A friend asked me to produce a presentation explaining Christ’s return in a way that children could understand. This presentation is my effort at that—an outline with context. A timely presentation for the Festival of Trumpets, which falls on the first day of the 7th month. A day when ancient Israel blew the 7th Trumpet
Esau, we are told in scripture, sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for some lentil stew. Modern people often don’t grasp the value of a birthright as it was in Esau’s day—just as Christians today don’t grasp the value of God’s birthright gift to all his children. That’s why the apostle explains this life-saving lesson to us in the New Testament.
God tells us that the human heart is deceitful and wicked. Humans often are not truthful. He also tells us he desires truth in our “inward parts.” What a dilemma! Jesus further tells us that our problems in life, with others and with God, do not originate with our behaviors, but in our hearts. Yet when we try to please God, our focus is usually “being good”—on our behavior—rather than a change of heart. How can we sort ourselves out and become more aligned with God? One thing for sure, ignoring the problem, carrying on, muddling through, won’t cut it. It takes some focus—on our hearts.
So far in our series, Preaching to the Choir, we discussed, learned helplessness and entitlement. This time we address a closely related state, self-pity. All three of these cause psycho-social and spiritual arrest. In this presentation, learn how to get growing again by overcoming self-pity. Life is so much better when they have a bigger picture of God for our lives.
A lot of people have heard about the Bible story where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. And a lot of people have serious misgivings about what God did in this story. Never-the-less, this is a vital lesson for all Christians. if we can grasp the message, it could save our eternal lives. Listen to this this presentation to consider deeper meaning.
I talked once with a man who had a floundering business. He felt helpless and resentful toward others who were successful. He thought everyone should get an income from the government. Psychological research has much to teach us about this kind of attitude and how to recognize and overcome it.
The Apostle Paul says that the Passover, as he got it from Jesus Christ, is an annual spiritual self-evaluation. One of the things he tells us to think about is our discernment of the Body of Christ. What does that mean? If you think you already know, consider that with God, there is always more to learn.