Welcome to the assembly of the 160th Ave. Church of Christ! We gather Sunday at 9 AM (class), 10 AM, 5 PM, & Wednesday at 7 PM Check the bulletin for various announcements www.160thavechurch.com

Pray for Ben Calderon (Conway, Ar) Pray for Keith Greer (Philippines)

(King Rehoboam) Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us' -thus you shall say to them: 'My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist! And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD. (2 Chron. 10:10; 12:14 KJV)

Rehoboam Did Not Prepare His Heart to Seek the Lord Photo by Christian Müller; Stephan Kemperdick; Maryan Ainsworth; et al, Hans Holbein the Younger: The Basel Years, 1515–1532, Munich: Prestel, 2006, ISBN 9783791335803 Rehoboam (2 Chron.) 10:13-14, 19 He is king when the nation divides, in part because he did not. . . 11:1 R. is determined “I’ll show you. . .” (in part because he did not. . .) - 1 Kg. 12-13 details J. rebellion against God - v4 people whose hearts are not prepared to seek the Lord sometimes obey the Lord 11:13, 16-17 spiritually-minded ppl come to Judah to worship - imagine what it was like for these ppl in Jer (“where is...?”) and then back home (“you think only your way is right?!”) - R. is surrounded by and leading many righteous people but he did not. . . 11:23 wise politically---after R.’s rough start as king, things seem to be getting better but he did not. . . 12:1 Why?! maybe v13b but mostly because he did not. . . 12:6-8 they humble themselves as they are being punished 12:13b-14 the depth of his humility is unclear as his life is summed up by the words he did not... Rehoboam Did Not Prepare His Heart to Seek the Lord 2 Chron. 12:14

Have you prepared your heart to seek God? Consider reality of universe Ps. 19 Consider reality of Scripture 2 Pet. 1:19-21 Accept reality, humble self Jam. 4:10 1. Have you prepared your heart to seek God? What causes us to seek God? A. Consider reality of physical things 1. all physical things have a beginning, so the universe must have been built by a non-phy being (Heb. 3:4) 2. Ps. 14:1 the fool is not an insult---in the Bible a fool is someone who reaches a conclusion without examining the evidence, rejects the evidence they have, or twists the evidence they have. B. Consider the content of Scripture 2 Pet. 1:19-21 1. God gave prophecies in direct statements (Mic. 5:2; Isa. 53; Dan. 2) 2. God gave prophecies in commandments that were shadows of what would come (Passover, animal sac, Day of Atonement, Jubilee) 3. God gave prophecies in the events and practices of Israel (Isr and Jesus: Canaan-Egypt-Canaan; King from Bethlehem, Passover-Pentecost, items of tabernacle) C. Accept reality and humble yourself Js. 4:10a 1. You do not have the right to do whatever you want to do—but you do have the choice. 2. If I begin seeking God, I will realize that knowing God does not mean seeking Him is over but that I’ll spend my lifetime seeking to know Him better (Creator, Father, Judge, Friend, Fire, Comforter, Shepherd,. . .).

We are not always as strong as we think we are Lk. 18:9-14 Strong by trusting in God Strong by loving others and self Do not be conformed. . . 2. Sometimes, we are not as strong as we, or others, think we are A. R. may have felt strong in comparison to Jeroboam, but he was weak because he had not. . .? B. Lk. 17:9-14 1. Trusted in themselves a. compares self to others b. boasts about something of individual choice (// I read my Bible twice a day—good but not God’s standard of holiness) 2. Despised others a. if he knew this tax collector was guilty of sin—what could he have prayed? b. what if he had spoken to the tax collector, genuinely interested in him? 3. The tax collector confessed his sin and need for God’s mercy 4. To God, who was weak and who was strong? to man? C. What should I do? 1. Trust in God a. Your word is truth (Jn. 17:17) b. Be a workman, rightly dividing. . . (2 Tim. 2:15) and doers of the word in/outwardly (Js. 1:22) c. Do not view anything that originates with myself, my family, or any person/group equal to God’s i. best possible life (Eccl. 12:13 vs what feels good [drugs, alcohol, forn, have fun] = serve yourself) ii. purpose of baptism (Mk. 16:16 vs he that: does not believe..., is baptized..., believes is saved...) 2. Love others as yourself (Rom. 13:9b; Mt. 22:39) a. Constantly compare yourself to God’s word (in/outwardly) and respond (continue, change) b. Compare others to God’s word (outward), help them to do the same (in/outward) and respond (continue, change) 3. Avoid the over-reaction of our society (Rom. 12:2) a. “The Pharisee was wrong for being critical of others, we should not identify others as wrong, don’t say a church is unsound.” b. The Phar was wrong for trusting in himself and despising others, but if we love God and others as ourselves, we will warn of error, try to help others escape it, and keep examining ourselves.

Surrounded by Christians Knowing what prophets and angels desired Opportunities Matt. 25:14-30 Daily abilities Freedoms of our nation Family Surrounded by Christians Knowing what prophets and angels desired See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Eph. 5:15-16 NKJV) 3. Opportunities A. Solomon wasted many opportunities God gave him (godly father, stable kingdom, wealth, wisdom) B. R.’s father wrote Ecclesiastes and much of Proverbs—what did he learn from his father? 1. Did he assume that because God blessed Solomon, he automatically received the same blessings? 2. Did he think that since the priests and faithful Israelites came to Jer. to worship, he was strong? 3. Because he did not. . ., he wasn’t prepared to benefit from these, and other, opportunities. C. We have opportunities in this time, this society, this church, our family, our individual lives (Mt. 25:14-30) 1. Based on what you are able to do each day (health, time, work, money, responsibility), are you given...? 2. Given the freedoms and phy blessings of our nation, are we given 1, 2, 5 talents? 3. Every family is different but based on your current family, are you given 1, 2, 5 talents? 4. Being surrounded by Christians of a variety of ages, knowledge, wisdom, experience, are we given. . .? 5. When you think “I wish I lived when God was doing miracles,” remember 1 Pet. 1:10-12. a. Knowing of Jesus death-burial-resurr makes much of the OT make sense to us, that may not have then. b. People who live during the time of God’s new covenant have been given 5 talents. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV) - How well did Rehoboam walk and redeem the time, considering all God gave him? - How am I doing, considering all God has given me?

Rehoboam Did Not Prepare His Heart to Seek the Lord Photo by Christian Müller; Stephan Kemperdick; Maryan Ainsworth; et al, Hans Holbein the Younger: The Basel Years, 1515–1532, Munich: Prestel, 2006, ISBN 9783791335803 Rehoboam (2 Chron.) 10:13-14, 19 He is king when the nation divides, in part because he did not. . . 11:1 R. is determined “I’ll show you. . .” (in part because he did not. . .) - 1 Kg. 12-13 details J. rebellion against God - v4 people whose hearts are not prepared to seek the Lord sometimes obey the Lord 11:13, 16-17 spiritually-minded ppl come to Judah to worship - imagine what it was like for these ppl in Jer (“where is...?”) and then back home (“you think only your way is right?!”) - R. is surrounded by and leading many righteous people but he did not. . . 11:23 wise politically---after R.’s rough start as king, things seem to be getting better but he did not. . . 12:1 Why?! maybe v13b but mostly because he did not. . . 12:6-8 they humble themselves as they are being punished 12:13b-14 the depth of his humility is unclear as his life is summed up by the words he did not... Rehoboam Did Not Prepare His Heart to Seek the Lord 2 Chron. 12:14