Scottlea - final session (Sunday)

In Psalm 51 David wrote, " against You, and against You only have I sinned", demonstrating the attitude of a man after God's own heart... Only God can put back together the brokenness that David desired

Conclusion: God will give multiple ways of escape Conclusion: cover-ups never cover up anything, it just multiplies the problem Conclusion: a person involved in sin can recognize/condemn 'rights' and 'wrongs' in others while not seeing their own Conclusion: ready to admit their wrongdoings

Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.” And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?” Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab. And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. - 1 Chronicles 21:1-7 (NKJV)

• notice Satan's involvement - spiritual nature of the battle - Satan made what was happening to Job look like it was God's fault - God feels the pain of arrows that pierce His children, who dwell within His hand • unbelievers are sometimes used to call-out believers, as did Joab • David trumps Joab • David again confesses that he has sinned and has done wrong - the man of God is consistent when it comes to dealing with his own sin - David chooses the plague as the punishment and 70,000 died • David recognizes that God is merciful • David presents himself humbly • David intercedes (as a good shepherd) that the angel not proceed with Jerusalem • God listens to David • David refuses an offered gift of property, instead insisting on making his own financial sacrifice • David erects an alter to the Lord (v26) • David offers burnt sacrifices and peace offers • David calls upon the name of the Lord • God answers from heaven by fire on the alter - the sacrifice is fully consumed, as David's life is spared - sins (which, as we've seen, are many) totally forgiven, forever, never again, ever, ever, ever to be remembered by a merciful God

Scottlea - Session Three (Saturday evening)

Recap from last time: meekness is strength under control Conclusion: the man of God waits for the Lord to take up his cause Conclusion: the Lord will work to keep the man after his own heart from sin

IN DISHONOURING SIN

2 Samuel 11-12 • Setting: politically - year before (10:14) - springtime (11:1a) - the king (11:1) - early success (11:1c) • just because you're successful once, doesn't guarantee success the next time • it is inappropriate to be spiritually lazy • knowledge is not the same as doing (action) • a lack of engagement leads to serious problems

Setting: personally - insomnia (v2) - typical when too much time is at hand - imperfect occasion - - inquiry (3) • it is unacceptable to flirt with sin, like David did • he desires, he sleeps with another man's wife, a baby happens as a result • this starts an avalanche of lies

Cover-up plan #1 - report: fake interest in the welfare of the battle and the troops - David fails to be convicted by Uriah's gentle rebuke

Cover-up plan #2 - asks Uriah to stay - tries to get him drunk - Uriah doesn't go home

• David plays Uriah like a pawn in his devious scheme to get him killed on the front line of the battle • David is now caught in his sinful spiral of deceit and hypocrisy • we all have issue of trying to cover since

• enter Nathan to bring David's sin to light • suddenly David has a sense of right and wrong • sin causes us not to be able to focus and to create more and more cover-ups to disguise sin

• David admits,"I have sinned." - the hardest words in one's life to speak - Saul never said anything like this...but David does - the man (person) after God's own heart confesses his (their) failures and faults

• God still desires the posture of brokenness (admission, confession, repentance)

Saturday Afternoon Seminar - Jake Peters: 'Encouragement'

What encouragement is Brainstorming ideas: • complementing • going out of your way • being helpful • how christians stay strong • being accountable

How to encourage

Brainstorming ideas: • talking • helping • caring • giving

Why encourage?

Brainstorming ideas: • grow • make others feel good • show love • show them an understanding

Acts 15:32 Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. • used many words to encourage

Acts 16:40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed. • often people who have recently been through dark times themselves offer the best encouragement to others

Acts 28: • Paul is now the one to be encouraged • Paul had gone through a lot • they went to see him

Colossians 4:7-8 Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts... • was sent by Paul to be an encouragement • support • lend a listening ear

1 Thessalonians 3:2-3 and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. • so their faith may not be shaken • they were being afflicted • given perspective to their situation • being an example

1 Thessalonians 3:7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. • to let them know they were being thought of

2 Chronicles 32:6-8 Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying, “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. • be strong and of good courage • reminding them of God and His power

1 John 3:1-3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

1 John 3:13-14 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

1 John 3:16-18 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. • we are to encourage the ones we love • love allows us to encourage much more effectively with 'doing' not just in words

Encourage one another daily!!

Scottlea Seminar - Colin Ritchie - Prayer is Vital!

Colin spoke to us passionately about our need for prayer as Christians.Scottlea Seminar - Colin Ritchie - Prayer is Vital!.pdf

Scottlea - Session Two

A man after God's own heart: In hostile situations• David finishes (52) • David rallies (52) • David blesses (53) • David's recognition (55-57) • David's humility (58)

A person operating properly is conscious of the "fear of The Lord

Conclusion 4 - Recognizes the futility of operating in the flesh Conclusion 5 - Confidence in God Conclusion 6 - Runs to the danger Conclusion 7 - Encourages others

David becomes a fugitive (on the run from Saul)

David: In hunted scenarios (encounter at En Gedi)

- Saul seeks to kill David - on opposite sides of the mountain - capture was imminent - Saul enters the cave, David has a perfect opportunity to kill him right there - but David does not, calling Saul "God's anointed" (v6) - David is immediately convicted because loyalty to his God was more important to him that operating in the flesh (v5) - David restrains his men - in the Christian life you can be a 'fire starter' or a 'fire quencher' (to gossip or not to gossip) (v7)

Conclusion: spontaneously obedient to God Conclusion: wait on the Lord

- David's request to Nabal (v2) - David rightly reminds (v6-8)

- Abigail keeps David from a natural fleshly reaction to totally annihilate Nabal's entire house - David reacts be listening to the advice - God avenges David with Nabal's heart attack shortly thereafter - illustration used: Paul's reaction (after being slapped) by the High Priest's servant after he found out who the man was - the anger of man never works the righteousness of God

David's meekness was not weakness; he was a man under God's control and authority

Scottlea - Session One (Friday night)

David: A man after God's own heart In wholesome sensing In hostile circumstances (tonight's session) In hated circumstances In hounded scenarios In honouring incidents and hallowed strategies In dishonouring sin

1 Samuel 17 Description: the battle (17:1-7) - 10+ feet - bronze helmet (everything protected) - 125 lbs. armour; bronze leggings - spear with 17lb. head

Defiance: the champion - employed terror by screaming his challenge twice daily - the simple threat emotionally defeated the Israelites - belittled, blasphemed, boasted - many people are still under the control of the enemy of God - many live in the fear of death - we need to be introduce to the Mn who defeated the one with the power of death

David: the servant (v12-22,26) - humble - selfless - obedient - diligent - likely a teen at the time; the youngest - loyal - David was a man of character - he was pure (28-29) - he was willing (32b) - he was dependant (33-37) - he was meek (38-40) - courageous

Dumbfounded (23-30) - observes - remarks - David's brother criticized David

Doubtful - hing's meeting (31-32) - king's doubt (33) - kingly response (34-37) - kingly suggestion (38-39)

Drawing near (40-45) - he wasn't hung up on what he didn't have, but was reliant on what he did have - David doesn't lose focus of what the battle was about; the battle is the Lord's

Defeat - David didn't run from the enemy, but ran towards the fight! - Jesus took the enemy on - Jesus beat the enemy taking away the enemy's power: the fear of death

Conclusion 1 - walked in obedience Conclusion 2 - Conclusion 3 - no self-defences

God is...our friend

Last session: Ron Hughes There is a concern sometimes that we treat God as a buddy. There should be respect when we think or talk about Him, but we can be assured that He is our friend.

There are different kinds of friendships based on mutual affection, trust, etc.

At a certain point we can become friends with people who on on a higher social plain than we are (ie. parent, teacher, leader, etc.)

Our friendship with God is a relationship that we need to consider. It is important that the friendship with God be mutual. The Lord spoke with Moses as a 'man speaks with his friend', and yet Moses was always referred to as God's servant.

Think of the relationship between Abraham and God. It's not a peer-to-peer friendship but is based on a mutuality of working toward a common goal (being on the same team). Examples: coach's relationship to the players; conductor to musicians in an orchestra.

Love is simply not enough without the response of the one (person). God can love us, but unless we respond to His love we cannot benefit from his friendship.

It is possible for God to love us and not love (even hate) what we do. Yes, even Christians can be involved in things in parts of their lives that they refuse to submit to God. Obedience to God makes the friendship better.

God loved us when we were (naturally speaking) 'enemies'. His offer of friendship is conditional on our positive response.

God is...Present

Topic: God is...Present - Tonight, a different approach - a list - to help us grow in our Christian life - Most will agree that in a general way that God is present, but will go further to see how we must be aware of the presence of God

To do so, we must do certain things:

1) We must accept that we are accepted

- We can see ourselves as difficult to love - We can wonder how God would accept us - Yet He knows we are broken and He accepts us based on Christ

Hebrews 10:19-22 - Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

- We do not always want to draw near to God - We should be drawing near to God and we can, in the full assurance of faith

2) Be conscious of the facts of God's presence

- Sometimes we do not have all the information - The Bible is clear about the presence of God in general creation and specially in the lives of individuals

Jeremiah 23:23-24 - “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off? 24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

Psalm 139:7-12 - Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Isaiah 57:15 - For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

- God is present whether we sense it or not - For the believer, not only is God present with us in our physical environment, but we are also already present with God in the spiritual environment

Colossians 3:1-3 - If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

- We live our lives in the throne room of God - God is also present within us as believers

3) Be intentional in our thoughts and actions

- Spiritual maturity does not come by accident - We cannot sit around waiting for something to happen, we must be preparing ourselves to be used by God - We need time to be with God, to communicate with Him - Often there are too many distractions - The more aware you are of the presence of God, the more likely we are to develop love for Him

4) Be alert to the signs of God moving around us

1 Kings 19:11-12 - Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

- The presence of God is not always blatant and dramatic - He is often found in the quiet places - We can talk to God as we talk to a friend

A practical note: Pray out loud, because it is harder to lose focus

5) Rest in the fact of His presence

- We need not worry that He is not there - Failure to rest is to doubt God's promises

Final note - The presence of God is not punitive, there to find fault to punish - He says He will not leave us or forsake us - His presence is to support and encourage us

We should seek His presence as a good and joyful thing

God is...a Person

Ron Hughes Although we easily think of Jesus as a person because of His incarnation as a human, we don't usually think of God in the same way.

However, throughout the Bible we are presented with characteristics of God that lead us to be able to see Him as a Person - someone who is connected to us as a person in a very personal way, not a cosmic stranger.

Earlier we saw Him as being happy but that's not to say that He doesn't have other characteristics. This session we explored His characteristics that we humanly associate with male personalities: father, warrior, shepherd, etc., but the Bible also mentions other characteristics God has that are a bit different. God is explained as a person who shows certain maternal characteristics towards His own.

God is...Happy

Here are notes from Ron Hughes first message here at Graphite for Winter Weekend 2013. - Big misconception that God is angry - As if He is waiting to find someone to punish - Not only is God happy, but He wants us to be happy - In OT, He commanded His people to celebrate - In OT and NT, word translated as "blessed" is also "happy" - Why would God be unhappy? - General state of the world might be one reason - Perhaps due to rebellious sinners - So many wayward believers - God is happy because He is getting it His way - Making His plan come to fulfillment - Ephesians 1:11 - ...Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will... - One of the themes is the redemptive nature of what God does - There are people whose terrible experiences God has redeemed to use for His glory - The "god of this world" is unhappy - Satan - His time is limited and set - His power is limited - Satan can only offer happiness for a short time - God can offer happiness forever - God is also happy in His children - Jeremiah 32:41 - Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul. - Speaking about Israel, but this tells us of His character - When God looks at us, He wants to make us happy - He wants to establish us in a heavenly land - Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. - God is present with us - God does love us, He made us and He loves us, even though we botched it up - He will quiet us - His love comforts us - He makes us the subject of His song - Matthew 25 - Enter into the joy of your master - John 15 - These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you - Jesus was a happy man - John 17 - He prayed that His disciples would have His joy fulfilled in them - Story of the prodigal son - Father is God - He throws a party with feasting, music and dancing - Will throw the greatest party the universe has seen when His Son gets His bride

Questions to ask in regard to His happiness 1) How could God be the source of our happiness and joy if He were not happy and joyful? 2) How could the children be happy if the Father is not happy - He is happy and He puts the desire for that in His children 3) Do we think of God as being happy? - God is happy - He is happy with us - He wants us to be happy

God tells us how to be happy - Being selfish is Satan's program, not God's - Job 5:17 - Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. - If we let God correct us, we will be happier in life - Proverbs 3:13 - Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding - Tolerance is a great thing, but we cannot turn our brains off - There are very dumb ideas - We must be discerning - Proverbs 28:14 - Happy is the man who is always reverent, But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. - When we disrespect others, we can no longer connect with them and get no benefit from them

Q and A 1) OT says "God's anger burned...", so He must be angry - God is angry about certain things, such as sin, but His general disposition is joy - His anger is momentary, but He is not characterised by anger - He is characterised by joy and the other fruits of the spirit 2) It's easy to be joyful when we're perfect, so how can we be joyful - God knows that as long as there is sin, we will be unhappy - However, when we believe in Christ, God has already set us on the path to perfection - When we reach heaven, we will be perfect and fully experience joy as God intended - The more we defeat sin, the happier we will be

The longest journey

Speaker: Joe Reese
Venue: MBC Family Bible Hour 

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:10 (ESV)

Who is this Son of Man?

• came to minister
• will be betrayed
• will die
• will rise again
• Son of Man: form of a servant in the likeness of man
• Jesus became like us, sin apart

How far did he come?
• He crossed the universe, across time
• left His Father's home

To whom has He come?
• to seek lost people
• because of sin, humans had lost their attachment to their Creator
• we are accustomed to the thought of 'lost'
• being lost should cause alarm and dispair; how much more to be 'spiritually lost'?
• four stories of lost in chapter 15: 1/100 sheep, 1/10 coins, 1/2 boys, 1/1 son
• Jesus came to seek sinners -- God cannot tolerate sin in His presence
• finding that which is lost causes rejoicing (refer to chapter 15)
• didn't come to seek the self-righteous
• if you don't see yourself as lost you don't feel the need to be found

What reason has He come?
• Jesus came to seek and to save
• "saved" is used over 100 times in the NT in reference to being rescued from the penalty of sin
• to get onto the narrow road, a person first must admit that they are lost
• illustration: Amber Alert
• He seeks in every place
• GPS: God's Plan of Salvation

How?
• Jesus died and paid for our sin
• a seeking sinner and a seeking Saviour will always meet

You'd allow yourself to be saved from a burning building, a raging sea or if you were lost in the wilderness, but...

If the seeking Son of Man came to save you, would you let Him?

I now live...

Toronto Easter Conference
Speaker:  Rex Trogden

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  - Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

I
• personal pronoun, dealing with ourselves 
• Paul said, "I am less than the least"
• Paul had a changed perspective, the right perspective
• every believer can be used by God in their own way
• For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are... - 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 (ESV)
• as long as we think of ourselves as something, we are nothing
• how do we view ourselves? Usable? Or not?

NOW
• a challenging word because it means immediacy
• God works in the present
• if not now, then when?
• if we are serious, we will get started to get to know/serve Him right now
• we use the thought of now when it comes to salvation...
• choose this day whom/what you will serve

LIVE
• the opposite of life is death/dead
• if what we're living for isn't worth dying for, it's not worth living for; Paul: for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain
• what in our life is worth living for?
• if we're living for wealth/health/fame, etc., it will be gone tomorrow
• what on earth are you doing for heaven's sake

BY FAITH
• forsaking all I trust Him; faith is a necessity
• living by/in faith is practical
• facts, faith, feeling  (some people get the order wrong, with feeling being the first)
• we walk by faith and not by sight

IN THE SON OF GOD
• our grounding
• if our faith is not in Christ, then who/what is it in?

WHO LOVED ME
• gives us purpose in life
• eternal love (has no beginning or ending)
• greater love has no man than this...
• we love/serve because He first loved us

AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME
• the price we cost Him
• we were not paid for with some commodity but with His own life
• He gives us all things freely

This verse should change the perspective of our lives.

Should we not respond by wanting to offer Him our lives/service?

The Makings of a Beautiful Bride

Speaker: Jim Renie (Part2), Sunday April 1st

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. - Ephesians 5:2 (ESV)

Qualities of a beautiful bride

• Sanctity (holiness)

• Happy heart (joy in the spirit)

• Submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ

The  three domestic examples in this chapter mirror a Christian's relationship with Christ

FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS (AS PART OF THE BRIDE)

Reading: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),  “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,  not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,  rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,  knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.  Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. - Ephesians 6:1-9 (ESV)

Teens' responsibility

• verse 1: addressed to children; the Bible indicates that adulthood is age-defined - 'From twenty years old and upward…' - Numbers 1:3 (ESV); God continues to mention the age of 20 fourteen more times; this number proved absolutely crucial as it was used to be the deciding factor in who got into the Promised Land and who did not; parenting is not meant to be for an indefinite length of time; significance of age 12 (Luke 2:41-52): recognition of the primacy of one's personal responsibility to God and to be in His house - at 12 a child has a responsibility to follow God for themselves 

• verse 2: these instructions are for all; honour is the positive practice of valuing; “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death. - Exodus 21:15 (ESV); 'Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.' - Exodus 21:17 (ESV); in Ephesians God gives a promise instead of that dire warning from Exodus although the importance God places honouring parents has not diminished

Parental Responsibilities

• represent the heavenly Father by caring for and governing the child in age-approximate ways 

• to bring (introduce) the child to Jesus (Matthew 19:13-14)

• to promote the transfer of dependence and allegiance away from self (the parents) to God

Growing up

• the best teacher is the Holy Spirit, NOT by gaing our own 'experience'

• rebellion against parental authority is always a sin (2 Timothy 3:2)

• verse 4: instructions to fathers (they have the mandate to govern, not the mother); exasperation: lack of love, neglecting discipline, harsh or unfair discipline; there needs to be an even mix of love and discipline (let everything be done in love); the greatest influence is by love - for a father to teach control to his child he must be in control of himself (grace-based parenting)

Challenge to teens: are you prepared to submit (be obedient) to your parents and then to honour them always?

Self-control

Tonight we put out a question with a challenge...

In Titus 2 Paul tells older men, older women, younger women and younger men to exercise self-control. That covers all age groups, so no one is left out :)

QUESTION

Where does a Christian get the ability to be able to have self-control? See if you can find a verse(s) in the Bible.

Practical Holy Walk

Speaker: Ryan Short
Date: March 18, 2012, AM

We are not from this world; we have been called out; therefore "I am not from around here"

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And 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, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. -Ephesians 4:25-32 (ESV)

Structure of the passage relating to practical application

Positive command - "don't lie" - Satan is the father of lies; the world has exchanged the truth of God for a lie; everything we see in the world is based on deceipt; no room for "little white lies"; speak the truth to each other because we are members together of His body (organism, not organization); illustration: nervous system to the brain; truth should be a characteristic of those 'of Christ'

Negative command - "be angry and do not sin" - when we are angry it should not be an opening to sin; we can be angry, but our anger should be about what angers God (actions against Him, injustice to His creation); reference to 'A Tale of Two Cites' (revolution, retribution, redemption); this command has a timeframe (take care of issues without allowing it to fester); illustration: Cain killing Abel; anger can distroy our usefulness for God; remember that "vengeance is mine, saith the Lord"

Negative command - "do not steal" - do our own work; work for what we need; "whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might"; work so we can help others; as Christians we should have a desire to help others less fortunate (don't be hoarders); giving is a true picture of love; marketing creates a desire to get more and more; our giving must be with the right attitude

Negative command - "don't let [rancid] words come out of your mouth" - words are extremely powerful; our communication should be to 'build up one another in love' (edifying); this imparts grace

Reason for the positive command - "that we grieve not the Holy Spirit" - reminants of our old self (pre-salvation) should not characterize who we are as Christians; this takes grace; act like who we are (saved from the former)

How do we stay faithful?

Speaker Notes: Chris Schroeder, Sunday PM, March 11, 2012

What a message! This hit us hard.

If you can, get the MP3. Here are the notes. Chris can really hit us where we are.

2012-03-11 PM - Chris Schroeder - How do we stay faithful?.pdf Download this file

The Pure Bride is "Not From Around Here"

Tonight's lesson by Ryan (see .pdf of presentation)

"A lot of what 

we have covered this year at YG was mentioned in the topic of the Youth Conference in Scotlea and tonight is going to be a little bit of a recap."

WHY A PURE BRIDE?
- the key is that the church may be presented to Christ as a glorious bride (Eph. 6:25-27)
- clean (doesn't just mean sexually, although that's what we often think of first) - holy and not marked up (brides in traditional wedding wear white and take a lot of time preparing for their presentation to the bridegroom)
- sanctified (set apart)
- Christ will present the bride to Himself -- notice this is not about the bride at that time

HOW IS THE PURE BRIDE NOT OF THIS WORLD?
- Genesis 3:6 and 1 John 2:16
- Eve saw that the fruit was good (progression of lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life)
- the world looks like it offers everything, but for the Christian it has nothing to offer us (looks pretty but is empty)

WHAT IS IT THAT CHRIST OFFERS?
1 John 3:1-4
- fellowship that leads to pure joy
- our purity leads to fellowship with Him
- fellowship with Him leads to joy
- we cultivate fellowship through obedience to Him

WHY SHOULD WE BE PURE?
- the world would tell Christians that being pure will choke our ability to have fun and that God is holding out on us (same lie as Satan told Eve in the garden is being told told today)
- our love to Him is in recognition and appreciation for the fact that He loved us and gave Himself for us
- love should lead to obedience ("if you love me, keep my commandments")
- we look forward to the future with a very certain hope (only in heaven will we know what real purity is all about)
- because of this we should want to be pure

a) upon salvation we were saved from the penalty of sin
b) daily we can be saved from the power of sin (requires a close relationship with Christ)
c) in the future (heaven) we will be saved from the presence of sin

(.pdf of lesson Keynote)

The_Pure_Bride.pdf Download this file

2012-03-04 - Jon Benson - Final Message

From Evernote:

2012-03-04 - Jon Benson - Final Message

• Of Christ - "He sees us as pure because He sees Himself in us." - positional purity
• Of us - "We have a responsibility for purity to prepare ourselves to meet Him." - practical purity
• "Our bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, will be with us for eternity. That is awesome."
• On following our emotions - "What does your heart tell you? No! What does the Word of God say? For the Word of God has been proven true over and over and over again."
• "We need to be looking for Him, our Bridegroom."
• "Though we can't see Him in bodily form today, we can see Him in His Word...for we can see Him as He is."

What a weekend this has been! Above are just a few of the thoughts that came from Jon's message this morning. It has been such a great time in the Word. To borrow from Brian Stapley, who spoke at this year's Winter Weekend, "If you weren't blessed, your blesser's broke!" Having known Jon for an almost embarrassing number of years, it was a joy to hear his ministry again. Please pray that the Word will grow and bear fruit in the days and weeks to come. Watch this site for a link to recordings of the messages. They will bless you in the hearing, be it the first or the tenth time.

Valuable take-aways

As we sit down ready for the last session and this conference comes to a close I'm thinking of the take-aways for the weekend.

The theme of the weekend has been The Pure Bride and the sessions have been great. The three break-out seminars were all tied in very nicely.

As the bride of Christ awaiting His return at any time, there are a few things we need to remember:

SIN'S CONSEQUENCES
An awareness that sin in our lives tarnishes (dirties) our testimony for Christ and our ability to be used by Him will make us want to live our lives in a way that we won't be doing anything embarrassing or not honoring in our lives when our bridegroom returns for His bride.

RUNNING FOR GOD
Our run for God can be a direct indication of our love for Him and our commitment to our coming bridegroom. It would be really nice to be running for God when His Son returns.

SACRIFICIAL SERVICE
When Christ returns it would be really nice to be engaged in service for Him. Our Lord asks us to "occupy until I come". Many times it seems we are preoccupied with other stuff and it's nice to be reminded that we need to be occupied in service for Him. Wouldn't it be nice to be occupied when the bridegroom returns?

Object lesson

James 1:23-24 - For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.