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Do you fear becoming stained by the world?
In "God's Word for Today" David Fry writes:
When Jesus touched the leper, rather than becoming unclean, the leper was cleansed. This tells us that Jesus cannot be contaminated with sin or disease. As the Apostle Paul said to Timothy, God likewise has “not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Believers do not have to fear contamination as long as they are living confidently in Jesus Christ.
Discussion: How has the church at times avoided ministering to people in need because the church fears the "stain" of the people's sin and worldliness?
Discussion: How does 2 Timothy 1:7 give you confidence, in place of fear, to live and serve in the midst of an unholy world?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 30.
A Young Lady Freed
Read Acts 16:16-18
“And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour” (v. 18).
I cannot imagine what the girl in today’s scripture was going through. An evil spirit possessed and controlled her. If that was not bad enough, some money-minded people had enslaved her for their profit. How tragically sad, indeed, that people would take advantage of someone mired down in sin.
Still today people are trapped in sins. Try as they might, they cannot free themselves. Others take advantage of their bondage, and they are helpless to do anything about it.
The gospel brings good news. Regardless of the depths of your sins, and regardless of who has contributed to your slavery, God has power to free from sins. The Apostle Paul emphasized, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Despite there being too much sin in the world, God’s grace over super-abounds in saving from sins. When we can do nothing about our sins, God can. When sin has us trapped, God can release us from sin’s death grip, giving us hope and eternal life.
A young lady was freed from sin in Acts 16:18. Just like her, you can be set free, and “if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (MDA)
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
— Robert Lowry
There is power in Jesus’ name!
Sunday, December 27
Lesson 4: The Spirits Exorcised
Lesson 4 - December 27, 2015
Focus Text: Mark 9:14-29
Central Truth: God's power to deliver is gained through prayer.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list several reasons why prayer is necessary to see God’s power unleashed.
Lesson Outline:
- The Need Described (Mark 9:14-18)
- The Remedy Defined (Mark 9:19-27)
- The Secret Explained (Mark 9:28-29)
Prayer: Lesson 3
Heavenly Father, please bless our teachers today as they teach about the miracle of Christ's Incarnation. Inspire each student with hope and joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Giving Holiday Hope to the Grieving (Link)
Giving Holiday Hope to the Grieving is a good article from Family Life about how to help those who are grieving during the holiday season.
Lesson Highlight: "no room"
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7)
In "Word Focus" William Sillings writes:
When Jesus was born, there was no room in the inn (kataluma — literally, lodging, inn, or guest house). The inn was likely an eastern khan which is like a series of open-ended rooms or stalls opening into a common courtyard where the animals were kept. There was no room in the khan, so it was in the common courtyard where Jesus was born. There was no privacy even at this event for this weary, wayworn family. The fact that there was no room in the inn is typical of what was to happen to Jesus all through His life. The room reserved for Him, says Barclay, was on a cross. “He sought an entry to the overcrowded hearts of men; He could not find it; and still His search — and His rejection — go on.”
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 16.