Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Revelation 1:5-6 (NASB)

5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 8:31-39 (NASB)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 Just as it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Why abortion is a monstrous evil:

1. The baby in the womb is a separate person of God’s making. (Psalm 139:15‑16, Ex 4:11)
2. God considers babies in the womb to be precious to Him. (Psalm 139:13‑14, Job 31:15, 3:16‑17, 2 Sam 12:12‑25)
3. God says that murder is evil. (Ex 20:13, 21:22‑25, Deut 27:25, Jer 7:6, Amos 1:13)
4. It is a racist practice in this country, especially against black people.
5. God calls it something unthinkable to Him. (Jer 7:30‑31, 19:4‑5, 32:34‑35)

In the magnitude of God’s grace even abortion is not unforgivable (Psalm 86:5)

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Theme: We as Christians should acknowledge the Audacity of God with the purpose of deepening our admiration of, trust in, and obedience to Him, the One who does exactly as He pleases.

Definition of Audacity: Boldness, insolence, needless of restraint, a disregard of normal restraint or constraint.

Outline:

1. The audacity of God.
2. The audacity of the Son of God.
3. God’s audacity can tell man how to live.
4. God’s audacity to demand complete and total love.

Five reasons it is good that God (and Christ) are audacious:

1. He is the Creator.
2. He alone has Wisdom.
3. He alone has the Power.
4. He alone is Holy.
5. He alone is God.

Final comment: God is audacious in His Love (Rom 5:6-8)

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Omniscience: all knowing and all wise (continued from last week)

• Definition: God always chooses the best goals and the best means to those goals.
• Shown in: Creation, Plan of Redemption and our individual lives.

Omnipotence

• Definition: God has all power over all things at all times and in all ways.
• Shown in: Creation, sustaining creation, the angels of Heaven, fallen angels, mankind.

Omnipresence

• Definition: God does not have size of spatial dimensions and is present at every point of space with His whole being, yet God acts differently at different places.
• Shown in: Heaven and earth cannot contain Him. He fills heaven and earth so nothing is hid from His presence

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God fully knows Himself and all things, actual and possible, in one simple, eternal act.
Psalm 147:5, Job 37:14-16, Heb 4:13, Isa 40:13, Rom 11:33-36, 1 John 3:20

God sees and hears Everything.
Ex 3:7, 2 Chr 16:9, Prov 15:3, Prov 5:21

God knows the beginning from the end.
Isa 46:9-11, Eph 1:3-12

God has perfect knowledge of each individual person and all of our ways.
Psalm 139:1-6, 15-18, Luke 12:7

God knows what we need.
Matt 6:8, 32, Matt 10:28-30

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Matthew 1:18-23 (NASB)

18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 23 “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

Luke 1:30-38 (NASB)

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Galatians 4:4-5

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters.

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Guest Speaker: Marty Wolf

Daniel 2:18 (New American Standard Bible)
18 so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel 2:20 (NASB)
20 Daniel said, “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power belong to Him.

Daniel 2:22-23 (NASB)
22 “It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things;
He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.
23 “To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”

Daniel 6:10 (NASB)
10 Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God,as he had been doing previously.

Daniel 9:2-4 (NASB)
2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments.

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Theme: Understanding the difference between “Biblical justice” and the current “social justice” movement.

1. What is Social Justice?
2. What is Biblical Justice?
     * God is just.
     * Because God is just He never shows partiality.
     * God loves justice.
     * God always does what is just.
     * God’s Word is always right.
     * God expects justice of His people.
3. Biblical principles for God’s justice
     * Truthfulness
     * Impartiality
     * Proportional justice
     * Directness

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Theme/Outline: Three Aspects of our Heavenly Father’s adoption of us that we should understand and rejoice in as His adopted sons & daughters

I. The Past – God chose you to be in His family!

Ephesians 1: 3-6 (NASB)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

II. The Present – God brought you into His family!!

Galatians 4:1-7 (NASB)
1 Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

III. The Future – God promises the inheritance to His family!!

Romans 8:22-23 (NASB)
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

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Outline: Seven emphatic claims of Jesus which show Himself to be the Answer to death’s despair and give us reason to trust Him for life, both now and forever.

The seven (metaphorical) “I AM” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John

1. I AM the Bread of life (6:35 (and 41, 48, 51))
2. I AM the Light of the world (8:12)
3. I AM the Door of the sheep (10:7, 9)
4. I AM the Good Shepherd (10:11, 14)
5. I AM the Resurrection and the Life (11:25)
6. I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6)
7. I AM the true Vine (15:1, 5)

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