Church notes - March 2022
6th
John 1:14
John 1:19 - 34
Inner critic
Guilt describes a sense of regret or responsibility that relates to actions taken. People may feel guilt over things they actually did wrong, things they believe were their fault, or things they had no responsibility for.
How to forgive yourself
Focus on your emotions.
Acknowledge the mistake out loud.
Think of each mistake as a learning experience.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
God the Son became Man.
We understand Him a lot more.
He came as a sacrifice for our sins.
Fully God and Fully Man.
John 1:29
The Lamb that was slain.
Sin
- Everything that is in opposition to God.
- Always leads to pain and suffering.
- Acting independently of God, treating Him as if He doesn't exist, denying his authority over our lives, relegating the Creator of the universe to irrelevance. In western culture we routinely are doing all these things.
He takes away the sin.
Jesus is the Lamb of God in in a sacrificial tense.
Isaiah 53:7
A suffering Messiah.
1 Corinthians 5:7
The God of the Old Testament is seen as angry.
Exodus 35:6, 7
Leviticus 5:5, 6
Leviticus 4:32 - 35
God uses the sacrificial system to teach the Israelites lessons of sin, holiness, confession, forgiveness, sin's costliness, and sin's horror. God in His mercy, allowed these sacrifices to purge their sins, but the only adequate sacrifice for sins was still to come.
Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
13th
Psalm 63
Prayer - for the people of Ukraine.
Isaiah 53:1 - 9
Priorities
God should be our priority. We are His.
2 Corinthians 8:9
Philippians 2:6, 7
He suffered because of our sins.
Matthew 27:4
Not only Judas realised that He was innocent.
Pilate (found no basis for a charge against Him)
The centaurian
The penitent thief.
And Paul.
2 Corinthians 5:21
Gratitude
He took our punishment.
He was our substitute.
He gave Himself freely for us.
We need to look at our priorities.
Easter is evidence that you are God's greatest priority.
As we head towards Easter, what are your priorities?
20th
1 Peter 1:18, 19
Mark 10:45
1 Corinthians 6:19, 20
A season of preparation
Judgement of others actions.
Judgement of your own motives.
The Resurrection - Victory over death.
Substitutionary Atonement.
Slaves to sin
John 8:34
Galatians 5:1
Romans 6:16 - 18
Exodus 6:6
Titus 3:3
What we are being bought from
Slavery to sin
A lost life.
Jesus bought us back from an empty life.
Jesus set us free by the pain of the Cross.
The perfect Lamb - Jesus
1 Peter 1:16 - 19
Gave His life as a ransom
Mark 10:44, 45
1 Corinthians 6:19. 20
Bought with a price.
God is Sovereign.
Secular humanism - a pathway to many forms of slavery to sin.
Our freedom has been bought through the Blood of Jesus.
That is the pathway to freedom, through faith in Jesus and His death and Resurrection.
27th
John 19:28 - 30
Revelation 5
Only Jesus is worthy.
Jesus, not Satan, holds the future.
Jesus is in control, and He alone is worthy to set in motion the events of the last days of history.
vs 2
Who is worthy to open the scroll?
vs 5
Genesis 49:9 - 10
Judah - the ruling tribe.
The root of David - Isaiah 11:1, 2
Only Jesus, via His death at the Cross and His Resurrection.
vs 6 A lamb. The Lamb who was slain.
The final sacrifice. Worthy of our worship.
This Lamb is worthy of worship
1. Because of Who He Is
Seven - number of perfection.
Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent
2. Because of Where He is
In Heaven. Not the Manger, the Cross nor the Tomb.
Interceding for us.
All creation focuses on Him
On the Throne
A living reigning God
3. Because of What He does
Praise
Worship - ascribing worth
vs 9
The climax of the Bible.
4. Because of What He has.
vs 8
Our future is secured.
vs 9, 10
Ephesians 3:20