Click here to download a printable version of the Daily Bible Study for 8.22.11.

Series: Before I Die I Want To…
This Week: Be on Good Terms with God

I made a mess of me
I wanna get back the rest of me
I made a mess of me
I wanna reverse this tragedy
I made a mess of me
I wanna spend the rest of my life ALIVE!
“Mess of Me” – Switchfoot

Doing good things is a good thing. We all feel good when we do good. Hey, don’t you feel good when you do good? Well…good! But, doing good for goodness sake does not mean we are good with God. “What?” you say. Ah yes, we can hear some of you now: “What do you mean, I just spent time filling a backpack of school supplies for the back to school drive. I went grocery shopping and filled a brown paper bag full of groceries for Vision Kitchen and other needy food pantries, and I am working on raising money to go on a missions trip—you mean to tell me all of that does not help me get on good terms with God?”

 Let’s be clear, everything you do that glorifies God and that you do for others, Christ says in Matthew 25:40, you do for Him. However, there are a ton of people who do a ton of good glorious things but they have not wholly and completely surrendered their lives to God. That’s the trap we can easily and quickly fall into when we fail to surrender. The quest to being on good terms with God is so difficult for our human minds to conceptualize. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” When God says he planted eternity in the human heart, that means that we can never be completely satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits. Because we are created in God’s image, (1) we have a spiritual thirst, (2) we have eternal value, and (3) nothing but the eternal God can truly satisfy us. He has built in us a restless yearning for the kind of perfect world that can only be found in His perfect rule.

So you see how we can fall into the “good deed trap”. Oh yes, we desire to do good; our hearts are set on what God desires for his people. And that is a beautiful and wonderful place to be. But if we don’t satisfy that unbelievable thirst with our living, breathing God, His abundant and filling scriptures and the Holy Spirit by being born again—we will always fall short. We will make a mess out of our lives. And often times, we’ll find ourselves spinning out of control going from one good deed to the next. A lot of us who attend church weekly, day in and day out can feel unfulfilled and lost; like our lives are a main stage massive train wreck when we lose sight of God’s simple message.

We learned this past Sunday that a lot of us desire to be on good terms with God before we die. And the majority of us who attend CedarCreek church are either exploring Christianity or growing in our faith. This means that a lot of us are just now learning that we must be born again, have conviction, repent, have faith, be baptized, study the Bible and pray with one another. At the end of the day, God wants us to do good works and good deeds and surrender our lives to him, wholly and completely! Let this be the week we quench that unending thirst that a lot of us have in our heart. Dig deep into this study. It will bless you and give you that peace that so many of us desire.

 THIS WEEK’S STUDY WILL FOCUS ON CONVICTION, REPENTANCE, BAPTISM AND CHRIST-CENTERED COMMUNITY.

MONDAY— You Must be Born Again
Today’s Big Point: To go from death to life in Christ, not only must we believe that God exists, but we must commit to growing closer to Him daily.

If you’ve been around CedarCreek Church long enough, you’ve probably noticed that we take the word of God literally by holding on to every word and letting it be a light that guides our every move. We don’t just like to talk the talk, we like to walk the walk. One way to learn whether we all are living out the gospel is to gauge where we all are spiritually and how we are growing in our faith. Review the follow statements and determine which you identify with most:
1. Exploring Christianity: “I believe in God, but I am not sure about Christ. My faith is not a significant part of my life.”
2. Growing in our faith: “I believe in Jesus and am working on what it means to get to know him.”
3. Close to Christ: “I feel really close to Christ and depend on him daily for guidance.”
4. Christ Centered: “My relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship in my life It guides everything I do.”

Earlier this year, 55% of identified with exploring and growing. While it is truly wonderful that we believe in God, we must work to grow closer to him to experience the true blessings of eternal life and become Christ centered.

 Can you imagine allowing Christ to guide EVERYTHING that you do … everything? This is the rebirth that Christ talks about. We know that the wages of sin is death but when we daily lay our lives down by proclaiming Christ as the center of our lives we receive eternal life.

READ…What does the Bible say?
John 3:3 (New Living Translation)
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Romans 6:23 (New Living Translation)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

THINK…Find the answers.
In John 3:3, what does God say we must do in order to see the Kingdom of God.

What happens when we sin? So what do we have to repay in order to get eternal life through Christ Jesus as described in Romans 6:23.

LIVE…What will you do now?
At the top of the page, you identified where you are spiritually. The movement quadrants on the next page indicate how you can move from one phase of spiritual growth to another if you exercise the spiritual behaviors indicated. Take a moment to review the chart and circle the what you need to work on in order to move from where you are currently at spiritually toward the next level.

Exploring ———> Growing ———> Close to Christ———>Christ Centered

Movement 1 Reflection on Scripture Rare to frequent Bible Reading Rare to frequent Prayer to Seek Guidance Occasional to frequent Prayer to Confess Sins Occasional to frequent

Movement 2 Reflection on Scripture Frequent Prayer to Seek Guidance Frequent to daily Tithing I currently give 10 percent or beyond to the church. Solitude Occasional to frequent Bible Reading Frequent

Movement 3 Reflection on Scripture Frequent to daily Solitude Frequent to daily Bible Reading Frequent to daily Prayer to Confess Sins Daily Tithing Prayer to Seek Guidance Daily

PRAY…God, What do You want me to know & do?
Ask God to help you grow your faith and to understand what it means to be born again in Him!

Daily Bible Reading Commentary: Ecclesiastes 9-10
9:1 There will be no inequities in the final judgment of the righteous or the wicked, because God remembers both in perfect detail.
9:2-3 Death because of universal depravity.
9:11 “time and chance.” Wisdom can’t guarantee good outcomes because of what appear to be so many unpredictable contingencies.
9:12 “his time.” The time of his misfortune, especially death.
9:13-15 Wisdom may not receive its due in this life.
9:16 This is true because he lacks status and position.
10:2 “right…left.” This proverb is based on the fact that, commonly, the right hand is more skilled than the left.
10:3 “fool.” Not one who is mentally deficient, but one who is morally bankrupt. It’s not that he can’t learn wisdom, but that he won’t. He refuses to know, fear, and obey God. “walks.” A person lacking wisdom will manifest that in daily conduct.
10:5 It’s a great and far-reaching evil when leaders make bad judgments.
10:6-7 Life presents some strange ironies and is not, in this world, always fair.
10:8–10 Dangers and uncertainties abound in life.
10:10 A little wisdom will ease the efforts of life. Even though life’s experiences often don’t turn out the way one would’ve hoped, wise living usually produces a good outcome. This is a very important conclusion for Solomon’s testing of wisdom.
10:12-14 “words.” Man demonstrates wisdom in words as well as works. Foolish words yield unfavorable outcomes.
10:15 A proverb for ignorance with regard to the most ordinary matters, which extends even to spiritual realities. If a fool can’t find a town, how could he possibly locate God?

 

Click here to download a printable version of the Daily Bible Study for 8.19.11.

FRIDAY- Be like God…Forgive!
Big Point: Jesus paved the way for us by paying for our sins—showing us the ultimate forgiveness.

“Forgiveness is the rebirth of hope, a reorganization of thought, and a reconstruction of dreams. Once forgiving begins, dreams can be rebuilt. When forgiving is complete, meaning has been extracted from the worst of experiences and used to create a new set of moral rules and a new interpretation of life’s events.”
-Lewis Smedes

Definition of Forgiveness:
“You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and have the power to wish them well.”
—Lewis Smedes

We as humans sin daily, some days more than others. When we do this we hurt God. However, God’s love for us is so powerful He forgives us time and time again. He sets the example and it is up to us to follow in his footsteps. God does not want us to be tied down with feelings of anger, hate, and resentment. He wants us to choose to forgive and ask for forgiveness and live free of the pain. Holding a grudge only keeps us trapped in the darkness, but when we forgive or are forgiven the weight is lifted and God grants us inner peace.

READ…What does the Bible say?
Job 2:5 (Good News Translation)
“To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do.”

Psalm 65:3 (New Living Translation)
“Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.”

LIVE…What will you do now?
Look at the definition of forgiveness. You’ve been challenged to deal with unforgiveness in your life. Keeping this definition in mind, can you think about someone you’ve forgiven in the past so that you can now think of him or her without anger and wish them well?

Think about the people that you have to forgive. How will you know when you’ve forgiven them?

Yesterday, you were challenged to ask for forgiveness from someone you have wronged. How are you going to communicate with them (phone, letter, face to face)? Are you ready to take the next step?

PRAY…God what do you want me to know & do?
Forgiveness of ourselves and others is a very difficult thing to do, and now more than ever should be a time to rely on God to help you through it. Pray for the strength to forgive or ask for forgiveness. Thank God as well for forgiving you time and time again. Ask God to help you persevere because the end result is so rewarding.

HOMEPOINTE FAMILY ACTIVITY
Big Point: We all make mistakes and so it is important for us to acknowledge when we hurt others and apologize to them.

Lesson: One of the best things we can do for our children is help them to take responsibility for the hurts they cause. Also, we want children to be able to learn from their mistakes and figure out what they will do differently next time.
One way to achieve this goal is to have children apologize using three complete sentences:
• The first sentence should describe what the child did or said that was wrong.
• The second sentence explains why it was wrong.
• The third sentence asks for forgiveness.
An example would be, “I said words to you that were mean and unkind. It was wrong because I hurt your feelings. Will you forgive me?” Using the guideline of three sentences will help children think and express themselves better. This approach is much more effective than a muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Activity: Children AND adults should practice making apologies to each other using the method described above. The children will be inspired if they see the adults participating in this activity.

Prayer: Dear God, I am going to hurt others—even when I don’t mean to. Please help me to always remember to apologize quickly when I am wrong or unkind. Amen.

Adapted with permission from Susan Nichter, LSW, of Greenfield, IN.

Living It Out: Scripture Memory August 2011
Ephesians 2:9-10 (New Living Translation)
Salvation is not a reward for the good things
we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
10 For we are God’s masterpiece.
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the
good things he planned for us long ago.

Living It Out
It is the dream of CedarCreek that everyone who calls this their church home will be reading and studying the same topics, both individually and in groups. Each week, join with thousands of others at CedarCreek Church in applying God’s Word, the Bible, into your daily life. Our hope is that while we learn and grow together, as individuals and as a church, we will collectively live out the weekend message.

Living It Out resources, such as the Daily Bible Study, Daily Bible Reading Plan, Discussion Questions and Scripture Memory Verses, are designed to help us embrace a missional mindset…a mindset that compels us to love Jesus, serve others and tell the world about Christ.

Living It Out: Daily Bible Study…Daily Bible study activities to reflect on the weekend message
Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan…Read through the New Testament in a year
Living It Out: Discussion Questions…Weekly questions to discuss with others
Living It Out: Scripture Memory…Memorize one Bible verse per month

All of these resources are also available electronically at www.livingitout.tv, where you can subscribe to have any or all of them emailed to you as they are updated.

We Want Your Feedback!
Tell us about any questions or comments you have about this week’s Living It Out: Daily Bible Study. Forward them to barbr@cedarcreek.tv.

Living It Out: Daily Bible Reading Plan scriptures are listed for each day. By completing each of the daily readings, you will read the entire Old Testament in 1 year. These readings are separate from the Daily Bible Study.

RESOURCES:

Daily Bible Commentary Compiled by Lauri White

This week’s Living It Out Daily Bible Study written by:
Stephanie Coil
Mallory Stock-Dow
Barb Roose

DAILY BIBLE READING COMMENTARY: Ecclesiastes 7-8
Ecclesiastes 7: This seems to contradict Solomon’s previous advice to eat, drink and find satisfaction in one’s work – to enjoy what God has given. Adversity reminds us that life is short. It teaches us to live wisely, and refines our character. Solomon encourages us to think about death, not morbidly but in a way that helps us realize that we must examine the direction of our lives regularly and adjust our course if necessary. God allows both good times and bad times to come to everyone. Solomon, the wisest man in the world, confesses how difficult it is to live wisely. He says no matter how much we think we know: some mysteries will never be understood.
Ecclesiastes 8: Wisdom is the ability to see life from God’s perspective and then to know the best course of action to take. Proverbs teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom comes from knowing and trusting God. Solomon recommends the remedy for life’s unanswered questions: joy and contentment. No one can fully comprehend God and all that He has done, but the unknown should not cast a shadow over our joy, faith, or work because we know that Someone greater is in control and that we can put our trust in Him.

Click here to download a printable version of the Daily Bible Study for 8.17.11.

WEDNESDAY—Why Forgive?
Big Point: Our ability to forgive is directly related to how much we realize we’ve been forgiven.

We need to forgive because:
…God has forgiven us
…resentment doesn’t work
…we are going to need forgiveness in the future

Here are some great thoughts from pastor and bestselling author, Rick Warren: “When I remember how much God forgives me it makes it a whole lot easier to forgive other people. You will never have to forgive anybody else more than God has already forgiven you. I will never have to forgive anybody else more than God has forgiven me. When you have a hard time forgiving other people, it’s usually because you don’t feel forgiven. People who feel forgiven find it easier to be forgiving.”

Does lack of forgiveness put you in spiritual peril?
Resentment blocks feeling God’s forgiveness in your life. The Bible says we cannot receive what we are unwilling to give.

You need to forgive others because God has forgiven you, because resentment doesn’t work and because you’re going to need forgiveness in the future and you don’t want to burn the bridge that you’ve got to walk across. Forgiveness is a twoway street.

A man came to John Wesley and said, “I can never forgive that person.” Wesley replied, “Then I hope you never sin. Because we all need what we don’t want to give.”

READ…What does the Bible say?
Colossians 3:13 (New Living Translation)
13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Hebrews 12:15 (New Living Translation)
15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

Mark 11:25 (New Living Translation)
25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.

THINK…Find the answers
According to Colossians 3:13, how are we to react to others’ faults and those who offend?

What are we to remember?

What are we to “watch out” for according to Hebrews 12:15 and why?

According to Mark 11:25, what are we to do first when we are praying? If we do that, what will happen?

LIVE…What will you do now?
When someone does something that offends you, how do you react? Do you make allowances or do you criticize?

Do you forgive others easily or do you hold onto a grudge? What do you tell yourself to justify holding onto the grudge?

It’s easy to rip off a list of mistakes others make, but let’s turn the table on ourselves. You’re not perfect—not even close. Make a list of the things you need to ask God to forgive you for:

When it comes to eternity, Christ-followers have experience the ultimate free gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. If you are a Christ-follower, how does it make you feel when you’ve been forgiven? If you are struggling to accept that forgiveness, why?

PRAY…God, What do you want me to know & do?
Make a list of the things God has forgiven you for today. Do you think your name is on someone’s list of people they need to forgive? Ask God to give you the opportunity to forgive others as He has forgiven you and to make you humble enough to ask for forgiveness from others.

DAILY BIBLE READING COMMENTARY: Ecclesiastes 3-4
Ecclesiastes 3: Solomon’s point in this section is that God has a plan for all people. Thus he provides cycles of life, each with its work for us to do. God has planted eternity in our hearts, which means we will never be completely satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits. Solomon reflects on several apparent contradictions to God’s control of the world: evil, corruption, death, loneliness, greed. He uses them to show how we can honestly look at life’s problems and still keep our faith. This life is not all there is, and someday God will reveal His plans.
Ecclesiastes 4: Solomon looks at the attitudes of different people as they live their lives. Some people are lazy while others are workaholics. Both extremes are foolish and irresponsible. Work hard, but take time to enjoy the other gifts God has given. Life is for companionship and community, but popularity and prestige are a poor distortion of God’s plan, shadows without substance.

Click here to download a printable version of the Daily Bible Study for 8.15.11.

Series: Before I Die I Want To…
This Week: Heal the Hurts Between Us

Whom do you want to pay back for hurting you? Be honest. There’s someone out there who has done you wrong and you want them to get hit by a bus (some of you know this is true…). Not only do you want to see him or her get hit by a bus, but you want the bus to be going 60mph when it hits them. But, you don’t want them to die immediately. First, you want to be hovering over them as they whisper to you in a final, agonizing breath: “I was wrong…”

Sound dramatic? Possibly, but again, be honest. Whenever we are hurt by someone else, especially someone we care deeply for, our minds can go to some pretty dark places. If we are hurt over and over again by the same person—without resolving the hurt—it’s only a matter of time before that hurt turns to anger, then resentment and finally hatred.

Once our hurts turn into hatred, it’s a slippery slope down towards revenge or vengeance. We are consumed with daydreams or visions about how we are going to get even or we secretly clap our hands with glee when we hear of a mishap or tragedy in their life.

What are our choices when we have conflict with another? We can forgive and let go of the offense OR we can spend our days replaying the wrongdoing over and over again in our minds and fanaticizing about how we can get even. Even worse, some of you have done awful things in efforts to take revenge or get even. Question: which decision will always backfire on us?

We all know we should choose forgiveness, but we don’t. Or we won’t. Why? Is it because if we forgive we think that the other person is getting away with the pain he or she has caused? Maybe we think that forgiveness wipes away any chance at justice—because we want them to pay or at least be held accountable for the wrong doing. Lewis Smedes, author of the book, Forgive and Forget, is remembered for his 50 quotes on forgiveness. Here is one of them: “When you give up vengeance, make sure you are not giving up on justice. The line between the two is faint, unsteady, and fine…Vengeance is our own pleasure of seeing someone who hurt us getting it back and then some. Justice, on the other hand, is secure when someone pays a fair penalty for wronging another even if the injured person takes no pleasure in the transaction. Vengeance is personal satisfaction. Justice is moral accounting…Human forgiveness does not do away with human justice.”

Whether you have been wronged or you are the one who has hurt another, forgiveness is the only key that unlocks the door to healing the hurts that damage our interpersonal relationships. Until you make the decision to forgive—and let go—you will be trapped in the pain you desperately want to escape. Some of you don’t think forgiveness is possible because of what you’ve endured—it is possible, but you won’t know that until you forgive and experience the healing for yourself.

Definition of Forgiveness:
“You will know that forgiveness
has begun when you recall those
who hurt you and have the
power to wish them well.”
—Lewis Smedes

THIS WEEK’S STUDY WILL FOCUS ON HOW FORGIVENESS IS THE KEY TO HEALING OUR DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS.

MONDAY — Forgiveness is Hard When…
Big Point: Forgiveness is hard. Don’t pretend it isn’t.

When Jennifer and her family moved into their home, her next door neighbor, Amy, was there to welcome her. They quickly became best friends. Their children were close in age and enjoyed playing together. Jennifer and Amy baked Christmas cookies together, went to Bible study together, did life together. Then one day Amy’s husband said some things about Jennifer and her family that brought a wedge between both families. The kids no longer play together. Jennifer and Amy no longer talk on the phone. Jennifer feels like she’s lost her best friend. Whenever Jennifer sees her former best friend in public it’s extremely awkward. Neither Jennifer or Amy seem to know what to say to each other. Jennifer doesn’t expect Amy to betray her husband, but his hurtful words can never be taken back. Forgiveness is hard when you feel like you’ve been hurt and the one who hurt you takes no responsibility for his or her actions.

Where did Jesus get “70×7”?
Cain killed Abel, God protected Cain’s life. Why? Someone would have likely tried to take revenge on him. Generations later, Cain’s descendent, Lamech, would say the following: “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy- times.” Lamech’s words gave birth to the dangerous, illfated concept of vengeance.

READ…What does the Bible say?
Matthew 18:21-22 (New Living Translation)
21Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

Matthew 18: 23-30 (New Living Translation)
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. 26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. 28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

THINK…Find the answers
According to Peter in Matthew 18:21, how many times should be enough to forgive someone? What does 70 x 7 really mean?

Read Matthew 18:24. In the story of the debtor who was forgiven but did not forgive, how much did the debtor owe to his master? What happened to the debtor?

How much did the fellow servant owe the debtor?

How did the debtor respond to his fellow servant’s pleading (Matthew 18:30)?

LIVE…What will you do now?
Most of us are experiencing a hurt and we need to deal with it…but we really don’t want to. If forgiveness is a process, we have to start by acknowledging the wrongdoing (but we can’t stop there!)

How have I been hurt by someone close to me? What did he or she do?

PRAY…God, What do you want me to know & do?
Chances are today’s questions churned up some intense emotions. However, if you are willing to dedicate this week to moving to forgiveness, then you can look forward to the day when the painful memory will be less painful. Take time today to identify those people in your life that you need to forgive. Then, pause and ask God to identify those people you may have forgotten.

DAILY BIBLE READING COMMENTARY: Ruth 1-4
Ruth 1: The story of Ruth takes place sometime during the period of the Judges. These were dark days for Israel when, ”everyone did what seemed right in their own eyes.” Moab was the land east of the Dead Sea. It was one of the nations that oppressed Israel during the time of the judges.
Ruth 2: Because Israel’s climate is quite moderate, there are two harvests, one in the spring and one in the fall. According to Levitical law the harvesters were to leave the corners of the fields unharvested, and they weren’t to pick up whatever was dropped. The purpose for this law was to provide for the poor and to keep people from hoarding. This is the work Ruth found to do. It is called “gleaning”.
Ruth 3: As widows, Ruth and Naomi could only look forward to difficult times. But when Naomi heard about Boaz, her hope for the future was renewed. Boaz was a kinsman redeemer, someone who had the power to change the circumstances of their lives. The threshing floor was the place where the grain was separated from the harvested wheat. Boaz spent the night there to prevent theft. Naomi’s advice to Ruth may seem strange, but it was common for a servant to lie at the feet of their master and even share his covering.
Ruth 4: Apparently Naomi’s husband had property in the town that was now for sale. The relative said he would take it, until Boaz mentioned it was a package deal, and that included Ruth. The relative declined, opening the way for Boaz to redeem both Ruth and Naomi. God brought great blessings out of Naomi’s tragedy. She and Ruth didn’t know how God was working in their lives, but when you read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:3-6 you see that Ruth was the ancestor of David the king, who was the ancestor of Jesus Christ.