God is Our Provider (Lesson 2)

Luke 12:8-10 NASB  "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;  (9)  but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  (10)  "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.

God has provided the only path to salvation.  It is His special gift to us.

 

When we receive a valuable gift from someone, we want to share it.  It is the same when we receive God’s gift. 

 

We are to confess Christ before men.  Jesus said if we confess Him before men, he would confess us before the angels.  Last week we learned that God wants a relationship with us.  It is a relationship of love. 

Seeing that God is our provider, it is only reasonable we tell others about Him.

This week tell someone about Jesus.  

God is Our Provider (Lesson 1)

Luke 12:4-7 NASB  "I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.  (5)  "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!  (6)  "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.  (7)  "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

As our provider, God deserves our complete reverence and devotion.  Jesus addresses the disciples as Friends.  What kind of friend is Jesus?

Jesus is the kind of friend that tells his friends all they need in order to experience the right relationship with God.  Jesus told them not to fear man but to fear God.  When we fear man we fail to do God’s will, which in spreading the good news.  The Bible says this is the Gospel. 

 

When we fear God, we show a reverence for who God is and place Him in the proper light.  Only when we realize who God is and who we are can we have the right relationship with Him.

God is our provider and He wants to have an intimate relationship with us.

He wants to be our friend.

It’s a Heart Thing (Bonus)

Hypocrisy is sickening.       

However, we seem to have distaste for it when we see it in someone else.

Then we will tolerate it in our own lives.  The Pharisees were hypocrites and the Lord let them know it.  When we start to act that way GOD will judge us too.

Let’s take this BONUS lesson to look a little closer at hypocrisy and how easy it can creep into our lives. 

The Pharisees held themselves to higher standard and was proud to let the world know that they were living closer to God than anyone.  This was of course by their standards, not God’s standards.  It is so easy to point the accusing finger when fellow Christians don’t meet our standards. 

Is it possible for a straight laced bible believing Christian to be hypocritical?     YES

Just because we have a long list of Godly things, we do.  Along with a list of ungodly things we do not do.  Does not mean we have a heart of love.  Keeping a list such as this keeps us in bondage. 

We must remember when Jesus comes into our hearts we are no longer under the bondage of sin.  Through Jesus, we are saved and once we are saved God looks at us justified in his sight.  That does not mean we have done something to desire the forgiveness we have received.  It means God looks at us at if we never sinned.  

No wonder the writer in Psalms could say 

Psalms 19:14 NASB  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

It’s a Heart Thing (lesson three)

Hypocrisy is sickening.       

However, we seem to have distaste for it when we see it in someone else.

Then we will tolerate it in our own lives.  The Pharisees were hypocrites and the Lord let them know it.  When we start to act that way GOD will judge us too.

This series will help us live in light of the coming judgment.

Luke 11:45-48 & 52 NASB  One of the lawyers *said to Him in reply, "Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too."  (46)  But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  (47)  "Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them.  (48)  "So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs.  (52)  "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering."

Avoiding Judgment requires accurate handling of God’s Word.  Jesus did not leave the lawyers out of his message.  They evidently thought Jesus was not including them.  Look at their reply “you insult us too”!

They had made unnecessary requirements and then didn’t even bother to keep them but they insisted that everyone else kept them to the letter.  This was done to control people.  It other words it is an attempt to legislate obedience.  This approach never gets people to where God wants them.  People never learn to follow Jesus in the right relationship.

If we truly dedicate our heart to Jesus, our loyalty to Him will be evident in our actions.

It’s a Heart Thing (lesson two)

Hypocrisy is sickening.       

However, we seem to have distaste for it when we see it in someone else.

Then we will tolerate it in our own lives.  The Pharisees were hypocrites and the Lord let them know it.  When we start to act that way GOD will judge us too.

This series will help us live in light of the coming judgment.

Luke 11:42-44 NASB “But woe to you Pharisees!  For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.  (43)  "Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places.  (44)  "Woe to you!  For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it."

Avoiding Judgment requires attention to the inside.  The Pharisees even gave tithes of their garden herbs.  They had all these rules, which were just add-ons.  They had neglected the love of God.

They didn’t really love God they only wanted to keep the rules.  Somewhere down through time their traditions caused they throw God out.  The Pharisees wanted the best seats in church.  Up front where they could be seen. 

The Pharisees wishing to be seen would greet others in the Marketplace with a formal salutation.  The Pharisees looked good on the outside but what was on the inside led people to death.  

Jesus brings a new covenant and makes us a new creature.  It is all about what is on the inside.  This inward change shows on the outside.