Church notes - May 2015
3rd May
'Joy to the World'
'How Great Thou Art'
Matthew 5:27 - 32
Marriage - It is a committment.
Sex - within marriage - helps to bind the couple together
Adultery - can cause great damage
Tenth Commandment
Exodus 20:17
Jesus is pointing out that it is the attitudes that matter.
Sex drive is a good thing
- But it is meant to be used in a committed relationship
vs 29, 30
Jesus was using hyperbole - to make a point
We need to make decisive actions to deal with the issues of sexual lust with great seriousness.
We need to accept His Grace.
Positives
- Husbands and wives to build better quality marriage relationships
- We need to invest in them
- Time!
- Forgiveness (Like Roundup on the seeds of resentment. Don't let the small issues build into big ones!)
- Add value to each other (Serve one another)
- Have fun together.
1 Corinthians 13:4 - 6
10 May
Revelation 19:11 - 16
'Crown Him with many crowns'
Proverbs 31:10 - 31
Titus 2 - 5
Matthew 5:38 - 48
Love Your enemies
A common theme in many cultures - Revenge!
'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy' - Not an Old Testament teaching
Many Old Testament Teachings - Love your enemy
Jesus takes it further.
Romans 12:19
Leave it for the Lord to take
Forgiveness
- More than a moral issue
- It is a spiritual issue
- A very central question, it is a central part of our response.
We need to love our enemies with words
- excachange insults for complements
Prayer is able to change
- our circumstances
- Our enemy
- Us
Hate
- Leads to a vicious circle
- Self destructive (Scars souls and warps personalities)
God's love extends to those who are hostile to Him.
We are called to love our enemies, without self interest.
'Perfect' - In the Greek: Living up to your potential.
17 May
Psalm 100
1 Corinthians 11:23 - 32
Matthew 6:1 - 18
Prayer
Jesus says 'when you pray', not 'if you pray...'
Jews had traditional prayers
vs5
- Motives - to impress other with their prayers
- Jesus says - Be sure to have the right motives
vs6
- Pray in secret
- Be alone with God.
Prayer is about changin our hearts
Not about the words. It's about how we connect to God.
Need to be personal and warm
It's about the connection to God
- Our attitude and connection
Prayer at Gethsemene
- The 'groan' from Jesus' heart as he prepared to go to the Cross.
The Lord's Prayer
His is Our Father
His namei s Holy
- To the world it isn't
- We need to treat Him as holy and with reverence
Ecclesiastes 5:2
Your Kingdom Come
- The world needs His Kingdom to come
Your will be done
- What would Jesus do?
Give us today our daily bread
- Nothing is too small to pray about
- We need His help to get through our lives
We have been forgiven we need to forgive others
vs 15
Matthew 18:21 - 35
vs13
Pray that we shall not conform to the world.
That we have the wisdom and strength to overcome the evil that comes our way.
24th May
'The Splendor of the King'
'Christ is Enough'
'Into Your Hands'
Matthew 6:19 - 34
Trusting God in everything
We need to be on guard against greed
Luke 12:13 - 21
A spiritual issue
Storing up in of itself isn't bad. It's the attitude.
Proverbs 21:20
What Jesus is warning against
- Greed
- Desire to be be independent from God.
The heart is key to the whole issue
- is it God?
- Is it Money?
- Is it Material Things
Materialism:
Don't put hope in wealth, put it in God!
Money is deceptive!
- It can take over your mind
- Make the choice, follow God.
e.g. the Rich Young Ruler
Worry - About loosing control of your life
You don't need to feel guilty about being worried
A Spiritual concern
If you're worried - you're not trusting God.
We need to have security in God
Worry - is corrosive
Faith & Anxiety - opposite reactions
Seek God's Kingdom first!
We all need Him!
There are problems we can't deal with without Him.
31st May
'I believe'
'Broken Vessels'
'In Christ Alone'
Matthew 7:1 - 6
A judgemental attitude is something we shouldn't have.
What Jesus is speaking against - an attitude that tears others down.
We are to be discerning
We are not to be critical
Others will judge you in the same way, but God will also judge you.
Luke 6:37, 38
We need to examine our motives, we should know what they are.
The problems we see in others, we also have.
Search yourself and deal with your problem. Then you can help others.
Luke 19:9 - 14
We need to humble ourselves and repent of our sins, so we can help others out of genuine love, rather than genuine pride.