Outline from Sunday December 30 - with verses

Here is the outline from last Sunday with the verses we reviewed. Have a great week! We will start experiencing God next week!

Scripture, God, and Christ
· Scripture is ONE book written by the same author - Hebrews 1:1-2
· Christ is God - Hebrews 4:14-16
· All is made by Christ - Colossians 1:15-16
· All is paid by Christ - Philemon 18

Struggle with Sin and ‘our kingdom’
· What is Christ’s blameless example? What do will we struggle with? - Matthew 5:3-12
· Continuous spiritual dangers -
o Danger of Neglect - Hebrews 2:1-4
o Danger of Unbelief - Hebrews 3:7-4:13
o Danger of Immaturity - Hebrews 5:11-6:20
o Danger of Failing to Endure - Hebrews 10:26-39
· On this earth we will never be at peace with others - 2 Kings 17:6
· We will have corrections from Him and even through unbelievers - 2 Kings 25:8-10

Living in His Kingdom
· Lay down our sin which so easily ensnares us - Hebrews 12:1-2
· We should stay focused on Him - 2 Kings 22:2
· We should not be deceived - Colossians 2:8
· Acting towards Believers - Colossians 3:12-13
· Acting towards un-Believers - Colossians 4:5-6 and Philemon 6
· Don’t be a slave - be a brother in the LORD - Philemon 16

Class Notes and Questions for December 23, 2007

Hello All!

I am very excited about this Sunday. While we will have many gone on trips I am sure we will have visitors as well. Please pray for those both new to the area as well as those visiting. Coming closer to God is not just ‘good’ or ‘important’ at this time of year, it is fundamental to the type of life we live now and forever. I pray to the Lord thanksgiving for each of you and what you mean to Kenna and I and our family. It is a true blessing from God our father that you all are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Please note we will be finishing Philemon this week. Verses 23 to 25 will be our key verses. If you were unable to be with us last week please do read through the first 22 verses. If you need your name added to the class email list please let us know your email address this Sunday and we will add it.

So, class notes and questions for this week:

Read Philemon 23-25 –

What stands out as the most important item for these verses?

Read Philemon 23 again out loud –

Is Epaphrus a prisoner? Of what?

What does it mean to ‘send greetings’?

Who are these greetings sent to? (See v1-3)

Read Philemon 24 –

Who is Mark? What is Mark’s occupation/job?
Who is Aristarchus? What is his occupation/job?
Who is Demas? What is his occupation/job?
Who is Luke? What is his occupation/job?

How is Paul a fellow worker of each of these people? What work is it that he is talking about?


Read Philemon 25 –

Write this entire verse down (do it slowly) and think about each word separately as you write it.


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What is Grace?

Why does Paul call out Jesus Christ as ‘Lord’? Why can or should He be called that? Read Hebrews 1:5-13, 3:1-6, Luke 5:24, Luke 1:32-33, Matthew 8:26, John 7:28, John 3:18, John 8:19, Luke 10:17-18, Revelation 1:5-6, Hebrews 7:26-28, John 1:1-18

What is ‘Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ’? Is there a difference between this and generally ‘grace’?


What does it mean to ‘be with your spirit’? Read Hebrews 10:22-24


In Summary –

What is it that Paul told Philemon and what did he appeal to him about? What attitude should Philemon have and why?

How should we treat, understand, accept, other Christian brothers/sisters?

What is it that Christ told YOU and what did He appeal to you about?

Do you have ‘the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ’ in ‘your spirit’? How do you know?

What circumstances are you in right now? In prison? A Slave? A rich aristocrat? A fraud? A doctor? A minister? An apostle? All of these are in Philemon. All of these are called and encouraged to be ‘fellow workers in Christ’. What is holding you back?

We will begin ‘Experiencing God’ on January 6, 2008. Please do the following:

Pray for the study to be fully glorifying our Lord and specifically that nothing would hinder people coming closer to the Lord or being saved through this study.
Pray for the Lord to guide you through the study and lean on Him for understanding and a willing heart.
Pray for the Lord to lead you to anyone that He would like to be there. If you know someone or
Pick up a book this week or next if you haven’t already. Pray over the material a look through it ahead of time.

We celebrate the savior’s birth and the fulfilling of over 300 prophecies next week. Let us not forget this week that it was Christ himself that told us He must come as a man to fulfill and show us the HE IS GOD. “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” (Luke 24:44). He, in one man, fulfilled that 1 in 83 Billion chance that all these prophecies would be fulfilled. Praise to the Lord for again showing us He is sovereign throughout the ages.

Have a wonderful week in praising Him,

Andrew

Why did God send Jesus when He did? Why not earlier? Why not later?

I saw this posted this week and thought it would be great to add to the blog. Please note it comes from gotquestions.org:

Question: "Why did God send Jesus when He did? Why not earlier? Why not later?"Answer: "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law," (Galatians 4:4). The above verse declares that God the Father sent His Son when “the fullness of time had come.” There were many things occurring at the time of the first century that, at least by human reasoning, seem to make it ideal for Christ to come then. These include the following:

1) There was a great anticipation that the Messiah would come among the Jews of that time. The Roman rule over Israel made the Jews hungry for the Messiah’s coming.

2) Rome had unified much of the world under its government, giving a sense of unity to the various lands. Also, because the empire was relatively peaceful, travel was possible by the early Christians to spread the gospel that would not have been possible during other times.

3) While Rome had conquered militarily, Greece had conquered culturally. A “common” form of the Greek language (different from classical Greek) was the trade language and was spoken throughout the empire, making it possible to communicate the gospel to many different people groups through that one common language.

4) The fact that many people’s idols had failed to give them victory over the Roman conquerors caused many to abandon their worship. At the same time in the more “cultured” cities, the Greek philosophy and science of the time left others spiritually empty in the same way that the atheism of Communist governments leaves a spiritual void today.

5) The mystery religions of the time emphasized a savior-god and required worshipers to offer bloody sacrifices, thus making the gospel of Christ, involving one ultimate sacrifice, not unbelievable to them. The Greeks also believed in the immortality of the soul (but not of the body).

6) The Roman army recruited soldiers from among the provinces, introducing these men to Roman culture and to ideas (such as the gospel) that had not reached those outlying provinces yet. The earliest introduction of the gospel to Britain was the result of the efforts of Christian soldiers stationed there.

Again, the above statements are based on men looking at that time and their speculation why that particular point in history was a good time for Christ to come. But we understand that God’s ways are above our ways and these may or may not have been some reasons for why He chose that particular time to send His Son. From the context of Galatians 3 and 4, it is evident that God sought to lay a foundation through the Jewish Law that would prepare for the coming of the Messiah. The Law was meant to help people understand the depth of their sinfulness (in that they were incapable in keeping the Law) so that they might more readily accept the cure for that sin in Jesus the Messiah (Galatians 3:22-23; Romans 3:19-20). The Law also served as a “tutor” (Galatians 3:24) to bring people to Jesus as the Messiah. It did this through its many prophecies concerning the Messiah which Jesus fulfilled. Add to this the sacrificial system that pointed to the need for a sacrifice for sin as well as its own temporary nature (with each sacrifice always requiring later additional ones). Old Testament history also painted pictures of the person and work of Christ through several events and religious feasts (such as the willingness of Abraham to offer up Isaac or the details of the Passover during the exodus from Egypt, etc.).Lastly, Christ came when He did in fulfillment of specific prophecy. Daniel 9:24-27 speaks of the “seventy ‘weeks’” or the seventy “sevens.” From the context, these “weeks” or “sevens” refer to groups of seven years, not seven days. We can examine history and line up the details of the first sixty-nine weeks (the seventieth week will take place at a future point). The countdown of the seventy weeks begins with “the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem" (verse 25). This command was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus in 445 B.C. (see Nehemiah 2:5). After 7 “sevens” plus 62 “sevens,” or 69 x 7 years, it states that “Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself and that the city and the sanctuary would be destroyed” and that the “end of it shall be with a flood” (meaning major destruction) (verse 26). Here we have an unmistakable reference to the Savior’s death on the cross. A century ago in his book The Coming Prince, Sir Robert Anderson gave detailed calculations of the sixty-nine weeks, using ‘prophetic years,’ allowing for leap years, errors in the calendar, the change from B.C. to A.D., etc., and figured that the sixty-nine weeks ended on the very day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, five days before His death. Whether one uses this timetable or not, the point is that the timing of Christ’s incarnation ties in with this detailed prophecy recorded by Daniel over five hundred years beforehand.The timing of Christ’s incarnation was such that the people of that time were prepared for His coming, and the people of every century since then have more than sufficient evidence that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah through His fulfillment of the Scriptures that pictured and prophesied His coming in detail.

Class Notes for December 16, 2007

Hello!

There are many emotions and thoughts for people in the weeks before and after Christmas. Some of these thoughts are of the past, relatives, loved ones, and even traditions. Many find Christmas to be stressful, concerning, and a strain on their patience and relationships. Please pray for this this week. I don’t want to distract you from the prayer list however I know that as I was ‘out and about’ this week that many are yearning for the PEACE of the Lord and it is NOT apparent in the malls or even at the ‘Christmas’ parties.

We pick up this week in Philemon v 14. Please take a moment if you haven't already and read the entire book of Philemon. 25 verses shouldn't take too long but we want to be in context when we review this week.

Please read verse 1-13 and reflect on what Paul is discussing. What main points and conclusions would you gather if this was directed at you specifically?

Read v 14-22

Read v 14 -

Paul moves even further than ensuring whatever he says is not an order (v.8). What favor is it that Paul would like or is talking about (v 13)?

Read v 15 -

Paul gives some speculation on what Onesimus ran away – an overarching reason. What is it?

Before you go to v 16 – Have you ever been separated from someone? What does that feel like when you are reunited? How does God see it when we come to Him? Speculate…

Read v 16 -
How has the relationship between Onesimus and Philemon changed? What is the cause for the change? In v . 10 and v. 12 Paul talks of his relationship to Onesimus. How can Onesimus’ relationship be ‘even dearer’ to Philemon?

Read v 17 -

When Onesimus was with you (again pretend you are Philemon) why would Paul say he was 'useless'? Why is he now useful to both you and to Paul? What is the change? Is the change internal, external?

Read v 18 -

What is Paul doing in this verse?

Read v 19 –

Read this verse outloud. What are the two messages tied together here?

Read v 20 –

Tie this to the last 2 verses. What is Paul saying as to WHY Philemon should take Onesimus back as a ‘brother in the Lord’?

Read v 21 –

Confidence is important – What is Paul telling Philemon and why?

Read v 22 –

Why would Paul say this?

I look forward to all those that can make it Saturday night. We will pray for each of you this week. Take care!

Andrew

Question about Slavery

We had a question in class as we are going through Philemon about slavery and what the Bible has to say on it. I have attached the below that may be useful in answering that question:

There is a tendency to look at slavery as if it was something of the past. It is estimated that there are today 12.3 million people in the world who are subject to slavery: forced labor, sex trade, inheritable property, etc. For more information, please visit - http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2006/. As those who have been redeemed from the slavery of sin, followers of Jesus Christ should be the foremost champions of ending human slavery in the world today. The question arises, though, why does the Bible not speak out strongly against slavery? Why does the Bible, in fact, seem to support the practice of human slavery.The Bible does not specifically condemn the practice of slavery. It gives instructions on how slaves should be treated (Deuteronomy 15:12-15; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1), but does not outlaw the practice altogether. Many see this as the Bible condoning all forms of slavery. What many people fail to understand is that slavery in Biblical times was very different from the slavery that was practiced in the past few centuries in many parts of the world. The slavery in the Bible was not based exclusively on race. People were not enslaved because of their nationality or the color of their skin. In Bible times, slavery was more of a social status. People sold themselves as slaves when they could not pay their debts or provide for their family. In New Testament times, sometimes doctors, lawyers, and even politicians were slaves of someone else. Some people actually chose to be slaves so as to have all their needs provided for by their master.The slavery of the past few centuries was often based exclusively on skin color. Black people were considered slaves because of their nationality – many slave owners truly believed black people to be “inferior human beings” to white people. The Bible most definitely does condemn race-based slavery. Consider the slavery the Hebrews experienced when they were in Egypt. The Hebrew were slaves, not by choice, but because they were Hebrews (Exodus 13:14). The plagues God poured out on Egypt demonstrate how God feels about racial slavery (Exodus 7-11). So, yes, the Bible does condemn some forms of slavery. At the same time, the Bible does seem to allow for other forms of slavery. The key issue is that the slavery the Bible allowed for in no way resembled the racial slavery that plagued our world in the past few centuries.Another crucial point is that the purpose of the Bible is to point the way to salvation, not to reform society. The Bible often approaches issues from the inside-out. If a person experiences the love, mercy, and grace of God, receiving His salvation – God will reform his soul, changing the way he thinks and acts. A person who has experienced God’s gift of salvation and freedom from the slavery of sin, as God reforms his soul, he will realize that enslaving another human being is wrong. A person who has truly experienced God’s grace will in turn be gracious towards others. That would be the Bible’s prescription for ending slavery.

Recommended Resource: Hard Sayings of the Bible by Kaiser, Davids, & Brauch.

Why Do We Celebrate Jesus Birthday on the 25th?

Speculation as to the time of Jesus’ birth dates back to the 3rd century, when Hyppolytus (ca. 170-236) claimed that Jesus was born on December 25. The earliest mention of some sort of observance on that date is in the Philoclian Calendar, representing Roman practice, of the year 336. Later, John Chrysostom favored the same date of birth. Cyril of Jerusalem (348-386) had access to the original Roman birth census, which also documented that Jesus was born on the 25th of December. The date eventually became the officially recognized date for Christmas in part because it coincided with the pagan festivals celebrating Saturnalia and the winter solstice. The church thereby offered people a Christian alternative to the pagan festivities and eventually reinterpreted many of their symbols and actions in ways acceptable to Christian faith and practice.December 25 has become more and more acceptable as the birth date of Jesus. However, some argue that the birth occurred in some other season, such as in the fall. Followers of this theory claim that the Judean winters were too cold for shepherds to be watching their flocks by night. History proves otherwise, however, and we have evidence that unblemished lambs for the Temple sacrifice were in fact kept in the fields near Bethlehem during the winter months.The truth is, we simply don’t know the exact date of our Savior’s birth. In fact, we don’t even know for sure the year in which He was born. Scholars believe it was somewhere between 6 B.C. and 4 B.C. One thing is clear: if God felt it was important for us to know the exact date of the Savior’s birth, He certainly would have told us in His Word. The Gospel of Luke gives very specific details about the event, even down to what the baby was wearing – “swaddling clothes” - and where he slept – “in a manger” (Luke 2:12). These details are important because they speak of His nature and character, meek and lowly. But the exact date of His birth has no significance whatsoever, which may be why God chose not mention it.The fact is that He was born, that He came into the world to atone for our sins, that He was resurrected to eternal life, and that He’s alive today. This is what we should celebrate, as we are told in the Old Testament in such passages as Zechariah 2:10: "'Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,' declares the LORD.” Further, the angel that announced the birth to the shepherds brought “good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10). Surely here is the cause for celebration every day, not just once a year.

Giving Gifts at Christmas

Many people take the idea of gift giving at Christmas back to the scripture in Matthew 2:10-11 which talks about the Magi (wise men) giving gifts to Jesus at his home: "When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."The Bible gives a wonderful story about the gift God gave us - Christ - and we can use it as an opportunity to present the gospel and to show love. Giving and receiving gifts can be part of fulfilling what Paul says about giving in 2 Corinthians 8:7-8, "Since you excel in so many ways—you have so much faith, such gifted speakers, such knowledge, such enthusiasm, and such love for us now I want you to excel also in this gracious ministry of giving. I am not saying you must do it, even though the other churches are eager to do it. This is one way to prove your love is real." Paul was talking to the churches who were giving him gifts (financial) so that he could keep on in the ministry. We can apply this same lesson to our own lives by being giving to others, not just at Christmas, but year round!So, can gift giving become the focus of Christmas instead of thanking the Lord for the gift of His Son (John 3:16)? Absolutely! Does giving gifts have to take away from the true meaning of Christmas? No, it does not. If we focus on the wonderful gift of salvation the Lord has given us (Isaiah 9:6), it is a natural expression of that gratefulness for us to give to others. The key is our focus. Is your focus on the gift, or the ultimate gift-giver - our gracious Heavenly Father? "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." (James 1:17).Recommended Resource: God's Gift of Christmas by John MacArthur.

What is an advent calendar? How does an advent calendar relate to Christmas?

The word 'Advent' has a Latin origin meaning 'the coming,' or more accurately, 'coming toward.' For Christian believers Christmas is one of the greatest events in the yearly cycle, being the celebration of the greatest gift ever given by God to mankind. That gift was Jesus, the Son of God Himself, born into this world in human form and coming to live among us to show us the true nature of God, experience human joy and sorrow along with us, and finally, going of His own will to die a horrible, agonizing death. In this way the price was paid for all human sin that had cut us off from our Holy God and Heavenly Father, resulting in our complete and total reconciliation with Him.

Centuries ago, the importance of this event caused many Christians to feel that it was inadequate merely to mark off only one day on the yearly calendar for celebrating this incredible gift from God Himself. Believers had (and still do have) such a sense of awe and overwhelming gratitude and wonder at what happened that first Christmas, that they felt the need for a period of preparation immediately beforehand. They could then not only take time themselves to meditate on it, but also teach their children the tremendous significance of Christmas.

At first, the days preceding Christmas were marked off from December 1 with chalk on believers' doors. Then in Germany in the late 19th century the mother of a child named Gerhard Lang made her son an Advent Calendar comprised of 24 tiny sweets stuck onto cardboard. Lang never forgot the excitement he felt when he was given his Advent calendar at the beginning of each December, and how it reminded him every day that the great celebration of the whole year was approaching ever nearer. As an adult he went into partnership with his friend Reichhold and opened a printing office. In 1908, they produced what is thought to be the first-ever printed Advent Calendar with a small colored picture for each day in Advent. Later on, at the beginning of the 20th century, they hit on the idea of making the pictures into little shuttered windows for the children to open day by day, in order to heighten their sense of expectation.

The idea of the Advent Calendar caught on with other printing firms as the demand swiftly increased, and many versions were produced, some of which would have printed on them Bible verses appropriate to the Advent period. By now the Advent Calendar had gained international popularity, and children all over the world were clamoring for them as December approached. Unfortunately, the custom came to an end with the beginning of the First World War when cardboard was rationed and only allowed to be used for strictly necessary purposes. However, in 1946, when rationing began to ease following the end of the Second World War, a printer named Richard Sellmer once again introduced the colorful little Advent Calendar, and again it was an immediate success.

Sadly, with the wane of Christianity in Western nations, the Advent Calendar, although still enormously popular with all children, has lost its true meaning. Many, many children and their parents have no idea of the history of the little calendar or its true purpose, which is to prepare us for the celebration of the advent of the Christ-child. Even if they do know, most would not care. Also, the makers of today's Advent calendars are anxious only to sell their product, and the majority of these neither know nor care about the meaning and purpose of Advent. Their calendars depict Santa Claus and his reindeer, snowmen, holly, mistletoe, and all the secular trappings of Christmas behind the little windows, often along with a piece of chocolate. Fortunately, however, Christian printers are still with us to manufacture Calendars for children from Christian families that unfold the story of the nativity with each window that is opened. We, as Christian Believers, pray that one day the whole world will be aware of the incredible wonder of the true meaning of Advent and Christmas.

Recommended Resource: God's Gift of Christmas by John MacArthur.

Class Notes/Questions - December 9, 2007

Hello!

I trust that all have had a meaningful and restful week. Please pray for those on the prayer list. I know meals and other service is being poured out so I praise the Lord for each of you. Please continue to 'run the race'. This is a body of believers looking to act and movtivated to follow our Lord's 2nd command to 'love our neighbor as ourself'. Be encouraged and pray for God's comfort, guidance, and healing on these issues.

Philemon 8-13 is what we will be reviewing this Sunday. Please take a moment if you haven't already and read the entire book of Philemon. 25 verses shouldn't take too long but we want to be in context when we review this week.

Please read verse 1-7 and reflect on what Paul is discussing. What main points and conclusions would you gather if this was directed at you specifically?

Read vs 8 -

What would be the orders that Paul would give if he was 'being bold'?

Read vs 9 -

What does an appeal on the basis of love change attitudes or what does it make you think of? If your husband/wife, family member, boss, friend, or whomever said 'I could tell you to do this next thing but I appeal to you in love' what would be different or what would change in your mind?

What does it mean to be a 'Prisoner of Christ' as Paul says he is?

Read vs 10 -

Who is Paul appealing to YOU about (pretend you are Philemon)? What happened to Onesimus? What do you think it means to 'became my son while I was in chains'?

Read vs 11 -

When Onesimus was with you (again pretend you are Philemon) why would Paul say he was 'useless'? Why is he now useful to both you and to Paul? What is the change? Is the change internal, external?

Read vs 12 -

What is Paul going to do with Onesimus? How does he see Onesimus compared to himself? What is the relationship between Paul and Onesiumus?

Read vs 13 -

What would Paul have selfishly liked to do? What else stands out in vs 13?

Read vs 8-13 again but this time not so literally. Are there any truths here about what we are slaves to and how useful we are to the cause of Christ? We will discuss that this Sunday in the lesson.

Take care!

Andrew

Philemon Summary

Author: The author of the Book of Philemon was the Apostle Paul (Philemon 1:1).Date of Writing: The Book of Philemon was written in approximately 60 A.D.Purpose of Writing: The letter to Philemon is the shortest of all Paul's writings and deals with the practice of slavery. The letter suggest that Paul was in prison at the time of the writing. Philemon was a slave-owner who also hosted a church in his home. During the time of Paul's ministry in Ephesus, Philemon had likely journeyed to the city, heard Paul's preaching and became a Christian. The slave Onesimus robbed his master, Philemon, and ran away, made his way to Rome and to Paul. Onesimus was still the property of Philemon and Paul wrote to smooth the way for his return to his master. Onesimus had become a Christian and Paul wanted Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ and not merely as a slave.Key Verses: Philemon verse 6, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."Philemon verse 16, "no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord."Philemon verse 18, "If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me."Brief Summary: Paul had warned slave-owners that they had a responsibility towards their slaves and showed slaves as responsible moral beings who were to fear God. In Philemon, Paul did not condemn slavery but he presented Onesimus as a Christian brother instead of a slave. When an owner can refer to a slave as a brother, the slave has reached a position in which the legal title of slave is meaningless. The early church did not attack slavery directly but it laid the foundation for a new relationship between owner and slave. Paul attempted to unite both Philemon and Onesimus with Christian love so that emancipation would become necessary. After exposure to the light of the gospel the institution of slavery could only die.Practical Application: Employers, political leaders, corporation executives and parents can follow the spirit of Paul's teaching by treating Christian employees, co-workers and family members as members of Christ's Body. Christians in modern society must not view helpers as stepping stones to help them achieve their ambitions but as Christian brothers and sisters who must receive gracious treatment. In addition, all Christian leaders must recognize that God holds them accountable for the treatment of those who work for them, whether the helpers are Christians or not. They must eventually answer to God for their actions (Colossians 4:1).