Pastor Preston Hancock
Psalm 75

As a follower of God, it is important to know how we are to live in a world that is hostile to God and His ways.

What we should know about God, the Judge-Ruler

1. God deserves praise for who He is, for being ready and willing to help, and for everything He has done for us. (vs. 1)
2. God will bring justice at a time He has determined. He is the perfect judge, ruling without bias or favoritism. (vs. 2)
3. Until He delivers His final judgment, God Himself directly constrains those who go against Him and His ways, and limits the damage they inflict on the world. (vs.3-5)
4. His jurisdiction is universal – without borders. We cannot “work around” His rulings – God Himself humbles or advances people. (vs. 6-7)
5. His judgment against those who set their course against Him is severe. One day, His judgment will be final. (vs. 8 )

Our response

6. We make a personal commitment to praise God, remembering and retelling the story of how He brought deliverance. (vs. 9)
7. We mimic God as the perfect judge when we address thoughts, attitudes or behaviors which go against God and affirm what we see that is for Him.
• We imitate how He judges at this time – patiently and humbly.
• We put our confidence in Him to make things right. (vs. 10)

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Pastor Preston Hancock
Psalm 115:1-15

Since man first sinned, part of being human is the drive to justify Who, or what, we will serve in any given moment. In a reversal, Yahweh has created a people for Himself based on His steadfast love and faithfulness. (Genesis 15; 2 Corinthians 1:20)

Our Perspective: Yahweh’s glory is what matters most (vs. 1-3)

1. In an uncertain world, we remember He is not fickle or random, but is steady and firm in His love and faithfulness to His people. (vs. 1)
2. We remind ourselves He is not confined to earthly limitations or human manipulation. He is in charge. (vs. 2-3)

A Warning: We Become What We Worship (vs. 4-8)

3. An idol is something in creation which we increasingly use as a substitute for God. (vs. 4) We create idols when we:
• re-shape God “in our image,” embracing His traits we like and denying traits we are unsure of.
• depend on guidance and insight from anything but Yahweh (vs. 5 & 7)
• grow overly-attached to a good thing until it comes between us and Yahweh, making Him seem irrelevant and unreasonable
4. Idols promise much, deliver little, and invite us to invest more until they overpower us!

Our Challenge: Entrust Ourselves to Yahweh (vs. 9-15)

5. We must regularly ask ourselves, “Am I putting my confidence in Yahweh or something else?” We do this regardless of our Christian pedigree or ministry experience. (vs. 9-11)
6. We put our hopes in the faithfulness, the promises, and the power of Yahweh. (vs. 12-15)

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Pastor Bob Fox
Colossians 4:2-18

There are two things all of us do that can become powerful catalysts for change in the lives of others. God wants to teach us to do them differently.

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Get Pastor Bob’s personal notes on Colossians.

Pastor Carlyle Naylor
Luke 9:51-62

The Good Ole Days… What does Jesus say about them from Luke 9:51-62?

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Pastor Bob Fox
Colossians 3:22-4:1

Some evils God decisively judges. Most He tolerates until the appointed day. Many He expects us to govern by principles He has made known. Slavery is one of the latter.

The Transformed Employee—Christian employees should be stone reliable when it comes to:

1. Follow-through—producing exactly what was instructed, as directed.
2. Authenticity—not a part of the “rumbling underground.”
3. Work ethic—Producing quality results in a timely way.
4. Motivation—delivering more than the material benefits explain.

The Transformed Employers—Christian employers should be a delight to work for because they:

1. Treat employees righteously, not according to what they can get by with.
2. Recognize the value of employees and treat them equitably.
3. Feel accountable themselves.

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Pastor Bob Fox
Colossians 3:18-21

When statements like these in Scripture are thoroughly followed by all concerned, life in the home looks like this:

1. A husband comes to know God’s desire/plan, and through love inspires all in that direction. This is the essence of headship.
2. When a wife says “I do” she buys into her husband’s call. She dedicates her abilities to sharpen and implement it. This is the essence of submission.
3. Children learn God blesses obedience, and learn to obey. Teenagers launch, waiver, and prove they have embraced this.
4. By God’s design, a husband’s greatest asset in discerning God’s plan is his wife. A wise man listens.
5. A husband/ father masters love—sacrificing to draw his family along towards God’s desire . A wife/mother masters respect—sacrificing to add momentum to the journey.
6. A loving man proves safe to submit to. A submissive wife proves safe to love. They thrive together.
7. Children are properly pushed. But they are not goaded so as to become passionless (goaded means always riding them!)
8. A submissive wife is vulnerable. When taken advantage of her mind will tell her submission is not fitting.
9. A man who dies to himself is vulnerable. When taken advantage of he will get bitter.
10. Teenagers look for their parent’s intent, and build trust. They understand obedience may not “work,” but will be blessed.

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Get Pastor Bob’s personal notes on Colossians.