ABC....God Is....Therefore we.....Part One A

Monday night Bible study discussion archive. Feel free to view and comment on the studies posted here.
Post Reply
shalom-dodi
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 135
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:32 am

ABC....God Is....Therefore we.....Part One A

Post by shalom-dodi » Tue Apr 10, 2018 6:34 pm

Song: This song is a new one, it is amazing I am going to be posting the lyrics in here because there is no video with them onscreen yet.
In fact we are going to read them together first :) We sang this at my church on Easter and it touched my heart so much.

Do you feel the world is broken? (We do)
Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)
But do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through? (We do)
Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)

[Verse 2]
Is all creation groaning? (It is)
Is a new creation coming? (It is)
Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? (It is)
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave

[Chorus 1]
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this?
He is

[Verse 3]
Does the Father truly love us? (He does)
Does the Spirit move among us? (He does)
And does Jesus, our Messiah hold forever those He loves? (He does)
Does our God intend to dwell again with us? (He does)

Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe
Every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the Son

[Chorus 2]
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Is He worthy of this?
He is!
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
He is!
He is!

With lyrics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riIw77Hj9qM

https://www.vevo.com/watch/andrew-peter ... 8391800092

Prayer: Lord God thank you for each precious heart here. Thank you for the gift of Salvation in Jesus. Lord I ask that you gather us close as we meet tonight. I ask for restoration and healing for each one and for those we love. Help us to set aside the cares of this day and simply “be” with you as we meet here tonight. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

We are going to go through the ABC’s of God. But this year we are going to see how His nature and character have application for our lives. I am using a booklet by Sylvia Gunter as a jumping off place.

But first I want to share something I just learned from Paul Wilbur. Jesus just before the cross received the dreaded 39 lashes. In Isaiah 53:5 we are told that …But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Ready for an intersting fact? Science/medical community have a classification system for all diseases and conditions. Guess how many classifications there are, according to Paul? Yes 39. Coincidence? Maybe, but I find it faith building.

Want to know another one? Jews just celebrated Passover. All over the world. Part of that celebration involved matzo crackers. They start out… let me just share from a website, OK? If you want to see what a matzo cracker looks like google images will show you.
Passover is a beautiful, often mysterious, celebration. More than any other festival it has been at the heart of the universal Jewish experience, helping to form the core of spiritual identity and pointing inexorably toward the hope of Israel’s salvation. Two especially mysterious items on the Passover table were not part of the original celebration; their names and significance are shrouded in the past. These symbols point to a surprising and intriguing indication of God’s supernatural hand in developing the Passover observance through the ages.

The first and best known of these symbols is called the afikomen According to the late Jewish scholar David Daube and others, afikomen is actually a Greek word meaning the coming one” (habba’ in Hebrew) and is a clear reference to the Messiah.1
The afikomen is a piece of matzah, (unleavened bread) that is broken before the Passover meal. Part of it is wrapped in a cloth and hidden. At the end of the meal it is brought back, distributed to the participants and eaten as the final morsel.
In today’s Jewish celebration, the second or middle of three pieces of unleavened bread is taken from a special bag called the matzah tosh. The bread is removed, broken, and the portion that is wrapped in the cloth becomes the afikomen that is then hidden from view.

After dinner, the tradition turns into a fun game for the children who search for the afikomen and are rewarded when they find it. The bread is then broken and distributed among the participants who all eat it together. Does this bring anything to mind?
When Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples in the upper room, He broke the bread we know as the afikomen and distributed it to His disciples saying, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)
We know that our Messiah’s sinless body was “broken” in death, wrapped in a cloth and hidden as in burial, then brought back; resurrected by the power of God. It is truly a reward to those who find and partake in the life He offers. Yet the amazing parallels we see in the traditions of the afikomen remain hidden to those who reject Jesus claims.

If you want to read more after the lesson I will post a link…just ask me then.


ABC new These are in couplet form, God is, therefore I…

God is Abba, Father. Rom 8:15-16
I am Abba’s child. Rom 8:15-16

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

Dodi Note: My heart is full as I ponder what it means to have God as our Father. A perfect father. A safe father. A father who is never out of sorts, always fair, always loving. A father, who is never selfish.

We may have had a wonderful childhood experience with our dad or step-dad. Or we may have had a much less that wonderful experience growing up. But now for those of us who have accepted Jesus as LORD and Savior, we have a perfect father. Father God, our Abba.

Abba is the Aramaic equivalent of Daddy. At first it may feel odd to address God as “Abba”. Kind of familiar…and yet that is exactly what the Scripture invites us to do.

I want to slip over to 1 Cor. 13 where love is described for a few minutes. We are going to read verses 4-8a. They describe love… Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 
Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things, 
endures all things.
Love never ends.


That is who our Abba is. That is what God, our Abba is like towards us.
You can look up that passage and change “Love” to “God”. God is patient and kind, etc.

That may be difficult to hear/read because that was not the sort of love you had when you were growing up.
Most people experienced, at the best, love that was way more conditional.
God, as our Abba, loves us this way.

Then we, as sons and daughters, CHILDREN, beloved and cherished children can relax in the safety of belonging to Abba.


Jesus is our ADVOCATE 1 John 2:1-2  
I know that God is for me Rom 8:31
The first couplet shared a verse, this one does not. We will look at each one separately while remembering that they have application for our lives together.

1 John 2:1-2  My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Dodi Note: Notice that Advocate is in caps. That is because it refers to Jesus.
NLT explains verse 2 better.   My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
When we sin…God is the Righteous Judge but at the same time, we go before the Judge with the Judge Himself defending us. On our side. And not just on our side, as the One who has already paid the penalty (fine) for our sin. It can not get any better than that.

Therefore:
I know that God is for me
Rom 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Dodi Note: This is a wonderful verse. Later it goes on to elaborate what exactly has no power to be against us.
Verse 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Verse 28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Verses 35 &37-38 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What can separate us from the love of our Abba Father? Nothing…not…one…thing. Not angels, not devils, not presidents, not our past, not whatever is going on right now, not what might happen in the future…nothing at all…not even our own doubts, can separate us from the LOVE of God. It may cause us to be unaware of His love, but the Love of GOD is constant.
Good to remember?



The next couplet:
He is All-knowing John 16:30, John 21:17
I live peacefully, securely, and undisturbed. Isaiah 32:18

He is All-knowing
John 16:30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”
Dodi Note: Because God knows ALL things, they (and we) can be assured he is all knowing and knows just what we need.

John 21:17  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

Dodi Note: Here is that famous passage where Jesus is restoring Peter after His resurrection. Peter who had denied Jesus 3 times was lovingly given a chance to affirm his love 3 times. And realizes afresh and reminds us that the LORD knows ALL things.

Sometimes, I like to remember when I can not even understand why I think the thoughts (wonderings) I do, that God does understand. See when difficult things happened, God was there. God has been aware of us ever since before He knit us in the womb. So he knows the things that led to us being the quirky people we are. His desire is always to touch, heal and restore. For me, that helps me be a little less hard on myself when I feel like “I can’t get it right.” God who is all seeing and all knowing and all loving understands me. Sort of like, if a small child is tired and cranky, I as an adult understand that they are not being “bad” they are melting down BECAUSE they are children and tired. :) We are His kids. He understands if/when we have a meltdown.

Therefore:
I/we live peacefully, securely, and undisturbed.
Isaiah 32:18 My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation,
In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,

Don’t you LOVE this promise? I do. Let’s thank our Abba.
Abba Father thank you for sending Jesus so that we can live in a peaceful place, in a secure dwelling and enter quiet resting places just by remembering that you ARE our Abba and we belong to you.


Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega Rev. 1:8
I am being completed in Christ Jesus Phil 1:6

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega
Rev. 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Abba God, the LORD has always existed, always will exist and so we have a safe Rock to run to when life is difficult.

I am being completed in Christ Jesus
Phil 1:6  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Dodi Note: We are not expected to pull ourselves up by our boot straps and GET IT RIGHT! We may expect that of ourselves, or we may have been told that in the past. But what God implies here is a resting trust is what is needed. It says He, God, who has begun a good work will finish it.
You and I are “good works”. We are not good, but we are good work (by God) in process. Nice?


He is Ancient of Days Daniel 7:9
I am not my own 1 Cor 6:19-20

He is Ancient of Days
Daniel 7:9 “I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
It’s wheels a burning fire;


I am not my own
1 Cor 6:19-20 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Dodi Note: The price by which we were purchased was Calvary. One way to live that way is found in a verse I love. It is a verse of instruction:
Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

How sad… that people back then did not do that. How sad our countries’ leaders do not do that… but wait…how sad when WE choose not to walk God’s way.
The culture should not dictate to us or model for us what is acceptable, God pleasing behavior. But the “ancient ways” the Biblical truth can and does. And we have access to it. It is called The Bible.


Jesus is the Anointed One Psalm 2:2
I am anointed 1 John 2:27

Jesus is the Anointed One Psalm 2:2
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
Dodi Note: Of course that does NOT work well for them.
I am anointed 1 John 2:27 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
Dodi Note: I like this and find it assuring. We/I can abide in Him, He is THE Anointed One and has endured and remained The One after each one who opposed him was long gone. And (smile) this same one invited us to call Him Abba.


He has all authority Matthew 28:18
I have authority to overcome Luke 10:19

He has all authority
Matthew 28:18  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Dodi Note: Do we see any exception clause here? Such as God has all authority except??? I don’t see any exceptons. All authority was given to Jesus on earth and in heaven.

I have authority to overcome
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Dodi Note: Isn’t it absolutely neat that Jesus who HAS all authority has delegated the same to us? Sometimes we forget all that, or I do and feel like I am at the whim or whatever comes at me. But Jesus said vastly different didn’t He? He said we have authority over ALL the power of the enemy and it will not hurt us.
Let’s remember to remind one another of this when we forget.



He is our avenger Psalms 18:47
I manifest God’s purposes to rulers and authorities Ephesians 3:10-12

He is our avenger
Psalm 18:47 It is God who avenges me,
And subdues the peoples under me;
Dodi Note: Once we really grasph this life changes. When we are wronged, spoken ill of etc we don’t have to fix it. We don’t have to explain it either. We simply take our hurt to God and we choose to FORGIVE the one who did whatever they did and then we sit back and watch God avenge us. I have learned to practice this. I have done it at work when falsely accused and watched God fix it. That time, in order to be with God to let him deal with the hurt and betrayal, I actually took a day off to get out of the environment. When I returned, it was as if it never happened. And the person was dealt with without me doing anything at all except forgive.
Since then I have done that many times and found that God takes really good care of us, when we entrust all “that” to Him.

I manifest God’s purposes to rulers and authorities Ephesians 3:10-12 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,  according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,  in whom we have boldness and access with
confidence through faith in Him.
Dodi Note: Our task is to trust lean and rely on God :) To come before him openly and with confidence that indeed God is our safety and defender.

Did you enjoy this? We will do a few each week for a season. Learning more about who God is and then apply that to who we are. It is time for me to invite God to remind me, so since that is what I am studying, it is what we can discuss.


Have a blessed week… walk with the King and be a blessing.
Room is open to fellowship.
Someone please post a song for us.

Here is that link https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passove ... Matzot.htm

Post Reply