His Word Shall Stand Forever

January 23, 2013            Gen 46:28–48:22, Matt 14:34–15:20, Ps 14, Prov 3:1–2

“Feelings come and feelings go,

And feelings are deceiving;

My warrant is the Word of God--

Naught else is worth believing.

Though all my heart should feel condemned

For want of some sweet token,

There is One greater than my heart

Whose Word cannot be broken.

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word

Till soul and body sever,

For, though all things shall pass away,

HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!”

― Martin Luther

Genesis 46:28-48:22

Why did Joseph want Pharaoh to know that his family was shepherds?

What advantage was there to do this?

How could this protect them spiritually?

How would you describe Jacob’s attitude when he comes before Pharaoh? Why is he so grumpy?

Why are we so grumpy when we are so blessed?

How would you describe the policies of Joseph during the famine?

Do his policies seem fair?

Why was it is so important to Jacob where he was buried?

Chapter 48

Why are Joseph’s sons given equal status as their uncles?

How does this play out later in the Bible?

Matthew 14:34-15:20

While Jesus did take time to get away and spend time with God, he then came back to do the work God called Him to do. Never use solitude to escape responsibilities, rather use it to prepare for responsibilities.

Chapter 15

Read Matthew 23:25-26

Notice that Jesus goes to the Word to answer His critics. We must learn to do the same.

In what ways were they hypocrites here?

In what ways have you acted like a hypocrite in the past?

Why did what Jesus said in verses 10-11 upset the religious leaders so much?

What we see on the outside is not what matters, what is the heart is what matters. It is with our hearts that we believe (Romans 10:9-10), we love from our heart, we sing from our heart (Col. 3:16), we give with a grateful heart (2 Cor. 9:7), we serve from the heart, and we pray from the heart. How is your heart?

Psalm 14

The fool here is not so much what we would call an atheist today, but the one who lives as if there is no God. We know lots of people like this, and some of us have acted like this. Perhaps the better question is what part of lives do we act like a fool today?

These first three verses are quoted in Romans 3:10-12, what do we learn from those verses and what follows?

While there is great evil in the world God will still be with the righteous. Does this bring you comfort?

Proverbs 3:1-2

How can your heart keep the commands of God?
What is peace in the Biblical sense of the word? Do you have this peace in your life?

Pray today that God work through the mistakes of you and others to bring about good as He did with Joseph.

Pray that you can maintain perspective in the trials of life.

Pray that you can know how to respond to the attacks of others like Jesus did with the Word and the right attitude.

Pray that you can see how you live as a fool at times.

Please also pray for those that are preparing to teach tonight. Specifically at First Christian this week pray for Cheri Parnell as she leads our ladies Bible study.