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Teaching Notes
DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE?
John 5:1 After this, there was a Judean festival; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. 2 In Yerushalayim, by the Sheep Gate, is a pool called in Aramaic, Beit-Zata, 3 in which lay a crowd of invalids — blind, lame, crippled. 4 [a] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Yeshua, seeing this man and knowing that he had been there a long time, said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered, “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I’m trying to get there, someone goes in ahead of me.” 8 Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.
Now that day was Shabbat, 10 so the Judeans said to the man who had been healed, “It’s Shabbat! It’s against Torah for you to carry your mat!” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me — he’s the one who told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 But the man who had been healed didn’t know who it was, because Yeshua had slipped away into the crowd.
14 Afterwards Yeshua found him in the Temple court and said to him, “See, you are well! Now stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you!” 15 The man went off and told the Judeans it was Yeshua who had healed him; 16 and on account of this, the Judeans began harassing Yeshua because he did these things on Shabbat.
17 But he answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I too am working.” 18 This answer made the Judeans all the more intent on killing him — not only was he breaking Shabbat; but also, by saying that God was his own Father, he was claiming equality with God.[Footnotes:
John 5:4 Some manuscripts have verses 3b–4: . . . , waiting for the water to move; 4 for at certain times an angel of Adonai went down into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever stepped into the water first after it was disturbed was healed of whatever disease he had.]
We all have questions that we would like to ask God, such as “How long will I live?” or “What is my purpose here on earth?” These are good questions. But, what about the questions that God has for us? Before us is a story of a man in a seemingly hopeless situation. He was abandoned, uncared for, unable to help himself, and desperately lonely. Jesus comes to this man and asks him a poignant question, “Do you want to be made well?” I think God is essentially asking the same thing of us today: “Do you want to change your life?”
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. Jesus asks the impossible. In John 5:8 Jesus says, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk.” If God asks you to do something, you can do it even if it seems like you can’t, because with God nothing is impossible.
2. Jesus removes all possibility of a relapse. Jesus said to the lame man, “Pick up your bed and walk.” Jesus was essentially saying, “Your life is changed now.” Many people make a commitment to follow Christ but they never make a break with the past. They drag their past and their old sins with them.
3. Jesus expects continued success. In order for Christianity to work, you have to do your part. Jesus expected continued success from this man. He says, “Walk. Don’t expect to be carried.”
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• When we come to Christ, we should make no provision for a relapse; we should make a clean break from our past and relationships that take us down spiritually. You have to do your part as well. Pick up your bed and walk.
• We don’t work for our salvation. It is a gift from God. If you are a Christian you live it out, and carry it to the goal and fully complete it. Get all of the potential out of it. Apply yourself!
• If you want Christianity to work for you, you have to do your part. Memorize Scripture, go to church, get baptized, develop your prayer life, and turn from all sin. Get in there and work at it. Get going!
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
When God says, “Where are you?” we need to say, “I am not where I should be but I need to change.” After years of walking with the Lord, the apostle Paul said, “It is not as though I have already attained. I haven’t reached some spiritual plateau. I have a long way to go. I am letting go of the things that are behind and reaching forward to the things that are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Every believer should recognize there is a long way to go.
Monday, 15 June 2015Do You Want to Change Your Life? — I
John 5:1 After this, there was a Judean festival; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. 2 In Yerushalayim, by the Sheep Gate, is a pool called in Aramaic, Beit-Zata, 3 in which lay a crowd of invalids — blind, lame, crippled. 4 [a] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Yeshua, seeing this man and knowing that he had been there a long time, said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered, “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I’m trying to get there, someone goes in ahead of me.” 8 Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.
Now that day was Shabbat, 10 so the Judeans said to the man who had been healed, “It’s Shabbat! It’s against Torah for you to carry your mat!” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me — he’s the one who told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 But the man who had been healed didn’t know who it was, because Yeshua had slipped away into the crowd.
14 Afterwards Yeshua found him in the Temple court and said to him, “See, you are well! Now stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you!” 15 The man went off and told the Judeans it was Yeshua who had healed him; 16 and on account of this, the Judeans began harassing Yeshua because he did these things on Shabbat.
17 But he answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I too am working.” 18 This answer made the Judeans all the more intent on killing him — not only was he breaking Shabbat; but also, by saying that God was his own Father, he was claiming equality with God.[Footnotes:
John 5:4 Some manuscripts have verses 3b–4: . . . , waiting for the water to move; 4 for at certain times an angel of Adonai went down into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever stepped into the water first after it was disturbed was healed of whatever disease he had.]
Will God's plan work in our lives? Pastor Greg Laurie says it depends. It depends on one thing: whether you're willing to cooperate with His plan! Pastor Greg poses a pivotal question: "Do You Want to Change Your Life?"Tuesday, 16 June 2015
Do You Want to Change Your Life? — II
John 5:1 After this, there was a Judean festival; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. 2 In Yerushalayim, by the Sheep Gate, is a pool called in Aramaic, Beit-Zata, 3 in which lay a crowd of invalids — blind, lame, crippled. 4 [a] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Yeshua, seeing this man and knowing that he had been there a long time, said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered, “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I’m trying to get there, someone goes in ahead of me.” 8 Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.
Now that day was Shabbat, 10 so the Judeans said to the man who had been healed, “It’s Shabbat! It’s against Torah for you to carry your mat!” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me — he’s the one who told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 But the man who had been healed didn’t know who it was, because Yeshua had slipped away into the crowd.
14 Afterwards Yeshua found him in the Temple court and said to him, “See, you are well! Now stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you!” 15 The man went off and told the Judeans it was Yeshua who had healed him; 16 and on account of this, the Judeans began harassing Yeshua because he did these things on Shabbat.
17 But he answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I too am working.” 18 This answer made the Judeans all the more intent on killing him — not only was he breaking Shabbat; but also, by saying that God was his own Father, he was claiming equality with God.[Footnotes:
John 5:4 Some manuscripts have verses 3b–4: . . . , waiting for the water to move; 4 for at certain times an angel of Adonai went down into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever stepped into the water first after it was disturbed was healed of whatever disease he had.]
If God could radically change someone's life - from darkness to light - they'd jump at the opportunity, right? Pastor Greg Laurie says, "Not necessarily." Pastor Greg explains how God CAN change a life IF the life wants to the changed. Teaching Notes
WHAT HAPPENS BEYOND THE GRAVE?
John 5:1 After this, there was a Judean festival; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. 2 In Yerushalayim, by the Sheep Gate, is a pool called in Aramaic, Beit-Zata, 3 in which lay a crowd of invalids — blind, lame, crippled. 4 [a] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Yeshua, seeing this man and knowing that he had been there a long time, said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered, “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I’m trying to get there, someone goes in ahead of me.” 8 Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.
Now that day was Shabbat, 10 so the Judeans said to the man who had been healed, “It’s Shabbat! It’s against Torah for you to carry your mat!” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me — he’s the one who told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 But the man who had been healed didn’t know who it was, because Yeshua had slipped away into the crowd.
14 Afterwards Yeshua found him in the Temple court and said to him, “See, you are well! Now stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you!” 15 The man went off and told the Judeans it was Yeshua who had healed him; 16 and on account of this, the Judeans began harassing Yeshua because he did these things on Shabbat.
17 But he answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I too am working.” 18 This answer made the Judeans all the more intent on killing him — not only was he breaking Shabbat; but also, by saying that God was his own Father, he was claiming equality with God. 19 Therefore, Yeshua said this to them: “Yes, indeed! I tell you that the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; whatever the Father does, the Son does too. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does; and he will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and makes them alive, so too the Son makes alive anyone he wants. 22 The Father does not judge anyone but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever fails to honor the Son is not honoring the Father who sent him. 24 Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever hears what I am saying and trusts the One who sent me has eternal life — that is, he will not come up for judgment but has already crossed over from death to life! 25 Yes, indeed! I tell you that there is coming a time — in fact, it’s already here — when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will come to life. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has given the Son life to have in himself. 27 Also he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don’t be surprised at this; because the time is coming when all who are in the grave will hear his voice 29 and come out — those who have done good to a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment. 30 I can’t do a thing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is right; because I don’t seek my own desire, but the desire of the one who sent me.
31 “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not valid. 32 But there is someone else testifying on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he is making is valid — 33 you have sent to Yochanan, and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I collect human testimony; rather, I say these things so that you might be saved. 35 He was a lamp burning and shining, and for a little while you were willing to bask in his light.
36 “But I have a testimony that is greater than Yochanan’s. For the things the Father has given me to do, the very things I am doing now, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.
37 “In addition, the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice or seen his shape; 38 moreover, his word does not stay in you, because you don’t trust the one he sent. 39 You keep examining the Tanakh because you think that in it you have eternal life. Those very Scriptures bear witness to me, 40 but you won’t come to me in order to have life!
41 “I don’t collect praise from men, 42 but I do know you people — I know that you have no love for God in you! 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t accept me; if someone else comes in his own name, him you will accept. 44 How can you trust? You’re busy collecting praise from each other, instead of seeking praise from God only.
45 “But don’t think that it is I who will be your accuser before the Father. Do you know who will accuse you? Moshe, the very one you have counted on! 46 For if you really believed Moshe, you would believe me; because it was about me that he wrote. 47 But if you don’t believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”[Footnotes:
John 5:4 Some manuscripts have verses 3b–4: . . . , waiting for the water to move; 4 for at certain times an angel of Adonai went down into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever stepped into the water first after it was disturbed was healed of whatever disease he had.]
One day we are all going to die. Statistics show that one out of every one persons will die. We all have to face it. Ecclesiastes 3 says, “There is a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die.” But death is not the end of existence. We will all continue life in another place in the afterlife. The big question is, where will you spend the afterlife?
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. Death is not the end of existence. We are eternal creatures. Nonbeliever or believer, it doesn’t really matter. Everyone lives on because the soul lives on forever. Some think that death is the end of the story. Scripture clearly teach that is not true.
2. There is a final judgment. There is no question about it: a day of judgment is coming. Acts 17:30–31 says, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (NKJV).
3. There are two forms of existence beyond the grave and two destinations. “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5: 28–29 NKJV). According to the Scripture, there is a resurrection of the believer and a resurrection of the nonbeliever.
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• When a Christian dies, they go straight to heaven. You have not yet received your glorified body. That happens at the rapture. If you die before the rapture, you don’t have your glorified body yet. We all get it at the same time.
• All of this should cause us to long for heaven. All of this should cause us to see that we have been homesick for heaven. God has put a homing instinct inside of us.
• One day Christians will come home. There is going to be reunion with loved ones. There is going to be laughing and rejoicing and feasting and praising and serving the Lord.
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
Your presence in heaven is guaranteed by God’s promise, but your position in heaven is earned or lost by the quality of service you offer Him. You will receive rewards if you are faithful to God and use the gifts that He has given you. God has given every Christian three things: time, treasure, and talent. We all have it. Some have more than others. Some have less. You will be held accountable for what God has called you to do. You will not be held accountable for what He has called someone else to do. Time, treasure, and talent—use them for His glory!
Wednesday, 17 June 2015What Happens Beyond the Grave? — I
John 5:1 After this, there was a Judean festival; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. 2 In Yerushalayim, by the Sheep Gate, is a pool called in Aramaic, Beit-Zata, 3 in which lay a crowd of invalids — blind, lame, crippled. 4 [a] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Yeshua, seeing this man and knowing that he had been there a long time, said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered, “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I’m trying to get there, someone goes in ahead of me.” 8 Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.
Now that day was Shabbat, 10 so the Judeans said to the man who had been healed, “It’s Shabbat! It’s against Torah for you to carry your mat!” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me — he’s the one who told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 But the man who had been healed didn’t know who it was, because Yeshua had slipped away into the crowd.
14 Afterwards Yeshua found him in the Temple court and said to him, “See, you are well! Now stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you!” 15 The man went off and told the Judeans it was Yeshua who had healed him; 16 and on account of this, the Judeans began harassing Yeshua because he did these things on Shabbat.
17 But he answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I too am working.” 18 This answer made the Judeans all the more intent on killing him — not only was he breaking Shabbat; but also, by saying that God was his own Father, he was claiming equality with God. 19 Therefore, Yeshua said this to them: “Yes, indeed! I tell you that the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; whatever the Father does, the Son does too. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does; and he will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and makes them alive, so too the Son makes alive anyone he wants. 22 The Father does not judge anyone but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever fails to honor the Son is not honoring the Father who sent him. 24 Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever hears what I am saying and trusts the One who sent me has eternal life — that is, he will not come up for judgment but has already crossed over from death to life! 25 Yes, indeed! I tell you that there is coming a time — in fact, it’s already here — when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will come to life. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has given the Son life to have in himself. 27 Also he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don’t be surprised at this; because the time is coming when all who are in the grave will hear his voice 29 and come out — those who have done good to a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment. 30 I can’t do a thing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is right; because I don’t seek my own desire, but the desire of the one who sent me.
31 “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not valid. 32 But there is someone else testifying on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he is making is valid — 33 you have sent to Yochanan, and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I collect human testimony; rather, I say these things so that you might be saved. 35 He was a lamp burning and shining, and for a little while you were willing to bask in his light.
36 “But I have a testimony that is greater than Yochanan’s. For the things the Father has given me to do, the very things I am doing now, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.
37 “In addition, the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice or seen his shape; 38 moreover, his word does not stay in you, because you don’t trust the one he sent. 39 You keep examining the Tanakh because you think that in it you have eternal life. Those very Scriptures bear witness to me, 40 but you won’t come to me in order to have life!
41 “I don’t collect praise from men, 42 but I do know you people — I know that you have no love for God in you! 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t accept me; if someone else comes in his own name, him you will accept. 44 How can you trust? You’re busy collecting praise from each other, instead of seeking praise from God only.
45 “But don’t think that it is I who will be your accuser before the Father. Do you know who will accuse you? Moshe, the very one you have counted on! 46 For if you really believed Moshe, you would believe me; because it was about me that he wrote. 47 But if you don’t believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”[Footnotes:
John 5:4 Some manuscripts have verses 3b–4: . . . , waiting for the water to move; 4 for at certain times an angel of Adonai went down into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever stepped into the water first after it was disturbed was healed of whatever disease he had.]
After we die, we all make it through to the afterlife. But do we know where we're going after that? Pastor Greg Laurie answers some of the common questions about eternity, including the most important: how do we make sure we're going to heaven?
Teaching Notes
NEEDED: SUPERHEROES
Ephesians 6:1 Children, what you should do in union with the Lord is obey your parents, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” — this is the first commandment that embodies a promise — 3 “so that it may go well with you, and you may live long in the Land.”[a]
4 Fathers, don’t irritate your children and make them resentful; instead, raise them with the Lord’s kind of discipline and guidance.
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with the same fear, trembling and single-heartedness with which you obey the Messiah. 6 Don’t obey just to win their favor, serving only when they are watching you; but serve as slaves of the Messiah, doing what God wants with all your heart. 7 Work willingly as slaves, as people do who are serving not merely human beings but the Lord. 8 Remember that whoever does good work, whether he be a slave or a free man, will be rewarded by the Lord.
9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way. Don’t threaten them. Remember that in heaven both you and they have the same Master, and he has no favorites.
10 Finally, grow powerful in union with the Lord, in union with his mighty strength! 11 Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. 12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. 14 Therefore, stand! Have the belt of truth buckled around your waist,[b] put on righteousness for a breastplate,[c] 15 and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom.[d] 16 Always carry the shield of trust, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 And take the helmet of deliverance;[e] along with the sword given by the Spirit, that is, the Word of God; 18 as you pray at all times, with all kinds of prayers and requests, in the Spirit, vigilantly and persistently, for all God’s people.
19 And pray for me, too, that whenever I open my mouth, the words will be given to me to be bold in making known the secret of the Good News, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may speak boldly, the way I should.
21 Now, so that you may also be informed about how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus, the dear brother and a faithful worker for the Lord, will tell you everything. 22 This is the very reason I have sent him to you, so that you may know how we are getting along and so that he may comfort and encourage you.
23 Shalom to the brothers. May God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah give you love and trust. 24 Grace be to all who love our Lord Yeshua the Messiah with undying love.[Footnotes:
Ephesians 6:3 Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
Ephesians 6:14 Isaiah 11:5
Ephesians 6:14 Isaiah 59:17
Ephesians 6:15 Isaiah 52:7
Ephesians 6:17 Isaiah 59:17]
Spiderman, Batman, Ironman, Thor, Superman—the list goes on. Superheroes are pretty popular these days. But I want to talk to you about a different kind of superman today. He is often simply called Dad. More specifically, I am talking about a dad that stays married to his wife, a dad that raises his children to follow God and be responsible, a dad that is a godly role model and a leader in the home. To me that is a real superman.
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. Fathers should not provoke their children to wrath through favoritism. We see examples of this happening in the pages of Scripture and it does not end well. We need to treat our children fairly. Children can carry the pain of having a favored sibling throughout their entire lives.
2. Fathers should not provoke their children to wrath through lack of affirmation. Children need to hear that they are valuable and loved. Equally dangerous is over-affirming. Spoiling children produces narcissistic, selfish adults.
3. Fathers should bring their children up in the admonition of the Lord. That means being “hands on.” Fathers need to be involved in their children’s lives. So many kids are left to themselves today. We can’t just let them go and do their own thing. We’ve got to be part of their lives, training them to be responsible young men and women.
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• There is a deliberate attack in our culture against the family by the enemy.
• Almost every social ill in society today can be traced back to the breakdown of the family and the absence of fathers.
• Young people today who have been brought up in fatherless homes are yearning for the stability and example that a father provides.
• If having a prodigal child means you are a failure as a parent then God is a failure as a Father. Don’t be fooled by that lie.
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
If you have been blessed to be a father, it is truly a privilege. Psalm 127 reminds us that children are a heritage and a reward from the Lord. Be involved and lead them by example. Don’t allow hypocrisy in your life. Look for teaching moments and opportunities to share truth with your kids. When you are walking God and have a great relationship with Jesus Christ, it will create in your child a desire to know God. When they see Mom praying, when they see Dad being a spiritual leader, they will want those things for themselves. Train them up and create a thirst in them.
Thursday, 18 June 2015Needed: Superheroes — I
Ephesians 6:1 Children, what you should do in union with the Lord is obey your parents, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” — this is the first commandment that embodies a promise — 3 “so that it may go well with you, and you may live long in the Land.”[a]
4 Fathers, don’t irritate your children and make them resentful; instead, raise them with the Lord’s kind of discipline and guidance.
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with the same fear, trembling and single-heartedness with which you obey the Messiah. 6 Don’t obey just to win their favor, serving only when they are watching you; but serve as slaves of the Messiah, doing what God wants with all your heart. 7 Work willingly as slaves, as people do who are serving not merely human beings but the Lord. 8 Remember that whoever does good work, whether he be a slave or a free man, will be rewarded by the Lord.
9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way. Don’t threaten them. Remember that in heaven both you and they have the same Master, and he has no favorites.
10 Finally, grow powerful in union with the Lord, in union with his mighty strength! 11 Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. 12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. 14 Therefore, stand! Have the belt of truth buckled around your waist,[b] put on righteousness for a breastplate,[c] 15 and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom.[d] 16 Always carry the shield of trust, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 And take the helmet of deliverance;[e] along with the sword given by the Spirit, that is, the Word of God; 18 as you pray at all times, with all kinds of prayers and requests, in the Spirit, vigilantly and persistently, for all God’s people.
19 And pray for me, too, that whenever I open my mouth, the words will be given to me to be bold in making known the secret of the Good News, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may speak boldly, the way I should.
21 Now, so that you may also be informed about how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus, the dear brother and a faithful worker for the Lord, will tell you everything. 22 This is the very reason I have sent him to you, so that you may know how we are getting along and so that he may comfort and encourage you.
23 Shalom to the brothers. May God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah give you love and trust. 24 Grace be to all who love our Lord Yeshua the Messiah with undying love.[Footnotes:
Ephesians 6:3 Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
Ephesians 6:14 Isaiah 11:5
Ephesians 6:14 Isaiah 59:17
Ephesians 6:15 Isaiah 52:7
Ephesians 6:17 Isaiah 59:17]
How important are dads in the home? Pastor Greg Laurie says almost every social ill can be traced to the ABSENCE of masculine leadership! He'll help us see how to encourage the dads in our lives and recognize their vital role in the family.Friday, 19 June 2015
Needed: Superheroes — II
Ephesians 6:1 Children, what you should do in union with the Lord is obey your parents, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” — this is the first commandment that embodies a promise — 3 “so that it may go well with you, and you may live long in the Land.”[a]
4 Fathers, don’t irritate your children and make them resentful; instead, raise them with the Lord’s kind of discipline and guidance.
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with the same fear, trembling and single-heartedness with which you obey the Messiah. 6 Don’t obey just to win their favor, serving only when they are watching you; but serve as slaves of the Messiah, doing what God wants with all your heart. 7 Work willingly as slaves, as people do who are serving not merely human beings but the Lord. 8 Remember that whoever does good work, whether he be a slave or a free man, will be rewarded by the Lord.
9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way. Don’t threaten them. Remember that in heaven both you and they have the same Master, and he has no favorites.
10 Finally, grow powerful in union with the Lord, in union with his mighty strength! 11 Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. 12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. 14 Therefore, stand! Have the belt of truth buckled around your waist,[b] put on righteousness for a breastplate,[c] 15 and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom.[d] 16 Always carry the shield of trust, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 And take the helmet of deliverance;[e] along with the sword given by the Spirit, that is, the Word of God; 18 as you pray at all times, with all kinds of prayers and requests, in the Spirit, vigilantly and persistently, for all God’s people.
19 And pray for me, too, that whenever I open my mouth, the words will be given to me to be bold in making known the secret of the Good News, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may speak boldly, the way I should.
21 Now, so that you may also be informed about how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus, the dear brother and a faithful worker for the Lord, will tell you everything. 22 This is the very reason I have sent him to you, so that you may know how we are getting along and so that he may comfort and encourage you.
23 Shalom to the brothers. May God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah give you love and trust. 24 Grace be to all who love our Lord Yeshua the Messiah with undying love.[Footnotes:
Ephesians 6:3 Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
Ephesians 6:14 Isaiah 11:5
Ephesians 6:14 Isaiah 59:17
Ephesians 6:15 Isaiah 52:7
Ephesians 6:17 Isaiah 59:17]
Pastor Greg Laurie says Christian fathers are most effective in their parenting when they not only "show the way," but "go the way" themselves! Pastor Greg helps fathers maximize their godly influence on their kids and grandkids.Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie
P.O. Box 4000
Riverside, California 92514-4000 United States
Phone: 1-800-821-3300
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Phone: 1-800-821-3300
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