10-25-15 HALLOWEEN – All Saints Day

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

THE VIDEO in text:

Go to: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql-KvEKKHME)

“Hallow” as a noun an old English word for saint. As a verb, it means to make something holy or to honor it as holy.

“All hollows Eve” designates the vigil of all hallows day – more commonly known as “All Saints Day.”

All saints day is a time to remember the dead, including martyrs, saints, and all faithful departed Christians. To honor all the saints, known and unknown.

          Is Halloween a Day sole reserved for Satanic or Pagan celebrations?

No, but Halloween is a day some choose to celebrate satanic rituals. However, the origin of Halloween does not begin with these evil dark practices. Halloween originally is a Christian pre-celebratory day before All Saints Day. Believe it or not.

All saints day, Nov 1, is a Day of holy obligation, and both the feast and the vigil have been celebrated since the early 8^th century, when they were instituted by Pope Gregory III in Rome. (A century later, they were extended to the church at large by Pope Gregory IV). 

The writer of Hebrews gives us the best ALL SAINTS day list we could possibly have

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, Who is this cloud of witnesses? 

PERSON	DESCRIPTION			ACT OF FAITH	SCRIPTURE
HOF 01 Abel	Adam and Eve’s second son, younger brother of Cain. Cain killed Abel when Abel offered a better sacrifice to the Lord.			Offered the best parts of a lamb as a sacrifice to the Lord	Gen 4.1-16
HOF 02 Enoch	Little information is given about Enoch. Instead of saying he died, the Bible says that God "took him away."			"truly loved God"	Gen 5.21-26
HOF 03 Noah	Son of Lamech and great grandson of Enoch. His name sounds like the Hebrew word for "comfort."			Believed God’s warning that God was going to destroy the evil people of the world in a flood. Built a large boat (ark) as God commanded to save his family and animals.	Gen 6.1--9.17
HOF 04 Abraham	A descendant of Noah’s son Shem and the son of Terah. Husband of Sarah and father of Isaac. He was named Abram at birth, but God changed his name to Abraham which sounds like the Hebrew for "father of many nations" (Gen 17.4-5).			Left the security of his homeland, when God called him to go to a new land where God would give him many descendants.	Gen 12.1-9; 17.1-8; see also Rom 4
HOF 05 Sarah	Wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. She was originally named Sarai but God changed her name to Sarah (both names mean "princess" (Gen 17.15).			Was too old to have children, but she had faith that God would give her a child anyway.	Gen 18.1-15; 21.1-8
HOF 06 Isaac	Abraham and Sarah’s son. Although Abraham had a son by his wife’s slave Hagar, Isaac is called Abraham’s "only son" because he was born as the result of God’s promise to Abraham.			Gave a blessing to his sons Jacob and Esau	Gen 27.1-40
HOF 07 Jacob	Son of Isaac and Rebekah, and twin brother of Esau. His name was changed to Israel (Gen 32.22-28) which means "a man who wrestles with God." The twelve tribes of Israel were named after his sons. God’s promise to Abraham and Isaac was repeated to Jacob (Gen 28.13-15).			Blessed his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh (Joseph’s sons)	Gen 48.1-22
HOF 08 Joseph	Son of Jacob and Rachel. He was sold by his brothers to a passing caravan of traders and taken to Egypt where he became an important official in the kings court.			Used his position in the Egyptian government to save his family when they went to Egypt during a time of famine in Caanan. Also, trusted that God would lead the Hebrew people of Israel out of Egypt.	Gen 37~50; especially 50.22-25.
HOF 09 Moses	A Hebrew born in Egypt who was adopted into the royal household. The Lord appeared to him and commanded him to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt. Later the Lord gave him the Law on Mount Sinai.			Refused to be considered the king’s grandson; led the Hebrew people out of Egypt; celebrated Passover.	Exod 1~15; 19~34
HOF 10 Rahab	A Canaanite prostitute who lived in Jericho before the Israelites conquered the city.			Helped two Israelite spies escape Jericho so they could make a report to their commanders.	Josh 2.1,3; 6.21-25
HOF 11 Gideon	Gideon is the son of Joash, from the Abiezrite clan in the tribe of Manasseh and lived in Ephra			When 32,000 Israelites rallied for battle (Judges 7:3), God diminished Gideon's army to an unimpressive, outnumbered 300. "Then the LORD said to Gideon, 'By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you'" Gideon went forth by faith, and the Lord was faithful to His word	Judges 6-8
HOF 12 Barak	The son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, Barak was the next judge after Deborah and preceded Gideon		An unlikely leader who lacked courage, he would not go into to battle unless the prophetess Deborah accompanied him. Also, his godless opponent was actually defeated by another woman when she drove a tent peg through his head.		Judges 4
HOF 13 Samson	one of the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites.	Samson was given supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats, such as killing a lion, slaying an entire army with a donkey jawbone, and destroying a pagan templewith his bare hands. Samson had two vulnerabilities: his attraction to untrustworthy women and his hair, without which he was powerless.
HOF 14 Jephthah	The "son of a harlot"	The elders of Gilead ask him to be their leader in the campaign against the Ammonites, but he holds out for a more permanent and a broader position, and the elders agree that, provided Jephthah succeeds in defeating Ammon: Jephthah swears an oath: Whoever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering - on his return his only child – a daughter came through the door – and he killed her.			Judges 11
HOF 15 David	A great warrior and Israel’s greatest king. He made Jerusalem the capital of Israel and had the sacred chest brought there.			Slew the giant Goliath and helped the Israelites to conquer Canaan.	1 Sam 16.1--1 Kgs 2.11; especially, 1 Sam 17
HOF 16 Samuel	Samuel was a prophet and the last judge of Israel.			He poured oil on the heads of Saul and David to show that God had chosen them to be kings of Israel.	1 Sam 1.1--1 Sam 25.1
HOF 17 The Prophets	The Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.			They spoke judgement, grace and mercy to the people of Israel.

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (For Halloween we wear costumes that can often weigh us down – throw it off)

2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, (Got new eye glasses that didn’t work – they were the wrong prescription) the author and perfecter of our faith, (Even our faith is a gift from God) who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, (The evil portrayed at holloween is nothing compared to the evil that was unleashed on the Son of God on a cross on top of golgatha 2000 years ago.) and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (It is so easy when we have sinned or when someone sins against us to lose heart – remember Jesus – and don’t lose heart!  Remember the heros of Hebrews 11 – and don’t lose heart! Remember the people in your past who made it so you would come to know Christ and receive eternal life – and do not lose heart!) 

Halloween falls on the evening before the Christian holy days of All Hallows' Day (also known as All Saints' or Hallowmas) on 1 November and All Souls' Day on 2 November, thus giving the holiday on 31 October the full name of All Hallows' Eve (meaning the evening before All Hallows' Day). 

Hebrews 11:4-40

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about those, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

10-11-15 A World of Differents

Scripture:  1 Peter 2:9-10

READING: First Church of the Blessed Clique

Good evening.  We’d like to welcome each and every one of you to First Church of the Blessed Clique.  Kindly bear with me as I make a few announcements concerning the week’s activities.  You’ll note that we offer programs for every type of personality.

The “Suit and Tie” group will be meeting tomorrow evening at seven o’clock in room 3.  Dress code will be strictly enforced.  Our “The Lord Loves Me Just the Way I Am” class will meet in the church fellowship hall, and, as usual, it’s a “come as you are.”

The “Those of Higher Education” class will be meeting on Tuesday night in Room A, while the “Glory Be to God, I Made It Out of High School by the Skin of My Teeth” group will be meeting in Classroom D….minus.

Our “Pro-growth” group will be meeting on Tuesday evening for door-to-door evangelism, while the “Our Church Is Big Enough As It Is” class will meet in the church basement.  Password will be required, and doors will be locked promptly at 7 p.m.

On Wednesday evenings we have several different groups meeting.  The “King James Only” class will meet in the main sanctuary, while the “Pretribulation,” “Midtribulation,” “and “Posttribulation” groups will each be meeting in their regular classrooms. Meeting times for those three classes…are well…try your luck.

         The “Higher Income Bracket” group will be meeting this Thursday in the third floor chapel, aka as the penthouse.  Last year’s W-2 forms will be required for admittance.

Also, meeting on Thursday evening will be the “Isn’t It Time You Got a Haircut?” men’s group.  They’ll meet in Room 4, while the “Samson Got a Haircut and Look What It Did for Him” class will be meeting in the fellowship hall.  Positively no barbers or seductress beauticians will be allowed.

On Friday evening, the “I Wish Your Grandchildren Were As Perfect as Mine” seniors group will meet in the church annex.  A display table will be provided for pictures and awards.  However, space is limited and must be offered on a first come, first served basis.  Please note: Latecomers who remove trophies to make room for their own grandchildren’s trophies will be immediately ousted from the group.  Surveillance cameras will be in operation.

Also meeting on Friday evening is the “Long Prayers” group.  They’ll meet in the prayer room from 7 till 10 p.m..or later.  The “Make It Quick – Dinner’s Getting Cold” prayer group will meet at the front doors from 7:00 pm to 7:05 pm.  Don’t be late or you will miss it.

The “T.W.H.H.” group (“Those Who Hate Hugging”) will meet in Room 5.  The “Huggers” class is planning to crush, uhhhhh, I mean crash the meeting.

Throughout the week, feel free to attend the group meeting of your choice.  Whatever you do, though, don’t miss our Sunday worship.  We are in the middle of a preaching series “Kumbaya: Working as ONE for the cause of Christ.”  (Pause)  And you thought your job was tough!

MUSIC STARTS

John 17:20-23

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

 SONG: Let us be one sung by Mike Dawes (Jump Drive)

We are on a Unique Journey – Peculiarly Individual – Particularly in Unity

James 2:1-10

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Deuteronomy 7:5-6

This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

OT get rid of the external symbols / NT get rid of the heart issues

OT God loves you as a particular people / NT God loves you as a peculiar person.

1 Peter 2:1-8

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,"  8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for.

1 Peter 2:9-10

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God (KJV a peculiar people), that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

GOD CHOSE YOU / US

John 15:16

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.

We are on a Unique Journey – Peculiarly Individual – Particularly in Unity

1. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.

Chorus
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

2. We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land.

3. We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
And we’ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride.

4. All praise to the Father, from whom all things come,
And all praise to Christ Jesus, his only Son,
And all praise to the Spirit, who makes us one.

10-04-15 B F H

(worldwide communion Sunday)

 

Scripture:    James 2:14-24

Passover / / Bread in the boat

Bethlehem = The house of Bread!

B. V. 30-33 Illustrated By The Manna - The Jews come to Jesus and request a miracle, (What did they call the feeding of the multitude?), and they remind Jesus of the Old Testament miracle of the Manna. They tell Jesus that Moses gave the children of Israel Manna, and they want to know what He is going to do. Christ's response is to remind them that Moses was not responsible for the Manna, but that it was the provision of God. He goes on to tell them that the true bread from Heaven is a person. In fact, it is Jesus himself who is the Bread of Life, v. 33. What Jesus is saying is that the Manna was a type of Himself. Notice the various ways that the Manna speaks of Jesus.

1. It Was Small - Exodus 16:14 - This speaks of Christ's humility. He wasn't born in a king's palace, but in a manger. He never employed the riches at His disposal, but lived a poor life all the time he was in this world, Mark 8:20. He came this way in order to identify Himself with the sinners He came to save.

2. It Was Round - Exodus 16:14 - This speaks of Christ's eternal nature. Jesus did not have His beginning in Bethlehem, but He has always been, John 1:1. Jesus is the eternal Son of God! There has never been a time when He wasn't, there will never be a time when He will not be! He is the I AM!

3. It Was White - Exodus 16:31 - This reminds us of the sinless, holy nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born without sin, lived without sin and died without sin. He was absolutely impeccable in His character. Jesus is the sinless Son of God - 1 Pet. 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21.

4. It Came At Night - Exodus 16:13-14 - Jesus came to a world lost in spiritual darkness and gave them light and life.

5. It Was Misunderstood By Those Who Found It - Exodus 16:15 - They called it Manna which means, "What is it?" Jesus was misunderstood by the very people He came to save - John 1:11; John 10:20. (By the way, He is still misunderstood today! He is more than a teacher, a prophet, a poor unfortunate man who got Himself killed. He is the Son of God! He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!)

6. It Was Sufficient For Every Man's Need - Exodus 16:17-18 - This reminds us that Jesus is the all-sufficient Savior. He meets the need of man's soul. Some go deep in the Christian life, others get in but chose to play around the edges, but wherever you find yourself, as long as it is in Jesus, you will find that He is sufficient to save your soul. (Ill. God gave them approximately 240 boxcars of Manna per day for 38 years. What a God we serve!)

7. It Was Sweet To The Taste - Exodus 16:31 - Those who partook of the Manna found it sweet and satisfying. By the same token, all those who receive Jesus as their Savior find Him to be sweet to the soul and satisfying to the life. That is why we are encouraged by David to "taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8.

8. It Was To Be Kept And Passed On To Others - Exodus 16:32 - Jesus is the same way, He is to be shared with those who cross our path. We are to be certain that we share Him with the next generation, because we are only one generation away from extinction as a people at any given time. (Ill. 2 Tim. 2:2)

9. There is more that could be said about he Manna, but that is enough to let us see that it is a perfect type of Jesus.

C. V. 52-58 Illustrated By The Master - Jesus says that He is the ultimate bread. The Israelites ate of the Manna in the wilderness and eventually they died. The crowd was filled on the mountainside, yet eventually, they too died! Jesus is the anti-type of the Manna. All that it was, He exceeds. Jesus is greater than the bread given out on the mountainside. All who partake of Him will live forever. His guarantee is that they will never die! His guarantee is one of eternal life to all who come to Him, John 10:28; Ill. John 4:14. After all, Jesus is the real Bread!

John 6:3-15                                       FEEDING THE 5000

Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"  He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."  So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

John 6:16-21                                     WALK ON THE WATER

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid."  Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

John 6:22                                CONFUSED PEOPLE ON THE BEACH

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"  Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" (Ex 16:4-5  Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. Ps 78:23-24  et he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."  35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 6:41-58    At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."  They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

John 6:59-69   He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.  Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him,  "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words  of  eternal  life.  We  believe  and  know  that  you  are  the  Holy  One  of  God.  (aka: The B F H)"