The Honor System

I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children forthe 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 mycommandments.”
- Exodus 20:5-6

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“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long inthe land the Lord your God is giving you.
- Exodus 20:12

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When King David heard all this, he was furious. And Absalom neversaid a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he haddisgraced his sister Tamar.
- 2 Samuel 13:21-22

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Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spiritsfrom drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’tbe afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.”
‍- 2 Samuel 13:28

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Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine,and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set thefield on fire. Then Joab did go to Absalom’s house, and he said to him, “Whyhave your servants set my field on fire?”
- 2 Samuel 14:30-31

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So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summonedAbsalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before theking. And the king kissed Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 14:33

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The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with theyoung man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving ordersconcerning Absalom to each of the commanders.
- 2 Samuel 18:5

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The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” Ahimaaz answered,“I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.” The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there. Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.” The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.” The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”
- 2 Samuel 18:29-33

Mixer

If you could eliminate one food so no one could eat it ever again, what would you destroy?

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Neighborly - Daily Devotional

To get the Daily Devotionals delivered to you every morning, text ‘dailydevotional’ to 97000.

1. In the 6/3/23 entry, Go First… You First!, Pastor Pam reminds us that humility is important for a follower of Jesus. How ‘good’ are you in that area? Does your answer need some work? What is humility and what is it not? What does it look like on Jesus - and on you? What do you need to change?

2.  In the 6/8/23 entry, Owning Up When You’ve Messed Up, Cristina shares a surprising response from King David when Nathan calls him out about his sin. What does his response show you about your response tendencies when you are called out for your sin? Cristina shares some practical ways to change our responses: Stop arguing. Stop justifying. Stop shaming yourself. Own up to it. What is blocking you from taking ownership of your behavior? What one area are you willing to change and how will you go about it? What do you see as the possible benefits of making this change?

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Sermon Questions

Scriptures: Exodus 20:5-6, 12; 2 Samuel 13:21-22, 28, 14:30-31, 33, 18:5, 29-33

1. Pastor Jared reminded us that “there is a generational weight to every choice we make.” How does this thought inform your decision-making and your desire to live a life of obedience?
2. In 2 Samuel 13, we see how David’s silence about Amnon’s injustice to Tamar, brought more dysfunction to his family. What could have been done to change the course of events? Was there any honor exhibited during this decade-long dispute?
3. Think about your parents, what character traits can you thank them for? What generational cycles or patterns would you like to break?
4. Read Exodus 20:12. How have you Gone First to model honor to your family? To your children (if applicable)?
5. Pastor Jared stated that “blame is an attempt to remove our own responsibility.” How does blaming our parents for our own failings hold us back from God? How can we Go First in order to overcome this barrier between us and God?

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Serve

Go First as a Table Group and make an impact on our community! Here are some ways you can serve and a link below for more:

• Help celebrate graduates at Abraxas HS on June 20th.

• Help set up for our new high school Rise Wednesdays from 3-4pm. Come once, come weekly, or come monthly! Contact: matthew@thechurchrb.org
• Want to be trained in pastoral crisis intervention to help our community when in need? Learn more at the July 28-29 seminar at Pacific Theological Seminary in San Diego.

Check out more projects available here.

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Pray

Pray over the 13 individuals who were baptized this Sunday!  Jesus, we celebrate that there was a moment in time for these 13 where You became real to them. And now they have stepped out in obedience and declared what You mean to them to the world! Lord, direct them as their faith grows and becomes a beacon of light for someone else along their journey, so that they may experience you, too.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way,
let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

- Jesus, Matthew 5:14

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