Lecture 2 – As we begin to study the text of the Book of Judges, we noticed that the author has written what is best described as two introductions to this book—each with its own purpose. The first introduction sets forth the military context of the book, while the second focuses more on the theological context of that day. In studying the military journal of the conquests and failures of the Israelites in chapter 1, we discover that the Israelites have a half-hearted commitment to obedience and dependence upon the Lord—the people were depending more upon their own common sense than God.
General Revelation refers to the knowledge that we have as the result of God creating the cosmos and the moral conscience within each human being. In response to God’s general revelation, our first priority as believers when it comes to worship is to repent of our sins—asking God to ‘first clean the inside’ of my life. Our second priority is to discover who God is because it is easy to worship creation rather than the Creator. And finally, we need to realize today that it does not matter who we are or where we live on planet earth, we have no excuse to NOT worship God.
Lecture 1 – What is this Book of Judges? And who are they judging? In this introductory study of the Book of Judges, we will explore the function of the ‘judges’ and the role that God had them play in the history of His people—Israel. This book is well described as “despicable people doing deplorable things,” so we will consider these stories not as stories of virtue for us to imitate, but as lessons to learn “about a God of mercy and long-suffering, who continually works in and through us despite our constant resistance to his purposes.” We’ll also look at the overriding themes taught in this book and how we can apply these teachings to our lives and cultures today.
The Bible tells us that Jesus didn’t immediately go to heaven after He rose from the dead. For forty days, Jesus spent time on earth in his resurrected, glorified body. During this time period, we see Jesus throughout the gospels appearing to the disciples to encourage and teach them.
In prayer, we must focus on: Receiving God’s Word as truth; Believing God’s Word; Exhibiting unity among believers; Remaining faithful to God; Being protected from the devil; Being sanctified by the Word; Being sent into the world.
In John 17, Jesus prayed for…Himself, Followers of Christ and Future Christ Followers
John 16:16-33, Do you have confusion about the future? Sorrow will change into Joy. Prayer is a specific example of the change.
John 16:4b-16 People will often admit to failures, vices and crimes; but it takes the mighty work of the Holy Spirit to convince and convict people of their sinfulness.
John 15:18-16:4a We are CALLED to FOLLOW. We are COMMANDED to TESTIFY. We are CHALLENGED to CONTINUE to the END.
John 15:1-17 Roles in the Relationship: Who is God? Who is Jesus? Who are you?