Faith Family Worship Guide Week 37

Transcription

1 Faith Family Wrship Guide Week 37 MEMORIZE Fr thse with 1 st - 5 th graders at Brk Hills, fcus n the verses that they are memrizing in Children s Ministry fr this READ unit. 1 st Grade Psalm 100:3-5 2 nd Grade Matthew 7: rd Grade Matthew 7: th Grade 1 Jhn 3:1, 2 5 th Grade Psalm 51:1, 2 As ur church reads thrugh the Bible fr the next tw years, each day will include a chapter frm bth the Old Testament and the New Testament. As a family, decide if yu want t read ne r bth f these passages. The Faith Family Wrship Guide will lk ahead t the readings fr the upcming week. Read: 2 Crinthians 9:6-8 Questins: Why did Paul write t the Crinthians abut giving? What was he wanting them t cntribute mney t? As Christ- fllwers, why d we give mney t the church, t ministry prjects, and t help the pr? Can we give mney with a bad attitude? Hw d we develp a gd attitude in giving? What des giving with a gd attitude lk like? Why shuld we have a gd attitude abut giving? What des 2 Crinthians 9:6-8 indicate abut Gd s prvisin fr the giver? D these verses mean that Gd will give us mre mney and resurces if we are faithful t give? Why r why nt? What reasn des 2 Crinthians 9:8 give fr why Gd prvides fr His peple? Bttm Line: Gd desires fr His peple t gladly give t help thers and t supprt the spread f the gspel, and He prvides fr His peple s they can be a blessing t thers. SUGGESTIONS These suggestins were created by the age- grup ministry leaders as a way t help parents better cmmunicate the biblical truths discussed in the Family Wrship Guide. These suggestins are intended t help parents facilitate Gd- centered discussins with their children. Parents shuld prayerfully use these suggestins, and any ther means necessary, t help their children discver the truths f Gd s wrd and wrship him tgether. Preschl What des yur face lk like when yu are cheerful? Is this hw yu shuld feel when yu give t thers? Did yu knw it makes Gd happy when we give t thers? Name sme ways we can give t thers. Can yu name everything Gd has given yu? What is the greatest gift Gd has given yu? Children Gd lves a cheerful giver (II Crinthians 9:7b KJV) is ften ne f the first verses peple memrize as a yung child. Talk with yur children abut what it means t be cheerful. When we lve the things that Gd lves it is easy t give cheerfully. Hw can we learn t lve the things Gd lves? What are sme f the things Gd lves? Cpyright 2013 The Church at Brk Hills 1

2 Students Read II Cr. 1:1. Wh is Paul writing t? ( All f the saints ) Wh are saints? (Thse wh are saved, have turned frm their sin, and trusted in Christ alne as Lrd and Savir.) Is there an age where Paul says his wrds begin t apply? (e.g. Twelve, eighteen, r when yu begin t drive a car?) What resurces has Gd given yu? (Nt yur family r parents) With the resurces yu have been given, have yu used them t cntribute t the needs f thers in any way? Des the term cheerful giver apply t yu? What needs t change abut the way in which yu use yur resurces? (These can be time and energy as well as mney.) What will yu d this week t take a step in living ut this passage? (Yu may begin by intentinally praying Gd wuld change yur heart tward sharing what yu have.) SING There s nthing we have that we didn t first receive frm the Lrd. And if we have freely received, why wuld we nt freely give? S as we cntinue in wrship, let s jin in singing Fllw Yu. The lyrics f this mdern wrship sng remind us that Gd uses surrendered lives and resurces t accmplish His purpses in the wrld. The secnd verse says: Use my hands, use my feet t make Yur kingdm cme T the crners f the earth, until Yur wrk is dne Because faith withut wrks is dead, and n the crss Yur bld was shed S hw culd we nt give it away s freely? Let s trust Gd t wrk pwerfully thrugh ur giving! Visit ur website fr a link t this sng: WHERE WE ARE IN THE STORY Readings fr September Samuel and 2 Crinthians 4-10 Where We Are In The Stry (2 Samuel) Backgrund f 2 Samuel: Originally, 1 and 2 Samuel were ne bk but were divided int tw bks (prbably because f length) in the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translatin f the Old Testament. Written by an unknwn authr, 2 Samuel chrnicles the reign f King David frm the death f Saul t his census f the peple. Structure f 2 Samuel: 1 Samuel 1-5 describes the transitin f leadership frm Saul s family t David. 1 Samuel 6-7 includes Gd s cvenant with David. 1 Samuel 8-20 cntains descriptins f Gd s faithfulness t Israel as well as Gd s judgment f David fr his sin. 1 Samuel recrds David s praise f Gd and his respnse t punishment fr his sin. This Week in 2 Samuel: 2 Samuel describes David s mral failure and the cnsequences that stem frm his actins, and the tentative date fr David s adultery is 992 B.C., which was abut nineteen years int his reign. The beginning f 2 Samuel recrds David s Ammnite wars, and this wuld have been the enemy that the Israelites were fighting in 2 Samuel 11 (see 2 Sam. 10). The prgressin f sin in this chapter can be marked by the verb sent (vv. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 18, 22, 27). David had sent Jab his captain int battle at a time when kings g ut t battle (v. 1). When frm his rftp he happened t see a wman bathing, he sent and inquired abut her (v. 3), and althugh he learned that she was the daughter f ne f his trusted advisers and the wife f ne f his valiant men (see 2 Sam. 23:34), he sent fr her t cme t him. After their affair, she sent t David the news f her pregnancy (v. 5), and in an attempt t cver up his sin, he sent fr Uriah t reprt t him, hping he wuld spend the night with his wife and the baby culd be passed ff as his (v. 6). When his plan failed, David sent wrd t Jab t put Uriah in a psitin where he wuld be killed in 2

3 battle (v. 14), and while Uriah did die, ther Israelite men were als needlessly killed in battle cllateral damage f David s cver- up scheme. When this plan succeeded, David sent fr Bathsheba and made her his wife (v. 27). This actin verb emphasizes David s deliberate disbedience, and Gd fund his actins t be reprehensible (v. 27). In respnse, the Lrd sent Nathan t annunce His judgment t David (2 Sam. 12:1). These judgments included: David s family wuld face strife and death because he had killed Uriah the Hittite in rder t take his wife (v. 9-12). Thrughut Scripture, Gd practices talinic justice (an eye fr an eye), and He demnstrates talinic justice in this judgment. Because David had inflicted death and, thus, severed a family, death and betrayal wuld wrench his wn family. While David had an affair with anther man s wife, the same wuld be dne with his wives but it wuld be public knwledge. This ccurred in 2 Samuel 16:15-23 when David s sn Absalm staged a rebellin that caused David t flee Jerusalem, and t demnstrate his authrity, Absalm apprpriated his father s cncubines wh had been left at the palace, which in the ancient near east symblized the shift f pwer t a new ruler. Bathsheba s child wuld die (vv. 14). Because f David s respnse t this child s death, 2 Samuel 12 is ften used in discussins cncerning what happens t children when they die. Fr mre abut this tpic, read Pastr David s paper entitled The Incarnatin and Children s Hspital n: brkhills.rg/cntribute/incarnatinandchildrens Hspital.pdf. When cnfrnted with his sin, David s respnse distinguishes him frm King Saul, fr instead f making excuses fr himself, David acknwledged his sin, recgnizing that his actins were ultimately against Gd (v. 13). Gd s frgiveness f David was immediate (v. 13), which reiterates the sincerity f David s cnfessin and pints t the graciusness f Gd, and Psalm 51 prvides further evidence f David s cntritin ver his actins and his petitin t Gd fr restratin in his relatinship with Him. The remainder f this week s passages in 2 Samuel cncern Absalm s rebellin. The sn f David s wife Maacah (see 2 Sam. 3:1-3), Absalm s rebellin was triggered by the rape f his sister Tamar by their half- brther Amnn wh was the current heir t the thrne (2 Sam. 13). Althugh aware f Amnn s actins (2 Sam. 13:21), David tk n actin against him, prbably because David recgnized his wn hypcrisy if he tried, which still des nt excuse the lack f discipline. Enraged by Amnn s actins, Absalm spent tw years pltting his revenge, and after killing Amnn, Absalm fled t his grandfather s hme in Geshur where he lived fr three years (2 Sam. 13:34-39). Althugh Jab brught him back t Jerusalem, Absalm remained estranged frm his father fr tw additinal years, which prvided time fr Absalm t begin pliticking and planning his rebellin (2 Sam ). During this time, even Ahithphel, David s trusted advisr, jined Absalm s cnspiracy (2 Sam. 15:12). As he fled frm Jerusalem, David learned f Ahithphel s defectin, and alng with his prayer fr Gd t turn Ahithphel s cunsel int flishness, David hatched a plan t send Hushai, a friend and advisr, t jin Absalm s inner circle and t cunter Ahithphel s cunsel as well as t pass alng intelligence infrmatin t David thrugh the priests (1 Sam. 15:30-37). This plan wrked, and Hushai s actins led t David s prtectin frm a military attack (2 Sam. 17). Thrughut the turmil in David s family and in the cuntry, Yahweh remained faithful t his cvenant t David as well as t His prmise t punish David fr his sin. Where We Are In The Stry (2 Crinthians) Backgrund f 2 Crinthians: In 1 Crinthians, we learn that Paul sent Timthy t Crinth because f his cncerns abut this church (1 Cr. 4:17; 16:10). Timthy s experiences in Crinth prmpted Paul t visit these believers in what he describes as a painful visit (2 Cr. 2:1), particularly because f his interactins with an unnamed Crinthian (2 Cr. 2:5-11). This visit led Paul t write a severe letter t the Crinthians (see 2 Cr. 2:3; 7:8-12), which has been lst, s 2 Crinthians is actually the third letter that Paul wrte t the Crinthian church. This letter was meant t prepare the Crinthians fr his impending visit, which is described in Acts 20:3. Oppnents f Paul wh were preaching a false gspel als materialized in Crinth (2 Cr. 3:1; 11:4), and Paul prvides a defense f his ministry in 2 Crinthians because f the accusatins f these super apstles (2 Cr ). His defense leads t the theme in this letter f Gd s pwer and sufficiency despite human weakness. This Week in 2 Crinthians: Unlike 1 Crinthians, this bk seems a little disrganized in that Paul ften circles back t Cpyright 2013 The Church at Brk Hills 3

4 further discuss previus subjects, but thrughut the letter, he defends himself against the claims f the false teachers in Crinth. Their allegatins against Paul invlve the fllwing: They claimed t be n par with Paul and the ther apstles and trusted teachers, if nt superir t them, because f the message that they preached (2 Cr. 11:12-15). Because f this, Paul refers them as super- apstles and false apstles (2 Cr. 11:5, 13; 12:11). The false teachers advcated righteusness based n the ld cvenant (2 Cr. 3). This means that they were Judaizers r thse wh urged Gentile Christians t live like Jews by keeping the law, specifically circumcisin and fd laws, and they did nt understand the freedm that came in Christ (see als Rm. 8:1-11). Paul vacillated in his travel plans t Crinth because f Gd s leading and ther circumstances that arse, and as a result, the false teachers brught int questin his wrd and his care fr the Crinthians (2 Cr. 1:12-22; 2:12-17). The false teachers brught letters f recmmendatin with them while Paul had nne (2 Cr. 3:1-3; 4:1-2). Paul pints ut that, unlike these traveling teachers, he did nt charge the Crinthians fr his teaching (2 Cr. 11:7; 12:14-18). The false teachers valued and praised utward skills such as a strng presence and speaking skills and valued these mre than the cntent f ne s heart (2 Cr. 5:12; 10:7-12; 11:1-6). They basted in themselves, their skills, and their accmplishments, but Paul respnds by quting Jeremiah 9:24 and stating that the nly basting that shuld ccur is basting in the Lrd (2 Cr. 10:17). 2 Crinthians 4 cntinues the discussin frm chapter three in which Paul is defending his ministry, and this can be seen in hw he starts the sectin ff with the theme f cmmending/recmmendatin (see 2 Cr. 3:1-2; 4:1-2; 5:12; 6:4). The false teachers in Crinth wuld have carried letters f intrductin frm pwerful friends, and such letters were used t pen drs fr these teachers in a new city. Because they were teachers, they wuld have relied n the Crinthians t financially supprt them in return fr their instructin (see 2 Cr. 2:17; 11:7-11, 20; 12:13-18). These teachers emphasized resurces such as the letters f recmmendatin r impressive ratrical skills as indicatrs f validity and success, and they criticized Paul fr nt having either. In 2 Crinthians 4, Paul pints ut that by fcusing n such utward, earthly measures, the teachers were attending t what is temprary and visible instead f what is eternal and invisible. In Gd s prgram, He uses jars f clay r what is weak t shw His strength (2 Cr. 4:7), and this perspective highlights Gd s ability t wrk thrugh human suffering t accmplish His purpse. In the midst f sickness, afflictin, and death, believers can hpe and lk twards the day when we will be raised with Christ and receive the inheritance prmised t us (2 Cr. 4:8-5:5). Living in light f what is eternal requires the believer t walk by faith, nt by sight (2 Cr. 5:7), which is in cntrast t the actins and teachings f the false teachers in Crinth (2 Cr. 5:12). This leads Paul t rehearse the gspel. Thse wh are in Christ are a new creatin and are recnciled t Gd (2 Cr. 5:16-18), and as a result f ur peace with Gd, we jin Him in His wrk by becming ambassadrs fr Christ and telling thers f Gd s ffer f frgiveness and recnciliatin (2 Cr. 5:18-21). In light f the gspel, Paul urges the Crinthians nt t receive the grace f Gd in vain (2 Cr. 6:1-2). As recipients f Gd s grace, ur lives shuld line up with Gd s truth and purpse. Regarding Paul s descriptin f ministry in 2 Crinthians 6:4-10, P.E. Hughes writes the fllwing in his cmmentary n this epistle: This mvingly beautiful hymn- like passage flws frm the deep heart f the Apstle s knwledge and experience It challenges every serius reader t re- examine as befre Gd his wn relatinship t the crucified, risen, and ascended Lrd and with redubled earnestness t dedicate his life and talents afresh t the single- minded prsecutin f the cause f Christ. The cntext abut nt being yked with unbelievers in 2 Crinthians 6 has t d with the temple cults in Crinth (althugh it can als refer t the false teachers), and it has implicatins fr all human relatinships, including dating/marriage relatinships (s this text dissuades missinary dating as well as marrying an unbeliever). Separatin des nt mean that we avid all cntact with unbelievers, fr that wuld prhibit ur invlvement in Gd s missin. Paul s use f the wrds yked, partnership, and fellwship (2 Cr. 6:14) prvide a picture f the type f relatinship that Paul is meaning, fr these wrds give the idea f cmbining r allying urselves with unbelievers. The basis fr this instructin is fund in ur recnciliatin with Gd (2 Cr. 5). Because we are in relatinship with Him and because He resides in us (2 Cr. 6:16), we shuld avid any unin with anything that ppses Him. Instead, ur lives shuld hnr 4

5 and reflect the One wh has saved us. In this letter, Paul als includes instructins regarding a cllectin fr the pr believers in Jerusalem. This had riginally been cmmunicated t the Crinthians in his first letter (1 Cr. 16:1, 3), and Paul intended t pick up the Crinthians ffering when he came thrugh the city. Other churches in the regin had als cntributed t this ffering (see Rm. 15:26; Gal. 2:10), and when they first had wrd f this need, the Crinthians were enthusiastic abut giving (2 Cr. 8:10-11). Hwever, they had ceased in their effrts t raise funds fr this cllectin, which is why Paul wrte t spur them n and included the example f the Macednians wh gave t the ffering ut f their wn pverty (2 Cr. 8:1-5). Paul is nt just cncerned with their giving; he als attends t their attitude in giving (2 Cr. 9:7). Paul rts his discussin n giving in the grace f Gd, fr sincere genersity is evidence f Gd s wrk in ur hearts (2 Cr. 9:13). Als, in giving the believer demnstrates faith in Gd s prvisin and recgnizes that He is the reasn why we have means t give in the first place. The discussin f giving can be a sensitive subject in the church, and fr mre teaching n this subject, listen t Pastr David s sermn n 2 Crinthians 8-9 entitled The Crss and Christian Genersity (radical.net). Cpyright 2013 The Church at Brk Hills 5