Word Keeper

This song is called “Like a Lion” by the David Crowder Band. It’s all about the fact that God is still alive.

My God’s not dead!

He’s surely alive!

He’s living on the inside,

roaring like a Lion!

Yeah, this song is awesome.

Jason Music, religion, Video, Wednesday Worship David Crowder Band, God is alive, God;s not dead, Like a Lion, Music, song, Wednesday Worship, Worship

2 Samuel 24

An epilogue, a summary, of David’s life. David’s life covers many aspects of the struggles we all face.

7 principles to draw from 2 Samuel 24:

1. Powerful spiritual forces are at work to entice you to sin (2 Samuel 24:1). … Compare to 1 Chronicles 21:1 … Did God or Satan persuade David to take a census that was against God’s plans will? James 1:13 says that God does not tempt. Satan tempts. Therefore, it would make more sense to believe that Satan was behind it all. But why are the two accounts different? Perhaps God simply allowed Satan to do so, and then used it to teach David a lesson. … Be alert and have self control. Be aware of the spiritual battle that is going on around you.
2. When you are determined to do what you want, you often ignore wise counsel (2 Samuel 24:2-4). … What makes the census wrong: Motive or method? Perhaps the census was not good in God’s eyes because it not follow the rules in Exodus 30:12. … David received great advice, but it was as if he had blinders on; he refused to see the wisdom of the counsel that was presented to him.
3. If you have a right relationship with God, your conscience will convict you when you sin (2 Samuel 24:8-10). … The blinders came off after the fact. David realised he did something wrong after carrying out the census. Your conscience is not infallible, so you need to make sure it is Biblical conviction. … Some Christians have a deadened conscience; it doesn’t always speak up like it should, probably due to being ignored in the past.
4. When you sin, confess your sin to God (2 Samuel 24:10). … David wasn’t a great man solely because of his accomplishments, but he was a great man because he knew what to do with his sins; he confessed them to God and asked for forgiveness.
5. Your choices have consequences in the lives of other people after you repent (2 Samuel 24:11-15). … There are always consequences. Some choices could affect generations. Some choices affect mass populations.
6. God’s grace is greater than our sin (2 Samuel 24:16). … God would have been just in destroying Jerusalem, but He stopped. God had mercy on them.
7. There must be blood sacrifice to atone for sin (2 Samuel 24:17-18; 24-25). … Temporary atonement in the sacrifice of the burnt offerings. … Full atonement has been established in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, once and for all (1 Peter 3:18). … Mt. Moria is where God told Abraham sacrifice Isaac (but then provided a ram to take Isaac’s place). The threshing floor in 2 Samuel 24, where David offered a sacrifice to God, is also located on Mt. Moria. This is also where Solomon built the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1.). However, this is not where Jesus died. Why? Hebrews 13:11-14 says Jesus died outside the cities, where the bodies of the blood sacrifices were burned.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

Scott, our youth minister did the sermon today because our regular pastor is on a much deserved vacation. …. Scott did a great job though. I’ve enjoyed watching him progress as a youth minister and preacher.

We rewound a little in the Year of the Bible to Job.

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Job 1:13-22

The image of the perfect family (Job 1:1-5)

1. Job was a moral man (Job 1:1). … Free of guilt, but not free of sin.
2. Job was a family man (Job 1:2).
3. Job was a wealthy man (Job 1:3).
4. Job was a blessed man (Job 1:4).
5. Job was a spiritual man (Job 1:5).

The sorrow of a devastated family (Job 1:13-19, 20-22; 2:7-10)

Job was attacked in three areas:

1. Personally (Job 1:13-19) … Job must have been thinking, “What else could go wrong? When it rains, it pours.”
2. Physically (Job 2:7-8) … Job’s health went away and he had sores all over.
3. Psychologically (Job 2:9-10) … Even Job’s wife turned against him. That must have made it even harder for Job to face his troubles.

The recovery of a godly family (Job 1:13-19, 20-22; 2:7-10)

Five principles to apply to our family’s life:

1. The principle of preparation (Matthew 7:24-27) … Prepare your family for troubling times. Build your house on the rock that is Christ, which will endure the storms of life.
2. The principle of submission (1 Peter 5:6-7) … Submit to God. Be humble before Him. We make bad decisions when we get away from God and try to do things without Him. … Not everyone cares about your problems, but God does. He’s a great listener. Submit your problems, tell your troubles, to God.
3. The principle of supplication (Philippians 4:6-7) … Take your troubles, your issues, to God. Pray about them. Let God be your personal adviser.
4. The principle of direction (Proverbs 3:5-6) … Trust in God to lead the family. … I’m reminded of a song here; it’s “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real.
5. The principle of restoration (Job 42:10-13) … There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Not every restoration will be to the same degree as Jobs, perhaps it won’t even come while you are on this planet, but it will come.

God can help your family weather the storms of life.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

2 Samuel 7:5-16

2 Samuel 7 could be the most important chapter in the Old Testament, certainly in the life of David.

Nine of the most important chapters in the Old Testament
Genesis 1
Genesis 3
Genesis 12
Exodus 20
Deuteronomy 6
2 Samuel 7
Psalm 110
Isaiah 53
Jeremiah 31

David wanted to build a house (temple) for God, but God said He would build a house (dynasty) for David (2 Samuel 7:5-11).

God promises the throne of David’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). … God promises that one David’s descendants will be a son to Him. … Psalm 89:28-37 shows that God’s promise to keep a descendant of David on the throne contains a conditional promise inside an unconditional promise. If David’s descendants stray from God, they will be punished. … In Jeremiah 33:15-17, God let’s His people know that He intends on keeping His promise to David.

This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:30-33; Revelation 11:15; 22:16). … Jesus, a descendant of David, will sit on the throne forever and ever. … Whether you profess faith in Jesus and recognize Him as King or not, He’s still King! … The Bible can be trusted. This prophecy of Jesus was a bold prediction that has come true. … The only thing that lasts forever. … It’s ALL about Jesus.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

2 Samuel 6

David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant to his new capital, Jerusalem. David threw a big party. They hauled the Ark on an oxcart, guided by Ahio and Uzzah, the sons of Abinidab, in whose house the Ark had been kept throughout the reign of Saul. The oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out and touched the Ark to steady it. God struck him dead. The parade ended. The Ark did not make it to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 1-10)

What went wrong? … A key ingredient was missing was missing from David’s efforts. It is the same ingredient that is missing from American Christianity in our generation.

The missing ingredient is careful obedience to God’s Word that comes from a healthy respect for God’s holiness

Sincerity is not enough. … Many people are sincere in what they believe and in their actions, but that doesn’t mean they are right. Just because two people are sincere in their belief in different faiths, does not mean both will make it to Heaven. … Just because someone does something with good, sincere intentions, it does not make it right.

Obedience is required. … The Israelites had lost the Ark to the Philistines, who sent it back on an oxcart. The Philistines did not know the law about how to transport the Ark. However, David and the Israelites had the law that had been revealed through Moses. The law specified exactly how the Ark should be transported from place to place. It wasn’t by oxcart. So God was angry with Israelites for not obeying the law He laid out for them.

When a new king was appointed for Israel, he was to copy the law by himself. The new king had to write every word in the books of the law, the first five books of our Bible. After copying the law, he had to read from it everyday. This was so that the king would know it by heart and be less likely to stray from God’s will. (Deuteronomy 17:18-19)

When Uzzah touched the Ark and died, David left it in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. The Ark stayed there for three months and the house of Obed-edom was blessed. When David heard how the Ark had blessed the House of Obed-edom, he tried bringing it to Jerusalem again. This time he followed every detail that the law laid out about how to transport the Ark. David even made a sacrifice (or a lot of sacrifices, we’re not sure) that wasn’t specified in the law and then “David danced before the Lord with all his might”. (2 Samuel 10-15)

See Exodus 25:12-15; Numbers 4:15 for laws concerning how to treat the Ark

See Leviticus 18:4; 25:18; Deuteronomy 6:3; Joshua 23:6 for commands on following the law that was presented to the Israelites.

See 1 Chronicles 15-16 for more on how the story of David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

2 Samuel 2-3

We’re starting a new period of history in our Year of the Bible campaign: the United Kingdom (no, not the UK with England and all the other nations, but the period of time in which all of Israel was united under one king.)
Books include:

• 2nd Samuel
• 1st & 2nd Kings
• 1st & 2nd Chronicles

1st Chronicles covers 2nd Samuel but from a later viewpoint, as a reflection.
2nd Chronicles covers 1st & 2nd Kings in the same way.

We will also read more books of wisdom/poetry – mostly written by David and Solomon

• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Solomon

1. God accomplishes His purposes over a period of time (2 Samuel 2:11). … David was anointed to be king as a young men, but Saul didn’t give up the throne. Then when Saul died about 15 years later , Abner made someone else, Ish-Bosheth, king of Israel. David did become king of Judah though after Saul’s death. … Then 7 more years went by before he became king over all of Israel. … David waited about 22 years to become king of Israel as he was anointed when he was young. … God lives in eternity. He’s in no hurry. … God knows when you are ready. Spiritual growth takes time. It takes time for us to become spiritually mature. God takes His time to prepare us with experiences.
2. God accomplishes His purposes in spite of–and even through–difficult people (2 Samuel 2:18-3:39). … The 3 nephews of David: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were generals in David’s army and great warriors. Abner, Ish-Bosheth’s general, killed Asahel. When Abner tried to make peace with David, Joab killed Abner. David got upset because his nephews were a thorn in his side. … We all have people like this in our lives, people who are hard to get along with and always causing trouble. God can use these people to help you grow. God can use you even though there are difficult people who you thing may be standing in your way.

All of God’s plans go through Jesus. God desires for everyone to intimately know Jesus as your savior and as your friend.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

It’s Easter! So, we’re extending the break from the Year of the Bible series.

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After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to various individuals or groups of disciples at least ten times over a span of forty days. There were at least four purposes in His appearances. Listen for the four things Jesus wants to say to you:

1. Jesus says, “What happened to me was always part of God’s plan” (Luke 24:25-27). … Easter Sunday afternoon … Jesus walked with 2 of His disciples in disguise. … They weren’t sure what to make of everything that had happened. Jesus explains to them the scriptures in the Old Testament that foretold of Jesus’ suffering and death. … God took the evil actions of humans and turned it into something amazing. God took the worst thing mankind could do and turned it into the greatest event in history. …. God can take the worst thing in your life and turn it into something great! … It’s easy to see God’s plan in retrospect, but looking forward makes it harder to see what’s unfolding.
2. Jesus says, “I want to help you believe I am alive ” (Luke 24:38-43; John 20:27-29). … Also on Easter Sunday. … Ten of the disciples in a locked room. Jesus appears. They thought He was a ghost. So Jesus proves to them that He is really Jesus, the Son of Man who was crucified on a cross. He showed them His scars and they still didn’t believe! So he ate some food and they saw it disappear, so they believed. … Thomas wasn’t there and didn’t believe when the others told him, but as soon as he saw Jesus with his own eyes, he believed! … Jesus said that Thomas believed because he saw, but that blessed are those who believe without seeing.
3. Jesus says, “There is a place for in my church even though you have failed” (John 21:15-17). … The disciples grew restless and went fishing without success. Then Jesus comes and tells them to try the other side of the boat. … Later on, Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him 3 times, just like Peter denied Him 3 times. … You’re not going to just forget the failure, but Jesus can help you overcome it. No failure is insignificant, but no failure is insurmountable.
4. Jesus says, “I have a mission for your life” (Matthew 28:18-20). … The great comission. … Go and make disciples of Christ throughout all the world. Spread the Gospel to your family, your neigbors, your friends, even your enemies.

Jason Holidays, religion, Sunday Sermon

It’s Easter! Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Christ Jesus!

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Mark 16:1-8 (ESV)

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

(Emphasis add)

An here’s a pretty awesome video telling the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection with Twitter (Thank you Igniter Media).

Jason Fun, Holidays, religion, Video

This week, we took a break from the Year of the Bible sermons for the Lord’s Supper and to look at the days in Jesus’ life leading up top His death and Resurrection.

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Planned before the Creation. God unfolded it before the entire universe. From Sunday to Sunday, 8 days that changed the world forever. … The last week of Jesus’ life on Earth.

Sunday: Jesus declared Himself to be the Messiah (Mark 11:1-11). … He rode to Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling a prophecy. He got the treatment He deserved for once in His life. He was treated as a king.

Monday: Jesus demonstrated His authority as the Messiah (Mark 11-12-19). … Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree with no figs in fig season, so He cursed it (this may have been a symbol of Israel’s lack of spiritual fruit) … Then He went to the temple and tossed the merchants’ tables over. The plot to kill Jesus begun.

Tuesday: Jesus confounded His enemies and taught His disciples (Mark 11:20-14:11). … This is the day with the most recorded events in Jesus’ life. … The fig tree was withered when He and the disciples went back to Jerusalem. … His enemies attacked Him with questions about religion and politics. … Jesus answered and then returned the favor. He asked questions they couldn’t really answer … Jesus taught His disciples with parables. … Jesus foretells His death and Mary pours her perfume on His feet. Judas plotted to betray Jesus.

Wednesday: Jesus rested (?). … We’re not really sure what happened on this day, but we assume he rested.

Thursday: Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper (Mark 14:12-72). … They made all the preparations and gathered to eat. The disciples argued about who was better. Jesus set an example of servant-leadership by washing their feet and identified the one who would betray Him. … Then they all went to Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed. … Judas arrived and betrayed Jesus.

Friday: Jesus died on the cross (Mark 14:1-47). … Jesus was put on trial and then beaten beyond recognition. He was nailed to a wooden cross around. … 12 noon: the sky went dark, mourning its creator’s impending death. Jesus lasted about 3 more hours. … He was buried in the evening.

Saturday: Jesus’ body was in the tomb.

Sunday: Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:1-8). … Mary and Mary went to anoint Jesus’ body, but when they arrived at the tomb, the rock was rolled away and Jesus’ body was Gone! An angel of the Lord told them Jesus had risen! They ran and spread the news to the disciples. … The greatest day in history. … When our pastor used the phrase, “the greatest day in history,” it reminded me of one of my all-time favorite songs called “Happy Day” by Tim Hughes, it’s also known as “The Greatest Day in History”. The video is awesome too!

Jason Holidays, Music, religion, Sunday Sermon, Video

Begins with the death of Joshua. This is a transitional time for Israel. Unforutanately, theis new generation did not God or what God had done for their people (2:10). Then they forsook God and worshiped the gods of the people who lived in the land (2:12-13).

1. Israel broke the covenant by worshiping idols. God allowed some of their enemies to remain in the land to test them (Judges 1-2). .. Three commands for the Israelites when conquering the Promised Land are in Deuteronomy 7:1-5 – 1) Destroy them totally, 2) Do not intermarry, 3) Destroy all their idols and don’t worship their Gods … Let’s see how they did. Judges 3:5-6 shows that they broke all three commands. …
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2. God raised up judges to deliver Israel (Judges 3-16) The cycle is repeated 12 times in 300 years. The cycle is like a merry-go-round that you don’t want to ride! … Where is America in the cycle? … Where are you, personally, in the cycle? Have you distanced yourself from Lord? Are you going through some hard times? Cry out to the Lord! Only He can reaise up a deliverer and bring you back to Him. … The best thing is not get on the merry-go-round to begin with, but if you’re already there, then once you get back around to God, get off and walk with Him!
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3. Thes cylces led to a time of spiritual confusion and moral decay (Judges 17-21). … There’s no leadership or moral compass.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible