HAVE YOU ASKED GOD FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT?

 MIDNIGHT VISITOR

OPEN UP THE DOOR

"Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house very late at night and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me. But I have nothing for him to eat. Please give me three loaves of bread.’  

Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Go away! Don’t bother me! The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’  

I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask.  

So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you.  

Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive. Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them.  

Do any of you have a son? What would you do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake?  Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not!  Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. 

So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him.”  

(Luke 11:5-13  ERV ~ Easy To Read Version)

LETTUCE PRAYER

HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU SAY, "LET US?"

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

Mary the teacher speaks, "What is prayer?"

Charlie raises his hands, "It's talking to God."

Mary continues, "Why is it important to talk to God?  Sue answers, "It's like talking to my papa.  He wants to know what I need, he comes to me when I need help, and he cares for me when I'm sick."

Mary says, "When you say to your father, I need this, I need help, or I feel sick; you are personally talking to your father.  Same is true when you're having a personal conversation with God."

Sally remarks, "What does that have to do with lettuce?"

Mary adds, "Lettuce is healthy when it's fresh and washed properly.  But spoiled lettuce may make you sick."

Kevan speaks, "I ate a salad once and had to go home sick."

Mary continues, "Sometimes when we pray in a group, one person gets in the habit of using the words, "Let Us!"   Can anyone give me an example when Lettuce can be good in a prayer?"

Brenda blurts out, "Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Bob adds, "Let us run the good race and fight the good fight."

Mary speaks, "Lettuce can be good when we encourage others. Can anyone give me an example when lettuce can be bad in a prayer?"

Sally smiles, "Let us take baths before coming to church."

Bob adds, "Let us grow up and read the Bible and stop playing video games."

Brenda blurts out, "Let us not talk in class."

Mary speaks, "But are you talking to God or are you talking to your classmates.

"Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven."  (Luke 6:37 ERV ~ Easy to Read Version)

Bob adds, "I don't like it when others in the class point fingers at me."

Mary continues, "Lettuce can be bad, when we use it to judge others in a prayer group.   It's important when we pray to build others up and support one another.  We need to be humble and examine ourselves and not others.  And we need to be respectful when talking to God the Father who created the Universe!"

Bob, "I guess we need to talk to God and not to the teacher or classmates."

Mary adds, "Remember you don't have to always use "we" or "us" in everything you say.  What would you say if you were talking to your daddy at home?"

Sally grins, "When are we going to eat the salad?  Did anyone bring any salad dressing?  Do we have bowls and forks?"  

ELIJAH AND THE ANGELS

 TREES IN THE BIBLE

ELIJAH UNDER A BROOM TREE

"When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal.  So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.  Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary Broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!”  He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.

Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.  There he came to a cave, where he spent the night."   

1 Kings 19:1-9  (NLT - New Living Translation)

A Broom tree is a symbol of God's provision, shelter, and judgment. Charcoal was made from the wood.

"I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, Lord, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.  

What will he do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue?  He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the Broom bush.

 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar! 

Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.
 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war."  

Psalm 120  (NIV - New International Version)

MEANING OF THE MYRTLE TREE

PLANTS IN THE BIBLE

MYRTLE TREE

Hadassah became Queen Esther.  Her Hebrew name means "Myrtle tree,"

She was a Jewish woman who became the wife of Persian King Ahasuerus, and risked her life to protect her people, when a decree was sent out to exterminate them.

   

In Hebrew culture the tree is known for it's fragrance, and beauty.  It is symbolic of peace, prosperity and blessings from the LORD.

"During the night I had a vision. I saw a man riding a red horse. He was standing among some myrtle trees in a ravine, with red, brown, and white horses behind him.

I asked, “What are these, sir?”

The angel who was talking with me answered, “I’ll show you what they are.”

Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the Lord sent through all the earth.”

Then they spoke to the Lord’s angel, who was standing among the myrtle trees. They said, “We have gone through all the earth, and everything is calm and quiet.”  (Zechariah 1:-11 NCV)

What is ALGUM wood in the Bible?

 MYSTERIES OF THE BIBLE

RED SANDALWOOD TREE

There is a mystery of what tree Algum wood came from to build Solomon's temple and his musical instruments.

Some believe it was either a Red or White Sandalwood tree.  Others believe Algum wood comes from a Cyprus or Juniper tree.

" In addition, Hiram’s fleet brought gold from Ophir and a great quantity of almug wood and also precious stones.  The king made the almug wood into steps for the Lord’s house and for the house of the king, as well as lyres and harps for his singers. So much fine almug wood has never been brought or seen to this present day."  

1 Kings 10:11-12 (EHV ~ Evangelical Heritage Version)

PARABLE OF THE PERSISTENT WIDOW

 YOU'RE BACK AGAIN

HAVE FAITH AND KEEP PRAYING

Jesus spoke another parable...

"He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged:  “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect man. And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

“For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect man, yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’”

Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.  Will not God grant justice to His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay to help them? I tell you that He will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on earth?”  (Luke 18:1-8  HCSB ~ Holman Christian Standard Bible)

SIGN OF JONAH PUZZLE?

 MYSTERIES OF THE CROSS ~ PART ONE

WHERE DOES THIS PIECE FIT?

On the first day of the Isreal trip, Pastor Dave take his college group to the town of Joppa outside of Simon the Tanner's house.  

Pastor Dave, says, "On our vaction in Israel we are going to examine the Mysteries of the Cross.  Like a puzzle, we are going to look at piece by piece.  

Today we are at the town of Joppa.  Does anyone know what happened here?

Mary speaks, "Isn't this where the prophet Jonah paid for a boat ride to Tarshish to flee from God.  And during a storm he was thrown into the sea and swallowed up by a whale?"

James remarks, "Or a large fish."

Sally speaks, "What about Michael Packard a lobster diver who was swallowed by a whale in by Cape Cod in 2021, and a video of Adrian, a kayaker being swallowed by a humpback near Chile, February 2025.  And in 1891 James Bartley was swallowed by a Sperm whale."

Peter blurts out, "A woman named Tabitha was ill and died in Joppa.  Peter prayed and God brought her back to life."

Matthew adds, "Peter slept on the roof of Simon the tanner's house and had a vision of eating unclean animals.  What God has made clean, do not call unclean.  After that he ate with Gentiles, preaching the Gospel to them."

Pastor Dave replies, "Wonderful!  Today we are going to look at a piece of the puzzle of the picture of the cross, that nobody knows where to put it.   The puzzle piece is the SIGN OF JONAH?   Exactly what was the sign?  Why was it important?  Who was it for?  And what was the fulfillment of the sign?  Now let's look at the back story.

Cindy reads, "At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”  (Matthew 12:1-2  NIV ~ New International Version)

Susanna reads, "Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue.  There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse him they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”  (Matthew 12:9-10  CSB ~ Christian Standard Bible)

Pastor Dave remarks, "Jesus was stirring up the Pharisees on the Sabbath day!"

Susanna continues reading, "Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other.  But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might kill him. 

(Matthew 12:13-14  CSB ~ Christian Standard Bible)

Pastor Dave adds, "What happened right before Jesus proclaimed the sign of Jonah?"

Susanna reads more, "Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see.  All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”  (Matthew 12:22-24  CSB ~ Christian Standard Bible)

Dan remarks, "They were accusing Jesus of casting out demons by the Lord of the Flies!"

Pastor Dave continues, "He told the Pharisees that the careless words they said, will be used against them on Judgement day."

Matthew reads, "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”  

"But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet;  for just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.  

The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here."  (Matthew 12:38-41 NASB ~ New American Standard Bible)

James talks, "This was the only sign that Jesus gave to the angry scribes and Pharisees who didn't believe Jesus.  While the multitudes didn't need a sign, because they believed, watching Jesus heal and do miracles."

Pastor Dave concludes, "Now you know what the sign of Jonah is, and who it was given to. What was the fulfillment of the sign and how did the scribes and Pharisees react?  

And finally, where do we fit this piece of the puzzle in the Holy Week?"