Panem et Circensus
Last week we talked about the “Strength Through Joy” strategy of food and cheap entertainment that the Nazis used between 1932 and 1939 for propaganda purposes. But as the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 1:9 and 1 Corinthians 10:13, people down through the years have struggled with the same temptations, over and over again. Roman emperors used the coliseum games for “Panem et Circensus,” Latin for “Bread and Circuses” to have continuous parties which desensitized the populous to the corruption of the rulers. And even in our current society, the Apostle Peter warns that satan himself uses games and entertainment to DISTRACT us from God's purposes for each of us. Let's discuss.
Why did God create music?
Jesus called Himself the LIGHT of the world. Genesis 1:3-4 says that light was one of 4 things that God created on Day 1. So when Job, who testified to events that happened to him 500 years after the Great Flood, 2,000 years after CREATION, when Job said that God told him that He laid the foundation of the earth and all the stars of the morning broke out in SONG....apparently music had already been created. What Day of Creation was this? And what role does music play in our daily lives TODAY? In what circumstances does God use MUSIC to help us? Let's check it out....
You know where I am.
NOTHING is hidden from God. Nothing.
Every action, every word, every thought!
And yet....knowing everything about us, KNOWING our faults....He actually went to the cross for us. Suffered HORRIBLY! Yet, He proved His power to help us by actually RISING from the dead!
Whoo-whoo!
Let discuss this God who KNOWS us.
Valley of Wailing
The Israelites were supposed to cleanse the Promised Land of the horrific and barbaric practices of child sacrifice, but within a few hundred years, they were indulging in the SAME behavior, and only a stone's throw from the Sacred Temple. The Hinnom Valley was also a place where the city trash was burned and Jesus used that location to describe hell. Let’s examine.
God, It’s YOUR fault!
In Genesis 3, when God asked Adam if Adam had disobeyed the one rule He had given him, Adam replied that, “It was the woman You gave me....”. So right from the BEGINNING, mankind has tried to blame God for their own disobedience, for all the problems and sufferings that they are experiencing.
But why am I so miserable? Is God being cruel? Does God actually care what we are going thru? Let's look at some historical figures who had direct encounters with their Creator.
MOUNTAINS!
Whew! What a week! Hurricane Milton came right through Orlando last week [yes, we experienced the eye of the hurricane]. And then some new version of the covid virus has been floating around....lot a people down with rough cough and sniffles. But WHATEVER mountains, physical or spiritual or mental you might find yourself facing, GOD is the One who MADE the mountains, and they are like WAX before Him [see Psalm 97:5.] Let's check it out.
Stress!!
One guy told me that the doctor advised him, that he needed to avoid stress....so the guy stopped opening the doctor's bills when he received them! Ha!
A recent survey across the United States revealed that 69% of people are stressed about the coming elections, and 74% are stressed about our country’s future. So what IS stress? What causes it? And what is the opposite of stress?
The Bible actually has a strategy for DEALING with stress, found in chapter 20 of the Book of 2 Chronicles. King Jehoshaphat was stressed, actually TERRIFIED as 3 countries from the east got together a huge army with an obvious intent to do great harm to Judah. But Jehoshaphat was a good king, and took several steps to deal with the stress, and protect the land that he was responsible for overseeing. What did he do? And what were the results? Let's check it out....
The POWER of God!
Last week we talked about stress, and how specific characters in the Bible, even kings in the Old Testament, how they DEALT with stress. But today, we look at the POWER of God....especially for those who may have been Christian for a while, even decades. Like an apartment by the airport, where we eventually don't even hear the planes, do we sometimes "get so used" to God, that we take Him for granted?
He is GOD! Let's re-examine some of the promises that He make to us – as He draws on His UNLIMITED resources to PROTECT, PROVIDE, and PROMOTE.
After Winning
Knowing that ONE of the presidential candidates in yesterday's election would be successful, we decided to look at how characters in the Bible responded to victory. After they won a difficult or challenging effort, what was their response? Did they give credit to God? How did they view God's involvement in what they were trying to accomplish? Let's check it out.
Christian Derangement Syndrome
Does it seem like our current culture is getting more....emotional? When professional athletic teams win or lose, or even Little League teams compete, people seem to get so involved in their team's success. When politics take center stage, temperatures sometimes explode in the heat of the contest. But there was even evidence of this 20 centuries ago....some people seem to get incensed when the credibility of Jesus was promoted. Let's explore the attitudes towards early Christians, and how the first Christians responded....and, what does the word "witness" really mean?
His Word in My Heart
The disciple John wrote that Jesus was actually the Word of God in flesh and bone, and that grace and truth came only thru HIM! So....if we say we want to know God better, what an opportunity! Here is THE Word in our hands....let's explore.
Covenants [Man did we mess up!]
God has PROMISED us rich and wonderful blessings, and yet we have been unfaithful in response to HIS faithfulness. From Adam to Jesus, God has made covenants, legal arrangements with people and people groups, some conditional, and some UN-conditional, or unilateral. So what does that mean for us as individuals and how have we responded to God's initiatives? How SHOULD we respond? How WILL we respond? Let's check it out....
Why were kids taught this?
It is truly amazing how Scripture verifies itself, how so many writers from diverse backgrounds, writing over a period of 1,500 years all agree with each other! Many concepts and truths about God from John, and Peter, and Paul, can all be found in Psalm 119.
What is also unique about Psalm 119, is that every eight verses start with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So it is logical to surmise that Psalm 119 was one of the first songs that Hebrew children learned, teaching them the alphabet AND truths about God and holy living at the same time. Let's examine....
Examine Yourselves
Last Divin’ In Bible study of the year. So let's take a minute to examine ourselves. First we will look at IF and WHY we should do a spiritual assessment, and then let's do a quick check of what we know, and then ask ourselves, how can we improve?
[BTW, the quiz at the bottom – the verse we were encouraged to memorize is back on the study from November 20, 2024. Check it out.]