BETHEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 29NOV09

"OBEY GOD'S WORD"
"WORK ON YOUR HUMILITY"

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SURVEY
(Feedback & Thanks)

Note:  Some have heard much of this before but given the number of folks out of town last Sunday morning and evening this is important enough to bear repetition.

What music do you listen to?
	Contemporary (non-country), Country, Classical, Motown, old time 
	gospel, hymns.

What style would you like to hear at Bethel?

	Overwhelmingly the reply was for a blend.  Most wanted some 
	traditional hymns to remain in the blend.  One asked for rap, another 
	specifically excluded rap!

What do you most love?
	Friendliness, emphasis on God, caring & loving, sharing 
	encouragement and ideas in raising children, the people, 
	comfortable environment, genuineness.

What would you change?
	More events involving food and fellowship, everyone invite more 
	people to join the Bethel family, a permanent pastor to provide 
	stability, blending-in variety in the music.  Note: No answer and 
	nothing were strongly represented!

How to attract more people like you?
	More activities for children, youth, and families. tell the Bethel story 
	(marketing), more energy and fun on Sunday and Wednesday, more 
	variety in the musical style, more food and fellowship events.  
	Note:  About 1/2 offered no suggestions.

What kept you from joining?
	Most were concerned about uncertainties as to Bethel's leadership 
	and direction, one reported the interference of the enemy, others 
	said they did not know, and many did not reply or wrote "nothing".

Why not Sunday evening?
	Important family time, work Sunday evening, up too early Monday 
	morning, don't drive at night.

Why not Wednesday evening?
	Working, school in the morning, no deep Bible study, too far to drive 
	from home on a weekday evening, nothing of interest scheduled.

A place to use gifts at Bethel?
	Most people answered YES.  Many noted what they were already 
	doing.  Several expressed interest and described their gifts.  Only 
	two said they did not see a place to use their gifts - but did not list 
	them.

How should Bethel communicate?
	Many selected multiple means but the most common was E-mail.

What should be on Web page?
	Pictures, calendar, contact information, daily verse, Bible lessons, 
	the Bethel story - then and now, valuable links.

What else should we know?
	Prayer is important, keep focus more on Bible and not too much 
	counseling or contemporary stories, keep the good open 
	communications going, consider shared events with small churches 
	to show the community we love one another.

ALSO ... Mention the discussion of discipleship training, emphasis on individual missionary-evangelism, and special outreach activities in 2010.

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"TO OBEY GOD, NURTURE HUMILITY"
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From: Explore the Bible
Psalm 119:1-16
	
	Biblical Truth:  The Bible is God's Word and is to be treasured, 
				studied, and obeyed.

	Life Impact:  To help you treasure, study, and obey God's Word.

From: Connect
James 4:1-17
	
	1. Submit to God.
	2. Resist the Devil.
	3. Draw near to God.
	4. Cleanse your hands.
	5. Don't criticize one another.

From: Hebrews 4 & 7

	Disobedience was what sent the adult Jews into the wilderness 
	and what kept them out of the Promised Land.
	Abraham recognized God in Melchizedek and was submissive.
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Genesis 2:16  "Then the Lord God commanded the man "You may freely eat fruit from any tree in the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die."

Adam knew what he was required to do in order to obey God; Gen. 2:15  He was to care for the orchard in Eden.

Adam knew precisely where the two unique trees were located; Gen 2:6 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life (or of life-giving fruit, also referred to elsewhere as the tree of eternal life), both were located in the middle of the orchard.

The Genesis text is silent as to the precise location of Eve in the orchard when accosted by the serpent.  It is also silent as to the proximity of Adam to Eve.  Because the Apostle Paul later reports that it was Eve and not Adam who was tempted and who first failed one must conclude that Adam was not present during Eve's temptation.

Eve was as aware as Adam of the prohibition of God as to eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, though she modifies God's instruction to say that one may not touch it or else die.  (Gen. 3:1-3)

The serpent lied to Eve and questioned the integrity of God, telling her that eating the fruit would not kill her but would make her God's equal, which was his own sin.

Instead of consulting Adam, or God, Eve (at some unknown time following the temptation of the serpent) allowed her pride to take control and served her selfish desires for pleasure and power - taking and eating the forbidden fruit.  (Gen 3:6a)

Then she compounded her sin (serving the serpent instead of God) when  she was next with Adam she gave the fruit to him as well; the text is silent as to Adam's awareness of the source of the fruit, but he trusted her and  he also ate.

Genesis 2:25 states that "they were both naked but were not ashamed."

After eating of the forbidden fruit Genesis 3:7 says that they knew that they were naked so they covered themselves.  Sin has consequences.

Genesis 3:8-13 describes God's confrontation of Adam and Eve; asking them to explain why they his from Him, how they knew that they were naked, why Adam ate the forbidden fruit, and challenges Eve for giving the fruit to Adam (the text implies that he may not have been aware of the source of the fruit until after he ate it).

So Adam blamed Eve (whom God had given him - sort of blaming God - and suggesting that because God "gave her" he had reason to trust her without question), then Eve blamed the serpent for "tricking" her (though she appeared to want to be deceived after allowing the serpent to appeal to her lust for pleasure and her pride).  The serpent was without excuse as he had done this deliberately.

God's response to Adam and Eve's disobedience was both humiliation and protection, and to the serpent only humiliation.  The humiliation is described in Genesis 3:14-19.  The protection is to remove them from Eden, and to prevent them from returning in their fallen state, so that they could not eat the fruit of the tree of life and be eternally unredeemable.
(Genesis 3:22-24)

Consider the following chart - fill in anything you remember from the OT which fits the two categories - it can be the named person or someone in the Bible text around them.

OT Person		Obedience					Humility

Adam & Eve

Noah
	
Abraham

Sarah
	
Isaac

Jacob
	
Joseph

Moses
	
Joshua

Deborah
	
Gideon

Samson
	
Ruth and Naomi

Saul
	
David

Solomon
	
Esther

Job
	
Daniel

Hosea

Observe the pattern of blessing for humble obedience and the corollary; negative consequences for disobedience and pridefulness.

Psalm 119:1-16  

116:1 I love the Lord because he heard my plea for mercy, and listened to me.

116:2 As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help.

116:3 The ropes of death tightened around me, the snares of Sheol 
confronted me.  I was confronted with trouble and sorrow.

116:4 I called on the name of the Lord, “Please Lord, rescue my life!”

116:5 The Lord is merciful and fair; our God is compassionate.

116:6 The Lord protects the untrained; I was in serious trouble and he delivered me.

James 4:1-17
	
	1. Submit to God.
	2. Resist the Devil.
	3. Draw near to God.
	4. Cleanse your hands.
	5. Don't criticize one another.

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? 

4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

4:4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. 4:5 Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, “The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning”? 4:6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” 

4:7 So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. 

4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. 4:9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair. 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

4:11 Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. He who speaks against a fellow believer or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge. 4:12 But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge – the one who is able to save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor?

4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 4:14 You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. 4:15 You ought to say instead, “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.” 

4:16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 4:17 So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin.

Hebrews 4

Commentary

	Disobedience, or rebellion (as reported in the text of Hebrews 3), is what kept the adult (age of 
	accountability) Jews out of the Promised Land.

	Disobedience, or rebellion, is the same disqualification which God places upon the admission of anyone to 
	Heaven.

	The Jews and Gentiles alike heard from Jesus as He proclaimed the "... good news", yet it was up to each 	to "... join in with those who heard it in faith."

	Neither Moses or Joshua brought their people to the "rest" of which God speaks; through David God said 
	"Today, after so long a time ..." he still desires to bring to them His eternal rest from the works of the law.

	"And God rested on the seventh day from all *His* works." [Emphasis on "His", added.] - through Jesus 
	the Christ, God desires that, through faith, we also may rest (a "Sabbath rest) from our fruitless efforts 
	that are works-seeking-righteousness-that-earns-admission-into-Heaven.

	"... the Word of God [the Holy Spirit, enlightening and empowering the written Word] is living and active 
	and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints 
	from marrow; it [the Word through the HS] is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.

	[Note:  It would make an interesting study to contemplate the boundary that separates "soul" and "spirit".]

	"... no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we 
	must render an account."

	"Therefore ..."

	"... we have a great high priest"

	"Who has passed through the heavens ..."

	"Jesus the son of God"

	"... let us hold fast to our confession"

	He is not "... incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses"

	He "... has been tempted [tested] in every way as we are, yet without sin."

	"Therefore ..."

	"... let us confidently approach the throne of grace"

	"... to receive mercy and find grace"

	"... whenever we need help."

Interaction	

	Consider that the Jews and Gentiles alike heard from Jesus as He proclaimed the "... good news", yet 
	it was up to each 	to "... join in with those who heard it in faith."  Salvation is volitional.

	Discuss some ways you might explain to a "not-yet-completed Jew" or someone who has been 
	immersed in neo-Christian OT-centrism that neither Moses or Joshua brought their people to the "rest" of 
	which God speaks; through David God said "Today, after so long a time ..." he still desires to bring to them 	His eternal rest from the works of the law.

	Reflect "And God rested on the seventh day from all *His* works." [Emphasis on "His", added.] - 
	through Jesus the Christ, God desires that, through faith, we also may rest (a "Sabbath rest) from our 
	fruitless efforts that are works-seeking-righteousness-that-earns-admission-into-Heaven.

IN CONCLUSION

We must choose to be obedient and humble if we desire God's blessing, including Him pouring blessings into us so that they may flow through us into the lives of others.

Invitation

If you do not yet know the Lord, if you are not certain that you have surrendered to the only ONE Who can bring you eternal joy, then it is time for you to talk to us!

If due to a crisis of some sort you are in need of shared encouragement and prayer right now then please allow us to pray in agreement with you right now.

If you have been praying about joining our fellowship, either by transfer, or as a new believer in need of a new home - please let us know so that we may welcome you to the family!  (Come on up or catch one of us afterwards.)

As we sing our closing song please come forward - and pay no attention to anyone or any thing but the Holy Spirit Who is encouraging you right now to come.  If you are shy - please catch one of us afterwards - we will stay as long as necessary to serve you.   Dismissal