May 23rd, 2010
Today’s scripture focus: Matthew 7
Today we conclude our study of the Sermon on the Mount. It has been said this sermon comprises a good summary of Jesus’ three most important teachings. In chapter 5, the focus was on mercy. Chapter 6 emphasized faith. Now, in chapter 7, we discover Jesus’ teachings on justice. The chapter consists of seven short “stories” that could be divided into two main sections. Verses 1-12 give four short summaries of Jesus’ teachings, and verses 13-29 give three short final warnings to those who do not heed them. “Don’t judge” serves as a summary of chapter 5’s teachings on mercy, and “Ask…Seek…Knock” provide a summary of chapter 6’s call to faith. The command “don’t judge” is both the 5th Beatitude in reverse (blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy) and 5th Petition of the Lord’s prayer in reverse (forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.) This command has been interpreted in many ways. Jesus is not speaking here of failure to discern fruit, which He admonishes us to do in verse 15-20, but judging the intent of the heart, which is solely the privilege of God. Verse 6 serves as a balance to the previous verses – don’t judge, but do think. In verses 7-12, Jesus summarizes His teachings on prayer. While chapter six admonishes us not to use vain repetition, here we discover the importance of simple persistence in prayer. Asking is not unspiritual, but is both the privilege and responsibility of the disciple! In verse 12, we find some of the most famous words in all of scripture, commonly known as the Golden Rule. All major religions have a version of this rule, almost always stated in the negative form (don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you.) Jesus states it as a positive, showing that justice is about actively doing good, not just refraining from bad. The Sermon on the Mount ends with three warnings – the two gates, the two prophets, and the two houses. The two gates call us to conversion to Christ alone (the Narrow Gate) and to rugged discipleship behind Him (the Rough Way.) The two prophets call us to beware of seductive false teachings of super Christians with their seductive charms and charismatic gifts and to be instead simple Christians who do the unspectacular will of God. The two houses warn disciples that if they are merely admirers of Jesus’ sermon but not doers of it they are building their lives on shifting sands, and are on route to awful judgment. The two houses also encourage Jesus’ disciples with the promise that if they do build their lives on Jesus’ words they will be able to withstand the storms of this life and the awesome last Judgment at the end of life. The final verses of chapter seven show us that the greatest impact of the Sermon on the Mount was not Jesus’ words, but Jesus Himself.
CrossGroups
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like share anything exciting from their week.
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as would like.
1) Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
2) What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
3) What’s the most challenging command in chapter 7 for you – “don’t judge” or “ask”?
Today’s Sermon
Faith focus – “I believe in the Holy Ghost”
Life need – What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Key truths -
- Astounding mercy.
- Astounding faith.
- Astounding justice.
- Astounding Jesus!
Assignment – Ask God.
May 9th-15th, 2010
Prayer of the Week -
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards You, that we, loving You in all things and above all things, may obtain Your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sunday, May 9th
Read: Matthew 5:1-16, Psalm 18:1-6
Pray: O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – David Patton, Lyle Hansen
Monday, May 10th
Read: Matthew 5:1-16, Psalm 18:7
Pray:
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – Carl Rider, Bill Cates
Tuesday, May 11th
Read: Matthew 5:17-26, Psalm 18:8
Pray:
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – Joyce Hughes, Bryan Beard
Wednesday, May 12th
Read: Matthew 5:27-32, Psalm 18:9
Pray:
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – Jennifer Jenkins
Thursday, May 13th
Read: Matthew 5:33-42, Psalm 18:10
Pray:
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – Jasper Gunter
Friday, May 14th
Read: Matthew 5:43-48, Psalm 18:11-12
Pray:
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list: Harris family
Saturday, May 15th
Read: Matthew 6, Psalm 18:7-12
Pray:
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list: Sunday services
May 9th, 2010
Today’s scripture focus – Matthew 5:1-16
We are picking up today in Matthew where we left off in January. In the first four chapters of Matthew, the focus was on the preparation for Jesus’ ministry. Chapter one details the preparation of history for Jesus’ coming. Chapter two gives us the preparation of Jesus’ culture for His arrival. Chapter three shows us the preparation of Jesus’ calling through baptism, and Chapter four demonstrates Jesus’ preparation for trial through fasting. The end of chapter four is a transition, showing how Jesus took over the ministry of John through calling disciples, preaching, and healing.
In chapters 5-7, we will focus on the preaching of Jesus’ ministry. The Sermon on the Mount is the first of five great blocks of Jesus’ sermons in Matthew.
The first section of Matthew five is known as the Beatitudes, or “blessings.” Jesus is just beginning to gather followers. The crowds have been attracted through His miracles and want to follow Him, but how are His followers to live? In Jesus’ day, being a disciple meant following your rabbi (teacher) everywhere they went, and living according to a code they taught. The Beatitudes lay out the lifestyle code for Jesus’ followers, and the rest of the Sermon expounds on this code.
Jesus went up on a mountain and sat down to teach, as was the custom for rabbis of that time. As the crowd gathered around Him, He began to lay out His radical discipleship lifestyle. We find in Jesus’ teaching that He has a special place in His heart for the poor and oppressed – which would have included most of Jesus’ audience. In contrast to the dominant message of the empire culture (blessed are the rich and powerful), Jesus teaches that it is actually those who know they are poor and suffering who will be able to receive blessings from God. For those in Jesus’ audience who don’t think they are spiritually poor, Jesus will use the rest of His sermon to illustrate their poverty (maybe you don’t murder, but do you hate? Perhaps you don’t touch, but do you look?) While the first four Beatitudes are passive (dealing with being), the next three are active (dealing with doing.) Mercy, purity, and peace are not just virtues to be obtained, but involve a lifestyle of actively seeking to live as Jesus’ lived, influencing others to do the same. The last two Beatitudes show how the world will react when a disciple lives out the first seven, but Jesus promises blessing even in persecution.
In the next section, Jesus moves to the “you are” section of the sermon. By living as Jesus’ followers, we become the salt and light of our world. We bring purity, flavor, preservation, and illumination to a dirty, bland, rotten, and dark culture. Jesus promises the world will hate us for exposing their darkness, just as they hated Him. However, we know that following Jesus offers blessing abundant and eternal, in this world and the life to come!
CrossGroups
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like share anything exciting from their week.
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as would like.
1) Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
2) What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
3) Which of the Beatitudes is the hardest to live out today?
Today’s Sermon
Faith focus – “…He rose again from the dead”
Life need – What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Key truths –
• The disciples went up the mountain.
• We must go up the mountain.
• Jesus sat and blessed them.
• Jesus sits and blesses us!
Assignment – Make a list of seekers you know.
April 25th-May 1st, 2010
Prayer of the Week –
Prayer of the Week: O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people; Grant that when we hear His voice we may know Him who calls us each by name, and follow where He leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sunday, April 25th
Read: Romans 8:12-30, Psalm 17:6-10
Pray: O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – David Patton, Lyle Hansen
Monday, April 26th
Read: Romans 8:1-8, Psalm 17:11
Pray:
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – Carl Rider, Bill Cates
Tuesday, April 27th
Read: Romans 8:9-17, Psalm 17:12
Pray:
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – Pierson Family, Joyce Hughes
Wednesday, April 28th
Read: Romans 8:18-25, Psalm 17:13
Pray:
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – Bryan Beard, Jennifer Jenkins
Thursday, April 29th
Read: Romans 8:26-32, Psalm 17:14
Pray:
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list – Jasper Gunter, Smith Family
Friday, April 30th
Read: Romans 8:33-39, Psalm 17:15
Pray:
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list: Guy Geer, Blankenship Family
Saturday, May 1st
Read: Matthew 5, Psalm 17:11-15
Pray:
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From the church prayer list: Sunday services
April 25th, 2010
Today’s scripture focus – Romans 8:12-30
This is our final week in Romans, and our final paraphrase from Eugene Peterson’s The Message:
So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!
That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens.
All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.
CrossGroups
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like share anything exciting from their week.
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as would like.
1) Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
2) What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
3) What’s causing creation to groan today? The Church? The Spirit?
Today’s Sermon
Faith focus – “…He rose again from the dead”
Life need – How can we live righteously?
Key truths –
- The groaning of Creation
- The groaning of Christians
- The groaning of the Spirit
- The goodness of God
Assignment – Identify the groanings of your “nation” (family, workplace, community)
