This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Forgiveness, A Christian Characteristic",7/1/2018

FORGIVENESS, A CHARACTERISTIC OF A CHRISTIAN

Matthew 18:21-35

FORGIVENESS IS PROMOTED BY LOVE

V:21-22. " Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. "

A. The relationship that we have with Jesus starts with His forgiveness of our sins.

     1. He covers our sins with His blood shed on the cross.

     2. We cannot approach the Father without the finish work of Jesus on the cross.

     3. It takes love to forgive.

B. We get the English word "forgive" from the Greek word "aphiemi" which means

      to let go from one's power.

    1. According to Barnes notes, to forgive is to treat as though the offence was not

        committed.

    2. We have the power to let go of the thought of an offence from our minds.

C. The Jews held that three times was the maximum number of times to forgive

     a person.

     1. Peter may have thought that doubling the number plus one was impressive.

     2.  In keeping count of the number of offenses would mean that they were constantly

          on one's mind and had not been let go.

D. Jesus death on the cross covered our sins past, present and future.

    1. His forgiveness has no boundary.

    2. Jesus said according to Matthew 6:15, " But if you do not forgive men their sins,  

        your Father will not forgive your sins."

WE HAVE NO HEAVEN WITHOUT FORGIVENESS

V:23-25 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.

24 "When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. "

A. According to Jewish law a person who borrowed from another person became

     indebted to that person until the debt was paid.

    1. If the borrower could not pay, he and his family was held in enslaved until the debt

        was paid.

 B. To understand the debt we must consider the Jewish monetary evaluation.

      1. A talent was 75 pounds.

      2. In today's dollars, 75 pounds of gold would be 1.4 million dollars

          10000  talents would be 140 billion in today's dollars

      3. 10000 talents of silver would be 260 million in today's dollars.

      4. This would mean that the debt could never be paid in one's life time,  

C. This parable is an illustration of the love of God  for us.

     1. We have the king who keeps an account of the debt we owe, which is

          our Father.

     2. We have GRACE which draws us to the king.

     3. We have MERCY which forgives the guilty.

     4. We have the debt that cannot be paid with human efforts.

     5. We have the King's compassion for us, which is Jesus our

          redeemer.     

A PRAYER OF CONFESSION, THE WAY TO FORGIVENESS

V:26-27. "So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'

27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the

    debt.'

A. Salvation is a process that starts the moment we are born.

     1. We are born in sin and shaped in iniquity.

     2. Because of the sin of Adam, hell is our natural destination.  

     3. In the garden of Eden, the MERCY of God was enacted with the

         promise of Jesus as a redeemer of mankind.

B. The man who was in debt to the king ask for MERCY which was granted to him.

    1. It was the GRACE of God that gave the man an audience before the king.

    2. No one can come to Jesus unless he is drawn by the Father.

    3. By GRACE we are saved through faith.

    4. Our salvation cannot be obtained by human efforts.

    5. The sin debt is to great.

    6. Only the death of Jesus on the cross is the atonement (payment) for our

        sins.

 C. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

     1. 1 John 1:9 states, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us

         our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. "

     2. The man in debt acknowledged his debt and ask for compassion.

     3. Because of the love of God, who has compassion on us, we have forgiveness

         for our sins. 

TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WANT TO BE TREATED

V:28-29 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.'

29 "So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you."

A. A denarii was a days wage in Biblical times, less than 4 US dollars .

    1. 100 denarii was an amount that could be paid with human efforts.

    2. The man who had been forgiven for a huge debt and was given the opportunity

        to forgive a small debt.

    3. We must quantify the sin debt Jesus paid for us, as an amount unattainable

         by us.

    4. God forgiveness cannot be measured in dollars and cents.

B. God expects us to show the same love and compassion He has for us,

     to others.

     1. We must never forget that we are our brothers keepers.

     2. In all situations we should show respect for others.

     3.What someone owes us has already been reimbursed  by the

       Father through His love and compassion for us.

AN UNFORGIVING HEART MOTIVATES EVIL

V:30-31 "But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. "

A. It take love for our neighbors to forgive.

     1. Out  of the heart flows the issues  of life.

     2. If there is no love in the heart, there will be no compassion for others.

     3. Any debt owed to us by others, is nothing compared to the debt we owe

         Jesus.

B. When we become hard hearted, it is because we have forgotten what God

     has done and is doing for us.

    1. When we have an unforgiving spirit, it is because we have forgotten

         God's forgiveness of us.

    2. When we lack the spirit of compassion, we have forgotten the compassion

        God is showing us.

C. We must always reverence the Lord in all our daily activities.

    1. God is always aware of how we treat others.

    2. We are never out of God's sight.

    3. Others are affected by how we treat our neighbors.

    4. Our heartless actions toward others can be discouraging to others.

GOD HOLDS US ACCOUNTABLE FOR HOW WE TREAT OTHERS

V:32-33 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

33 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?"

A. We must never forget that the payment of our sin debt is current.

    1. We cannot hold ourselves as better than anyone else.

    2. Before God we are nothing but filthy rags.    Isa 64:6

B. Unforgiveness is a  sin against God.

    1. Matthew 6:15 states, " But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father           

        will not forgive your sins."

    2. What goes around comes around.

    3. Hosea 8:7 states, " For they sow the wind And they reap the whirlwind.

YOUR UNFORGIVING HEART BRINGS YOU TROUBLE

V:34-35 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

35 "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."

A. No matter what has been done for us, we must look to the Lord for

     guidance.

    1. Hosea 10:12 states, " Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with   

       kindness."

    2. The only reason the judgment for our sin have not visited us is because

        of God's mercy.

B. If we willfully fail to show mercy to others, God can with draw His mercy

    from us.

   1. One of the reasons for trials and tribulations in  our lives could be from our                   

       lack of kindness to others.

   2. It is the duty of a believer to continue to study God's Word for guidance

       and direction.

C. Since God has forgiven us, we must develop a forgiving spirit.

    1. Forgiving others puts us in the right spirit with God.

    2. The Holy Spirit has equipped us with the power to forgive.

THANK GOD FOR HIS FORGIVENESS

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Park Way North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons, follow me on facebook and

visit my blogs, revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com

Family God's Way, "What Are You Waiting For", lesson 10, Isa 40:31

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:31

 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

THEY THAT WAIT FOR THE LORD WILL RENEW THEIR STRENGHT

The pronoun "they" implies a select group. Not everyone will believe in Christ.

Not every Christian will wait on the Lord. Some English Bible translations

use the word hope instead of wait.

This implies that this group has made a decision to follow the Lord.

THE MEANING OF WAIT

The word "wait" is a translation from the Hebrew word, "qawah" which is

from a root word which means bind together by twisting.

Consider a rope made of many strands twisted together. The twisted strands

together are many times stronger than any single strand.

1. A DECISION TO BE BOUND TO GOD

This "they" group has decided to twist themselves together with the Lord.

The Lord being the strongest strand.  We are the weaker strands.

This "they group" has made a decision to trust the Lord.

A decision to  believe the promises of God

You have to twist yourselves in the Word of God.

You have to spend time studying and meditating on  God's Word.

When you are twisted in God's Word, out of your mouth in

normal conversation comes the Word Of God.

2. ACTIVE IN SERVING GOD

The "they" group are active in serving the Lord.

They give their time and resources willingly.

This "they" group volunteer their time without being asked.

3. HOPING EXPECTANTLY

When we offer up prayers we must expecting  they will be

 answered.

 God can do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or conceive.

4. PATIENCE

Being twisted with the Lord implies  patience.

We know that God does not work on their time, but He is always on

time.

Being twisted  with God is a decision to follow His commands and to live

by his precepts.

5. THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT BEING BOUND TO THE LORD

Throughout the Bible God gives us examples of His people

becoming unwounded from Him.

Adam and Eve become unwound from God and lost their home

in the Garden of Eden

 Cain became unwounded from the Lord and killed his brother.

Abraham and Sarah  stop hoping in the Lord,  got impatience with the

delayed promised of a son. Sarah presented Abraham with her maid

and had an Ishmael. But God promised Isaac.

Moses for a brief moment in the desert, came unwound from the Lord.

Became agitated or frustrated   with the complaining

of the Israelites in the desert. Struck a rock in anger and

didn't make it to the promise land.

David on the top of His roof looked down and saw Beersheba,

his servants wife bathing and became unwound.

He committed adultery. Then to hid his sin, had Beersheba's husband

killed. It affected the rest of his families life.  

The whole nation of Israel became  unwounded from the Lord

As a result, committed spiritual adultery. Lost procession of the promise land and

spent 70 years in Babylonian  captivity.

Judas became unwound from the Lord Jesus, got caught up in the

love of money, and hung himself.

Spiritual growth of the brothers  and sisters in Christ become stunted when

we are not twisted tight with the Lord.

  

 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Those who hope for or bound to the Lord will renew their strength.

We should not be bound to anyone, but the Lord

6. WHO IS THE LORD?

He is Yehovah , the self existing one.

He Alpha and Omega, the first and the Last.

He is Omnipresence,  everywhere all the time.

He is Omniscience, knows everything

He is Omnipotent, has all power

If you going to be twisted with someone, be twisted with the Lord.

If you don't like the definition of being "twisted", lets look at the

definition of hope from the English translation.

7. THE WORLD'S DEFINITION OF HOPE

The English definition of hope

Webster: To cherish a desire with anticipation,

                To want something to happen or be true

Sometimes we use the word "hope" with uncertainty attached.

I hope I get this promotion

I hope everything is alright

I hope you make it on time

8. BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF HOPE

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:3-4

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

Hope in God does not waiver because it is rooted in the full assurance

of the faithfulness of God.

Hope in God is the reservoir of emotional strength

When you are twisted with the Lord, there is no uncertainty.

Hope is twisted up in the certainty  of God

9. NEW STRENGTH

The text says when you are twisted with Lord you will renew your strength.

That means,  in life you will run into some difficulties.

You will run into some stuff you can't handle by yourself.

Let's face the truth, we are not qualified to handle everything that come

our way. That is one of the reasons you need new strength.

THREE TYPES OF STRENGTH

Mental strength

Physical strength

Spiritual strength

Mental strength is ability to think and reason

Physical strength is the power to move

Spiritual strength is the power over our will to get something done for God.

All three are controlled by God.

When we are twisted up in the Lord, our mental, physical and spiritual strength are

renewed together.

Helpful scriptures

Mental Strength

Romans 8:28

 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Isaiah 54:17

 "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me," declares the Lord.

Physical Strength

Philippians 4:13

 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Ephesians 4:15-16

but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Spiritual Strength

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

John 14:26

 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

We need the mental strength to know God and what He will do

We need the physical strength to move in position to serve God

We need the Spiritual Strength to motivate our will to serve God.

John 14:26

 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

I encourage you to make a decision to be twisted up in the Lord

Rev. M. Mitchell

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "Hell Is Real, Heaven Is Real", 6/24/2018

HELL IS REAL, HEAVEN IS REAL

Luke 16:19-31

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

 V:19-21"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.

20 "And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,

21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. "

A. In life there will always be classes of people.

    1. There will be those who are rich and those who are poor and man in between.

    2. God blessed the rich with the resources to serve the poor.

    3. To much is given, much is required.   Luke 12:48

B. We are our brothers keepers

    1. God expects us to show compassion to  those in need.

    2. Proverbs 14:31 states, "31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their  

        Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. "

    3. Proverbs 28:27 states, "27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who

        closes his eyes to them receives many curses. "

C. You don't have to go far to be in the presence of someone in need.

    1.God places the needy in plain  view.

    2. We may not be able to help everyone, but we are responsible to do what we can.

GET PREPARED TO DIE

V:22-23 "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

23 "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. "

A. There is a day when we are born and an appointed day when we will die.

    1. Ecclesiastes 5:15 states, " Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he

        comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand."

    2. Death is an equalizer.

    3. What we gained between our birth and death will be left for others to enjoy.

B. Heaven is real and hell is real.

   1. It is what we do while we are alive on earth that determines our final destination.

   2. Those who except Christ has heaven as their destination.

   3. Those who reject Christ, has hell as their destination

C. A man is known by the fruit he bears.

   1. The man in the text had been blessed by God, but ignored the needs of

       a poor man in plain sight.

   2. according to the text showed no compassion for the poor man.

   3. Assuming the rich man was a Jew, he rejected God's command to provide for

       the poor.

       a. Deuteronomy 15:11 states, " There will always be poor people in the land.

           Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the

           poor and needy in your land."

         b. Leviticus 19:18 states, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge

             against   the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself;                     

            I am the Lord. "

D. The rich man lack faith in the Word of God, therefore rejected God.

     1. The evidence that the poor man believed in God is his final resting place

          in heaven.

     2. God is not a respecter of person. The rich and the poor receive the same

         judgment.

     3. At some point in the life Lazarus, he had been drawn to God.

     4. It could very well be that Lazarus poor condition was the cause

         of his faith in God.

     5. It obvious that the rich man had a love for money, the root of his evil

         mind.

BE MERCIFUL TO OTHERS AND GOD WILL BE MERCIFUL TO YOU

V:24-25 "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'

25 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony."

A. The text makes it plain that the rich man knew of God while he lived, but

      the world his master.

    1. Everyone has a chance to accept or reject Christ before their death.

    2. Notice in, hell the rich man was not concerned about anyone but

        himself.

    3. All he wanted was to be comforted in hell.

    4. While he lived, he showed no mercy on the poor. But in hell

        he wanted mercy.

B. You will reap what you sow.

    1. The rich man lived in luxury before he died and ignored the needs of

        poor around him.

    2. Now in his death, was ignored by God.

C. There is no chance to be redeemed after you die.

    1. No one knows the hour of their death

    2. The best we can do is establish a relationship with God while

         we have breath in our bodies.

        

THERE IS NO REDEMPTION AFTER DEATH

V:26-27. "And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.'

27 And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house — 

28 for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment."

A. There is no communication between heaven and hell.

    1. The living will not receive communication from the dead whether they are

        in heaven or hell.

    2. The dead don't serve as guardian angels for the living.

B. Not only was the rich man a poor role model for his community, but he was

     also a poor role model for his family.

   1. In hell the rich man was selfish.

   2. He was concerned about his brothers, and not his community.

   3. At death, your communication with the world cease.

EVERYONE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCEPT CHRIST

V:29-30 "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'

30 "But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!"

A. The Bible is closed.

    1. God has given us all the information we need to know about heaven and hell.

    2. The only inspiration we will get is from reading the Bible for ourselves.

    3. Today, everyone who has access to the internet has the Bible in there reach.

    4. No one has an excuse for not reading the Bible.

B. God has preserved the Bible in it's original languages for thousands of years.

    1. Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my word is eternal.  Matt 24:15.

    2. If you don't believe the Word that God has preserved for you, there is

        no hope of redemption.

    3. Faith come by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

    4. Along with the Bible, God has given us preachers and teachers   to

        proclaim the Gospel.

    5. If you choose not to believe, we choose the eternal hell.

THE WORD OF GOD IS ALL THE WISDOM WE NEED

V:31 "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not

   be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead."

A. The miracles of God are all around us.

    1. Waking up in the morning is a miracle.

    2. The sun  and all the planets points to the miracles of God.

    3. Everything on earth was created by the miracles of God.

    4.We can choose to believe that all we see just exists or believe

        that a God created it all.

B. In order to believe that the world and all it contents just exist by itself ,

     you have to believe in something.

1. Most none believers will claim that there is a mother of nature.

2. I now who the mother of nature is. He is Jesus Christ

TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED, ACCEPT CHRIST NOW

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Park Way North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons, follow me on facebook,  and visit my blogs,

revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com

Family God's Way, "Dealing With Depression", Lesson 9

Dealing With Depression

Definition of depression  (Webster)

1: an act of depressing or a state of being depressed: such as

a (1) : a state of feeling sad : dejection 

·                                 anger, anxiety, and depression

(2): a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies 

     bouts of depression

      suffering from clinical depression

b (1) : a reduction in activity, amount, quality, or force 

·                                 a depression in trade

(2) biology : a lowering of physical or mental vitality or of functional activity

Depression can result from medical conditions (e.g., thyroid problems, a brain tumor or vitamin deficiency) can mimic symptoms of depression so it is important to rule out general medical causes.

Depression can be hereditary.

Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year.  Depression can strike at any time, but on average, first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are more likely than men to experience depression. Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime.

Depression knows no boundaries. No one can be excluded from episodes of depression.

It does not matter how much money you make or what your level of success in life is.

A depressed mind has a systematic negative bias

 1. Arbitrary Inference : Drawing a negative influence without supporting data

 2. Selective Abstraction: Focus on the worst aspect of  any situation.

 3. Magnification and minimization: Making the problem bigger what it is.

     making the solution smaller.

4. Personalization: Negative events interpreted as a personal fault.

Negative view of self

negative view of the world                                                negative view of future

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                                       Sees Self

                                                                                           as

Sees the future

          as                                                              Worthless,  failure, ugly

   Hopeless                                                                     

                                                                                        Sees the World

                                                                                       No one cares, No one loves me

Doctors will say that depression is a mental problem. I believe that

in many cases that a depressed person is spiritually deprived.

God made us perfect in His own image and His own likeness. It was

when man came under the influence of Satan that he became corrupt and

subject to all sorts of illness.

Depression is a normal human condition that Satan will use to his advantage.

Satan came to steal, kill and destroy. Satan is doing his job when he steals your

joy, peace and confidence in yourself.

A depressed mind is an unstable mind. It is Satan influenced

2 Timothy 1:7 states, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of

   love, and of a sound mind.

When we are depressed, we are negatively focused on self.

God never told us that we would not face problems in our lives. In fact He promised

that we would face problems. Job 14:1states

 "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. "

How we deal with trouble determines our state of mind.

Trouble should drive us close to God, not away from God,

Other than medical causes, Depression results from a lack of trust in God. It is a lack patience with God.

Expect Trouble, but Expect God to overcome your trouble

John 16:33

 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

NASU

The Way Into Depression

    Focus on self and your situation

HELPFUL SCRIPTURES

The Way Out Of Depression

  1. Feeling Down

      Psalms 42:11-43:1

      Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me?   

      Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

     ( Hope and Praise are two key tools)

1 Peter 5:6-7

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

2. Feeling Discourages

Deuteronomy 31:8

 "The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

3. Feeling unloved

Romans 8:38-9:1

 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

4. Feeling Lost

    Proverbs 3:5-6

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

     In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

5. Feeling Overwhelmed

Isaiah 40:31

31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

NASU

6. Feeling Hopeless

Psalms 34:17-19

The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

7. Feeling guilty

1 John 1:9-2:1

 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

8. Feeling Worthless

Philippians 1:6-7

6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6-

The Way to prevent Depression

Stay focused on the Promises of God.

The Way Out Of Depression

Trust God

Prayer

Patience

Praise

We must keep our thinking positive

Philippians 4:6

 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

NASU

Philippians 4:8

 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

                                                                                  

This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "You Must Know The Word For Yourself", 6/17/2018

YOU MUST KNOW THE WORD FOR YOURSELF

Matthew 15:1-9

DON'T LIVE BY THE WORLD'S STANDARDS

V:1-2. "Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,

2 "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

A. The Scribes and the Pharisees had a second book which became known as the

     Mishnah. It is a collection of teaching of the elders starting from 200 BC.

    1. They held these teachings to be more authoritative than God's Word.

    2. They used their oral traditions to amend the Word of God.

    3. This excessive washing of hands was their tradition and not God's command.

    4. You have to be careful that you don't allow yourself to be bound by someone's

        made up standards.

    5. The only standards that really matter is God's.

B. One would wonder why the Pharisees and the scribes were so determined

     to find fault with the teaching of Jesus.

   1. Jesus always referenced the Old Testament in His teaching.

       a. Jesus taught the righteousness of God.

       b. They should have been on the same side, yet they were His enemy.

   2. The Pharisees, the scribes and the Chief Priests had power, prestige

       and a source of income from controlling all  civil actives of the

       Jewish people.

       a. The Roman government allowed the leaders to control the civil activities of

           the Jewish people.

       b. The leaders used this control to their selfish gain and not for the

            welfare of the people.

       c. They did not use this God allowed leadership for the righteousness of Him.

       d. We must not use what God has given us to discourage or harm other.

       e. What ever God has given us should be used to bring Him glory.

   THE WORLD IS AN ENEMY TO THE CHRISTIAN  

  3. When Jesus came on the scene, the crowd follow Him, listening to his teachings.

      a. Jesus used His healing powers to draw large crowds to Himself.

      b. He preached the good news about the kingdom of God.

      c. The message of Jesus was one of compassion and love.

  4. The ruling group felt threaten and sought to kill Jesus.  Matt 12:14

  5. When they couldn't accuse Jesus of violating the Law,  they tried to

       use their traditions.

C. Their tradition of washing their hands before eating was a rule they followed

      but had no bearing on Christian living.

    1. Jesus states in Matthew 15:17-18:

       "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of   

       the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and

        these make a man 'unclean."

    2. The Jewish leaders were spiritually unclean because their hearts were filled

         with pride, and injustice toward their own people.

THE WORD IS THE AUTHORITY, NOT TRADITION

V:3-4. " And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the  

  commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

 "For God said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,' and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS

  EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH."

A. Jesus was always two steps ahead of His accusers.

    1. Jesus knows what you going to say, before you formulate it in your mind.

    2. The Jewish leaders presented their tradition as the authority over the Word.

    3. Jesus presented the Jewish leaders with hypocrisy of their traditions.

B.  Honor their mother and father was the first command with a promise.

    1. The Jews dishonored their parents by not selling property to take care

          of them.

    2. They claimed the property was devoted to God so it would not have to

         be sold.

LET THE WORD BE YOUR GUIDE

V:5-6 "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever I have that would

 help you has been given to God,"

6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God  

 for the sake of your tradition."

A. The first thing Jesus did was to inform the leaders that their traditions was not

      the authority over God's people.

     1. The Word of God is the standard by which we are commanded to live and

         not mans traditions.

     2. No one should use the Word of God for the purpose of harming another person

         or denying justice.

     3.  They use their traditions to justify keeping property for their use that should have    

           been sold to support their parents.

    2. They were blessed to do good, but selfishly refuse to, violating the fifth

         commandment.

B. They overlooked the promise of blessing for taking care of their parents.

    1. It is a worthy sacrifice to care for your parents.

    2. The actions against their parents showed how corrupt the Jewish leaders were.

    3. Not only were they enemies of God, but enemies of their own families.

    4. They were more concerned about their wealth than their parents.

    5. They violated at least four of God's commands with their traditions.

         a. Love the Lord with all their heart, mind and sole.

         b. Love your neighbor as yourself.

         c. Thy shall have no other gods before me.

         d. The positions and wealth of the Jewish leaders became their gods.

         e. The Jewish leaders coveted the popularity of Jesus with the people.

     6. By holding on to their tradition, the hearts of the Jewish leaders became

         unclean.

     7. The Jewish leaders burden the people with their traditions which they

          themselves did not keep.

          Matthew 23:4 states; " They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders,

          but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."

THE WORD IS GIVEN FOR REPROOF

V:7-8 "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

8 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. "

A. It is easy to claim to be a Christian.

    1. It takes the love of God to be a Christian.

    2. The love of God requires us to dedicate our lives to God.

    3. Love requires a sacrifice of our desires for the desires of God.

B. To honor God we must keep His commands.

    1. God command us to humble ourselves before Him.

    2. When we surrender our lives to God, we take on the yoke of Christ

    3. Our words and actions must line up in the love of God.

    4. They that worship the Lord must worship Him in spirit and truth.

    5. One of the problems of the Jewish leaders was the application of the legal

        aspects of God's commands without any spiritual involvement.

    6. When the spirit of God is not involved, there is no true love or

         compassion.

DON'T TAKE WORD OF GOD IN VAIN

V:9. "BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE

   PRECEPTS OF MEN."

A. You cannot serve God and man at the same time.

    1. According to scripture, you will love one and hate the other.  Matt 6:24

    2. Our personal worship can become a show, without a change in heart.

B. Some people worship to be seen.

    1. Some come to Church to have their name on the role.

    2. They bring their Bibles to Church, but never open them at home

    3. Without the Word of God, we are controlled by the traditions of the world.

    4. Nothing can seprate us from the love of God if we follow His word.

C. The Jewish leaders were responsible for teaching the Word of God for the

      righteousness of God's people.

     1. Instead, they used their leadership to pervert the Word for personal gain.

     2. Outwardly, their appearance was clean and righteous, but their hearts were

          dirty as filthy rags.

     3. Jesus used every encounter with the Jewish leaders to point out the

         hypocrisy of their teaching and to encourage them to repent and follow Him.  

D. A good friend points out your sins for the purpose of getting you to repent

     and follow God.

     1. The Christian community should exhibit the righteous of God for the

          world to follow.

     2. We should not follow the world to bring down the Church.  

Rev M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Park Way North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons follow me on facebook

and visit my blogs;  revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com