Quiet Times Search

1. Must admit to being sinful
2. Must admit to being selfish
3. Must admit to being wrong

1. How does Scrooge illustrate metanoia?
2. Have you ever experienced a gestalt switch while studying in school? How would your life change if you experienced this phenomenon in a way that helped you better understand your relationship with God?
3. What are the rules by which you play the “game of life” within an egocentric paradigm …and a deocentric paradigm?
4. How does changing the rules of a game change the strategy by which you play the game? What can learn from applying that principle to your life with God?

• Return to God – Deuteronomy 30:2
• Worship other Gods and you will perish - Deuteronomy 30:17-18

• The great love for surveys and polls
• We can not repent if we do not know that we have drifted – It takes a prophet of God
• See how different the prophets in your life live.

• Metanoia happens internally, fruit happens externally
• Sometimes we say, “You need to repent” – which may have meant “get it together” (a heart bypass)
• Becomes “need to” instead of “want to”
• It is easier to disciple the behavior than it is to address the mind and heart
• Consider things above – instead of considering behavior, consider the kingdom of God
• Metanoia is no technique; it’s an inside-out transformation

1. How have you broken your covenant with God?
2. Are scriptures sufficient for your repentance?
3. Do you agree with the author’s assertions that repentance isn’t something we do in order to return to God, it is our return to Him? Why or Why not?
4. How does fear play a positive role in our repentance?
5. Do your standards for morality reflect a biblical standard or simply a modern one?
6. Why do prophets go after the leaders of a society?
7. How does metanoia differ from the fruit of metanoia? How does this distinction help you repent?

• flirtation to a pure friendship
• gossip to a righteous conversation
• alcohol to a friendly gathering
• pornography to a web search
• shoplifting to a normal shopping trip

• Must set mind on things above
• Not - Just read and pray more
• Not - Accountability partners
• Not - making it a habit

Means to show someone his sin and to summon him to repentance; bring light, expose set forth
More than just showing faults (easy)
Sets out to prove the offense to the blinded offender
Laodicean – I know your deeds, church became blinded
Exposing the church resented a gate to enter repentance

• To give repentance – Acts 5:30-31
• God granted repentance – Acts 11:11-18
• God will grant the repentance – 2 Timothy 2:24-26

1. What is the value of the gift of elegcho (pronounced “elencho”)?
2. What methods has the Holy Spirit used to convict you? Which has been most effective at producing repentance? Which methods have you most tried to avoid?
3. How have you tried to avoid reproof from fellow Christians?
4. According to Revelation 3:19, why does Jesus reprove us? What response does He desire from us?
5. How can a person dead in sin repent and believe?
6. How does God grant repentance?
7. Look back over the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus (see chapters 4 and 5); list examples of how they reproved their hearers in order to bring them to repentance.
8. Why is repentance impossible without God?

• Jesus made it a practice to be with them
  • No formal schooling
  • No periodic membership classes
  • No seminaries
  • No outlined course of study
  • No religious rituals or formulas of knowledge
• Knowledge was gained by association before it was understood by explanation
• “Come follow me” [no other explanation recorded] and learn how I (Jesus) am living
• One living sermon is worth a hundred explanations
• Ministry time lengthened in the second and third years.
• He gave increasingly more time to the chosen disciples, not less.
• Frequently He would take them with Him in a mountainous country where he was unknown.
  • Trip to Tyre and Sidon – Mark 7:24
  • Borders of Decapolis – Mark 7:31
  • Parts of Dalmanutha to SE of Galilee - Mark 8:10
  • Villages of Caesarea Philipi to the NW – Mark 8:27

1. Not owning any property
2. So poor that you had to beg

• Fears - Matthew 26:36-46
• Disappointment - Matthew 11:14-17
• Anger and Frustration - Matthew 23

• Prayed for the power to heal and to change others - Mark 9:29
• In prayer in order to be at peace with God's will - Matthew 26:36-46
• Struggled in prayer to be wholehearted submissive to his Father - Hebrews 5:7-8
• Prayed by himself - Matthew 14:23
• Prayed before others - John 11:41-43
• Prayed with his face to the ground - Matthew 26:39
• Prayed looking up to heaven - John 17:1
• Prayed standing up - Mark 11:25
• Prayed kneeling down - Luke 22:41
• Prayed in early in the morning - Mark 1:35
• Prayed throughout the night - Luke 6:12

• If you pray
• Please, I beg you to pray
• I command you to pray

Preached by Richard Dixon - 1999-09-19

John 15:18-25

• They didn't want to obey
• 90% of what they said about Jesus was negative
• What did they not like? His teachings
  order="1">

  Luke 9:23	Deny self
  Luke 13:5	Repent!
  Luke 14:25-26	Love more than anyone
  Luke 9:57-62	Leave everything
  Luke 6:27-31	Love your enemies
  Luke 12:13-31	Do not worry
  Luke 8:24	Faithlessness as evil

• American Dream - living for me.
• Not total commitment then we are not totally convince.
• Challenges our very self
• Showing someone the truth will either:
  
  • They will love you
  • They will hate you

John 3:19-21

• The way you respond shows your love for God
• It is not natural to be open.

There are expectations everywhere, to have:

• Strong marriages
• Obedient children
• Balanced budgets
• Ethical business
• Effective prayer lives
• Meaningful relationships

Many times the "ought to" comes through louder than the "how to"
Especially true in the challenge of having an evangelist impact
God did not leave us in a state of confusion - What God expects, He enables

We need to focus on the important steps to have maximum impact
HP (High Potency) + CP (Close Proximity) + CC (Clear Communication)  = Maximum Impact (MI)

We are the salt of the world - Matthew 5:13

• Salt makes us thristy
• It spices things us
• It preserves - holds back decay

Which did Jesus have in mind? We don't know
HP (High Potency) = means we need to have a strong concentration of Christ's influnce in our lives
CP (Close Proximity) = means we need to get close to people we're hoping to reach in order to allow His power to have its intended effect

1. Jesus' Example - 2 Corinthians 8:9, Luke 9:57-58
   1. Jesus chose to live sacrificially. He gave up heaven itself.
   2. He became poor so the world could be saved.
2. The Need for Sacrificial Living
   1. To meet the physical needs of others. (2 Corinthians 8:13-15; Acts 4:34-37)
      1. Paul wanted those who had plenty to sacrifice for those who were in need.
      2. The first century Christians sacrificed so there would be no needy people among them.
   2. To support full-time workers so the world would be evangelized. (Philippians 4:10-19)
      1. Paul commended the Philippians for the aid they had sent him.
      2. He considered their gifts to him as a sacrifice to God.
   3. There was always a purpose in the Bible for living sacrificially. It was never to sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice alone.

1. In what ways can I choose to live more sacrificially in order to have money to give to meet needs?
   Examples:
   • Cut food budget
   • Limit or eliminate eating out for a time to save for a special contribution
   • Use creativity during dates in order to save money
   • Stop impulse spending (vending machines, fast food, etc.)
2. Am I willing to "become poor" so that others can have the opportunity to become Christians?

1. God's Plan for Your Life - Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:13, 22; 2 Thessalonians 3:10
   1. It is God's will for us to work hard in order to earn the bread we eat.
   2. God wants us to find satisfaction in our work.
   3. If a person will not work, he cannot eat.
2. Responsibility of the Employee - Colossians 3:22-25; Ephesians 4:28; Acts 5:29
   1. Obedience: We are to be a disciple to our boss on the job. God expects us to obey our boss not just to win his favor, but out of reverence for Christ.
   2. Wholeheartedness: God expects us to put our whole heart into our work. As Christians, we should be the most sincere and hard-working employees on the job.
   3. Do not steal from your employer (e.g. receiving pay for work you did not do, taking supplies, submitting false or exaggerated expense reports).
   4. Obey God first. If asked to do something that is illegal, unethical, or sinful - obey God over men.

1. What do I need to repent of in relation to my job? Be specific.
2. Am I doing anything as a part of my job that is sinful or goes against my conscience?

1. Honor God with your Wealth - Proverbs 3:9
   1. Will I obey the scriptures
   2. Will I, as a mature Christian, increase my weekly giving?
2. Guard Your Heart - Proverbs 4:23
   1. What sins of the heart have I confronted and repented of in regard to my finances?
   2. Am I ready to give out of a pure heart and a sincere love for God?
3. A Living Sacrifice - Romans 12:1
   1. In what ways am I going to live a more sacrificial lifestyle in order to advance God's kingdom?
4. Give and It Will Be Given To You - Luke 6:38
   1. Have I made decisions to give by faith and to give joyfully to the Lord?
5. A Spirit of Self-Discipline - 2 Timothy 1:7
   1. Have I prepared a budget that I am ready to live by? If not, when will I have it completed?
   2. Have I sought input?
6. Free At Last - Romans 13:8
   1. Have I gained deep convictions about getting out of debt?
   2. What is my plan to eliminate sinful/foolish debt from my life?
7. A Light to the World - Matthew 5:14
   1. How am I going to work at my job in such a way that my life is an upward calling to everyone around me?
   2. Am I fulfilling my financial responsibilities as a disciple in the areas that God expects?

What are you looking for in life?

Acts 17:16-28

• Ever ask yourself: “What on earth am I here for?” You aren’t alone!
• Why did God create you and bring you to this very point and time in your life? So that you would seek him and
  find him in order to have a personal relationship with him.
• Who takes the initiative in seeking this relationship? Because God loves us and desires a relationship with us, he has been actively determining times and places long before we ever thought about seeking him (Psalms 14:2-3).
• Why do so few seem to be seeking today?
  • God is unknown and the image many have of him is distorted v23
  • We have created our own god. We all worship something.
  • To seek God, we must be willing to change our ideas about who God is to match what has been revealed to us in the Bible
• There is nothing more important or exciting in life than to seek and to find our Creator God.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

• We will find God if we seek Him with all our heart.
  
• Have you ever done something with all your heart? What is it?
  
• What will it mean for you to seek God with all your heart?

• Jesus is God in the flesh. He is the unique Son of God: fully God and fully man!
• God came to earth as a man in order that we could come to know him.
  
• If you were an all powerful and invisible God, how would you have tried to communicate your love to your creation?
  
• Illustration: Imagine trying to talk to an ant - How do you communicate with them without terrifying them? Become an ant yourself
  

• All the fullness of God lives in Jesus Christ.
  
• Every aspect of God’s character can be found in Jesus.
  
• Reading through any of the Gospels describing Jesus life and words will give you insight into God’s character and will for your life.
  

• Mark 1:21-22 - Jesus was an amazing teacher whose words were spoken with authority.
• Mark 1:23-28 - Jesus cast out demons, showing that the power of God was present in him.
• Mark 1:29-31 - Jesus met people’s felt needs and healed the sick.
• Mark 1:32-34 - Jesus focused his attention on others and selflessly gave of himself.
• Mark 1:35 - Jesus was dependent upon God in prayer for his strength and direction.
• Mark 1:36-39 - Jesus was consumed with his mission to preach the good news.
• Mark 1:40-42 - Jesus was filled with compassion for all people.
• Mark 10:32-34, 45 - Jesus came to serve, and gave his perfect life as a ransom for sinners. As predicted, he was rejected by his people and crucified - but he rose from the dead three days later.

• Every person is either in the darkness or the light. This study will show us that outside of Jesus we are all in the darkness.

• What is the consequence of sin? Sin hurts others, hurts ourselves, but ultimately sin hurts and separates us from God.
• God is light. As long as the wall of sin remains, we are in the darkness.
• In order to have a relationship with God, the barrier of sin must come down.

• We will come back to other ideas in this text later, but focus on v23. Who has sinned?
• Use illustrations to show that some are better than others, but all sin and fall short.
  
• Examples: Swimming to Hawaii, graph showing piles of sin.
  
• Who is more lost? There is no “good person” who is without sin.

• Sin is not simply wrong actions, but a problem of the heart.
  
• Who is responsible for our sin? Despite genetics, parenting, peer pressure and socio-economic conditions, we are responsible for our own sin, which comes from our own hearts and makes us unclean.
  
• What is the consequence of being unclean before God?
  
• Discuss the sins Jesus talks about here.

Sinner’s Prayer? 1 Peter 3:21

• Some claim that a person needs only to pray a “sinner’s prayer” or “ask Jesus into his/her heart” in order to be saved.
• This is the predominant view in the evangelical Christian world. However, this is not the message that was preached in the Book of Acts.
• Everyone was called to repentance, faith and baptism, and as Peter wrote here, “baptism now saves us” by the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Acts 22:7-16

• After encountering Jesus, repenting, praying, fasting (Acts 9:9-11), being healed, and being called by God,
  Paul remains in sin.
• What was left for him to do?
• Why the urgency - what is so pressing about the need for baptism?
• What remains for you to do or think about before you are ready to be united with Christ in baptism?

John 13:34-35

• What will disciples of Jesus will be known for? Their love.
• “As I have loved you”: What kind of love did Jesus demonstrate for us?

Matthew 28:18-20

• The Great Commission: God’s plan to save the world.
• Disciples make disciples by baptizing people from all nations in his name and teaching them to become mature, obedient
  followers of Jesus.
• Efforts to reach the world with the gospel are multiplied when every disciple embraces Jesus’ final charge.
• Are you willing to answer the call to be a disciple of Jesus?

Mark 10:28-31

• What did Peter and the others give up in order to follow Jesus? Is it possible to “outgive” God?
• What does Jesus promise to those who have committed their lives to following him?
• Being a Christian is not always easy, but it is the life we were created for.
• It is the best life now, and the best life for eternity!

Ephesians 2:19-21

• Like the Gentiles discussed here, we can now be part of God’s household.
• The church is the family of God. What does “family” mean to you?
• The church is also a spiritual temple built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, whose teachings we find in the Bible, with Jesus as the cornerstone.
• To be part of his temple, we must build our lives and our church on that foundation.

Ephesians 4:1-16

• Making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the church requires humility, patience, gentleness, and selflessness (vv.1-3).
• We maintain unity on the essentials of doctrine (vv.4-6).
• God provides specific leadership roles within the church (vv.7-11)
• in order to prepare us for works of service which build up the body in Christ-likeness and love (vv.12-16).

• God knows what you and I have done but he wants to help us get our lives in order
• The more we read, the more we understand God is merciful and loving
• He is serious about us changing our lives to fit His will vs us trying to change the Bible to fit our will

• Jesus is the ultimate reflection of God on earth
• Just as Jesus didn't come with a critical judgment = God does not either
• v46 - He shows us the way out of darkness - when we don't have a close relationship with him
• Question: What does Jesus say will actually judge us? God's words

1. Read the Bible daily so we can know him
2. We must apply the Bible to our lives, let it change us, and let our lives change others
3. Let's study the Bible together at least once a week for the next 3 weeks

Luke 7:36-50

A. Simon the Pharisee

• Knew about Jesus but did not KNOW Jesus
• Not a disciple (didn't even welcome Jesus into his house)
• Not broken over his sin (felt bad but not convicted enough to change his life)

B. Sinful Woman

• Only concerned with her relationship with Jesus (not a people pleaser)
• Convicted about her sin the closer she got to Jesus (didn't pull away after seeing her sin)
• She was broken over her sin (wanted to change and did something about it)

Question: Which type of heart would YOU SAY youv'e had toward YOUR SIN until we started studying the Bible?
If Sinful Woman - then this study will help to expose the heart in many ways

Isaiah 59:1-3

• Question: According to the Bible, what has separated man from God? God | SIN | You
• How are our sins forgiven?
  • God must forgive
  • Man must repent
• Both must occur in order for your sin NOT to keep you separated from God
• Question: How do you define sin and repentance? Let how the Bible does.

Romans 6:23

• We deserve death because of our sins but God is willing to forgive us in spite of who we are (God's gift to us)
• Question: After studying these scriptures, would you say the Bible describes your heart in response to your sin more like the Pharisee or the Sinful woman?

John 3:1-7

• Question: What did Jesus say MUST happen in order for someone to be born again?
• Question: We should born of what? Spirtual birth not a physical birth - not being religous but living a righteous life
• Question: What do we need to have convictions on in order to be born again?

Acts 2:22-24

• Jesus is God's son (miracles prove it)
• Jesus died for our (YOUR) sins
• God raise Jesus on the 3rd day
• Question: So how should we respond to the fact that our (YOUR) is why Jesus died on the cross?

Acts 2:36-41

• Repent and be Baptized (wall is removed)
• Then we can have a relationship with God (what happens at baptism)

Romans 6:1-4

• Question: What are you baptized into? If you were baptized into Jesus' death, what else does that allow us to have? New Life
• You can go from the heart of the Pharisee to the heart of the Sinful Woman by understanding the forgiveness through Jesus
• Encouraged to write a letter to God thanking him for forgiving you of your sins (write the sins out)

• 1 Thessalonians 4:1 - we instructed you how to live in order to please God; urge you to do this more and more
• Colossians 1:10 - we pray you live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way
• 2 Timothy 2:4 - No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs
• Hebrews 11:6 - Without faith it is impossible to please God
• 2 Corinthians 5:9 - So we make it our goal to please him

• 2 Timothy 2:4 -Soldier don't get involved in civilian affairs
• Colossians 1:10 - Live a life worthy of the Lord
  
• 1 Thessalonians 4:1 - Live in order to please God
  
• Matthew 16:23 - Peter, at this time, was not focus on the greater things of God
  
• John 4:34, 5:30, 36, 6:38, 9:4, 17:4 - My foo is to do the will of him who sent me

• Philippians 2:19-22, 25-30 - Timothy had a genuine interest in the welfare of others
  
• Galatians 5:13-15 - Serve one another in love.
  
• Mark 6:34 - He had compassion on the

• Since the food is contaminated and poisonous, the body does everything possible to flush the poison out. If the poison is not removed the person could die
• Being contaminated and poisoned by the world will damage your soul.
  

• Impurity is not just physically but it can also be emotionally.
• Often Satan tries to create an emotional connection in order to slowly pull you away from God’s standard.

• What does the Bible call for us to do in order to stay pure?
• When are you most tempted to be impure?
• Is there anyone that Satan is trying to use to lead you into impurity (physically or emotionally)?

• I read that when a caterpillar exists in its lowly state it can get as close as it wants to other caterpillars.
• They climb all over each other and share grounds selflessly.
• But as soon as the caterpillar spreads its wings and takes flight, it can never again get close as it once did to other creatures.
• The beauty of its wings is the very thing that prevents it from getting close.
• When we puff ourselves up with pride, we cannot get close to people around us.
• We beat our wings against theirs and we both are destroyed.

• It takes humility to have truly great relationships
  
• When we are selfish we refuse to share what we have with others (time, possessions, self)
  
• If we fail to share ourselves, then on one will really know us.
  
• It is impossible to be really close to people and be selfish
  

• Pride blinds us to who we really are
• We get a false image of ourselves and cling to that image instead of the truth
• Underneath our arrogance and pride are feelings of self-loathing and extreme neediness
• In order to overcome we puff ourselves up, we act as if we have it together
• Unfortunately we only fool & hurt ourselves because others can see through it.
• This shell of pride can also keep others away as we duck our heads back in (turtle)
• As long as we stay in our shell we are prisoners of our own pride, destine to live a lonely life

• It was the Union’s first decisive victory over the Army of Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee.
• He had led his forces into the northern states taking an offensive posture in the war.
• When the Union army followed him into Pennsylvania, he found a spot on the map where several roads joined at an intersection called Gettysburg.
• General Lee did not know the number of Union soldiers he was facing.
• These numbers should have been discovered and reported by his cavalry leader Jeb Stuart, but he was nowhere to be found.
• Stuart, without orders from General Lee, had decided to go on a raiding expedition.
• The cavalry was the eyes of the army. Without the counsel of his cavalry leader Lee was blind.
• Unprepared, Lee went on to lose the battle at Gettysburg. It was just the victory Lincoln had been looking for

1. We need our cavalry “brothers & sisters” giving us advice and counsel
2. They tell us where the enemy is and how strong his forces are.
3. They help equip us to do battle with the enemy.
4. They fortify us when we’re lacking in zeal
5. We need these people in our lives.

• We would ask others what kind of interest rate we should look for, how many miles per gallon, the resale value, look at consumer reports, etc…
• We go to counselors for help (family & career), therapist, on and on
  

• We need to find people who are spiritually mature and gone through such experiences in life
• These men and women can give us godly advice that will help us mature spiritually

• He met people's spiritual needs. John 4: 1 - 26
• He taught people to serve by meeting physical needs. Luke 10:25 - 37

1. Go to God with my pain and not blame him for it or question why I have it
2. Allow myself to be trained, go after discipling, working out everyday, confessing my sin, all on a daily basis (to be effective, training has to be a daily thing)
3. Take the opportunities that God gives me to be disciplined, get strong spiritually, in school, in fitness, so that my life can get closer and closer to being healed.

Not all the answers but I do know where get them along with advice from others

Going to share about 2-3 scriptures for use to discuss / feel free to be part of things

We need Jesus - Matthew 18:1-6

v1 - Side conversation while Jesus was doing miracles among them
Disciples we arguing about who was the greatest... maybe they were saying - I am the best parent or I have the best kid

v2 - God thoughts: The ones we are to teach are the ones who teach us the very lesson we need to teach them

v3 - It does not come naturally, we need to change

Starts with us - to get our relationship with God in order first - to be a child of God

Why is it so important to become childlike?

• So we can have a relationship with God / welcome Jesus
  
• Make it to heaven / considered the greatest
  
• Not become a stumbling block

• Humble ourselves
• Rely on God
• Seek out answers/advice from others
• Earniestness to learn
• Be relatable

The people were ashtonished by Jesus

Who do I you say I am? They had to go to the grave in order to find a man to whom they could liken him

No man in Jesus' day was great enough to convey their idea of strength

Pilot was afraid of Jesus even though He was a poor unarmed peasant

Proof of His power was in the intensity of the hatred and in the intensity of love which he excited

You can not hate a weakling or a no body

He was so mightly that when men thought of him, they thought of God
The man who was nearest to him, saw him in a vsion after he was gone and said, "When I saw him I fell at his feet as dead" - Revelation 1:17

 Honor is attractive

• It doesn’t demand respect; it quickly earns it.
• Fear grounds us.
• Honor inspires us.

The whole concept of authority comes from God.

Earthly authority is His design and tool for creating order and for keeping us accountable and responsible, for honoring good and for punishing evil - Romans 13:1-4

Authorities on earth help keep us mindful of His superior, eternal authority

God can turn the heart of anyone in a leadership position in any direction - Proverbs 21:1

We should be like Jesus and submit to our imperfect, human authorities knowing that God uses them to carry out His purposes - John 19:11

The only time we should not submit to them is when they are asking us to disobey God and sin - Acts 5:29

Notice that Scripture does not tell us to obey them only if we agree with their judgment - Hebrews 13:17-18

When dishonoring authority, you are not rebelling against an individual but against God Himself.

Handling and responding to authority is serious business.

Summary

Rebebekah went back with Eliezer and she married Isaac.

Observations

Genesis 24:49 - Tell me yes or no, then I know what to do next
After sharing his faith in verses 34 to 48 about how God blessed his faithfulness, Abramham's servers did not want to waste any time - he wanted a straight answer on which direction they would choose. Sometimes it is difficult to get a straight answer but he did not want them to waiver in this very important decision. Sometimes we guard our hearts to share because we do not want to sound "too religous" but Eliezer just shared his heart and was not concerned about their opinons.

Genesis 24:50 - The Lord has obviously brought you here, there is nothing we can say
There is no reason to fight the Lord. When they saw what had happen before them, they were conveicted that the Lord was speaking to them that day. Eliezer was full of faith and excitement for what the Lord had done and he could not help but to share it with them that day.

Application

The God should be obvious in our lives. Do people see God in us and if so is it obvious or is there doubt in their mind? In order for me to reach out to others, my life needs to show Jesus. When I speak and invite others to church/Bible study does it come as a surpise or an invitation or extention of what I am already doing?

Prayer

Pray to be real with people and to share my faith without reservation. 

Diotresphes refuses to have anything to do with us and has evil accusation against us - 3 John 1:9-10

Diotresphes was a gifted man interested in moving himself up the church's pecking order

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant - Matthew 20:26

John did not beat around the bush: don't let this bad example influence you, only follow what is good - 3 John 1:11

Diotresphes' me-first mentality put him last in God's scheme of things

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, The God whom we serve is able to save us - Daniel 3:16-17

Compromise can help you move ahead or it can lead to utter disaster

At time, they freely altered some things to please their Babylonians masters

But an order to compromise their commitment to God, they adamantly refused

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not need to discuss anything, there was no decision to be made

After the king saw how the three young men were saved, he sang a different tune - Daniel 3:28

Any choice to distance you from God, there is no compromise, the only answer is "NO".

Officals to Mordecai: "why are you disobeying the king's command?" - Esther 3:3-4

Bible teaches believers to obey those in authority

Mordecai was tested when KIng Ahasuerus ordered his officals to bow before Haman - Esther 3:2

He had repeatedly proved his loyalty to the king but he would not bow down before any human

God turned the crisis to actually advance the well-being of the entire Hebrew people

When you take a stand, you demonstrate the ultimate value of your commitment to God and you encourage secret believers to declare their allegiance to the Lord

Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands - 1 Samuel 25:33

David found himself on the verge of comming a terrible sin because of human anger:

• He sent 10 of his men to ask Nabal for help
• Nabal refused to help and insulted him and his men
• He reacted in vage by ordering 400 of his men to kill Nabal and all his people

Nabal's wife, Abigail, kept David from commiting a terrible sin

She did not defend her terrible husband but reminded David that killing Nabal would be a grave sin against God - 1 Samuel 25

God has given you ears to hear what your loved ones have to say to you

They realized this work had been donw with the help of our God - Nehemiah 6:16

Nothing keeps a man's feet on the ground like remembering that everying blessing he has comes from the hand of God

Nehemiah understood the importance of giving God the credit in all things

Order of events:

1. Nehemiah learned of the city's wall condition
2. He sprang into action
3. He surveyed the problem
4. Prayed about it
5. Came up with a plan to rebuild the walls
6. Reconstructed he the wall in 52 days

Nehemiah knew when he gave God the credit that the swiftness of the rebuilding project would be a warning to Jeruslem's enemies

There is no self-made men - only men who recognize the God who made them

What good thing is God doing in your life right now? Have you given him the credit?

Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here - 1 Samuel 21:9

A true friend gives of himself, and even sacrifices himself, for the good of another

Ahimelech was this king of friend to David

When David was on the run from King Saul, Ahimelech help him with food and a weapon for battle

All Ahimelech knew was his friend was in need of help - his act of kindness came at a heavy price

When KIng Saul heard Ahimelech assisted David, he ordered his execution - 1 Samuel 22

Being a true friend mean making personal sacrifices. Do you have a true friend? Are you a true friend? 

Leaders plotted to kill Zechariah and King Joash order that they stone him to death - 2 Chronicles 24:21

Sometimes we must stand against even the strongest public opinion

Zechariah encourages Joash and the people to return to the LOrd and warned them of the consequences of their idolity

You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you! - 2 Chronicles 24:21

That wasn't what the king or his subjects wanted to hear

Zechariah paid with his life for his willingness to buck public opinion

Take a cenus of all the tribes of Israel - so I may know how may people there are - 2 Samuel 24:2

It is apporopriate and even necessary to speak words of correction, even when those words are not warmly received

Joab spoke up to King David, "Why do you want to do this?" - 2 Samuel 24:3
Why must you cause Israel to sin - 1 Chronicles 21:3

Joab apparently understood that David's orders came out of his reliance on superior military strength rather than the might of heaven

Though Joab warned King David not to go through with the cenus, the king did it anyway and paid a terrible price

Melchizedek blessed Abram - Genesis 14:19

Most men want to feel significant; their lives to matter to God

Melchizedek appeared with Abram as almost a footnote in Genesis and then disappeared

Then out of nowhere, God announces Messiah will be "a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek" - Pslam 110:4

After serveral more centuries, Melchizedek minstry is liken to that of Jesus Christ - Hebrews 5

Although Melchizedek is only mentioned four times in the Old Testament, God had a plan to give him enternal significance