Inspired by Drew's sermon

Judas sought out Jesus' enemies to betray Him. he was chosen by Jesus to have great power, he was there to witness the miracles, to listen to all of the parables and their meanings, and he was there when Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ. Yet somsething in him allowed himself to seek personal gain and betray Him, whatever his reasoning. He felt that doing so was more valuable to him than obeying Jesus.

What is most valuable to me? Is it my favor among others, or my financial status, or my professional experience? Or is it my relationship with God? Do the things I do place more emphasis on self, and place them above God's importance in my life?

Inspired by Steve's sermon

As Isaiah did in chapter 6, we come to worship not for ourselves, but to fellowship in the presence of the Lord of Hosts. Church service is not for us, for us to get something out of. We are here to worship and through that we will be blessed.

The word "worship" used in the New Testament implies a physical act. It is not enough for us to just be here. We must actively participate and engage our minds. Then we are worshipping in Spirit.

We come to service to encourage one another. Hebrews 10:23-25. To stimulate one another, we must move them to action, to do what we are convicted to do.

"They were continually devoting themselves..." (Acts 2:42) literally, constantly attending all exercises. The early church was there for each other at all times, taking every opportunity to serve one another.

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee

Laban became greedy and began to treat Jacob poorly. He grew to covet the prosperity he received after Jacob worked for him, and took advantage of Jacob's hard work. From the moment he tricked Jacob by giving him Leah instead of Rachel, Laban tried to take whatever he could from Jacob without giving anything in return. Never did he see him as a son, only as a means of making a profit.

Yet despite all of his efforts, God still blessed Jacob and gave him much. When he fled to Canaan with what had been decided as his wages, he had much, even though Laban had tried to take it all away from him. Jacob served Laban even while being mistreated, and God rewarded Jacob while taking from Laban what he tried so hard to hold on to.

Often times people see us for less than what we are. They look at how we can better their lives, and do not take into account the needs of our own life. Yet we are not to repay their inconsiderate attitude with one of our own. Just as Jacob had committed to serving Laban, so we have a commitment to God to server others. We can not let the bad things others do make us into bad people. Romans 12:17-21 tells us that we should not return evil for evil, and that God is the one who will enact vengeance. Just as Laban lost his daughters and his cattle, so God will repay as He sees fit. We need to be as Jacob was and wait for God's blessing.

Beloved, let us love one another.

"As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and not a lie, and just as it has been taught you, abide in Him." - 1 John 2:27

Truth can not be learned from a bible study. It can't be taught through discussion, listening to sermons will not give you the truth. We can only receive the truth from the Spirit. So why do we evangelize? To give people the knowledge and direction to find the truth. Why do we study with each other? Because we have the truth, and now we must help each other grow and remain in the truth. It is important for others to be involved in our spiritual walk, to lead us, to strengthen us, and to keep us accountable. But ultimately, people can not save us. Only through discovering the truth and keeping the commands (1 John 2:5) can we be perfected.

"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." - 1 John 3:16

Jesus laid down His life by sacrificing and dying on the cross. yet the death was not what was important, it was the sacrifice. If Jesus had died through the plan of men, it would not have been enough. But His death was through the plan of God, that He may take upon Himself the burden of man so that we would not have to struggle with them anymore. We lay down our lives for others by doing the same, sacrificing ourselves and taking upon their burdens. it is rare that it would benefit anyone by dying for them. But we can take on their financial or emotional or even physical burdens, in order to alleviate the burden from them. This is how we fulfill God's command and show love.