Eastside Baptist Church, Winfield, Alabama

“The Deceiver Deceived”

“The Deceiver Deceived” (Genesis 29:15–30)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, June 26, 2016
Genesis 29:15-30, NIV
     15 Laban said to him, "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be."  
     16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.        17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.  18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel."  
     19 Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me."  20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.  
     21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her."  
     22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast.  23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her.  24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.  
     25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?"  
     26 Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one.  27 Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work."  
     28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.  29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant.  30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.  

“Abiding in the Spirit and in Truth”

“Abiding in the Spirit and in Truth” (1 John 2:18–27)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, June 26, 2016
 
1 John 2:18-27, NIV
18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.  19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.  
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.  21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.  22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist-- denying the Father and the Son.  23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.  
24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.  25 And this is what he promised us-- eternal life.  
26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.  27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit-- just as it has taught you, remain in him.
 
1.              1. Those who walk away from the faith give evidence that they were never truly God’s children (18–19).
 
2.              2. The anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a gift from God to keep his true children from error (20–23).
 
3.               3. The abiding presence of the Word is a gracious gift from God to keep his true children from error.
 
Main Idea: The Holy Spirit and the Word are the primary means that God uses to keep his children from falling away from the faith. And those who are truly his will abide in the Spirit and in truth. So abide in Him!
 

“A Father’s Job Description”

“A Father’s Job Description” (Ephesians 6:4)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, June 19, 2016
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Eph. 6:4, NIV)
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. (Eph. 6:4, NLT)
1. Don’t stir up anger in your children by the way you treat them.
2. Instead, nurture them and raise them.
a. With training, discipline, and correction
b. With Godly instruction

“Two Invitations with One Moral” Chapter 2

Opening Up Proverbs
A study by Jim Newheiser
“Two Invitations with One Moral” Chapter 2
Wisdom Begins at Home
God’s plan is that parents are to be the primary teachers of wisdom.Deuteronomy 6:6-7A major purpose of Proverbs is to prepare a young man to wisely and effectively assume the responsibilities of life. Children are exhorted to listen and receive wisdom.Parents cannot pass off their responsibility to impart wisdom to the school, church, or other means.Many parents are so busy trying to provide the best material things for their children that they abdicate their responsibility to properly train them in wisdom.
Refuse the appeal of ungodly companions
The enticement of moral misfits.Gullibility and malleability of youthFalse promises of happiness and belongingIf you follow evil companions, you will reap destruction. Foolishness is short-sighted.Foolishness is self-destructive.Choose your companions wisely.
Heed the appeal of Wisdom before it’s too late
Wisdom calls out to you (20-23).Wisdom appeals to four different kinds of fools (v. 22):The naïve: simple and vulnerableThe fool: rejected wisdom and is morally insensitiveThe rebel (1:7): loves folly and despises wisdomThe scoffer: mocks God, sin, judgmentWisdom promises blessings to those who repent (23).If you reject Wisdom’s appeal, you will reap calamity (24-32).Those who seek Wisdom are secure (33).
Conclusion
The voice of wisdom is the voice of God.Jesus is wisdom incarnate.You are the voice of wisdom in a foolish world.Are you wise?Wisdom cries out, pleading with people to turn away from foolishness and enjoy true life.

“God Guides and Provides for Jacob”

“God Guides and Provides for Jacob” (Genesis 29:1–14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
SundayPM, June 12, 2016
 
Genesis 29:1–14 (NIV)
29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”
“We’re from Harran,” they replied.
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”
“Yes,we know him,” they answered.
6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”
“Yes,he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”
7 “Look,”he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered.Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban,and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.
13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him.He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”
And he stayed with him for a whole month.
 
Main Idea: The God we worship is the same God who guided Jacob. He is still providentially watching over our lives.He is still guiding and protecting his people.

“You Are What You Love”

“You Are What You Love” (1 John 2:15–17)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, June 12, 2016
1 John 2:15–17, NIV
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  16 For everything in the world-- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-- comes not from the Father but from the world.  17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
1. You cannot love the world and God (v. 15).
2. Love for the world begins with our inner desires and a misplaced affection for the pleasures of the world (v. 16).
 
3. Love for the world is a fools’ errand, because it is passing away and will soon be destroyed (v. 17).
4. The only path to eternal life is through a love for God that reveals itself by obeying his will (v. 17).
Main Idea: A Christian who has truly been born again by the grace of God does not replace their love for God with a love for the world and its pleasures.

"Opening Up Proverbs"

Opening Up Proverbs
A study by Jim Newheiser
“Wisdom & the Fear of the Lord” Chapter 1
Proverbs 1:1-7
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:  2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;  3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair;  4 for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-- 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance--  6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.  7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Purpose of the Book of Proverbs (2-6)
Proverbs will train God’s People to live wisely (skillfully) (2a, 3-5).What is wisdom?Wisdom is gained through disciplined instruction.The student benefits from instruction.Wisdom benefits the young and the simple.Those already wise will grow in wisdom.Proverbs will impart mental discernment (2b, 6).You need insight into reality.You need insight into God’s Word.You need to understand the figures of speech in Proverbs.Studying the book of Proverbs will sharpen your mind.
The Credo for the book of Proverbs
The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.What does it mean to fear the LORD?Don’t be a fool! Fools despise wisdom and instruction (7b).
Questions
Other than Solomon, what are some other examples of wise men/women in the Bible?Biblical examples of fools?What is a proverb?What is wisdom? How do we impart it to others?How can we demonstrate the fear of God at work and in our homes?

“Jacob’s Dream” (Genesis 28:10–22)

“Jacob’s Dream” (Genesis 28:10–22)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, June 5, 2016
Genesis 28:10–22 (NIV) 
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” 
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” 
1. God is faithful.
2. God is gracious.
3. God is sovereign.
4. God reveals himself to Jacob.
5. Through God’s gracious revelation, Jacob is changed.
a. He is moved to worship.
b. He is moved to faith.
c. He is moved to consecration. 
Main Idea: When God graciously reveals himself to us, we cannot help but be changed. God’s grace moves us to worship, faith, and consecration.

“Words of Reassurance” (1 John 2:12–14)

“Words of Reassurance” (1 John 2:12–14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, June 5, 2016
1 John 2:12–14
12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.  13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.  14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
1. Your sins are forgiven.
2. You know the one who is from the beginning (Jesus Christ).
3. You have overcome the evil one.
4. You know the Father.
5. You are strong.
6. The Word of God lives in you.
Main Idea: We need to remember who we are as children of God and what we have been given by grace, so that we can be motivated to live faithfully in the world and overcome it in Jesus’ name.

"Opening Up Proverbs"

Opening Up Proverbs
A study by Jim Newheiser
Proverbs and Success
⦁ The book of Proverbs reveals how you can have success in every aspect of your life.
⦁ The Bible sets forth an entirely different measure of success. 
⦁ Success is found in living wisely in the fear of the Lord. To live wisely is to live beautifully—that is, to live a life that counts.
Uniqueness of Biblical Proverbs
⦁ Many cultures and languages have proverbs that express common wisdom.
⦁ Many ancient cultures outside of Israel had collections of Proverbs.
⦁ Biblical proverbs are unique in that they are grounded in a covenant relationship with the LORD God.
⦁ Right relationship with God (fear of the LORD) is the beginning of all wisdom.
Proverbs and the Rest of the OT
⦁ Proverbs are short memorable sayings that impart general truths of wisdom.
⦁ They are a special form of OT wisdom literature.
⦁ The book of Proverbs assumes and builds upon the law and the prophets but goes beyond them in training the reader to live wisely in a very practical ‘how to’ way.
Challenges in Studying Proverbs
⦁ Proverbs does not lend itself to a chapter by chapter, verse by verse study.
⦁ The book of Proverbs does not clearly explain the Gospel.
⦁ The book of Proverbs contains maxims, which are not the same as promises.
⦁ The book of Proverbs is primarily addressed to young men.
Proverbs for Everyone
⦁ Written to prepare a young person who faces the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood.
⦁ Instructs parents in how to train their children.
⦁ Offers the basics of wisdom to those who are young and naïve. 
⦁ Deepens the understanding of those who are already wise.
⦁ Exposes the fool and the result of his or her arrogant rebellion.
Background & Summary
⦁ Proverbs of Solomon (v. 1a)
⦁ a short witty saying that gives you a standard by which you might judge your life; a comparison, an object lesson, a simple illustration, or a parable which exposes a fundamental reality about life
⦁ The objective of the book is to enable us to live successfully in relationship to God in the world he has created.
⦁ Authorship
⦁ Solomon (1:1)
⦁ Sayings of the Wise (22:17; 24:23)
⦁ Agur (30:1)
⦁ Lemuel (31:1)
⦁ Hezekiah’s scribes (25:1)
⦁ Ezra’s scribes
⦁ Setting
⦁ Home
⦁ Father and Mother instructing their son
⦁ Palace
⦁ Young man being prepared for responsibilities of leadership
⦁ Divisions
⦁ Prologue (1:1–7)
⦁ A tenfold call to pursue wisdom (1:8–9:18)
⦁ The proverbs of Solomon (10:1–22:16)
⦁ Sayings of the wise (22:17–24:34)
⦁ More proverbs of Solomon (the Hezekian collection) (25:1–29:27)
⦁ The words of Agur (30:1–33)
⦁ The words of King Lemuel (or rather, of his mother) (31:1–9)
⦁ An acrostic of wifely excellence (31:10–31).

Message from 1 Peter 1:6-12 by Jordan Atkinson

1 Peter 1:6-12English Standard Version (ESV)
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

“The God Who Triumphs”

The God Who Is There
Written by D. A. Carson
“The God Who Triumphs” – Chapter Fourteen
What Is Our Treasure?
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt 6:21)Is our imagination captured more by the delights of the present world or the new heaven and new earth to come?We need to be reminded about the glorious future that is to come.
Revelation 21:1–8 (NIV)
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
     5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
     6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
What is New (Rev 21:1-8)
New heaven and new earthNew JerusalemNew permanent dwelling of God’s presence with his peopleMaking everything new!
Revelation 21:9–21 (NIV)
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
     15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
What is Symbolic (21:9-21)
Shining with the glory of GodA perfect cube of 12,000 stadiaWall that is 144 cubits thick12x12=144 – the combined old and new covenant peoples of GodPerfect cube = the Most Holy Place now accessible by all of God’s people
Revelation 21:22–27 (NIV)
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
What is Missing (21:22-27)
SeaTempleSun and MoonImpurity
Revelation 22:1–5 (NIV)
22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
What is Central (22:1-5)
Water of life flowing from the throne of God and of the LambThe Vision of GodGod will be so central and glorious that for the first time we will know by experience what it means to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

“Jacob’s Deception for the Blessing” (Genesis 26:34–28:9)

“Jacob’s Deception for the Blessing” (Genesis 26:34–28:9)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, May 22, 2016
1. Those who have become spiritually dim by loving the world’s delights can often overlook glaring flaws in their own family and forget about God’s greater blessings (27:1–4).
2. God’s people need to be patient in waiting on God’s promised blessings, refusing to resort to manipulative practices in an effort to help guide the process along (27:5–24).
3. God’s sovereign purposes will be fulfilled, even in spite of our misguided steps along faith’s journey (27:25–29).
4. Those who disregard God’s promises cannot expect to receive blessing (26:34–35; 28:6­–9; 27:30–40; cf. 25:29–34: Esau sells his birthright).
a. His disregard for his birthright (25:29­–34)
b. His Hittite marriages (26:34–35)
c. His misguided attempts to win back his parents’ favor after the blessing had been given (28:6–9)
5. Disregard for God’s ways often creates strife and conflict between people (27:41–45).
6. God’s grace and his blessings are sovereignly bestowed and unmerited, but we must respond in faith and obey his word (27:46–28:5).
Main Idea: God’s purposes will unfailingly unfold; let us be faithful and obedient participants in the accomplishment of those purposes.

“The Old-New Command” (1 John 2:7–11)

“The Old-New Command” (1 John 2:7–11)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, May 22, 2016
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister1 is still in the darkness. 10Anyone who loves their brother and sister1 lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. (1 John 2:7-11, NIV)
1. How can something be old and yet new (vv. 7–8)?
a. It is old… 
i. because love for one another was built into our moral consciousness, being made in the image of God.
ii. because love for neighbor was a part of Israel’s Law and reiterated by Christ in the two great commands (Lev19:18; Matt 22:34–40
iii. because the command to love is a part of the Gospel (message you have heard) of Jesus that has been preached since the beginning of this new age.
b. It is new… 
i. because Jesus’ self-sacrificial love has given love a new standard and example.
ii. because the new age of the age of Christ and his Spirit has come.
iii. because it is a command that is renewed every day in the life of the believer in Christ. It should never grow old or boring because it is the highest goal of Christlikeness that we can strive to attain.
2. What is one of the clearest indications that you are a Christian who is walking in the light (vv. 9–11)?
a. A person who hates is not a Christian and is still in darkness (v. 9).
i. Your life can be accompanied by a number of other righteous looking traits, but if you do not love others your religion is a fake.
ii. A person characterized by hatred of others is not a Christian and has never been a Christian (in darkness until now). 
b. A person who loves others shows that he is a Christian and that he is walking in the light of God (vv. 10–11).
i. Those who walk in the light will not stumble, because there is nothing in the light to cause him to stumble (v. 10).
ii. Those who walk in darkness are blind and are prone to stumbling and falling (an image of judgment) (v. 11).
Big Idea: One of the clearest indications that you are a Christian and have the assurance of eternal life (1 John 5:13) is if you love other people.

"The God Who Is Very Angry"

The God Who Is There
by D. A. Carson
"The God Who Is Very Angry" - Chapter Thirteen
Revelation 14:6–20 (NIV)


6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

8 A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’  which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man  with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Biblical-Theological Reflections on God's WrathThe person who talks the most about hell in the Bible is Jesus.The Bible teaches that hell is a place of eternal suffering.Those in hell can no longer repent.When we speak of the wrath of God we must speak of it with compassion and sorrow, remembering the grace that we have been shown.

"Christians Are Christians" (1 John 2:3-6)

“Christians Are Christians” (1 John 2:3–6)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, May 15, 2016
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6, NIV)
A Christian obeys the commands of God (3).Christians obey God’s Word, thus fulfilling God’s loving purpose in saving them (5).Christians model their pattern of living after that of Jesus (6)Christians have an assurance of their standing as God’s children when they demonstrate family resemblance by living as Christ did (3, 6).Those who claim to be Christians but do not live like Christians have no basis to claim that they know God. More than likely, their profession is a lie and they are not Christians at all (4).Main Idea: Christians are to live like Christians, obeying God’s commands, remaining in God’s Word, and modeling their lives after Jesus. This fulfills the purpose of God’s love in saving us and brings us assurance that we are in fact God’s children.

"The God Who Gathers and Transforms His People"

The God Who Is There
Written by D. A. Carson
“The God Who Gathers and Transforms His People” – Chapter Twelve
Introduction
What is of life changing, ultimate importance to you?Everyone will “transcendentalize” someone or something. Is God your Creator of ultimate importance to you?If not, then it is a manmade idol that has captured your worship.
Not about Rules
Christianity is not about making a set of rules or keeping rules.Christianity is about the grace of God that gathers and transforms his people. When God’s grace (not our own efforts) is central, it humbles us and transforms us.
Ephesians 2
We need to be reconciled to God, but we ourselves must be changed.God performs a work of new creation in his people. He transforms them.Good works flow from this grace-granted transformation. They are the outcome not the cause.
Ephesians 2
This transformation is brought about by God’s Spirit. He is already at work within us, changing our hearts and minds.God transforms and gathers his people.God is gathering a community of believers from every race.
Ephesians 2
The gathered church is the place where God meets with his people-it is the temple where God dwells.The church is not a building, but a gathering of transformed believers.The NT knows nothing of unbaptized or unchurched “Christians.”
Ephesians 4:17-5:10
The living out of our Christian faith in our daily lives is not driven by rules, but by the gospel—our faith in and our gratitude for the cross and resurrection of Christ.Our morality is first and foremost a function of gratitude to God for what Christ has already done.
Ephesians 4:17-5:10
The Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent empowers us to live in a way that is different form the way we lived before.Our ethical behavior is driven by our redemption by Christ—we are not our own.
Ephesians 4:17-5:10
The Holy Spirit gives us a desire to please God. We are eager to find out what pleases him.The Holy Spirit has not yet perfected us—We are not yet what we will be, but by the grace of God we are not what we used to be.
Galatians 5:13-26
We are justified by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ.It is not enough for us to stand acquitted before God and be reconciled to him. We must also be transformed.Where there is no transformation, there is no saving faith.
Take Up Your Cross
Being bought with a price and transformed by God means that we come under the lordship of Christ, following him wherever it may lead us and whatever it may cost.It has been granted to us by grace to believe in Christ and to suffer for Christ (Phil 1:29).

“God’s Design for Motherhood”

*Some Audio Technical Difficulties with this Recording*
“God’s Design for Motherhood”
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, May 8, 2016
1. God ordained that motherhood would be essential to fulfilling his purposes for the creation of the world and the propagation of the human race.
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."  (Genesis 1:27-28, NIV)
20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. (Genesis 3:20, NIV)
2. God ordained that his means of salvation for sinners would come through motherhood.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:15, NIV)
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,  5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.  (Gal. 4:4-5, NIV)
3. God ordained that godly motherhood is crucial to the spiritual well-being of the family.
8 Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. (Prov. 1:8, NIV)
15 A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother. (Prov. 29:15, NIV)
The sayings of King Lemuel-- an inspired utterance his mother taught him. (Prov. 31:1, NIV)
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Timothy 1:5, NIV)
4. God ordained that mothers are to be loved by their husbands with a self-sacrificing love.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Eph. 5:25, NIV)
28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Eph. 5:28, NIV)
5. God ordained that mothers are to be honored and obeyed by their children.
16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (Deut. 5:16, NIV)
16 "Cursed is anyone who dishonors their father or mother." Then all the people shall say, "Amen!" (Deut. 27:16, NIV)
A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother. (Prov. 10:1, NIV)
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (Prov. 23:22, NIV)
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  2 "Honor your father and mother"-- which is the first commandment with a promise--  3 "so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."  (Eph. 6:1-3, NIV)
6. God ordained that he would receive glory through motherhood and especially through godly Christian mothers who love and faithfully serve their families for the Lord.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:16, NIV)

"The God Who Declares the Guilty Just"

The God Who Is There
Written by D. A. Carson
“The God Who Declares the Guilty Just”– Chapter Eleven
Declaring Someone Just
The accumulation of good acts cannot “undo” an evil act. In the court of justice, good acts cannot acquit someone of a crime.So too with God, there is no scale that will be used to weigh good deeds against bad. If we have done evil, then we are guilty.The holy God does not pretend that good deeds make up for bad ones.Rather, God has found a way to declare guilty people “just” without contradicting his own integrity or attribute of justice.
Romans 1:18 – 3:20
Paul’s entire argument is to show us that we are guilty.This is the story of the Bible from Genesis 3.Both Jews (who have God’s Law) and Gentiles (who don’t) are all sinful and guilty before God.“There is no one who does good, not even one.” (Rom 3:10)“Good” things that sinful people do are due to God’s common grace, and they can’t erase their sinful acts.The heart of evil is wanting to go our own way and disowning the God who made us.If the measure of our goodness is obedience to the 2 great commands:Love God with all of our heart/soul/mind Love our neighbor as ourselves…then we have all miserably failed and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).
Romans 3:21-26
Revelation of God’s righteousness in its relationship to the OT.But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (v. 21)
Availability of God’s righteousness to all without racial distinction on condition of faith.This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (vv. 22-23)
Source of God’s righteousness in the gracious provision of Christ Jesus as the propitiation for our sinsand all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (v. 24) God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood -- to be received by faith. (v. 25)
RedemptionPropitiationDemonstration of God’s righteousness through the cross of Jesus Christ.He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished -- (v. 25) he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (v. 26)
Romans 3:27-31
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.  28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.  29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.  31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.   
Faith excludes boastingFaith preserves graceFaith is necessary to save Jews and Gentiles alikeChristian faith fulfills the OT
Final Word on Faith
Faith is not a subjective feeling or a personal, religious choice.Faith is always in an object—what or whom you believe.Faith’s validation depends in part on the truthfulness of faith’s object.Faith is unavoidable, because you will trust someone or something.
In Romans 3, Paul desires us to have a “God-given ability to perceive what God has done by hanging Jesus on the cross, reconciling us to himself, setting aside his own just wrath, demonstrating his love, and declaring us just, even though we are not, because the righteousness of Christ Jesus is now counted as ours and our sin is now counted as his.”

“Like Father, Like Son” (Genesis 26)

“Like Father, Like Son” (Genesis 26)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, May 1, 2016
Genesis 26 (NIV) 
26 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,  5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 
7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” 
8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” 
Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.” 
10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 
11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” 
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. 
16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” 
17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. 
19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,  saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” 
23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 
25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. 
26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” 
28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.” 
30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully. 
32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.  
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. 
1. Patterns that we establish in our own lives may very well be imitated by those who follow us.
a. Patterns of doubt and deception
b. Patterns of faith and devotion
c. We have a responsibility to try to establish positive patterns of faith and obedience for others to follow, because those who come after us will likely follow in our footsteps.
2. The promises that we have received from God can and should be handed down to the next generation.
a. Isaac is the rightful inheritor of God’s promises to Abraham.
i. Land
ii. Descendants
iii. Blessing to the world
b. We too have been granted promises from God – we have a responsibility to pass these on to the next generation.
3. God’s blessing will be with each generation of his people who walk in faith and obedience before him.