Jesus Last Week Cont

A Synopsis of Jesus Last Week

Sunday The Triumphal Entry

Monday Cleanses the temple

Tuesday Sanhedrin challenges Jesus authority

Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and His return

Mary anoints Jesus at Bethany

Judas bargains with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus

Wednesday oddly seem to have no activity.

Thursday Jesus eats the passover meal with His disciples and institutes the Lord’s Supper( Holy Communion, The Eucharist)

Prays in Gethsemane for His disciples

Friday- Betrayed and arrested

Questioned by Annas

condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin

Peter denies Jesus 3 x

Jesus is formally condemned by the Sanhedrin

Judas commits suicide

Jesus stands trial before Pilate

Jesus appears before Herod Antipas

Formally sentenced to death by Pilate

Jesus mocked and crucifed between two criminals

The veil of the temple is torn as Jesus dies

Jesus is buried in the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea

Saturday- The disciples are in hiding in fear – no activity

Sunday- Jesus is raised from the dead

In our study we are still on Tuesday, we have just covered the Sanherdrin questioning Jesus authority. We come now to Jesus foretelling the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Mark 13

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Foretells the Future

1As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”

2Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

This is also recorded in Matt 24:1-3 and Luke 21:5-7. This prophecy was fulfilled in AD70 when the Roman General Titus destroyed much of Jerusalem including the temple. immediately after making this prophecy Jesus gives what is known as the Olivet Discourse which is about His return.

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

This account is also found in Matt 26:6-13 and John 12:2-8

Mark 14:3-9

New Living Translation (NLT)

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,[a] a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages[b] and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.

6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 14:3 Or reclining.
2. Mark 14:5 Greek for 300 denarii. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.

It seem that Jesus spent the nights in the village of Bethany just a couple of miles on the outside of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. Simon was a leper that probably had been healed by Jesus and ver well could have been the father of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.( see John 12:1,2) The woman poured the oil out on Jesus head and feet. She opened the flask in such a way that it poured out over Jesus entire body from head to foot. Jesus saw this as a preparation of His body for death. Normally the perfume would be placed on the body after death- The fact that this perfume was expensive point to two things-

1. The value of Jesus death

2. the high cost of being a disciple of Jesus.

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The Sanhedrin Questions Jesus Authority

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Mark 11:27-34

New Living Translation (NLT)

This event is also found in Matt 21:23-27 and Luke 20:1-8. The Jewish leaders were bitter and they did all they could to try to trap Jesus but the Lord was a master debater and He turned every question they posed to Him around and they ended up embarassing themselves.

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

27Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 28They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?”

29“I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 30“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

31They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 32But do we dare say it was merely human?” For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet. 33So they finally replied, “We don’t know.”

And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The religious leaders were now plotting a way to kill Jesus. (see vs 18) and the asked Jesus about the nature and source of His authority – referring to the authority to cleanse the temple(see vss 15-17) . Jesus had not yet openly declared that He was the Messiah.

I just love the following exchange!

29“I’ll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question,” Jesus replied. 30“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human? Answer me!”

The intent of Jesus question to the leaders was to expose their insincereity. ‘The baptism of John, is referring to the AUTHORITY of John’s baptism- was it from Heaven and ordained by God or was it merely from men, that is of human contrivance and void of any spiritual authority and reality? The leaders repsonded with a dishonest answer-

that of Verse 33 So they finally replied, “We don’t know.” And how did Jesus respond? He kept His promise, since they did not answer His question he repsonded-

And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Thus far we have covered the triumphal entry(Sunday), the cleansing of the temple(Monday) and now the Sanhedrin challenging Jesus authority( Tuesday) There are a few more events that happened on Tuesday, that we will look at next time.

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The Fig Tree

The Fig Tree

Mark 11:12-14

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

12The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.

This is also told in Matt 21:18-22) This is on Monday morning as they were walking from Bethany, where they had spent the night, over the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem About a two mile hike. Passover always happens inMarch or April and fig season is not until May or June. Fig trees normally produce a number of buds in March, leaves in April, and ripe fruit later on. Jesus was looking for the edible buds, the lack of which indicated that the tree would be fruitless later on The tree was alive but it was not going to bear any fruit. Jesus cursing the tree was a powerful parable- a picture of what He found when He turned His attention to the temple, the appearamce of life but no spirtual fruit.

Mark 11:12-14

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

12The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.

Mark 11:15-18

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Clears the Temple

15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.[a] 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”[b]

18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.

Footnotes:

1. Mark 11:16 Or from carrying merchandise through the Temple.
2. Mark 11:17 Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11.

This was on Monday, Jesus had done the same thing three years earlier, at the beginning of His public ministry. The profits from the market stalls inside the temple area went in part to enrich the family of the High Priest. Jesus burned with righteouss indignation at this perversion of the uses of God’s House.

Mark 11:19-25

New Living Translation (NLT)

19That evening Jesus and the disciples left[a] the city.

20The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”

22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.[b]”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 11:19 Greek they left; other manuscripts read he left.
2. Mark 11:25 Some manuscripts add verse 26, But if you refuse to forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins. Compare Matt 6:15.

   Verse 20 inidcate that this is now Tuesday morning, The fact that the tree was not only cursed but now withered emphasizes the power of true faith. It has been suggested that the fig tree represented Israel, which bore no fruit and would soon face the judgement of God. We come now to vss 22,23: The picture of casting a mountain into the sea is an extreme example of the absolutley impossible and that is the point

point. Having faith in God can accomplish the impossible.

Mark 11:15-18

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus Clears the Temple

15 When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.[a] 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”[b]

18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.

Footnotes:

3. Mark 11:16 Or from carrying merchandise through the Temple.
4. Mark 11:17 Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11.

Next time we will take a look at the reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus cleansing the temple (again!)

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The Triumphal Entry

The Triumphal Entry

The account of the triumphal entry is also found in Matt 21:1-11, Luke 19:29-38 and John 12: 12-19) We are looking at the account given in Mark 11. This is on the Sunday before Jesus death, He had come as the Messiah. For three years He had proclimed this to the nation of Israel through never ending travel and many miracles and the miracles of the twelve as well as the miracles of the sevety two. Jesus enter the Holy City amid the shouts of the people of hallelujahs and hosannas. They thought the hour of deliverance was at hand. Even at this point the people misunderstood Jesus mission was that of a spirtual kingdom, not of a political one as they supposed. They were looking for Jesus and His band to overthrow the Roman government. We see how quickly the tide of popularity can be turned in Jesus last week. He entered popular with the people, just a few days later these same people are crying out.”crucify him!” This week we will look at the events of that last week.

Mark 11

New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

11As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2“Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”

4The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. 5 As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. 7Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.

8Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. 9Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

“Praise God!
Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David!
Praise God in highest heaven!”

11So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

In biblical times when a king entered a city, if he was coming in as a conquerer he woud ride into the city on a horse. If the king was coming in peace he would choose a donkey or a colt and enter the city riding on the donkey or colt. Horse means war, a donkey or a colt means peace. Jesus came to bring peace in a way that was foretold 500 years earlier by the prophet Zechariah.

Zechariah 9:9

Zion’s Coming King

9Rejoice, O people of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt.

As the Isralite pilgrims were making their way to the Holy City they sang Psalms, specifically Psalms 120-134. The words the crowds shouted upon Jesus entrance come from Psalm 118 And ended with verse 19 which speak about entering the temple for worship. Psalm 118 is a Messianic Psalm and the people recited this in recognition of Jesus Lordship.

Psalm 118

New Living Translation (NLT)

Psalm 118

1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

2Let all Israel repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
3Let Aaron’s descendants, the priests, repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”
4Let all who fear the Lord repeat:
“His faithful love endures forever.”

5In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
and the Lord answered me and set me free.
6The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?
7Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
8It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people.
9It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

10Though hostile nations surrounded me,
I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
11Yes, they surrounded and attacked me,
but I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
12They swarmed around me like bees;
they blazed against me like a crackling fire.
But I destroyed them all with the authority of the Lord.
13My enemies did their best to kill me,
but the Lord rescued me.
14The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.
15Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.
The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
16The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph.
The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
17I will not die; instead, I will live
to tell what the Lord has done.
18The Lord has punished me severely,
but he did not let me die.

19Open for me the gates where the righteous enter,
and I will go in and thank the Lord.

20These gates lead to the presence of the Lord,
and the godly enter there.
21I thank you for answering my prayer
and giving me victory!

22The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
23This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.
24This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25Please, Lord, please save us.
Please, Lord, please give us success.
26Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27The Lord is God, shining upon us.
Take the sacrifice and bind it with cords on the altar.
28You are my God, and I will praise you!
You are my God, and I will exalt you!

29Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

Next time we will look at Jesus cursing the fig tree and clearing the temple.

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Daily Bible Reading Plan for the Week of march 25, 2012

Daily Bible Reading Plan for the Week of march 25, 2012

Day 71:

Matt 27:27-44

Rom 13

Psalm 68

Duet 22-26

Day 72:

Matt 27:45-56

Rom 14

Psalm 69:1-18

Duet 27,28

Day 73:

Matt 27:57-66

Rom 15: 1-13

Psalm 69: 19-36

Duet 29-31

Day 74:

Matt 28:1-10

Romans 15:14-33

Psalm 70

Duet 32

Day 75:

Matt 28:11-20

Rom 16

Psalm 71

Duet 32,34

Is the Church Being Persecuted in the US and is There More to Come?

It has been a few days since I have posted anything here on wordpress- We have been studying what the Bible says about personal finances. We have covered a lot of ground and have a lot more to cover. But for right now, I want to focus on something else – Before we started the study on person finance we looked at the epistle of 1 Peter, a letter that Peter wrote to encourage the churches that were being persecuted and in that letter Peter gives guidelines on how to respond when one is being persecuted. I have not covered too much of that in my blogs but have talked about churches and individuals being persecuted on my blogtalk radio program. You can hear it on Wednesdays from 9:00-10:00 pm and immediately precedeing my program in Bishop Manley’s My Prayer Closet from 8:00-9:00 Pm. Here is the link for the programs:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/universallifechurch

 

We here in the US have been fortunate in that we do not face the kind of persecution that others throughout the world face. My fear is though, that as I see the culture becoming more and more secular and worldly it is coming- the politicians have even been discussing changing our freedom of religion to fredom of worship. This is not a good thing! We have the freedom to exercise our religion openly, we can evangleize- which is the last commandment that Jesus gave to us before He ascending into Heaven – that commandment is also know as The Great Commission. Under what is called freedom of worship is that we have to keep the practice of our faith in the church building and in our homes. That is just the beginning of the restriction an out of control government would bring into being. As it stands now the US Constitution puts no restrictions on the church but says that Congress shall not. The phrase separation of church and state does not appear anywhere in the constitution. Many people do not know that, as the that phrase as been banterd about for the last several years. Where that phrase comes from is from a private letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to a church leader that was a friend of his. The was some type of conflict in the church and the church leader wanted President Jefferson to come to the church meeting as a government official and settle the dispute. Jefferson refuse saying that he did not think that the government should be involved in the churces business and that there should be a wall of seperation between the church and the government. That wall was to be the government staying out of the churches business , not the other way around. Notice that Jefferson never said that the church should not involved in the government. Somehow, today this letter has been misquoted and misapplied and now we are in danger of losing that freedom of religion. Folks, it may come down to what your first priority is- This is for those in the US- are you and Ameircan first or a Christian first? Do not get me wrong- I love my country, but when it comes right down to it- I have to serve Christ first. In the last few years there have some cases of Christians being arrested for procaliming the gospel, in California that was a home Bible Study group that was fined for meeting in someone’s home. Just recently there some Catholic priests and some Protestant church leasders that were arrested for praying on the White House lawn in protest of the Obamacare mandate that has been in the news. How much more peaceful protest can there be than praying? This was a clear violation of both rights guarnteed by the firt amendment. Which reads like this:

 

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

In the case of the Priests – their whole first amendment rights were violated – with the arrest order coming from the White House itself. I do not know WHO issued the order but here we are! What is my point in all this? We are in danger of losing these precious rights because we, as Christians and as the church as a whole have been silent while these freedoms have been quitely chipped away and we have said nothing. It is time to speak out! Speak up for Jesus! We need to speak the Truth in love. This nation was founded by brave men who came here to escape religious persecution. I sincerely believe, the United States was raised up as a nation under God for the express purpose of spreading the Gospel of Christ. But in the last fifty years we have turned our back on God and when a nation does that He will remove His hedge of protection and discipline that nation. We as a nation must have a spiritual revival or God will abandon us, 9/11 was a divine warning that was heeded for only a short time. God willl use pagan nations and peoples to discipline His own. We can see many examples of that in the history of Israel from the Old Testament. For examples of where we could be headed as Christian check this link out:

http://www.persecution.com/

1 Peter 4

New Living Translation (NLT)

1 Peter 4

Living for God

 1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.[a] 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

 4 Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead[b]—so although they were destined to die like all people,[c] they now live forever with God in the Spirit.[d]

 7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

 10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Suffering for Being a Christian

 12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

 14 So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian,[e] for then the glorious Spirit of God[f] rests upon you.[g] 15 If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. 16 But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! 17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? 18 And also,

“If the righteous are barely saved,
what will happen to godless sinners?”[h]

 19 So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Peter 4:1 Or For the one [or One] who has suffered physically has finished with sin.
2. 1 Peter 4:6 Greek preached even to the dead.
3. 1 Peter 4:6 Or so although people had judged them worthy of death.
4. 1 Peter 4:6 Or in spirit.
5. 1 Peter 4:14 Greek for the name of Christ.
6. 1 Peter 4:14 Or for the glory of God, which is his Spirit.
7. 1 Peter 4:14 Some manuscripts add On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.
8. 1 Peter 4:18 Prov 11:31 (Greek version).

 

Daily Bible Reading Plan for the Week of March 18, 2012

Daily Bible Reading Plan for the Week of March 18, 2012

Day 65:

Matt 26:1-16

Rom 9:19-33

Psalm 62

Duet 1-3

Day 66:

Matt 26:17-35

Rom 10

Psalm 63

Duet 4,5

Day 67:

Matt 26:36-56

Rom 11:1-24

Psalm 64

Duet 6-8

Day 68:

Matt 26:57-75

Rom 11:25-36

Psalm 65

Duet 9-12

Day 69:

Matt 27:1-10

Rom 12:1-8

Psalm 66

Duet 13-17

Day 70:

Matt 27:11-26

Romans 12:9-21

Psalm 67

Duet 18-21

Steps to Wisdom of Finances -who to listen too!!!

One of the things that having wisdom will do for us is to tell us when we need help and when we need to seek good Christian counsel. Many times as Christians we are willing to help others but refuse to ask for help when we need it. That is nothing but pure ego speaking. Everyone has difficulties that they face so each one of us needs some counsel and advice at one time or another, and some of us more often than others! Many times Christians will refuse to seek good counsel when they need it because somehow, they think it reflects on their commitment. That is total nonsense. Lets look at Proverbs 19:20

Proverbs 19:20

The Message (MSG)

20 Take good counsel and accept correction—
that’s the way to live wisely and well.

 

Here we are admonished to seek counsel and accept any corrections the reason why is in the second part of this verse accepting counsel and correction will lead to living wisely and living life to the fullest.

Now the question becomes. When we need advice – whose counsel should we seek?

Well lets look at a few more verses from God‘s Word!

 

 

Proverbs 23:22

New Living Translation (NLT)

22 Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and don’t despise your mother when she is old.

Ephesians 5:23

New Living Translation (NLT)

23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.

 

 

 

Ephesians 5:31

New Living Translation (NLT)

31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

Proverbs 11:14

Proverbs 11:14

New Living Translation (NLT)

14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls;
there is safety in having many advisers.

We can see from these verses we should seek counsel from parents, wives should seek counsel from their husbands and likewise husbands should seek counsel from their wives and we see from Proverbs 11:14 that a nation will fall without wise leadership, likewise with a family, a church or a business. Notice the phrase “ there is safety in having many advisers” Now the question becomes – how can we discern who is a good counselor or advisor? Once again we find the answer in God’s Word!

Titus 1:6-9

New Living Translation (NLT)

6 An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife,[a] and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 An elder[b] is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker,[c] violent, or dishonest with money.

 8 Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.

We can add to our list of who we should seek counsel from, church leader. And the qualification listed here are the qualities of a good counselor.

1 Peter 5:2-3

New Living Translation (NLT)

2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.

This describes the role of a good counselor. A good leader will lead by example.

 

2 Peter 1:6-7

New Living Translation (NLT)

6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

And this last verse is what the result will be of a good counselor.

I would suggest these are good guidelines with which to measure any counsel you receive or give.

MO Bout dat Money stuff from the Bible!

 

Ok, where were we, oh yes, we were discussing what God‘s Word says about credit and some good examples of how some governments (including our own) are not properly handling finances and how we can bring that down on a personal or family level. Folks, I am doing this study because I struggle with finance, maybe more so than any of you do. God has called me to do this and share this with you and I am following His leading. Financial difficulties is probably the number one cause of destroyed families, and it is a symptom of a deeper problem. At the root of all of our problems are deep rooted spiritual problems and once we get those addressed, all other areas of our lives fall in place. The fact is that how we earn, spend, save, and invest our income effects our families, our churches, our community, and nation. We need to pray about every expenditure that we make, this will bring God directly into our lives and will make our faith stronger so that we can trust Him in even greater things. No purchase is too big or too small to pray about. Get the whole family in on this so they too can share in the spiritual blessing. We need to learn to discern God’s will in the area of new purchases, God might not grant every desire because so often we ask for things that will ultimately hurt us. Do this exercise this week – consider two prospective purchases and pray about them before buying. Now we come to a little bit more about setting goals- the main thing here is to set your own goals- if you let someone else set your goals for you, you are going to be unhappy. Many times Christians will get involved in get rich quick schemes or some type of investments (more about investing later) because others around them seem more successful. God has a plan for your life, your neighbor does not! Lets take a look at Psalm 17:15

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

This verse is about contentment. King David here has rejected the idea that the pleasures of this life are ultimately fulfilling , he awaits the day when he will awake in glory and be made in the likeness of God. Now lets go to Proverbs 3:13-14

Proverbs 3:13-14

The Message (MSG)

The Very Tree of Life

13-18 You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,
when you make friends with Madame Insight.
She’s worth far more than money in the bank;
her friendship is better than a big salary.
Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;
nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
With one hand she gives long life,
with the other she confers recognition.
Her manner is beautiful,
her life wonderfully complete.
She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her.
Hold her tight—and be blessed!

Here success is defined as having wisdom and insight. The person who has discovered wisdom has found a priceless treasure. Wisdom is like another tree of life that and will begin to restore the lost happiness of paradise.

Proverbs 3:19

The Message (MSG)

19-20 With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth;
with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven.
They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface,
and dew to descend from the night skies.

And we see from these verses that the source of wisdom is God Himself.

The Gospel of Personal Finance and Credit

Now we come to number three- reduce or eliminate the use of credit. In many situations it may not be feasible for a family to totally eliminate the use of credit but in each situation it is possible to reduce the use of credit. The family that is in financial bondage HAS to STOP the use of credit if they are ever to find fianancial freedom. Lets look at Proverbs 27:12

Proverbs 27:12

New Living Translation (NLT)

12 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

We see from this verse that one who proceeds in the face of future trouble is described as simpleton.

Now we come to the fourth and that is to seek God’s plan for living within the budget. Many times people think that generating extra income will help, such as the wife working- this is usally NOT the case. Most of the time the problem is caused by overspending -not insuffient income. ( The federal government is a good example of this- they do not have a revenue problem but a spending problem on a much larger scale than a family, but the prinicple is the same) Many times more income will actually compound the problem and make it worse. With the increase in income may come an increase in spending and there will be an increase in the use of credit also. ( See how this track? This is the trap the federal government is caught in- and it has gone on from both parties for decades) We need to put God’s plan for our budget into action first! How do we do that?

a. Extra Income- consider this only after correcting buying habits. Working Moms sometimes contribute little income but sacrifice much in family guidance.

b. Before purchasing an item, give God a chance to provide it-

If the purchase is in line with God’s will He may manifest Himself in our finances by providing from a totally unexpected source.

2 Chronicles 16:9

New King James Version (NKJV)

9For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

God searches over the whole world to find those who are loyal to Him and He will show just what He can do for those who are.

Psalm 37:7

Good News Translation (GNT)

7 Be patient and wait for the Lord to act;
don’t be worried about those who prosper
or those who succeed in their evil plans.

We see from Psalm 37 the practice of being patient and waiting on the Lord.