What Are You Wearing?

Gary DeLashmutt

Genesis 3:7-13

God asks us questions not to learn things from us, but instead to help us learn. In Genesis 3 Adam and Eve have rebelled against God's commands, and in their shame they hide from Him with their self-made clothing. God asks them, "What are you wearing?" to expose their sin but also to offer them a solution, clothing them Himself in spite of their failure. We also try and put up a false front to God and others, hiding our sin and shame. However, God has offered us a new identity, new "clothes" to put on through our forgiveness in Christ. Will we trade in our self-made "clothing" for His?

Solomon Building

Dennis McCallum

Ephesians 2:20

The language in the New Testament about the temple and comparisons of the body of Christ is based on this Old Testament temple that was built by Solomon. Solomons' temple is not just a dwelling, but it was a statement of our position with God that before we could not enter His presence because of our very nature. Then Christ died for our sins and the veil in the temple that separated the people from God was torn down. This shows that anyone can now approach God and receive forgiveness from Him based on what Christ did on the cross.\r\n

Forgiveness

Dennis McCallum

Galatians 6:1

Forgiveness is at the center of God's Will and brings wisdom in conflict. Once forgiveness in conflict is extended, people can move towards reconciliation. Being able to reproof if necessary, negotiate, and continue to leave room for God's transforming work is central to the Christian life.

Jesus in the Old Testament (Part 9)

Gary DeLashmutt

Luke 24:44-47

Jesus in the Old Testament (Part 5)

Gary DeLashmutt

John 7:37-39

God uses Moses to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh and to guide them to the Promised Land. While wandering in the wilderness, God provides for their needs and quenches their thirst. Moses strikes the rock with his staff which produces an abundance of flowing water. This is a foreshadowing of Jesus being stricken and quenching humanities' thirst. It also points to Jesus providing everlasting life. Jesus is God's provision to meet humanities' greatest need and he continues to be our provision as we continue to entrust our lives to him.\r\n

Forgive One Another

Jim Leffel

Matthew 18:21-33

Forgiveness is the supernatural ability to not punish or to not withhold love from someone who has hurt us. Our capacity to genuinely forgive others from the heart will make or break our spiritual lives. If we choose not to forgive, we will live a life of bitterness and be ineffective in our witness for Christ. By the grace of God, it is possible to develop a lifestyle of forgiving others which is a tangible way of loving one another.\r\n

Restoring Your First Love

Gary DeLashmutt

Revelation 2:1-7

Jesus encourages the church in Ephesus for being loyal to the truth about Him. He also admonishes them for forsaking their first love. Like the Ephesians many Christians today have lost sight of what it looks like to be in love with God. When we find ourselves in this position we must remember what it was like to receive God's forgiveness, choose to change our direction, and move towards doing things we once did to cultivate a spiritual passion.

God's Provision for our Spiritual Growth

Bill Lawrence

Luke 9:23

To really grow in our relationship with God, we must forgive. God calls on all of us to forgive. He desires for us to learn this in community. A barrier to forgiveness is unaddressed anger. We must take our anger to God and not allow bitterness and resentment to build up in our hearts.

An Interrupted Dinner Party

Gary DeLashmutt

Luke 7:36-50

When an immoral woman interrupts a dinner party that is thrown by Pharisees, Jesus teaches that Simon the Pharisee self-righteously thinks he doesn't need forgiveness. Jesus claims divine authority to forgive sins; loving Jesus doesn't merit his forgiveness, instead being forgiven by Jesus motivates love for him.