Blessings and Curses

Benham Brothers

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Blessings and Curses

Lessons from George Washington

March 23, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* vs 1 - George Washington had the Bible open to this chapter when he placed his hand on it to be sworn in as our first president.
* God is an “if / then” God - we have a part to play.
* Whether we experience the blessings or curses is our choice.
* vs 15 - God’s love is unconditional, but His favor is conditioned on our obedience.
* He wants to shower us with blessings, but it’s our choice.
* vs 20 & 63 - God Himself becomes our enemy.
* I tell my kids I can be their best friend or their enemy, it depends on them.
* vs 47-48 - Obedience requires more than just doing the right thing - you have to do it with the right heart.
* vs 64-67 - Moses ends with a small list of things they would experience if they didn’t obey the Lord:
* 1) They would constantly be out of place (vs 64) - never feeling “at home” anywhere.
* 2) They’ll worship the wrong gods (vs 64) - other gods will replace the true God.
* 3) They would have no rest (vs 65) - constantly be striving, exhausted in every way.
* 4) They would be anxious (vs 65) - constantly stressed-out about everything.
* 5) They would be filled with want (vs 65) - wanting stuff would be their way of life.
* 6) They would be void of hope (vs 65) - always feeling hopeless.
* 7) They would be fearful (vs 66) - always wondering what was going to happen and afraid of the results.
* 8) They would lack certainty (vs 66) - never sure of themselves, always questioning.
* 9) They would lack contentment (vs 67) - never satisfied with where they are or what they have.

Marketplace Ministry

April 22, 2021 • Benham Brothers

Judges 3:31 - Marketplace Ministry * Our primary form of worship is work. * This is why excellence in the workplace is so important. * The workplace consists of both for-profit and nonprofit models. * People call the for-profit space the “Marketplace.” * They call the non-profit space the “Ministry.” * This is wrong, but it is what it is. * ** God often uses the marketplace as the training ground for His leaders. * Look at Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David - all shepherds. * Look at Elisha, Amos, Gideon - all farmers. * Look at Joseph, Daniel, Obadiah - all employed by kings. * Look at the disciples and Jesus Himself - all trained in the workplace. * God uses the marketplace to winnow and wield strong men and women. * The marketplace judges by ACTION, not INTENTION. * ** So when it came time to find a leader for Israel, God tapped a farmer on the shoulder. * Vs 31 - After Ehud, Shamgar used the tool of his business to fight God’s battles. * He struck down 600 Philistines over time. * His way of life included work, worship, and warfare! (Sword and Trowel - Nehemiah) * The same thing happened years later when Israel was about to go into battle. * Joel 3:10 - "turn your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears" * The tools of their sustainability would now be used as weapons for their deliverance. * 100 years later……in a time of peace: * Micah 4:3 - "turn your swords into plowshares and your spears into pruning hooks" * The weapons of their deliverance would now be used as tools for their sustainability. * This is why your work is so important. God has made it to be your primary form of worship. * Judges 6:11 - God shows up when you do common work in an uncommon way. * Judges 6:12 - Your work prepares you for warfare. * EX: Love Life.

Government Gone Bad

August 16, 2018 • Benham Brothers

* This verse shows the importance of good government. * A hardworking productive person can have their stuff taken away by a bad government. * The role of government is to praise the good and punish the wicked. * They do this so that we can have an environment that allows us to flourish. * As Christians we need to concern ourselves with discipling nations, not just people. * This means we have to be involved in shaping our environment so people can flourish. * Example - if you started a business in America you can make a lot of money. * But if you started the same business in North Korea there’s no chance.

God the Governor

January 7, 2016 • Benham Brothers

• God forms and fills everything for man to govern the world we live in. • The world needed order first - then we could have dominion. • LIGHT has to come first - this is God’s presence. • Light did two things: • 1) SEPARATION - Holy means “set apart” - like a chocolate chip. • 2) GOVERN - the sun, moon, and stars are used to govern. • vs 22 - The first blessing - taking part in creation. • vs 28 - The difference in this blessing is that we have the authority to govern.