These
topics I learned about were from a church camp I went to two weeks ago. The
leaders at this camp covered a vast array of subjects and these are some of the
notes I jotted down during their sermons. They’re kind of scattered…sorry ‘bout
that. Also sorry for the awkward spacing...don't know how that happened. Points that really stuck out to me or head sections are bolded. Enjoy!
The Problem of
Evil
·
It’s
a theological and emotional issue
·
What
is evil?
o
Moral
evil: caused by man, ex. Newtown shooting
o
Natural
evil: caused by natural means, ex. Tsunami of ‘05
·
Luke
13: Jesus addresses both these kinds of evil; it’s a call to repentance
·
“Pain is God’s megaphone to
the world.” –C.S. Lewis
·
Is
God sovereign? Is He in total control? (*read all of these!*)
o
Ps.
115:3
o
Ps.
135:6
o
Eph.
1:11
o
Deut.
32:39
o
Dan.
4:35
o
Is.
46:10
o
Prov.
16:9
o
Prov.
16:33
o
1
Peter 3:17 He’s also in control of our suffering
· Is man responsible?
o
Acts
2:22-23
o
Acts
4:27-28
o
1
Peter 2:8
o
Luke
22:22
· We know from Scripture:
o
Man
is responsible for his actions
o
God
is sovereign over evil
o
God
does not sin or tempt men to sin (James 1:13)
·
Biblical
Suffering
o
Job
38:1-12 God questions Job…kind of terrifying
o
Job
40:1-14
o
Job
42:1-6
·
Scripture never assumes that
God owes us an explanation· Scripture is not centered around what makes man happy, like clear answers to difficult questions
· If we’re honest, we don’t want justice; we want happiness
· We’re in rebellion against God – what does He owe us?
· 2 Good Things About Evil:
o
Evil
brings about greater good; ex. Stephen martyred for this faith (Acts 7), Jesus
dying on the cross; even the most unexplainable evil is used for greater
purposes
o
God
is glorified even in the punishment of evil
·
If God is the most
satisfying thing for us, the most loving thing He could do is give us more of
Himself, which is what the Fall did. When
we suffer and are surrounded by the results of evil, it makes us run to God for
safety and security
·
We’re
not only the victims of evil but the instigators
·
Why
do bad things happen to good people? Well, really it only happened once and He
volunteered for it (*cough cough Jesus*)
·
Sometimes
we think Jesus owes us the cross, that we don’t deserve His wrath. But we do
·
2 Corinthians 4:16-18;
Romans 3:21-26
·
Jesus
is a man of sorrow acquainted with grief – He is with us in our loss.
Sexuality
·
Main
passages: 1 Peter 1 and 1 Thessalonians 4
·
Jesus
should be the center of our sexuality
·
When we’re participating in
sexual activity, we’re either worshiping ourselves and the human body or we’re
glorifying God and worshiping Him
·
How
and why God created sex:
o
God
created sex for His glory
o
Sex
exists for our pleasure
·
1
Peter 1:14-16
o
We’re
called to be holy as God is holy →
holy: being completely devoted to the
glory of God in everything
o
Humble
yourself; set your affections on God
·
1
Thess. 4:1-3
o
Sanctification:
process of God bringing us into holiness and making us more like Jesus
o
Sexual
immorality: 2 people not married doing things only married people should do
o
Sex has to be a part of our
sanctification – it should make us more like Jesus
o
Our
sex-life, whether abstaining or taking part, should further us in our
sanctification
o
Ephesians
5:26 He wants to wash us with the Word of God
o
You can’t clean yourself
enough for God to approve of you
o
How
we abstain (1 Thess. 4)
§
Please
God by surrendering (vs.1)
§
Don’t
live life by your own will – surrender your life to the will of God (vs. 3)
§
The
call of God (vs. 7)
§
Understand
God’s holiness (vs. 5, 7)
o
Why
we abstain
§
To please God (vs. 1) → different than earning His
favor
§
It’s
an act of obedience (vs.2)
§
To
honor God and honor others (vs. 4)
§
To
love others and not sin against them
§
Because
God’s the avenger (vs. 6)
Desiring What God
Desires (Girls only)
·
Eve
o
God
designed us to desire leadership
§
The
serpent caused her to doubt
§
She
knew the instruction
§
Eve
was tempted
§
Eve,
like us, desired to be led
§
God
is your authority
§
Satan tempted Eve with a
physical need…we do that to ourselves. Ex. Body image: not eating would be good
for us so we can get skinny and “healthy” (stupid)
·
Adam did well in carrying
out the commandments but not protecting it
·
Girls:
we shouldn’t want an Adam, who takes no responsibility, doesn’t execute what
the Lord commands, and who lays the blame on anyone but himself
·
Is.
26:3; 1 Tim. 1:12
·
Phil. 4:8 how Satan got Eve
– attacking her thoughts. Protect your thoughts!
·
1
John 2:16
·
Satan
will attack:
o
Desires
of the heart
o
Desires
of the eyes
·
Eve cont.
o
To
be lead means you choose to submit
§
Surrender
my will
§
Understand
the blessing of being protected
§
Believe
the design is for your protection
§
Mark
of spiritual growth and maturity
§
Intentionally
say “no” to temptation
§
Testimony
of faith
·
Ruth
o
The
desire to be pursued (pursuing prepares you for the pursuit)
§
Pursuit
of God and family
§
Understand
your position: live well, serve well
§
Rest
in God’s plan
§
Safety
§
Under
authority
o
2:19-23 even though Boaz was
kind and told the men not to harm her, Ruth chose Naomi’s authority and stayed
with the young women
·
Boaz vs. Bozo
o
Boaz
§
Builder
of others
§
Open
and follows God’s will
§
Acts
with Christ-like character
§
Zeal
(passion/eagerness) for the Lord
o
Bozo
§
Builder
of himself (arrogant)
§
Open
to his own plans
§
Zealous
for worldly philosophies
§
Obstinate
·
Mary: The Desire for Knowing
God
o
Luke
10:38-42
§
Mary was attentive to Jesus
and sat at His feet
§
Was
not distracted by what Martha was doing
o
John
15:1-11
o
Abiding
in Christ will produce fruit in your life
·
Galatians
5:22 Fruit of the Spirit (not issues of
behavior but issues of the heart)
o
Love:
brotherly love, affection, good will
o
Joy:
gladness, rejoicing
o
Peace:
quietness, steadfastness
o
Patience:
endurance, steadfastness
o
Kindness:
gentleness, integrity, (sometimes, being honest is kind), teachable
o
Goodness:
uprightness of heart and life
o
Faithfulness:
character of one who can be relied on: confidence springing from faith in
Christ (gossip ruins this…DON’T DO IT)
o
Gentleness:
humility
o
Self-control:
temperate (pleasant), can’t do it alone, have to submit; Rom. 7:18
Just a Random
Thought:
This
was just a random thought God gave me at church camp that I thought was a cool
connection.
If
you’ve grown up in church, you’ve probably heard the illustration of salvation
being like Jesus giving us a bath – He has washed away our sins and made us
pure and clean. I heard this illustration once again at camp, and I thought
this was cool:
When
you take a bath/shower, you have to have soap, right? And besides washing away
your dirt, it also makes you smell good. Ephesians
5:1-2 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love,
just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a
sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” So not only did Jesus’ sacrifice
make Him a pleasant aroma, but we as Christians are commanded to live a life
that is a pleasant aroma to others and that conforms to the image of Christ. Being
this pleasant fragrant can only be done by the grace we find in Jesus’ sacrifice
when He cleansed us of our sins.
When
you’re taking a bath, you use water to rinse off the soap, right? Jesus is that water, but not just any water…living water. Jesus tells a Samaritan
woman about this water in John 4:14,
“but whoever drinks of the water that I
will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will
become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” Jesus offers
us salvation, Living water of which we will forever be satisfied. This
beautiful gift is given to us by His blood and sacrifice as He washes us of our
filth and instead gives us His righteousness.
A Beautiful Song
Here’s
a song we sang at camp. Along with just the beautiful sound of it, the lyrics -
especially the bridge – really blessed me.
You
call me out upon the waters
The
great unknown where feet may failAnd there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand
And
keep my eyes above the waves
When
oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embraceFor I am Yours and You are mine
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now
When oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
·
Lamentations
3:21-29
·
We all labor for something…
o
Either
to live out the Gospel gloriously with the help and counsel of the Holy Spirit
or
o
To
survive, find acceptance, excel with our lack and inability found in ourselves
o
So…we are either yoked with
Christ or yoked to ourselves
o
The
easy and restful yoke Matt. 11:28-30; Heb. 4:15
o
The
yoke of slavery to a master here on earth. Gal. 5:1
·
Owner determines value
concept
o
Your
owner/slave master could be:
§
Image:
what others think of you
§
Body:
Ecc. 7:26
§
Performance
§
Beauty:
Is. 3:16,24 branded slave
§
Significance:
craving someone’s recognition
§
A
boy
§
Sex
§
*side
note: DON’T MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THE FLESH
o
Do
not be unequally yoked
o
Do
not be yoked to the will of your flesh
o
Gal.
5:17
·
Two options:
o
Feel
the effects of a battle within
o
Feel
nothing because of surrender
·
Pride
and the proud flesh illustration…Hosea 13:6
·
Pride is where the
conception of sin takes place
·
Our battle plan:
o
Cling
to Scripture: Heb. 4:12-13
§
If
you omit scripture, you will commit the darkness that is inside you
o
Have
confidence in the Lords’ love and desire for you
o
Hosea
11:1-8
·
Christ
longs to be yoked with us. He wants to labor with us. He wants to let you in on
the victory He experiences over your sin and dark mind
·
Christ
wants to battle our flesh with us.
·
Our flesh = our ego in ourselves
that feels empty but hates the idea of filling the emptiness with Christ…so do
not feed your flesh!
·
Rom.
8:14-15
·
If
you are enslaved to sin…there is hope! There is redemption. You have already
been bought out of your slavery! Not with money, but with the blood of Christ!
·
My
salvation and redemption required the death of Christ. My life separated from
sin and darkness requires the death of me!
·
Leviticus
26:13; Jeremiah 31:4; Ps. 34
What to Look for
in a Man (For girls only, obviously. Yeah, lots of girl sessions)
·
Perversion
of gender roles
o
Chauvinistic:
women have no rights
o
Feministic:
men have no rights
·
This
perversion started with the failure of manhood: twice in NT says that Eve was deceived and Adam disobeyed
·
Don’t go find a good dude…
go find Jesus
·
A
godly man will cultivate (work to produce fruit) in the relationship
·
Men
are to be fighters:
o
To
guard your heart and purity
o
To
keep a godly household
o
To
kill your guilt
·
Your man will not love you
well if he doesn’t love the Word of God more than you
·
Watch
how a guy treats his mom because it’s practice for how he will treat you
Marriage
·
Genesis
1:26-27 up till this point, there’s been a consistent pattern of God speaking
creative words (ex. “Let there be light” and “God saw that the light was good”).
Now there’s a break in the pattern: God’s not just speaking a creative word but
having a conversation with the Son; break
in the pattern because we’re the only creation made in His image
·
Gen.
2:18 God says His creation is not good because man was alone. He created Adam
for a relationship
·
Marriage is an example of
how God takes natural things and uses them as a reflection of heavenly
realities (ex. Butterfly pic of life, death, and resurrection of Jesus)
·
Eph.
5:25-33 Paul quotes Genesis
·
Marriage
isn’t just about husbands and wives, but the Gospel. What you say about marriage is said about the Gospel
·
“our
theology is in our fingertips”, in how you live
·
The
men/women in your life are probably not gonna marry you, so be careful in how you treat someone else’s husband/wife
Abuse and
Forgiveness
·
What
you do with abuse is your responsibility
·
Time does not heal all
wounds – Jesus does
·
Warnings
o
Can’t
have superficial motto: “Forgive and forget”
o
Don’t
look for “functional saviors”: dive into being a good kid
o
Just
because this has happened to you, doesn’t mean you have new freedom to sin
o
Don’t
totally shut off because then you’ll
have no way to make relationships
o
Don’t
minimize it. All sin is not the same.
What was done to you was completely evil
·
Col.
3:12-13; Matt. 18:21-25; Matt. 5:43-45; Rom. 12:17-21
·
Need
to release bitterness and anger. We were
not made for wrath or vengeance
·
If
you’ve been abused, there’s a danger that you will abuse
·
We
have to find our identity in Christ
·
Where was Jesus when this
happened to you? He was sovereign, sitting on His throne. One the throne, He
has scarred hands and feet…He knows your suffering
·
He
not only redeemed us from our own sin but also redeemed us from the sin
committed against us
·
Matt.
11:28-30
·
Identity
in Christ: look at Ephesians 1
·
Jesus’
goodness is so much bigger than what happened to you
·
Forgiveness is not
pretending that it’s not a big deal, and does not mean they don’t deserve
serious consequences
How to Study the
Bible
·
We
have serious highs and serious lows because we’re not studying the Bible or not
studying it well
·
If
we know it’s important to study the Bible, why don’t we do it?
·
3 tips on how to study the
bible:
o
Wake
up early, or at least pick a time that you can be consistent with
o
Get
a literal transition of the Bible and a notebook
§
Notebook:
can get 2, one for sermons and stuff you hear from other people and another for
your own personal study
o
Go
through one book of the Bible slowly, don’t skim
§
Ex.
Phil. 2:17 “drink offering’, if you didn’t know what that meant, then take time
to study the sacrificial system
·
How
to go in depth? Get commentaries.
Some options:
o
James
Boice
o
NIV
application Bible commentary
o
The
Word biblical commentary
·
Don’t be governed by your
feelings during your study – be obedient
The New Atheism
·
Rom.
1:18-25 the exchange – mankind exchanged God’s righteousness for lies
·
Secularization
o
It
used to be impossible not to believe (into the Medieval world)
o
It
became possible not to believe (the Enlightenment)
o
The
first big problem: it’s impossible to prove a “universal negative”. Ex. To say
that “there is no God”, you’d have to have knowledge over everything – they’d
have to be God
o
“The
Four Horsemen” (the 4 guys leading this movement of “the new atheism”)
§
Richard
Dawkins
·
Calls
himself “The Devil’s Chaplain”, attacks Christianity, proposes militant atheism
§
Christopher
Hitchens
·
Died
in ‘l1, says religion is sexually oppressive
§
Daniel
Dennett
·
Says
Darwinian evolution is the “universal acid”, trying to come up with totally
naturalistic understanding of human consciousness
§
Sam
Harris
·
Says
“science must destroy religion”
§
Victor
Stenger (taking Hitchens’ spot)
·
What’s “new” about it?
o
Focus:
focused on Christians; old atheists were philosophers, not natural scientists
o
Audience:
the masses, not the academy; not writing on a scholarly level; selling millions
of copies
o
Tone:
they are angry; old were cordial and dispassionate, actually dealing with the
question; new are mean-spirited
o
Grouding:
the natural sciences rather than philosophy; the new guys; philosophies suck
o
Aim:
to eradicate Christianity from the planet
o
Tolerance:
want to abolish all religious tolerance
o
Ignorance:
regarding history and classical Christian proofs
o
Zeal:
they’re launching an evangelical campaign
·
Is it working?
o
Yes…unfortunately.
In the US in the last 5 years, “unaffiliated” grew from 15% to 20%; 3% to 6%
say they’re atheist/agnostic; 72.8% of philosophy professors “accept or lean
towards atheism”
·
Why?
o
Rejection
of authority
o
Poor
representation of Christianity
o
Emotional
overreaction to the problem of evil
·
How should we respond?
o
Don’t
be afraid…the truth is on our side – worldviews matter
o
Get
grounded and think critically
o
Put
your hope in the Gospel – we need to have a greater zeal for the Gospel than
atheists have for attacking the Gospel
·
The New Atheists have no
answers for:
o
Origin
o
Meaning/purpose/value
o
Morality
o
Science
o
Human
consciousness
·
Acts
1:4-8
·
Jesus
promised the disciples the Holy Spirit and that He would be their power
·
Rom.
8:11; John 14:15-17; John 16:7
·
The power of the Holy Spirit
keeps us from cowardice; He refreshes the Gospel daily
·
Acts
8:4-8 Philip witnessed in Samaria which was a fulfillment of what Jesus said in
Acts 1:8
·
Revelation
7:1
·
Our desire should be that
the power of God would rest upon us
·
There
is no need to be afraid to share the Gospel
Well…that’s
it! I hope the Lord gave you insight on this issues…I know He definitely gave
me some. Have a fabulous evening and don’t forget to spend some time with the
Lord! Happy Monday!
