DrJimTippins

There are passages scattered throughout scripture that talk about the sun being blacked out or darkness descending on the land.

1. During the plagues of Egypt, God covered the land in a darkness.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.” Exodus 10:21-23

This certainly sounds like what happens in a total solar eclipse. It is dark in the “cone of totality” but outside that cone it is still bright. We are not about to try to rationalize a miraculous event, but there are some similarities. Yet, this event cannot be, “just” a solar eclipse: the darkness in Egypt was complete. In the solar eclipse that we just experienced, we could see each other just fine. In Egypt, something far more terrifying happened.

Next, an out of nature miracle happened because this darkness lasted 3 whole days. Even in a total solar eclipse, you might get 3 minutes out of the moon completely covering the sun, not 3 days.

2. And during Jesus’ crucifixion something similar happens.

Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.’ Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,” Mark 15:32-33.

 Again, rationally, this sounds like a solar eclipse. But, realistically, this was another miracle that lasted 3 hours, far beyond the time for a total solar eclipse.

3. During the end times, there are biblical prophecies about the sun going dark.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened.”  Matthew 24:29 

 “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.” Revelation 6:12

God is the author of creation. He created light and darkness and then the sun, moon and stars. Since God is sovereign, He may do with His creation whatever He deems best. It seems that these celestial events happen for two reasons: First, is that God wants to communicate some message to us, His creation. Second, God is pouring out His judgement on the earth.

These events in the Bible might attempt to be explained away by some, but we know that God may use a natural event for some things, but He is just as likely to bend the natural law to show His glory.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

ECLIPSE GAME

Have someone put on eclipse glasses. Have someone lead them around by a flashlight. Explain: people have trouble seeing God’s light. They are so blinded that it is like putting on these glasses. As a person gets older, it gets more and more difficult to see.

Boy, there has been a lot of hate going around lately. We sympathize with the victim and the family of the victim in Charlottesville. It was bound to happen. When people walk around with hate in their hearts, and especially when two groups come together with hate toward one another in their hearts, trouble is inevitable.

It is worthless to try to rationalize the actions behind the attack, because the actions were motivated by one thing: hate. One question that came to mind: If the anti-protesters had not shown up, would there have been any violence? The scripture is clear:

A new couple proudly looks at their new baby boy. They decide to name him after mom’s grandfather, named Luke. It takes only one day of visitors, for one of dad’s friends to look at this newborn baby and say, “Luuuuke, use the force.” Or maybe, “Luke….I am your father.” It is unavoidable, little Luke will hear these cracks for the rest of his life.

Little Damien stands little chance because the odds are very good that someone will say, “How unfortunate, you named him after that evil child in The Omen.” Do not be surprised if someone looks in your child’s hair for three little 6’s embedded in his scalp. Of course, there are the interesting names like, Akachi, which in African means “God’s Hands.”

Today, people name their children after anything or anywhere. Names like Mork or Mindy, or Alaska (a top name in 2016) populate our birth certificates. Many times there is an interesting reason that a name is chosen, maybe after a celebrity or sports hero and other times there is no rhyme or reason for a name.

Yet, there is one name that is above all other names and that name belongs to Jesus.

Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

Hillsong United produced one of the most popular songs of 2017 called “What a Beautiful Name.” They use words like beautiful, wonderful, and powerful in describing the name of Jesus. The Bible itself tells us that there is power in the name of Jesus. Remember, even unbelievers were doing miracles in the name of Jesus. Another beautiful song by Sandi Patti has lyrics like, “There is power in the name of the Lord….blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Names have meaning, and when you name your children there will be some significance in the choosing of that name. The Queen would not have to give up her firstborn if she could find out Rumpelstiltskin’s name. You could summon the wily ghost if you said, “Bettlejuice, Bettlejuice, Bettlejuice.” The Bible has 939 different names and titles for God. Names are powerful and they have meaning.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Sometime today, sit back and reflect on Jesus and His name. To call upon His name is an invitation for Him to great things in your life. Call His name today.

OK, I admit it. I love America’s Got Talent. Yes, there are some really, really strange acts but there is some real talent out there too. It is a fun competition and can help make a career for many talented people out there. I enjoy the stories behind the acts and the interaction between the judges as well. The producers have made it far more than a talent show. Yet, that is what it is at its simplest terms.

My one problem with the show is the investment many people have put into making it into the next round. There is no problem with striving to do one’s best or be one’s best. But many acts seem to place so much hope into getting into the next round that if they don’t, they are beyond crushed. No talent show is that important that you put your entire life in the balance. There are many, many ho do well in life and do not need the celebrity of winning America’s Got Talent. No, our hope is to be in the Lord, no other place.

Sovereign Lord, I put my hope in you;
I have trusted in you since I was young.
(Psalm 71:5)

My encouragement, is do not place your hope in one test or competition or degree. God has your best interests at heart and He will not lead you astray. Trust in Him instead of manmade inventions. Hope in Jesus Christ is sure and you can count on it. Hope in man-made things is temporary and fleeting, at best.

The news is filled with both sides of the political battle between two ideologies. But, that is not what has interested me lately. Remember the big controversy over the gender free bathrooms at a school in North Carolina? Those that seek to make cultural change are at it again.

A week ago, I was introduced to the term “gender fluidity” speaking of people dressing, acting, or being any gender they want. Then there as the report of a Canadian family who decided to leave their child’s gender blank on the birth certificate because they wanted their child to make that decision. Finally, today I heard a report from England that the world of advertising is changing their ads getting rid of gender stereotypes. That means instead of a little girl wanting to be a ballerina or a boy wanting to be a doctor, those stereotypes will be removed. I do believe that a boy or girl can be anything they want to be in this life. If a girl wants to be a firefighter….great. No gender bias should be an influencing determinant.
Yet, this is a big slippery slope.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. Romans 1:18-19

 The truth is, God gave us a gender. It is obvious because you are given the parts of your gender in the womb. And when a child is born, the doctor says, “Congratulations, you’ve got a baby boy/girl.” Just like Merry Christmas has changed to Happy Holidays, soon the doctor will say, “You have a healthy child.” Then soon, in Kindergarten or Primary School there will be gender orientation classes. It is a slippery slope and we are beginning to suppress the truth of God’s creation. Later in that chapter God says, because of our foolishness He will give us over to our own lusts. The slippery slope will mean that God will begin to withdraw His hand of protection.

My encouragement is, don’t just focus on the political news, the Russia investigation, Obamacare or the other things that at at the forefront of today’s news. Instead see where cultural change is progressing against God. That’s where our focus should be and that is where we need to focus our prayers.

A couple of times a year, Chick Fil A gives away free food to those who go the extra mile and put on cow costumes. Because that event just happened, I thought it appropriate to give this devotional on The Golden Cow.
QUESTION: Let’s play a game, WHICH IS WORSE:
1. A guy goes out with a girl. He likes her, but next week asks another girl out. OR A man marries a woman then right after their honeymoon, asks out another girl. Which is worse? (Let them explain) (Hopefully they will say that there is no commitment involved with the first situation, but the second you’ve taken vows.)
2. You tell a friend that you are busy but will try to make their recital. OR You make a promise to attend that same recital. Which is worse? (Why?)
3. It’s the first day of school. There are signups for various groups. A girl looks at the signup for chorus then for debate team. She talks with both groups but chooses the debate team. OR The girl joins the gymnastics team, goes to a month of practices and one week before a gymnastics meet, drops out of the team. Which is worse and why?

Let’s start with a question. The people of Israel did something so bad that God wanted to destroy them What do you think it was?
Today is the story of the cow….not the Chick Fil A cow, but one that is made of gold. You remember the story of Moses? Remember the ten plagues and finally Pharaoh let the Israelites go to the promised land? Now, that seems kind of harsh….I mean the people had been in Egypt as slaves for 400 years and barely knew about God. Why would God get so angry?
Let me give you a kind of timeline for everything that happened around this cow event. It is good to study this since it is cow day….
On the first day of the third month of the people leaving the slavery of Egypt, the Israelites made it to a place called Mt. Sinai. This is an important place because this is where several promises are made. Let’s look at Exodus 19:3-6
3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
A promise is just another name for a covenant. They are serious. You remember in Harry Potter where Severus Snape made the unbreakable vow to protect Draco Malfoy? Why was it called the unbreakable vow? Right, because if you broke it you would die. That’s how important promises and covenants are in the world.
Because God remembered His promises to Abraham to make them a great nation. And because these Jewish people did not really know about their God, God decided to renew His contract with the people. The scripture is clear that the people did not have to accept God’s chosen nation status. So, Moses came to the people and said, “Here are God’s terms. Do you accept?”
The leaders said, sure, we will follow God. The people made a promise to follow God and God alone. So, up the mountain Moses goes to basically finish signing the covenant and receiving the stone tablets to bring down to the people. Moses was up there for a long time, 40 days and 40 nights to be exact. The people were wondering by then, “Is this thing going to happen or not? Because it sure looks like the groom is leaving me at the altar.”
Now at the top of the mountain, some awesome things are happening. God is excited about this covenant: God tells how the tabernacle is to be built so He could reside there among His chosen people. God gives Moses all these laws that are in the Old Testament called the Law of Moses. And finally, God gives the final contract signed by God Himself…the TEN COMMANDMENTS.
God made a promise and the people made a promise. Everything looked good until God told Moses….Hey, Mo….the people are sinning. Moses heads down the mountain and sees the people worshipping a golden cow and partying way too hard. Remember what Moses did?…Moses broke the tablets.
It took less than 40 days for the people to break their promise. How do you treat a promise breaker? Do you trust them anymore? Or is it difficult to restore that trust? Absolutely.
Who here has never broken a promise? OK who has broken a promise? And what’s worse is Moses’ #2 guy Aaron went along with it. In fact the scripture is almost funny. In Exodus 32 Aaron says,
22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”
Like Aaron took the gold threw it in the fire and out popped this cow. Really? That’s the best excuse you can come up with? He shifts blame…you notice he blames the people since they are prone to sin.
Now, why spend so much time on keeping promises and the Israelites cheating on God? If you are a Christian, we have made a covenant to God. We have made a solemn promise to follow Jesus and Him alone. This promise is as strong as a marriage contract.
How do we break our promise to God? Name any sin and we have broken our promise to be true to Him.
We need to reaffirm our promise to God. You are either a promise keeper or a promise breaker. Breaking your promise to God is just as bad as the people building a golden cow. Let’s keep the cow where it belongs, in a costume out there in Chick Fil A.
GAME: COW OR CHICKEN
A small stack of playing cards for each pair of persons. An inner circle and an outer circle of people. A short stack of cards in between each pair. You have at least 12 cards in each stack. (Can take multiple decks) Each player draws one card and places it face up on table. Aces are 1, numbers are their value, all face cards are 10. Add the two cards together. If it adds up to an even number it is a COW if it is an odd number it is a CHICKEN. The winning player is the one who slaps the table on the cards. They keep the two cards and rotates the outer circle. When the cards are gone count up and see who is the winners.

John Piper, in talking about freedom said, “You are fully free when you have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will leave you with no regrets forever.”
If you don’t have the desire to do a thing, you are not fully free to do it. Oh, you may muster the will power to do what you don’t want to do, but nobody calls that full freedom…. And if you have the desire to do something, but no ability to do it, you are not free to do it. And if you have the desire and the ability to do something, but no opportunity to do it, you are not free to do it. And if you have the desire to do something, and the ability to do it, and the opportunity to do it, but it destroys you in the end, you are not fully free—not free indeed.
Our family went to Hawaii and wanted to experience the thrill of ziplining down the mountains to the ocean. We had reservations, but what if on the way to the meeting place we get delayed in terrible traffic and can’t get there. You lack the freedom of opportunity. Or, suppose you get there, but because you were a little late, you didn’t take the required safety class, so you don’t know the procedures. You lack the freedom of ability. Or, you get to the meeting place, you took the class, and you go up to the top of the mountain. But when they put the harness on you and you step up on that platform, you look down and you’re paralyzed with fear. You lack the freedom of desire, so you don’t jump.
But there’s one last requirement for true freedom. Suppose you get to the place (freedom of opportunity), you took the class (freedom of ability), and you go up the mountain, look out, and can’t wait to jump (freedom of desire). So you jump and are enjoying the freedom of ziplining down the mountain. But your harness is defective and it breaks. You are not truly free because what you’re doing is going to destroy you. To go back to his definition: “You are fully free when you have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will leave you with no regrets forever.”
Galatians 5:1 simply says, ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.’ (NIV)
A. A STATEMENT OF FREEDOM
A.1 Christ set us free.,
In a once-and-for-all, decisive and definitive action, Christ set us free.
What does this mean?
· It means that before the action of Christ, we were not free – we were slaves, we were in bondage.
· It means that we did not, indeed, could not, set ourselves free from this slavery.
· It means that the ensuing liberty is not the result of our action.
· Because Jesus Christ did it, it has been done effectively, completely and permanently.
· It means that when we reject this freedom we are rejecting the work of Christ for us.
If the Son therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Life Application: Are there limits to your freedom? Let’s discuss.
Games
CHAIR TIE UP – Name bad habits, when one is named use some yarn or string to tie a selected person to a chair. Use one strand for each bad habit. Then go through things that can help you break these habits. These things are found in a relationship with Jesus. As you name things, a person may come up and cut one of the ties. Teach: true freedom is only possible through Jesus Christ.
STAND FIRM – Get two hula hoops or draw one circle on the ground so two people can stand in it. This is the typical sumo wrestler game where you are encouraged to stand firm while someone is trying to push you out of the circle. Explain that the circle is God’s boundaries and the other person is the world trying to push you out. Sometimes the world wins, but as you get stronger you can win more often.
BARBELL RACE – Simple relay race. Two teams, set a start and finish. One team gets to ruin normally, the other team but transfer a barbell to each team member.
YOU ARE FREE TO – Simon Sez using the words, “You are free to” see if you can trip them up.

What was the last message Jesus told in the Sermon on the Mount? Look it up and listen.
Matthew 7 is the last chapter. Jesus talks about trees that bear fruit.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Ultimately, you can tell those that belong to Jesus. We are good at wearing masks and faking it, but ultimately, those masks will crack and their true selves will be exposed.)
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity
MAJOR WARNING! That’s something I would not want to happen to me. What about you? Forgiveness means true repentance. Not the typical, “I told you to clean up your room.” I’m sorry…..but behavior never changes. Does that mean they are really sorry? There has to be some change……After the warning….is the last story that Jesus told during the awesome Sermon on the Mount.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
What came up against a person’s life? Rain, floods, and wind.
Let’s look at each:
RAIN – Rain is nice at first. But most seek shelter from the rain. Why? Because we want to stay dry. Because when we get wet, we have to change clothes so we don’t get sick. Think of rain as sin and how we have to get rid of the wet to continue with our day.
FLOODS – Floods are more dangerous than rain. When rain becomes overwhelming it can take our lives. These are called doorways in spiritual warfare parlance. Then doorways turn to footholds and finally turn into strongholds. Floods can drown us.
WINDS – Winds come from the outside and are a devastating force in the world. Water and wind cause most of the erosion in the world. Erosion can happen in our lives as well. The world is blowing at us daily. It’s like living at the beach. We have a steady wind blowing. The world is trying to change us constantly. Every radio station, every TV station, every conversation we have, every class we take, every book we read, everything is trying to influence us.
We want to be like a good string tree, producing good fruit…..
But these situations are not the focus. What is i?
The foundation. Jesus said there are two types of people: those who make their foundation in Him and the others who do not. Only those grounded in Him will survive sin, and troubles of the world. How do you think we put our foundation in Jesus? What areas of our lives are needed to be moved to the rock?

RAIN GAMES
1. Wet Paper Dash – Take a piece of paper. Go from point to point outside. Whose paper is least damaged by the rain? You may not put it under your clothing.
2. Puddle Relay – Two dish towels. Two teams fill cups with water by going to a puddle and soaking up puddle water.
3. DRINK N SHAKE – Everyone gets a cup of water…last three to finish will go to a smaller tree. 3 winners choose one loser, stand under tree. The winners get to shake the tree.
4. Fruity Rhyme….You will know that you are disciples of Jesus if you love one another. Leader starts “Rain, rain go away come back another day.” Each person then goes around doing the same kind of rhyme saying something nice about the person to your left. Go around circle.
5. Wet Ball – Standing in circle toss ball to someone. Using a wet cush ball. To make it more interesting leader may direct who the ball gets thrown to: “Who has a birthday in October?” “Who is wearing pink?” “Who has a brother?” etc… wet ball after each throw.
6. Candle vs Rain light a candle walk from one point to another outside see if you can keep candle lit. You may not cover candle with hand or any part of body or clothing.

In today’s culture we have two types of friends: friend/friends, and social media friends. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”

You know your friends. They are in your life, they love you through your good and bad traits. Let’s look at the friends we can find on social media.

1. We have our friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the list goes on.The social media sites give you a level of communication that was unheard of before, when talking to your friend used to be through a dial-up phone.

2. We have friends that we have lost touch with over the years. Now we get notified when a birthday comes up. We can message, poke and play games with those people who had an impact in our lives.

3. Finally, We have those that are only found in social media through games or similar interests. These are the ones I call pseudo friends. Why? Because we do not know if they can pass the biblical litmus test of being a friend.

You can spend a lot of time with pseudo friends. If you play games that have groups, you can spend as much time interacting with them as you do with family members or those closest to you. But are they really friends? Do they really care about your well being? Will they be there for you if you needed them? With the international culture of social media, you might chat with someone a continent away. Can they really be there for you?

Friends that are made through games or similar interests are great, but don’t get fooled. Most of them are acquaintances, not friends. It is great that people will follow you, read your blog, talk to you, offer advice, or even pray for you. There is nothing wrong with that, but friendship is deeper than a conversation, or even many conversations online.

Social media is a great way to deepen your friendships and to make new acquaintances, but the test of friendship still requires time spent together, face to face, not through a screen. This is a good topic to discuss. What do you think? Thanks for your response.

It is summertime and we love to seek things. We seek the shade. We seek the cool of AC inside. We seek a nice cool refreshing drink on a hot day. Seeking happens every day in an incalculable number of ways. At pone time in our lives we were seeking peace and forgiveness. We found Jesus Christ and invited Him in our lives. In some people, the seeking stopped cold.
Once we’ve found Jesus, what then? Is our seeking over? What is our next bit of seeking in our spiritual lives? The answer is actually easy.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

We are now joint heirs with Jesus inheriting the Kingdom of God. But you notice the scripture does not end there. The Bible said, “….and His righteousness.” We are to seek after right living. The more right choices we make, the more we become conformed to the image of Jesus. Becoming a Christian is not the end, it is only the beginning. Hebrews puts it well:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1

Let us continue, then, seeking…seek the shade…seek the air conditioning…but most of all, seek God’s righteousness.