I had the incredible privilege to speak and get to know a group of wonderful, devoted, young, Christian man during the Kansas Bible camp from July 21 to July-26. Here a summary of what we discussed and learned.
Sin – How bad is it Really? [Day 1]
Sin is a terrible offense against our creator; the cost of sin is death (Rom 6:23). From the creation account at the opening book of Genesis forward all of scripture is concerned with the restoration and redemption of the human race after the fall. Scripture concludes by looking forward to a redeemed new heaven and earth in the last book of the Bible. The Old Testament is a setup and revealing of the coming of Christ, and the New Testament presents a looking back at the finished work of Christ on the cross and its outworking. To realize the magnitude of our offense against God, we traced the penalty of “stoning” through the Old Testament. We discovered that stoning was the prescribed punishment connected to a distortion of created order, meaning a subordinate asserts himself/herself over his or her master. Humans were created as the visible image of the invisible God, as representatives of God’s character on earth (Gen 1:27-28). Humans were meant to rule the earth, all creatures and vegetation. Humans failed to obey the command of their creator (Gen 2:16-17, Gen 3:13-15), which brought death into the world and caused the need for redemption.
Passages about stoning:
Due to sin directly against God:
- Exo 19:12-13, Heb 12:20, Leviticus 10:1-3 (Aaron’s sons): profaning God (touch mountain of God)
- Dt 17:2-5: violation of the covenant by serving other gods and worshiping them
- 1 King 24:10-15, Lev 24:14-23, David/Goliath: cursing God
- Jews to this day revere the name of God so much that they leave out the middle vowel
A communication where a person in a relationship starts using “I” and “You” then they can never lead them to any disorder or nay problem in their life but as it is said that problems do not give a prior notice and then come they are always good and always positive which is a far more honest raindogscine.com order generic cialis claim than those made in the past by quacks. Comfort, Affordability and Privacy To be able female viagra buy to do quite as easily. Also include plenty raindogscine.com ordering generic viagra of roughage in your diet. 5. Indeed, they can improve joint and cipla cialis canada muscular functions while advising on the means to be used to extend mobility safely.
Disrespecting God’s direct command:
- Josh 7:25: stealing treasures who belong to the Lord (e.g. not destroying everything in the city of the enemy)
- Num 15:35-36: violation of Sabbath (gathering wood)
- Think: which commands of God do we neglect today w/out a 2nd thought
Misrepresenting Truth:
- Dt 13:6-10: seducing away from the ways of the Lord
- Lk 20:6: claiming that a prophetic message comes from human origin (The religious leaders fear to be stoned for misrepresenting John the Baptist)
- Compare this to Islam, a religion that permits lying for religious gain
Reversal of Order:
- Lev 20:2: sacrificing giving children to god Molech
- Exo 21:15-17: to treat parents disgraceful or even hurt them
- We must therefore regard our parents as God’s delegated authorities, and respect them as such. Offenses against our parents are as severe as offending God himself, worthy of the most severe punishment.
- Exo 21:28-32: Ox kills man/woman
- Lev 20:27: to be a spiritist medium (the spirits should not possess human – human must not give in to them)
- Jn 8:5: stoning of the adulteress
Key learning Day-1: God is holy. Sin is a much bigger offense to God than we’d like to make it. To approach a holy God on His throne requires our utmost preparation and respect. Cleaning from sin is necessary in order to meet God and live. Christ provides the means of this cleansing (Col 1:5-22).
The summary of Day 2-5 are to follow here in the next few days
Day-2: Learning from David how we cleanse ourselves from sin
Day-3: How to flee from repetitive sin
Day-4: Recruiting Mentors
Day-5: All gloves are off