LOOK:

[Dry Erase Board] – Ask class to summarize the strategies God used to defeat the enemy and list on the DEB.

Some of you may be in a spiritual battle right now, and you feel drained. Perhaps you’re wondering where God is in the midst of your battle. As you look at the list on the board, imagine the ways the Lord might choose to defeat your enemy and deliver you in a supernatural way:

• He might harden your enemy’s heart to bait them to come against you (not to harm you, but as part of the plan to deliver you).
• He might through your enemy into confusion.
• He might disable them in some way to hinder their pursuit of you.
• He may supernaturally take care of the enemy.

Download: 8.3.14 Class Notes – Ex 14

LOOK:

So here’s how Elizabeth Browning’s Sonnet might be re-written by a faithful Israelite:

• I keep a vigil at night to honor you, Lord, and for the generations to come. (12:42)
• I consecrate every firstborn male to you. (13:2)
• I commemorate every Passover to recognize that you delivered me from slavery with a mighty hand. (13:3)
• I tell my children at Passover why we celebrate, so they understand that you brought me out of Egypt out of slavery. (13:8)
• I keep your ordinance of Passover at the appointed time every year. (13:10)
• I give over to you, Lord, the first offspring of every womb. (13:12)
• I redeem every firstborn of my sons for you, Lord. (13:13)

We don’t live in OT times, so how do we honor the Lord today? What or who is consecrated? How should we be commemorating God?

• Recognize that we commemorate, honor, consecrate, etc, through the lives we live for Him. Sheila Walsh in Honest to God said, “Our lives are one, long worship service to the Lord.”

Word Picture: Put offering plate on the floor and stand in it to symbolize “I give my life back to the Lord. The Lord redeemed me. He bought me at a great price. My life is not my own.”

Download Lesson: 7.27.14 Class Notes – Ex 12.37-51, 13

LOOK:

God has made a way for all to be saved. He has offered His only Son, Jesus, as the unblemished lamb who was crucified for our sins. His shed blood on the cross is what cleanses us from sin as soon as we receive Him as our Lord and Savior. Acts 4:12 tells us that “there is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved.” Salvation occurs the moment we accept Christ as our Savior. Salvation is never based on our works or our “goodness” as a human being. The Bible is very clear that our “works are like filthy rags.” Rom 3:10 tells us that “there is no who is righteous, not even one.” Eph 2:8-9, “For it is by grace we’ve been saved through faith…

Download Lesson: 7.20.14 Class Notes – Ex 11, 12.1-36

LOOK:

Q: At a practical level, how do we cultivate a humble heart, or that spirit of humility?

Accept your Limitations

• Admit that you’re not the best at everything, or anything. There is always someone out there who can do something better than we can.
• Recognize your own faults. We tend to judge others because it’s easier than looking at ourselves in the mirror.
• Be grateful for what you have. You may have a top degree, a top job, be recognized as a top researcher in your field, but in the end, be content and grateful for where the Lord has you.
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and admit them when it happens as part of an apology. Part of being humble is to understand that we all make mistakes. (Rom 3:23)
• Avoid bragging. If you’re really that great, other people will recognize your efforts and compliment you. (Prov 16:18, 29:23)
• Be reserved in conversations. It’s like the Stephen Covey principle: Seek to understand before being understood. Have a genuine, focused interest in what other people have to say. It shows that you value their thoughts and opinions as much as your own. (Phil 2:3)
• Don’t take all the credit –if any. Even if you accomplished something amazing, did you really do it without the help of the Lord? (John 15:1-5)

Appreciate Others:

• Appreciate the talents and qualities of others. When you appreciate other qualities, a person with a humble heart desires to improve themselves because they are inspired by what they see in someone else.
• Stop comparing yourself to others. It’s hard to be humble if you’re always trying to be “better” than someone else. God says we are all unique, so it’s hard to say who “is the best” at something!
• Be willing to defer to other people’s judgments. You may not be right! Even people who disagree with you may be right. I love former President Bill Clinton’s quote at the Democratic Convention: “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
• Remain teachable. Being teachable means you always have more to learn.
• Help others. When you’re humble, you respect others. And out of respect for others, you help them because it’s the right thing to do.  Col 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Eph 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in love.”

Meditate on the Word of God daily:

Ask God through prayer to help us develop a spirit of humility that is evidenced in our interactions with others.

Titus 3:2 “Remind the people…to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”

Download Lesson: 7.6.14 Class Notes – Ex 10

LOOK:

Today we identified symptoms of a hardened heart as illustrated by Pharoah. But it begs the question, “How do we act on this knowledge? How do we cultivate healthy habits to maintain a tender heart toward God?” To help us along, I have provided some cross-references:

• Prov 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
• Heb 3:8 “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” [Respond to Him! Obey Him! Heb 4:7 and Psalm 95:8 says the same thing.]
• Heb 3: 13 “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”  A hardened heart is driven by rebellion, a tender heart is driven by repentance and responding to God’s voice.

Download: 6.29.14 Class Notes – Ex 9