E-pistle for November 21, 2008
Posted by: info <info@...>
Dr. Dan Hite, President
FreeWay Foundation November 21, 2008
Conspiracy Against the Jews
(Esther 3:1-15)
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Haman, one of the king's administrative officers, was promoted
to prime minister; everyone bowed and paid homage to
Haman
except Mordecai, vv. 1-3.
2. Haman became extremely angry over this disrespect, and planned
to get revenge by killing all the Jews in the whole
empire, vv. 4-7.
3. Haman told King Ahasuerus the lie that the Jews had refused to obey
the king's laws, and that they deserved to be
exterminated, vv. 8-9.
4. The king gave Haman full royal authority (his signet ring), and
Haman
issued orders to slaughter the Jews and to
confiscate their property on
a certain day eleven months in the future, vv.
10-15.
II. Meditation: on the spiritual implications of these events
1. Mordecai was scrupulously careful not to worship anyone but the Lord
God; showing undue reverence or paying homage to a person of
power
and authority can be a form of idolatry.
2. Living a life of holiness, in sharp contrast to the ungodly lives of
others,
may incur hatred and hostility, even persecution and
death.
3. Anti-Semitism (hatred and persecution of God's chosen people, the
Hebrews)
can be observed throughout the history of the world
. . . from slave labor in
Egypt to the Dark Ages of the Crusades up to and
including the Nazi
Holocaust; this attempt to annihilate the Jews
during Esther's reign is but
one of the many such evil schemes.
4. The kings' careless unconcern about human beings, coupled with his
willingness to allow such ruthless slaughter for money,
demonstrates the
corruption of morals which always accompanies absolute
power.
III. Revelation and Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Worship the Lord my God, and serve Him only, Matthew 4:10.
2. Expect violent opposition because "all who desire to live godly in
Christ
Jesus will suffer persecution," II Timothy 3:12.
3. Treat God's chosen people, the Jews, with honor and respect, Romans
11.
4. Pray for my government officials at all levels, asking God to help
them to make
decisions based on the principles of His word . . .
praying that they will give
primary consideration to the safety and well-being
of all citizens, without regard
to personal monetary gain, I Timothy 2:1-3, 8.
Law, or Faith? Works or Spirit?
(Galatians 3:1-29)
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Paul taught that persons are justified by faith alone, vv. 1-9.
2. Paul pointed out that the law brings a curse, but that Christ
has redeemed us form the curse of the law, vv. 10-14.
3. Paul wrote that God's promise to Abraham is changeless,
vv. 15-18.
4. Paul revealed that the purpose of the law is to serve as a
tutor to bring us to Christ, vv. 19-29.
II. Meditation: on the leading questions asked by Paul
1. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by the works of the law, or
by the hearing of faith? v. 2.
2. Are you becoming mature by the Spirit or by good works? v. 3.
3. Have your sufferings been profitable in the Spirit, or merely
vain . . . not resulting in your seeing beyond the
physical, v. 4.
4. Are God's miracles among you the results of good works or by
the hearing of faith? v. 5.
III. Observations: on the true children of Abraham
1. Like Abraham, believers become righteous ONLY through faith,
v. 6.
2. ONLY believers (Jews and Gentiles) are sons (children; descendants;
family) of Abraham, v. 7.
3. ONLY persons of faith receive the blessing of Abraham, v. 9.
4. God's promises to Abraham are fulfilled ONLY through Christ . . .
the
"seed" v. 16, . . . and to Christ's spiritual
descendants.
IV. Revelation: on the spiritual lessons in this chapter
1. The Holy Spirit is received by faith, at the believer's new birth,
v. 2.
2. The Holy Spirit helps a believer to grow toward perfection, v. 3.
3. The Holy Spirit produces enlightenment through suffering, v. 4.
4. The Holy Spirit works miracles among us today, v. 5.
V. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Live by faith, because I am being made righteous.
2. Live by faith, because I am a child of God.
3. Live by faith, because I am heir to the blessings promised to
Abraham.
4. Live by faith, because I must fulfill the promise, potential,
and purpose
of God . . . to be a blessing to others, I Peter 3:9.
"Without faith, it is impossible to please God,"
Hebrews 11:6
Here is some more Thanksgiving Trivia facts from Holiday Insights:
* As far back as 1000 A.D. Native American Indians raised turkeys for
food. Aztec
Indians in Mexico were raising them as early as 200 B.C.
* Turkeys originally existed in the eastern US and Mexico.
* The turkey industry grosses over $1 billion a year.
* The average American consumes over 15 pounds of turkey per year.
* Americans consume over 675 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving
Day.
* Turkey, like poultry, is lower in cholesterol than beef and many
other meats.
The dark meat (thighs, legs) contains more fat and
cholesterol than white meat.
So, that's why dark meat tastes so good!
* Male Turkeys are called "Toms," female turkeys are called "Hens" and
baby
Turkeys are called "Poults."
* Turkey eggs are tan in color and speckled with brown. They are
about twice
as large as chicken eggs.
* In 1947, the first Presidential pardon was ceremoniously given to a
turkey.
* That long, loose skin that hangs down from a turkey's neck is called
a "wattle".
* Sleepy after the big meal? Turkey contains an amino acid called
"Typtophan".
Tryptophan sets off the chemical chain reaction that calms
you down and makes
you sleepy.
The wishbone is a tradition of Thanksgiving. Allow the wishbone to dry.
Then, two people
grasp each end of the wishbone. After making a silent wish they pull it
away. Whoever
gets the joint portion, gets their wish.
DID YOU KNOW? Benjamin Franklin argued that the Turkey should be our
National Bird.
He stated that it was more respectable and a native of North America.
All of the Staff at FreeWay Foundation
and Pillsbury College & Seminary
wish you and your family a
Happy Thanksgiving