Judges 17:1-13 (NIV84) “Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse — I have that silver with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son!” When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the Lord for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol. I will give it back to you.” So after he returned the silver to his mother, she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into the image and the idol. And they were put in Micah’s house. Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest. In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit. A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, who had been living within the clan of Judah, left that town in search of some other place to stay. On his way he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. Micah asked him, “Where are you from?” “I’m a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he said, “and I’m looking for a place to stay.” Then Micah said to him, “Live with me and be my father and priest, and I’ll give you ten shekels of silver a year, your clothes and your food.” So the Levite agreed to live with him, and the young man was to him like one of his sons. Then Micah installed the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since this Levite has become my priest.”
Exodus 20:4-6 (NIV) “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Psalm 50:21 (NIV) When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you.
Colossians 1:15-16 (NIV) The Son is the image of the invisible God…, for in him all things were created… whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities…
Review the story of Micah and his mom. If you were to create God in your own image, what qualities would you include? And exclude? In what way might you be doing this very thing now?
Pastor Shane’s first point was about what we’d look like without salvation. Examine your life before Christ. . . where do you think your life would be now without salvation in him? What would be missing that you have now? What would be in its place?
In your small group, talk about the concept that sin makes God “small.” How/where do you see this?
As we start this new series, Shane posed the question, “How big is your God?” How do you answer that question? What facts or experiences do you have to back that up? Keep this question in mind as we continue in our What’S INside messages.
Parents: This week, ask your kids, “How big is God?” Talk about what he can do and what he won’t do. Ask them how big he’d have to be to create the world. The universe and stars? Every single tree and flower. The fact that he’s so big is one of the reasons we can trust him with our whole hearts. Pray together, thanking God for how big he is and that he still wants to get personal with each of us.
Review the story of Micah and his mom. If you were to create God in your own image, what qualities would you include? And exclude? In what way might you be doing this very thing now?
Pastor Shane’s first point was about what we’d look like without salvation. Examine your life before Christ. . . where do you think your life would be now without salvation in him? What would be missing that you have now? What would be in its place?
In your small group, talk about the concept that sin makes God “small.” How/where do you see this?
As we start this new series, Shane posed the question, “How big is your God?” How do you answer that question? What facts or experiences do you have to back that up? Keep this question in mind as we continue in our What’S INside messages.
Parents: This week, ask your kids, “How big is God?” Talk about what he can do and what he won’t do. Ask them how big he’d have to be to create the world. The universe and stars? Every single tree and flower. The fact that he’s so big is one of the reasons we can trust him with our whole hearts. Pray together, thanking God for how big he is and that he still wants to get personal with each of us.
With a passion for Christ that is undeniable, Shane directly involves his listeners in each message. He speaks with high energy and delivers powerful teaching that is relevant to current life issues.
Sunday
Fresno | 9:00am & 11:00am
Kerman | 11:00am
Wednesday | 6:30pm
