3/3/12

A sign of the times...


I think I would like to meet Jerry Criss!!!  Who wouldn't want to know someone who entitles himself "MR. POSITIVE"?  There is so much negative in the world that it would be nice to be exposed to someone who is not!!!  This sign is a clue to who Jerry Criss is.  He is positive because of his thinking and his thoughts are programmed.  For those who love God, here is a program...
 
WEB: Proverbs 3:5. Trust in Yahweh with all your heart,
and don’t lean on your own understanding.

WEB: Psalms Chapter 119
[9] How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.

[10] With my whole heart, I have sought you.
Don’t let me wander from your commandments.

[11] I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

WEB: Proverbs 16:9. A man’s heart plans his course,
but Yahweh directs his steps.

Trust, it is the essential of faith.  What you trust in IS YOUR FAITH!!!  Who better to trust than the God of the Bible?  Your own ideas may seem good to you and some of them may be good, but not all!!!  Why not trust in the perfect good... God.  Today, there is a lot of talk about "family values"; this is just code for humanistic reasoning and without God at its core... it will falter and ultimately fail!!!  We need to have God's word hidden in our hearts to keep us from sin; our own thoughts just won't cut it!!!   Yahweh is the ONLY true source of real wisdom; listen to his words and live.  Program your thoughts by remembering HIS WORD and as Proverbs 16:9 says "Yahweh directs his steps".  Is the sign therefore a bad thing; the answer is NO, but, instead, try putting together a collection of Bible verses and making a sign out of it.... it may not be as attractive as the above picture, but ultimately it will be better for you!!!!!

Mar. 3 Exodus 13


Mar. 3
Exodus 13

Exo 13:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Exo 13:2 "Sanctify to me all of the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal. It is mine."
Exo 13:3 Moses said to the people, "Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.
Exo 13:4 This day you go forth in the month Abib.
Exo 13:5 It shall be, when Yahweh shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.
Exo 13:6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Yahweh.
Exo 13:7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and no leavened bread shall be seen with you, neither shall there be yeast seen with you, in all your borders.
Exo 13:8 You shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'It is because of that which Yahweh did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.'
Exo 13:9 It shall be for a sign to you on your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that the law of Yahweh may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand Yahweh has brought you out of Egypt.
Exo 13:10 You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.
Exo 13:11 "It shall be, when Yahweh shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and shall give it you,
Exo 13:12 that you shall set apart to Yahweh all that opens the womb, and every firstborn which you have that comes from an animal. The males shall be Yahweh's.
Exo 13:13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and you shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your sons.
Exo 13:14 It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall tell him, 'By strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage;
Exo 13:15 and it happened, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of animal. Therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'
Exo 13:16 It shall be for a sign on your hand, and for symbols between your eyes: for by strength of hand Yahweh brought us forth out of Egypt."
Exo 13:17 It happened, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God didn't lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and they return to Egypt;"
Exo 13:18 but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
Exo 13:19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the children of Israel swear, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away from here with you."
Exo 13:20 They took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.
Exo 13:21 Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that they might go by day and by night:
Exo 13:22 the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, didn't depart from before the people.

Mar. 3, 4 Mark 4


Mar. 3, 4
Mark 4

Mar 4:1 Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea, and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
Mar 4:2 He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,
Mar 4:3 "Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,
Mar 4:4 and it happened, as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
Mar 4:5 Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
Mar 4:6 When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Mar 4:7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Mar 4:8 Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some brought forth thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much."
Mar 4:9 He said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
Mar 4:10 When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
Mar 4:11 He said to them, "To you is given the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,
Mar 4:12 that 'seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.' "
Mar 4:13 He said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
Mar 4:14 The farmer sows the word.
Mar 4:15 The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
Mar 4:16 These in like manner are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.
Mar 4:17 They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
Mar 4:18 Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,
Mar 4:19 and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mar 4:20 Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times."
Mar 4:21 He said to them, "Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it put on a stand?
Mar 4:22 For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.
Mar 4:23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."
Mar 4:24 He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.
Mar 4:25 For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away from him."
Mar 4:26 He said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
Mar 4:27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn't know how.
Mar 4:28 For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
Mar 4:29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come."
Mar 4:30 He said, "How will we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
Mar 4:31 It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
Mar 4:32 yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow."
Mar 4:33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
Mar 4:34 Without a parable he didn't speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
Mar 4:35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let's go over to the other side."
Mar 4:36 Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him.
Mar 4:37 A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.
Mar 4:38 He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, "Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?"
Mar 4:39 He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mar 4:40 He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?"
Mar 4:41 They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

"THE BOOK OF PSALMS" Psalm 22 - The Victorious Sufferer by Mark Copeland

 "THE BOOK OF PSALMS"

                   Psalm 22 - The Victorious Sufferer

OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS PSALM

1) To note the messianic nature of this psalm fulfilled in the
   crucifixion of Jesus

2) To be impressed with its literal fulfillment, and the insight it 
   gives us into how Jesus must have felt as He hung on the cross

3) To see what gave the psalmist confidence that God would hear his cry
   for deliverance

SUMMARY

This psalm of David could be called "The Psalm Of The Cross", as much of
the suffering described in it was literally fulfilled in the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ (though it may also relate to sufferings experienced by
David).  Where the four gospel writers provide a description of Jesus'
sufferings from the viewpoint of witnesses, this messianic psalm reveals
His suffering from the viewpoint of Jesus Himself.

The heading indicates the psalm was set to "The Deer of the Dawn".  No
one really knows what this refers to, though it may be the name of a
tune known by the Chief Musician.

The psalm begins with a cry that was uttered by Jesus on the cross (Mt
27:46).  The first half of the psalm depicts a sufferer surrounded by
enemies who feels forsaken by God.  While much of the suffering is
described figuratively ("Many bulls have surrounded me"), some of it was
literally fulfilled.  Not only the words of Jesus in verse 1, but also
the very words of the chief priests and scribes who mocked while Jesus
hung on the cross (Mt 27:43).  There is also the piercing of the hands
and feet, the dividing of the garments (Mt 27:35).  As the psalmist
cries out for deliverance, he also expresses hope based upon God's
faithfulness in the past.  At the end of the first half, the psalmist
declares that God has answered him (1-21).

The second half of the psalm expresses the joy of "The Victorious
Sufferer".  He will gladly praise God for hearing him and providing
deliverance.  He encourages all those who fear God to praise and glorify
Him, confident that God's blessings will extend to many nations and to
people not yet born.  This is because the kingdom is the Lord's, and He
rules over the nations (22-31).

OUTLINE

I. THE SUFFERER FORSAKEN BY GOD (22:1-21)

   A. HIS FORLORN CRY (1-2)
      1. Why has God forsaken him?  Why does God not help?
      2. Day and night his cry is made...why does God not hear?

   B. HIS HOPE FOR DELIVERANCE (3-5)
      1. God is holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel
      2. The fathers trusted in God, and He delivered them
      3. They cried to Him, and God did not disappoint them

   C. HIS TORMENT BY OTHERS (6-8)
      1. Reduced to be like a worm, not a man
      2. The object of derision, despised by others
      3. Ridiculed, he is taunted by those who mock his trust in God

   D. HIS FAITH IN GOD (9-11)
      1. He acknowledges that God has been with him since birth
      2. He looks to God as his only helper

   E. HIS SUFFERING DESCRIBED (12-18)
      1. Depiction of his enemies
         a. They surround him like strong bulls of Bashan
         b. Their mouths opened like a raging and roaring lion
      2. Depiction of his suffering
         a. Poured out like water, bones out of joint
         b. Heart like wax, melted within him
         c. Strength dried up, tongues clinging to his jaws
         d. Brought to the dust of death
      3. The suffering imposed by his enemies
         a. Like dogs, they surround him; like evildoers they encircle
            him
         b. They have pierced his hands and feet
         c. He can count all his bones, while they feast their eyes on 
            him
         d. They divide his garments, and cast lots for his clothing

   F. HIS FINAL CRY (19-21)
      1. For God not to be far off
         a. For He who is his strength to hasten and help him
         b. For Him to deliver his life from the sword, his precious 
            life from the power of the dog
         c. For Him to save him from the lion's mouth and horns of wild
            oxen
      2. A sudden declaration that God has answered him!

II. THE SUFFERER DELIVERED BY GOD (22:22-31)

   A. GOD BE PRAISED! (22-25)
      1. The sufferer will praise God
         a. Proclaiming His name to his brethren
         b. Praising Him in the middle of the assembly
      2. Let those who fear God praise Him
         a. Let the descendants of Jacob honor Him
         b. Let the descendants of Israel stand in awe of Him
      3. Reasons for such praise
         a. God has not despised or abhorred his affliction
         b. God has not hidden His face from him, but hearkened to his
            cry
      4. The sufferer will praise God and pay his vows
         a. In the great assembly
         b. Before them that fear Him

   B. GOD BE WORSHIPPED! (26-31)
      1. By the meek, and those that seek the Lord
         a. They shall be eat and be satisfied
         b. They shall praise Him
      2. By those from the ends of the earth
         a. Who shall bear these things in mind and return to the Lord
         b. All families of the nations will bow down before Him
         c. For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He is the Ruler among the
            nations
      3. By the prosperous and the dead
         a. The prosperous will eat, and worship Him
         b. The dying shall bow before Him
      4. By the generations to come
         a. Posterity shall serve him
         b. For men shall tell of what God has done
         c. People yet born shall hear of God's justice

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE PSALM

1) What are the main points of this psalm?
   - Forsaken by God (1-21)
   - Delivered by God (22-31)

2) Who is the author of this psalm?
   - David

3) What is the nature of this psalm?
   - Messianic

4) When did Jesus quote the first verse of Psalm 22?
   - As He suffered on the cross (Mt 27:46)

5) Upon what basis does the psalmist hope for deliverance? (3-5)
   - The fathers trusted in God, and He delivered them when they cried
     out to Him

6) What scornful remark in the psalm were also expressed at Jesus' 
   crucifixion? (8)
   - "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him..." (Mt 27:43)

7) Upon what basis does the psalmist have faith in God's help? (9-11)
   - God has been with him since birth

8) What two metaphors are used to describe the enemies of the psalmist?
   (12-13)
   - They surround him like strong bulls of Bashan
   - They gape at him with mouths like a raging and roaring lion

9) How does the psalmist describe his bodily suffering? (14-15)
   - Poured out like water
   - Bones out of joint
   - Heart like wax, melted within him
   - Strength dried up like a potsherd
   - Tongue clinging to his jaws
   - God has brought him to the dust of death

10) What two things did the enemies do to the psalmist that were
    literally fulfilled at the crucifixion of Jesus? (16-18)
   - They pierced his hands and feet (Mt 27:35a)
   - They divide his garments and cast lots for his clothing (Mt 27:35b)

11) As the psalmist makes another cry for deliverance, how does he
    indicate that God has helped him? (19-21)
   - By saying "You have answered me."

12) What does the psalmist promise to do in response to God's 
    deliverance? (22,25)
   - Declare God's name to his brethren
   - Praise God in the midst of the congregation  (cf. He 2:11-12)
   - Pay his vows in the presence of those who fear Him

13) What does the psalmist call upon people to do?  Why? (23-24)
   - To praise, glorify, and fear God
   - For God has heard the cry of the afflicted

14) As the psalm nears its end, what eight things does the psalmist say
    will happen? (25-31)
   - The poor will eat and be satisfied
   - Those who seek God will praise Him
   - All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord
   - All the families of the nations shall worship before Him
   - All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship
   - All who go down to the dust shall bow before Him
   - A posterity shall serve Him
   - God's deliverance and righteousness will be recounted to the next
     generation, even those who are yet unborn

15) Why is the psalmist confident that such things will occur? (28)
   - For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations