Bible Study – jeremycouture.me

A Hostile Takeover

Jesus recieved an enormous amount of attention for His miracles, but He wouldn’t allow His mission to redirected. In John 6:1-14, Jesus fed a crowd of thousands with a little boy’s lunch. The people who ate the miraculous meal were so thrilled that some in the crowd wanted to make Him king (v.15). They wanted to ride the wave of Christ’s power and popularity to a new political reality, independent from foreign control.

Jesus avoided this hostile take over by slipping away into the country side. He didn’t want His life’s work to be associated with one particular political agenda. Jesus clearly cared about morality, social issues, and the truth, but He didn’t take sides in the ongoing struggle between Jerusalem and Rome. He is referred to as a king at numerous points in the Gospel of John, but he wouldn’t accept the crown from a bunch of activists (John 1:49, 12:13, 18:37).

Christians on “both sides of today’s aisle” should be careful about baptizing their passion project, social issue, or political agenda in Jesus’s name. When we do, we run the risk of obscuring the gospel and redirecting Christ’s mission. At the very least, this approach takes away from our ability to discuss and debate issues in the public square. At it’s worst, this approach puts us the place of making moral declarations beyond what God has said in His Word. Where God has been clear, we should be clear and where God has been silent, we should be much more tentative.

Jesus recieved an enourmous amount of attention for what He said and did in John 6, but we should also pay attention to what He didn’t do. He woudn’t accept a cheap and easy crown. He didn’t get behind the powerstruggle of an restless crowd. He gave Himself as as sacrfice for our sins so that whoever believes in Him might have eternal life.

A Plan to Guide Your Personal Prayer Time

Jesus was so passionate about prayer that He taught his disciples to pray as part of his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:9-13 (see also Luke 11:2-4). Some people quote the Savior’s model prayer word for word, while others prefer a more relaxed approach. Both of these groups would benefit from a reminder of the spirit that stands behind this particular prayer. I believe the Lord’s Prayer teaches how to develop a posture of dependence on God. If we aren’t dependent on God, then why pray?

The six petitions contained in the prayer can be divided up into two categories focusing first on who God is and then on what God does for us. Here is a two-part plan to guide your personal prayer time based on the Lord’s Prayer. You can use this plan to help with your daily devotional time or as part of a special emphasis.

Part 1: Praise God for Who He Is

He is Sanctified (v 9).
- – Acknowledge God’s holiness and perfection.
- – Name some of the character qualities that God perfectly fulfills.
- – Express your reverence and respect for God.
He is Sovereign (v.10).
1. – Reaffirm Christ as your Savior and Lord.
2. – Ask God to show you how His kingdom is growing and expanding on earth.
3. – Express your gratitude for all the ways that God preserves you and your loved ones.
He is Steadfast (v.10).
1. – Reflect on God’s steadiness and consistency.
2. – Thank God for His determination to bring His will to pass.
1. – Invite God to move in your life so that His will would be done, starting with you.

Part 2: Praise God for What He Does

He Gives Us Our Sustenance (v. 11)
1. – Give thanks to God for three specific ways that He has met your needs recently.
1. – Share a new need with God, trusting that He wants to respond.
2. – Look for ways to share your appreciation of God’s provision with others.
He Gives Us Our Salvation (v. 12).
1. – Praise God for the forgiveness that you have by faith in Jesus Christ.
2. – Give God permission to reveal any areas in your life where you have an unforgiving spirit.
3. – Life up someone in your life who may be lost and separated from God.
He Gives Us Our Spiritual Victory (v. 13).
1. – Ask God to give you victory over sin and temptation.
2. – Call on God to give you the strength you need to stand and grow.
3. – Identify one area that you can grow in as a disciple of Christ, and do it.

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to praise God for who He is as well as what He does for us. This guide is just one way for you to connect this model prayer with your personal prayer. In doing so, I hope you are able to develop a posture of dependence on God as you engage with Him in prayer.

Here are two books on prayer that I’ve found particularly helpful:

On Earth As it is on Heaven: How the Lord’s Prayer Teaches Us to Pray More Effectively by Warren Wiersbe (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010).

How to Pray: Developing an Intimate Relationship with God by Ronnie Floyd (Nashville, TN: W Publishing, 2019).

How Do We Get Godly Wisdom?

The screen revolution has had positive and negative impacts on society. One of the negative impacts it has had on many people is moving the focal point of authority from external to internal. Meaning that people feel freer to disagree with the things they learn because they think they discovered that information on their own by looking it up on Wikipedia or Google.
This past Sunday, we talked about the importance of passing wisdom down from one generation to another. Not just any knowledge or wisdom, but godly wisdom. According the book of Proverbs, godly wisdom is the key to life.
The first section of Proverbs 1 serves as an introduction to the book as a whole and primer on gaining godly wisdom. The first 7 verses contain four principles for growing on godly wisdom. Here they are…

1. Proverbs are pint-sized portions of Godly wisdom (v. 1). The book of Proverbs contains a long list of short, pithy sayings and poems. They contain a concentrated dose of reality to help the reader see things for how they really are vs. how they appear. The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon, Hezekiah, Agur, and Lemuel during Israel’s golden age – and has stood the test of time.
2. Proverbs help unlock the mysteries of life (v. 2-3, 6). Most of us have a set of keys that we use to open up our house, turn on our vehicle, and gain access to our workplace. The right key makes all the difference. Proverbs help unlock the mental mysteries of life by providing wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
3. Proverbs are for the innocent, inexperienced, & impressionable (v. 5). Those who already have life figured out don’t need godly wisdom. But those who are teachable and humble, will find a wealth of wisdom in God’s Word. Steph Curry is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. According to one of this coaches, Curry is, “The most educable player I’ve ever known—both in terms of his willingness to listen and in his ability to absorb and execute.”
4. Proverbs pave the way to Godly wisdom (v. 7). The closing verse in this passage introduces theme that is reapted throughout the book: godly isdom is a path that must be pursued (It shows up again in chapters 4, 9, and 15). Those who purse wisdom will find it and will be transformed by it.

Godly wisdom is the key to life, but it must studied and acted upon. Instead of treating like one more news headline, or one more piece of trivia, or one more social media post, we must hold on to it like a priceless treasure. We must do whatever it takes to incorporate godly wisdom into our lives and to share it with the next generation.

Silhouettes of the Heavenly Father (Part 3)

How should God’s mercy and love impact your prayer life?

Earlier this week I started a three-part mini-series of posts exploring the intersection of our views of God as our Heavenly Father and our practice of prayer. This is important because the things we think about God (either good or bad, biblical or unbiblical, consistent or inconsistent) have a huge impact on how we approach Him in prayer. This is the third and final post in that series.

One of the most descriptive passages of God in the New Testament is the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. This parable is more than a story, it’s a picture of the Heavenly Father.

A loving father of two sons experienced great heartbreak. The youngest son demanded his inheritance early so that he could waste it all on himself. After his money was gone, the younger son got a job feeding pig and dreamed about the comforts of home.

Every day, the loving father would go out to the road and look for his son’s return. As soon as he saw him, the father ran to meet his son, greeted him, and embraced him. Instead of punishing the son, he called for a celebration.

This vivid parable teaches us that the Heavenly Father is loving and merciful which means He will forgive you. Love includes a group of virtues like benevolence, graciousness, mercy, and persistence. When we read that “God is love” in 1 John 4:7, it means that He is all of those things.

Jesus included this character quality in His model prayer along with the holiness and trustworthiness of the Heavenly Father. In Matthew 6:12, Jesus urges us to call out to God to “forgive us our debts.”

Here are three tips for receiving God’s forgives through prayer

1. Cultivate a healthy view of your sin. We have a tendency to go to extremes in our understanding of sin. On one hand, we can blow sin out of proportion, making it impossible to to deal with. On the other hand, we can minimize sin to such an extent that it doesn’t really matter.

2. Take Him at His Word – He will forgive. 1 John 1:9 states that, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NASB)” This is a promise.

3. Confess your sin audibly if possible, to make it more definite. We can pray silently to ourselves or out loud for others to hear. Sometimes, praying out loud makes our prayer more focused and more definite.

The Heavenly Father is loving and merciful which means He will forgive you We can receive that forgiveness and make it our own through prayer. Thanks for join for this three-part mini-series on the intersection of our views of God as our Heavenly Father and our practice of prayer. Feel free to add one of your own tips for receiving God’s forgiveness in prayer in the comment section below.

Silhouettes of the Heavenly Father (Part 2)

What does God’s truthfulness mean for our prayer life?

Yesterday I started a mini-series of posts exploring the intersection of our views of God as our Heavenly Father and our practice of prayer. This material is based on breakout session I shared recently at a conference. This is important because the things we think about God (either good or bad, biblical or unbiblical, consistent or inconsistent) have a huge impact on how we approach Him in prayer.

The prophet Jeremiah warned the Israelites numerous times throughout the Old Testament book that bears his name, but one of the most colorful warnings is recorded in Jeremiah 10:1-10. The nations that surrounded Israel studied astronomical phenomena like eclipses and comets so they could worship the sun, moon, and stars as gods. In order to make their worship more tangible, they made idols out of wood and decorated them with precious metal.

Jeremiah described the deceptive nature of these worthless gods with a heavy dose of sarcasm. They looked impressive but they were fake. They were seen as powerful, but they had to be carried around like an infant. They were feared but the idols couldn’t do anything, good or evil, to enforce their will.

Jeremiah presents a sharp contrast in verse 6. Rather than being deceptive, God is trustworthy and lives up to His reputation. He stands above any other supposed god. He is great and mighty. He is real and alive, not fabricated. Jeremiah’s God was a real and truthful so He can be trusted.

Once again, Jesus brings out this aspect of the Heavenly Father’s character in his model prayer in Matthew 6:11. After acknowledging God’s holiness, Jesus asks the Father to “give us this day our daily bread.” This simple request is an expression of dependance and trust in the Heavenly Father.

Here are three tips for building your trust in God through prayer:

1. Focus on God, not just His blessings. Some folks only pray when they need or want something. God the Father loves to bless and provide for His children, but He also loves to spend time with them. Try to set aside time to pray even if you don’t need anything.

2. Be persistent, which is a sign of dependence. When you do make a request, repeat yourself often and be consistent. Not in a ritualistic way, but as a way to express your dependence on God.

3. Write out your prayer requests so that you can document His faithfulness. I tend to be forgetful. When I forget what I prayed for in the past, I miss an opportunity to praise God for His faithfulness in the present. Writing down you prayer petitions make it easier to trace out the trustworthiness of God.

God is real and truthful so He can be trusted. We can build our trust in God through prayer. Join me again tomorrow as I trace out another silhouette of the Heavenly Father. Feel free to add one of your own tips for expressing reverence in prayer in the comment section below.

Is It Still True That All Publicity Is Good Publicity?

They used to say that all publicity is good publicity, but is that still true?

Phineas T. Barnum is famous for the phrase, “All publicity is good publicity.” In this line of thinking, the only thing worse than being talked about badly is not being talked about at all. But is this true?

The 11th chapter of Hebrews is jam packed with believers who are “famous” for their faith. They are held up as examples of faith, but also as reminders of the faithfulness of God throughout the generations. But not all the examples that are listed are positive.

In a closely related passage in Hebrews 12:14-17, we read about the negative example of Esau. This is the guy who sold his birthright for bowl of stew (Genesis 25:27-34). He was more interested in his next meal than honoring his family as the firstborn son. Rather than being famous, He is infamous in the book of Hebrews for all the wrong reasons.

How can we avoid Esau’s negative example? The verses that introduce him contain two clues.

We must pursue peace. Instead of peace, Esau and Jacob were bitter rivals. They let their personal conflict interrupt God’s overarching plan for their family and His people. Verse 15 intensifies this instruction from a negative angle – by avoid a growing spirit of bitterness.
We must pursue holiness. The record of Esau in Genesis doesn’t mention immorality, but Hebrews sure does. His moral impurity led him toward godlessness and away from holiness.

Even though Esau begged for forgiveness his birthright was lost and his blessing was lost. Believers today have similar opportunity to live as children of the Heavenly Father by faith. To fail is to follow the wrong example in Hebrews and to generate the wrong kind of publicity.

Could Jesus Have Sinned?

Matthew 4:1-11 records the temptation of Jesus Christ. After fasting for forty days in the wilderness, the Devil came to Jesus to tempt Him. Every time the Devil offered Jesus a shortcut to the Heavenly Father’s plan, Jesus quoted Scripture and refused the offer.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, NASB). In this context the term “tempted” means “to be tried, tested, and put to the test.” Like us, Jesus was tempted to sin, but how genuine was that temptation?

Generations of Bible teachers, seminary students, and theologians have debated the question, “Could Jesus have sinned?” We know He didn’t sin, but was sin even a possibility? Those who argue for the “peccability” Christ usually point out His humanity, His temptability (which implies sin), and His free will. Those who advocate the “impeccability” of Christ emphasize His deity, His divine attributes, and the Heavenly Father’s unchangeable plan for salvation.

A key part of this debate is identifying the nature of Christ’s humanity. Is Jesus human is like Adam was human before the fall, after the fall, or glorified in eternity. If Christ’s nature is human like Adam was before the fall then it was possible for Him to sin. If Jesus is like humanity glorified in the heavenly state, then He could not sin.

There is no clear cut answer to this perplexing question based on evidence that we have in God’s Word. If forced to choose, I would lean towards Christ’s deity and say, “No, He could not have sinned, even if He wanted to.” While this answer may be unsatisfactory to those who lean the other way, it underscores the bottom line – that Christ didn’t sin so that He could be our Savior.

At some point, this question should drive us to confront sin in our own lives. We have already given in to temptation, so what’s next? The next verse in Hebrews 4 urges us “…draw near to with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need” (Hebrews 4;16, NSAB). Jesus overcame sin and temptation so that He could help those who could not overcome on their own.

Your Confession and Convictions Are the Most Important Thing About You

Conversations and concerns about diversity dominate our cultural conversation right now. It seems like everywhere you go there is a caring neighbor, a socially-minded company, or a concerned politician trying to fix our short-comings. Even school board meetings are making the news as parents and school board members debate the use of certain theories and tactics in our public schools.

For the most part, these concerns are good. We are a long way from overcoming prejudice and discrimination in our country. But the current cultural conversation does have a couple downsides. One downside is that we are pushed to think in unbiblical categories. God is the one who created us, diversity and all. We must not color outside of the boundaries He has given us in Scripture.

Another downside is that we will loosing site of the one inward reality that matters more than any other. In Romans 10, Apostle Paul shares his deep burden for his fellow Jews who have not accepted Jesus Christ yet. In verses 9, 10 and 11, Paul explains that a person’s outward verbal confession combines with their inward personal conviction to activate their salvation. A renewed relationship with God springs from this singular expression of faith. In verse 12), we learn that this new connection to Christ is more important than the religious or ethnic identity of a Jew or a Gentile. In other words, the label of being “in Christ” through faith in His death, burial, and resurrection is more important than any other label someone may claim.

In Hebrews 3:6, readers are urged to maintain their verbal confession and personal convictions about Jesus Christ. This one thing matters more than the color of one’s skin, their ethnic background, or their gender. As we work to overcome prejudice and discrimination, believers must not be shy out the one identity that defines all other identities.

How Should We Relate to Angels?

This past Sunday we started a sermon series in the book of Hebrews titled, Jesus is Greater. In the very first sermon we learned that Jesus Christ is God’s supreme revelation to mankind. As such, Jesus Christ is superior to the angels.

Angels are mentioned frequently in the teaching portions as well as the narrative portions of Scripture. They are mentioned 12 times in the book of Hebrews alone alone with one reference to the devil. This brings up the question of how believers are supposed to relate to these mighty spiritual beings? What does the book of Hebrews add to our understanding of angels?

1. We should not obsess over them (Hebrews 1:5-13, 2:1-9). Angels are created beings just like humans. They may have supernatural powers, but they are not to be worshipped. When John encountered an angel in the book of Revelation, the angel refused to be worshipped (Revelation 19:10). Instead, we should view them as agents working to advance God’s will.

2. We should be aware of them (Hebrews 12:18-24). Angels inhabit the heavenly realm. As God’s redemption story unfolds in real time, we are all moving towards a place where angels are common place. They are part of the created world and part of God’s plan. We should not treat them like myths or relics of the past.

3. We should “entertain” them (Hebrew 13:2). There were a number of people in the Old Testament who interacted with angels in human form without realizing it (Genesis 18 and 19). This possibility is used in Hebrews as motivation for hospitality. We should welcome and care for others as if they were a representative of God.

A biblical view of the world includes a biblical view of angels and demons. They are supernatural beings made for our benefit and God’s glory. We would do well to treat them accordingly.

Portraits of Discipleship

The term “discipleship” means different things to different people. Some people think of discipleship as a specific kind of bible study curriculum or an optional class at their church that is focused on discipleship. Other people imagine a person – one of the original twelve disciples that Jesus Christ called to follow him. Another group of people may get stuck on the root of the word which is “discipline.” These understandings aren’t wrong, they are just incomplete.

Discipleship is more than an idea, or a person, or class. Discipleship is a process in which people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and learn to serve him more effectively. In John 1:29-51, John the Apostle (one of the original twelve disciples) shared three short stories about Jesus and his interactions with his first followers. You could call these short stories portraits of discipleship.

Each one of the three stories in this passage answers two questions: Who is Jesus? And what does it mean to follow Jesus?

THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD (v. 29-34)

John the Baptist told his followers that Jesus Christ was “the Lamb of God” while John was baptizing and preaching by the Jordan river. Lambs were very important in Jewish thinking. A lamb was killed at Passover and its blood was spread on the doorposts of the home to symbolizes God’s pardon. This teaches us that sin can only be wiped away by the blood of a sacrificial lamb.

THE RABBI WHO TEACHES US ABOUT OURSELVES (v. 35-42)

John the Baptist passed on two his disciples to Jesus: Andrew and either Philip or John. Andrew went and found his brother, Simon, and introduced him to Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus took the opportunity to teach Simon something about himself. Even though Simon was impulsive and outspoken, he would become as solid as rock through his time with Jesus. Jesus gave him a new nickname, Peter, as a promise of the transformation that would happen in his life.

THE TRUE KING WHO RULES OVER GOD’S PEOPLE (v. 43-51)

Jesus went into Galilee and found another disciple named Philip. Like Andrew, Philip found his brother, Nathaniel, and introduced him to Jesus. Jesus explained to his growing band of followers he already knew Nathaniel. Jesus knew Nathaniel while studied the Scriptures under a fig tree. Jesus also knew that Nathaniel was truthful and authentic

Nathaniel immediately recognized Jesus as the True King of Israel. The Jewish Messiah was God’s chosen reprehensive to lead his people according to God’s promise to King David (2 Sam. 7). As such, Jesus Christ bridged the gap between heaven and earth, reintroducing God’s activity among his people.

These three portraits of discipleship present one compelling truth: The things we learn about Jesus should lead us to follow him.

This passage is more than a list of titles and descriptions. It contains a series of experiences and interactions with Jesus. It teaches us to balance our knowledge about God with our knowledge of God. It invites us to have a similar experience with Jesus as his first followers: Andrew and Peter, Philip and Nathaniel.

Each one of these portraits of discipleship highlights a different “first step” of discipleship. Some disciples come to Jesus for forgiveness, others for transformation, and others are encouraged to surrender their lives. As you assess your connection to Christ, make sure that the things you are learning are leading you to follow Him.