Contending For You!

We must not cease in contending for one another!

Colossians 2:1-12

Colossians 2:1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

• Point of Study: Paul as a Christian illustrated a heart to contend and go to spiritual battle for other believers. Some of those at the church of Colossae had never meet Paul personally but he was in prayer and study to edify them.

Colossians 2:2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

Colossians 2:3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

• Point of Study: Paul’s desire is that the believers are recipients of loved-based teaching from the Word of God which will result in a strengthened spiritual understanding. This paves the way to a mature knowledge of God’s mystery about Christ. In verse 3 the word “hid” does not mean unknown, it means “stored away” or “laid up”.  This is a biblical formula to unlock all the laid up treasures of wisdom and knowledge through the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 2:4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.

• Point of Study: Another illustrated benefit of an obtained mature knowledge of God is the ability to discern vain ideas and concepts which wish to sweep you away. Although they may sound well-crafted and intriguing, deception would ring clear to the ear of the believer.

Colossians 2:5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.

• Point of Study: Continuing with the theme of contending for one another we must also rejoice with one another and praise the progression of each other! The world can be challenging but is always brighter with spiritual encouragement.

Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Colossians 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Point of Study: Verse 6-7 are profound and speak loudly for themselves!!

Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

• Point of Study: As Christians we have not been freed from the bondage of sin to just enter into manmade bondage of any kind. The word “spoiled” here is illustrated as carried away from truth by false teaching.

Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Colossians 2:10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Colossians 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

• Point of Study: This expounds that our flesh and sinful nature has been removed and broken by Jesus Christ.

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

• Point of Study: Through the baptism of God’s Holy Spirit we have risen from our sins, habits, and values of our unconverted life.

O Lord how I Love thee

O Lord how I love thee with my whole heart! O how I wish to please thee with my life. Lord I wish to make thee proud of thy son.

How I thank you for keeping me O Lord, even when I didn’t want to be kept. How I thank you for your faithfulness even in times of my unfaithfulness. Thanking you O Lord in times when your thoughts were upon me even when I wasn’t thinking about myself. How you have protected thy servant’s family even as we slept. How you lifted up a hedge of protection around us, that our enemies not even behold us.

O Lord how I love thee, more for who you are, then for what you do! O how I marvel at thy majesty and power. O how I esteem to be thy Kingdom’s advancer. Use me as a tool, a fine instrument in thy hands to perform greater works.  I pray that I remain diligent and that thy servant may finish well.

Lord there is none like thee, none so mighty yet loving, and none so challenging yet merciful. Lord why do you love me so? O how you love me more then I love myself. O lord you are magnificent in all your ways. O Lord how I Love thee!

By Minister Jamar Baker

Repentance = God’s Grace and Mercy

The Book of Jonah

The Book of Jonah is the Old Testament’s Book of Acts. It displays God’s concern for the heathen that is separate from him and without hope (Definition of Heathen: an unconverted member of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible). The entire prophecy of Jonah is written in third person. The theme of the Book of Jonah is God’s mercy to the individual, a group, the heathen world power, and his people. Jonah’s name means Dove. He was from the village of Gath-hepher, located about two miles from the city of Nazareth.

Introduction

This prophecy begins with God commissioning Jonah to admonish the heathen nation of Assyria’s capital Nineveh.  Jonah flees from God’s call and mission issued to him. This disobedience and rebellion creates extremely difficult situations for Jonah as he runs from his call, all with the goal of getting him back on course and in obedience with God’s will for his life. Jonah finally submits arrives at a place of prayer and praise unto the God in his darkest hour. God’s answers his prayer which brings us to our place of study beginning with the second commission to Jonah.

Jonah 3: 1-10

Focus Scripture Jonah 3:10 

Jonah 3:1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

Jonah 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

Jonah 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

Jonah 3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

• Study Point: We can learn something from the people of Nineveh. They had no relationship with God, but when they heard His Word proclaimed for their lives they believed it without hesitation. They then proceeded to adapt a posture of repentance and entered into a fast to display their compunction.

Jonah 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

• Study Point: No matter what position we ascend to, do we leave ourselves available to God’s reproof and correction? Are we open to the King of Kings informing us of our errors?

Jonah 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

• Study Point: This entire heathen nation instantly went to great lengths to deny their own pleasures to display to God their reverence for Him.

Jonah 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

• Study Point: They lamented in prayer and repented their evil ways. The very essence of repentance is to turn your back on the practice of sin and face the Lord for forgiveness and restoration.

Jonah 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

• Study Point: God did not change His ultimate intention toward Nineveh but rather they changed their attitude toward Him. This activated God’s grace and mercy toward them.

Making Wise, Godly Decisions based on the Word of God

Psalms 119 is the longest Psalm and it contains 176 verses. It is known as the “Psalm of the Law”. This fact highlights the importance of God’s Word and His commandments and precepts contained within!

Psalms 119:97-106

Focus Scripture Psalms 119:105

97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

• Study Point: First, Press to arrive at a place of loving God's Word and second, deliberate focus on the Word of God is vital.

98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

• Study Point: The Word tells us that opposition is ever present in our lives, but God’s Words to use through the Bible gives us conquering power over such opposition.

99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

• Study Point: Diligent labor in the Word of God enables even the young to possess timeless wisdom.

101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.

• How can we resist evil ways? The Word tells us to submit ourselves to God. To resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7)

102 I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.

103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

• Study Point: The Word of God provides illumination unto the believer and acts as a spiritual GPS guiding us through life.

106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

• Study Point: Are you bold enough to make a commitment of honoring and performing God’s Holy Word in your life?

Faster to Obey God

Introduction:

Deuteronomy is one of the most significant books in the Old Testament. Judging from the number of quotations or citations in the New Testament, its influence has been great. Deuteronomy is quoted 195 times in the New Testament!

The context of this message finds Moses making his third and last Farwell address to the people of Israel (Deuteronomy 29:1) because he had been told that he could not enter the land with the people. The foundation of this third address is “obedience”. Moses continues with stating the Lord’s covenant with Israel. This moves right into our focus text which outlines the conditions for restoration and blessings!

Seeking restorations? Seeking blessings? Study the conditions here! (Deuteronomy 30:1-20)

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20

Focus Scripture Deuteronomy 30: 20

Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

• Study Point - Deuteronomy 30:15 Because we have freedom of choice, whenever a human chooses life and good, it make the human story one of the most beautiful journeys ever traveled! It is a choice to love and serve the Lord. We must value our personal relationship with Jesus Christ that connects us with the Father!

Deuteronomy 30:16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

• Study Point - Deuteronomy 30: 16 Three commandments: Love the Lord thy God, Walk in His ways, Keep His commandments, statutes, and Judgments! Two Results: Thou mayest live and multiply and the Lord thy God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. What has God promised you? God promised the Children of Israel he would deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and bring them unto a good land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8)! God completes all of his promises. As stated here it is time to enter and possess your promise!

Deuteronomy 30:17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;

• Study Point - Deuteronomy 30:17 Today, many other things wish to occupy our time and turn our focus and attention away from God. If we give other things first place in our lives, that is in effect, turning our heart from Him. How can we hear God least we remain consistent in prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? If we aren’t diligent in studying the Bible how will God guide us through his word (Joshua 1:8)?

Deuteronomy 30:18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

• Study Point - Deuteronomy 30:19 Our decisions affect our seed, we must choose wisely this day!

Deuteronomy 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

• Study Point - Deuteronomy 30:20 *Core Scripture* God is our life and we must make hast to cleave unto Him and remain obedient.

Stronger in the Lord thy God

Joshua 1:2-9 King James Version

Focus Scripture Joshua 1:6

Joshua 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

Joshua 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

• Study Point: Joshua 1:2 The year 2010 is dead and gone! God is speaking to us as he has spoken to Joshua in this verse to move. Not only does God want us to move forward but he wants us to compile other around us to move forward as well!

Joshua 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

Joshua 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

• Study Point: Joshua 1:3-4 God has promised His children dominion (Genesis 1:26) and encourages us of this fact.

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

• Study Point: Joshua 1:5 Nothing or no one can stop what God has in store for you!

Joshua 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

• Study Point: Joshua 1:6 *Core Scripture* God gives Joshua many logistics in how to lead His people forward during this chapter but God provides two personal requirements: Be STRONG and of GOOD COURAGE.

Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.

• Study Point: Joshua 1:7 God commands Joshua to Be Strong and very courageous when it comes to obeying the Word of God, and as it is for us and saints, we must not let life or this world make us deviate off of the path that the Word of God has commanded us to follow. The result of this steadfastness is that God promised us we would prosper wherever we go!

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

• Study Point: Joshua 1:8 God continues to share the formula for success and prosperity buy commanding us to not cease speaking the Word of God out of our own mouth. We are to meditate on the Bible day and night so that we may be careful to do everything written in it! The result: Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

• Study Point: Joshua 1:9 Fear and discouragement are the opposite Strong and Courageous. God makes this plain that we may overcome these feelings. How do we overcome them? We are not alone in this battle; God encourages us that He is with us wherever we Go!