August 28 2016 Let There Be Life

Let There Be Life

Memory Verse: Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder."

I. WHAT THIS COMMAND IS NOT ABOUT:

1. It is not prohibiting killing animals

Genesis 9:3 "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."

2. It is not prohibiting capital punishment

Leviticus 24:17-18 (GN)"Anyone who commits murder shall be put to death ... the principle is a life for a life."

Romans 13:4 (JB) "The government is there to serve God for your benefit...they carry out God's revenge by punishing wrongdoers."

3. It is not prohibiting going to war

Ecclesiastes 3:8 "...There is a time for war..."

II. HOW THIS COMMAND APPLIES TO THE FAMILY

1. God says NO to suicide

Romans 14:7 "We are not our own bosses to live and die as we ourselves might choose."

Job 14:5 (GN) "The length of a man's life is decided beforehand - the number of months he will live. You (God) have settled it..."

2. God says NO to mercy killing

Job 12:10 (GN) "It is God who directs the lives of His creatures; everyman's life is in His power."

3. God says NO to abortion

Psalm 139:13-16 (GN) "You (God) created every part of me; You put me together in my mother's womb... When my bones were being formed ... when I was growing there in secret, You knew I was there - You saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me were all recorded in Your book before any of them ever began."

August 24 2014 Life Circumstance - The Church's Challenge

Life Circumstance: The Church's Challenge

Genesis 2:22 - “As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.”

Ecclesiates 3:1 - “There is a right time for everything on earth.”

FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE

1. They are beyond our control.

Daniel 2:21 - “World events are under His control. He removes kings and sets others on their thrones...”

2. They are often confusing.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 - “God does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing.”

3. God has a purpose for each circumstance.

Romans 8:28 - “We know that all that happens to us is working for our good IF we love God and are fitting into his plans.”

4. The circumstances include both good & bad times.

Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 - “There is a time to: be born/die, laugh/cry, find/lose, love/hate, plan/uproot, dance/grieve, keep/throw away, peace/war, heal/kill, gather/scatter, repair/tear, build/tear down, hug/not hug, speak up/be quiet.”

5. What I sow in one circumstance, I’ll reap in another.

Galatians 6:9 - “So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued in doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up or quit.”

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF EACH CIRCUMSTANCE

THREE QUESTIONS

1. What can I learn from this Circumstance of life?

Deuteronomy 11:2 –“ Remember what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences.”

Two Facts:

• If you flunk a test, you take it again.
• When you think you’ve learned everything, here comes another class.

2 Corinthians 1:9 – “This happened that we might learn to trust not in ourselves but in God.”

2. What’s most important in our circumstance of life?

• We need to enjoy life now.

Ecclesiastes 11:8 – “People ought to enjoy everyday of their lives.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances that is God’s will for you.”

• Life is short.

James 4:14 –“How do you know what will happen tomorrow? What after all is your life? It is like a puff of smoke, visible for a little while and then disappearing into thin air.”

• You can’t have it all.

Ecclesians 3:1 - “There is a right time for everything on earth.”

Ephesians 5:18 – “Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who do not know the meaning and purpose of life, but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties these days.”

Philippians 4:11 – “I have learned to be content in any situation.”

3. How can I help others in this circumstance of life?

Ephesians 2:10 – “Your were created for a life of good works.”

Proverbs 3:27 – “Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help.”

Ecclesiates 11:4 –“If you wait for perfect conditions you’ll never get anything done.”