MINISTRY NOTES

Hi Everyone,

Recently I received an email that started off, "I am from (another country) and have spent my entire Saturday night reading your entire website and your book and thoroughly enjoyed it." I thought I would remind you that we do have a web site http://www.jesuscenter.net/index.html that does have several things of interest, including does have information like why Hebrew is helpful in understanding what Jesus says. http://www.jesuscenter.net/Hebrew%20Essential%20to%20know%20Jesus.htm In our Wednesday Evening Service (7 pm), our focus currently is on what God said. A few weeks ago as we read in Genesis 1:26 (ICB) that God said, "Let us make human beings in our image ..." We understood that the use of the plural "us" and "our" is because God is talking to his Son, Jesus. Last Wednesday, we encountered this again in Genesis 3:22 (NIV) when God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil..." Although I have been aware of the plural in chapter 1 (and 11:7) for decades, this was the first time I realized it was also used in Chapter 3. It is fun to learn something new. Knowing what God said is essential to being obedient to God and Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7:21 that obeying God is crucial in going to heaven. Although Ministry Notes is sent out to everyone on the list, if you have any personal questions, including about Hebrew, or personal prayer needs, I would be glad to respond to you personally.

Message Notes:

People blame others. In the beginning, when confronted by God, Adam blamed God and blamed his wife. And Eve blamed the snake1. Job's three friends continued to blame Job for his problems2. Jesus' disciples wanted to blame either the person or his parents for his blindness. Jesus was quick to make it clear that it was no ones fault3, although in another situation, Jesus implied that sin could be result in physical problems4. Our society is often quick to blame. If a team loses, blame the coach. When people get divorced, often they blame their spouse. A business has trouble, blame the boss. Recently I heard a joke about a dad encouraging his son to get a summer job at a local fast food place and his son's retort was, "they only hire unemployed CEO's". A person dies and frequently people try to blame the Doctor. A person shared with me recently that their spouse got a prescription for two weeks of pills and they were gone in two days. The Doctor is not responsible to go home and issue each pill.

Often blame involves judging others or accusing other, which Jesus speaks against very strongly5. Jesus makes it very clear that we are responsible for our own actions6! Back to our first blame example, God was not fooled by Adam's statement of blame. God was very hard on Adam, faulting him for being disobedient and for listening to someone (Eve) other than God7. Part of God's punishment for Adam involved eliminating his free ride where God provided all his basic needs8. Jesus restores that free ride with the condition that we put "…God's kingdom and doing what God wants…" first in our lives9 which will result in God providing our needs. God's concern, that mankind's disobedience could lead to them living forever, resulted in them being banished from the garden10. Then God sent His Son, Jesus, conditionally enabling people to live forever or have eternal life11, starting before their bodies' die12, without having to face a judgment day13.

"Dear God, help each one of us follow Jesus so closely that we totally surrender our lives to You, enabling us to have our needs provided and for us to live forever, thank You in Jesus, name, Amen."

1. Genesis 3:12-13 8. Genesis 3:19

2. Job 32:3 9. Matthew 6:33 (ICB)

3. John 9:2-3 10. Genesis 3:22

4. John 5:14 11. John 3:16

5. Luke 6:37 12. John 8:51; John 11:25-26

6. Matthew 12:37 13. John 5:24

7. Genesis 3:17