What Does God Say About _______?

What Did God Say About ______? Week 8

October 29, 2023 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • John 8:44, 1 Peter 5:8–9, Ephesians 4:29, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Matthew 9:20–22

What does Satan say to you?  What do others say to/about you?  What do you say to yourself? What does God say to/about you?  What does Satan say to (about) you?  John 8:44 — Your father is the devil, and you do exactly what he wants. He has always been a murderer and a liar. There is nothing truthful about him. He speaks on his own, and everything he says is a lie. Not only is he a liar himself, but he is also the father of all lies. 1 Peter 5:8-9 — Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord's followers are suffering just as you are. What do others say to you?  You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.  — Zig Ziglar  Ephesians 4:29 — Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 1 Corinthians 14:26 — Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you. What do you say to yourself?  Impulse  Emotion  Logic  Matthew 9 20 A woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and barely touched his clothes.  21 She had said to herself, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned. He saw the woman and said, “Don't worry! You are now healed because of your faith.” At that moment she was healed. What does God say to you?  S – SCRIPTURE O – OBSERVATION A – APPLICATION P – PRAYER 1. Is there any example for me to follow? 2. Is there a command for me to obey? 3. Is there any error for me to avoid? 4. Is there any sin for me to forsake? 5. Is there any promise for me to claim? 6. Is there any new thought about God?

What Does God Say About _______? Week 5

October 8, 2023 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Deuteronomy 24:1–2, Matthew 5:31–32, 1 Corinthians 7:8–11, Mark 10:2–9

What does God say about — Divorce? 1 Corinthians 7 8 Now for those who are not married and for the widows I say this: It is good for you to stay single like me.  9 But if you cannot control your body, then you should marry. It is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire. 10 Now, I have a command for those who are married. Actually, it is not from me; it is what the Lord commanded. A wife should not leave her husband.  11 But if a wife does leave, she should remain single or get back together with her husband. And a husband should not divorce his wife. Mark 10 2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied. 4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” 5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.  6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” The United States of America has a higher divorce rate than many parts of the world.  64% of men and 52% of women get married again.  67% — Second Marriages  73% — Third Marriages  Couples who live together before marriage are more likely to divorce.  75% — A lack of Commitment  60% — Infidelity  58% — Conflict/Communication 45% — Youthfulness  38% — Finances  Around 70% of divorces are initiated by women.  Couples who have friends that divorce have a 75% increase in the risk of their own marriage ending.  Motherless Children  Fatherless Children  The greatest gift you can give your family and friends is a healthy you. Deuteronomy 24  1 Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.  2 When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man. Matthew 5 31 “Remember the Scripture that says, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights’? Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are ‘legal.’  32 Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you’re responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you’re automatically an adulterer yourself. You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure.” What makes love last? What is your offense? What is your defense? 

What Does God Say About _______? Week 4

October 1, 2023 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Ecclesiastes 11:5, Psalm 127:3, Matthew 19:5, Genesis 2:18–22

What does God say about family?  Genesis 2:7 — Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Genesis 2:18 — Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:21-22 — So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. Matthew 19:5 — And God said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. And the two people will become one.’ Ecclesiastes 11:5 — As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Jeremiah 1:5 — “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Psalm 139:13 — For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 127:3 — Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  There is no perfect family.  What can I do with my imperfect family?  Love them.  Pray for them.  Point them to God’s perfection. 

What Does God Say About _______? Week 3

September 24, 2023 • Pastor Chris Sonksen • Matthew 18:18–35

What Does God Say About ______? Week 2

September 17, 2023 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Romans 6:23, Romans 7:21–24, 1 John 1:8–9, Ephesians 2:1–8, Mark 7:20–23

Questions  Hebrews 11:3 — Faith helps us understand that God created the whole world by his command. This means that the things we see were made by something that cannot be seen. What did God say about sin? Romans 3:23 — All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. 1 John 3:4 — Anyone who sins breaks God’s law. Yes, sinning is the same as living against God’s law. “Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, and takes off the relish of spiritual things—that to you is sin." — Susannah Wesley  Mark 7  20 And Jesus said, “The things that make people wrong are the things that come from the inside.  21 All these bad things begin inside a person, in the mind: bad thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder,  22 adultery, greed, doing bad things to people, lying, doing things that are morally wrong, jealousy, insulting people, proud talking, and foolish living.  23 These evil things come from inside a person. And these are the things that make people unacceptable to God.” Romans 6:23 — For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 7  21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  22 I love God’s law with all my heart.  23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Remember that if you are a child of God, you will never be happy in sin.  — Charles Spurgeon John 1:29 — The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 8:24 — If you don't have faith in me for who I am, you will die, and your sins will not be forgiven. 1 John 1 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us.  9 But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.  You may think you can live without Christ, but you cannot afford to die without Him.  Ephesians 2 1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.  2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.  3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,  5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!  8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Church is not a group of perfect people.  Church is a group of changing people. 

What Does God Say About _______? Week 1

September 10, 2023 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Matthew 4:4, 2 Timothy 3:16–17, Luke 24:27

What Does God Say About ______________? Matthew 4:4 — Jesus answered him, “The Scriptures say, ‘It is not just bread that keeps people alive. Their lives depend on what God says.’” Does God really speak? Would you like God to speak to you? Will I listen?  2 Timothy 3 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.  17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 40+ Authors  3 Different Languages  3 Different Continents  1500+ Years  2000+ Prophecies/Promises  Luke 24:27 — Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Isaiah 7:14 — The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Matthew 1:22-23 — All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Micah 5:2 — But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are the smallest town in Judah. Your family is almost too small to count, but the “Ruler of Israel” will come from you to rule for me. His beginnings are from ancient times, from long, long ago. Matthew 2:1 — Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. Isaiah 40:3 — A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Zechariah 9:9 — Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Luke 19:35 — So the followers brought the donkey to Jesus. They put their coats on its back. Then they put Jesus on the donkey. Isaiah 53:12 — Therefore will I give him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was counted with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and prayed for the trespassers. Matthew 27:38 — Two thieves were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. Amos 8:9 — Here is what will happen on that day, declares the Lord God: I will make the sun set at noon, and I will bring darkness on the earth when it should be light. Matthew 27:45 — At noon the whole country became dark. The darkness continued for three hours. I will trust God and His Word.