A Leader’s Wisdom

Introduction

Who might you consider to be one of the world’s greatest leaders? Why?

We see great leaders throughout church history as well. The Bible contains many stories of leaders who God used to do incredible things. We tend to glamorize leaders sometimes, but we must remember that these men and women are, like us, flawed in areas. None of us are perfect, thus none of us are perfect in leadership. Moses was one of those. Moses displayed great leadership through his service to the Lord and leading the people of Israel. However, he wasn’t perfect and needed assistance as well.

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A Test In The Wilderness

Introduction

As we enter into today’s study, I think it’s important to remember the recent events in Israel’s history.

  • God provided Moses as an instrument to release and lead His people from Egyptian captivity.
  • God demonstrated His power over the Egyptian gods in the 10 plagues.
  • God provided deliverance for his people at the Red Sea.
  • Israel followed Moses for about 3 days in the wilderness and couldn’t find water, so they began to complain. (Ex. 15:22-27)

QUES: When have you forgotten, or almost forgotten, God’s goodness because of a difficult situation in your life?

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God Frees His People

Introduction

It wasn’t long ago that our society moved from what we called a “modern” society, to a “postmodern” society. In modern society people believed in the concept of truth and authority, even though they may not live in submission to it. There was a general consensus of right and wrong. In a postmodern society, people have shied away from absolute truth and truth has become something that centers upon the individual. In other words, what’s true for you may not necessarily be true for me. We have continued in this vein of thought and now, truth is not based upon fact, but more upon emotion. Because truth now rests upon the individual, each person becomes their own authority on right and wrong.

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God’s Mercy To A Deceiver

Introduction

The other day, my family was on vacation in Pigeon Forge, TN. I was not on this particular trip, but my wife relayed a comical story she overheard while out eating lunch with the family. On this particular day, they had chosen to go to The Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grill. (If you’ve never been, I highly recommend the praline grilled pork chop. You can thank me later.) At the table beside beside them, were a group of ladies from Wisconsin.

Female Customer: “Excuse me, Mam. What do you call this drink here? It’s delicious!

Waitress: “Ummm. Sweet Tea.”

Female Customer: “What do you sweeten it with? This is wonderful!”

Waitress: “Ummm. Sugar…”

What are some foods associated with localities, and which ones have you tried? Which ones have you liked?

Evidently, Issac and Esau love a good meal. Just last week we read about Jacob and Esau’s trading a birth right for a bowl of soup. I can sympathize. I love a good meal too. In these verses, we see God’s covenant plans continue over the setting of a meal. Through theses verses, we see that God is merciful to use even the most unlikely people to build His kingdom.

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God Renews His Promise

Introduction

Think about the following Bible verse: What are some of its implications?

Isaiah 55:9 – For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

There may be several, at least one of these is the fact that God often works in and does unexpected things in our lives. Sometimes these may look like a complete blessing, other times these “surprises” may come in the form of a trial.

The questions is, What do we do when God throws us a curveball?

God keeps His promises, but at times He does so in ways we would least expect. Continue reading “God Renews His Promise”

Suffering and God’s Presence

Introduction

Why do bad things happen to good people?

The story of Job is one of the Bible’s oldest stories. Scholars believe he lived back during the time of the patriarchs. Although we are uncertain about an exact dating of this account.

Since man’s beginning we have all struggled with the idea of suffering. You see a glimpse of this in Genesis 4:13 where, after Cain killed his brother, he claims his punishment is “too great to bear.”

Fortunately, the Bible is not silent when it comes to suffering. The book of Job wrestles with the idea of suffering. Here are some biblical principles we can see as we look into this story.

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