November 27, 2016

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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 for which we have a Bible basis. 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 and 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

COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS PARADE, Friday, December 2: Please be at the float between 6:30 and 6:45. Bring a flashlight and be prepared to sing and wish the community a merry Christmas. We are float number 23 and will be located near the intersection of Michigan and High streets.

POTLUCK NEXT SUNDAY: Remember to bring a dish and plan to stay for a great meal and for fellowship. After the meal we will conduct the worship service at Timbers at 2:30. We need you there to help in the singing and to minister to the residents and staff at Timbers.

Julie Marcussen has the blanket give away going full tilt, For more information and materials please see Julie.

OUR COAT GIVE AWAY to kid in the area who do not have winter coats is going to be active next month. Bill and Patty can use help in getting the coats and processing them to get them to the schools where there are kids in need. See them if you can help.

Our new classes will be starting soon. The letters of the New Testament class starts this Wednesday.

TODAY'S LESSON

FORGIVENESS
John Clayton

INTRODUCTION — Romans 1:18 – 22

A. Revenge is the basis of most religions.
B. Jesus Christ taught forgiveness and love to all.
C. Forgiveness — “Getting rid of resentment”
D. Not knowing how to forgive can destroy:

1. A marriage.
2. A work.
3. A family.

I. DIVINE FORGIVENESS

A. Hebrew word means “to send away” — 36 times.

1. Isaiah 38:17 — God's forgiveness blocks out.
2. Another use is to remove the cause.

B. Matthew 26:28

1. Blood sacrifices in Old Testamnet sent away the sins.
2. Jesus sent away our sins.
3. Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16 — How bad were Paul's and the people's sins?

C. 2 Corinthians 5:16 – 21 — Tells us about God's forgiveness.

1. Verse 16 — God's forgiveness is different than ours.
2. God does not carry grudges, act like us.
3. Verse 17 — Be new: start thinking differently.
4. Verses 18 – 19 — Do we believe what God says?
5. We change men and women through forgiveness.

II. HUMAN FORGIVENESS

A. This is as important as divine forgiveness.

1. Sermon on the Mount — see back cover — Matthew 6:12 – 14.
2. It is harder because it depends on us.

B. Jesus set the example — Luke 23:34.
C. Salvation depends on your capacity to forgive.

1. This is a Christian growth factor.
2. Do not fall into the “yeah, but” syndrome.
3. Road rage barometer

D. What is our depth of forgiveness?

1. Matthew 18:21 – 22 — not 490 times
2. How many times do you forgive your kid?
3. Love is the key — for your mate, friend, child.

E. What is your forgiveness quotient? — How do we change it?

THE BACK PAGE

DISSECTING THE “LORD'S PRAYER”

In this morning's lesson on forgiveness, there is a reference to Matthew 6:9 – 15 which is commonly referred to as the “Lord's Prayer.” What Jesus is doing in this part of the “Sermon on the Mount” is telling us what our prayers should contain. This prayer is not to be memorized and repeated blindly over and over. It is a prayer that gives us a guide as to what our prayers should contain.

Verse 9 tells us to honor God in our prayers. “Hallowed be your name” means to revere God as one whose name is held to be holy. Verse 10 tells us to pray for the church, for the kingdom as an expression of God's will. Verse 11 tells us to focus on our thanksgiving to God and entreat God to continue to provide for our physical needs. Verse 13 informs us that we need to ask God to help us avoid evil, to rescue us from Satan and all the things Satan does to hurt us. We cannot live in denial of the fact that our world is full of evil, and we need to talk to God daily about how we can avoid being led into that evil.

The final element in the Lord's Prayer is the begging for forgiveness, which is what our lesson is about this morning. This is the only conditional part of the prayer, and Jesus elaborates on this part. Forgiveness is so important and sometimes so difficult that our Lord tells us to work on this part of our spiritual journey. Verses 14 and 15 tell us that if we do not find a way to forgive others, our own forgiveness, that we all so desperately need, will not be there. How can we ask God to forgive us as we forgive others if we do not forgive others?

Our problem here is that we are emotionally involved in forgiveness. That is not true of hunger and may not even always be involved in our praise of God although it should be, but it is essential to forgiveness. Forgiveness is also a necessary part of our spiritual and emotional survival here on earth. Anger, bitterness, resentment, and a desire for revenge will destroy you emotionally and spiritually. The emphasis on forgiveness cannot be over emphasized. Think about today's lesson, and pray to God about your own personal battle with forgiveness.

— John Clayton

Our sign by the street!

Our sign on the street says, JOIN US FRIDAY AT 7:00 AT THE CITY CHRISTMAS PARADE! FLOAT #23.

Sign saying from www.sayingsforchurchsigns.com