Old Negro Spirituals!

Old Negro Spirituals!

Many of the negro spirituals songs we sing were written from the spiritual perspective of men and women who were kept captive in slavery. They provide spiritual truths that come from a place deep in passion and connection to God through suffering! The longing for freedom and to see the kingdom of God ushered into the world with all the rights and privileges for its citizens!

The spirituals don't just long for a resurrection but also a desire for justice and repentance. Many of their views were directly tied to Israels story of breaking free from Egypt! The spirituals echoed the language of the prophets in the Old Testament about God providing deliverances! Other themes of repentance now and resurrection later. God's comfort, compassion, and faithfulness! A new heaven and a new earth to come!

Examples:

Read this from the perspective of a slave longing for freedom and better days! Listen to the language and the parallel themes that transcend from one generation to another!

Isaiah 2:1-4; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hosea 2:16-23

We need to see through all of this that the kingdoms of this world for what they are. Condemn the kingdom's of tis world and call for repentance! Speak of and look forward to the kingdom that is coming!

Forgiveness, restoration, and reconciliation!

Forgiveness, restoration, and reconciliation!

Forgiveness: stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone for (an offense, flaw, or mistake).
Restore: return (someone or something) to a former condition, place, or position.
Reconcile: restore friendly relations between.


1. Do you have a hard time forgiving people that hurt you?
2. How do you know when you have forgiven someone?
3. What about when there is no reconciliation or restoration in the relationship?
4. Is there a connection between the three?
5. Can you have one without the other?
6. Share personally.
7. Is your forgiveness conditional and dependent on restoring or reconciling.
8. What do you do when you chose to forgive and there is no reconciliation or restoration.
9. What do you do when someone doesn't ask for forgiveness, want to reconcile or restore the relationship?
10. Should you give up trying to reconcile or restore the relationship? Can you and still be forgiving?
11. Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
12. Forgiveness releases you just as well as the forgivee.
13. We have to forgive to be reconciled to God!
14. Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in christ God forgave you.
15. Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
16. Praying for those that hurt you! What do you pray for? Do you only pray that you can forgive them?
17. In order for them to be reconciled God they need to forgive and reconcile with you!
18. Forgiveness is not dependent on anything other than your decision to forgive. Without forgiveness you cannot restore a relationship or reconcile.
19. We have to forgive regardless.

Repentance

Repentance

1. What is repentance?
2. What is it not?
3. Repentance is not just a thought or a statement. I'm sorry. I feel bad…etc
4. Repentance is an action. A decision to do the opposite. It requires doing something.
5. 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter."
6. What are the action parts of repentance that we see in this scripture?
7. Foundational biblical concept that we teach.
8. When is the last time you dealt with a specific sin in your life with that much intensity?
9. What do some of these Godly sorrow characteristics look like in action?
10. Which one is the hardest for you?
11. How do you move from worldly sorrow to godly sorrow?
12. 1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
13. Our power and motivation to have Godly sorrow comes from looking at the cross.
14. What sins in your life have you settled for worldly sorrow in?

God is with us

God is with us

What has been the most painful or difficult thing for you over the past two years?

Matthew 1:23; 2:13-23

Matthew is trying to teach us that God is with us. No matter what you're going through, God is with you! Put yourself in this story. As a teenage bride having to run to another country for safety. Roman soldiers coming to your town to kill your baby. You have to flee in the middle of the night. Maybe you knew people in your village that had their sons killed. What would you be thinking?

This is the three year period of Mary's life until she returned. You go back but are not able to go back to normal. You have to settle in a new town, Nazareth. You have to learn to deal with a new normal. Would your faith be challenged? Would you question whether God was with really you?

In each of the turning points in this story, matthew provides a prophesy from the Old Testament. This first reference in vs 15 is being brought out of Egypt, Hosea 11.

Look at the comparisons. In the mist of all this Matthew is saying that God is still there!

The next reference in vs 18, Jeremiah 31:15. One of the worst time in Israels history, the exile to Babylon. Who's Rachel. Why is Jeremiah talking about Rachel? Matthew picks this up and shows that Rachel is still morning but there is hope! God is right there in the middle of our pain. He mourns with us!

The third reference in vs. 23, has no specific prophet given credit. It appears that Matthew is referencing a theme in the prophets that Jesus would come from a place that was unexpected. With nothing to attract us to him. Stricken by God. A tender shoot. Without the material wealth, worldly honor or glory that we would expect of a King. Nonetheless, God was with Him and God is with us!

Jesus was born with a price on his head and He died with a price on his head. Jesus trusted his father in every moment in his life! We have no idea where we God is leading us at times. We have no control. Only the control to make a decision to trust and have faith that God is with us!

Remember and Sacrifice

Remember and Sacrifice

The bible talks a lot about remembering. Remember is a biblical concept that God calls us to. What is the opposite of remember? Some would say to forget and that is true but a better opposing word would be dismember. To not only forget but to take things apart. To remember is in a sense to put everything back in its right place in our minds!

Sacrifice is another biblical concept that God calls us to. There are examples all over the bible. Examples of sacrifice in many different things. Money, time, desires, and even life itself! Genesis 29:14-20 sacrifice of time. Love can be measured by sacrifice!

Hebrews 10:1-18
Sacrifice causes us to remember and put back in to order the things that important to God! One sacrifice above all others is the blood of christ. A once for all sacrifice thats motivates and calls us to live a life of sacrifice!

Hebrews 10:19-25
The therefore is Jesus sacrifice and if we remember that it should lead us to sacrifice our lives. Confidence to come near to God. Sacrifice our time. Meeting together!

Acts 2:36-47

Prophets to Jeroboam

Prophets to Jeroboam

1 Kings 11:26-40

God blessed because and did not completely curse because of David's righteousness. This is a profound statement because David was not a righteous man morally as we would define it. David was a sinful man who was really good at repenting. His actions were not always righteous but his heart was soft and moldable!

Jeroboam, on the other hand, was not a righteous man. He turned away from God!

1 Kings 13:1-34

Many of Gods prophets embody the words of God through their life. One prophet testifies naked for several years to make a point. Another prophet marry's a prostitute to show how hurt God is with his bride Israel. Many more examples like this in the bible. The man of God in this story's life was taken for the same sin as Jeroboam. Not obeying the word of the Lord! It was done in such a way that all the details were shocking and notices by everyone. A direct message again for Jeroboam!

Lessons from Jeroboam:
1. Don't forget what brought you to Gods Kingdom? Jeroboam was raised up for a specific reason and he forgot the Lord and did the exact opposite of what God told him to do!
2. Watch how God is active in the lives around you! Look around you at the people that have lives that you don't want and ask the question, how did they get there? God is still using events in other peoples lives to speak to you! Who's life is God speaking to you through right now?
3. Listen to the people God puts in your life! Jeroboam listen to the people he wanted to and ignored the people he wanted to.
4. Only listen to the people that speak from God.

Even Jesus used scripture to confirm Gods will. He constantly used scripture to show what God's will is!