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FAMILY NEWSNEXT SUNDAY IS SEPTEMBER 1: the first Sunday of the month, so we will have our monthly potluck then. That will be Labor Day weekend, so we will have visitors. Bring a dish and plan to stay for a good meal and some great fellowship. After the meal we will have our monthly devotional at Timbers Nursing Home at 2:30 P.M. Come early and support a time of worship with the residents and staff there. NEW SUNDAY NIGHT CLASS CONTINUES TONIGHT: Richard Hoyt is continuing a study of the prophet Elisha. Richard is an expert on these Old Testament prophets and you will learn a lot. Be here at 6:00 P.M. for a great class study. WILLIE FRANKLIN has had to cancel his planned program with us on September 28. The program will be rescheduled at a later date. This will also gives those ladies who would like to participate in “Ladies Day” at the Goshen congregation, a unique opportunity to attend that program. There is information on the bulletin board in the vestibule. GOT EXTRA GARDEN GOODS? Bring it and leave it in the vestibule or on the table in the fellowship room. Other people will enjoy it. TODAY'S LESSON
INTRODUCTION: MATTHEW 5:7
THE BEATITUDES TELL US WHAT IS NEEDED FOR FAITH TO BEGIN AND GROW. AS WE GROW OLDER IN FAITH WE SHOULD BEGIN TO REFLECT THE IMAGE OF GOD IN OUR OWN LIVES — OUR LIVES SHOULD RADIATE OUR FAITH OUTWARD.I. MERCY DEFINED — It is not just not giving full attack. A. Connected to grace — involves undeserved favor.
II. MERCY — PART OF THE CHARACTER OF GOD
B. God does not give us what we deserve. 1. Avoid immediate consequences and punishing.
C. Nature of God — righteousness balanced by mercy
2. True of our physical existence as well (smokers, alcohol, overweight, etc.) 1. What if God was only righteous?
a. Hard, demanding, unapproachable.
2. “Thou shalt not” tempered with “Father forgive.”b. Humans can be that way — “perfectionists.” A. Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Chronicles 16:34; Joel 2:13 — God's mercy enables man's distress to be addressed (Psalm 6:2-4).
III. THE BIBLE IS FULL OF EXAMPLES OF GOD'S MERCY.
B. God responds to our spiritual distress with Christ C. Mercy is what enables us to survive. 1. How many times have you done something that should have killed you?
2. Luke 18:13 3. Titus 3:4-6 4. Hebrews 4:16 A. Genesis 19:15-16 (Lot); Matthew 9:27; 17:15
IV. THE EFFECT OF GOD'S MERCY ON US:
1. Disciples were paralyzed by a lack of trust.
2. Never believe God cannot forgive you. A. Matthew 18:23-35 — Jesus calls us to practice mercy.
B. Six tests of your mercy 1. What is your level of compassion for others?
2. Has God's mercy rubbed off on you? 3. How harshly do you judge others? 4. How easy is it to be kind to others? 5. What is your capacity to seek revenge? 6. Can you stand for truth without destroying others? THE BACK PAGEDISTRESS AND ANXIETY“Then they cried to the Lord in their TZAR, and he delivered them out of their distress.” The Hebrew word for trouble or anxiety is tzar. This passage from Psalm 107:6 says that God rescued the people from distress, but they were crying out in anxiety. Jesus used this same Hebrew word tzar in Matthew 7:14 when He said “For the gate is narrow [tzar in Hebrew, thlibo in Greek] and the way is hard, that leads to life and those who find it are few.” There is a difference between distress and anxiety. Distress is the actual affliction that we endure. In the New Testament the word “distress” is necessity or constraint and can refer to a straight place or state (see Luke 21:23; Romans 8:35; 1 Corinthians 7:26; 2 Corinthians 6:4; 12:10; and 1 Thessalonians 3:7). Distress is what we experience when we face the troubles of life, and these troubles threaten to overwhelm us. Anxiety is what we experience when our fears keep us from facing what needs to be faced and doing what needs to be done. It takes more courage to choose the difficult path of distress than to let our anxiety dictate our choices, encouraging us to cling to the illusion of safety. That is why Jesus calls us to take the narrow way — the way that may lead to distress but can be free of anxiety. I love the old saying “It isn't what you eat that causes you to have problems in dealing with life, it is what eats you.” In our lives in the twenty-first century, we have not had to worry about somebody coming into our assembly and killing us. That happened in the days of Christ and Paul; but we all know that as our society rejects God and his teachings about life, it is happening more and more all around us. We can have anxiety about it, and that anxiety can bring unfortunate things into our lives. A major distress in our lives is in the cancer that has afflicted so many of our number and their loved ones. The distress that affects many of us is the struggles we have with our marriage or with family members. These are real, and our spiritual support can and should be there to help us deal with these things. Jesus said that few find it, and that is the reality of the situation. Rather than be anxious about what might happen, Jesus calls us to lean on him and on each other. James 5 gives us advice about how to handle the anxiety that struggles in life bring to us. “Is any among you afflicted? let them pray. … Is any sick among you? Let them call for the elders of the church [leaders in our case]; … Confess your faults [struggles] one to another, and pray one for another, … ” Every class period we begin with prayer for members, friends, and family. We share so that we may be less anxious as we deal with the distress in our lives. Join us! — John Clayton Our sign by the street! Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website. www.dowagiaccoc.org |
