Weekly Bible Study Review
July 1, 2012

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Cafe Class
Culture Cafe
1359 N Altadena Drive
Pasadena CA 91107
Tuesdays 11:00 am

classroom
Read-to-Believe Class
Lake Avenue Church
Hutchins Hall Room 402
309 N Lake Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101
Thursdays 7:00 pm

.Romans Challenge March 2012
Romans Challenge

Albert Baroody invites you

to read the book of Romans in two translations with three other people

in four weeks. 

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Arbo Class
LA County Arboretum
301 N Baldwin Ave
Arcadia CA 91007
Saturday 12:00 noon
Once per month

 

July 14, 2012 

August 11, 2012 

September 8, 2012 

October 6, 2012
November 3, 2012
December 8, 2012
 
topofpageGreetings! 

This newsletter is sent to people who attend one of Sandy's weekly Bible studies. The left column has the current class schedule. Be sure to watch for the links in each article. Clicking on them will lead you to charts, diagrams and additional articles related to your class. 

Anyone can subscribe to this free newsletter by using the link in the upper left corner. If you would like to forward this issue to a friend all you have to do is click on the link below.



 

 TuesdayTuesday Cafe Class
Ephesians

Ephesians 3:1-21

Last week we saw how Jews and Gentiles have become one in Christ. Click to see diagram. There is no division between Jewish-Christian converts and Gentile-Christian converts in Christ. In other words, the Gentiles who become Christians are not second-class Christians, but they are equal to the Christians of Jewish descent in every way.

 

3:1-5 "For this reason" (because Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ) Paul preaches to the Gentiles the "mystery" which is the gospel. He refers to himself as "the prisoner of Christ Jesus." Keep in mind that Paul is writing this from prison. He is quite certain that his readers have heard about the grace God has given him so that they could understand this "mystery" that was made known to Paul by revelation. He has a special insight into the "mystery of Christ" which he will share with them in this chapter. This mystery was not made known to people in the past but "it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets." Do you want to know what that mystery is?

 

v. 6 "This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." Notice all the togetherness in that verse. Jewish and Gentile Christian converts are "heirs" together, "members" together, and "sharers" together. This is the essence of the gospel message. Christ came to bring them together and present them to God as one new man. They come together in Christ. Jews and Gentiles in the world are still hostile toward one another but Jews and Gentiles in Christ are united in peace.

 

rtbclassThursday Read-to-Believe Class  
Exodus

Exodus 32:1-34:17

32:1-14 Moses was on the mountain with the Lord 40 days and the people in the camp were getting restless. They didn't know if he was coming back so they asked Aaron to make gods that would lead them. Aaron made a golden calf out of some of their jewelry. The calf was quickly accepted and they said it was the god who brought them out of Egypt. They offered sacrifices to it and had a big festival. The Lord knew what they were doing and told Moses to go back down to the camp because the people had corrupted themselves. He knew that they were giving the calf-idol credit for rescuing them from Egypt. The Lord was angry with them and told Moses to let Him destroy them so He could start over and make Moses into a great nation. But Moses pleaded for the Israelites and appealed to the Lord to protect the honor of His Name by sparing them because other nations would think evil of the Lord if He destroyed His people. Moses also reminded the Lord of His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Israel-- that He would make their descendants as numerous as the stars and give them the land of Canaan. The Lord relented and did not destroy the people.

 

In class we discussed the Lord's threat and Moses' intercession. Was the Lord's threat real? Did Moses know of any time that He had ever destroyed a large number of people before? Yes, in Sodom and Gomorrah, and in the flood back in Noah's time. Moses probably took this threat seriously. Now what about Moses' response? Why did he intercede? Because the Israelites were his people? Because he had a responsibility as the mediator of this covenant? Because he was old and didn't want to start over? We also discussed whether Moses actually changed the Lord's mind or if the Lord was merely testing Moses to show what was in his heart. Did Moses love the people as the Lord did? The class did not come to a consensus about all these matter but it was an interesting discussion.

 

 Click to read more...
 
Since ancient times the Bible has been read aloud to groups of people who were eager to hear the words of Life. We're really no different today. Believers still look to the Bible for wisdom and instruction. We belong in the Word together. Thank you for your participation in these classes. I hope you will pass this email on to others and invite them to attend a Bible study.

Grace and peace,
Sandy Blank
Tuesday2Tuesday Cafe Class (continued)
Ephesians 3:1-21

3:7-9 Why is Paul preaching this gospel? Because God made him a servant of this message by His power and grace. Paul calls himself "less than the least of all God's people" presumably because he used to persecute Christians. He doesn't consider himself worthy of apostleship, nevertheless God's grace causes him to preach Christ to the Gentiles and "make plain to everyone" (that is; not just Gentiles but Jews, also) the working out of this mystery. The mystery of Jews and Gentiles being made one in Christ is something that "was kept hidden in God" for ages past. Who hid it? God hid it and He chose to reveal it to the apostles. Why was this mystery hidden and why was it later revealed?

 

v. 10 God intended to do something. "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm." Let's take this more slowly-God's intent was that now (when Paul is writing this letter), through the church (made up of Jewish and Gentile Christian converts), the manifold (multifaceted or complex) wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm (that is, angels, principalities, powers, etc. that are in heaven). Paul seems to say that there are beings in the heavenly realm who are witnessing what God is doing in the church. They are seeing the "manifold wisdom of God" in a way that they perhaps have not seen before. We talked about this at length in class. Has God ever shown His mercy before? When a third of the angels sinned, who did God send to redeem them? No one. Yet He sent His own Son to die in order to redeem fallen humans. Paul does not tell us what these beings in the heavenly realm think about what God has done for humanity but he does succeed in taking his readers' eyes off of earthly matters and focus them on the really big picture.

   

v. 11-13 This was all done "according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus." God always intended to do things this way but He kept His plan hidden until He decided that it was time to reveal it. In Christ and through faith in Christ the believers may now approach God "with freedom and confidence." Under the Old Covenant the Israelites approached God with fear and trembling. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year. But now, individuals who are in Christ have access to God through faith in Christ. Paul concludes this thought by asking his readers not to be discouraged because of what he is suffering as a result of his ministry to them. Paul's sufferings are their glory because when he suffers for the sake of Christ then all the other believers have a share in that suffering. They are united in such a way that when one suffers they all suffer; when one is honored they are all honored.

 

v. 14-19 Now Paul prays for his readers. He kneels before the Father who is the head of His whole family on earth and in heaven. Paul prays that God will strengthen the readers with the Spirit's power "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." He wants them to be "rooted and established in love" and again mentions power-- the power to grasp the full meaning of the love of Christ. Paul prays that they will know this love even though it is actually beyond their ability to know. And he asks that God will fill them with all the fullness of God. Notice the vast scope of this prayer. Paul takes them out into the cosmos to show them that God is doing something far greater than they realized and prays that God will help them understand.

 

v. 20-21 Finally, Paul praises God as the one who is able. Able to do what? Able to do even more than they can "ask or imagine." In other words, God has the power to do greater things than the readers can even imagine. And this great power of God "is at work within us." Paul prays that God will receive glory in the church and in Christ "throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

 --Sandy Blank
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readtobelieveThursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)

Exodus 32:1-34:17 

32:15-24 Moses went down the mountain carrying the two stone tablets. These tablets were made by God and inscribed by God on both sides. Joshua heard noise from the camp and thought the people were at war. Moses knew it was only "the sound of singing." When he saw the golden calf he was so angry that he threw the stone tablets down and broke them to pieces. The people had already broken their covenant with the Lord and this agreement wasn't worth the stone it was written on. He took the golden calf, melted it down, ground it into powder and threw it in the water supply so the people would have to drink it. Then he dealt with Aaron. Aaron blamed it on the people saying that he only did what they wanted him to do. He said that when he threw the gold into the fire, "out came this calf!" It seems as though Aaron got swept up in the excitement and everything just happened very quickly.

 

v. 25-29 The people were running wild so Moses had to do something to bring them back under control. He stood at the entrance to the camp and the Levites rallied to his side. The Lord told them to put on their swords and go throughout the camp killing people, even members of their own families, in order to bring peace to the camp again. They Levites killed 3,000 people. This may seem like a lot of people but remember that there were more than a million Israelites in the camp. Moses praised the Levites and blessed them for their loyalty to the Lord.

In class we talked about how this was like a modern-day riot where the police come in and use as much force as needed to bring the people under control. The Levites were like a police force authorized to use deadly force to bring an end to the riot.

 

v. 30-35 The next day Moses told the people what a great sin they'd committed in making the calf. He went back to the Lord and begged Him to forgive them. Then Moses said, "But if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." Moses was not looking for any special treatment for himself. If the Lord wouldn't forgive them then Moses was willing to perish also. But the Lord told him, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book." Moses was told to lead the people onward and an angel would go before them. The Lord struck the Israelites with a plague because of the golden calf they had made.

 

33:1-6 The Lord told them to leave and go to the land that He'd promised to give them. He would send an angel before them to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. He called this land "the land flowing with milk and honey." But He said He would not go with them because they are "stiff-necked." If He went with them He might destroy them on the way. The Israelites were told to take off their ornaments at Mount Horeb. This was probably a sign of mourning.

 

v. 7-11 Moses used to pitch a tent outside the camp and call it the tent of meeting. This was before the Tabernacle was constructed. Notice that the tent was outside the camp. The Lord would meet with Moses there. Whenever he went out to that tent the people watched from their own tents and the pillar of cloud would come down at the entrance to this tent. "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." When they were finished Moses would return to the camp but Joshua stayed at the tent.

 

v. 12-23 Moses wanted to know who the Lord would send with them. He knew the Lord was pleased with him so he said, "teach me your ways so I may know you." Moses didn't ask for wealth or power or fame. He only wanted to know the Lord better and for Him to remember that the Israelites are His people. The Lord said His Presence would go with them on their journey and He would give them rest. Moses replied that if His Presence did not go with them then He should not send them at all. Moses knew that the only difference between them and other nations was their identity as the Lord's people. The Lord agreed to do what Moses asked because He was pleased with him. Moses wanted to see the Lord's glory but no one can see the face of the Lord and live. However, the Lord agreed to let all His goodness pass in front of him and proclaim His name, the Lord, in Moses' presence. The Lord will have mercy/compassion on whomever He chooses. Moses was told to stand on a nearby rock and the Lord's glory would pass by him while he's in the cleft of the rock. Moses would be allowed to see the Lord's back but not His face. This was a special privilege given to Moses that the others did not experience. 

   

34:1-7 Moses had to chisel out two more stone tablets to replace the ones he smashed after the people sinned. This was good news because it meant the Lord was still willing to be in a covenant relationship with them in spite of their sin. The Lord would write on the second set of tablets as He did on the first. The next morning Moses went up the mountain alone carrying the stone tablets. The Lord came down in a cloud and proclaimed His name, the Lord. He passed in front of Moses and announced Himself by stating His attributes:  

  • the Lord
  • compassionate
  • gracious God
  • slow to anger
  • abounding in love and faithfulness
  • maintaining that love to thousands
  • forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin

"Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished." Their punishment continues down to the third and fourth generation. All that Lord said about Himself here is sort of a preamble to the agreement they are about to make. He's identifying who He is.

 

v. 8-14 Moses bowed to the ground and worshiped Him. Again he asked the Lord to go with them on their journey in spite of the fact that they are a stiff-necked people. Moses asked Him to forgive their sin. Then he says something unexpected-- "and take us as your inheritance." Notice Moses does not ask the Lord to give them blessings or provisions but rather asks Him to take them as His own. Moses is offering his people and hoping that the Lord will take them as His possession. The Lord responded by saying He would make a covenant with them. He would do wonders that had never been done before. All the other nations will see His awesome work. The Israelites must obey what He commands and He will drive out the Canaanite nations before them so they can move into the Promised Land. But they must be careful not to make any treaties with those nations. They must break down pagan altars, sacred stones and Asherah poles, and not worship any other nation's gods. The Lord's name is "Jealous" and He is a jealous God.

Much more next time.

  -- Sandy Blank

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This newsletter is maintained by Sandy Blank (Ph.D. Educational Studies, Biola; MA Biblical Studies, Grace University). If you would like further information about any of her classes or would like to know how to start a Bible study in your area please contact her at sandyblank@theocentrix.org. This newsletter is sponsored by Theocentrix, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting God-centered Bible literacy. Visit www.theocentrix.org for more information.