Friday/Saturday
Jesus arrives in Bethany
John 12:1
Mary annoints Jesus
John 12:2-8
Crowd comes to see Jesus
John 12:9-11
Sunday
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:28-44, John 12:12-18
Some Greeks seek Jesus
John 12:20-36
Enters Temple
Mark 11:11
Returns to Bethany
Matthew 21:17, Mark 11:11
Monday
Jesus curses a fig tree
Matthew 21:18-19, Mark 11:12-14
Clears the temple
Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, Luke 19:45-46
Returns to Bethany with the twelve
Mark 11:19
Tuesday
Disciples see the withered fig tree on the return to Jerusalem
Matthew 21:20-22, Mark 11:20-21
Temple controversies in Jerusalem
Matthew 21:23-23:39, Mark 11:27-12:44, Luke 20:1-21:4
Olivet discourse on the return to Bethany
Matthew 24:1-25:46, Mark13:1-37, Luke 21:5-36
Wednesday
Jesus continues daily teaching in the temple
Luke 21:37-38
Sanhedrin plots to kill Jesus
Matthew 26:3-5, Mark 14:1-2, Luke 22:1-2
Wednesday/Thursday
Preparations for the passover
Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:7-13
Thursday
Passover meal/Last Supper
Matthew 26:20-35, Mark 14:17-26, Luke 22:14-30
Upper Room Discourse
John 13:1-17:26
Jesus prays in Gethsemane
Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46
Friday
Betrayal and arrest (after midnight)
Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:2-12
Jewish Trial
-before Annas
John 18:13-24
-before Caiaphas and some of the Sanhedrin
Matthew 26:57-75, Mark 14:53-72, Luke 22:54-56, John 18:19-24
-before full Sanhedrin (after sunrise)
Matthew 27:1-2, Mark 15:1, Luke 22:66-71
Roman Trial
-before Pilate
Matthew 27:2-14, Mark 15:2-5, Luke 23:1-5
-before Herod
Luke 23:6-12
-before Pilate
Matthew 27:15-26, Mark 15:6-15, Luke 23:13-25, John 18:28-19:16
Crucifixion
Matthew 27:27-54, Mark 15:16-39, Luke 23:26-49, John 19:6-37
Burial
Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-54, John 19:38-42
Sunday
Empty Tomb witnesses
Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-12
Resurrection appearances
Matthew 28:9-20, Mark 16:9-10, Luke 24:13-53, John 19:38-42
Monday, April 15, 2013
Sunday, July 29, 2012
McKenna and Reagan
Grandparents are Sheran Allee and Michael Allee of West Terre Haute, Ind., and Lendell Mansfield and Clora Mansfield of Coal City, IL.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Save the Hymnals
I grew up in a church that sang hymns. They had an organ on the right and a piano on the left and a guy swinging his arms in the middle. We had no praise band, no drums, no guitar, just a choir with the ugly robes. At some point I felt God leading me to leave and go to another church. (I left for other reasons not the music. You can read about it in another post on this site.) At this church they had a good well balanced mix of Praise and Worship songs as well as a mixture of Hymns. I do like this style of worship much better but I have to admit, after a while I did miss the old hymns. I miss the piano and organ music. A lot of rich deep doctrine is written in these Hymns. You have to read them to really appreciate them. I often wonder what scriptures were the authors meditating on when they wrote these hymns.
Here is a list of some of the hymns that are my favorites.
1. How Great thou Art
2. I Will Sing the Wondrous Story
3. I Stand Amazed in the Presence
4. There is a Name I Love to Hear
5. At the Cross
6. Nothing but the Blood
7.There is Power in the Blood
8. Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me
9. Amazing Grace
10 Just as I Am
11. Jesus is Tenderly Calling
12. Softly and Tenderly
13. I have Decided to Follow Jesus
14. Without Him
15.Great is thy Faithfulness
16. Surly Goodness and Mercy
17. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
18. Sweet, Sweet, Spirit
19. There Shall be Showers
20. Footsteps of Jesus
21. Standing on the Promises
22. It is well with my Soul
23. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
24. In the Garden
25. The Old Rugged Cross.
I can close my eyes and still hear these hymns being sung in that little church I grew up in. Grab a Hymnal and dive in and fall in love with the hymns.
Here is a list of some of the hymns that are my favorites.
1. How Great thou Art
2. I Will Sing the Wondrous Story
3. I Stand Amazed in the Presence
4. There is a Name I Love to Hear
5. At the Cross
6. Nothing but the Blood
7.There is Power in the Blood
8. Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me
9. Amazing Grace
10 Just as I Am
11. Jesus is Tenderly Calling
12. Softly and Tenderly
13. I have Decided to Follow Jesus
14. Without Him
15.Great is thy Faithfulness
16. Surly Goodness and Mercy
17. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
18. Sweet, Sweet, Spirit
19. There Shall be Showers
20. Footsteps of Jesus
21. Standing on the Promises
22. It is well with my Soul
23. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
24. In the Garden
25. The Old Rugged Cross.
I can close my eyes and still hear these hymns being sung in that little church I grew up in. Grab a Hymnal and dive in and fall in love with the hymns.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Pastor Chuck
The following was taken from the Morris Daily Hearld on Jan 20, 2012.
Chuck was my pastor from May of 1999 till June of 2005. I loved his sermons, they were so down to earth and easy to understand.
Christian Church minister Dr. Chuck Richardson told his congregation last Sunday that if there is one key scripture for which they should remember him, it would be Ephesians 4:11-16.
The passage tells of God’s wishes for the church and how important it is people become strong enough to withstand being “blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men.”
It also speaks of how members of the church can work together as one unit, building itself up as each part does its work.
No one can say Richardson hasn’t done his share of building his church up. At the end of this month, he will retire after almost 40 years as minister of the Morris church. As its leader and preacher, he has led the growth of the church from a small, 4,000-square-foot building on Southmor Road to a 43,000-square-foot facility with a gymnasium and a weekday preschool.
Since he arrived in 1972, those who attend Sunday morning services increased from 50 to around 800; annual tithing offerings rose from $12,000 to $1.2 million; and the church has six paid staff members, up from just the one 40 years ago.
“My vision was to grow it to 300 in attendance,” Richardson said of his early goals. “For the first 20 years, we never had a year that we didn’t have growth.”
He acknowledges how uncommon it is for a minister to remain at the same church for so many years. He doesn’t know many who have. But he made a pledge to God when he first arrived that he has felt he has honored.
“I made a commitment to God to stay as long as he was blessing the church and as long as the church was growing,” Richardson said. “Recently, he has helped me recognize when I had done as much as I could do and when it was time to move on. . . I could have stayed, but that’s not the deal I had with God.”
He made that decision to retire a couple of years ago. Ten days later, he had a heart attack.
“It was almost like a confirmation,” he said.
His congregation understood, but if it were up to them, they would not have let him go so easily.
Founding church member Marge Southcombe said it was God who brought Richardson to lead the church and that it couldn’t have worked out better.
“He has always been a good preacher and a good minister,” Southcombe said. “He and Janice (his wife) are real nice people. They have been real good for the church.”
Dick and Shirley McCrite have been members of the church since before the Richardsons arrived.
“He is very genuine,” Dick said, “and if he has something he wants to say, he steps up and tells his congregation.”
“Whether we want to hear it or not,” Shirley added with a laugh. “His style has changed a great deal from the beginning. At first, it was very much scriptures and notes and all right on cue. Today, it’s still all about scripture, but his sermons are more personable. He’s able to share stories relating to what he is preaching about. . . but number one has always been his love for the Lord. It isn’t just a Sunday morning job for him.”
Dick said Richardson’s favorite place to be was at the pulpit or visiting members. Richardson also made trips to Papua, New Guinea, to help build a home for two of the church’s missionaries and to New Orleans after the hurricane and to other missions. Richardson has also guided the church with a steady financial hand, members said.
“Chuck has a very complete set of competencies and skills,” said member and finance team leader Dave Bonomo, “and that’s what impressed me so much early on, especially in the area of being very analytical and complete and precise with church finances. . . He’s made sure we’ve always been ahead of the game. We’re going to miss him terribly. I truly believe God has blessed our church because of Chuck.”
Janice Richardson is also retiring from her position as teacher at Rainbow Preschool at First Christian Church, although she is staying until May. Members acknowledge it’s true teamwork with the two, with Janice beginning the children’s programs years ago, leading Bible studies, teaching Sunday School, and a lot more.
“(Chuck’s) ministry has been a partnership with Janice,” said church member and friend Nancy Gaffney, “and that is part of the reason for their success here in building the church. They both do so much behind the scenes that people don’t even know about. . . They are both very humble and live the Christian life in all walks.”
The Richardsons both grew up in Centralia, Ill., and both got degrees in ministry from Lincoln Christian College. They married in 1968. Chuck Richardson said he knew the Lord was calling him to ministry from an experience he had at a high school summer camp. He began preaching at small churches his freshman year in college.
“I think it was a little early for me to do it,” he said with a laugh, “and I wouldn’t recommend it, but it was a good match.”
Richardson had originally thought he would go into youth ministry, but after his experiences behind the pulpit, he soon realized his real passion was preaching.
After getting his master’s degree from Lincoln and working a few years at smaller churches downstate, he interviewed with members of the First Christian Church in Morris for the position of minister, but he thought the interview had gone badly and that the church wasn’t interested in him.
But surprisingly, an organization he belonged to that led ministers to new churches in the Chicago area assigned him to the Morris church.
“They surprised me,” he said of the notice. “I thought I would be called to Valparaiso. . . They told me First Christian Church was interested in me.”
Richardson said his goal was to start out in a small church with growth potential.
“I saw in this leadership a potential for growth,” he said. “They had been without a minister for ten months, and they had built their first building without a minister.”
Richardson said his two favorite parts of his job the last 40 years have been the preaching and the pastoral care, or visiting members at their homes, hospitals, or nursing homes.
“This is the part I have loved the most and I have missed the most,” he said of pastoral care. “The larger a church gets, the less time you have for that, and the more the needs focus on staff. I don’t think I’m as gifted at the staff-leading aspect of ministry, and I’ve recognized that in the past few years.”
Richardson said he has always felt that preaching was his number one responsibility, and he always tried to “inform and inspire.”
“The Bible is extremely practical,” he said. “The books of the Bible were written to teach us about life. As long as I’m focused there with my sermons, I know it will meet needs.”
That’s why he always begins each sermon with a Bible passage and uses various other ones throughout. He sprinkles in anecdotes and personal stories, but is sure never to make them the subject of the morning.
“I make sure I’m just preaching what the Bible is teaching,” he said.
FCC member Glenn Harms said Richardson’s sermons have meant a lot to him and other members throughout the years.
“Chuck equips those who hear him with the ability to go to the scriptures to know how to deal with every situation,” Harms said. “He just calmly provides us with guidance from the Bible to deal with the challenges of life, and he has been consistent with that. . . His delivery is calm and solid and prepares us to leave the church ready to live that faith.”
Richardson also has been sure to avoid politics in his sermons.
“I’ve tried to stay away from political positions,” he said, “and let people decide that for themselves. . . I think it can get us sidetracked, and that’s not my responsibility.”
Richardson said he always works on a sermon until he finds an angle that sparks his enthusiasm or a new application to scripture that he hadn’t thought of before. His perspectives on scripture have changed over the years from his personal walk and from his ministry.
He has worked especially hard on his last few sermons, trying to get as much in as he can before he leaves. Sermons the past two Sundays have focused on understanding of individual purposes in life and of the purpose of the church. An especially important point, he said, is taught through the parable of the talents.
“God has always been displeased with the status quo,” Richardson said. “That is a parable that is important to me. . . Maintaining the status quo is totally unacceptable.”
Richardson said that has become part of the DNA of First Christian, to continue to grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men, just like Christ did, and he believes the membership and leadership in the church is strong enough to continue to do just that.
“I think the best years of our growth are still ahead,” he said of FCC. “If God could grow us as much as he has done already, what could he do now? I think the future is really bright for the church.”
Richardson said he and his wife plan to do some traveling in their retirement, then he hopes eventually to return to part-time pastoral care.
“We’re not planning to move,” he said in answer to the concerns of his members.
“My wish for their retirement is that they would stay here in Morris,” Marge Southcombe said, reflecting the hopes of many. “I would like for them to stay. I really would. Chuck and Janice, they’re just special, and that’s all there is to it.”
Chuck was my pastor from May of 1999 till June of 2005. I loved his sermons, they were so down to earth and easy to understand.
The passage tells of God’s wishes for the church and how important it is people become strong enough to withstand being “blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men.”
It also speaks of how members of the church can work together as one unit, building itself up as each part does its work.
No one can say Richardson hasn’t done his share of building his church up. At the end of this month, he will retire after almost 40 years as minister of the Morris church. As its leader and preacher, he has led the growth of the church from a small, 4,000-square-foot building on Southmor Road to a 43,000-square-foot facility with a gymnasium and a weekday preschool.
Since he arrived in 1972, those who attend Sunday morning services increased from 50 to around 800; annual tithing offerings rose from $12,000 to $1.2 million; and the church has six paid staff members, up from just the one 40 years ago.
“My vision was to grow it to 300 in attendance,” Richardson said of his early goals. “For the first 20 years, we never had a year that we didn’t have growth.”
He acknowledges how uncommon it is for a minister to remain at the same church for so many years. He doesn’t know many who have. But he made a pledge to God when he first arrived that he has felt he has honored.
“I made a commitment to God to stay as long as he was blessing the church and as long as the church was growing,” Richardson said. “Recently, he has helped me recognize when I had done as much as I could do and when it was time to move on. . . I could have stayed, but that’s not the deal I had with God.”
He made that decision to retire a couple of years ago. Ten days later, he had a heart attack.
“It was almost like a confirmation,” he said.
His congregation understood, but if it were up to them, they would not have let him go so easily.
Founding church member Marge Southcombe said it was God who brought Richardson to lead the church and that it couldn’t have worked out better.
“He has always been a good preacher and a good minister,” Southcombe said. “He and Janice (his wife) are real nice people. They have been real good for the church.”
Dick and Shirley McCrite have been members of the church since before the Richardsons arrived.
“He is very genuine,” Dick said, “and if he has something he wants to say, he steps up and tells his congregation.”
“Whether we want to hear it or not,” Shirley added with a laugh. “His style has changed a great deal from the beginning. At first, it was very much scriptures and notes and all right on cue. Today, it’s still all about scripture, but his sermons are more personable. He’s able to share stories relating to what he is preaching about. . . but number one has always been his love for the Lord. It isn’t just a Sunday morning job for him.”
Dick said Richardson’s favorite place to be was at the pulpit or visiting members. Richardson also made trips to Papua, New Guinea, to help build a home for two of the church’s missionaries and to New Orleans after the hurricane and to other missions. Richardson has also guided the church with a steady financial hand, members said.
“Chuck has a very complete set of competencies and skills,” said member and finance team leader Dave Bonomo, “and that’s what impressed me so much early on, especially in the area of being very analytical and complete and precise with church finances. . . He’s made sure we’ve always been ahead of the game. We’re going to miss him terribly. I truly believe God has blessed our church because of Chuck.”
Janice Richardson is also retiring from her position as teacher at Rainbow Preschool at First Christian Church, although she is staying until May. Members acknowledge it’s true teamwork with the two, with Janice beginning the children’s programs years ago, leading Bible studies, teaching Sunday School, and a lot more.
“(Chuck’s) ministry has been a partnership with Janice,” said church member and friend Nancy Gaffney, “and that is part of the reason for their success here in building the church. They both do so much behind the scenes that people don’t even know about. . . They are both very humble and live the Christian life in all walks.”
The Richardsons both grew up in Centralia, Ill., and both got degrees in ministry from Lincoln Christian College. They married in 1968. Chuck Richardson said he knew the Lord was calling him to ministry from an experience he had at a high school summer camp. He began preaching at small churches his freshman year in college.
“I think it was a little early for me to do it,” he said with a laugh, “and I wouldn’t recommend it, but it was a good match.”
Richardson had originally thought he would go into youth ministry, but after his experiences behind the pulpit, he soon realized his real passion was preaching.
After getting his master’s degree from Lincoln and working a few years at smaller churches downstate, he interviewed with members of the First Christian Church in Morris for the position of minister, but he thought the interview had gone badly and that the church wasn’t interested in him.
But surprisingly, an organization he belonged to that led ministers to new churches in the Chicago area assigned him to the Morris church.
“They surprised me,” he said of the notice. “I thought I would be called to Valparaiso. . . They told me First Christian Church was interested in me.”
Richardson said his goal was to start out in a small church with growth potential.
“I saw in this leadership a potential for growth,” he said. “They had been without a minister for ten months, and they had built their first building without a minister.”
Richardson said his two favorite parts of his job the last 40 years have been the preaching and the pastoral care, or visiting members at their homes, hospitals, or nursing homes.
“This is the part I have loved the most and I have missed the most,” he said of pastoral care. “The larger a church gets, the less time you have for that, and the more the needs focus on staff. I don’t think I’m as gifted at the staff-leading aspect of ministry, and I’ve recognized that in the past few years.”
Richardson said he has always felt that preaching was his number one responsibility, and he always tried to “inform and inspire.”
“The Bible is extremely practical,” he said. “The books of the Bible were written to teach us about life. As long as I’m focused there with my sermons, I know it will meet needs.”
That’s why he always begins each sermon with a Bible passage and uses various other ones throughout. He sprinkles in anecdotes and personal stories, but is sure never to make them the subject of the morning.
“I make sure I’m just preaching what the Bible is teaching,” he said.
FCC member Glenn Harms said Richardson’s sermons have meant a lot to him and other members throughout the years.
“Chuck equips those who hear him with the ability to go to the scriptures to know how to deal with every situation,” Harms said. “He just calmly provides us with guidance from the Bible to deal with the challenges of life, and he has been consistent with that. . . His delivery is calm and solid and prepares us to leave the church ready to live that faith.”
Richardson also has been sure to avoid politics in his sermons.
“I’ve tried to stay away from political positions,” he said, “and let people decide that for themselves. . . I think it can get us sidetracked, and that’s not my responsibility.”
Richardson said he always works on a sermon until he finds an angle that sparks his enthusiasm or a new application to scripture that he hadn’t thought of before. His perspectives on scripture have changed over the years from his personal walk and from his ministry.
He has worked especially hard on his last few sermons, trying to get as much in as he can before he leaves. Sermons the past two Sundays have focused on understanding of individual purposes in life and of the purpose of the church. An especially important point, he said, is taught through the parable of the talents.
“God has always been displeased with the status quo,” Richardson said. “That is a parable that is important to me. . . Maintaining the status quo is totally unacceptable.”
Richardson said that has become part of the DNA of First Christian, to continue to grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men, just like Christ did, and he believes the membership and leadership in the church is strong enough to continue to do just that.
“I think the best years of our growth are still ahead,” he said of FCC. “If God could grow us as much as he has done already, what could he do now? I think the future is really bright for the church.”
Richardson said he and his wife plan to do some traveling in their retirement, then he hopes eventually to return to part-time pastoral care.
“We’re not planning to move,” he said in answer to the concerns of his members.
“My wish for their retirement is that they would stay here in Morris,” Marge Southcombe said, reflecting the hopes of many. “I would like for them to stay. I really would. Chuck and Janice, they’re just special, and that’s all there is to it.”
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Bible
These are my notes from a sermon I head a few years ago at Crosswind Community Church in Genoa, IL by Pastor Jim Freund. This was one of those sermons you take notes on and you always remember it and look back on often.
Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
1. It's God's word to us.
2. It's reliable (trustworthy, dependable, certain, unfailing, true.)
3. It's relevant. What makes it relevant? God never changes and mankind's need is still the same, among other things.
4. It helps us distinguish truth from error. It is the measuring stick by which we are to evaluate all things.
5. It equips us for living for God. (2 Timothy 3:17)
6. It has the power to change lives. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
7. God commands us to bind it in our minds and in our hearts. (John 8:31-32, Joshua 1:8, Acts 20:32, Mathew 4:4, Romans 15:4, John 6:63) (Look at the results.)
Psalm 19:7-10
8. It is the food for the Spirit and Soul. (1 Peter 2:2-3, Isaiah 55:2-3)
9. It is powerful to save. (Romans 1:16, 1 John 5:13)
10. It is a Mirror. (James 1:23-24)
11. It is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
12. It is a seed, generative and life-giving. (1 Peter 1:23)
13. It is water, the power to purify. (Ephesians 5:26, Psalm 119:9, 1 Peter 1:22)
14. It is a lamp that illuminates and guides us. (Psalm 119:105)
15. It is a consuming fire. (Jeremiah 20:9, Luke 24:13-35)
16. It is a hammer to break the hardest heart. (Jeremiah 23:39)
17. It is a healing agent. (Psalm 107:20)
18. It is a sword, a weapon against the devil. (Ephesians 6:18)
19. It is a source of faith. (Romans 10:17)
20. It is a life giving source. (John 6:68, John 20:30-31)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Joshua
I am attempting to read through the bible. Specifically the Old Testament to better understand the New Testament. I read Joshua back in January 2011. Here are the verses that stood out to me as I read it.
Joshua 1:6-9
Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 4:20-24
And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea[b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”
Joshua 5:15
The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 6:10
But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!”
Joshua 6:19
All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.”
Joshua 7:1
But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.
Achan:
1. Coveted- saw something that was not his, wanted it.
2. Took it- stole it.
3. Hide- He hide it in his tent.
How many times do we hide our sin/try to cover it up. God has given us a simple uncomplicated way for us to deal with our sin. We must acknowledge it, confess it, and repent of it. 1 John 1:9
Sin will destroy us. We must allow Jesus to cleanse us.
Joshua 7:5
At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.
Joshua 7:12-13
That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
Joshua 8:30-34
Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law.
How many bible verses do you know? How many songs/lyrics do you have memorized? We struggle to read a chapter of the bible and journal our thoughts. Here Joshua copied the book of the law and then read it out loud.
Joshua 9:14
The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.
Joshua 10:25
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous.
Joshua 10:42
All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
Joshua 1:6-9
Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 4:20-24
And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea[b] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”
What are our Spiritual Markers in our life today?
Joshua 5:15
The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 6:10
But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!”
Joshua 6:19
All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.”
Joshua 7:1
But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.
Achan:
1. Coveted- saw something that was not his, wanted it.
2. Took it- stole it.
3. Hide- He hide it in his tent.
How many times do we hide our sin/try to cover it up. God has given us a simple uncomplicated way for us to deal with our sin. We must acknowledge it, confess it, and repent of it. 1 John 1:9
Sin will destroy us. We must allow Jesus to cleanse us.
Joshua 7:5
At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.
Joshua 7:12-13
That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
Joshua 8:30-34
Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law.
How many bible verses do you know? How many songs/lyrics do you have memorized? We struggle to read a chapter of the bible and journal our thoughts. Here Joshua copied the book of the law and then read it out loud.
Joshua 9:14
The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.
Every decision big or small we need to "inquire" of the LORD.
Joshua 10:25
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous.
Joshua 10:42
All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
Isn't it cool that God fights for us.
Joshua 14:8
I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.
What things prevent us from following the LORD wholeheartedly?
There are no giants or walled cities that GOD can't conqure.
Joshua 15:13-16
So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
Joshua 18:3
So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.
What things prevent us from following the LORD wholeheartedly?
There are no giants or walled cities that GOD can't conqure.
Joshua 15:13-16
So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
Joshua 18:3
So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?
Man up. How long will it take you to "MAN-UP to your responsibilities. Don't just sit back and expect to be served. Serve the LORD and MAN-UP.
Judges 22:5
But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Judges 22:5
But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Colossians
Thanksgiving and Prayer
1:9 “fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
1:10 “Live a life worthy of the Lord”
The Supremacy of Christ
1:17 “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Paul's Labor for the Church
2:4 “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments.”
Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life with Christ
2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Rules For Holy Living
3:5 “Put to death, therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
3:9-10 “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with it's practice's and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of it's creator.”
3:13 “....forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Rules for Christian Households
3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men.”
Further Instructions
4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Final Greetings
4:12 “Wrestling in prayer, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”
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