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FAMILY NEWSTHANKS to those who came to Timbers last Sunday [Jan. 7] and helped in our worship service there. We had some new people among the residents, and had a good crowd. THANKS to those who brought salads and soup to our potluck last Sunday [Jan. 7]. Lana did her usual great job of making our eating area attractive, and we had some great food. GOD'S PROVISION: We have been concerned about the fact that help from secular sources for food for our food bank work has been discontinued. We determined we would use congregational funds for as long as we can to purchase food to give to those in need, but obviously, eventually, that money will run out. We just received a $5000.00 check specifically earmarked for our food bank from the church where Dave and Georgia Fauber attended in Amboy, Indiana (northeast of Kokomo). We met them at the memorial service for Jim Harasewicz which they attended because Dave is a cousin of Jim. The wind chimes near our fellowship door were given to us by them to remember Jim, and we have been mailing the bulletin to them every week. They included the comment that they appreciated our food ministry and wanted to help support it. God works in mysterious ways, and he will bless our efforts if we will stay busy in doing his work. TODAY'S LESSON
INTRODUCTION — Raising sheep is very hard.
A. Disease, quality of fleece, feed problems
I. JESUS USED SHEEP AS A REFERENCE MANY TIMES.
B. In ancient times there were no fences or corrals. Moving from place to place solved most issues.
C. Baby lambs are a special issue — instinct is strong.
1. When they are asleep and are awakened they will follow any motion they see, hopefully the mother, but secondary motions are also an issue.
2. Shepherds worked hard to be what the lambs see at birth — Isaiah 40:10-11. Mark 6:34; John 10:1-5; John 10:9; 1 Peter 2:25
II. THE LIFE OF PETER IS ONE OF BUILDING TRUST.
A. Jesus found a man who needed a purpose in life.
III. SATAN HAS SOME GOOD TOOLS TO DESTROY TRUST.
1. Matthew 4:17-22 and grew him Matt 16:16
B. The easy challenges come and Peter grows in trust.
2. Luke 5:4-5 — “Because I said so.” We do that too. Matthew 26:33 — When you are unchallenged do you trust? You and I are basically unchallenged.
C. Matthew 26:69-75 — Peter falls when big challenges come. Trust was not big enough for him to die.
Big challenges mean grow or die in our trust. See THE BACK PAGE below.
IV. THERE ARE SOLUTIONS TO THE ISSUE OF TRUST.
A. “Count your many blessings.”
1. What do you lose by being a Christian?
B. Learn to ignore the naysayers — 2 Samuel 6:12-22.2. Where do the alternatives take you? C. Stick to the basics — remember our class on this. Do not let peripheral issues lead you away.
D. Continuously trust God's Word.
1. Be sure you take advantage of learning opportunities 2. Trust The Restoration Plea of using only the Bible. SATAN'S TOOLS TO DESTROY OUR TRUSTOne of my concerns about me speaking every Sunday is the fact that I am not qualified to be speaking. I am not a graduate of a Christian college or a preacher training school, and I have no credentials to give any credibility to me personally. I know there are some who doubt that they should pay any heed to anything I say, and I agree with that. Unlike a qualified preacher, I can only teach what is written in God's Word, and my opinions and understandings are worthless. We have been tackling some tough issues in our classes — divorce; exceptions to God's forgiveness; acts of worship we do and do not do; special days; etc. Satan has to be rejoicing when Christians rely on what humans teach that are not in God's Word and so we have tried very hard to stay with the Bible and nothing else. In spite of that, there are some issues that the Bible does not address directly. That means we have to use biblical principles and understand that we may not all feel that what other people think should be our personal conviction. Satan uses these issues to divide us — abortion, euthanasia, LGBTQ, immigration, democracy, government, divorce, naturalism, evolution, politics, mental illness are some examples. Our denominational friends will give answers to these things which are usually opinion and sometimes conflict with the spirit and practice of the teachings of Jesus. Satan loves for us to listen to TV preachers and accept what they say, which are usually their opinions. Satan uses alternative religions to make us question whether what Jesus said can be trusted. Examples are Islam, Buddhism, BaHa'i, Eastern religions, etc. One of Satan's greatest and most effective tools is church problems. Hypocrisy, power struggles, church politics, and lack of study are major examples. Our lesson today is important. Do not ignore it or minimize the importance of it, and do not trust human opinion. Trust God. Our sign by the street! Sign saying from www.sayingsforchurchsigns.com. Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website. www.dowagiaccoc.org |
