The Right Cup

In this lesson, we’re going to talk about cups. If you’re working on a recipe, there is a certain kind of cup you use for measuring out ingredients. You’ll use some cups for hot chocolate, for holding water, or for serving communion. However, only one of those let you measure its contents precisely. One is authoritative. It follows a set of standards, and the others are not. Likewise, we have many sources we can go to for our Christian practices and beliefs, but only one of those sources is authoritative and the standard by which we should measure ourselves.

Jesus was often questioned by religious leaders about the authority by which He taught. In Matthew 21:23, Jesus enters an exchange with those religious leaders about authority, and He drives them to a conclusion they refuse to admit. In this, He discusses two sources of authority – man and God. II John 9 is but one passage that warns us going beyond the authority of God’s word. Matthew 28:18-19 then records Jesus proclaiming that all authority has been vested to Him.

Romans 1:16-17 calls the gospel God’s power, the revelation of God’s righteousness. If we are going to live righteously in His eyes, the standard by which we measure ourselves will be by Him. James 1:22-25 admonishes us to be doers of that word. We must do more than acknowledge the authority of God’s word. We have to live by it. II Peter 1:3 tells us that we have been granted all we need for spiritual living in this life in the divine power of His word. It does not fall short, does not contradict itself, nor does it need modification. Jude 3 calls this a message “once delivered,” that is it is unchanging and unmoving.

Man's standards are not God’s. Matthew 23:4 speaks to the rules and traditions bound upon the people by the scribes and Pharisees, but Jesus says these are not from God. They go beyond God’s word. However, we are assured by Jesus and by the apostles that the message delivered by those apostles is by His authority through the power of the Holy Spirit. II Timothy 3:16 reminds us that all scripture is brought by the breath of God, and John 14:25-26 records Jesus promising His apostles that the Holy Spirit would be that inspiration.

James 1:25 calls God’s word the perfect law of liberty. It is the authority we should follow if we profess faith in God. It is the standard by which we should measure ourselves if we say Christ lives in us. People change. Traditions change. Laws change. Values and morals change. Society changes. But God’s word does not change. Acts 4:12 reminds us Christ is the authority by which we can by saved. It is not our place to change His word, to ignore His word, or to add to His word. It is ours to humbly follow.

lesson by Herb Smelser

Worship 24x7: Having Fun

In this series of lessons, we’ve looked at what true worship is – that it is more than playing church when we come together to assemble. It is part of who we are everywhere we are. We’ve considered worshipful living while at work as well as in our home lives. We’ve looked at worshipful living in our school communities both as students and parents, and today we’ll be looking at worshipful living at something we might not usually consider – while engaged in our free time and while having fun.

A Life Meant to Be Enjoyed

Fun is an attitude, and the challenge is to keep a Christian attitude while having fun. This may be the most difficult time to stay Christ-like in our conduct. Hebrews 5:14 reminds us that we should have good discernment as mature Christians, and this is true even when entertaining ourselves. In the moment, we may not always do such a good job choosing between good and evil; we may be around people who are not the best influences; and we may give into peer pressure to prevent killing the fun.

God means for His people to enjoy their lives, and we see His people engaged in celebration and joy numerous times in the Old Testament. In the New, we even see Jesus’ first miracle taking place at a wedding celebration. To follow God is not to renounce the joy of this life. Ecclesiastes 11:8 calls on us to rejoice in our lives. Verse 9 tells us to rejoice in our youth, and verse 10 calls on us to remove pain from our hearts. A joyless life will do nothing to bring others to Christ, and a joyless life is full of wasted opportunities to lift others up and to celebrate all God has given us.

Our Example in Recreation

We should be known by the example we set. We should have fun on our terms, rather than the terms of others. There are limits to the type of fun we should have, and when we engage in sin for entertainment, it takes away from our worshipful living. There is plenty of joy without sin, and Proverbs 13:9 tells us the light of our righteousness should always shine. I Peter 4:3-5 tells us we will give up some activities and some friends when we submit to following God, but we can be an example to them of joy without immorality.

So what do we do for fun? Who do we choose to be around? Do these choices reflect our Christian values? If someone will not be your friend because you abstain from sin, then you don’t need that influence in your life. They may think you are mean, a jerk, a prude, but being a Christian is between you and God, not between you and them. Romans 12:1-2 calls on us to be living sacrifices. This means we won’t be like those around us. It means we won’t even be like our former selves. Philippians 1:10 admonishes us to keep ourselves spotless for Christ’s return.

Conclusion

We need to evaluate who we are when having fun. We have to define ourselves, our opinions of ourselves and our boundaries. We must refine ourselves, making sure our choices then reflect the definition we have of ourselves. Finally, once we define and refine ourselves, we must be ourselves. We are Christians no matter where we are; we must always be setting a Christian example to those around us; we need to make good choices about those we spend time with. As living sacrifices, we can succeed even while having fun if we decide how we will reflect Christ in the choices we make.

lesson by Mike Mahoney

Releasing Anxiety

An older preacher once told me that you should preach about things that cause you to struggle, and one of those things I struggle with is worry. And we have lots of reasons we think we should worry, from finances to world events to personal crises. Recently, however, I’ve been studying about some things that have been helping me with worry. Perhaps they will help you too.

Anxiety comes from a sense of isolation, of helplessness, of being overwhelmed by a particular situation. Matthew 6:25-34 begins by saying we should not be overcome with worry. Jesus is not telling us this as general advice. This is a direct command. We should not be distracted, nor should we feel choked by the asphyxiating influence of anxiety. If we are honest with ourselves, how many of the things we’ve worried about have actually turned out as bad as we feared?

Placing Faith in God

We overcome anxiety initially with trust and faith. We are good at being control freaks, and I once heard a quote that said you can determine the size of someone’s god by the size of their worry list; the bigger the list, the smaller the god. Our anxiety is a sign that our faith needs to increase. In Matthew 6:28, Jesus appeals to nature as evidence of how God will care for us, citing that flowers of the field are dressed better than even Solomon. We know God will take care of us, but we become worried about things that God is simply not that worried about.

Psalm 56:4 says:

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Mark 5:25-34 is a simple story of faith where one woman has the faith to reach out to Christ in the midst of a debilitating illness. She let go of control and demonstrated complete faith in this savior. We should be so willing to place our complete trust in Him and lay our burdens on Him, no matter how great they seem to us.

Seeking God

If we are completely placing our faith in Him, then we will seek him with prayer and study. Philippians 4: 6-7 and I John 5:14 both speak about the power of prayer, and, in the case of Philippians, Paul was writing about this power while in custody. Despite his circumstances, Paul is able to release his anxiety and place his trust in God, and he can do this because he knows God’s promises. He goes time and again to God in prayer, placing his burdens at his Father’s feet.

We must have the right focus if we are going to seek God in such trust. Matthew 6:33 calls on us to seek God’s kingdom first and foremost, and, earlier in the lesson, Jesus tells us we cannot seek both God and materialism in verse 24. Anxiety over our worldly concerns pulls us away from seeking God, much like Martha lost sight of hearing Jesus in the face of preparing her home for guests. Reality doesn’t go away, but we have to be able to put this world in perspective against eternity.

Leaning On Our Family

Beyond leaning on God, we can share our burdens with each other. We are stronger and more focused when we face our troubles together as a Christian family. Romans 15:1 simply says to bear each other’s burdens, but we must be willing to share our burdens with each other so we can lift each other up. We can only have the peace that passes understanding if we are willing to trust. It is a peace that Christ has purchased for us, but we must be willing to trust. We have to trust in God. We have to trust in His word. We have to be able to trust each other. Let’s lay aside the weights that drag us down, seek God together in faith and prayer, and help each other out of the burdens of this life.

lesson by Derek Weaver

Nine Eleven

When looking back on the anniversary of September 11, we could look over some grand themes. We could talk about and criticize Islam in broad strokes. We could make judgments about our government response, about our current and our past presidents’ actions. We could talk about pride and security. We could talk about patriotic topics, but we may lose some simple spiritual applications in the midst of these broad strokes.

Our Focus
Are we focused on God or on self? It certainly seemed that people came together after September 11, and many people showed tendencies to turn back to God and Christ in the wake of those events. It’s really no different than the cycle we see in the children of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament, and we have to ask ourselves, “Where am I?” Am I closer to God now, or have I drifted again? Do I have the same fire for the Lord now as I did ten years ago?

Hebrews 10:19-25 talks about the type of stuff we’ll do if we are dedicated on God rather than self. Self denial is a key theme in Jesus’ teachings, and we will be holding to that confession, stirring each other up, meeting with each other, and encouraging each other if we can set aside self and focus on God and one another.

Placing the Blame
Do we blame God for September 11? Do we think such an event is God’s will, that it was a warning shot for the United States? We have to be cautious about molding events to fit in with our particular views. We have a tendency to credit God when it lines up with our own values and dismiss such events as chance at other times. Quite simply, we know that bad things happen to good people because of sin, and we should be blaming Satan for such tragedies rather than assigning God motives and actions left unrevealed to us.

Loving Terrorists
Do we really have to love a terrorist? Matthew 5:43 says:

“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Intellectually, we understand we should love our enemies, but we falter on application. Yes, we should love those who plot to hurt and kill us. We’ve all heard stories of people who’ve forgiven criminals who have wronged them or their family in some horrible way, and that is the mindset we should have. It is the attitude we see when Jesus cries for his murderers’ forgiveness while on the cross.

Conclusion
We may believe that those terrorists deserve death and eternal punishment for their actions, but the tough part is that they deserve such a fate no more than you or I in the face of our sins. We may want to satisfy our own need for vengeance, focusing on self rather than God. Romans 5:12-17 contrasts Adam and Jesus – the one who brought sin into the world and the one who removed all sin by His great sacrifice. The problem of sin is an enormous one, and only an enormous sacrifice could remove it. We have all sinned; we have all put Jesus on the cross.

Where are you with your relationship with and commitment to God? Have you grown stronger? Are you willing to love in the face of personal pain and animosity? We have a great example of commitment, love, and self sacrifice in Christ; and we know that is the example we should be following in our own lives. We don’t have to allow great events of the world to drag us away from who we should be as Christians, so let’s commit ourselves daily to be living sacrifices, to be forgiving and loving individuals, to keep everything in the perspective of God’s word, and to keep God our focus and the center of our lives.

lesson by Ben Lanius