AWANA Counsel session 1

Hi everyone! Most of you probably don't know me, b/c I like to sit in the back at church, mostly so I can watch whether you all are paying attention during Pastor's sermons. Others of you might know me as _____'s papa. But if you want to address me as anything, I invite you to refer to me as "O Captain, my captain!"

Now, has anyone ever heard that phrase? It was written in 1865 by a funny looking man named Walt Whitman, who was a guy who looked a little bit like the wizard Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. And since that takes me back in history a ways, I want to just let you know that what I'm going to talk to you for a few minutes about is undoubtedly your two favorite subjects in school - history and English. Right?

Why would I want to talk about English? Because I like words. Words are fun. Words can make us laugh, they can make us cry, they can make us sing. Also, in God's economy, words are very important. Why? Because that's how he told us about Himself. And that's even how he describes himself in John 1:1-2

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.

So words are important. Also, they are incredibly interesting.

Can you think of any words that just sound funny? Or unique? Or just make you want to repeat them over and over?

Aardvaark….alligator…arachnophobia…weird, right?
Here's a funny one - Verisimilitude "appearance of being true"

What about the word "understand?" Do you understand the word "understand?" Does it mean something like undercook? What about underarm?

Did you ever wonder why the word "funeral" begins with letters "f-u-n?"


Here’s one of my favorites from the Bible - Scubalon - who wants to guess what it means?

So let's talk about words for a little while. But let's also talk about that other subject…history.

Well, we're already talking about history, right? We've talked about the year 1865. That's the year when Whitman wrote that line. Do you know why he wrote it? He wrote it to talk about Abraham Lincoln and his presidential work to end slavery in the US. Let's go back another 100 years to 1760's. which was before our country even existed! Way back then, there was this fellow who lived and by the name of John Newton. Newton was a sailor from England who spent a lot of his youth being very angry at God. In fact, he decided to sail on the open seas in a boat just to try to run away from God. Does that remind you of any stories in the OT?

Well, he did such a good job (at least he thought) of running, he eventually found himself on a boat whose purpose was to carry slaves from Africa to various parts of Europe. And while Newton was doing this very bad thing carrying slaves and selling them, he was also using very nasty words to anybody who would listen. In fact, he would make up bad words just to try and make other people around him sad!

So when someone like Newton suddenly finds himself on a boat that is caught in a storm and his boat is swirling in the waters and people are screaming and every man is wondering if he's going to die…hey, history is interesting, right?...what could Newton possibly do to save himself?

So here was John Newton's résumé:
• He worked on a slave trading ship
• He made fun of other people for being Christians
• He was angry at God
And because he knew that he was these things, he knew that he was unworthy of God's love. But that near death experience changed something in Newton, and he began to read his Bible. He read about God's plan for believers. He read about Jesus. He read that God sent his son Jesus to earth to pay the price of John's wickedness that John knew he could never pay himself. And one day while sailing off of coast of Africa, he trusted in Jesus and asked God to take control of His life. And then John Newton wrote this song:

Now, in the time I have left, I just wanted to talk to you about some of the words in that song, words that can help us remember important things about God.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

Why do you think grace is amazing? What does "grace" even mean? If you look at the original word that was written in the Bible, we find that the word grace comes from the Greek word "Caris."

Caris: a free gift to someone who is undeserving

Have you ever received a present from your parent or a friend and you didn't expect it? It wasn't your birthday or Christmas, but they decided to give it to you anyway? Can you remember how special that made you feel? John knew that he didn't deserve God's grace, and now we're going to see why

That saved a wretch like me.

Why do you think John thought himself a wretch? See above
He knew that he didn't deserve anything from God, b/c he had spent most of his life making fun of God. John knew what he had done; he knew what he deserved. And he didn't deserve anything good.

But then something happened. He was SAVED. What does it mean to be saved?

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

So this grace saved John. But saved us from what? What did God rescue John from?

Romans 5:8-10
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

I once was lost but now am found,
Matt 18:12-13
If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

Was blind, but now I see.

John 9:25
He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom

What is wisdom? Knowing something about how things work that you could not possibly know unless someone else told you.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

John for the first time had a real fear for his soul. He was a wretch, a wicked person. And for the first time in his life he understood that. He knew he deserved God's punishment. But through God's grace, John did not have to be afraid anymore.

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,

How precious did that Grace appear

What is the most precious thing you own? Is it a book? A toy? Is it a friendship? Is it knowing that your parents love you? A piece of jewelry?

Matt. 13:45
the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
The hour I first believed.

46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Now, here is one of my favorite ways to think about Heaven

When we've been here ten thousand years

How long is 10,000 years? That's a 1 with 5 zeroes after it! It's a long time! If you're 10 years old, then it is one THOUSAND times longer than you've been alive!

Bright shining as the sun.

1 Corin 15:49
And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we[f] bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

We've no less days to sing God's praise


Than when we've first begun.

This is one of my favorite ways to think about how long we will be with God in Heaven. Forever. We'll never run out of time to be with God and to talk with God and to worship. And it is because of God's grace and our trusting in it that we can experience this joy one day.

So, to conclude, we have the Bible. Is it important? Are the words in it important?

Let's finish by looking at what the Bible says in 2 Tim. 3:16:

All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

So which words are given by God? All of them! Which ones are important? All of them!

Even…scubalon