Class Lesson April 3, 2011

Hey Gang,

This week we begin a new 4-week series entitled "Navigating the Maze of Grief." This series looks at the universal nature of grief – we all experience it – and the biblical answer is found in the presence of God, the comfort of other believers, and the victory of the resurrected Christ.

Why is grief like a maze?

Is there such a thing as good grief?

  

Our lesson this week says that we can grieve with hope. Jesus grieved, so we know grief is good when done well.

How well do you deal with grief?  Have you ever felt guilty just because you’re grieving? Ever had times when grief just seemed overwhelming? Ever worried whether it’s wrong to question God when you are grieving? Ever wondered if God really hears and sees your grief?

Watch this touching video below on the stages of grief through the eyes of a little girl: 

Sprinkles & Bridgette

Click Here

This week's lesson looks at the different human responses to loss and the hope Jesus gives to believers who grieve. We will explore three approaches to grief -  the intellectual, the emotional,  and the supernatural. It's the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus' friend - Lazarus.

       I. AN INTELLECTUAL APPROACH TO GRIEF – JOHN 11:20-27

²⁰ As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. But Mary remained seated in the house. ²¹ Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn't have died. ²² Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You." ²³ "Your brother will rise again," Jesus told her. ²⁴ Martha said, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." ²⁵ Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. ²⁶ Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?" ²⁷ "Yes, Lord," she told Him, "I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

 

What do people say, or want to say, to God during grief? Why can we come to God with thoughts and questions?

Martha misunderstood that Lazarus would rise that day. What do we Christians misunderstand about grief? How do we hurt each other with these misunderstandings?

How can we help each other – even when those who grieve in ways that might make us feel a little uncomfortable?

 

       II. AN EMOTIONAL APPROACH TO GRIEF – JOHN 11:32-36

³² When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and told Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died!" ³³ When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was angry in His spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴ "Where have you put him?" He asked. "Lord," they told Him, "come and see." ³⁵ Jesus wept. ³⁶ So the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"

How easily do you cry? What makes you cry: movies, books, sad stories, real life events of someone you care about, or what? How does your crying or lack of it make you feel?

Why do you think Jesus wept when He knew this story would have a happy ending?

       III. A SUPERNATURAL APPROACH TO GRIEF – JOHN 11:43-44

⁴³ After He said this, He shouted with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" ⁴⁴ The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him and let him go."

Where have you seen claims of supernatural power in today’s world? How do you tend to respond to those claims?

For those who are part of the human family, and that includes all of us, grief in large and small ways touches our lives. We can take each other by the hand and walk together with God through the pain.

C. S. Lewis once said, “It is because God loves us that he makes us the gift of suffering. The pain is part of the happiness - that's the deal.”

The good news is that no matter how lonely we might feel in our grief, we don't have to face it alone. God sits right down next to us and cries with us. He holds our hand and our hearts. He shows us what to do, whether the grief is ours or for someone else. This study will help equip us to navigate through this maze we call grief.

Have a blessed rest of the week and let's pray that God will unfold His unfailing truths to each of us as we journey through this maze, together.

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson March 27, 2011

Hey Gang,

JESUS SAID - YOU ARE OWN THE RIGHT PATH. Listen more to Me, and less to your doubts. I am leading you along the way I designed just for you. Therefore, it is a lonely way, humanly speaking. But I go before you as well as alongside you, so you are never alone. Do not expect anyone to fully understand My ways with you, any more than you can comprehend My dealings with others. I am revealing to you the path of life day by day, and moment by moment. As I said to My disciple Peter, so I repeat to you: Follow Me.

WHEN SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE OR THOUGHTS makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it. Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost. Well developed trust will bring you many blessings, not the least of which is My Peace. I have promised to keep you in perfect peace to the extent that you trust in Me.

What will it take to get you off track with your faith in Me? What would it take for you to deny Me? Would you deny Me if it meant you could go to jail? What if your family said they would disown you for believing in Me? What if your faith in Me could put you in danger? What if it could put someone you love in danger? Okay, what if your faith in Me would bring you or someone you love immediate death - would you deny Me? Has anything like this ever happened to you?

When have you ever really suffered for My sake?

It’s easy to faithfully follow God when things are going well. But can you keep following God even when incredibly unfair suffering comes your way?

Peter wants us to change our perspective on the difficulties we face in life by strengthening our resolve to remain focused on Christ in spite of our suffering.

I. LIVE NOW – 1PETER 4:1-2, 7-11

Following Christ

¹ Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same resolve —because the One who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin — ² in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God's will.

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End-Time Ethics

⁷ Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be clear-headed and disciplined for prayer. ⁸ Above all, keep your love for one another at full strength, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Be hospitable to one another without complaining. ¹⁰ Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, [his speech should be] like the oracles of God; if anyone serves, [his service should be] from the strength God provides, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Arm ourselves with what?

What is near? How should we behave while we wait for it? Why?

II. CHOOSE JOY – 1PETER 4:12-16

Christian Suffering

¹² Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. ¹⁴ If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a meddler. ¹⁶ But if [anyone suffers] as a Christian, he should not be ashamed, but should glorify God with that name.

Suffering because of faith is not unusual. Why do we act as though it is?

For what behavior should we not suffer?

III. PREPARE FOR GOD’S JUDGMENT – 1PETER 4:17-19

¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if the righteous is saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? ¹⁹ So those who suffer according to God's will should, in doing good, entrust themselves to a faithful Creator.

What begins with the family of God?

What can we do today to prepare for tough times?

"Stay the Course" refers to staying on the same course. It assumes that you are going in the right direction. Peter wanted to assure believers that if they truly knew Christ, they were going in the right direction. When trouble comes, let the first prayer you pray be “God what do You want me to learn from this?” and then “How can I keep doing the right thing through this?” The song below says it so well and we need to truly understand what it says:

LEAD ME

Click Here to Watch

Prayer This Week

Lord, help me to live - in good times and in bad - in such a way that You will be glorified. Amen

JESUS SAID - I AM TAKING CARE OF YOU, Trust Me at all times. Trust Me in all circumstances. Trust Me with all your heart. When you are weary and everything seems to be going wrong, you can still utter these four words: "I trust You, Jesus." By doing so, you release matters into My control, and you fall back into the security of My everlasting arms.

Before you arise from your bed in the morning, I have already arranged the events of your day. Every day provides many opportunities for you to learn My ways and grow closer to Me. Search for Me as for hidden treasure. I will be found by you.

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson March 20, 2011

Hey Christian,

The road of salvation is not an easy one. But, oh, is it full of enriching adventure!  We are all pilgrims in progress on the road to the celestial city. It's not that people have to do difficult things to be saved, but along this road, life will bring difficulty - Jesus promised this! Sometimes this  difficulty can overwhelm even the most well-meaning and faithful  pilgrims. Our March study has been from 1 Peter as our guide on this journey to how we can live and travel confidently even in difficult times. 

Our first lesson outlined the hope we have to hold onto in times of difficulty when our faith is under fire. Remember difficulty precedes victory as we saw in the movie "Rudy" and it wouldn't have been much of a story if Rudy hadn't gone through his difficulties. Also remember that the lessons of trust that God sends us many times come wrapped in the difficulties we face. Last week's lesson addressed how God expects us to act when life is hard and questions  whether or not we are ready for action? God expects us to live holy, reverent and obedient lives.

This week we look at what we can do to be sure that  the relationships we encounter every day survive and even thrive during difficult times, even when those relationships are under stress. Our lesson says it's all about where your beauty comes from. Now, what in the world could that mean?

1 Peter 2:11-3:12

How we respond to people (relationships) when we are under stress (difficult times) can be a challenge to anyone, especially the Christian – why?

Because It Shows Your Beauty

“Your beauty should not consist of outward things…it should consist of the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God's eyes.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

 

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Where does your beauty come from? Is it real or distorted? Can people tell you are a genuine Christian by the way you talk, dress, and behave or are you distorted? Do hard times pull people apart or bind people together?

When you are under stress, how do you respond to people?

1.    Do you stormed out of a store when a clerk is slow?

2.    Do you erupt sometimes when your spouse asks an innocent question?

3.    Have you ever responded harshly to a church member for something trivial?

In this lesson this week, we will examine 3 relationships: unbelievers, family and church and Peter will give us 3 beauty tips for each relationship under stress. 

            I.  BEAUTY TIP FOR UNBELIEVERS – 1PETER 2:11-12

A Call to Good Works

¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you. ¹² Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do evil, they may, by observing your good works, glorify God in a day of visitation.

What does Peter mean by aliens and temporary residents? What does Peter mean by fleshly desires?

Why would unbelievers speak against you? How does Peter say we should respond to the labels, slander, prejudice, and misunderstandings by non-believers?

What is the goal for having relationships with unbelievers?

  

       II. BEAUTY TIP FOR THE HOME – 1PETER 3:1-7

Wives and Husbands

¹ Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, even if some disobey the [Christian] message, they may be won over without a message by the way their wives live, ² when they observe your pure, reverent lives. ³ Your beauty should not consist of outward things [like] elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes; ⁴ instead, [it should consist of] the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God's eyes. ⁵ For in the past, the holy women who hoped in God also beautified themselves in this way, submitting to their own husbands, ⁶ just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You have become her children when you do good and aren't frightened by anything alarming.  ⁷ Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honor as co-heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

How does Peter instruct a wife to love her non-Christian husband? What are Peter’s instructions to the husband?

What if the unbelieving husband orders his believing wife to engage in sinful behavior?

            III. BEAUTY TIP FOR BELIEVERS – 1PETER 3:8-12

Do No Evil

⁸ Now finally, all of you should be like-minded and sympathetic, should love believers, and be compassionate and humble, ⁹ not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you can inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For the one who wants to love life and to see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, ¹¹ and he must turn away from evil and do good. He must seek peace and pursue it, ¹² because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their request. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

What could create stress in our relationships with believers in church?

What do you usually do when you don’t get along with people from church?

1.    I change churches.

2.    I drop them as friends.

3.    I talk about them behind their backs.

4.    I try to move past it without actually dealing with the problem.

5.    I keep loving them and pursue peace in the relationship.

6.    Other:______________________________________________

What do you think is at the heart of hostility among church folk?

What characteristics does Peter say should be true of all believers?

It takes two to keep conflict going. How does dropping the rope in tug-of-war stop the war? How does what Peter had said above drop the rope in believers’ conflict?

Prayer This Week

Lord, help those whose relationships are under stress. Amen

I hope that each of you have a blessed week and that you pray and prepare for God's Word to speak to you during this lesson on Sunday. Also don't forget this Saturday the 19th we will meet in the church parking lot (across from the Police station)  at 12:30pm to collect and deliver everything for the Burmese Immigrants we are helping as a class - please come and help us help them! Thomas Samoros will have his truck and trailer there for delivery.

In His Love,

David & Susan 

Class Lesson March 13, 2011

Hey Gang,

This Sunday we will spend the hour in fellowship as our class has been blessed with several new couples. We have done these circle times before in our old class and they were always very special, why? Because we have time to talk, share prayer concerns and really get to know each other.

Now for those of you that don't want to miss our lesson plans, below is a summary of this weeks' lesson:

1 Peter 1:13-2:1

Think About This

How many times have you felt it was more practical to conform to the world’s standards rather than to God’s standard?

How many times have you wondered if it’s even possible to be “holy” or to obey God in all things?

How many times have you had a hard time showing love to other people when you are going through a difficult period?

Christians are suppose to be different, but more than not Christians’ lives are not noticeably different from unbelievers’ lives. Our lesson this week says that we can break this mold, how? By doing what's right no matter how difficult things are.

Ask Yourself

What motivates you to do the right thing? When times are tough, is it harder or easier to do the right thing?

• Our lesson challenges each of us to demonstrate a holy, reverent, and obedient lifestyle.

I. BE HOLY! – 1PETER 1:13-16

A Call to Holy Living

¹³ Therefore, get your minds ready for action, being self-disciplined, and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance ¹⁵ but, as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; ¹⁶ for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.

What do you do when someone betrays you or your adult child? What if you are in danger of losing your job even after working faithfully? In such situations, is it okay to get revenge, to lash out, to cut corners? How do you remain faithful to God in the day to day?

1.    Christians are no longer to be conformed to their old lives of ignorance.

2.    We are to have renewed minds and disciplined actions.

3.    Our hope of the Lord’s coming exerts a moral imperative.

4.    We are to be holy because we worship a holy God.

II. BE REVERENT! – 1PETER 1:17-21

¹⁷ And if you address as Father the One who judges impartially based on each one's work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during this time of temporary residence. ¹⁸ For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things, like silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. ²⁰ He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the times for you ²¹ who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

People act with loving fear toward things all the time. A guy who loves his car inwardly cringes when someone leans on it. A woman who loves clothes will carefully follow the cleaning instructions fearing damage to her clothes in any way. Love and healthy fear go hand in hand. But some fear is not healthy and some love is not reverent.

1.    Jesus Christ is our Redeemer.

2.    He redeemed us from sin and death.

3.    Gratitude for our redemption produces in us reverent fear.

III. BE OBEDIENT! – 1PETER 1:22-2:1

²² By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again —not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower drops off, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you.

When we fear God, we love Him. When we love God, we obey Him. When we obey God, we get rid of everything that keeps us from loving people; we take on qualities that equip us to bring delight in every area from work to disagreements.

1.    Those who are born again become children of God.

2.    Children of God love others with a warm and sincere family love.

3.    We are to practice self-giving love that acts for the good of others.

4.    New believers desire the Word of God the way an infant desires milk.

New life in Christ doesn't come and go depending on feelings and circumstances. Even when going through difficult times, God calls us to show love. And He gives us the power to do so. Choose to show love when others are kind and when they are rude, when they are thoughtful and when they are selfish, when they love you and when they hate you.

Bottom Line

“Practice what you preach (profess).” This is what every Christian must do. Failing to live consistently with our professed beliefs is hypocrisy, and nothing is so deadly to the cause of Christ. On the other hand, Christians who live holy lives, love one another, obey the Word of God, and live by eternal standards have the joy of leading critics to glorify our God.

  

Think About This

In which of these three areas of Christian living (holy, reverent, obedient) are you closest to doing what God’s Word calls for?

In which area are you the farthest away from obeying the Lord?

Prayer This Week

Lord, help me live in such a way that those who criticize Christians will come to glorify You. Amen

 

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson March 6, 2011

Hey Gang,

We begin a new series this week entitled "Confident Living in Difficult Times" and we will be exploring over the next 4 weeks 1 Peter 1 - 4. This study is about living confidently in difficult times and while suffering is the dominate theme of Peter's epistle, hope and holiness are the prominent emphases. Peter wrote to Christians who were suffering for their faith. He wrote to encourage them with the hope of eternal life and to demonstrate holy living in spite of their suffering. 

We all have our own definitions for "difficult times." At such times, the Lord does not leave us to face these times alone. He is with us to strengthen us, and He inspires us to look beyond our troubles to the promise of the Word of God. 1 Peter opens this week with a lesson on Faith Under Fire.

Peter tells us in this lesson that regardless of your circumstances, believers have a living hope that cannot be taken away, and they have the resources to continue living holy lives. 

Alright now, so the topic is suffering, what's your initial response: (a) been there, done that; (b) I'm living it now; (c) I'd rather not suffer; (d) I know other people who need this lesson more than me?  The fact is that we live in difficult times and some of those difficulties make their way into our homes, kid's lives, and workplaces. Our lesson this week says that when suffering comes, you have resources to draw on: truth, godly people, and God Himself.

But you are probably thinking this is another one of those joy in suffering lessons when nobody can really explain how I'm suppose to be cheerful or joyful when life is hard. The fact is when I'm in the middle of a bad situation, I really just want it to end, I don't want to hear how it's an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Not everyone keeps on keeping on when their faith is under fire. They might give in to a temptation or make a hurtful choice that leads to even more pain. What makes it easy to give up on God? How can we keep on obeying instead? Why is that hard-for-a-little-while action easier for the long run? How can you help someone keep on keeping on?

This week's lesson is from 1 Peter 1:1-12, pay close attention to Peter's encouraging words to Christians that are going through difficult times and let's see how his inspired words might help us today.

Hope your week is blessed and you will prepare for God message this week to each of us when our faith is under fire.

In His Love,

David & Susan