Cedars do it Jesus Style!...and Parents can TOO!

If you asked anyone, believers or non-believers, who Jesus Christ was, what would they say about Him?

1. He was born of a virgin,

2. was the son of God,

3. he worked miracles like turning water to wine or walking on water,

4. he died on the cross for our sins,

5. rose three days later

6. and all so we could go to heaven.

But Christ was soo much more. Why is it important for Christians to understand who Jesus Christ was beyond this common knowledge and to learn who was he beyond the "fact sheet"? Who was he as a human being and a man? He was as complicated and unique as you and I.

 Cedars Youth Group curriculum includes getting an in depth understanding of who Jesus Christ really was and how to walk in his footsteps. Our curriculum is based on The Jesus Style by Gayle Erwin and we encourage parents (and anyone searching for their best friend) to grab a copy. What better way to connect with your children than by sharing the same understanding of Jesus as both Son of Man and the Son of God.

Cedars Take a Hike and Enjoy God's Beautiful Creation

They hiked, they saw, they conquered, then they all passed out in the back seat of the car on the ride back. Mission accomplished. Good times today with a hike in Conifer and lunch at a giant hot dog in the forest.

Youth Baseball Night was a Home Run!

The Rockies may not have won last nights game but that didn’t stop our kids from having fun cheering them on and enjoying fellowship with one another. In true Shrubs fashion whatever they do they do it hardily for the Lord, even horseplay and consumption of copious amounts of sugar. Most importantly these special events give our kids the time to cultivate strong Christ based friendships and honor the Lord together as family.

All Things Are God's

We were all stumped last Thursday during our bible study so today we are deviating from our 7 Questions in Proverbs today to explain the meaning of Proverbs 13:22; A good person leaves an inheritance to his children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous. Specifically, we wish to understand what it means for a sinner's wealth to be stored up for the righteous.

1. All things are God's. We must understand this first truth.

   1. Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.

      1. All things in heaven and earth belong to God. But why?

   2. Psalm 89:11 The heavens are Yours, the earth is also Your; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.

      1. God created everything, therefore everything is His!

   3. Genesis 14:22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,

      1. All things not only belong to God but he possesses them. He holds all things in his hands.

   4. Haggai 2:8 The silver is Mine, the Gold is Mine, saith the Lord

      1. The riches of earth do not belong to the sinners, they belong to God.

   5. Exodus 19:5 Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.

      1. It is not just people who talk about God that say this but God himself says that the earth is His.

      2. He also says that those of us who follow him are also his! What does that mean for us?

2. God's property in the hands of the sinner.

   1. Proverbs 11:28 Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

      1. Although a wicked person may amass riches, he cannot take those riches to heaven when he dies. In the end the rich man will suffer in hell and his riches will not save him.

      2. His wealth will be left behind to no one because an evil person, the sinner, he would not be willing to give his wealth to someone else.

   2. Job 27:16-17 Though he heaps up silver like dust and clothes like piles of clay, what he lays up the righteous will wear and the innocent will divide his silver.

      1. This scripture is similar to the one in question. Proverbs 13:22.

      2. We have learned that money and all other kinds of wealth belongs to God.

   3. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

      1. While wealth may be in temporary possession of the sinner, ultimately it is God's property and it will return to Him to be used for His glory and ours.

   4. 1 Peter 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

      1. Like the good person in the first part of Proverbs 13:22 God is a good Father and he has stored up an eternal inheritance for the benefit of us, his children.

Apply:

1. What things do you have or own that you consider your most valuable possessions?

2. It is easy to forget that the money and things we own are God's and not ours. What things do you have that you need to be reminded are God's property and not yours?

3. When we remember that the money and things we have are God's property and not ours how does it change how we act?

4. Write out a prayer in response to what you learned today about all things being God's property. Include all the elements of the ACTS of Prayer:

God you are awesome because…

God I am sorry for…

God I thank you for…

God please help me…

Cedars Youth Bible Study Challenge: The Seven Questions

Jesus and the Bible provide us answers to life’s questions using many different methods. Whether it be poetry, prophetic works, proverbs of wisdom, parables or stories, the bible shows us how God chooses to communicate with us in our own personal way. As youth group leaders we love changing things up and finding new ways to help your kids learn from the scriptures and grow closer to God.

Over the last 12 weeks our youth group has established seven questions to ask themselves when reading the scriptures. We have been focusing on Proverbs and using these seven questions to better understand and apply the wisdom found in these verses. We have seen the kids blossom in both faith and confidence as they share their heart felt and insightful answers and seek God in their prayers for guidance and understanding. The conversations these questions have sparked have been deep, convicting and enlightening. We challenge you to give these questions a try as you do your daily family devotionals and I think you will be blessed and inspired by the answers God gives your children!

THE SEVEN QUESTIONS

1. What didn’t you understand?

2. What did you like about this scripture?

3. What didn’t you like/what convicted you about this scripture?

4. What did you learn about God?

5. What did you learn about yourself?

6. What can you share with others?

7. What can you pray about and apply to your own life?

Cedars Youth Welcomes it's Newest 6th Graders at Our Annual Orientation BBQ

We are so thankful to have these kids (and their parents) join our youth group. Our time together today was a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other and learn what it means to be a Calvary Belmar “Shrub”! We are looking forward to adding their knowledge, talents and abilities to our fellowship and can’t wait to see how God will use them to help us all grow.

We are also excited to announce that Colin Cannici, a recent high school graduate, has agreed to stay on with Cedars in a leadership intern position. Over the last two years he has shown his leadership and spiritual maturity by teaching some of our youth group nights and always being there when one of the other kids is struggling or has questions. We are excited that his dedication to youth group will continue as he enters into adulthood.

Youth Group Bowl-a-Rama Today!

A great turn out for our youth bowling event. Everyone’s a winner when no one pays attention to the score because they’re having too much fun hanging out! One of our greatest desires is to see our kids build strong Christian friendships that will last them a lifetime. Our events give them a safe place to do just that.

Our youth group blasted asteroids at Arcade Day!

No game was off limits to our adventurous youth group and their parents. Even Pastor Scott joined in on the fun. These kids blasted and zoomed and zapped their way through the arcade.

The ACTS of Prayer IV: Supplication

Supplication is the final component to the ACTS of prayer. What is Supplication?   On its basic level it is praying for your needs and the needs of others to be met by God. Why do you think that this component comes last after Adoration, Confession and Thanks?

But doesn’t God know what we need already? Today we will be diving into not just how we are to ask for God to meet our needs but why, even though God knows everything, do we still need to take our needs before Him.

1. Asking God according to His will

   1. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

      1. What are some things that you know are "according to God's will"?

         1. Love for others

         2. Gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

         3. Opportunity to share the Gospel with others

         4. Remember from our previous study in Communicating with God, God is not here to give us what we want, He is here to give us what He wants for us. It is our role as his children to want what he wants for us.

      2. John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

         1. God commands us to pray according to his will but we don't always know what that will is or how to ask. That is when the Holy Spirit, that part of God that resides in you, comes to the rescue. We will be touching on this more in a separate study about the Holy Spirit.

   2. James 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

      1. What are some things you know are NOT "according to God's will"?

         1. Something that would hurt or stumble someone else

         2. Something that feeds our flesh and not our spirit

         3. Something that would make us bad examples of Christ

         4. Something that would give us the glory and not God

2. God's command to pray

   1. Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

      1. Remember though that God doesn't just want us to pray for ourselves but ALL of the Lord's people.

   2. Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

   3. Scripture tells us that it is God's command that we pray "all kinds of prayers and requests".

   4. If God tells us to pray and ask for things then when we do we are being obedient. We should never feel guilty for submitting our requests to God through prayer.

3. But doesn’t God already know?

   1. Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

   2. When we do ask God for things we’re also expressing our dependence on him, acknowledging that he is in control of all of the details of our lives, and we need his involvement - all true prayer is faith in action.

APPLY

Please write out a whole prayer using all four ACTS of prayer that you have learned:

A

C

T

S

The ACTS of Prayer III: Thanksgiving

So far we have covered Adoration and Confession, the first two steps to mindful prayer. It seems that these two steps take the most effort. Adoration can be difficult because it is not in our nature to project adoration outward, rather, it is in our nature to seek adoration of our own. Confession is an especially difficult part of prayer and such a stark contrast to all the praise we give the Lord when we share with him why we adore him. Truly, while He is worthy of our adoration we are in contrast sinners who are NOT worthy of His and that can be a difficult truth to swallow. It is for this reason that they are put first and in this order. We must acknowledge our loving Fathers perfection and glory and only then will we see our sin for what it really is. However, without this acknowledgment we cannot then be thankful for his grace, mercy and endless love.

While thankfulness may seem like an easier step it is deceivingly so. True and pure thankfulness is so much more than just saying "Thank You".

1. We work hard for the things we have. It is easy to confuse God's provision with our own efforts.

   1. Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

   2. Romans says that ALL things come from God not just the things He gives us above and beyond what we earn. What exactly does this mean?

   3. Say you study really hard for a class. You spend hours and hours hitting the books. You meet with study buddies, ask for help from your teachers and parents. You watch some nerd explain the equations on YouTube and google explanations. Did God give you that passing grade in Algebra? Obviously, you worked for it. You didn't just binge watch Netflix and get a passing grade with no effort at all. Then how did God give you that grade?

      1. Time

      2. Energy

      3. Focus

      4. Determination

      5. Help (study buddies, tutors, teachers or parents)

      6. Health (thank God you didn't get that flu going around!)

      7. Tools like the internet, study material, calculator

      8. Understanding and comprehension. Don't forget God made your brain! Psalm 139:13-14

   4. Does this mean you shouldn't be proud of your achievement? Of course not! But also be thankful and give God the glory for all the things He gave you to make that passing grade possible.

   5. But what if, after all that work, you don’t pass?????

2. It is easy to be thankful when things are going your way and your blessings are many, but what about when the blessings are few and life is throwing you one curve ball after another? Do you find it easy to be thankful then?

   1. James 1:2-3 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (Think of steadfastness as a combination of patience and determination)

   2. James tells us not to just be thankful when the going is good but when it isn't.

   3. After all that work studying, what is there to be thankful for?

      1. All the same things! God isn't any less God when things don't go the way you were hoping. His provisions were and are still there.

      2. Don't be discouraged by failure, instead realize that although you have the limitations of a human, God's power is unlimited. Don't give up and know that he will never give up on you.

      3. Failure in life is inevitable and necessary! What kind of person would you be if every time you did something it ended in a positive result? What would your reaction be the first time you failed if your whole life you never failed at anything?

      4. Simply put, James says failure builds character? What kind of things have you learned or gained through failure?

         1. Strong will and determination to try again!

         2. Discipline

         3. The value of help!

         4. Wisdom and discernment

         5. Empathy with others even if our experiences aren't exactly the same.

         6. Courage to try new thing

         7. Have fun no matter what the outcome

      5. It seems as though in failure, we not only have a list of God's provisions leading up to that failure, but we now have added many important things to be thankful for after that failure has occurred.

3. There is an infinite depth to the things we should be thankful for. Each of us have had different experiences and blessings, therefore, our personal prayer of thanksgiving to God will also be unique. To help you explore all the different ways we can be thankful let's look at some of the different things God gives us.

   1. Goodness and Love: 1 Ch 16:34  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

   2. Deeds: Psalm 75:1 we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds.

   3. Protection: Psalm 56:12-13 I am under vows to you, my God; 13 For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

   4. Salvation: Romans 7:24-25 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

   5. Provision: Matthew 14:19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

   6. Faith, hope and love between others: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

   7. Grace: 1 Corinthians 1:4  I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.

   8. Healing: (Jesus heals 10 men with leprosy) Luke 17:15-16 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

   9. Victory over sin and death: 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

   10. people: 1 Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people

4. Whether good or bad, success or failure we are commanded to "always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20

APPLY

1. Go back over the list we just discussed and think about how they apply to you personally both in good times and in bad. Fill in as many reason's you can think of to be thankful for:

   1. God showed me his goodness and love…

   2. God's deeds have brought about…

   3. God protected me…

   4. God saved me from…

   5. God provided for me…

   6. The people in my life who have faith, hope and love…

   7. God has showed me grace…

   8. God has healed me…

   9. God has given me victory over sin….

   10. People God has put on this earth…

(Consider people you may not know that you can still be thankful for)

1. Write your own unique prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. Remember his blessings in the good and bad times.

The ACTS of Prayer II: Confession

Last week we went over the first step in the ACTS of Prayer which was Adoration. We learned why we should adore God in our daily prayers and we also went over some reasons why God is worth our adoration. Today we will be going over part two which is Confession.

What is Confession?

There are several definitions we can look at. First, in a courtroom it would be an admission of guilt to a crime. Another definition is an admission or acknowledgment that one has done something that they are ashamed of or embarrassed about. Although these definitions are all loosely similar we will be mainly focused on the third definition which is a formal admission of one's sins with repentance and desire of absolution.

1. We have many examples in the new and old testaments of people confessing sins to God.

   1. Isaiah 6:5 in this passage Isaiah is being shown a vision of the Lord and in seeing the Lord his reaction is 5, Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.

      1. Upon seeing the Lord, Isaiah's first reaction is to confess that he has unclean lips and he lives with people with unclean lips.

      2. What does it mean to have unclean lips? I think that it means he didn't have the greatest language or always talk about the best subjects.

      3. Why do you think he acted this way? After seeing The Lord in all his Glory and Cleanliness it shone a light for him on his unclean ways and he felt unworthy to be in the Lord’s presence.

   2. Luke 5:8 While in Jesus' presence some of the disciples had caught enough fish to almost capsize the boat 8, When Simon Peter saw this he fell at Jesus' knees and said "Go away from me Lord for I am a sinful man.

      1. Again being in The Lord's presence and seeing his glory has compelled a confession. People in the presence of the Lord have always confessed their unworthiness.  Let's look at Genesis 18:27

      2. Genesis 18:27 Then Abraham spoke again saying "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord though I am nothing but dust and ashes.

2. We have just looked at examples of prophets or disciples confessing their sin in the presence of the Lord but is that the only way sin can be confessed? Who can confess sin and how?

   1. Leviticus 5:5  when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned.

      1. This clearly puts responsibility of confession on the shoulders of the guilty party. Which means, We can confess our own sins individually

      2. How would we go about confessing any sins we might have? Jesus gave us an example of how we can confess our sins and it is in an example prayer that he left us with.

      3. Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

         1. In this passage debt does not only mean an amount of money owed but is referring to moral debts. Anywhere we might come up short in our goal to live like Jesus.

   2. Leviticus 16:21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task.

      1. The "he" is Aaron The first high priest of the Israelite people and Moses' brother.

      2. This passage shows that he has the power to confess on behalf of his people. Before Christ’s sacrifice priests would intercede to God on behalf of the people. AFTER CHRISTS SACRIFICE WE ARE ABLE TO GO TO GOD DIRECTLY.

1. Why do you think it is necessary for us to take our confessions of sin to the Lord? What are the results of confessing our sins?

   1. We receive God's Mercy.

      1. Proverbs 28:13  Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

   2. We receive God's forgiveness

      1. Psalm 32:5

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave  the guilt of my sin.

1. We receive Healing

   1. James 5:16  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

2. We become purified

   1. 1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness

God already knows our hearts and knows our actions. He wants to forgive us but wants us to recognize that our actions are wrong and have remorse for our sinful actions. The way you would seek forgiveness from a human being would be to first apologize for any offense but before you can apologize you have to admit what you did was wrong. Confession is the first step to being given mercy and grace.

Apply:

1. We see in the Bible a lot of people, including prophets, confess when in the presence of the Lord. Why is it important to not wait until we are in His presence? Why should we seek confession in our daily prayers?

2. We see in James 5:16 the benefits from sharing and praying with each other. Confessing to someone else also creates some accountability which can help break a sinful habit. Who are some people in your life that you can confess and pray with?

3. Write a prayer incorporating adoration from last week and adding a confession to take to the lord, seeking forgiveness.

The ACTS of Prayer I: Adoration

For the next several lessons we’ll be talking about the ACTS of prayer, which we reviewed briefly a few weeks ago. The acronym ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Tonight we’re going over Adoration.

1. First of all, what is adoration?

   1. To adore something is to like it a lot or to revere it—that is, worship it or hold it in very high esteem.

2. In the specific context of prayer, it essentially means to tell God how great He is.

3. We should be careful to realize what adoration is not. To adore God in prayer does not mean to flatter Him. We’re not just giving God “lip service,” nor are we supposed to adore Him just because we “have to.”

4. Adoration isn’t so much an obligation as it is a voluntary act of praise. This doesn’t mean that adoring God doesn’t require effort. It’s easiest to praise God when things are going well and we feel like we have lots of reason to tell Him about how awesome He is, but what about when things aren’t going well? Adoring God is still the right thing to do.

   1. Turn to Job 1:20-22. In this passage, Job is in an incredibly difficult place in his life, and yet he chooses to praise God despite the apparent lack of reason for doing so.

5. The truth is that God is always good, and is thus always worthy of being adored. Consider Mark 10:18. Here Jesus says that God alone is good. We know God is unchanging, so no matter what our circumstances happen to be, there is always reason to praise the Lord.

6. So why should we adore God?

   1. That seems like a question with a pretty obvious answer, but that’s the whole point of adoration in prayer: praising God for who He is.

7. Let’s dig into the Bible to see the characteristics of God that we should praise.

8. Look at Luke 15:3-7. This is the parable of the lost sheep, which Jesus is telling to emphasize the fact that God actively looks for unbelievers to save them from sin. This makes it incredibly obvious that God cares about us.

9. What better sign is there that God cares about us than that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us on the cross? In John 15:12-13, Jesus commands His disciples to love each other as Jesus loved them and mentions that there is no greater love than laying down one’s life for one’s friends.

   1. We know that not long after He said these words, Jesus went to the cross and laid down His life for all of us. So God loves us enough to die for us.

10. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that God cares for and loves us, but luckily there are many, many more reasons to adore Him.

    1. One that we can easily see is the physical world. In Genesis 1:31, the Bible refers to everything God made as “good.” God made us a good world to live in, and even though it’s now tainted by sin, God’s incredible designs are visible in sunsets and snowflakes and water and living beings and all manner of other things that we take for granted. So God makes beautiful things.

11. God is merciful. Look at Deuteronomy 4:31. This verse says that God is not only merciful but also “will not abandon or destroy you,” so He is also faithful.

12. What other reasons can you think of to adore God?

13. This all may seem like stuff to thank God for, which you’ll notice is a different part of the ACTS of prayer. Adoration and thanksgiving are closely related, no doubt, but in this particular lesson we want to focus on what these things say about God’s character (as opposed to why we’re thankful for these things).

    1. What can we learn about God’s character from what we’ve covered so far? What do you already know about God’s character from reading the Bible?

14. God’s character is nicely outlined for us in Galatians 5:22-23, which reads: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

    1. I really like the last sentence in this verse, because it makes it clear that these qualities of God’s Spirit are never wrong. There are no rules against them. They are fundamental qualities of God: these are the ways in which God works, and we adore Him for who He is.

15. Ultimately, God is simply greater than we are. An often-quoted verse on this subject is Isaiah 55:8-9, which tells us in God’s first-person words that His ways are “higher” than ours.

    1. The bottom line here is that God is God, and He is so infinitely loving and good that when we’re awed by Him, our designed response is to adore Him.

16. …But why do you think we should tell God things He already knows?

    1. For one thing, it gives God praise, which is one of our main purposes as His creations: for another, recognizing the greatness of God is an act of submission to His authority. And it never gets old!

APPLY QUESTIONS:

1. We’ve gone over and come up with multiple characteristics of God to adore already, but since there are so many, list a few more.

2. Why is it good to recognize God’s supremacy?

3. Write down a prayer adoring God, including some statements along the lines of:

   1. God, Your love is…

   2. God, You are… (tell Him His greatness!)

Communicating with God III: God, is that you?

How many of you have prayed and either you aren't sure if you understand God's response or have even gotten a response at all? We have an influx of information always coming our way; family, friends, social media, television, music…its information overload. God also speaks to us through many avenues but most often through our own mind. But how do we know its God that’s speaking? Sometimes even mature Christians think they "hear" God but are in fact hearing their own hearts or worse hearing Satan's lies. So how do we know it's God that is speaking to us and what does it mean when we hear nothing at all?

1. How do we know it’s God speaking to us?

   1. God never contradicts himself. At its most basic level a contradiction is a lie. You cannot say "I am not a thief" then go out and steal from someone. That means that saying you are not a thief is a lie.

      1. Hebrews 6:18 So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

      2. Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

      3. You must ask yourself, does what I am hearing contradict what I know about God nature and God's Word? God's voice is always biblical.

   2. God does not create confusion or conflict (only we can do that). How many people know they are hearing God's instruction is that they have an overwhelming sense of peace about what they are hearing and feeling even if the instruction takes you out of your comfort zone. Think about missionaries who travel to foreign and sometimes dangerous places. How can they be so sure this is God's plan for them?

      1. 1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV) For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

      2. Philippians 4: 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

      3. Psalm 85:8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

      4. You must ask yourself, do I have a feeling of deep inner peace when I consider what God is telling me to do? God's voice will never lead you astray.

      5. When there is conflict within you must ask yourself, is it because I don't like God's answer and are allowing my own desires be more important?

2. What keeps us from communicating with God's?

   1. Sin. But wait, we established last week that we are all sinners and we can still hear God's voice?!? What gives?

      1. John 8:47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

      2. Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished (loved) iniquity (wickedness) in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

      3. Being a sinner who seeks God's will in their lives is a vastly different person than the one who "loves wickedness".

      4. You must ask yourself, is there something in my life that is sinful and hindering my communication with God? Maybe this is a sinful behavior, relationship that you are not willing to let go of or even a desire in your heart that you have not acted on.

      5. Confess any wrongdoing, eliminate anything that might distract you from living a godly life and commit your life to God who can make your path straight (Proverbs 3:6).

   2. Our own agenda. God is not here to give us what we want, He is here to give us what He wants for us. It is our role as his children to want what he wants for us.

      1. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

      2. Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

      3. You have to ask yourself, am I seeking God and God's will for me or am I asking God to give me what I want?

      4. But what if what you are asking for is God's will for you like a happy home life or good health? Now you must also ask yourself, what is God's will in light of my current situation? Is he wanting to show you something to grow your faith.

   3. Not listening and being a bad friend. We all have those friends that do all the talking and don't care about what is going on in our lives or the friend who only calls us when they need something. Our relationship with God is the greatest friendship we will every have and we must also be a good friend to God.

      1. Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

      2. Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

      3. Do you only talk to God when you need something? When you do talk to God do you let him get a word in edgewise? We do not always have to be the one speaking. It is also our job to be quite and listen.

      4. You must ask yourself, does my conversation with God allow Him time to speak back and when I do speak to God am I only interested in talking about myself?

      5. And finally, what kind of friend am I being to God?

   4. God is not on our schedule.

      1. 2 Peter 3:8-9 8 but do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

      2. Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

      3. Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

      4. God is not beholden to our schedule. He does not owe us an answer. The bible does not only tell us to make requests but also to wait on him and trust that he will answer us in his time.

      5. If you have confessed wrongdoing and taken steps to eliminate sin in your life and if you know that you are praying in accordance to his will and not yours be patient. We know from scripture and our study about God's promises that he will answer you.

APPLY

1. What are some things in your life that keep you from hearing God speak to you?

2. What are ways you can be a better friend to God when you are speaking to Him?

3. Please write down a prayer that includes:

   1. Giving God glory and honor:

      • God you are…

   2. Confessing any sin that keeps you from hearing God:

      • God, please forgive me for…

   3. Asking for the ability to set aside your own agenda:

      • God please help me to…

   4. Asking for the ability to be a good friend and be patient and listen:

      • God please help me to…

   5. Asking for the ability to tell the difference between God's truth and Satan's lies:

      • God please help me to…

   6. Thanking him for specific blessings he has given you:

      • God, thank you for…

Communicating with God II: God Communicates Directly

Old Testament Communication - The Prophets

1. 1 Samuel 3:1-10 Samuel is estimated to be around 11 years old when he first hears God's voice. Samuel went on to be a great prophet of God.

2. Women were also used by God as Prophetesses:

   1. Miriam (Exodus 15:20)

   2. Deborah (Judges 4:4)

   3. Huldah (2 Kings 22:14 & 2 Chronicles 34:22)

   4. Noadiah (Nehamiah 6:14)

   5. "the prophetess" (Isaiah 8:3)

3. God used prophets to speak to his people. This is often thought of as a person who foretells the future but the definition of a prophet is a person who is regarded as an inspired teacher and proclaimer of the will of God.

4. Haggai 1:1-13 "The word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai" & "This is what the Lord Almighty says". This wasn’t a prophecy that foretold the future but God giving immediate instruction to his people.

5. God used many prophets to speak to his people all throughout the Old Testament:

   1. Major prophets - longer books

      1. Isaiah

      2. Jeremiah

      3. Ezekiel

      4. Daniel

   2. Minor prophets - shorter books

      1. Hosea

      2. Joel

      3. Amos

      4. Obadiah

      5. Jonah

      6. Michah

      7. Nahum

      8. Habakkuk

      9. Zephaniah

      10. Zechariah

      11. Malachi

   3. Other Prophets - no books of their own

      1. Elijah

      2. Elisha

      3. Gad

      4. Micaiah

      5. Nathan

1. New Testament Communication - Jesus and the Holy Spirit

   1. Luke 24:45 Then he (Jesus) opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

   2. Jesus's ministry lasted about three years. As we know, he taught the entire time. At the time of his ministry he was the primary voice of God here on earth. Now his words are available to us in the Bible like we talked about in Part I of this series.

   3. Ephesians and Acts teach about prophets still being active and speaking the Word of God and John was a prophet when we wrote Revelation. However, New Testament prophets, instead of tell of Christ's coming, could now tell everyone that Christ had arrived but something else really big changed in how God communicated with his people.

   4. John 14:26 But the Advocate (Helper), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

   5. Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

   6. The Holy Spirit is what changed how we communicate with God. But what is the Holy Spirit?

      1. The Holy Spirit is God's personal presence in our lives. The Holy Spirit is the third person (yes PERSON) in the trinity that takes up residence in our souls when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.

      2. The Holy Spirit empowers us:

         1. To hear God's voice

         2. To speak back to God through prayer

         3. To pray according to God's will

         4. To understand scripture

         5. To know God's will

         6. To do God's work

   7. Hearing God's voice is no longer limited by our sinful nature. Because of Christ coming to earth as a man and dying for our sins we have been given the Holy Spirit which allows us to communicate with God directly.

2. Who can communicate with God?

   1. Samuel proves that age doesn’t matter.

   2. The women prophetesses prove that sex doesn’t matter.

   3. Every human is a sinner so we know that sin doesn't keep us from communicating with God.

   4. I'm pretty sure none of the writers of the bible took advanced Calculus or had a degree in marketing so that proves education doesn't matter.

   5. If you have accepted Jesus and have allowed the Holy Spirit (God's presence) to take up residence in your heart then you can directly communicate with God. He can speak to you and you can speak back.

   6. To think that anything can keep you from communicating with God is a lie from the devil!

APPLY

1. While society doesn’t recognize modern day prophets like they did throughout the Old Testament God still uses other Christians in our lives to communicate his heart towards us. Who are some people in your life that you trust to give you "Godly" advice, support, teaching and sometimes correction?

2. What lies have you believed about yourself that have keep you from communicating with God?

3. Write down a prayer asking God to help you to communicate better with him. Maybe its hearing his voice, allowing yourself to be guided by the Holy Spirit or to stop believing the lie that you can't communicate with him at all. Like Samuel, say in your own words "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”.

Calvary Belmar Cedars

Our Youth Spent the Afternoon at the Georgetown Ice Races!

Our Cedars Youth Group spent a chilly afternoon at Georgetown Lake watching the racers tear up the ice. We were all thankful for the mostly sunny weather after yesterdays snow storm. The wind picked up and we couldn’t feel our fingers and toes but we bundled up and enjoyed goofing off on the ice and snow covering the lake.

We are so thankful to be a part of such an adventurous group of kids. Being a part of Calvary Belmar Youth is a wonderful way to fellowship and build friendships grounded in love in Jesus Christ. We love seeing these kids grow closer together at these fun events and our weekly bible study.

Communicating with God I: The Bible as God’s Word

Over the next four meetings, we’ll be learning about our communication with God: what it is, how it works, and how we can make it full and consistent. This week we’re talking about God’s primary mode of communication with us: the Bible.

1. Obvious question: what makes the Bible so special? Obvious answer: it’s a real record of God’s words to humanity.

   1. What does this mean? It means that the Bible originated with God, not with man. Consider 1 Thessalonians 2:13. In this verse the Bible refers to itself as “not…human word” but rather “as it actually is, the word of God.”

2. The Bible is thus “divinely inspired,” which means that everything in the Bible was put there on God’s command, not just because of decisions made by human recorders.

   1. Look at 1 Corinthians 14:36-37. Paul says he is writing on the Lord’s command. We can compare this to a boss having an employee copy down some order or command. The words are those of the boss, not the employee, despite the fact that the employee is writing them.

3. How should we treat the Bible, then?

   1. As authentic communication from God to man.  The words in the Bible are what God wants us to know and what He has actually said to mankind. Look, for instance, at Isaiah 45:19. God speaks directly to us and validates His words as true.

4. Why do you suppose God chose a book out of all the ways He can communicate with us?

   1. Remember that the Bible isn’t only given to Christians. Non-believers can read it too, and it’s easier for them to read the words of God than to talk to Him directly.

   2. It’s a very tangible thing, which helps us humans relate to it more easily.

   3. It’s something that’s relatively easy to memorize and write out—a permanent record of God’s actual words for us to carry around and read.

5. We can look at the Bible as God’s primary mode of communication with us.

   1. What exactly do you think that means?

   2. Personally, I think it means that God wants to communicate with us. Since He gave us His actual words, He must want us to read them and respond to them. This is a very important point!

6. Obviously, communication—and especially conversation—is a crucial part of any relationship.

   1. How does the Bible create a conversation between God and the reader?

      1. Gives us questions to ask God, as well as answers from Him.

      2. Allows us to intimately understand God, allowing for easier communication. Think of good friends or married couples—they know each other well and can communicate well because of that.

   2. Think about how you talk with your parents, siblings, or friends. When you’re having a conversation with them, you (hopefully) don’t just stand around after they say something to you. You give an answer.

   3. We can view the Bible as God’s prompt to us, something that He has said to us that we should respond to.

7. How do we respond to the Bible?

   1. Consider James 1:22-25. Here we see that the most obvious way of responding to what God tells us in the Bible is by following His commands. This has its benefits, too—James refers to God’s commands as the “perfect law that gives freedom,” and we gain this freedom when we obey those commands.

8. What other ways can you think of to respond to God’s words and join in a conversation with Him?

9. So what happens when we’ve read through the whole Bible? Have we heard all that God has to say to us?

   1. No. The special thing about the Bible being God’s words instead of man’s is that it continues to teach us no matter how many times we read it, because God is infinite. Consider Hebrews 4:12. The Bible is an active force in our lives.

   2. Look at John 17:25-26. Jesus is praying here and says that He “has made [God] known to [Christians], and will continue to make [God] known to [Christians].”

APPLY QUESTIONS:

1. How does it make you feel knowing that God has intentionally given you His words so that you can get to know Him?

2. What can you do to get to know God more intimately through the Bible, as you would get to know a friend? Write some specific ideas—maybe even a plan of Bible study.

3. Now it’s time to respond to God! Write a prayer responding to God’s words, preferably about something you’ve recently heard or are wondering about. What questions do you have for Him? What things do you want to talk about? He wants to hear them!

Calvary Belmar Cedars

The Promises of God III: God's Promises Require Action

Cedars in the Wilderness Youth Group Thursday, February 14th

So far we have talked about the evidence that God has already kept his promises and listed in detail some of God's most important promises to us. But now what? Do we keep these promises hidden for some future date? Do we set them on some shelf to collect dust waiting for us to get around to experiencing them?

2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

According to 2 Cor 7:1 we are not waiting for Gods promises, we already have them. They are not something that will be fulfilled in some distant future. They are being fulfilled now and we are called to action to be participants in God's promises not spectators.

1. We must believe in them

   1. Romans 4:16-21  Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all of Abrahams offspring - not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed - the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about 100 years old - and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waiver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. 21 Being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

   2. It would have been so easy for Abraham to lose faith in God's promise to give him a son but he believed in God's power to preform what was essentially a miracle since both he and his wife were beyond an age where people could have children.

   3. Would it have been so obvious that it was God if they had had children in their 20s or 30s? Because of their age we cannot dismiss that it was God who gave them their son.

2. We must share in them

   1. Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

      1. Mystery or mystērion in the Greek is not referencing the mysterious as something outside our range of natural comprehension which can be known only through divine revelation. Instead it differentiates between a knowledge withheld by our human understanding and the truth revealed by scripture. You could then say:

         1. This truth revealed by scripture is that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

   2. Who remembers who the Gentiles were/are? A Gentile was a non-Jewish person who Jewish people believed were unclean and separated from God because they were not Jews.

   3. We are so often separated or think we are separated by our race, color, culture, age, sex, social status, etc. Instead this scripture reminds us that we as Christians are equals. We are together and can partake and participate in God's promises equally.

   4. Instead of being separated we can fellowship with one another and partake in God's promises together. No one is excluded from the promises of God.

   5. What does participation in God's promises together look like?

      1. Give you peace and bless you

         1. Fellowship with other Christians and having good Christian friends can be part of how God brings you peace and blesses you.

      2. Lead you

         1. God provides a structure of leadership amongst the other Christians you fellowship with. Leaders in the church can help guide you and give you advice.

      3. Answer your prayers

         1. Answers to your prayers can often come in the form of our Christian friends. When someone calls you out of the blue and says that God put you on their heart just when you were having a bad day or feeling really discouraged.

      4. Help you overcome temptation and protect you

         1. Fellowship with other Christians can bring us the strength and encouragement we need to fight temptation.

      5. Give you eternal life and the Kingdom and make you his heir.

         1. Worshiping the Lord together and praising him for what he has given us is a powerful experience and can be incredibly encouraging.

3. We must rejoice in them

   1. Psalm 119:162 I rejoice in your promise like the one who finds great spoil. (great riches)

   2. What would your reaction be if you found a million dollars, an expensive sports car or a pallet of gold bars?

   3. God's promises are more valuable than anything we have here on earth. We should be excited beyond measure at all the gifts and blessing he has given us.

4. We must meditate on them

   1. Psalm 119:148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

   2. Today meditation is used to describe sitting cross legged on a pillow saying "oooohhhhhmmmmmm" over and over and expecting that it will bring you peace.

   3. But instead of chanting some meaningless sounds what if we sat quietly and considered God's promises to us. What if God's promises where what we mentally dwelled on instead of all the other things that stress us out or make us angry or scare us? Probably we'd be less stressed, angry and scared right?

   4. Take time each day to considered what you KNOW God has promised you and let those promises guide you throughout the day.

   5. Find ways to remind yourself daily of God's promises. Write them in your school book covers and read them before a test. Put them on the bathroom mirror so you see them every morning as you get ready to go out for the day and before you go to bed.

5. We must not fall short of them

   1. Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.

   2. How do we fall short of God's promises?

      1. Not taking our struggles to him and instead trying to deal with them on our own.

      2. Not praying

      3. Ignoring God's instructions and path he has shown us we should take

      4. Willingly continuing in sin and giving into temptation.

      5. Ignoring God's call to salvation.

APPLY

1. Believing in God's promises is the first step.  Why do you find it difficult to believe that God has kept or will keep his promises to you?

2. What are some ways you can share God's promises with others?

3. What are you going to do to help you remember to meditate on God's promises? (Come up with a unique way you can remind yourself daily of God's promises)

4. Write down a prayer to ask God to help you to not fall short of the promises you struggle with the most:

The Promises of God Part II: The Promises (01/17/19)

God's promises are personal. God isn't standing in front of us as a crowd of people and saying to the general gathering "I promise you guys…". He is standing in front of you, face to face and giving you his personal oath that he will keep his promises.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

If we believe that God kept his promise to send his son Jesus to die for our sins and we also believe the Jesus kept his promise and did die for our sins and in accepting him into our hearts he has also kept his promise to forgive us of those sins then we must also believe that God/Jesus will keep his promise to…

1. Give you peace

   1. Psalm 85:8 - I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.

   2. What is peace? Peace is freedom! Freedom from what?

      1. Worry

      2. Anxiety

      3. Contention or conflict both inner and external

      4. Fear

      5. Despair and hopelessness

      6. Depression

   3. Peace is like being at the center of a hurricane. The chaos and destruction is all around us but it does not affect us. We are surrounded by the things of this world but it doesn't take away our calm and tranquility in Christ.

2. Bless you

   1. Psalm 67:6-7 6 The land yields its harvest: God, our God, blesses us. 7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

   2. God's blessings are ongoing. He has blessed you, is blessing you and will bless you still. Each blessing comes at its perfect time.

   3. God's blessings come in many forms. It is more than a roof over your head and food on your plate. His blessings are specific to each person. Start to think of specific ways God has blessed you.

3. Lead you

   1. Psalm 23:1-6 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

   2. What is the role of a shepherd?

      1. Leader. A shepherd leads his flock and doesn't just point the way. He keeps his sheep from straying off the safe path.

      2. Protector day and night. Even as the sheep sleep the shepherd keeps watch and defends the sheep from predators.

      3. Search and rescue! A shepherd will risk his life to rescue his sheep from danger.

4. Answer your prayers

   1. 1 John 5:14-15 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

   2. God answers our prayers but what is the condition? We cannot ask for things that are in opposition to God's nature. If it is not in alignment with God's heart he will not hear us.

   3. See also: John 14:13-14

5. Help you overcome temptation

   1. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

   2. Remember that God allows you to be tempted so that you will go to him for strength and endurance!

6. Protect you

   1. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

   2. This promise takes a lot of faith to believe in. Most often we aren't going to see what God is protecting us from so we don't see God actively keeping his promise. Instead we see a flat tire not knowing it kept us from danger down the road.

7. Give you eternal life

   1. 1 John 2:25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

   2. What other popular scripture promises us eternal life? John 3:16

   3. Eternal life is based not just on your belief but your action. Acknowledging Jesus as the son of God and asking God for forgiveness and asking him to enter your heart is necessary for God to keep his promises to you. If you haven't done this then you will not be able to receive eternal life or any of the other promises! Don't wait another second!

8. Give you the kingdom

   1. James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

   2. What does it mean to inherit the kingdom of God? Heaven will be our home! We will live together in perfection side by side with God. We will no longer be separated from him here on earth!

9. Make you his heir

   1. Galatians 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

   2. We talked about Abraham's seed last week in Galatians 3:16. Jesus Christ was Abraham’s great descendant. They were family and when we belong to Christ we become family too. We are family to Christ and to each other. We belong to him even if we don't feel like we belong anywhere else!

Promises are not just something that happens to you behind the scenes. Seeing God keep his promises is an amazing faith building experience. The moments when you see God work and you are in awe of what he has done for you. These realizations give you the opportunity to be thankful and they give you solid personal experiences to share. When someone asks you how you know God is real you can say "because I have seen him work and experienced his presence first hand". Don't be afraid to share your "That was my God!" experiences with other people.

APPLY

 1. What are some ways God has already kept his promise to bless you?

2. When life doesn't go as planned how can this be a way God is keeping his promises to you?

3. In what ways does knowing God's promises to you encourage you and bring you hope?

4. Write down a prayer that God will reveal to you when he has kept his promises and that you will be shown what promises he has kept so you can say "That was my God!" and be thankful and have those stories to witness to others.

The Promises of God Part I: The Evidence (01/10/19)

How many of you have had somebody promise you something only to break that promise? How did that make you feel? Disappointed? Angry? Unimportant?

God has given us many promises. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says "His divine power has given us everything we need for a Godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."

Over the next three weeks we are going to talk about some of the major promises that God has made to us. Before we break down those promises we want to discuss how we can know that God's promises are true and how we can believe that he will never break his promises to us.

1. God confirms his promises by an oath

   1. Hebrews 6:13-20 when God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." 15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. 16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and it only confirms what I say and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the errors of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the Hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner Sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our four runner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

   2. What are some of the major points concerning God's promises that we should take away from the scripture?

      1. There is no one greater than God

      2. Abraham received what was promised

      3. God swore an oath on himself to make his purpose clear

      4. It is impossible for God to lie

      5. We can take hold of the hope and be greatly encouraged that God will keep his promises, like an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

         1. What does an anchor do? It keeps us from drifting away from are charted point so that we do not lose our way as we rest.

         2. A promise from God it's something that we can count on. We can be so sure that he will keep his promises that like an anchor we can count on it not to move or change.

2. God remembers and keeps his promises

   1. Psalm 105:42 for he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.

      1. What was God's promise to Abraham? (Genisis 12-25)

      2. God promised Abraham that he would give him a son. From the time of God's promise to Abraham at the age of 75, to the time when his son Isaac was born, 25 years went by. Abraham was 96 years old when his son was born. (Genesis 15)

      3. Do you think that there was ever a time when Abraham doubted that God would keep his promise? Absolutely!

   2. Acts 13:23 from this man's (Abraham's) descendants God has brought Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.

      1. Genesis 12:7 (KJV) And the Lord appeared unto Abraham, and said, unto thy seed I will give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

      2. Paul is referencing the scripture in Genesis in Galatians 3:16 the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to his seeds", meaning many people, "but unto your seed", meaning one person, who is Christ.

      3. The scripture in Genesis is the first reference to the coming of Jesus Christ. Moses is believed to be the author of Genesis and Abraham was believed to have lived around 1700 years before the birth of Christ. That means it took 1700 years for God to fulfill his promise to us and bring us a savior who was Jesus Christ.

      4. The promise of a savior was the most important promise God ever made to man and he kept it. He has promised us salvation through his son Jesus Christ who kept his promise to die for us. If he kept promises like these we can believe that he will keep all his promises.

   3. 2 Peter 3:8-9 8 but do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

      1. God will always keep his promises but we have to understand that God's promises are fulfilled in his time not in our time. But we can comfort knowing that God's timing is perfect.

3. God's promises never fail

   1. Joshua 23:14 now I am about to go the way of all the Earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled: not one has failed.

   2. People break promises for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's just because they forget but we can count on God to never forget his promises to us no matter how much time goes by. So even though it may take him some time he will keep his promises to us.

4. More scriptures about God keeping his promises

   1. Isaiah 38:7 this is the lord sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised.

   2. Acts 13:32-33 We tell you the good news: What God has promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: You are my son; today I have become your father.

   3. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

   4. Hebrews  10:23 let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

   5. 2 Corinthians 1:18 & 20 18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No". 20 For no matter how many promises God is made, they are "Yes" in Christ and so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

   6. 1 Kings 8:56 Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest of his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave us through his servant Moses.

 APPLY

1. How can Gods promises be an anchor in your life and keep you from drifting and losing your way?

2. How do Gods promises give you a chance to rest and find peace?

3. What are some things that make it hard to trust in God's promises?

4. Please write down a prayer to ask God to help you find peace and have faith in his promises:

Temptation Part III: The Fight Against Temptation

Be Aware

1. 2 Corinthians 2:9-11 Have you ever been caught off guard by sin? Like you do something and realize later that it was a sin against God?

   1. When Satan tempted Christ he was testing him to see if he would give into temptation and sin against God. Here Paul says that he is writing to the people to test them and see if they will be obedient. We have seen all the many ways that Satan tries to deceive us and to snatch away our relationship with God and our heavenly inheritance. Never forget that Satan is clever and always scheming against you and you will never be caught off guard.

1. Watch Out

   1. Matthew 26:41 How many of you have tripped and fell or walked into a door because you weren't watching where you were walking?

      1. We all know how to walk but even after spending a lifetime walking we still trip and injure ourselves. Sin is no different. We could be raised Christians and we could be elders in the church but we are still going to trip up and sin. We have to acknowledge that we are weak, that we can't do it by ourselves in order for God to give us strength.

      2. Imagine walking through a war zone where land mines and other traps have been set. Would you just walk around without taking your time to check every step? We also have to be watchful and keep an eye out for the devils snares and booby traps because often he hides them and makes them look innocent.

   2. 1 Peter 5:8 Sober here doesn’t only mean to refrain from drunkenness but it also means to be calm.

      1. How do these two different ideas help us keep from falling into sin?

         1. Sober from drugs or alcohol

1. Remaining calm

1. God's Help

   1. 1 Corinthians 10:13 Temptation is something that everyone experiences, as we talked about before, even Jesus was tempted.

   2. What are some emotions you feel when you are tempted?

      1. Shame

      2. Guilt

      3. Fear that you will give in

      1. These feelings can often keep you from going to God or someone in leadership for help or prayer because you are embarrassed or don’t want to admit you have been tempted.

      2. Remember if Jesus was tempted there is no sin in being tempted. You should not feel shame or guilt at being tempted. Know that you are not alone in your experience.

   3. When you understand that there is no shame in being tempted and take your weakness to God he is faithful to see you through that weakness.

   4. Scripture says he will always provide you a way out! But you have to go to Him and ask him for help to receive strength and his guidance.

   5. A way out can take many forms. What does a "way out" look like?

      1. Strength to say no

      2. A friend who will be encouraging

      3. A motivating factor like someone you care about to be an example to

      4. Giving you an alternative

2. Christ's Help

   1. Hebrews 2:17-18 Since Christ was tempted he can help you because he knows what you are going through.

   2. Hebrews 4:15-16 Even with being aware, watching out, being sober, staying calm and going to God for help won't we still sin? Yes, so what happens when we give into temptation and sin?

      1. We can still approach God's throne of grace with confidence that he still loves us and is always willing to help us.

      2. But how do we approach Gods throne of grace?

         1. 1 John 5:14-15 We pray! Prayer is communication with God but it is also how we come into Gods presence. When we pray we are connected to him on the deepest level.

      3. He will always forgive us and show us grace and mercy when we go to him and confess our sins.

      4. It's NEVER too late!

APPLY:

1. What are some ways you can help yourself remember to go to God when you are experiencing temptation or have fallen into sin?

2. What are some things that keep you from going to God or a Christian friend for help and prayer?

3. How has this study changed your outlook on temptation and sin?

4. Write down a prayer asking Jesus to help you with the specific temptations and weakness you experience.