 – “Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.’”

Comment – Certainly, there was nothing wrong on Jesus’ part that resulted in such unrighteous people associating with Him nor was there anything wrong with Jesus associating with them. Granted there can be things that are wrong in having certain people associate with us and in turn our associating with them. Being a safe haven for a searching unbeliever is much different than running with them and participating in their sinful behavior. The Lord can so ground us in our relationship with Him that we become ones who do not waver in pursuing righteousness for ourselves and we, while not demanding that righteousness of others or being offended at their lack of it, welcome them, accept them, love them, and reach them with the message of Christ.

Question # 1 – Why do you think the tax collectors and other notorious sinners came to listen to Jesus?

Question # 2 – Can you think of something from recent experience that evidences that you are following the example of Jesus when it comes to who you involve yourself with?

Part 2 - Corresponds to the second point of the message

Luke 15:3-7 - “So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!”

Romans 3:23-26 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Matthew 23:25-26 – “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Comment – In 1 Corinthians 1:30 Paul says, “By His doing you are in Christ Jesus.” Our association with Christ is totally His doing. There is nothing we could be or do that would make it possible for us to warrant our relationship with Him. This is because no one is more sinful than anybody else and all thoroughly need the forgiveness and cleansing He offers on the basis of the sacrifice of Himself on the Cross for all. Often the reason we find it difficult to associate with unbelievers and are offended at their behavior is that we harbor within ourselves some measure of personal merit for our being connected to Christ. This is self righteousness and it is the very stuff that made hypocrites of the scribes and Pharisees and us if we do not let the Holy Spirit deliver us from it. Such a work of the Holy Spirit is crucial if we are going to be ones who effectively reach the lost.

Question # 3 – What struggles have you had with self-righteousness and how has it effected your involvement with others who need Christ?

Question # 4 – What is your assessment of the overall Christian community today in regard to the presence of self-righteousness and the problems that go with it?

Part 3 – Corresponds to the third point of the message

Luke 15:4 – “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?”

Luke 19:9-10 – “And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’”

Romans 1:14-17 – “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘but the righteous man shall live by faith.’”

Comment – Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you.” So, if when Jesus came to earth, His prevailing purpose was to seek and to save the lost, we must do the same. Paul embraced and pursued this as his prevailing purpose in life and he did it with eagerness. How readily and passionately we can look at others and critically see the presence of things that shouldn’t be and the absence of things that should be. Why do we concern ourselves with things that are missing from the lives of unbelievers when they are without Christ. Oh that we would be burdened with the fact that they are missing from the family of God and that we would become passionate about being the kind of people that unbelievers are drawn to because there is a climate of welcome, acceptance, and love in our presence individually and corporately that is inescapable.

Question # 5 – Where would you say you are in regard to being one who has made seeking and saving the lost the prevailing purpose of your life?

Question # 6 – How are you doing at pursuing this purpose in terms of passion and eagerness?

Conclusion

We need to hang out with other sheep (small groups) in ways that strengthen us to live effectively in the world. How often believers hang out with each other in ways that do not contribute and even hinder their effectiveness at reaching the lost. Sometimes in hanging out with other believers we do so to the exclusion of associating with those who need to be reached. God is waiting to produce in us the love, acceptance, and passion we need for reaching the lost if we will let Him.

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of this week’s Missions Message/panel.

The Deep Six Study follows.

“Waiting World … Willing Church”

Message Introduction
John 4:7-8, 27, 31-34, 35

Missionary Panel Questions
1 – What is the hardest part of your calling/mission?
2 – How is God overcoming the challenges of your calling?
3 – Talk about the role of grace and mercy in missions?
4 – Talk about the importance of a church?
5 – How can we bring “truth” to “Grace” & Mercy”?
6 – Why? (do you do it?) is it worth it?

Message Conclusion

Deep Six

Introduction
Our two week missions emphasis serves a dual purpose. First, it is designed to help you become more connected with world missions as you hear from missionaries, learn about them and their ministries, and then join them in their work by praying and giving. Second, it is designed to help you in your response to God for how He wants you to use your life in direct ways to reach others for Himself. This week’s Deep Six Study focuses on the second part as it builds on this week’s Missions Message/panel and the John 4 passage that Pastor Ben emphasized. You will notice the Deep Six Study format below is different. Most of the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well is included in the Scripture from John 4 that immediately follows. Then there are 6 questions that parallel the six questions asked of the missionary panel. Each of the questions is preceded by a portion of the John 4 passage that applies and a comment.

John 4:7-8, 13-14, 16-18, 27-42 - “7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food …. 13 Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.’…. 16 ‘Go and get your husband,’ Jesus told her. 17 ‘I don’t have a husband,’ the woman replied. Jesus said, ‘You’re right! You don’t have a husband—18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!’ …. 27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, ’What do you want with her?’ or ‘Why are you talking to her?’ 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?’ 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ 32 But Jesus replied, ‘I have a kind of food you know nothing about.’33 ‘Did someone bring him food while we were gone?’ the disciples asked each other.34 Then Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.’ 39Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’ 40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. 42 Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

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John 4:27-29 – “27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, ’What do you want with her?’ or ‘Why are you talking to her?’ 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone.”

Comment – This is what Jesus had in mind from the start: reaching someone who in turn He would use to reach others for Himself. It is hard to launch into letting God use our lives to reach others for Himself.

Question # 1 – What is the hardest thing for you about giving yourself fully to be used by God to reach others?

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John 4:34-38 – “34 Then Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.’”

Comment – What kept Jesus going? It was being engaged in the mission for which He was sent and completing it. Competing it requires that those He has already reached wake up, look around at the ripe harvest, and get in step with the mission for which they have been commissioned. Jesus speaking in such terms suggest that the reached are often not engaged like they should be in the mission of reaching others that God has in mind for them and that there are obstacles that stand in their way.

Question # 2 – How is God at work alleviating the obstacles that interfere with your own personal engagements with the fields ripe for harvest?

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John 4:13-14 – “13 Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.’

Comment – Jesus is the living water who comes to dwell with in us and becomes to us a healing, restoring presence and like a spring bubbles out for the benefit of those around us. This is a wonderful picture of the mercy and grace aspects of eternal life that come to us and we then extend to others.

Question # 3 – In your journey of becoming a good harvester what experiences have you had at becoming more gracious and merciful?

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John 4:40-42 – “40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. 42 Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

Comment – What a special thing it is to have others in our lives that know the Savior of the world. It is even more special if we were instrumental in their coming to know the Savior. What a privilege to share life with other believers and to join together with them in reaching others for Christ.

Question # 4 – What are some ways you share life with others who have been reached and in what ways do you join together to reach additional others?

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John 4:16-18 – “16 ‘Go and get your husband,’ Jesus told her. 17 ‘I don’t have a husband,’ the woman replied. Jesus said, ‘You’re right! You don’t have a husband—18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!’

Comment – Jesus knew that it was necessary for the woman at the well to come to grips with the truth in order for her to see her need for living water. Jesus always blended grace and mercy perfectly with truth and righteousness. There was no malice, self-righteousness, or condemnation. It doesn’t come so easily for us. We tend to get ourselves in the mix and thereby major in one side of things more than the other. Oh how much we need the Lord’s intervening help as we seek to be used properly in reaching others with the Good News.

Question # 5 – What does too much truth and righteousness look like, what does too much grace and mercy look like, and what does a proper blend of both look like?

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John 4:39 - “39Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’

Comment – We cannot fully understand what it must have been like for the woman at the well to be the key player in her village being reached for Christ. What a turn around in her own life as well as her standing in the village. Talk about rewarding and worthwhile in both temporal and eternal matters. We may not always have positive and fulfilling experiences as we labor in the field of harvest, but if we look closely we will always see God and how He is at work and He will certainly bring to our experience many things that will make it worth it all.

Question # 6 –What rewarding experiences have you had in reaching others for Christ that clearly make your struggles, sufferings, and failures worth it all?

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Conclusion

We cannot escape the reality that the reached are called to reach. We can ignore it or minimize it, but to do so is to be in opposition to God and His purposes. Often for those who struggle at participating, it is because it seems overwhelming to them and the most common reason for this is that they are looking at the challenge merely in terms of there own resources. When we are connected intimately with God, He is fully at our disposal to provide complete and thorough guidance, enabling, and provision. So, let’s trust God for great and mighty things as we go forward individually and collectively in the wonderful adventure of missions in the days ahead.

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Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.

Below is the outline of our Missionary Speaker’s message.

The Deep Six Study follows.

“Reaching the Unreached”

1 – Definitions

2 – Introductory Facts

3 – The Condition of the Unreached – Romans 15:20-21; Genesis 12:3; Revelation 5:9

4 – What Can I Do?

Deep Six

Introduction – Our emphasis for the next two weeks is on Missions. While this week’s Deep Six Study fits in with that emphasis, it does not correspond to this week’s message in the way it normally does because the points of the message do not lend themselves to that. The three parts of the Deep Six study are borrowed from a Deep Six Study from a couple of years ago. However, the conclusion does correspond to the fourth point of our Missionary Speaker’s message. Also, the Related Scriptures at the end are all ones that fit in with our Missionary Speaker’s message.

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Part 1

Acts 1:6-9 – “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’ And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

Comment - Missions is not a human thing, but rather it is a supernatural thing. It is all about God and His work of building His Kingdom. As ones who have been reached for the Kingdom, we get to join God in the His amazing mission of reaching people for the Kingdom. With God out in front leading the way, “Missions” becomes an incredible adventure of discovering both how God is at work in the world around us and the part He has for us in that work.

Question # 1 – Can you think of several ways the power of the Holy Spirit is essential to people being reached for the Kingdom?

Question # 2 – How do you feel about it being said that God is on a mission and we merely join Him in that mission?

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Part 2

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - “For consider your calling brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong., and the base things of the world and despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, ‘Let Him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”

Comment - God does not need special people with special abilities to accomplish His purposes, but rather He wants ordinary people through whom He will be able to do extraordinary things. Ordinary people empowered by God Himself to accomplish the extraordinary “mission” of winning the world to Christ is God’s “Vision” of how to set the world aright.

Question # 3 – Why do you think God has chosen those who are viewed by the world as foolish, weak, base, and despised to be His agents for impacting the world?

Question # 4 – What is the significance of the phrase, “by His doing you are in Christ Jesus” and what bearing does it have on how we operate as God’s agents?

Part 3

Matthew 28:18-20 - “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

Comment - This is a major statement about the “mission” God has given to His people. We are called to “make disciples.” This is accomplished by reaching and teaching. Those who are obedient disciples engage in the art of making disciples through reaching the lost and then bringing them to the point of obedience concerning all that Christ commanded.

Question # 5 – What is a disciple and how is one made?

Question # 6 – How can you more fully embrace and pursue God’s call for you to participate in the exciting missions adventure of making disciples?

Conclusion

Pray – “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.” Colossians 2:2-4

Give – “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” Philippians 4:15-20

Go – “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’” Mark 16:15

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Related Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; Colossians 1:3-6; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 15:22-24, 28-29; John 3:16-21; Acts 1:8

What are your thoughts on these passages and how they relate to this week’s message?” Under “comments” in the Deep Six section of the church website post your thoughts, applications, and questions on these passages or anything from this week’s Deep Six Study.