Daily Focus
God is with us: Immanuel: Matthew 1:23
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
Printed Text: (Isaiah 9:6) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Week # 1
Prayer:
Father God, we give You glory, honor, and we praise You for all You did through Your Son Jesus, and we ask for Your help in learning of You and our Savior, and to live with hope, and be filled with joy and peace this holiday season as we study on the birth of Your precious child Jesus. Bless each one of us with knowledge, understanding and wisdom of our Savior's birth this season, and bless us to know that Jesus is the reason for the season. Thank You Holy Spirit for all Your help as we study, and as we live a life to please our Father in Heaven. Please fill us with that joy and peace in the power of the Holy Spirit that (Ro 15:13) speak of, in Jesus name, amen. Bless each member of this community with joy and peace this holiday season, bless their families, provide their needs to be meet, protect them as they travel to visit family and friends during this holiday season. Bring family together and closer to one another this season. We appreciate You, Lord Jesus Christ, because You made away for God to be with us. Thank You that the joy of knowing our Lord is with us, He is our strength, and we shall live by this all year long. We pray this prayer in Jesus' precious name; Amen.
God is with us: Immanuel: Matthew 1:23
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
Printed Text: (Isaiah 9:6) "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Subject: Bible Prophecy:
Bible prophecy or biblical prophecy comprises the passages of the Bible that claim to be communications from God to humans through prophets. The Biblical prophets are usually considered by Jews and Christians to have received revelations from God, subsequently recording them in the relevant writings. Such passages are widely distributed throughout the Bible, but those most often cited appear in Ezekiel, Daniel, Matthew 24, Matthew 25, and Revelation. Some prophesies in the Bible are conditional, with either the conditions implicitly assumed or explicitly stated. Some prophetic passages are depicted as direct statements from God, while other statements are expressed as the privileged perspective of the biblical author considered to be a prophet. Believers in biblical prophecy engage in exegesis and hermeneutics of scriptures which they believe contain descriptions of global politics, natural disasters, the future of the nation of Israel, the coming of a Messiah and a Messianic Kingdom — as well as the ultimate destiny of humankind. Hebrew Bible prophets often warn the Israelites to repent of their sins and idolatries, with the threat of punishment or reward. Blessings and ruinations are attributed to the deity. According to believers in Bible prophecy, many of these prophecies are viewed as having been fulfilled within later passages.
A second prophetic theme is the coming of a Messiah: Christians believe that these Messianic prophecies are fulfilled by Christ Jesus, while followers of Rabbinic Judaism still await the arrival of the Jewish Messiah and other signs of Jewish eschatology. Most Christians believe many messianic prophecies will be fulfilled with the Second Coming of Christ, though some Christians believe that all Messianic prophecies have already been fulfilled. Rabbinic Judaism does not separate the original coming of the Messiah and the advent of the Messianic Age.
What is Prophecy?
Unlike any other, only God knows the future. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 46:9-10, NKJV. "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,'" Prophecy shows the reliability of the scriptures, which do not come from men but are sent by God. It's in the Bible, 2 Peter 1:19-21, ESV. "And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." Prophecy foretold of a Savior that would die to save us from sins. It's in the Bible, Luke 24:46-47. NKJV. "He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'" Jesus fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah, our Savior. It's in the Bible, Luke 24:44, NKJV. "Then He said to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.'" Prophecy is a way for God to communicate to His people. It's in the Bible, Hosea 12:10, NKJV. "I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets." God has revealed His plans to the prophets. It's in the Bible, Amos 3:7, NKJV. "Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets" God's plans are always for our good. It's in the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11, NIV. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"
Prophecy is one of the gifts of the Spirit to the church. It's in the Bible, Romans 12:6-7, NKJV. "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if Prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching" Prophecy helps move the work of God. It's in the Bibie, Ezra 6:14, NKJV. "So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia." The gift of prophecy is to build up the church and unify it. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 4:11-13, NKJV. "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;" The Holy Spirit distributes individual gifts to members of the church. It's in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:9-11, NKJV. "to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."
Be sure to test prophets. It's in the Bible, 1 John 4:1, NKJV. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Prophets must speak according to the Bible. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 8:20, NKJV. "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Prophets are not usually popular. It's in the Bible, Matthew 5:11-12, NKJV. "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Prophecy speaks what is right, not what is popular. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 30:10, NKJV. "Who say to the seers, 'Do not see,' And to the prophets, 'Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.'"
We are to test prophecies, not ignore them. It's in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, NKJV. "do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good." Beware of prophets who do not keep the laws of God. It's in the Bible, Matthew 7:22-23, NKJV. "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" We can expect prophet in the last days of earth's history. It's in the Bible, Joel 2:28, NKJV. "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions." Prophecy has important information about the last days. It's in the Bible, Revelation 1:3, NKJV. "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." Prophecy that does not enhance the understanding of God's love is worthless. It's in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:2, NKJV. "And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."
Background Scripture: I Corinthians 12:10
"To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:"
Scriptures References: I Corinthians 13:8; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Revelation 22:19
Questions:
1). The interpretation of Immanuel is what?
2). What books record the most prophecies of the Messiah?
3). What is Biblical prophecy?
4). Look up the definition of (exegesis and hermeneutics).
5). Have all the messianic prophecies been fulfilled?
6). Explain Isaiah 46:9-10
7). Explain 2 Peter 1:19-21
8). Explain Hosea 12:10
9). Explain Amos 3:7
10). Explain Romans 12:6-7
11). Explain I Corinthians 12:10
12). Explain Revelation 22:19
13). What are we told to do according to I John 4:1
14). What do Revelation 1:3 say?
15). Prophecy that does not enhance the understanding of God's Word is what?
Application Question: What really touched your spirit concerning prophecy?
Who Prophesied This? Week # 1
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2)
Please share a short Review:
Reading Assignment: Week # 1 Isaiah 1-8 Monday through Sunday
Sharing: Christmas Songs Week # 1 O Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie! Above your deep and dreamless sleep,
The silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light, The hopes and fears of all the years, Are met in thee tonight.
O morning stars, together Proclaim thy holy birth And praises sing to God, the King, And peace to men on earth. For Christ is born of Mary, And gathered all above, While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of wondering love.
How silently, how silently, The wondrous Gift is giv'n! So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, But in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive Him still, The dear Christ enters in.
Where children pure and happy, Pray to the blessed child. Where misery cries out to thee, Son of the mother mild; Where charity stand watching, And faith holds hope wide the door, The dark night wakes, The glory breaks, And Christmas once more.
Galatians 5:16-23
Date: 12/4/15
Prayer:
Father God, this has been a very blessed study for the believer's walk with Your Holy Spirit. God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the different. Walking in the Spirit is a blessing, and many blessings we experience as we do. Your Word have we hid in our hearts that we do not sin against You or Your Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name. Bless us to acknowledge You in our worship, our work, our spiritual war, our walk, our witnessing, our watching every moment, and our love to You and all others. As we prayed earlier in the study, we know that walking in the Spirit pleases You, so we desire to walk every day in Your Spirit, in the Fruit of the Spirit. Help us to continue to hide Your Word in our hearts, so we do not sin against You or others. This we pray in Jesus' name, AMEN.
Conclusion:
(Ephesians 6:18) "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"
Seeking God through the Spirit is walking in the Spirit of God. Prayer helps us to gain guidance and divine directions from God through the Holy Spirit. We studied "Prayer" a few months ago, maybe last year, not sure. Prayer is a key to walking in the Spirit. I saved this one for the conclusion of this study. Jesus told the disciples to pray always (Luke 18:1). Apostle Paul warn everyone to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17). James said, "Is any among you afflicted? Let them pray." Seeking God in prayer is walking in the Spirit. Matthew said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Walking in the Spirit means you are not walking in the flesh, so in order to do that we must seek God through the Holy Spirit in prayer. I am reminded of our study on "The Prayer Jabez" when talked about; "The Holy Spirit is a person, and at salvation, you receive Him completely, not partially. The book of Acts recounts the fact that the early Christians were filled repeatedly. When we are willing to let the Holy Spirit saturate us, He pervades our entire being with His presence and power. The filling is not having more of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit having all of us. WOW!" All of us when we are walking in the Spirit, and we are filled completely with the Spirit, always desire to do whatever the Holy Spirit led us to do. Not just sometimes, but always seeking His leadership. And prayer is one of the tools to do this each and every day. A prayer that is successful can be outlined in (II Chronicles 7:14), what are they? "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
When God grant a prayer what is the first thing you should do? Receive it and worship Him in praises. If you don't see an answer immediately, what should you do? Keep praying and wait on God. God through His Holy Spirit will lead and guide you in the path of righteousness, amen. Walking in the Spirit is being led by the Spirit of God. When we studied "How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life, we learn that prayer was powerful and it helps us to connect with God through the Holy Spirit. Finally, in order to walk in the Spirit, we must be obedient to Him, we must see Him as a person.
In conclusion here are five things that we must do so it can be truly said that we are walking in the Spirit.
1. Acknowledge
First, we must acknowledge from our hearts that we are helpless to do good apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit. As Paul says in Romans 7:18, "I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing." What did Jesus mean when he said in John 15:5, "Without me you can do nothing"? Of course we can do something without Jesus: we can sin! But that's all we can do. So, the first step of walking by the Spirit is: admit this fact and let it have its devastating effect on our pride. We cannot do anything pleasing to God without the constant enablement of the Spirit.
2. Pray
Second, since it is promised in Ezekiel 36:27 that God will put his Spirit within us and cause us to walk in his statutes, pray that he do it to you by his almighty power. Many of you know the glorious, liberating experience of having an irresistible desire for sin overcome by a new and stronger desire for God and his way. And as you look back, to whom do you attribute that new desire? Where did it come from? It came from the merciful Holy Spirit. Therefore, let us pray like Paul did in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 for that chief fruit of the Spirit: "Now may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men." And let's pray like the writer to the Hebrews did in Hebrews 13:21, And now may the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. If it is God alone who works in us what is pleasing in His sight, then above all, we must pray. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).
3. Trust
The third step involved in walking by the Spirit is faith. We must believe that since we have come under the gracious sway of God's Spirit, "sin will no longer have dominion over us" (Romans 6:14). This confidence is what Paul meant by "reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive to God" (Romans 6:11). We simply count on it that the Spirit who made us alive when we were dead in sin wills our holiness and has the power to achieve what he wills. You may remember in one of my sermons on prayer I said that one of the things we believers can pray for with undoubting faith that God will do it is our sanctification, which is the same as being led by the Spirit.
The reason we can is that we know that God will cause his children to be led by the Spirit. And the way we know this is because of Romans 8:14, where Paul says you can't even be a child of God unless you are led by the Spirit. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." If you are a child of God, you have a solid and unshakable promise that God will give you victory over those powerful desires of the flesh. One word of caution: do not prejudge the timing of the Holy Spirit's work. Why he liberates one person overnight but brings another to freedom through months of struggle is a mystery concealed for now from our eyes.
4. Act
The fourth step in walking by the Spirit after you have acknowledged your helplessness without him, prayed for his enablement, and trusted in his deliverance is to act the way you know is right. Notice: this is not step number one. If this were step number one, all our actions would be works of the flesh, not fruit of the Spirit. Only after we have appealed for the Spirit's enablement and thrown ourselves confidently on his promise and power to work in us, do we now work with all our might. Only when we act with that spiritual preparation, will we be able to say with Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:10, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me." Or in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (see also Romans 15:18, 19). A person who has acknowledged his helplessness, prayed for God's enablement to do right, and yielded himself confidently to the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit has this astonishing incentive to do righteousness, namely, the confidence that, whatever righteous act he does, it is God almighty who is at work in him giving him the will and the power to do it. It is a sign of hasty prejudice when a person says, "Well, if the Spirit is sovereign and I can't do any good without his enablement, then I may as well just sit here and do nothing." There are two things wrong with that statement: it is self-contradictory, and it is unbiblical. It is a contradiction to say, "I'll just sit here and do nothing." If you choose to sit in your chair while the house burns down, you have chosen to do something, just as much as the person who chooses to get up and save himself and others. Why should you think the one choice any more inconsistent with the sovereignty of God than the other? And such a statement is also unbiblical because Philippians 2:12 and 13 says, Beloved, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (get out of the chair, the house is on fire!) because (not "in spite of" but "because") God is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. It is a great incentive, not discouragement, that all our effort to do what is right is the work of almighty God within us. At least for myself, I am greatly encouraged when the going gets rough that any effort I make to do right is a sign of God's grace at work in me. "Let him who serves serve in the strength which God supplies, that in everything God may get the glory" (1 Peter 4:11). To God be the glory!
5. Thank
The final step in walking in the Spirit is to thank God for any virtue attained or any good deed performed. If without the Spirit we can do no right, then we must not only ask his enablement for it but also thank him whenever we do it. Just one example from 2 Corinthians 8:16. Paul says, "Thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus." Titus loved the Corinthians. Where did that come from? God put it in his heart. It was a fruit of the Spirit. So what does Paul do? He thanks God. And Titus should, too. Thanks be to God who puts love in our hearts! "If we live by the Spirit, then let us also walk by the Spirit." Let us acknowledge from our heart that we are unable to please God without the Spirit's constant enablement. Let us pray for that enablement. Let us trust confidently in the Spirit's power and promise to give that enablement. Then let us do what we know is right. And having done it, let us turn and say with all the saints, "Not I, but the Spirit of Christ within me." Thanks be to God! To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen.
Exercise: Week # 8 Walking in the Spirit today:
What did you do to know you were walking in the Spirit today?
Extra: Kindness/Meekness (Temperance)
I choose kindness . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
Extra: Temperance
I choose Longsuffering . . . I am a spiritual being. . .After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will not, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Personal Prayer:
Father God, please forgive me for allowing pride to ever visit my door. Thank You for loving me enough to tell me when I am doing, thinking, or believing the wrong things. Help me to never think I know more than You. Help me to always be ready to learn and remain teachable in all things. Help me to hear You and accept Your correction. Help me to develop the fruit of meekness and to remove pride from my heart. I love You, Lord, and I want to always be in the Truth. I want to remain humble and lined up with Your will for my life. Show me where there is sin and wrong thinking in my life, and help me to lay it down at Your feet. Thank You for the Truth and correction of Your Word. Lord, thank You for Your life giving Word. Thank You that Your Word holds all the answers. Help me to separate my ideas and thoughts from the worlds'. Help me to adapt and submit my life, thoughts, and feelings to what Your Word says, Help me to develop the fruit of self-control by living an obedient, submitted, and consecrated life. Thank You for Your Son and the living example that He lived. Thank You. . . Thank You. . . Praise You! In Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen!
Reading Assignment: Week # 8 I Corinthians 13
LOVE is God
JOY is love's cheerfulness or the gladness of love.
PEACE is love's confidence or the quietness of love.
LONGSUFFERING is love's composure or the patience of love.
GENTLENESS is love's consideration or the graciousness of love.
GOODNESS is love's character or the conduct of love.
FAITHFULNESS is love's constancy or the dependability of love.
MEEKNESS is love's comeliness or the humility of love.
TEMPERANCE is love's conquest or the control of love.
Walking in the Spirit is walking in God's love.
Weekly Reading: Week # 7 (II Thessalonians 1-3) Monday through Wednesday
I have finished my weekly reading assignment.
