The Two Sons and The Talents

Hey everyone! Here is the lesson from this past week if you were unable to be with us. Don't forget that along with studying the lesson from ABF you can also listen to Pastor John's sermon online if you miss it! Hope you all have had a great week so far.

Rolling Stone
Parables of Jesus: The Two Sons & The Talents
11/25/2012

The Two Sons - Matthew 21:28-32

Background info: This was Jesus’ final week before the cross.  The Pharisees were a group of religious people that were constantly questioning His authority and challenging Christ with the law.  They were religious on the outside, but their hearts were prideful and far from Him.  Read Matthew 21:23-27.  Why didn’t Jesus answer their question?  What would have happened if Jesus said his authority came from God?  What would have happened if Jesus said his authority came from men?

1. What are the points of reference?The Father
The Two Sons

2. Who was the audience (21:45)?  The Pharisees and religious leaders

3. What is the meaning to each potential audience?The meaning was that they were not repenting of their own self-righteousness and believing that Jesus was the Son of God.  God’s will for them was to repent of their sins in their heart, not just in an outward display, but a repentance of the heart.  God is not interested in what we say or do on the outside.  He wants to be our greatest affection/heart’s desire.  The tax collectors and the prostitutes were truly repenting in their hearts, which was what the Father wanted.  The Pharisees were saying they wanted to obey God, but were being disobedient in their failure to repent and turn to Him.
Reference to John the Baptist.  Read Matthew 3:7-10.  God’s desire was not that they would be saved and obtain their righteousness from the law.  His desire was that they would bear fruit “in keeping with repentance.” 

4. How can we tell this parable in our own words?
5. How can we see the gospel/kingdom in this parable? The Gospel is clearly portrayed in this parable as Jesus talks about the will of the Father.  His will is that we would repent and turn to Him for salvation.  He does not expect us to “clean up” or “get it together” before we come to Him.  He will save us by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Don’t just “talk the talk,” but truly turn to Jesus in your hearts.
The Kingdom will be full of people that love Jesus and trust in the Lord for salvation.  Not full of prideful, religious people who look good on the outside. 
6.  How do these ideas apply to our lives and/or marriages?We need to understand that our righteousness comes from God as a gift.  It is not something we earn or work for on our own merit.  It is a gift from God.  We need to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.  Remember that there is nothing good inside of you.  You are totally depraved.  The only thing good in us is Christ.  Even good things we do, without Christ, are meant for our own glory and self-righteousness, which is sin.  God deserves all the glory for anything and everything we do.  He alone is good and deserving of praise.  Repent often.
This applies in our marriages as well.  Own what you can own, and even more.  Repent of the things that need to be repented of, and allow Christ to transform your heart.  Don’t try to “work it out” on your own.  Allow Christ to rule your hearts and He will transform you into the Godly husband and wife He wills you to be.  And when you fall short, repent.

The Talents - Matthew 25: 14-30

Background: Read the subtitles in Ch. 22-23.  Read Matthew 24:26-51.  Jesus tells a parable about the ten bridesmaids in Matthew 25:1-13, which is about the kingdom of heaven.  Ch.25:14 beings with “Again, it will be like…” which means that this parable is about the kingdom of heaven, specifically with relation to remaining watchful.

1. What are the points of reference?Man going on a journey
The Servants
The Master’s property (talents)

2. Who was the audience (Ch24:3)?Jesus’ disciples

3. What is the meaning to each potential audience?It’s not what the Master has given, but what the servants do with what has been given that counts.
They have been entrusted with the Master’s property.  The will of God is that they would use what they have been given to bear fruit and to be good stewards of what they’ve been given. 
Keep the focus on the response of the master when he returns.  Do not be lazy or self-serving or ignore the will of the Master. 

4. How can we tell this parable in our own words?
5. How can we see the gospel/kingdom in this parable? This parable is about the kingdom of God.  The whole purpose of the parable is to illustrate the importance of stewarding well what God has entrusted to us as His servants.  We are not to be lazy and squander what God has entrusted us with, or allow those things to terminate on us.  We need to put our gifts, time, money, and talents to work in order to bear fruit for the kingdom of God.
This parable has eternal significance.  The response of the Master to the first two servants who dealt faithfully with what they had been given were entrusted with even more in the Kingdom of God.  The servant who was lazy and squandered what the master had given him was left with nothing and was cast into an eternity separated from the presence of the Lord. 

6.  How do these ideas apply to our lives and/or marriages?This idea is transformational!  Everything we own, our money, time, talents, gifts, spouses, children; all of these things have been given to us and entrusted to us by the Lord.  We are called to steward them well!

Happy Thanksgiving!

source

  Psalm 136:26 "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever."

I hope that while eating turkey and spending the day with family and friends, you take time out of your day to thank God for what He has done, and continues to do, in your life.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Side note: Not to be cheesy, but I also want to say that Cory and I are so thankful for each of you and the impact you've already made on our lives. We're so thankful that God led us to the Rolling Stones! :)



Romans 8:28

This past Sunday, Daniel did an awesome job leading our class! We got to learn about Romans 8:28 and its context. Here are the notes if you weren't there! I hope you're all having a great week so far.

Rolling Stone – Favorite Verses

Romans 8:28 (26-30)

November 11, 2012

Author: Paul, from Corinth, preparing to visit Jerusalem

When: 56-57 AD, written near the end of his 3^rd Missionary Journey; this is a mature statement of his understanding of the gospel.

Theme: God is perfectly righteous; man is sinful.  Through faith in Jesus Christ the believer is justified and has practical applications in living a righteous life.

Context: 1:18-3:20 - All have sinned

3:21-5:21 - Justification is through faith alone

6:1-8:39 - Practicing Righteousness in the Christian life

9:1-11:36 - God and Israel

12:1-15:13 - Practical Application

15:14-33 - Paul’s situation

Chapter 8

1-17 - Fulfill God’s righteousness by living in the power of the Spirit and according to the Spirit

18-25 - Longing for complete redemption

26-39 - Help and assurance in hardship

Identity Crisis?  Who are you?

1. Sons and daughters – led by the Spirit (v14), adoption (v15), The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (v16)…joint heirs if we suffer with Him, glorified together (v17).

2. We will suffer.  

-Present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory we will receive. 

-We have the first fruits of the Spirit, eagerly waiting for the adoption, redemption of our body  the future glory!  

-We are subject to suffering, pain, sin, and struggles.  

-We hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance, the future glory. 

Anyone felt like their prayer life is in the dumps?  

Help – translated: to take hold of together; co-operate.  1 Corinthians 2:12   

Romans 8:28 “…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…”

Work together - James 2:18-22   

“Sunergeo” – From “sun” together and “ergeo”to work, to cooperate, help, collaborate

It’s a synergistic harmony between vertical faith in God and horizontal works to a needy world.

…”to those who love God…”

What does it take to love God?  Can we get the same benefit if we just believe in Him? 

Believing or knowing about God qualifies you for 2 positions: a Pharisee and a demon

James 2:19

John 7:15-31.  

Where is the line defining how when we believe in Jesus that we will have rivers of living water flowing forth?         John 7:37-39; John 14:21; John 15:7-17 

He works all things for good to those are love God, who abide in Him, who know and keep His commandments, who are His sheep, His followers, His disciples.  

Good - Phil 1:6

“Agathos” – good in a physical and moral sense produces benefit; use of persons, things, acts, condition.  Synonym is “Kalos” – good in an aesthetic sense, suggesting attractiveness, excellence.  God will make all things excellent and beneficial. 

Purpose - 2 Timothy 1:8-12.  

“Prothesis” – “Pro” before, “thesis” place – a setting forth, a deliberate advanced plan intention and design.  

What is His purpose then? 

Romans 8:29-30 

2 Cor 3:17-18  We are reflecting what we behold, continuing toward that moment where we behold the Glory of the Lord

2 Timothy 2:19

John 10:14, 27-30; Psalm 139

Called – “Kaleo” – to invite, summon. But to be invited, you have to once NOT be invited... 

Romans 9:24-25 “…there they shall be called sons of the living God.” 

Romans 8:14, 16 “…as many were led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Justified – “Dikaioo” acquit, declared righteous, shown to be righteous. 

1 Cor 6:9-11

Glorified

1 John 3:2 and Phil 3:20-21

As looking into glory in a mirror, we shall be like Him, conformed to His glorious body. 

God WILL work all things together for the good of those who love His, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  As Christians we are predestined to receive a glorious future destiny – conformed to the image of Jesus.  If we choose salvation we are predestined for GLORY.

Romans 12:1-2

This week's lesson is posted below!

Please remember to be praying for our nation and its leadership this week during the elections.

Rolling Stone – Favorite Verses

Romans 12:1-2

Author:  Paul, from Corinth, as he was preparing for his visit to Jerusalem

When:  About 57 A.D.

Theme:  Sinfulness of humanity,  justification through faith in Jesus Christ, life through the Spirit, practical applications for the Christian life.

Setting:  Paul had neared the completion of his work in the east, and planned to visit Rome on his way to Spain after first going to Jerusalem to deliver a gift for the poor from the Gentile churches.  Romans is unique from Paul’s other writings in that it was written largely to a Jewish audience.  The Roman church was mostly Jewish but did also contained a great number of Gentiles.

Chapters 1 – 3:  Paul begins his letter by stating his support of and devotion to the Gospel (1:16) and addressing the common sinfulness of all humanity, both Jews and Gentiles.  (3:23)  He is also very clear to distinguish that salvation is not through the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ (2:9-22)

Chapters 4 – 6: Paul describes that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  Christians are no longer slaves to sin, but to righteousness.  (6:23)  A wage is earned, gift is given freely!

Chapters 7 – 8: Two of our favorite chapters in the Scriptures!  Chapter 7 is an honest portrayal of Paul’s struggle with sin (7:14-24).  Then, in chapter 8, Paul describes the love that God has lavished upon us and the grace and freedom He has given us in Christ and through the Spirit. 

Chapters 9 – 11: Chapter 9 is one of the toughest messages to accept in all of Scripture.  The meaning behind this section is to help both the Jew and Gentile believers understand that they are only justified by faith in Christ; they will not obtain righteousness through the law (10:1-4).  Rather, their righteousness will be given to them as a gift, solely as an act of mercy.  It is not based on human desire or effort (9:16).  This does not allow any room for arrogance or pride. 

Key Verse:  Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

1.    Why do you think Paul begins this section with the phrase “In view of God’s mercy?”

2.   What is significant about this imagery of “offering your bodies as living sacrifices?”  What is the potential problem with a living sacrifice?

3.  What makes a sacrifice holy and pleasing to God?  Think back to the Old Testament, what did God desire in the sacrifice?  How can we please God?

4. Paul encourages the believers in Rome to no longer conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of their mind.  How do you renew your mind?

5.   Paul says they will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, after the renewing of their mind.  How does this message impact us? 

Fall back and prayer

Hey guys!

Just wanted to remind you of 2 things:

1) Its time to set your clocks BACK an hour tonight!  Yay for the extra hour of sleep- I'm sure we all can use it :)

source

2) There will be prayer THIS Sunday (November 4) in our ABF class at 8:45 AM. Since everyone should be well rested due to the extra hour of sleep, you should all try to be there ;)

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. See you Sunday!

Box Packing Party!

As you all know, this past Sunday afternoon we packed boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Thank you so much to everyone who donated money and/or were able to help on Sunday! Our class packed 21 boxes!!! Here are some pictures of all the fun:

All the "fun" stuff

The toiletries (and some other fun stuff)

A finished box

If you were unable to be there and didn't get a chance to donate money, you still have time to make a box on your own! The last day of collection at the church is Saturday, November 10.

Also, it doesn't end here. Please don't forget to be praying for the children who will recieve these boxes!

Joshua 24:15

This week, Jordan led us and we learned about Joshua 24:15. If you were unable to be there, Tabitha also saved the extra handouts and put them in the class attendance box..so you can grab one of them next week if you want!

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”

Favorite Verses: Joshua 24:15

Rolling Stones

October 28, 2012

Author: Unknown, includes eyewitness testimony of Joshua

When: Just after the exodus from Egypt in 1400 or 1220 BC

Theme: Story of conquest and fulfilled promise for the people of God: They were finally blessed as a great nation with a land of their own (Gen 12:1-3, 26:2-4, 28:13-15; etc.)

Key Passage: Joshua 24

vv. 1: What is the context for this passage?

vv. 2-13: What is the Lord saying? Why does he say this? (Timeline)

vv. 14-15: What is Joshua saying?

vv. 16-18: What is the people’s response?

vv. 19-20: Why does Joshua say that they are not able to serve God? What does Joshua mean when he says that God will not forgive them?

vv. 21-28: How does Joshua guide the people to serve God? What practical steps does he take for them?

vv. 29-33: How does the story turn out? See Judges 2:6-15

Application

-What can we learn from this story? What practical steps can we take in our marriages?

-Do we take time to remember what the Lord has done for us? How have you done this in your marriages? (Marriage timeline)

-Who do we serve? Who are the possible idols in our lives?

Homework: Complete a marriage timeline of what the Lord has done so far and pray over how you will implement a plan to serve the Lord in your house.

Just as a reminder (and I'll try to remember to post this again later in the week), but next Sunday there will be prayer in our classroom at 8:45AM! So be there if you can!

I hope you're all having a wonderful Monday! 

We will serve the Lord.

This Sunday we'll be studying Joshua 24:15...so if you would like to get a head start in studying that verse and its context, then feel free!

"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (ESV)

Also, don't forget about our Operation Christmas Child box packing party THIS Sunday after class! For more details, check out the blog post about it.

See you all on Sunday!

Operation Christmas Child

Its so hard to believe, but its already time for Operation Christmas Child this year!

We are having a box packing party THIS Sunday, October 28, after ABF, with everyone grabbing lunch on their own and meeting at the Hippie House to pack boxes. If you need the address, please contact me or be at ABF this Sunday to find out :)

A group of us are also going shopping on Saturday, October 27, to get items to fill the boxes, so if you want to join us, let me know!

I know this is a little last minute, so if you are unable to get your money to me or Lauren Moore before we go shopping on Saturday, don't worry! You can definitely still participate by getting your own items for a box and bringing it with you to the packing party (make sure not to buy any toy guns/knives, chocolate, liquids, breakable items or aerosol cans).
Our ABF has decided to focus on the older children, ages 10-14. Please also remember that they ask for $7 to be donated with your box in order to cover shipping costs.

This is a great way to show a child the love of Christ in a very tangible way. We hope to see you all there this Sunday!

If you have any further questions, please write a comment on this blog or e-mail me.

 

video source: Samaritan's Purse

Spark notes version:

Who?: You

What?: Operation Christmas Child box packing party/Bring your own lunch

Where?: Hippie House- let me know if you need the address

When?: This Sunday (October 28) after ABF

Colossians 3:23

This week, Brad led us and we got to study Colossians 3:23. I hope that you'll take time to study it this week on your own!

Favorite verse: 

Colossians 3:23

Author: Paul, Timothy is also present (Colossians 1:1). Paul had never visited Colosse as far as we know. 

Audience: The Church at Colosse. The church had been founded by a man named Epaphras and other converts from Paul's first missionary journey, and had been influenced by some believers attempting to blend paganism and secular ideas with Christian doctrine. (Sound familiar??)

When: Around A.D. 60, during Paul's imprisonment in Rome. 

Theme: The sufficiency of Christ and His role as Head of the Church.

The first two chapters describe who Christ is and what he has done (Colossians 1:12-20). The second two chapters describe what Christians should do after they have been born again.

Leading up to chapter 3, Paul opposes the false teachers (ch 2:16-19)

Chapter 3:

Read vs 5-22 and list Paul's instructions to the believers in Colosse. 

(The end of verse 22 gives us a key insight into our focal verse for the day)

Just in case Paul forgot to cover something, he gives us vs. 23. "Do everything as working for the Lord, not for men." 

1. As working for the Lord: Christians should be very easy to recognize by their hard work and full devotion to any task they are assigned. We know that the Lord is sovereign, so anything we put our hands to should be done as if it were for the Lord Himself, since he ordained every step of our lives. We should serve faithfully and heartily, with humility and joy and thanksgiving in our hearts, not in an effort to earn favor from the Lord or salvation, but as an expression of gratitude and thankfulness to the Lord who has already saved us to a new life. (1 Corinthians 10:31) 

2. Not for men: we should not be doing things solely for the favor or approval of men. (Isaiah 2:22; Jeremiah 17:5-6)

Go back and look at chapter 3 vs. 1-4: what does Paul say we need to set our minds and hearts on? 

Vs 1-4 are crucial. We are not capable of doing any of these things on our own. How is any of this accomplished? By setting our hearts and minds not on earthly things, but on heavenly things and on Christ. 

We do it for an imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Fix your eyes on the unseen! (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Discussion:

1. How can this heaven mindedness motivate us in our daily work and jobs (don't like your job, difficult boss, etc.)? 

2. Based on this passage, is there any corner or part of our lives or work that are unimportant to God?

3. How can this heaven mindedness help us in our marriages?

Announcements:

1. If you missed The Revolution this past weekend and want more information on what was covered feel free to ask me for the notes. It truly was an awesome, life changing weekend! 

2. Next Sunday we will have an Operation Christmas Child box-stuffing party after ABF at the Hippie House...I will post another blog this week with specific information, but just keep that in mind for next week!

3. Don't forget to be praying for our ABF class and leaders (Pastor John, Jordan, Brad, Care Group leaders, etc) throughout the week :)

The Revolution

Rolling Stone ladies-

Don't forget to sign up for The Revolution if you haven't done it already!! Its going to be a great weekend learning about the Biblical definitions of intimacy, purity, and sexuality. Its for women of all ages/stages of life so if you know someone else who would be blessed by this weekend, please invite them!

Schedule for the weekend:
Friday, October 19: Starts at 6:30 PM
We'll start the weekend with worship led by Quimi Alaniz and a message from the key speaker, Beth Cannon.

Saturday, October 20: Starts at 9:30 AM
There will be "season specific" groups to discuss intimacy with other women in your same stage of life (singles, newlyweds, married with small children, etc).
There will be lunch provided and then in the afternoon, there will be "specialty groups" to cover more specific topics such as sexual self-esteem, healing from past sexual sin, physical complications, etc.

Its going to be a great weekend, and only costs $20, so go here to register!

If you have any questions at all, e-mail Helen at houtlaw@fbcirving.org.

Jeremiah 29:11

This week in ABF, Jordan led our class and we learned about Jeremiah 29:11. Make sure you study this on your own if you weren't able to make it this week- its always so eye opening to see these verses in the proper context! 

Favorite Verses: Jeremiah 29:11

Rolling Stones

October 14, 2012

Author: Jeremiah, a Judean prophet (Jeremiah 1:1)

When: Prophesized during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah and into the exile (about 627-585 B.C.) (2 Kings 22-25)

Theme: Proclamation of the words of God including judgment and new covenant (Jer. 31:27-34)

Key Passage: Jeremiah 29:1-14

-Written to the exiles in Babylon (including Daniel) while Jeremiah was still in Judah (2 Kings 24:10-17); in a section of the book that confronts different groups of people including Judah’s kings, false prophets, Judah’s people, and false belief (Jer 21:1-29:32)

vv. 1-4

vv. 8-9

- What is Jeremiah warning the people of here? 

vv. 15-23

-What is God’s complaint with the exiles? (Side note: verse 22 burning by fire)

vv. 5-7

- Why is it important that the exiles continue to grow their families in Babylon?

- How could the exiles seek the welfare of the city? Why is the exile’s welfare dependant upon the welfare of the city? 

vv. 10-14

- What is God’s plan for the people? (Dan. 9:1-2)

-Welfare is the word “Shalom” in Hebrew (occurs 242 times in OT), See Gen. 15:15, Gen. 43:27, Ex. 18:7, Num. 6:22-26, Dan. 10:18-1

-Evil is the word “ra’” in Hebrew (occurs 690 times in OT), See Dan. 9:12-14

Application

-How is our situation similar or different to the exiles? Therefore, how can we apply these ideas to our lives today?

New Testament exiles: Hebrews 11:13-16, 1 Peter 1:1-2, 17-19

-What is our city? How is our welfare dependant upon the city?

-Have you ever had a fear of bringing children into this fallen world that is headed for the destruction described in Revelation? How do verses 5-7 challenge that view? How could this passage change the way we perceive family planning in the last days?

-Who do we listen to? (false prophets verses God)

-How do we depend on God for our future plans? Do we believe that God has shalom planned for us?