Eastside Baptist Church, Winfield, Alabama

John 3:16-21 - Cameron Jungles - 6-9-2013

“Jesus Came to Save”: John 3:16-21 (Eastside Baptist/Sun AM/June 9, 2013)
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:18
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 3:19
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
John 3:21
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

1. The world is steeped in darkness and desperately needs salvation.

John 3:19
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

2. Without salvation the world stands condemned.

John 3:18
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them.

3. In love, God sent his Son to save the world.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

4. The only way to escape the darkness of sin and condemnation is through faith in Jesus, God’s Son.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:18
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 3:21
But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

“God’s Unfaithful Bride”: The Message of Hosea - Cameron Jungles- 5-5-2013

“God’s Unfaithful Bride”: The Message of Hosea
(Eastside Baptist/June 5, 2013 Wed PM)
The Message of Hosea
Ø Setting and Context
Ø Structure
Ø Message
Ø “Jesus Lens” and New Testament Application

Setting and Context
Ø Divided Kingdom
Ø Ministry to Israel (Ephraim)
Ø 760 to 722 B.C.
Ø Reign of Jeroboam II
Ø Social and Religious Context
Ø Geopolitical Context

Structure
Ø Superscription (1:1)
Ø Hosea’s Unfaithful Wife (1:2-3:5)
Ø Hosea’s Messages of Warning (4:1-14:9)

Message of Hosea
Ø Hosea’s marriage is a picture of God’s relationship to Israel.
Ø The book is an exploration of the tension between God’s love for his covenant people and the need to punish their covenantal unfaithfulness.

Message of Hosea
Ø Repeated Cycle:
o Describing rebellion
ü Alliances, injustice, idolatry, failure of religious ritual
o Announcing judgment
ü Destruction by Assyrians
o Promising restoration
ü Reunification, Messiah

Hosea 11:12
Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One.
Hosea 12:1
Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
Hosea 12:7-8
The merchant uses dishonest scales and loves to defraud. Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin."
Hosea 12:7-8
The merchant uses dishonest scales and loves to defraud. Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin."
Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 13:2
Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of these people, "They offer human sacrifices! They kiss calf-idols!"
Hosea 13:4
"But I have been the LORD your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.
Hosea 13:5
I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of burning heat.
Hosea 13:6
When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.
Hosea 13:7
So I will be like a lion to them, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Hosea 13:9
"You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against me, against your helper.
Hosea 13:16
The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open."
Hosea 14:1
Return, Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
Hosea 14:2
Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.
Hosea 14:3
Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say 'Our gods' to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion."
Hosea 14:4
"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.
Hosea 1:10
"Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'children of the living God.'
Hosea 1:11
The people of Judah and the people of Israel will come together; they will appoint one leader and will come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
Hosea 3:5
Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.


“Jesus Lens”
Ø Jesus is the Husband of his church that he redeemed.
Ø Jesus is faithful, when we are not.
Ø Under Jesus, a restoration people is being gathered from every tribe (Israel, Judah, and Gentiles).

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:10
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Ø From Hosea 1:6, 9; 2:23

Romans 9:23
What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory--
Romans 9:24
even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?
Romans 9:25
As he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one,"
Romans 9:26
and, "In the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they will be called 'children of the living God.'"

“Jesus Lens”
Ø Under the New Covenant, God’s grants what we need to be made right with him (Jesus).
Ø Under the New Covenant, God also grants the indwelling Spirit so we can live for him in faithful obedience.

Application
Ø We should be compelled to love our God who loved us first with an everlasting love.
Ø We will not be satisfied with religious rituals.
Ø Our love for God will move us to true worship and obedience.

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie - Chapter 16 - Cameron Jungels 5-2-2013

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie
“Reading the Bible with the Church” Chapter 16
(Eastside Baptist/Sun PM/June 2, 2013)

Biblical Illiteracy

Only 9% of “born-again” Christians have a worldview shaped by Bible.
Only 16% of church goers read Bible daily.
Only 37% say Bible has made any significant impact in life.

God-centered Reading

Bible is not a self-help manual or encyclopedia that answers all my questions about my issues in this world.
Bible is about God. It is the story of what God is doing from creation to new creation.

Information Overload

Biblical illiteracy is directly related to our being distracted by worldly amusements.
By grace, we need to see that worldly amusements never truly satisfy; true joy comes from God through his Word.

Not tidbits, the Big Story

Our culture is losing the ability to track with longer stories.
Biblical literacy improves when we better understand the big picture story of the Bible and our place in it.

Biblical Worldview

Our way of thinking and our view of life needs to be deeply shaped by the Scriptures.
We need to see that the Scriptures relate to every area of our lives, not just church on Sunday.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Theology and the Church

Church needs to hunger for theology because it leads to a knowledge of the greatness and goodness of God.
ü Systematic Theology
ü Biblical Theology

The Bible in Worship

Scripture infused songs/prayer
Public reading of Scripture
Expository Preaching
ü Focus on the text’s meaning
ü Hearing the Bible in context
ü Following the Bible’s storyline
ü The Whole Counsel of God

Concluding Thoughts

We want to know and love the Word so that we can know and love God.
We want our knowledge of the Word to lead to change of thoughts/affections and change of actions.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Lord’s Supper: Past, Present, and Future - Cameron Jungles - 5-2-2013

The Lord’s Supper: Past, Present, and Future
Date:               June 2, 2013
Speaker:          Pastor Cameron Jungels
Text:                1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Prelude
Announcements/Prayer
Hymn # 202 – All Hail the Power (all 4) (Stand)
Scripture Reading – 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Introduction – Pastor Cameron
Main Idea:  The Lord’s Supper is a ceremony that encompasses the whole of this age.
I.          The Lord’s Supper anchors the church to the past.
A.        It is a reminder of his incarnation.
Scripture – John 14:6-9
Hymn # 88 – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (All 3 Verses) (Sit)
B.        It is a reminder of his passion.
1.         It reminds us that his passion was substitutionary.
Scripture – Isaiah 53:4-6
2.         It reminds us that his passion was violent.
Scripture – Leviticus 17:11
3.         It reminds us that his passion was ordained.
Scripture – Acts 2:22-24
Hymn #141 – The Old Rugged Cross (all 4) (Sit)
II.        The Lord’s Supper purifies the church in the present.
A.        The privilege of participation: It is for those in fellowship with the body.
Scripture Acts 2:41–42
B.        The responsibility of participation: It is a time of self-examination.
Distribution of the Bread (Jesus Paid It All)
Distribution of the Cup (There is a Fountain)
Hymn # 175 – “Man of Sorrows,” What a Name (All 5 Verses) (Stand)
III.       The Lord’s Supper orients the church to the future.
A.        Our expectation is for his return.
Scripture – Titus 2:11-14
B.        Our satisfaction will be his reign.
Scripture – Revelation 21:1-4
Hymn # 161 – Crown Him with Many Crowns (All 4 Verses) (Stand)
Benediction – Numbers 6:24-26

From God to Us - A Guide to How We Got Our Bible Lesson 5 - Cameron Jungles - 5-29-2013

From God to Us: A Guide to How We Got Our Bible
(Eastside Baptist; Wed PM; May 29, 2013)
Where are we going?
Ø Composition
Ø Canonization
Ø Transmission
Ø Translation

Translation
Ø Why do we need translation?
Ø Is translation permitted?
Ø Brief history of English Bibles
Ø Translations and translation methodology

Why Translations?
Ø Scriptures originally composed in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Ø Two options:
o Learn biblical languages fluently.
o Translate into other languages.

Is Translation Permitted?
Ø Evidence of translation in the Bible itself:
o Nehemiah 8:8 (into Aramaic)
o Mark 5:41 (“Little girl, arise!”)
o Mark 15:34 (My God, my God…
o John 1:42 (Cephas/Peter)
o John 19:20 (sign above cross)
Ø Early translations approved by apostles in NT:
o Hebrew Bible translated into Greek before Jesus’ time
o Evidence of use of Greek translation of OT in NT
o Translation variety in LXX
Ø Translations used by God’s faithful people throughout church history:
o Aramaic
o Greek
o Latin
o Syriac, and host of others
Ø Scriptures originally composed in common languages of the people.
o Evidence that God desires his truth to be communicated in a way that people can understand.

History of English Bibles
Ø Old English/Anglo-Saxon Period (450-1150)
Ø Middle English (1150-1475)
Ø Modern English (1475-present)

Old English/Anglo-Saxon
Ø Most people illiterate
Ø Only small portions into English, all done by hand
Ø All done from Latin Vulgate
Ø Caedmon (c. 670)
Ø Venerable Bede (8th century)
Ø Alfred the Great (849-899)

Middle English
Ø No complete Bible until end
Ø All done from Latin Vulgate
Ø John Wycliffe
o Strongly opposed by Catholics
o First whole Bible in 1380
o Followers burned at stake
o 1408 - Constitutions of Oxford
Ø John Purvey – continued work

Modern English
Ø Printing Press
Ø Emphasis on original languages
Ø Influx of Greek manuscripts into Europe
Ø Most early Bibles still contained Apocrypha
Ø England one of last to get whole Bible by printing press
Ø William Tyndale (1495-1536)
o First printed English NT
o Desired to get Scriptures into hand of common person
o Did translation in Germany
o Smuggled Bible into England
o Burned at stake in 1536
o Foundation for English Bibles
Ø Miles Coverdale (1488-1569)
o Assistant of Tyndale
o Printed first English Bible 1535
o First to separate Apocrypha from OT and place in appendix
o Bible welcomed in England because Henry VIII broke from Catholic church in 1534.
Ø Thomas Matthew (1500-1555)
o Pen name for John Rogers
o Assistant of Tyndale
o Printed his Bible, based on Tyndale and Coverdale, in 1537
Ø Great Bible (1539)
o Revision of Matthew’s Bible by Coverdale
o Large Bible (16.5 by 11 inches)
o Also called Cranmer’s Bible, blessed by Thomas Cranmer
o First Bible authorized for use in Church of England
Ø Geneva Bible (1560)
o Produced in Geneva by Puritan Protestants fleeing persecution
o William Whittingham, with help of Coverdale and Knox
o Verse divisions/clear type/notes
o First entire OT based on Hebrew
o Most popular Bible in homes
Ø Bishop’s Bible (1568)
o Geneva Bible unacceptable to royalty and to church establishment
o Replaced Great Bible as official Church of England translation
o Inferior to Geneva Bible in quality, never popular
Ø Authorized Version/King James
o Intended to replace Bishops’ Bible and supplant Geneva
o Used a team of scholars (47) and guidelines approved by King.
o Main base text was the Bishops’ Bible as well as 2nd Great Rabbinic Bible and Beza’s NT.

Took about 50 years for KJV to supplant Geneva Bible in popularity
KJV has gone through numerous revisions since 1611.
Most modern KJVs are 1762 Paris/Cambridge or 1769 Blayney/Oxford.
Ø Discoveries of 1700-1800’s
o Vast amount of new Greek NT texts found during this period.
o Called for revision of KJV based on these new findings.
o Also need to update archaic language.
Ø Revised Version (1881/1885)
o Update to KJV by 60 British and 30 American scholars
o KJV is base text
o Incorporate older Greek mss.
o Paragraph formatting
o Never popular in churches, because of rough English
Ø ASV (1901)
o Revision of RV by Americans
o No Apocrypha
o Better English style
o Adopted by Presbyterian Church in 1901
Ø RSV (1946/1952)
o Revision of ASV
o Sponsored by National Council of Churches
o Modernized English (saith to says; Thou to you)
o Mostly liberal scholars – never accepted by evangelicals.
Ø NASB (1963/1971)
o Revision of ASV by evangelical, conservative scholars not happy with RSV
o Very literal (word for word) translation.
o Update released in 1995, which changed thee/thou to you.
Ø Living Bible
o Free paraphrase of ASV by Kenneth Taylor
o Originally intended for his children, but later published and became very popular
o Not accurate, based on paraphrase of English Bible
Ø NIV (1973/1978)
o First original translation of original languages, not based on previous English Bible
o Employed a balance of literal and meaning based translation
o First Bible to outsell KJV
o Updated in 2011
Ø NKJV (1979/1982)
o Modern English revision of KJV
o Based on same textual foundation as KJV translators
o Updated archaic language
Ø NRSV (1990)
o Update of RSV
o Ecumenical and liberal scholars on committee
o Not welcomed by most evangelicals
Ø NLT (1996; updated 2004)
o Thorough revision of Living Bible, using original languages
o Done by committee, not one person
o More of a dynamic, meaning centered translation than a paraphrase.
Ø NET (1996)
o Done by scholars collaborating on internet
o Freely available on net at www.bible.org
o Supplies over 60,000 notes on text, translation, and meaning
Ø HCSB (2000, 2004)
o Endeavors to be balance of literal and meaning based translation
o Commissioned by Lifeway (SBC) and published by Broadman/Holman.
o Replaces NIV in Lifeway studies
Ø ESV (2001)
o Conservative, evangelical group obtained rights to 1971 RSV.
o Revision of RSV
o Tends toward literal (word for word) style
o More readable than NASB
Ø Advantages of Modern Bibles
o Paragraph divisions
o Replace obsolete words
o Update old/obscure English
o Removes ambiguous language
o Improved understanding of original languages

Marking of poetic sections
Use of older and more geographical diverse manuscripts
Improved understanding of ancient customs, geography, and history

Translation
Ø Why do we need translation?
Ø Is translation permitted?
Ø Brief history of English Bibles
Ø Translations and translation methodology

Translation Methodology
Ø Spectrum between:
o Formal equivalence
ü Emphasis on original form and sentence structure
ü English is vastly different from Hebrew and Greek in structure
ü Unnatural English
ü Ambiguous translations

Functional equivalence
ü Less emphasis on form and structure
ü More emphasis on conveying meaning
ü Natural English
ü More specific translations
ü More interpretive
Ø Representatives:
o Formal equivalence
ü NASB; ESV; KJV; NKJV; NRSV
o Functional equivalence
ü NET; HCSB; NIV; NLT
o Paraphrase
ü Living Bible

Choosing a Translation
Ø Have one main Bible to read and memorize from.
Ø Consult multiple translations when studying:
o KJV or NKJV
o NASB or ESV
o NIV or HCSB
o NLT

John 3:16 Cameron Jungles 5-26-2013

“God’s Love & the Gift of his Son” John 3:16
(Eastside Baptist/Sun AM May 26, 2013)
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
John 3:21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 3:3 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
John 3:14-15 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1. God’s love is self-initiated.
1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Deuteronomy 7:7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
Deuteronomy 7:8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
2. God’s love is inclusive.
3. God’s love is unconditional.
Romans 3:10-12 "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
4. God’s love is sacrificial.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
5. God’s love is self-appeasing.
Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
Ephesians 2:2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Ephesians 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
Ephesians 2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.
Romans 3:25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--
Romans 3:26 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.
6. God’s love is generous.
7. God’s love is exclusive.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (Jn. 14:6, NIV)
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."
John 1:9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (Jn. 1:10, NIV)
John 1:11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
John 1:13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Main Idea
Because of the love of God and through the Spirit’s work of new birth, all who believe in Jesus, God’s Son, and his finished work receive the gift of eternal life.

From God to Us - A Guide to How We Got Our Bible Lesson 4- Cameron Jungles - 5-22-2013

From God to Us: A Guide to How We Got Our Bible (Lesson 4)
(Eastside/Wed PM/May 22, 2013)

Where are we going?
Ø Composition
Ø Canonization
Ø Transmission
Ø Translation

Transmission
Ø Preservation
Ø Languages and writing materials/practices
Ø Transmission of OT
Ø Transmission of NT

Preservation
Ø Assuming inspired, inerrant, authoritative original
Ø What about the copies and copies of copies of that original?
Ø Are they perfectly preserved?

Preservation – 4 Options
Ø Perfect preservation in all manuscripts and print editions
Ø Perfect preservation in some (group) of copies/editions
Ø Perfect preservation in one manuscript
Ø Providential preservation in totality of manuscripts

Languages and Writing
Ø Languages
o Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
o Not heavenly languages
o Not the language of Garden of Eden
o Normal, commonly spoken languages of the day
Ø Development of Writing
o Pictograms
o Word-syllabic writing
o Syllabic writing
o Alphabetic writing
ü Early Phoenician alphabet
ü 1600 BC – available to Moses
Ø Writing materials
o Stone
o Clay
o Wood
o Papyrus
o Leather
o Parchment
Ø Book forms
o Scroll
o Codex

Transmission of OT
Ø Manuscripts and Versions
Ø Transmission History
Ø Implications

Manuscripts and Versions
Ø Hebrew Texts
o Silver amulets, 7th cent. BC
o Dead Sea Scrolls, 250 BC-AD 50
o Masada, before AD 73
o Naḥal Ḥever, AD 130
o Genizah Fragments
o Early Ben Asher Manuscripts
o Medieval Manuscripts
Ø Ancient Versions
o Septuagint (LXX), 250-100 BC
o Aramaic Targums
o Latin Translations
ü Old Latin – from LXX
ü Vulgate, AD 405
o Syriac Peshitta, AD 150-200

Transmission History
Ø Beginning to 300 BC
o Written in paleo-Hebrew (Phoenician) script
o Scrolls until 1st – 2nd cent. AD
o Copying of consonants only
o Unsure if written with spaces between words or not
Ø 300 BC to AD 135
o Change from paleo-Hebrew script to Aramaic/square script
o Various textual streams/families evident at Qumran
o Evidence that Consonantal text was standardized by AD 135 (mss. of Wadi Murabba⁽at)
Ø AD 135 to 1000
o Meticulous preservation of standardized consonantal text
o Masoretes (guardians of the tradition)
o Development of vowel pointing systems to preserve pronunciation
Ø AD 1000 to 1450
o Careful transmission of ben Asher family of manuscripts
o The vast majority of our hand-written Hebrew manuscripts come from this medieval period.
o Over 3,000 of these manuscripts
Ø AD 1450 to present
o Transition from hand-copied manuscripts to printed copies
o Carrying on tradition of ben Asher family of manuscripts
o Leningrad codex (around AD 1000) is base of most printed editions

Implications
Ø All printed Hebrew editions are based on ben Asher text family (Leningrad codex)
Ø No essential differences in Hebrew textual base used by all translations
Ø All translators make decisions based on all the textual evidence

Transmission of NT
Ø Contrasts between OT and NT transmission
Ø Manuscripts and Versions
Ø Transmission History
Ø Textual Variations
Ø Implications

Contrasts between OT/NT
Ø Timespan of composition
Ø Geographical distribution
Ø Skill of Scribes
Ø Quality of materials
Ø Degree of variation

Manuscripts and Versions
Ø Greek
o Papyri
o Uncials
o Miniscules
o Lectionaries
o Church Fathers
Ø Ancient Versions
o Eastern
ü Syriac (4th cent.)
ü Coptic (3rd to 4th cent.)
ü Armenian, Georgian, Ethiopic
o Western
ü Latin (Old Latin/Vulgate)
ü Gothic

History of Transmission
Ø Before AD 325
o Several papyrus pages and fragments from first 200 years
o Evidence of geographical families of texts
o Greatest variations are in these earliest manuscripts
Ø 325 to 1516
o Recognition of Christianity in Roman empire
o Standardization of text in Eastern (Byzantine) churches
o Western churches transmitted NT in Latin
Ø 1516 to Present
o Early printed editions based on few, late Byzantine copies
o Discovery of older, more diverse manuscripts resulted new printed editions in 1800’s.
o Textual variation demands textual decisions

Textual Variations
Ø No 2 Greek manuscripts are exactly identical
Ø Unintentional variation
Ø Intentional variation
Ø Each variation must be measured against external and internal evidence

Colossians 1:14, KJV
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Colossians 1:14, NIV
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:20, NIV
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

“Through His Blood”
Ø Not found in most Greek manuscripts or Latin Vulgate manuscripts of Col. 1:14
Ø Only a few, late Byzantine manuscripts have the phrase
Ø Solution?
Ø Harmonization with Eph. 1:7

Ephesians 1:7, NIV
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace

Conclusions
Ø Is biblical text in doubt?
Ø Abundance of evidence
Ø Most variations are insignificant
Ø 99% agreement among mss.
Ø No doctrine is lost or changed by any of the variations

John 3:9-15 Cameron Jungles 5-19-2013

“Look and Live” John 3:9-15 (Eastside Baptist/Sun AM/May 19, 2013)

John 3:1
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
John 3:2
He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."
John 3:3
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
John 3:4
"How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!"
John 3:5
Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
John 3:6
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
John 3:7
You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

John 3:9-10
"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?
John 3:11
Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
John 3:12
I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
John 3:13
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man.

1.  As the Son of God from heaven, Jesus is uniquely qualified to reveal spiritual truth.

John 3:14-15
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

Numbers 21:4
They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;
Numbers 21:5
they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"
Numbers 21:6
Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
Numbers 21:7
The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
Numbers 21:8
The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."
Numbers 21:9
The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."

John 3:14-15
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

Isaiah 52:13
See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

John 13:31
When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him.
John 13:32
If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
John 13:33
"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

John 3:13
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man.
John 3:14-15
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him."

2.  The truth from God is that faith in the crucified, risen, and exalted Christ is the only way to eternal life.

Main Idea:
Ø “Look and Live”
Ø Everyone who looks to Jesus in faith is spared the judgment of God and is granted eternal life.

From God to Us - A Guide to How We Got Our Bible - Cameron Jungles - 5-8-2013

From God to Us: A Guide to How We Got Our Bible (Eastside/Wed PM/May 15, 2013)
Where are we going?
Ø Composition
Ø Canonization
Ø Transmission
Ø Translation

Canonization
Ø What does Canonization mean?
Ø Old Testament canon
Ø New Testament canon

Canon Defined
Ø Greek kanōn = rod, staff, or measuring rod
Ø Hebrew qāneh = a measuring rod six cubits long
Ø So, “canon” came to refer to any standard, rule, or norm.

Scripture & Canon
Ø “Canon” adopted by earlier church to refer to the Gospel or official church doctrine.
Ø Around A.D. 350 used to describe the written Scriptures.
Ø Canon=standard list of inspired writings=Word of God

Theological Definition
Canonicity is the historical process by which the Spirit of God led the church to recognize those writings that were genuinely inspired.

Important Clarifications
Ø Canonicity is a historical process.
Ø Canonicity recognizes authority; it does not grant it.
Ø Inspiration determines canonicity, not vice versa.

Why is “Canon” important?
Ø Not everyone agrees on the list of inspired, authoritative books.
Ø Modern challenges to our faith based on recently discovered spurious writings in the early church.

Old Testament Canon
Ø The OT testifies to its own authority.
o Law
ü Testifies to its own authority
o Prophets & Writings
ü Testifies to Law’s authority
ü Testifies to authority of other Prophets and Writings

Ø External testimony to OT canon
o Evidence in favor of a 39 book OT canon
o Evidence against inclusion of “apocryphal” or “inter-testamental” writings

Ø Concluding implications:
o Strong historical evidence that Hebrew Scriptures were done by Ezra’s time around 400 B.C.
o Strong historical evidence that the OT canon included only 39 books (=24 in Hebrew order).

New Testament Canon
Ø Differences in process between development of OT canon and NT canon
o Length of time of production
o Location of origin and geographical distribution
Ø The NT testifies to its own authority.
o Pre-authentication by Jesus

John 13:7
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

John 16:12
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.
John 16:13
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 15:20
…If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

o “Canonical self-consciousness”

1 Corinthians 14:37
If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command.

1 Corinthians 2:13
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.

Revelation 22:18
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.
Revelation 22:19
And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

Deuteronomy 4:2
Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.

o NT authors recognizing authority of other NT writings

2 Peter 3:15
Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
2 Peter 3:16
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

1 Timothy 5:18
For Scripture says, "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."

Ø External testimony to NT canon
o Principles
ü Apostolic authorship
ü Universal acceptance
ü Orthodox teaching
ü Traditional Usage
o History
ü Paul’s epistles and Gospels recognized almost instantly
ü 22 books received early and near universal acceptance
ü Only 27 NT books recognized

John 3:1-8 - Cameron Jungles - 5-12-2013

“Born of the Spirit” John 3:1-8 (Eastside Baptist/Sun AM/May 12, 2013)
John 3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.
John 3:2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him."
John 3:3 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
John 3:4 "How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!"
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
Ezekiel 36:24 "'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Ezekiel 36:28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.
John 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
John 3:7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
1.  The New Birth is an absolute necessity in order to be saved.
John 3:3 Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again."
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
2.  The New Birth cannot be brought about by any human means.
John 3:4 "How can someone be born when they are old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!"
John 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
John 1:13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

3.  The New Birth only happens by the gracious and sovereign work of the Holy Spirit.
John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
Titus 3:6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Main Idea:
Ø The Holy Spirit graciously and miraculously causes sinners to be born again as children of God, awakening faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Implications:
Ø Honors God, not people
Ø Removes all confidence in our own ability
Ø Moves us to thankfulness for the grace and mercy of God
Ø Places our confidence for evangelism in God’s Spirit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
May 12, 2013 Sun AM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

From God to Us: A Guide to How We Got Our Bible - Cameron Jungles - 5-8-2013

(Eastside Baptist/Wed PM/May 8, 2013)

From God to Us: A Guide to How We Got Our Bible

Where are we going?
Ø Composition
Ø Canonization
Ø Transmission
Ø Translation

Psalm 19:7
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 19:9
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Key Question:
Ø How do we know the Bible is God’s Word?
Ø The Bible shows itself to be God’s Word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, and its power to convert sinners and to edify saints.
Ø But only the Spirit of God can make us willing to agree and submit to the Bible as the Word of God.

1 Corinthians 2:13
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
1 Corinthians 2:14
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Key Question:
Ø How did God reveal or communicate his message to the human authors?
Ø Through the superintendence of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

2 Peter 1:20
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things.
2 Peter 1:21
For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Composition
Ø Revelation
Ø Inspiration/Inscripturation
Ø Inerrancy
Ø Authority

Revelation
God’s Truth
Human Beings
General Revelation
Ø General Audience
o Creation
o Providence/Acts of God
o Conscience
Ø General Content
o Sufficient for general knowledge
o Insufficient for salvation

Romans 1:18
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
Romans 1:19
since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Romans 10:13
for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 10:14
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Romans 10:15
And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Romans 10:16
But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"
Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Special Revelation
Ø Specific Audience & Content
o Various means:
ü Lots, Urim & Thummim, miracles, direct speech, visions, dreams, angels, Theophanies, prophets
o Incarnation of Christ
o Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Composition
Ø Revelation
Ø Inspiration/Inscripturation
Ø Inerrancy
Ø Authority

Inspiration
Ø Definition
o 2 Timothy 3:16 – “given by inspiration of God”
o Comes from Latin inspirō, meaning “breathe in/into”
o Greek word = God’s breath or God’s Spirit (“God-breathed”)

Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "

Inspiration
Ø Warfield: “a supernatural influence exerted on the sacred writers by the Spirit of God, by virtue of which their writings are given divine trustworthiness.”

Inspiration
Ø God’s superintendence of the writers of Scripture by the Holy Spirit so that what they wrote is the very Word of God.
o 2 Peter 1:20-21
o 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Inspiration
Ø God is the ultimate cause of the Scriptures.
Ø God used human agents in the recording of the Scriptures.
o Not mechanical dictation
o Divine-human confluence
o Author of the words and writers

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."

Galatians 1:15-16
But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles…

Inspiration
Ø Verbal and Plenary
Ø Applies directly to the original manuscripts
Ø Applies indirectly to copies and translations as they faithfully represent original writings.

Composition
Ø Revelation
Ø Inspiration/Inscripturation
Ø Inerrancy
Ø Authority

Inerrancy
Ø Scriptures are completely true in all that they affirm.
Ø Exempt from liability to mistake, incapable of error.
Ø Rooted in the character of God, who does not lie.

John 17:17
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Composition
Ø Revelation
Ø Inspiration/Inscripturation
Ø Inerrancy
Ø Authority

Authority
Ø God’s Word is fully authoritative.
Ø If Bible is God’s Word, then it bears his full authority.
Ø “Thus saith the LORD…”
Ø Jesus appealed to Scriptures
Ø Authority of Prophets/Apostles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
May 8, 2013 Wed PM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

Reading the Bible with the Family - Chapter 15 Cameron Jungles - 5-5-2013

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie
“Reading the Bible with the Family” Chapter 15 (Eastside Baptist/Sun PM/May 5, 2013)
Opening Thoughts
Ø What legacy do you want to pass on to your children?
o Inheritance or land?
o Heirlooms or memories?
o Character or work ethic?
o Knowledge of God and his Word?

Deuteronomy 6:6
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
Deuteronomy 6:7
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Building Home on the Word
Ø What are the goals of a Scripture-saturated home?
o The Love of God
ü Love of God is cultivated through delighting in and meditating on God’s Word.

Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Deuteronomy 6:5
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.


A Biblical Worldview
ü The Bible does not directly address every issue.
ü The Bible provides framework for understanding reality.

C.S. Lewis:
“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”


Principles for Living Wisely
ü Within a biblical view of the world are individual principles to guide our choices and actions.
ü Sabbath rest
ü Focused on needs of others

Practical Tips
Ø Bible Reading & Listening
o Establish patterns
ü Set times and places
ü Incorporate singing
ü Devotional guides
ü Catechisms
ü Children’s Bible Storybooks

o Encourage individual Bible and prayer times
ü Provide reading plans
ü Allow time
ü Discuss as a family what each is reading

Ø Help your children understand the Bible’s big storyline.
o Reading through the Bible
o At special occasions and other times, review the Bible’s big story.

Ø Listening to teaching & preaching
o Make worship a priority
o Teach sitting and listening
o Teach note taking
o Review lessons and sermons as a family.

Concluding Thoughts
Ø Live out the Bible in front of your families.
Ø Cultivate a love for the Scriptures.
Ø What are the values and priorities of your family?
Ø Start somewhere.
Psalm 78:5
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,
Psalm 78:6
so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
Psalm 78:7
Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
May 5, 2013 Sun PM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

John 2:23-25 Cameron Jungles 5-5-13

“Jesus Knows our Hearts”: John 2:23-25 (Eastside Baptist/Sun AM/May 5, 2013)

John 2:23
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.
John 2:24
But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.
John 2:25
He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

1.  Jesus exhaustively knows the hearts of all people.

John 2:24
But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

John 2:25
He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:10
"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve."

John 20:31
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

2.  Jesus knows that some who express faith are not genuine and will not endure.

John 2:23
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

John 20:31
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--

John 2:24
But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

John 6:56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
John 6:57
Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
John 6:58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."
John 6:60
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
John 6:61
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?
John 6:62
Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! (Jn. 6:62, NIV)
John 6:63
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life.
John 6:64
Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
John 6:65
He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them."
John 6:66
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
John 6:67
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (Jn. 6:68, NIV)
John 6:69
We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."

3.  The true faith that Jesus gives is faith that endures.

John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
John 1:13
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

John 3:3
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. "
John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

John 15:1
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
John 15:2
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:3
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
John 15:4
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:6
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:8
This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last--and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Colossians 1:21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Colossians 1:22
But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--
Colossians 1:23
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:29
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

3 Views on Eternal Security
Ø Preservation without perseverance
Ø Perseverance or no preservation
Ø Preservation through perseverance

Main Idea:
Ø Jesus is not impressed with or fooled by our temporary, false expressions of faith.
Ø Jesus entrusts himself to those who exhibit true, enduring, grace-given faith.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
May 1, 2013 Sun PM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

John 2:23-25 - Cameron Jungles - 5-5-2013

“Jesus Knows our Hearts”: John 2:23-25 (Eastside Baptist/Sun AM/May 5, 2013)

John 2:23
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.
John 2:24
But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.
John 2:25
He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

1.  Jesus exhaustively knows the hearts of all people.

John 2:24
But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

John 2:25
He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:10
"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve."

John 20:31
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

2.  Jesus knows that some who express faith are not genuine and will not endure.

John 2:23
Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

John 20:31
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--

John 2:24
But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

John 6:56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
John 6:57
Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
John 6:58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."
John 6:60
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
John 6:61
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?
John 6:62
Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! (Jn. 6:62, NIV)
John 6:63
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life.
John 6:64
Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
John 6:65
He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them."
John 6:66
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
John 6:67
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (Jn. 6:68, NIV)
John 6:69
We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."

3.  The true faith that Jesus gives is faith that endures.

John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
John 1:13
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

John 3:3
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. "
John 3:8
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

John 15:1
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
John 15:2
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:3
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
John 15:4
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:6
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:8
This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last--and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Colossians 1:21
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
Colossians 1:22
But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--
Colossians 1:23
if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:29
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

3 Views on Eternal Security
Ø Preservation without perseverance
Ø Perseverance or no preservation
Ø Preservation through perseverance

Main Idea:
Ø Jesus is not impressed with or fooled by our temporary, false expressions of faith.
Ø Jesus entrusts himself to those who exhibit true, enduring, grace-given faith.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
May 5, 2013 Sun AM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

From God to Us: A Guide to How We Got Our Bible - Cameron Jungles- 5-1-2013

From God to Us: A Guide to How We Got Our Bible
(Lesson 1: Introduction)
From God to Us
Ø What are we studying?
Ø Where are we going?
Ø Why do we need this study?
Ø How should we study it?

What are we studying?
Ø Purpose: to understand how God gave us the Scriptures
Ø Where did it come from?
Ø How did we get it?
Ø Our Bible is the result of a long history of complex events and processes.

What is the Bible?
Ø “Bible” comes from the Greek word biblia = “books”
Ø The Bible is a collection of sacred books that serve as the authoritative writings for the Christian church.
Ø 66 different books or writings
Ø 2 Testaments or “Covenants”
Ø Old Testament = 39 books
Ø New Testament = 27 books

The Old Testament
Ø Law: Genesis - Deuteronomy
Ø History: Joshua - Esther
Ø Poetry: Job – Song of Songs
Ø Prophets
o Major: Isaiah - Daniel
o Minor: Hosea - Malachi

The Hebrew Bible
Ø Called the Tanak
o Torah (Law)
o Nebiim (Prophets)
o Kethubim (Writings)

Luke 24:44
He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

Ø Torah: Genesis - Deuteronomy
Ø Nebiim: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The Twelve
Ø Kethubim: rest of the books; beginning with Psalms, ending with Chronicles

Luke 11:51
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

Ø This three-fold division of the Hebrew Scriptures (Law, Prophets, Writings) was set by the time of Jesus.
Ø The number and arrangement of the books of the Hebrew Bible was set by Jesus’ time.

The New Testament
Ø Gospels: Matthew - John
Ø History: Acts
Ø Epistles: Romans - Jude
Ø Prophecy: Revelation

The Bible
Ø These 66 books were not all written at the same time.
Ø The Bible, as a collection of all 66 books, did not exist until around 2nd century A.D.
Ø Prior to this time, these books were transmitted individually or as part of smaller collections.
Ø “Book of books” that we call the Bible came into being over a period of 1500 years, using 40 different authors.
Ø Diverse book with long history:
o Diverse Writers
ü Kings (David & Solomon)
ü Statesmen (Daniel)
ü Herdsmen (Amos)
ü Fishermen (Peter & John)
ü Priests (Jeremiah & Ezekiel)
ü Prophets (Isaiah & Micah)
ü Tax collector (Matthew)
ü Rabbi (Paul)
ü Physician (Luke)

Diverse Locations
ü Palestine (most of OT)
ü Italy (Paul’s prison epistles)
ü Greece (Romans)
ü Asia Minor (1 Corinthians)
ü Egypt (Jeremiah)
ü Mesopotamia (Daniel)

Diverse Literary Styles
ü History
ü Laws
ü Poetry
ü Prophecy & Apocalyptic
ü Gospels
ü Letters
ü Wisdom

Diverse Languages
ü Hebrew (most of OT)
ü Aramaic (portions of Ezra and Daniel, 1 verse in Genesis)
ü Greek (all of NT)

Implications:
Ø Bible did not fall into our hands as a completed book.
Ø Composed of individual books, written over a long span of time.
Ø Individual writings were copied and collected into groups and then eventually into one book.
Ø Scriptures transmitted through the centuries by copying and translating into languages of the world.
Ø This study involves an understanding of the complex history of these processes over time.

Where are we going?
Ø Composition
Ø Canonization
Ø Transmission
Ø Translation

What is composition?
Ø Writing of original manuscript (autograph) by biblical author
Ø Not the product of human imagination or ingenuity
Ø A written record of God’s revelation to his people
Ø Authoritative Word of God

What is composition?
Ø What makes these books different?
o Holy Spirit’s superintendence
ü Revelation
ü Inspiration
ü Inerrancy
ü Authority

What is canonization?
Ø Canon refers to the writings regarded as Holy Scripture
Ø Canonization refers to the historical process by which certain books came to be regarded as Holy Scripture and other books did not.
Ø Which books are included in the canon?
Ø How did these books come to be included in the canon?
Ø Why are only these books included and not other “sacred writings”?

What is transmission?
Ø How the Scriptures were transmitted around the world and to later generations.
Ø Accomplished through copying of biblical texts.
Ø Hand-copied until c. A.D. 1450
Ø Printed after c. A.D. 1450

What is translation?
Ø Translation of Scripture from Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek into other languages.
Ø Focus on English translations
Ø History of English Bible
Ø Philosophy of Translation Methodology
Why this study?
Ø Lack of knowledge
Ø False ideas
Ø Unnecessary division
Ø Defending our faith
How should we study?
Ø Avoid unhealthy extremes:
o Undiscerning acceptance
o Critical unteachableness
Ø Healthy balance:
o Discerning teachableness
It is my prayer that this study will give us a greater appreciation for the Word of God and a greater desire to know its contents.

I also pray that it will cause us to stand in awe at the grace of God, which has allowed us to have his message in our hands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
May 1, 2013 Sun PM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

John 2:13-22 Cameron Jungles 4-28-2013

“Jesus and God’s Temple” John 2:13-22 (Eastside Baptist/Sun AM/April 28, 2013)

John 2:13
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
John 2:14
In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.
John 2:15
So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
John 2:16
To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!"

Zechariah 14:21
…And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of the LORD of hosts on that day.

Malachi 3:1, 3
…Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple…he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.

John 2:17
His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

Jesus demands that we approach God rightly in true worship.

John 2:18
The Jews then responded to him, "What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
John 2:19
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
John 2:20
They replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"
John 2:21
But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
2. Jesus is the New and Greater Temple.

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 14:9
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

Main Idea:
Jesus is the New and Greater Temple. Now, true and right worship of God is only through his Son, Jesus.

John 2:22
After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

John 20:31
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 5:24
"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
April 28, 2013 Sun AM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie - Chapter 14 - Cameron Jungels 4-28-2013

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie
(Cameron Jungels/Eastside Baptist/Sun PM/4.28.2013)
“Bible Reading in Times of Sorrow and Suffering” Chapter 14
Psalm 90:10
Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

Opening Thoughts
Ø Trouble and sorrow are part of life in a sin-cursed world.
Ø They are part of the tapestry of our life of faith that God is weaving.
Ø How do we respond in these times?

A Place for Lament
Ø Our secular culture and even often our church culture do not have a place for lament.
Ø The Psalms are not all praise.
Ø Both praise and lament are intended to draw us to God.

What Is Lament?
Ø A form of prayer or worship.
Ø A difficult conversation with God.
Ø Expressing disappointment, suffering, anger, & bitterness.
Ø Modeled for us in the Bible.
Ø Very relational in nature and involves total honesty
Ø Lament is intended to strengthen our relationship with God, to drive us closer to him in times of sorrow.
Ø God desires to relate to us even on our worst days.

Perspective in a Dark World
Ø Laments help us to worship in moments of powerlessness.
Ø Lament reorients our view to God’s perspective.
Ø God’s timing – not ours.
Ø Not always answers, but a closer relationship with God.

Laments for Real Life
Ø Lament is often ongoing, not momentary.
Ø Lament may be opportunity for service – for God to display his strength in my weakness.
Ø My weakness and sorrow can be offered to God in worship.

Kinds of Laments
Ø Lament of Contrition – sin
Ø Lament of Betrayal –abandonment or rejection (by people or God!)
Ø Lament of Sickness – battling illness or disease


Lamentations 3 as Example
Ø Written by Jeremiah, who witnessed the devastation on Jerusalem by Babylonians.
Ø In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah’s lament moves from corporate (we) to personal (I).

Lamentations 3:1
I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD's wrath.
Lamentations 3:2
He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light;
Lamentations 3:3
indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.
Lamentations 3:5
He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
Lamentations 3:7
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains.
Lamentations 3:8
Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer.
Lamentations 3:15
He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink.
Lamentations 3:19
I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
Lamentations 3:20
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.

Turning Point in Lament
Ø Biblical lament never stays in sorrow and grief.
Ø Through lament, one gains perspective about God and his ways.
Ø Lament leads to hope in the mercies of God.

Lamentations 3:21
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Lamentations 3:22
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
Lamentations 3:23
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Concluding Thoughts
Ø Lament is biblical and draws us closer to God.
Ø Lament honestly pours out our hearts to God.
Ø Lament reorients our perspective to remember the mercy and love of God.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
April 28, 2013 Sunday PM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

Psalm 1 - Cameron Jungels - 4-24-2013

“Two Paths” Psalm 1
Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
Psalm 1:2
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
Psalm 1:3
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers.
Psalm 1:4
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Psalm 1:5
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Psalm 1:6
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

God’s way leads to blessing and eternal life.

· God’s way is totally distinct from the path of sin (v. 1).

Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
· God’s way is clearly marked out by his Word (v. 2).

Psalm 1:2
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
· God’s way is the only path to true blessing (v. 3).

Psalm 1:3
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers.

The path of sin leads to misery and eternal destruction.

· The path of sin can appear healthy and happy for a season, but it is short lived (v. 4).

Psalm 1:4
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
· The path of sin results in God’s judgment (v. 5).
Psalm 1:5
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Psalm 1:6
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Main Idea:
True blessing comes to those walking on God’s path that leads to eternal life.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Matthew 7:13
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Matthew 7:14
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Main Idea:
True blessing comes to those walking on God’s path that leads to eternal life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
April 24, 2013 Wed PM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie - Chapter 11 - Cameron Jungels 4-7-2013

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie
“Reading the NT Letters”: Chapter 11
Ø Appeal of NT Epistles
o Personal nature
o More familiar with genre
o Practical daily issues
o Greatest treasury of instruction of post-resurrection doctrine and how to live the Christian life
Ø Letter Writing in 1st Century
o Difficult to Produce and Deliver
ü Materials
ü Scribes
ü Delivery
o Reading done publicly in community
Ø Reading with a map
o Parts make better sense in light of the whole.
o 1st century letter structure
o Read the whole letter in one sitting if possible.
o Use reliable guides to help with structure and purpose.
Ø Original Setting is Key
o Letters are occasional
o One-sided conversations
o Writer? Readers?
o Occasion? or Situation?
o Purpose(s)?
o Key Themes?
o Historical/cultural info
Ø Bridging the Gaps
o Different Cultures – forms, structures, and practices
o Sinful human nature is fundamentally unchanged.
o God’s character and his plan of salvation is unchanged.
o On different cultural matters, seek foundational principles.
Ø Reading with Joy & Humility
o Read purposefully but with an openness to receive God’s truth in humility…
o Even if that means changing previously held assumptions and beliefs.
o God’s Truth shapes us.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:2, NIV)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2 Tim. 3:16-17, NIV)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
April 21, 2013 Sun PM
Unless otherwise noted, the verses are in NIV.

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie - Chapter 13 - Cameron Jungels 4-21-2013

Read the Bible for Life by George Guthrie (Cameron Jungels/Eastside Baptist/Sun PM/April 21, 2013)
“Reading the Bible for Personal Devotion” Chapter 13
1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

Opening Thoughts
Ø Biblical illiteracy hurts our personal devotional life.
Ø Our personal walk with the Lord and our times of prayer will be greatly enhanced by being saturated with God’s Word.

Key Question:
Why is it so hard to maintain a consistent devotional life of Bible reading and prayer?

Delighting in God’s Word
o Problem: merely reading to accomplish a task.
o Solution: meditating on Scripture.
Ø How to Meditate on Scripture
o Mediate=thinking deeply about the meaning and application of Scripture.
o Meditation is not merely a suggestion, but lifted up in the Bible as the normal part of a believer’s devotional life.

Psalm 77:12
I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.

Psalm 119:15
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
Ø How to Meditate on Scripture
o Slow down and linger over the meaning of passages, verses, phrases, and words.
o Probe the passage by asking key questions: what, who, where, when, how, and why?
Ø What if you are too busy?
o Don’t skip meditation.
o Read shorter passages.
o Select key verses or passages.
o Schedule “slow down” times.
o Use creative times.
o Remember: It’s not a to-do-list task.
Ø Balancing Meditation and “Big Picture” Bible Reading
o Both “cover much ground” reading and “slow down” meditation are important.
o Have a plan to read through the Bible.
o Use a plan that includes variety.
Integrating Mediation and Prayer

Thoughtful biblical meditation leads to fuller and more enjoyable prayer life.
Pray through passages of Scripture (eyes open).

From Drudgery to Delight
o Pray through a passage of Scripture with yourself and others in mind.
o Psalms are a good place to start (also NT letters).
Ø Bible-saturated Prayer
o Brings variety to stale, repetitive prayers.
o Awakens imagination.
o Provides new themes and vocabulary for prayer.
o Anchors our prayers to biblical truth.
o Brings our prayers in line with God’s will.
o Reminds us of relationship with God: God speaks to us through his Word; we speak to God through prayer.
Bible
Prayer

Closing Thoughts
Ø Consistent Bible reading, meditation, and prayer is doable.
Ø It is also enjoyable, when we view it as part of a relationship with God who is our true source of joy.

Psalm 119:16
I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.