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Why Is This Night Different?

March 12th, 2009

Telling the Story of Passover

“And when in time to come your son asks you, What does this mean?   You shall say to him, By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery”  (Ex. 13:14)

Introduction: Our story begins with a reading of Deut. 26:5-8.

I. The Telling (Ex. 13:8-vehigadeta labincha; see also, 13:14).    The Passover meal would not be eaten until the Passover story (maggid) was re-told.  The meaning preceded the meal.

II.     A Parable of Four Sons (4 kinds of sons)

A.           The ____________ (chakam) son

B.           The ____________ (rasha’) son

C.           The ____________ (tam) son

D.           The ____________ (lishol yodea) son

II. Making Passover your own (The 3 Essentials)

A.           _____________________________

B.            _____________________________

C.            _____________________________

Conclusion:     In every generation, the people of God must feel that they themselves came out of Egypt (Deut. 6:23).  Still waiting for Elijah (Mal. 3:1;4:5)?  He has already come; along with Jesus of Nazareth.  We tell it today for those with ears to hear.

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Moses the Man

March 6th, 2009

“Some are born great, others achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”

(William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night)

Introduction:    National Geographic (March, 2009) reminds us that Moses and Mount Sinai are still newsworthy.  Who was this Moses, and what might we learn from this man?

I. Michaelangelo’s “Moses (1515)

A.    (Ex. 34:29-35)

B.     Sigmund Freud’s failure to see Moses (The Moses of Michaelangelo)

C.    Will we see Moses?

II.        What might we learn from Moses?

A.    __________________________

B.     __________________________

C.    __________________________

D.    __________________________

Conclusion:    Moses once inspired a weary and sorely oppressed people into a united nation; from whom came the Messiah.  Now, Biblical biographical data may be used productively, or set aside.

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Thine & Mine

February 26th, 2009

(Belonging)

“All mine are thine, and thine are mine”

(John 17:10, KJV)

“…All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them”

(John 17:10, ESV)

Introduction:    Jesus’ use of possessive pronouns in John 17:10 captures that part of us which longs to belong.

I. The Prayer (Jn. 17:1) -to belong

II.        The Personnel (Jn. 17:9) -to belong

III.       The Plea (Jn. 17:10) – to belong

Conclusion: The options are clear enough.  His prayer has spoken to us.  Not to belong is to not thrive; not to belong is to just survive; not to belong is to eventually die; to die alone-all alone.

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Hercules in Samaria?

February 19th, 2009

“The Lord is the strength of his people”

(Ps. 28:8; Ex. 15:2; Deut. 5:7; 12:30; Isa. 43:10-12; Phil. 4:13)

Introduction: What would Hercules be doing in Samaria?  Nevertheless, a sculpture of the Greco-Roman hero Hercules was discovered in Samaria (Aharoni and Avi-Yonah, The MacMillan Bible Atlas,131).  What could this possibly mean?  And why would it matter today?

I. What is the allurement of the Hercules Myth?

A.    Strength

B.     Protection

C.     Savior

D.    Identification

II. Have we really evolved away from mythological hope? (Well, certainly we do not call it Hercules, etc.– Nevertheless…)

A.     Protectionism

B.     NASA/SETI

C.     Secular society (supposed as superior)

III.      The Biblical Grounding (Non-mythological) (Acts 1:6-8; 8:1-25)

A.    ___________ B. __________ C. ___________

Conclusion: Now, as ever, religious syncretism is extremely relevant. So, who’s your savior, protector, and strength these days?  How do you identify when it comes to these ultimate matters?   Is your Jesus just a Herculean myth, or the Lord of the universe  (Ps. 28:8; Acts 4:12)?

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A Short History of Church Music and Why We Sing

February 13th, 2009

“Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe”

(Hebrews 12:28)

Introduction: “What, no music!” [puzzled, perplexed, and  perturbed]?

I. Some important dates-

A.    c. 650 A.D.  – ________________________

B.     1250 A.D. – __________________________

C.     2009 A.D. – __________________________

II. Some relevant Scriptures –

A.    Re: the Jewish sacrificial temple cultus

1.  1 Chron. 23:5; 2 Chron. 29:20-36

2.  Hebrews 9:1,10,15-17; 10:1, 5-9

B.       Therefore…

1.      abolished

2.      improved

C.       Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16

Conclusion:    We sing because _____________________________

____________________________________.

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The Appian Way and Paul’s Reason for Living

February 5th, 2009

“For to me to live is Christ…”

(raison vivri)

(Phil. 1:21)

Introduction: In Acts 28:14, Paul’s traveling companion, Luke, reports, “And so we came to Rome.” In those four words, we are exposed to the last lap of Paul’s long and arduous journey.  In this story, we have a window into Paul’s reason for living.

Reason 1 (Acts 28:17-19): ____________________________

Reason 2 (Acts 28:20): _______________________________

Reason 3 (Acts 28:23-24,30-31): _______________________

Conclusion: Paul’s reason for living is well expressed in Galatians 2:20.  Do you have a reason for living?

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Looking for the Golden Goose

January 30th, 2009

Aesop, “The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs”

(c. 620-560 B.C.).  Aesop was a freed slave from the Isle of Samos.

Introduction: Note the proximity of Samos to Ephesus.  In Ephesians, Paul gives his most expanded explanation of Christian riches (ploutos).

I. Commerical Ephesusthe Jewel of Asia Minor

A.    Economics 101

1.      productivity/distribution/supply/demand

2.      James 4:13 (city = market)

3.      1 Tim. 1:3; 6:17 (market and uncertainty)

B.      The Story – A man and his wife had a goose which produced a golden egg every day.  Lucky as they were, they started to think that they were not getting rich fast enough, so they decided to cut the goose open.  But, what they found inside was not what they had expected.

II. Ephesians

1:7   – _______________________

1:18 – _______________________

2:7   – _______________________

3:8   – _______________________

3:16 – _______________________

Conclusion:   Looking for the golden goose-a pervasive mentality (Lk. 8:14; 1 Tim. 6:17).  May Paul’s explanation of Christian riches (ploutos) guide you today and tomorrow.

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Preciousness

January 24th, 2009

“A precious thing in the Lord’s sight is the death of those who die faithful to him”

(Psalm 116:15, The New English Bible)

Introduction: If what is precious to the Lord is not precious to you, would that bother you?

I.         “Loving Leah” (How unlikely!)

II.        1 Peter references

1.            1:7             _________________

2.            1:19            _________________

3.            2:4            _________________

4.            2:6            _________________

5.            2:7            _________________

III.       2 Peter references

1.            1:1             _________________

2.            1:4            _________________

Conclusion:       Have you made what is precious to the Lord precious to you?    You are precious to Him!

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Learning the Paradox of Psalm 77

January 16th, 2009

Great Expectations for 2009)

“Then I said, I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High”

(Psalm 77:10. The ESV has the footnote-“Or This is my grief: that the right hand of the Most High has changed)

Introduction: Who among us could not stand to have more optimism? Then you must learn the paradox of Psalm 77.

I. Outline of Ps. 77

A. vv. 1-3 Moaning

B. vv. 4-9 Musing

C. vv.10-20 Meditating

II. Ps. 77:10“Where did that come from?” (Ex. 15)

III. What have we learned?

1. ______________________________________

2. ______________________________________

3. ______________________________________

Conclusion: Hebrews 1:3 is a fitting finale to the paradox. But the finale must be embraced-the right hand of the Majesty on high must be recognized.

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The “Take” Statements of Jesus

January 2nd, 2009

[from the Gospel of Matthew]

“Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived,

and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them”

(Deuteronomy 11:16, NKJV)

Introduction: The “take” statements of Jesus are delivered in the Deuteronomy tradition (Deut. 11:16)-personal commitment and exclusive allegiance to the Lord. Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, where we will be considering some of the classic “take” statements of Jesus.

  1. (Matt. 11:28-30) Take my ___________

2. (Matt. 16:24-26) Take up _____ _________

3. (Matt. 26:26) Take ______

Conclusion: “‘Twas God the word that spake it / He took the bread and brake it / And what the word did make it / That I believe and take it” (Queen Elizabeth, Life of Queen Elizabeth, ed. 1675). Would you take the name of Jesus with you today?

–Robert Housby

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