series: Neighbor(ing)
title: Seeing Our Neighbor
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: March 5, 2017
scriptures: John 8:3-11, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 3:4-5, Genesis 3:17, Genesis 3:22-33, Psalm 106:23, Ezekiel 22:30, Revelation 22:1-4
#1 Loving God
series: Neighboring
title: Loving God
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: February 19, 2017
scriptures: Luke 10:25-28, John 12:5-7, Matthew 26:10-13, John 15:12-15, 2 John 4:10, 1 John 4:19, Exodus 33, Romans 8:15
#5 isolation
series: Thawing
title: isolation
date: February 5, 2017
teacher: Jacob Bender
scriptures: Proverbs 2:6, James 3:13-18, 2 Timothy 4:1-4, Judges 18,
Church Bells still ring in Brooklyn
title: Church bells still ring in Brooklyn
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: December 25, 2016
scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22
Fluffy Christmas (part two)
series: Fluffy Christmas
title: Part Two
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: December 11, 2016
scriptures: Isaiah 9:2-7, Matthew 2:16-20, Luke 2:1, Revelation 1:8 (mentioned), Hebrews 2:15 (mentioned), Isaiah 9:7, Revelation 2:15 (mentioned), Acts 17
Fluffy Christmas (part one)
series: Fluffy Christmas
title: Part One
date: December 4, 2016
teacher: Jacob Bender
scriptures: Isaiah 9:2-7, Matthew 2:16-20, Luke 2:1, Judges 7, Proverbs 27:20, Matthew 13:44
#4 Before an Election
series: Jonah
title: Before an Election
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: November 6, 2017
scriptures: Jonah 3:1-5, Matthew 12:38-41, Philippians 2:7, Revelation 5, Daniel 6, Psalm 118:9, Jeremiah 17:5, 2 Corinthians 5, 2 Kings 15 & 18 (mentioned), 1 John 4:18, Hebrews 12:2, Psalm 11:4
Who is on the Throne?
During Election seasons, it can be very easy for us to begin to think that our world will rise and fall based on who wins the election... But as Christians we need to remember that we are ambassadors in this world, of a different Kingdom, and no matter who wins the elections on Tuesday, the God that we serve will STILL be on the throne on Wednesday. Every Single Time!
BABY DEDICATION:
We dedicated several babies and parents to Jesus this Sunday morning!
#3 Since the Storm
series: a case for bad choices
title: since the storm
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: October 2, 2016
scriptures: 1 Peter 5:10, Esther (whole story), Esther 3:5-6, James 1:2-4, John 13.
#14 Anxiety
series: Red Letter City
title: Anxiety
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: July 17, 2016
scriptures: Matthew 6:25-34, Romans 8:28, Matthew 11:28, Matthew 8:26, 1 Peter 5:7,
#2 Death of Hope
title: Death of Hope
series: Lets talk about Hope
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: March 20, 2016
scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Ephesians 2:10, Isaiah 53, 1 John 4:10, Leviticus 16:10, Leviticus 16:22, Hebrews 12:2, Matthew 28:18
BABY DEDICATION:
#5 They gave out of uncertainty
series: Cultivate the Romance
title: They gave our of uncertainty
teacher: Jacob Bender
date: January 31, 2016
scriptures: Luke 24:13-32, Nehemiah 10:35, Acts 20, James 4:17, Romans 11:16, Numbers 15:17-20, 1 Kings 17, Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Leviticus 23:11, 1 Corinthians 15:20-21, John 12:32, Luke 23:46, Psalm 31:5, Matthew 27:28,
The Root
Paul says, “if the root is holy, so are the branches.”
The principle of the first fruit originated with the Hebrew wordBikkurim. When you read in Nehemiah when he says “we obligate ourselves to bring the first fruit…” or anywhere in the old testament when it says “bring the first fruit,” the word is bikkirum.
Bring the bikkirum.
The bikkurim is the part of the harvest that ripened and came forth before the rest of the harvest did.
The part that ripened and came forth first… God said, that part is mine! and this is an absolutely fascinating fact about Jewish history.
What they would do in those days, is the farmer would notice that a branch would have the bikkurim on it, and he already knew the principle of the first fruit, he already knew “this part is for God” so what would happen is he would take a little scarlet ribbon and he would walk up to the branch that had the fruit on it, and he would tie this scarlet ribbon on the branch as to say “THIS IS FOR THE LORD.”
He was marking it. He was setting it apart. He was saying, “God we give you the first.” He was asking the Lord to bless it. That is why we gave you the little red ribbons this week when you walked in… You can keep it as a token to remember, or you can take it and wrap your offering or offering envelope in it if you are giving a physical offering.
But the bikkirum was the first. It wasn’t just any piece of fruit… a good batch or a bad batch. It was was came first.
it had to be the first! It was the part that came before the harvest…
The farmer didn’t know whether the harvest was going to be large or if much of the fruit would not survive. All he knew for sure was that he the bikkurim. The only certainty was the bikkurim.
He didn’t give out of poverty or out of lack, he gave out of not knowing what it would be,
he gave it out of uncertainty.
He gave the only thing that was certain, out of uncertainty.
#8 Thou Shall Covet
Series: Realities
Title: Thou Shall Covet
Teacher: Jacob Bender
Date: November 8, 2015
scriptures: Exodus 20:1-17, Psalm 19:10, Psalm 68:16, Proverbs 5:18, Philippians 4:11-14, Romans 7, Hebrews 12:2
In English, the word covet, is a bad word. In English it means “a yearning to possess or have something.”
I have heard it put this way, it is an inward grasping for something… something that is not yours... It means you don’t have something, and you yearn for it. Maybe we think we are nothing without it. We hear that word, and right away we default to the Ten Commandments. Right away, we think, this is a bad word. This is something that we must not do. Ever. Under any circumstances. I think that the word we typically associate to it is the word jealousy. Or the word envy… and where the command as a whole may be getting at that, those things are not the same as coveting, in the way it was written on the tablets. Not at all.
The Hebrew word written on the tablet that we translate as “covet” is the word “chamad” (huh-mad). And “chamad” (huh-mad) is a good thing. Its a beautiful word that demonstrates a satisfaction with what God gave you. The word “chamad” (huh-mad) means “Delight.” or “To take pleasure in.”
So when you say that you are coveting something, if you are actually quoting the tenth commandment, you are saying that you “Take delight in that thing.”
I covet my wife. I absolutely covet my wife. I take delight in her. In fact, as the days go by I hope and pray that my delight for her only grows and grows.
I covet my children.
Honestly, you should covet (chamad) your friends. Your friends carry a lot of weight. They are very valuable. You should delight in the fact that you have them. You should delight in your relationships. They are gifts.
To say you chamad something does NOT mean you are jealous of it, it means that you delight IN IT.
What you should not do, is covet your friends house.
What you should not do, is covet what your friends have.
God has given you specific things in this life that are tailor made just for you.
For your life.
For your family.
and to not delight in those things would be a slap in the face to the God who gave them to you.
You see, the problem lies in when you covet what is not yours. The command does not say Thou shall not covet.
Thou shall covet.
Thou shall certainly covet.
But thou shall never, ever covet what belongs to someone else.
RESOURCE NOTE: the website referenced today to help you with your studies is www.blueletterbible.com
#1 ... you will know them by their fruits
Series: The Fruit of the Spirit
Title: … and you will know them by their fruits
Teacher: Jacob Bender
Date: July 5, 2015
Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 17:5-8, Matthew 7:17-18, Ezekiel 16:49, Jeremiah 22:16, Galatians 5:16-21, John 7:37-39
“And you will know them by their fruits.”
More and more, things in our culture are moving away from God.
But it seems to me that more often than not, when I see the way that Christians respond to the changes taking place in society, they put more effort into condemning other peoples actions than they do producing fruit of their own. And that is what this whole series is about. “What should my life look like, in this world?” What should the fruit of a person be like, knowing that their kingdom is not of this world?
