Notes from October 4/5, 2008

The Tabernacle: Learning to Meet with God/Bringing It Back
Pastor Jim Zippay
Exodus 25:1-9, Exodus 33:12-17

Outline

1. The Tabernacle, or Tent of Meeting, was a place to meet with God.
2. The Most Holy Place, inside the Tabernacle, resembled the Garden of Eden.
3. The Tabernacle was built to look like something eternal, heaven (Hebrews 8:5).
4. The Tabernacle provided a pattern for meeting with God
5. The Outer Court – spoke to our need for forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9)
   i. The altar of burnt offering
   ii. The bronze laver
6. The Holy Place
   i. The lampstand – symbolizes the tree of life (it displayed the stages of life through almond buds, blossoms and almonds)
   ii. The bread of presence – is like food for the soul
   iii. The altar of incense – reflects the prayers of God’s people (Revelations 5:8)
7. The Most Holy Place
   i. The ark of the covenant
8. The Tabernacle was not just a place to meet with God or just a pattern for meeting with God; it was for a people to know how to meet with God.
9. Priests:
   a. Come dressed for worship
   b. Come to the Outer Court and Holy Place
   c. Come to meet with God

Content

1. Meeting and dwelling with His people has been God’s desire since the beginning of time. The Tabernacle was intended to help us get back to what we lost in the garden.
2. The Tabernacle was a shadow, a copy, of heaven (Hebrews 8:5).
3. The Tabernacle, and everything in it, was designed to bring us into God’s presence both spiritually (that we would be acceptable before God) and symbolically (with all the sights, sounds and smells).
4. The Outer Court spoke to our need for forgiveness and cleansing. Ever since the Garden we learned that without the shedding of blood (alter of burn offering) there could be no reconciliation or restoration of our relationship with God.
5. The lampstand depicts spiritual light, discernment, wisdom and insight. It is a depiction of the ministry of the Holy Spirit who explains and reveals the hidden things of God.
6. The Most Holy Place depicts the throne room of God, our presence can only happen through another presenting us, mediating on our behalf, Christ. (Hebrews 9:11-12)
7. God wants us in the priesthood, he wants us to not only meet with him but bring others to him, like the priests of the Tabernacle.
   

Aim
The Tabernacle provided a place and way for God’s people to meet with Him. Jesus Christ provides a way for us to meet with God today.

Application Questions

1. What is the significance of the Tabernacle resembling the Garden of Eden? Resembling heaven?
2. How do the different places within the Tabernacle speak to how we should meet with God? What acts/behavior can we do today that are similar to those in the tabernacle? (Pray, share our faith, seek forgiveness, read the Word, etc.)
3. God has called us to be his priests. Share a time when you were able to be a priest on God’s behalf.
4. Pastor Jim explained that as God’s priest we should be:
   a. Lampstands – share the word, bring the lost to the “food” that they need
   b. Bread of Presence – pray for others, bringing others to the Lord in prayer
   c. Altar of incense – corporate prayer
   
   How can we put these things into practice? What areas are easy/hard for you? What can you do this week to strengthen these areas in your life?

September 28th, 2008 ~ The Altar: Where Sacrifices are Made / Bringing IT Back 4

Sermon Notes for Small Group Leaders
The Altar: Where Sacrifices are Made / Bringing IT Back 4
Teaching Pastor, Jim Zippay
September 28, 2008
Scripture Passage: Genesis 22:1-14; Genesis 12:7-8; Genesis 15:17; Genesis 17:7-10; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25; Colossians 2:11-12; Romans 8:32; Hebrews 11:6, 17-19;

Outline
I. A Verbal Sacrifice – Words of Worship (Gen. 12:8)
II. A Tangible Sacrifice – Acts of Worship (Gen. 15:17)
III. A Personal Sacrifice – Faith of Worship (Gen 22:1-14)

Content
1. An altar is a place or space where you respond to God in worship, honoring Him above all else
2. The first thing Abraham did after encountering God was build an altar as a place to continue the relationship, making this a priority even when he moved.
3. Statements of faith, creeds, public confessions have always been a vital part of worship because that’s how people know what God you believe in, follow, and worship
4. Abraham followed up his words with actions (animal sacrifices, financial offerings, etc)
5. Knowing that everything you have is a gift, turns the act of giving into worship
6. God established His covenant with Abraham, committing Himself to Abraham and his descendants, and they had to make a commitment to him. The sign of this covenant was circumcision.
7. God established His covenant with us – Jesus died for our sins. Baptism is the sign of this new covenant, which marks us as one of His followers.
8. When we’ve made the step to follow God, He will often press His finger on what’s most precious to us and tell us to lay it down.
9. Never hold anything back from God as an offering of worship for you will never give more to Him than He has already given to you in Christ

Aim
We follow God with sacrifices of words, actions, and faith, honoring Him above and before everything, giving up anything that He requires – no matter how precious - because it’s all a gift and the Impossible Giver is always trustworthy.

Application Questions
I. Have you made honoring and acknowledging God above everything a priority in your life? If not, what are some steps you could take to make this a reality?
II. What are some gifts you have received from God that you consider precious?
III. What is God pressing you to give up or lay down?
IV. What confidence does Romans 8:32 give us in the face of tests and trials?

Sept. 21, 2008 ~ The Garden: What Did We Loose? / Bringing It Back 3

Sermon Notes for Small Group Leaders
The Garden: What Did We Loose? / Bringing It Back 3
Teaching Pastor Jim Zippay, Senior Pastor
Date of Teaching: September 21, 2008
Scripture Passages: Genesis 2:8-15, Psalm 8:5, Revelation 22:1-3
Isaiah 51:3, Genesis 3:22-24, Genesis 3:6-9, Mark 14:32-36, Philippians 2:7-9

Outline
I. The Garden of Eden - Genesis 2:8-15; Psalm 8:5
II. The Eternal Garden - Revelation 22:1-3
III. The Lost Garden - Isaiah 51:3; Genesis 3:22-24; 3:6-9
IV. The Garden of Gethsemane - Philippians 2:7-9
Content
1. Humankind is the apex of God’s handiwork!
2. God gave Man a status, a standing that allowed them to be completely secure and yet vulnerable.
3. The eternal garden is the Paradise of God, the defeat of the Serpent of old, the removal of death and suffering.
4. In His presence we stand pure and unashamed.
5. The Lost Garden is like a desert, a wasteland or wilderness where the land is dry, the ground is hard and produce is scarce and the beasts of field are something to be feared.
6. It’s everything Eden is not. It offers no blessings, just the curse, no harvest - instead barrenness, life is overtaken by death and destruction.
7. Gethsemane means “olive press,” a place where you, by your lonesome, get squeezed, spiritually speaking.
8. Gethsemane is the garden that brings the glory back and a place where you go it alone
Aim
Our own Gethsemane is a place where God bring us to be with Himself, where we are made more like His son, Jesus.

Application Questions
I. Are you in Gethsemane? If so, what are going through?
II. In what sense are you prepared to surrender all to God in this process? Are you holding anything back?
III. Explain past history, if you can of God bringing you through a Gethsemane period?

Notes from September 13/14, 2008

Sermon Notes for Small Group Leaders
“bringing IT back” 2
Pastor Jim Zippay, Senior Pastor
September 13/14, 2008
1 Chronicles 13:5-14

Outline
I. Recognize the sacredness of symbols (1 Chronicles 13:5-14)
II. Realize the dangers of human ingenuity (1 Samuel 6:7, 2 Sam 6:3, 2 Timothy 2:21-22, 1 Corinthians 1:18)
III. Revere the mysteries of God

Content
1. David’s good intentions to bring the Ark back failed when Uzzah was killed by God as he tried to steady the Ark.
2. Symbols, signs and images are not relics to be worshiped, but they do help us understand and connect with God, who is spirit.
3. Symbols are sacred because of the reality they represent. Examples are the cross, the Bible, Communion, and God becoming Man in the person of Jesus.
4. Failure results when good intentions do not line up with God’s instruction.
5. What God says can’t be evaluated by the world’s wisdom. He is Holy. (“For the message of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing…” 1Cor 1:18)
6. Believers should show their maturity by their humility, not their ingenuity; instead of doing something different, just do what God says.
7. Worship involves all of you (“full body contact”): renewed mind, regenerated spirit, rededicated body, revived emotions.
8. Even though he was angry, David didn’t quit. He gave up on his own way and, in reverence, cried out to God for help.
9. Many quit on God because they had formulas and human wisdom instead of faith.

Aim
The only way to experience the presence of God is to do it God’s way and with His help, not the world’s way under our own strength.

Application Questions
I. What Christian symbols have impacted you spiritually? How can symbols help us enter into God’s presence?
II. How do you react when God doesn’t come through for you the way you thought he would (or should)? In what areas of your life are you following the world’s wisdom rather than God’s instruction? What “good intentions” do you have that you are trying to accomplish in the world’s or your own strength?
III. What mysteries of God have you taken for granted, ignored, or tried to explain away? In what areas of your life are you wrestling with what God has or hasn’t done? Are you willing to do it God’s way, even if it hurts? What is God stirring up in you that he wants to remove (feelings, thoughts, attitudes)?

Notes from Sept. 6/7, 2008

Sermon Notes for Small Group Leaders
“Bringing it Back” – “Real History is His-story”
Pastor Jim Zippay
Sept. 6/7, 2008
1 Chron. 13:1-4

Outline

1. What is IT? (What are we talking about?)
2. Where was IT?
3. Why bring IT back?
4. Will you commit to bringing IT back?

Content

1. God made provision to meet with people, to be with the Israelites in a personal sense. (Ex 25:22)
2. God is always with us, but are we always with Him?
3. The God of the universe extended Himself to a select group of people, which was a privilege, a life-changing experience.
4. The Israelites lost the ark because they lost the presence of God. (1 Sam 4:5-21)
5. The presence of God was evident in King David’s life.
6. When men risked their lives to get David water, he poured it out because he didn’t deserve that kind of devotion. (1 Chron. 11:16-19) God must be the center of their (and our) devotion.
7. David brought back the ark to show God as the stabilizing center of Israel.
8. Only God deserves the place of prominence in our lives; the church should convey that.
9. The church needs to bring back the focus on God that David brought to the Israelites.
10. As Heritage embarks on this year of focusing on worship, we might go on an uncharted and uncomfortable path, but it will help us sense God’s presence in our midst and in our lives.
11. Do we need to make a confession and commitment to God:
* God, I confess that I have given supremacy to something/someone other than You.
* God, I confess that I have not made seeking You my focus in coming here each week.
* Lord, I commit to joining this journey to establish Your Presence as the place of prominence in this church and in my life.

Aim
We need to have God as the place of prominence in our lives, the center of our attention, affection and devotion.

Application Questions

1. Are there times you’ve wandered away from God?
2. What changes do you need to make so your heart will be a place where God meets with you?
3. In what areas of your life would you say there’s no glory or evidence of God’s presence?
4. How do you respond to people’s acts of kindness?
5. What people or things replace God as the center of your affection/devotion?
6. What is often your focus when you go to church?


For future study: A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place, by Beth Moore
Leviticus: Worshipping a Holy God, by Kay Arthur

Sermon Notes for August 30/31, 2008

Sermon Notes for Small Group Leaders
Livin’ for the City
Pastor Richard Johnson, Children’s Pastor
August 30/31, 2008
Jeremiah 29:4-7

Outline
I. God is sending us (Jer. 29:4; Psalms 137:1-4)
II. To serve in the city (Jer. 29:5-6)
III. So we can worship together (Jer. 29:7).

Content
1. The city has experienced the flight of the economically astute (businesses left), the relationally available (neighborhoods disintegrated), and the spiritually accessible (churches withdrew).
2. Jeremiah 29:5-6 encourages serving in the city by building houses, planting gardens, marrying and multiplying.
3. Jeremiah tells the people of God to serve rather than to teach or preach or plant a church.
4. Seek the peace (shalom) of the city, wherein shalom reflects love and peace within strong families, a safe and decent living environment, and spiritual peace.
5. Pray for the “enemy” by seeing them not as the enemy, but as the called ones of God acting in rejection and yourselves as givers of God’s grace.
6. When the city prospers, we prosper, because it brings us into repentance and it strengthens us for missions.
7. We should see our place in the city and become deeply involved in it, with our prosperity blessing the city.

Aim
We should love the city because God loves the city and wants to redeem that which is lost.

Application Questions
I. What is your attitude towards the city? How can you change any negative attitudes you may have?
II. How do we influence the city without being influenced by the city? How do your children view the city today?
III. How do you pray for the enemy? How does the suburb prosper with the city? Why should we love the city?

August 24th: It's Time to Send Someone

Sermon Notes for Small Group Leaders
It’s Time to Send Someone / Sermon Series 3 of 3
Teaching Pastor, Jim Zippay
August 24, 2008
Scripture Passage: Acts 13:1-3

Outline
I. Establish a Kingdom Community (Diversity – 13:1)
II. Engage in a Heavenly Ministry (Worship – 13:2)
III. Embrace a Global Mission (Following the call – 13:2-3)

Content
1. God’s faithfulness in the past should give us faith in the present about the future
2. Christian community should reflect the kingdom of heaven in its diversity (“all tribes and peoples and languages” – Rev 7:9)
3. Diversity is not just racial, but spiritual and cultural
4. Worship should involve “wasting time” on God, because once God has the priority, things align themselves around Him.
5. God meets with His people and speaks to His people when we are worshipping.
6. We will spend the next year focusing on worship
7. John Piper – “…missions is not the ultimate goal of the church, worship is. Worship is ultimate, not missions because God is ultimate...Worship therefore is the fuel and goal of missions.”
8. Our mission is global, not just in location, but in scope (reaching into all areas of the community and life)
9. God’s call often has at the same time specificity and vagueness – specificity as to who (e.g. Barnabas and Saul), vagueness as to what (e.g. “the work to which I have called them”)
10. We will send as God calls (international missions, urban ministry, etc)

Aim
Worshipping God should be our focus, so that we will be ready to hear His call and send those whom He has appointed to do His work.

Application Questions
I. How diverse is your “circle”? What are some ways that you could increase this diversity?
II. Think about how much time we spend ooing and awing at things in life (Sunsets, babies, etc). What can we do to spend time on the Creator of all those things?
III. Is God saying something to you? What has He been calling you to?