Introduction

• Mark 9:35-39
• Mark 10:13-16
• Children’s Letters to God

What are kids learning from parents?

• Psalms 78:1-8
• James 1:26
• Matthew 21:14-16 – Sometimes kids are the most honest. Jesus defended them here by quoting Psalm 8.
• II Timothy 3:15

Struggling with morality

• Matthew 7:12
• Matthew 5:43-45 – Love everyone! This is not easy.
• Genesis 3:22-24 – Man’s sin brought death into the world. I Corinthians 15:21-22
• Psalms 73:2-3, 16-17, 28 – Why do the evil prosper? Things looks different with eternity in the equation.
• I Peter 5:6-7
• II Corinthians 12:7-9

God’s wisdom and power

• Psalms 63:1-7
• Exodus 20:1-6 – God is a jealous God. God wants our attention and devotion.
• I Timothy 1:17
• Psalms 139:1
• Psalms 90:1

Conclusion

• Kids: Ask all your questions about God.
• Adults: Let’s do our best to answer their questions.

Husbands: how does God-given authority work?

• I Corinthians 11:3-12
• I Samuel 15:17-26 – Saul did not lead as God required and sinned because of it.
• Colossians 3:18

Bad leadership causes misery.

• I Samuel 8:5-7
• I Samuel 8:1-5 – Part of the reason they wanted a king was because Samuel’s sons were corrupt.

Ephesians 5:22-33: sacrifices and love

• Husbands are to sacrifice themselves for the spiritual wellbeing of their wives.
• Matthew 20:25-28
• John 13:12

I Peter 3:7: understanding and honor

• Compare Isaiah 40:11

Men, we’ve got a lot of learning to do.

• Girls tend to practice conversations about emotions and relationships from an early age much more than boys do (if boys ever do this!).

Introduction

• Philippians 4:8

A word about meditation

• I’m not talking about anything weird.
  • Psalms 1:2 vs. Genesis 6:5
• Meditation is a lost art
  • Joshua was very busy, but he was instructed to meditate to help with his problems.
  • Genesis 24:63; Joshua 1:7-9; Psalms 63:1-7
  • When is the last time you had quiet time to just think?
  • Psalms 4:4
  • Psalms 77:12
  • Psalms 119:78, 148
  • Psalms 143:5
  • Psalms 145:5
  • When should I meditate? Any time!

God is my Creator

• Psalms 33:6-9
• Proverbs 3:19
• Psalms 104:19-35

Jesus loved me enough to die for me.

• John 1:14
• Hebrews 2:14, 17
• Philippians 2:5-8
• John 15:12-13 – Jesus’ love motivates me to love.

I have an eternal soul.

• Genesis 1:26-27
• John 4:24
• Ecclesiastes 12:7
• Zechariah 12:1
• Hebrews 12:9; 9:27
• Romans 8:16-18 – Our time on earth is so short compared to eternity!

Luke 2

• This is the time that all followers of God were looking forward to.
• Overview of the chapter:
  • Luke 2:1-7 – Birth of Jesus
  • Luke 2:8-20 – Reception of the shepherds
  • Luke 2:21-24 – Sacrifices at the temple
  • Luke 2:25-35 – Simeon
  • Luke 2:36-40 – Anna
  • Luke 2:41-52 – Jesus in the temple
• Luke 2:1-7
  • Bethlehem means, “house of bread” and Jesus was described as the bread of life.
  • Rome was at peace at this time and Rome was roughly at the peak of its power. It was a massive transportation hub, which suited God’s purpose perfectly.
  • This was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 2:44.
• Luke 2:24 – Jesus’ earthly parents were not wealthy – they had to offer the “back-up” offering for those that could not afford a lamb. Goin gto pay the tax levied against them would have been especially burdensome.
• Luke 2:7 – This was an enormously humble birth. A manger (feeding trough) was not a clean place for a baby!
• Luke 2:14 – Even the heavenly host were excited about the coming of Jesus!
• Luke 2:21 – Mary and Joseph were both told independently that the baby’s name would be Jesus.
• Luke 2:22 – See Leviticus 12.
• Luke 2:24 – The fact that Mary offered a sacrifice and had to go through purification contradicts the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Introduction

• Colossians 2:12
• Galatians 3:27

Why do y’all talk about baptism so much?

• Mark 7:1-8 – Why did Jesus talk about hypocrisy or tradition so much?
• Baptism did not seem controversial in the New Testament. We don’t have records of anyone believing in Jesus and then balking at being baptized.
• Mark 16:15-16
• Acts 2:38
• Romans 6:3-4
• I Peter 3:21

What about all the other verses?

• Things involved in salvation:
  • Titus 3:4-6 – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
  • Ephesians 2:-5 – Mercy, love, and grace
  • Romans 8:24 – Hope
  • Ephesians 2:13-16 – Blood and cross of Christ
  • Romans 5:10 – Resurrected life of Christ
  • Acts 4:10-12 – Name of Christ
  • Romans 1:16 – Gospel
  • Romans 10:14-15 – Inspired preachers
  • John 8:32 – Truth
  • Matthew 17:5 – Reception of the gospel (hearing, reading)
  • Romans 5:1 – Faith
  • II Corinthians 7:10 – Repentance
  • Romans 10:9 – Confession and belief
  • I Peter 3:21 – Baptism
  • James 2:24 – Works
  • Revelation 2:10 – Endurance
• All these verses are true at the same time!

What about Ephesians 2?

• Ephesians 2:8-10
• Hebrews 11:4-5, 7-9, 11, 17, 20-24, 27-33 – These people took action because of their faith.
• Salvation is a gift from God, but we must obey His instructions in order to receive it.
• John 6:28-29 – Belief here was listed as a work.
• This passage is teaching against the idea of trying to save yourself.