Class Lesson August 14, 2011

Hey Gang,

We began a new series last week on ways believers are to relate to one another. We live in a selfish world. Society promotes individualism and encourages us to always look out for number one. But the Bible teaches something completely different, it says that the Christian life involves community and the fulfillment of certain reciprocal responsibilities toward one another. Many of these responsibilities are found in the "one another" commands of the New Testament - the first was to Love One Another and this week we examine what it means to Forgive One Another.

Are we expected to forgive in all circumstances?

Home plate umpire Jim Joyce, left, shakes hands with Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga. 

Forgiveness at the Game

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Forgiveness at the Shack

Many of you have read this fictional Christian book

Papa says, “I want to take away one more thing that darkens your heart.” Mack must forgive the man who killed his daughter, about whom Mack had earlier said “damn him to hell, if I can’t get justice, I still want revenge.”


Papa’s response is this, “Mack, for you to forgive this man is for you to release him to Me and allow Me to redeem him.” 

The title of the book is a metaphor for "the house you build out of your own pain, the places you get stuck, you get hurt, you get damaged - the thing where shame or hurt is centered."

Forgiveness at the Past

During World War II, Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie suffered confinement in Ravensbruck, a German prison camp, for sheltering Jews in Holland from Nazi persecutors. Corrie and Betsie endured the deplorable conditions of undernourishment and disease and harsh treatment by cruel Nazi guards. Betsie became one of thousands to die in the prison. 

Corrie survived her imprisonment and returned home. Following the war, she visited Germany to tell the German people of God's great love for them in Christ. She also assured the German people of God's willingness to release them from their heavy load of guilt.

After she spoke in one church, a man approached and greeted her. She recognized him as one of the cruelest Ravensbruck guards. He did not recognize her. He acknowledged to her that he had worked in Ravensbruck and that since the war, he had become a Christian. He said that he was assured of God's forgiveness but that he hoped to receive hers as well. He asked her directly to forgive him and extended his hand to her. The man's wrongs against her and Betsie pressed hard upon her. It was all Corrie could do in sending up an urgent prayer confessing that she lacked any feelings of forgiveness. She told God that she would extend her hand in an act of her will and trust Him to supply the sincerity. As she extended her arm, she felt the power and love of God in her shoulder, arm, and hand. She clasped the man's hand warmly and told him that she forgave him from the heart!

How are we to forgive?

I. CHRIST IS THE EXAMPLE – COLOSSIANS 3:12-13

Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must [forgive].



When you’re the one who’s been hurt by someone, what are you suppose to do? What is your understanding of forgiveness?

Matthew 6:12-15; 18:21; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:37; 11:4; 17:3-4; John 20:23; Ephesians 4:32

What advice would you give to these two common statements?

1. “There are some people I just can’t forgive”




2. “There are some things I just can’t forgive”

Are we supposed to forgive a person who is unrepentant of their sin? Where in the Bible does the term forgiveness ever apply to an unrepentant person?

Luke 17:3-4; Matthew 18:15-20; Matthew 5:21-24; 1 Corinthians 5:1-9; Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27; Luke 6:35; Romans 12:19-20

Question: If you forgive someone without repentance, what is the need or purpose of repentance? Is this not an example of cheap grace?

Divine Forgiveness & Horizontal Forgiveness --- Unconditional?

Forgiving someone does not excuse their actions, but it does release them from our judgment into the hands of God Who will handle justice in His time. Forgiveness means that we are no longer vindictive, seeking to do the other harm. 

What if our forgiveness doesn’t lead to reconciliation?

• Forgiveness is not reconciliation. It only takes one to forgive, but it takes two to reconcile. Forgiveness is something that happens in our souls without respect to who the offender is, what they have done, or how they feel about what they have done. Forgiveness is a gift to ourselves by the power of the Spirit who enables us to exercise the love of God in our own hearts. To forgive is to be free. To forgive is to be like God and share His love.

What Should Forgiveness Look Like

Here is forgiveness: when you feel that someone is your enemy or when you simply feel that you or someone you care about has been wronged, forgiveness means:



1. You resist thoughts of revenge. (Romans 12:19)

2. You don’t return evil for evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

3. You wish them well. (Luke 6:28)

4. You grieve at their calamities. (Proverbs 24:17)

5. You pray for their welfare. (Matthew 5:44)

6. You seek reconciliation so far as it depends on you. (Romans 12:18)

7. You come to their aid in distress. (Exodus 23:4) 

A Son Forgives His Father in Prison

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A video about forgiveness with Mary Karen Read's last words in her journal entry before her death at the Virginia tech shooting.



Jesus said, "It's more blessed to Give than to Receive"

My conclusion to whether it's a biblical command to forgive unconditional and/or is it a good idea from a psychological perspective:

1. Willingness to forgive is a universal command for Christians.
2. Ridding ourselves of bitterness, anger, and resentment is an unqualified command as well. 
3. Apologizing is not required for true forgiveness, but apologizing and repenting are necessary for reconciliation. 
4. Forgiveness is both an event (a decision) and a process.
5. Releasing the pain to God and leaning on Him for healing the hurt is critical.
6. Radical forgiveness demonstrates God's love. 

Prayer of Commitment
Lord, help me to forgive others as You have forgiven me. Amen. 

I hope that you have had a blessed week and that you will be preparing to join us this Sunday as we continue in our One Anothering series. This is a personally challenging lesson this week and I'm praying for spiritual understanding. 

Have a great week and we'll see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson August 7, 2011

Hey Gang,

We begin a new series this week on ways believers are to relate to one another. Now, we all know that we live in a selfish world. Our society promotes individualism and encourages us to always look out for number one. But the Bible teaches something completely different, it says that the Christian life involves community and the fulfillment of certain reciprocal responsibilities toward one another. Many of these responsibilities are found in the "one another" commands of the New Testament - the first is to Love One Another.

Rob Bell Video - Bullhorn 

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The Beatles

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Remember the movie, Love Story? What was the famous line, "love means never having to say you're sorry." What was that suppose to mean? There are some mixed up ideas out there about what love really is.

Jesus summarized the entire Bible in two principles:

Loving God and Loving Others.


The common word here is to LOVE, you see to God, Love Matter Most!

Is Love all you need? Did the Beatles have it right?

The answer here depends entirely on "What Kind of Love" the Beatles sang about. Many people don't believe they sang about the love of God. Galatians 5:6 says, "If you are a follower of Jesus Christ ... all that matters is your faith that makes you Love Others!" If you read the beginning verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, it says that If I don't live a life of love, then nothing I say will matter, nothing I know will matter, nothing I believe will matter, nothing I give will matter, and nothing I accomplish will matter. We are talking here about a kind of love that isn't an emotion or feeling, it's a choice you make, an action you take, a skill you learn, and a habit you practice. It's a kind of love that can only come from God. It's an Agape type of love! The kind of love that Jesus showed you and me.

I. LOVE LIKE JESUS LOVES – JOHN 13:34-35

"I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."


Admit it . . . some people are especially hard to love. We all know who they are. They’re the difficult people who drive you crazy by being irresponsible, rude, or socially deficient. They are the demanding ones that are pushy, obsessive, and stubborn. Some people have simply disappointed you, let you down, and proven to be unreliable or even disloyal.


God says we are to love these people too, but how? - As Jesus loved us!



What makes this a new commandment?





1. Accept Others like Jesus Accepts Me (Romans 15:7)





2. Value Others like Jesus Values Me


Try to calculate the value of just one person. We talked about Satan coming to you and offering you anything you wanted - name your price, for the soul of someone you dearly love. Satan promises you all the money you could want, power, prestige, fame and he'll throw in personal happiness - would you do it? Of course you wouldn't, but what if Satan said, okay, lets change the terms. I'll make it easier for you. All I'll ask is for your okay to take the soul of someone you don't even know. I'll still give you the money, power, and fame - would you do it? 

II. DO RIGHT NO MATTER WHAT – 1 JOHN 3:10b-12, 16-18

Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's were righteous.


This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has this world's goods and sees his brother in need but shuts off his compassion from him—how can God's love reside in him? Little children, we must not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth;

How might Christians make it appear they’re obeying Jesus’ command to love one another without really obeying? How does John not let us get away with that?

• Showing love shows we belong to God. Neglecting to show love shows we belong to someone else. Showing love is the first way to do what is right.

 
How do we shut off our compassion?

• Inaction can also demonstrate a lack of love. Love requires more than word or speech.

III. SHOW LOVE IN ACTION – 1 JOHN 4:7-13, 19

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us. This is how we know that we remain in Him and He in us: He has given to us from His Spirit.


We love because He first loved us.



1. The best use of life is Love



What is the difference between saying, “God loves,” and, “God is love”? Since God is love, is all love of God? 

• Any feeling and demonstration of genuine love comes from God. He initiated it, created it, demonstrated it, and implants the desire and power to love within a believers' heart.

How did God comply with His own requirement to love not just in word but in action?

• For God so love the world that He gave...

In what ways do we love that shows our love for God? What are some practical ways to love that can be identified by others as Christ-centered?

• When we reach out to help someone in need.
• A listening ear, sharing God's Word, encouraging someone, supporting, understanding, being a friend, praying for someone, showing grace, mercy, comfort and care. 

2. The best expression of love is spelled: T  I  M  E .

• There is no replacement for time when it comes to loving God and others. It requires personal sacrifices, but will have eternal rewards. They are more important than wealth or power. Relationships are everything in life.

3. The best time to love is Now. (Galatians 6:10)



According to church tradition, when the apostle John was so old that he had to be carried into the church to speak, he would often say just one thing, "Little children, love one another." The early believers, wanting to hear new instruction, asked John why he kept teaching them the same thing. The apostle replied, "It is the Lord's command, and you see, "This Kind of Love" if done right - is all you need!

This Kind of Love 

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Think of one or more believers with whom you struggle to have a good relationship. How can you show love to them even if you don’t necessarily feel love?




Think of a family member you adore. How can you show love to them even more intentionally than you have been doing?

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, help me love my brothers and sisters in You. Amen.

 

I hope everyone has had a blessed week and that you are prayerfully preparing yourselves for this week's lesson. There are some mixed up ideas in our society about love and what it truly is. Jesus gave us the command to "love one another" three times in John's Gospel. In all three cases, Jesus was speaking to His disciples while they were gathered together. By extension, "one another" applies to all who are Jesus' disciples today, especially in the context of local churches where we actually gather as disciples. Although we are to show love to all people, we have a special responsibility to show love to one another within the church.

Have a blessed rest of the week and I'll see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson July 31, 2011

So, you really want joy and freedom in life? 
Our lesson says learning to serve is the answer!


Not This Way
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Let me tell you a little story about old Jack...

Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on the ground. 

The man slowly looked up.

This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.

His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me alone," he growled. To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone. Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?" The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?" "See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" 

Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything." "This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it." Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.


This story might have ended sooner, but just then the manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?" "This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered. "Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business." Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place." The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?" "Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms." "And do you make a nice amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?" “Well, yes, what business is that of yours?"

“I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, President and CEO of the company."

“Oh, well I didn’t realize that.” The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle.. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?" "No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty." "Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?" "Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice." The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer." The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said. "That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this." She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.

"Jack, do you remember me?"

Now, for the rest of the story…



Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar." "I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry." "Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry. "I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat." Jack lit up with a smile.

"Now I remember," he said.

"I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy." "I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right.


"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said. "I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that with God’s help, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons; he's the human resources director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."


There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said. "Don't thank me," the woman answered. "God Did This by 1st Guiding Me to You. He Gets The Credit!" Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said. "On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget.

And thank you for the coffee."

Love Begets Love And We Love Him Because He First Loved Us!

Gospel Changes - John Denver 

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I listened to what the Good Book said
And it made good sense to me
Talkin' 'bout reapin' what you're sowin'
People tryin' to be free
Now we got new names and faces
This time around
Gospel changes, Lord
Still goin' down

 

What’s the big deal with getting everyone to serve others? Why not just have everyone serve themselves? After all, that would cut out the trouble of figuring out what other people want.

 

I. STOP BITING – GALATIANS 5:13-15

For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.



Do people view you as more likely to serve or to fight? Do they think you are more interested in winning arguments or winning friends through love?



How do believers sometimes abuse their spiritual freedoms today? What do you think Paul means by biting and devouring one another?



What did the Galatians use their freedom to do? What does God call us to and how do we show it?





Would You Be Willing To Ask This before You Make Your Next Decision

1. Which option would selfishly serve me and which would selflessly serve someone else?

2. Which option would lead me to use people, and which would lead me to benefit people?

3. Which choice would demonstrate I love others as much as I love myself?

4. If somebody else was making this choice and it was going to affect me, what choice would I want them to make?





You have a choice today: Will you love others as you love yourself and prove it with service or will you look out for yourself?







II. CHOOSE THESE ACTIONS – GALATIANS 5:16, 22-26

I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

What does it mean to “walk” with someone? What does it mean to walk with God’s Spirit?

 
Review Paul’s list of the qualities that make up the fruit of the Spirit in 5:22-23. Which qualities seem to come more naturally to you? Check the qualities that come more natural to you:

How have you learned to do these qualities? How can you make that happen?

5 Steps to Walk by the Spirit

1. Acknowledge - we must acknowledge from our hearts that we are helpless to do good apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit. As Paul says in Romans 7:18, "I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing." Jesus said in John 15:5, "Without me you can do nothing"? We cannot do anything pleasing to God without the constant enablement of the Spirit.
2. Pray - it is promised in Ezekiel 36:27 that God will put his Spirit within us and cause us to walk in His statutes, so we should pray that He do it by His almighty power. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach us how to pray – Jesus’ closing point in the prayer example was “not my will but Thine be done.” This shows that we are exercising our freedom in a responsible Christ center way. We make a choice for God’s Will not ours.
3. Trust - walking by the Spirit is trusting in God for all things, it’s our faith. We must believe that since we have come under the grace of God, "sin will no longer have dominion over us" (Romans 6:14). One word of caution: do not prejudge the timing of the Holy Spirit's work. Why He liberates one person overnight but brings another to freedom through months of struggle is a mystery concealed for now from our eyes. We only know in part. Man’s mystery is sometimes God’s means of teaching. Proverbs 3:5-6
4. Act - after you have acknowledged your helplessness without Him, prayed for His enablement, and trusted in His deliverance, then you should act the way you know is right. Notice: this is not step number one. If this were step number one, all our actions would be works of the flesh, not fruit of the Spirit. Only after we have appealed for the Spirit's enablement and thrown ourselves confidently on His promise and power to work in us, do we now work with all our might.
5. Give Thanks - The final step in walking by the Spirit is to thank God for any virtue attained or any good deed performed. What does Paul do? He thanks God. Thanks be to God who puts love in our hearts! "If we live by the Spirit, then let us also walk by the Spirit." Let us acknowledge from our heart that we are unable to please God without the Spirit's constant enablement. Let us pray for that enablement. Let us trust confidently in the Spirit's power and promise to give that enablement. Then let us do what we know is right. And having done this, let us turn and say with all the saints, "Not I, but the Spirit of Christ within me." Thanks be to God! To Him be glory forever and ever! Ephesians 3:20-21; Philippians 4:6-9 (Billy & Ruth Grahams favorite verses)

III. STUBBORNLY KEEP AT IT – GALATIANS 6:7-10

Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don't give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.



In what ways do you think God is mocked today? Is this happening more in the culture or the church?  Which is more serious? Why? 



When has someone sown seeds of righteousness in your direction? What kind of seeds have you been sowing toward others?



How do Paul’s words encourage you to think about the way you treat people?

Prayer of Commitment
Lord, help me use my freedom in Christ to glorify You by helping others. Amen.

I hope this week has been a blessed one for you. Have you blessed someone else this week? This is our closing lesson on Freedom: Make It Personal - I hope God's Word has touched you during these 5-lessons. What a statement Jesus makes in this weeks' lesson on service when He says, For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Wow...I wouldn't want to miss that!

Hope to see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan