The 1^st Sunday After Easter

Someone who experienced spiritual warfare was Noah. Noah trusted in God above all things. God told Noah to build an ark for his family and put some of every type of animal on it. Noah may have doubted God about building the ark and people probably thought he was crazy for building such a thing. But, he did build it. After Noah, his family, and the animals had been on the ark for many days and nights, and the birds signaled to him that there was dry land they were able to come out of the ark. With a rainbow, God reassured Noah that He would never send a world-wide flood again. Noah’s spiritual warfare was that he was probably tested many times by sinful human beings wondering why he was building an ark. He overcame this with the power of God keeping him in the true faith. If we trust in God’s Word like Noah did, and turn to Him in ever situation we will have the power to overcome every obstacle in our sinful lives.

The story of Job is one of the most amazing accounts of spiritual warfare in the Scriptures. Job was a God-fearing man who had been richly blessed by God. The Devil wanted to make Job curse God, so God, knowing how faithful Job was, allowed Satan to attack Job’s possessions. And so the spiritual war began. Satan caused Job to lose everything he loved—his animals, his servants, and all of his children. But upon hearing this terrible news, Job worshipped God, saying, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord!" The Devil, still thinking he could make Job curse God, received permission from God to attack Job’s body and health. Satan caused Job to have extremely painful sores covering his body so that he could barely move. Job’s friends thought he must have committed a terrible sin to be tortured so harshly. Even Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. Yet, Job kept fighting against all of these temptations and refused to curse God. At last, God gave back everything Job had lost and much more. His spiritual battle against the Devil was won, and his story is a great example of how to fight our own battles against sin, trusting God always."

The Lord told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach to the people to lead them to repentance. Jonah was scared and arose to flee to Tarshish. He found a ship going to Tarshish. He was trying to hide from the Lord. But God sent a big storm. The mariners cast lots to see who should be thrown off the boat. The lots fell on Jonah. The sailors regrettably threw Jonah off. God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the fish’s belly for 3 days and 3 nights. He prayed to the Lord to save him while in the fish’s belly. The Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Then God came to Jonah again and told him to go to Nineveh and Jonah did. The people of Nineveh repented and believed in God.

Jonah was scared to go to Nineveh. He let the fear take over. Jonah didn’t trust God that He would take care of him and he didn’t want to do what God said.

God used a miracle to show Jonah how much He cared about him and how far He would go to prove that. God had the fish swallow Jonah to bring Jonah to repentance and realize that he needed God. This story applies to us because we are to have faith in the Lord for He will provide for us. Jonah didn’t trust God and suffered the consequences. It teaches us that we are to listen to God and trust Him.

Esther became Queen of Persia. Queen Esther found out that there was a plan to kill her people, the Jews. Esther was put in a difficult situation. She was fearful for her people’s lives, but she was also fearful for her own life. She was frightened to go before the King, for he could kill her. Esther was given some very good advice, which was: "Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this." This gave her the strength to go to God and ask for His help. She asked all the Jews to pray and fast with her for three days. Then she went boldly before the King and asked him to save her people. The Lord helped her and the king allowed the Jews to live. We, as Esther was, should boldly ask the Lord to help us when we need it. Confidently pray to God asking for His help and guidance. He will do what is best for us. In doing so, He will accomplish much through us. Don’t be afraid to take on a task for Him, no matter how difficult.

The devil is the leader of a group of angels who disobeyed God and were sent out of heaven into hell. The devil according to John 8:44 was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth.” The Devil hates God! He is jealous of Him because He wants to be him. Jude 6 says, "The angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these He has kept in darkness bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day." The Devil talked the angels into turning away from God, he also wants us to sin and turn away from God so that we will give him al of our praise, all of our worship. The devil is the ruler of every evil thing, God explains this in Ephesians 2:2, "The way in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the Spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. In 1 Peter 5:8, God warns us, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and in Matthew 7:15, also warns, "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." This means that we should be careful because the Devil is watching us, waiting for us to fall into his trap of sin. He will do anything and everything he can to get us to sin, he is only tricking us! Revelation 12:9 says, "So the great dragon was cast out, that Serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He can not, no matter how hard he tries win over your soul because Jesus has come to take our place and defeat him.

How does the world use music in spiritual attack?

The world uses music in spiritual attack by talking about things and doing immoral for enjoyment. It also influences children and adults alike. The influences are mostly bad and can cause gangs to hurt people or vandalize the buildings around them, the temptation for destructive behavior is great.

What is temptation?

God says in the Bible that God tests His people to make their faith stronger and also that the Devil entices God’s people every chance he gets. When the devil tempts people, sometimes their will is not very strong so they fall into temptation, they do the evil deeds of the Devil for earthly rewards. They make immoral movies, music, books, and anything that people will buy.

Why do these things tempt people and they buy them?

People buy them because they think it will fill an empty hole or they think it is good music. People have a weak will so they do not resist anything except God. People buy immoral movies and books, evil music, and anything else they think is cool. God says in Genesis 3 that the Devil tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God. The Devil wants us to follow the trend of the mass, listen to the same unholy music, but if we believe in God and trust in Him completely we can find better music and praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What does the world say about abortion?

The world says abortion is ok because the woman might not be able to support a child. But God will always provide for you. God says this through David in the 23^rd Psalm verses 4-6: Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The world also says hat the baby has no life at conception so it is not murder. But God says that a baby is a life at conception. For example, before Jeremiah was born, God knew him. This is recorded in Jeremiah chapter one verse 5: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."

Why isn’t abortion right according to God’s Word?

Abortion is not right because it is murder. The world will say it’s not murder because the Baby isn’t living separately from the mother and therefore it isn’t alive yet. But shows us that babies have souls and are indeed alive and alert when in the womb. As an example, when John’s mother met Jesus, the Bible tells us that John kicked in the womb.

How might the world view about abortion form a spiritual attack?

When a mother is having a baby it is already a hectic time, especially if she doesn’t know how she is going to provide for the baby. When we are at our weakest points is when the Devil likes to try to tempt us. So a young mother, not knowing what to do could turn to the world and to abortion thinking that is the only way out. God protects life and is against abortion because it is a shortening of the time of grace that a baby has. It also would not allow the baby to be baptized and God says in Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Our flesh is very sinful. In Genesis chapter 3 we learn of Adam and Eve’s first fall into sin and how from that point on we are all born with a sinful flesh as stated in Genesis 8:21 – "the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.

Our flesh is our sinful nature which makes us very weak just as the Bible says in Matthew 26:41, "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." But God is strong as the Bible says in Matthew 19:26, "With God all things are possible.

An example of something that shows that our flesh is weak is the September 11^th attacks. If the hijackers had the Word of God in their hearts, would they have run into the Twin Towers or the Pentagon? If they would have had the strong Word of God working in their hearts, probably not. God continually works in our hearts as stated in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

Because of our sinful flesh, we will always sin and be tempted, but God will always be there to "catch us when we fall." An example of God catching us when we fall is when we are tempted into spending our money foolishly, but we don’t because God keeps us from spending it. That money could be used toward something much more useful such as giving it to the church.

We need to pray continually and look to God’s word so that God will make us strong to resist temptation and sin. Our fleshly desires will not be the desires of God as it states in Romans 7:19, "For the good that I would I do not, but the evil I would not, that I do. We need to be careful because the world continually tempts our flesh. Things of this world and the devil threaten us. Our flesh is a threat to us because we fall into sin all the time. But even though our flesh tempts us daily, we need to remember that Jesus died on the cross for us. He died for us so that even though we sin daily, one day will live eternally with God in heaven.

Samson did many great things in Israel during his years of judging. One of these things was pushing the Philistines out of Israel. In the 20^th year of his judging, Samson met a young woman named Delilah whom he loved. This woman was paid by the Philistines to learn the secret of Samson’s great strength. Delilah used Samson’s love for her as a step to gain the secret. At first, Samson just lied to Delilah, but with her pleading Samson lost the battle by telling her that if his hair were cut he would lose his strength. Delilah cut Samson’s hair while he slept and then called the Philistines who plucked out his eyes and took him away. During a Philistine feast, Samson prayed to the Lord for enough strength to tear down the Philistines’ temple and kill them all. From this we know to call upon the Lord when in trouble and trust Him above all things.

David was a Shepherd boy back in his home land of Israel while the Philistines and Israelites were at war. One day, David’s father told him to bring food to his brothers who were at war. When David came to bring his brothers the food, he found out that no one would fight Goliath, who was on the Philistine side, challenging the Israelites. So, David said he would fight Goliath. Instead of wearing armor, David used 5 stones and a sling. On David’s first shot, he hit Goliath in the head. Goliath fell. After Goliath fell, David took Goliath’s sword and killed him. Goliath was dead. David conquered his fear of Goliath with the help of God and by trusting what God said. Almost every day we face someone like Goliath, but with God’s help and trusting what God said, we can conquer our fear of that person.

In the story of David on the rooftop, David sinned in a few different ways. He should have been out fighting on the battlefield with his armies. But instead, he stayed home so he was putting himself in a situation where he could be tempted. He could have fled temptation if he had gone into battle with his armies. One night, David could not sleep so he went to his rooftop. When he was up there, he saw Bathsheba bathing. Then he was tempted and did not overcome it. He had his servants bring her to him. Then she came to his house and they committed adulterous sins together. Then David found out that Bathsheba was pregnant. Wanting to cover up his sin, he sent Bathsheba’s husband to the most dangerous part of the battle intending for it to kill him. When Bathsheba’s husband was sent there, he was indeed killed. We can relate to this because there is a lot of immorality in the world and we need to resist the temptations of it. God also doesn’t want us to try to cover up our sins and we know no matter what we do, God knows all, hears all, and sees all.

The king, Nebuchadnezzar, made a large idol of gold to which all of his people were to fall down and worship it. The king told his people that whoever did not fall down and worship his idol was to be cast into a burning fiery furnace. Soon it became known to the king that three men, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abed-Nego did not serve nor worship the "god" that he had made. These men were brought to Nebuchadnezzar and he gave them just one last chance to fall down and worship his "god." At this point, someone might fall down to worship the king’s god, but not these three. They confessed the true God in heaven. The King became angry and he had them thrown into the furnace. Yet when they opened the door of the furnace, all three men came out unharmed for they were protected by God.

Now we too, like Shadrach, Meschach, and Abed-Nego should confess the true God and never bow down to another god no matter how tempting it may be and how severe the punishment because God will protect us.

This story starts with Kin Darius appointing three leaders over the kingdom, one of whom was Daniel. The king liked Daniel and wanted him to rule over the other leaders. They did not like this and wanted Daniel killed, but they could not find anything to accuse him of. The other leaders tricked the king into signing a decree saying that everyone had to pray to the king and no one else for 30 days, or face death. Daniel disagreed with this and kept praying to God. The other leaders caught him praying to God and told the king. Since the king had signed the decree he had to throw Daniel to the lions. Daniel trusted in God and God protected him. The lions didn’t even touch him. The next morning the king came back and saw that Daniel was still alive. He brought Daniel up and commanded that his enemies be thrown to the lions. They were killed before they even hit the bottom of the den. Daniel’s faith was tested in this story when he was told he had to pray to the king and not to God, or face death. Daniel overcame this by trusting in God, and God saved him from the lions. We can learn in this story that we need to keep our trust in God, even if it means being criticized because God will protect and save us.

Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus is true God and also true man. The Son of God will live eternally and has lived eternally. God became true man when He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit.

Why do we believe that Jesus is true God?

We believe that Jesus is true God because the Bible says so. He has qualities only God can have, for example, He is all powerful, all knowing, present everywhere, sinless, He treats everyone the same, He keeps His promises, He is merciful, unchangeable, and eternal. He did things only God can do. He can be everywhere at once and He can perform miracles. We should honor Him as God. God says, “all men should honor the Son just as they honor the Father” (John 5:23).

Why do we believe that Jesus is true man?

We believe that Jesus is true man because the Bible says so. Jesus explains that He is true man in Luke 24:39, “Behold! My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself, handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Jesus looked like a man and had human attributes. For example, Jesus wept. He became hungry and also He slept.

Why was it necessary for our Savior to be true God?

Jesus had to be true God in order to be the perfect sacrifice for human sins. Only a Savior who was true God could provide such a sacrifice. Psalm 49:7 says, “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him—for the redemption of their souls is costly.”

Why was it necessary for Jesus to be true man?

Jesus had to be true man in order to fulfill the law perfectly for us, also He had to be true man so that He could be killed as the sacrifice for human sins. As God says in 1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit."

In this section of Revelation, John describes his vision of the saints praising God in white robes waving palm branches. They had dipped their robes in the blood of the Lamb who is Jesus, and cast off the burdens and troubles of the earth. God says that they would neither hunger nor thirst anymore and the sun nor heat shall strike them anymore ( ). We also have our sins washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and will stand among the victors through our Lord, Jesus. The warfare for these people is the same as ours—living through trials, tribulations, throughout the world it keeps getting more violent, immoral, and all other temptations the world brings upon us in this day and age. This applies to us very well. We could be some of those saints praising God. People have recently asked, "Why has God done this?" or "Why would God let this happen?" For the first question, God doesn’t do any harm to us, only the Devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh; and for the second question, Not one single person can because God moves in mysterious ways.

What is a sacrament?

A sacrament is a sacred act that is instituted by Christ, contains earthly elements, is connected with God’s word, and gives spiritual blessings. There are only two sacraments; Baptism and Holy Communion.

Why is baptism a sacrament?

Baptism a sacrament because it is a sacred act that was instituted by Christ when he said in Matthew 28:18,19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." It contains an earthly element: water, and is connected with God’s word. The spiritual blessings of baptism bring us to faith, deliver us from death and the devil, and offers forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation. This is declared in Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

The word Baptize means to apply water. You don’t have to apply it in any certain way. Water can be dabbed on, sprinkled on, or you could be immersed. The power of Baptism however, is in God’s Word, which is used by the Holy Spirit. Without the Word of God, and the Spirits’ work there is no blessing. Jesus said in John 3:5; "Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."

Why is Holy Communion a sacrament?

Holy Communion is a sacrament because it was instituted by Christ, when He gave bread to the disciples saying, "Take, eat; this is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Then He took the cup, and after giving thanks, gave it to them and said, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many." Holy Communion contains earthly elements; bread and wine, and is connected with God’s Word. The spiritual blessings of Holy Communion keep us in faith, assuring us of forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation.

Holy Communion keeps us aware that Jesus redeemed us from our sins when he died for us on the cross. Ephesians 1:7 states, " In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."" When we take communion we eat bread and drink wine. Jesus’ body is with the bread and Jesus’ blood is with the wine. Eating and drinking do nothing. The power of Holy Communion is actually in the words of Jesus, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."

How do the sacraments help us in Spiritual Warfare?

The Gospel in the Sacraments brings us to faith and keeps us strong in faith. Through the Sacraments we are assured forgiveness for our sins, deliverance from death and the devil, and eternal life and salvation. When confronted with difficulties in our lives, or situations where our faith is tested, these Sacraments reassure us that we have been brought to faith through baptism, and are kept in faith through the blood of Christ, shed for us on the cross. God is our strength and we can overcome anything with Him. Christ says this in John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

What is Prayer?

Prayer is a form of communication with the Lord. We can use this gift to ask the Lord for many things. God tells us in Mark that we should “Take watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is.” We should know that the power is God’s. He answers our prayers.

When should we pray?

God tells us we should call upon His name in the time of trouble and He will deliver us. This doesn’t mean that we can’t speak to Him at any time. We know from God’s Word that we can talk to Him at any time.

How much should we pray?

God says in the book of Thessalonians, “Pray without ceasing” which means we can pray to God whenever we need to or want to which should be as much as we possibly can.

For what should we pray?

We may ask for many things like to be delivered from harm, to resist temptation or anything harmful; but we should always ask for forgiveness of sins. We also should never ask for evil because He would never give us anything like that, nor would we want Him to do so.

Children almost always need to be comforted, whether they lost a toy, are afraid of the dark, or just need to be held. Most of the time, children are afraid of something because it frightens them or they just don’t understand. But they don’t need to be afraid because God will protect them. He shows this to us in Psalm 22, “The Lord is my light and my salvation . Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid.?” This passage sums up the comfort of the Lord and tells us that we don’t have to be afraid of anything because the Lord is our salvation and strength and always will be.

Then children grow up and become teenagers and they aren’t really afraid of the dark or anything like those simple worries. Things become more complex and harder to understand like "will I fit in?" or "I hope I make good grades" and other things that are very hard for adults to understand. In these unsettling and confusing years, we need God very much. In the following verse from Isaiah 41:10 we learn that God will strengthen us, help us, and also comforts us in these years. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

For these reasons we need not fear what will happen to us or if we fit in or not All we need to know is that god will take care of us and that we do not need to fear. I will close with Luke 12:32. This passage is a good reminder to both teens and children that they don’t need to be afraid for God will protect them. “Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

How does God bless families?

God blesses families with children and companionship.

What types of troubles to families have for which they need comfort?

Scripture tells families how to raise their children as the Bible says in the sixth chapter of Ephesians: “You fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Scripture helps parents get along without disagreeing or helps them when they do disagree. It helps the family grow in love. It teaches us to be satisfied with what we have as God says in James, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of Lights. Scripture also comforts when there is sickness in the family.

What types of troubles do young adults have for which they need comfort?

Scripture helps young adults stay away from drugs and drinking. Scripture helps young adults find the right spouse and teaches them how to fill the role of a husband or a wife when they are ready to be married. It helps them deal with peer pressure and the scripture also shows them their responsibilities.

How does Scripture comfort families and young adults if a loved one dies?

The Scripture says that if someone dies who is a believer he will live eternally with God. We should be joyful that the person has gone to heaven instead of living in this sinful world.

How does Scripture comfort young adults and families together?

The Scripture gives relief after a long day at work. It also gives comfort if you can’t meet financial needs. God will provide for you in some way as the Bible says in the sixth chapter of Matthew, “Our Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Through all the problems and troubles a young adult or family may have, God through Scripture, will help and provide for you in everything.

God gives comfort to everyone in every stage of life. As adults ages to become elderly, many thoughts of what was and what is to happen the future times arrive. God has blessed every elderly person with a long life. But many changes occur to the elderly—changes that they didn’t need to worry about when they were younger—becoming weaker, slower, and not being able to do the things that they could do before often bring confusion. The Devil and our sinful flesh cause us to be afraid of death and what will become of us after death. It may seem that nobody understands, but I can assure you that there is Someone who does understand; someone who has already saved you from death. God in heaven will comfort you in any time of need. He tells us in John 14:18, “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.” With God, we don’t have to fear the future. In fact, all who believe in Christ our Savior already have their future planned out. Proof of this is found in Luke 12:32, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Our heavenly Father wants to bring us to Him in Heaven, where, as He says in Revelation, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be anymore pain for the former things have passed away” (Revelation). He knows what is best, and is always ready to guide and comfort you. Nobody understands more than our Lord does. He understands the fact that we were hopelessly lost in sin and so He sent us a Savior, Jesus, to buy us back from Satan by living a perfect life and dying an innocent death. We know that this truly happened from John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He have his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” His love for you will conquer any worries about your future and death. He is in control. We know we can trust Him from Psalm 125:1, “They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed but abideth forever.” Our Lord knows how you feel. Trust, love, and believe in Him. Remember that heaven is waiting for each and every one of us believers in Christ and remember that no matter what, God will always love you, as He says in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither life nor death, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”