"High Expectations (So Practice)"
TEXT: 2 Cor. 13:1; Gen. 1:27, 2:23-24, 3:15; Malachi 2:15; Deut. 6:4-9; Matt. 6:9; Eph. 5:31-32; 1 Timothy 2:14-15
TRUTHS:
1. God has set a course in and through His Word that His children must be careful to not deviate from. The path to blessing will be obscured if we believe and follow lies.
2. One of the ‘courses’ that is presented in the Word of God details the reality and purposes of being created in the image of God male and female. Each gender has distinct roles and purposes—even if they seemingly “overlap” at times—that God has designed to lead to human flourishing and blessing. In a culture that has become increasingly obsessed with distorting gender and gender roles it is extremely important for the children of God to recognize and affirm that our Creator has established and set up the two gender roles to represent His character and nature. To deviate from this truth is step off of God’s path of blessing.
3. God seems to be highly concerned about the dietary practices of His people throughout the OT. This has many implications and is attached to various truths, but we need to be aware of the primary “picture” God is painting in requiring such practices from His people. The Lord is seeking to communicate the importance of the spiritual “food” that we partake of. He is concerned about what goes into our minds (which impacts the condition of our souls and directly affects our actions/lack of actions).
4. Satan used a woman in the fall and Jesus uses a woman in the redemption of humanity. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “You tore her down, I will raise her up!”
5. It is a parent’s responsibility to teach their children the Word of God (in a diligent manner). What should one do if they realize they have failed in this endeavor? God beckons parents to confess their shortcomings concerning doing this and to ask Him to redeem their failure(s). How serious is the Lord about this? The following could rightly be said—if you don’t teach your children the Word of God, you don’t love God.
6. Every believer should examine the Scriptures—to the best of their ability—in order to discern if the teaching/preaching they are receiving is in fact what the Bible is seeking to communicate.
7. We have seen the rise of an ideology that directly (and indirectly) espouses that humanity is ruining the earth. While it is true that humans are capable of destruction and producing harm all around them, the Bible is clear that the earth has been created for humans. The multiplication of human life upon this planet is not the chief problem. God actually calls for humanity to reproduce because it is a necessary step in producing His desired end—godly offspring. In other words, the children of God should reject any ideology that states humanity should not reproduce or multiply. Such teaching is antithetical to the Word of God.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. What does each gender (male and female) communicate about the character and nature of God? Additionally, why would God set it up to work in this way? Why not just use a singular gender to reveal truth about Himself?
2. What are the practical reasons surrounding why God is concerned with what goes into our minds? How can we discern if what is going into our minds is healthy or unhealthy?
3. What does it mean to teach your children the Word of God in a diligent manner? Additionally, how do the powers of evil seemingly seek to disrupt this from taking place?
4. How should the children of God approach the Scriptures to ensure that the teaching and preaching they are receiving is true and rightly divided? What are some practical methods for examining the Word of God in this way (beyond plugging a question into Google)?
5. Humans do seem to be the problem. What would you say to someone who is struggling to accept that the multiplication of human life is a 'good' thing?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray into the following areas:
For parents to be empowered by the Spirit to diligently teach their children the Word of God
That God would redeem the broken and mislead women of our community; that men of God would be empowered to help this happen
That the people of Abundant Life would be wise concerning what they put into their minds
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