November 6, 2011-Bulletin.html

November 6, 2011

WELCOME! WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE

We are a group of believers who simply try to follow the Bible as a guide for all we do. Everything done in our worship service is something we have a Bible basis for. You are welcome to participate as much or as little as you wish. We will sing hymns together and we will observe the Lord's Supper or Communion together. We will also have an opportunity to give to the work of God in this area. This collection is for the members here, and if you are visiting you should not feel any pressure to give. Our lesson time will be divided into two groups. The young children will go to our classroom area in the basement where they will be taught the Bible at a level they can understand. The adults will stay in the auditorium for a lesson at an adult level. We do try to serve the community, and if you have some needs that we can help you with, mention it to one of the members. Thank you for worshipping with us.

FAMILY NEWS

POTLUCK TODAY. We have a tradition of having a potluck the first Sunday of each month, and today is our November potluck. We always have plenty of food, so please stay and enjoy a meal and fellowship with us.

IMPORTANT! We are putting a sound system in our auditorium. One part of that will be to have a wireless system for those who have hearing problems. This will involve a personal receiver and ear buds so you can hear even a quiet speaker. We need to figure out how many of those personal receivers we need to get. Sometimes people who have a hearing loss will, for a variety of reasons, refuse to use a personal receiver. We do not want to buy a receiver for you and then have you refuse to use it. If you have some hearing problems, please talk to Karl Marcussen about what kind of personal receiver you would be willing to use. We need this information right away, because we should have prices and a system design submitted to us this week. Please see Karl today or call him at 574-514-1400!

TODAY'S LESSON

THE PHARISEE ANDTHE PUBLICAN
LUKE 18:9-14

INTRODUCTION--This parable is an illustration of a "good" man (the Pharisee) who was lost and a "bad" man (the tax collector) who was saved.

Dossier of the two main characters

Pharisee--"the separated ones"--religious leaders.

Would not buy food/eat with non-Pharisees--Mark 7:1-4

Publican--Tax collector--collected taxes for Romans, corrupt

Luke 19:1-7--Zacchaeus, see verse 8
Publican = harlot = sinner--Mattnew 21:31

WHY WAS THE PHARISEE NOT ACCEPTED BY GOD?

Trusted in religion to save him.

Religion--outward show--Matthew 6:1-4
They missed God's purpose--Mark 7:6-13.
There is no salvation in religion.
Salvation is in a person--Jesus Christ--Acts 4:12.

Trusted in his good character and morality to save him.

Obeying laws cannot save you--Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16
Being moral will not save you.
Rites and ceremonies will not save you.

WHY WAS THE PUBLICAN ACCEPTED BY GOD?

He stood before God as a lost sinner--at a distance.

He recognized God's view of sin--Isaiah 6:5; Psalm 40:12; Psalm 51:9; Psalm 139:1-14.

He pleaded for Christ's atoning sacrifice.
He asked God to save him--Romans 10:13.
The Pharisee compared himself to other men, the Publican compared himself to God.

WHO ARE YOU MOST LIKE--PHARISEE OR THE PUBLICAN?

Have you accepted the fact that you are a sinner?

Do you understand how well God knows you?

What are you trusting in to save you?

Religion, Rituals, Reputation, Morals, ... .

Do you, or have you asked what Acts 2:37 asks?

Every time the question is asked there is one answer.

What is the condition of your heart--Pharisee or Publican?

1 CORINTHIANS 10:13

Our Wednesday night study of Corinthians is continuing, and if you have not been with us you have been missing some great discussions of relevant subjects. This past Wednesday we finished up the class with 1 Corinthians 10:13 where Paul tells us "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." We had a short discussion of this concept which we will continue this coming Wednesday night, but the question remains as to what this means.

If you are an adult, you have had situations in your life that you did not think you could survive. When death comes to those we love, when people close to us let us down, when our own sins overwhelm us and the consequences of those sins set in, it is easy to throw up our hands and say we just cannot handle it. Paul says this is "what is common to man." Sometimes problems come upon us that do not go away. When I had a son born blind, mentally retarded, with cerebral palsy and a form of muscular dystrophy it was a problem that would not go away. I have been dealing with this problem for 49 years. How can I believe 1 Corinthians 10:13 in the light of this situation?

First of all, I had to realize I was not the only person in the world or in the church that had to deal with the situation of a multiply handicapped child. As I experienced that, I found that there were cases worst than mine. We had a preacher friend who told us the "way out" was to put the baby in a state institution. Sometimes that might be necessary, but in Tim's case it was not necessary, and John 9:1-3 told a story of a baby born blind, and Jesus said "... that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Sometimes the good that can come out of a bad situation is so massive that it crushes the destructive nature of the bad situation. Tim has had a good life. He has brought people to Christ. He has had a major role in shaping my personality and ministry. God has not let me escape the situation, but he has taken a bad situation and made good come out of it. Romans 8:28 says "... God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Come join us for a discussion of what this means Wednesday night at 7:15.