Church notes - January 2018
7th January 2018
Kids Talk
Luke 10:38 - 42
We must never be too busy to listen to Jesus.
Communion
Bread and Wine - a reminder of what Jesus has done for us.
Mark 14:22 - 23
Sermon
Luke 10:30 - 42
Simplify
"I am OVERWHELMED"
"I am OVERSCHEDULED"
"I am EXHAUSTED"
Mary had the right priority, Martha didn't.
Antidote to busyness - Being happy with something being left undone.
A time for reflection and relationship building.
Martha resents her busyness - a priority to be with Jesus but she had to be in the kitchen.
Ephesians 5:15-16
Redeeming the time...
What would your schedule look like if God was in charge of it.
How much is Church or Bible Study a priority in your life?
14th January 2017
'Old Rugged Cross': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXAqoZuYvyA
Forgiven by Crowder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUiwA1JNDig
Matthew 18:21 - 35
1st Term Bible Study: - Video Series; Jesus the Game Changer
'I'm Forgiven': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcuM8n_OciI
Simplify
Matthew 18:21 - 35
Letting go of resentment, so you can forgive.
'Sometimes we grosely underestimate the true cost of living with a relational rift...' Bill Hybels
To let someone off the hook is to be:
- Pardoned
- Vindicated
- Released
- Allowed to avoid blame, responsibility, obligation or difficulty
We think we have the power - but we are actually the one on the hook!
vs 22
Jesus is actually saying to forgive continually.
Things go wrong in relationships all the time.
'Forgiveness is God's invention for coming to terms with the world in which, despite their best intentions, people are unfair to each other and hurt each other deeply. He began by forgiving us and invites us all to forgive each other.' Lewis Smedes
The servant had been let off the hook, but he didn't let the other servant off the hook.
If we have unforgiveness it will be in the way of God's work in your life.
'To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has Forgiven the inexcusable in you,' C. L. Lewis.
Being a Christian means being a forgiver
Sometimes this is long and hard.
Forgiveness and reconcilliation are not the same thing.
If it is minor - get over it.
Legitimate wounds - e.g. a confidence betrayed
Matthew 18:15 -17
Life Shattering Injustice:
Experiencing God's forgiveness - motivation for forgiveness of others
The Mind of Christ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRTLocMzTvs
21st January
In First Term - 11th Feb - 1st Apr
Jesus the Game Changer
The Legacy of Jesus
Simplify - 10 practices to unclutter your soul.
Fear
e.g. Hawaiian missile alert
Fear is a fealing induced by perceived danger or threat that occurs in certain types of organisms which causes a change in metabolic and organ functions and ultimately a change in behaviour, such as fleeing, hiding or freezing or hding from perceived traumatic events.
Genesis 3
The Fall
- Fear entered into the world
Psalm 27
In the midst of his fear, David turned to God.
God didn't change David's experience but had given David perspective, such that fear wasn't his master any longer.
We need to be in a committed relationship with God.
vs 1
David is showing a lack of fear. A new sense of confidence.
"The Older I get the more nervous I become" - Bertrand Russel.
"My bags are packed. I'm ready to go," a Christian leader two weeks before his death.
Romans 8
Nothing should separate us from God, or produce fear in our heart.
Psalm 23
Close to the LORD, close to God.
Ps 27:3
God is with us, no matter the circumstance we're in.
1 John 4:15 - 18
We should have confidence on the Day of Judgement, in the forgiveness that Jesus gave us on the Cross, we can have a sense of peace.
28th January
'Christ alone, Cornerstone': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb8qbJLO6ao
'Remember the LORD': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGdttb4p21c
'How Wonderful, How Marvelous': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVyeV5irvqc
Simplfy - 10 ways to unclutter your soul
Ecclesiastes 3:1 - 11
Life is made up of various Seasons we move through.
vs 1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
Chapters 1, 2 - everything is meaningless
12:13, 14
God provides meaning
God brings meaning to us in the seasons.
How can God teach you in this season?
It's not about you. It's about God and His plans and purposes for the world.
God's ultimate goal for your life on Earth is not comfort, but character development.
The season you're in at the moment is not an accident. God has a purpose in it.
vs 11
Your season on Earth needs to be filled with the forgiveness of Jesus if our eternal season is to be filled with joy and happiness.
'Blessed be your name': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du0il6d-DAk