Sister Alice Sunday School 3/31/13

Sister Alice Sunday School 3/31/13

Each and every one of us has a mission that is bigger than our life, than our family, our career and all we possess.  If we faithfully live that mission as David did, happiness will be a byproduct of the mission.

No one but Christ had the mission to save the whole world.  We want to watch by example His attitudes toward His mission to use for our mission so that we can be used in the place that we are.  We are to serve God with all our heart, but a lot of times there is a transition in our mission and what it is.  The empty nest is one example, our children grow up and we are left alone.

Jesus did not let anything distract Him:

Mat 16:21  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Mat 16:22  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

Mat 16:23  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Peter latched onto the part where Jesus was to be killed and said, “No, you are the Messiah; that should not be.”  I think in my life of how just waiting two minutes or letting someone else talk first would have kept me from making a mistake in what I said.  It was this way with Peter.  It is for an example to us.

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

There are many times in Psalms that the writer compares us to the grass of the field.  It grows up for a season, is mowed or burned off and then is gone.  We are like that.

Mat 16:27  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Mat 16:28  Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

We see where His rebuke to Peter was sharper than when Peter was to deny Him.  ‘Savourest’ means to set your mind to, like in Col 3 it means to ‘set your affection on’.  Set your mind on what is really the mission to do.  As Jesus said, “I must die and rise again.”

‘Savourest’ means to exercise our mind with concern and obedience.  There was one that asked a question about horses.  The person that was asked indicated me and said, “Here is the one that can help you she has been around horses her whole life.”  I thought, “I’ve been in kindergarten with horses my whole life why didn’t I grow up?”  We can be around something our whole life and never learn what we need to learn.

Peter was with Christ all this time but he was not with Him in understanding where He was to go.  He did not understand.  If he had then he might have said, “We’ve been studying the scriptures and see this is what will come to past and we will be with you.” 

A man came to speak to me for fifteen minutes; he wanted to tell me he was going to die.  I wanted to say, “No, you’ve got many good years yet ahead for you.”  But the Spirit of God got to me and said, “Be quiet. That is not what will comfort this man.”  He wanted to talk seriously with me. 

Jesus finished His mission, His course:

Mat 26:30  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Mat 26:31  Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

Mat 26:32  But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

Mat 26:33  Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

Mat 26:34  Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Mat 26:35  Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

Mat 26:36  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

Mat 26:37  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

Mat 26:38  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

Mat 26:39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Mat 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Mat 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Mat 26:43  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

Mat 26:44  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Peter wasn’t the only one that denied Jesus.  They all forsook Him.  Just because Jesus was the son of God didn’t make it easy for Him.  But He had a heart cry toward God and total surrender.  He had a heart of total surrender.  We will not get by on anything else.

Joh 17:4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

He has finished the work that He had to do.  This is what we want to do on our mission.

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

It is finished.  He went through to the finish.  That was on His mind to finish it.

Joh 13:1  Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

Isn’t that beautiful?  I want to encourage every one of you that this promise is for every one of us.  He will love us to the very end of our mission. 

Joh 20:1  The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Joh 20:2  Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

Joh 20:3  Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

Joh 20:4  So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

Joh 20:5  And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

Joh 20:6  Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

Joh 20:7  And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Joh 20:8  Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

Joh 20:9  For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

Joh 20:10  Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

Joh 20:11  But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

Joh 20:12  And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

Joh 20:13  And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

Joh 20:14  And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Joh 20:15  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Joh 20:16  Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Joh 20:17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Joh 20:18  Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Joh 20:19  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

Joh 20:20  And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Joh 20:22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Joh 20:23  Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

We are joint heirs with Him.  “I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.”   When we as humans have a grief we want to go right back to where we were before the grief. 

He said, “Don’t touch me, there is more work to be done here.  The work is not quite complete; I have not yet ascended to the father.  But go to thy brethren.”  He had the work to finish and that was on His mind.

It made me think of the story in the Old Testament where the lepers found the spoil and said, “Wait we can’t stay here and eat, we must go tell the others.”  This is what Jesus was telling her.  “You must go and share this.  I go to my father and to your father.”

The last part of Jesus’ mission was to send out His disciples.  “So send I you.”  In order for them to be sent they needed the Holy Ghost, “It is necessary that I leave but I will send you the comforter.”  The very breath of life, how blessed we are to have that breath of life in us of the Holy Spirit.

Do you feel sent?  Jesus told Peter, “If you love me then you will feed my lambs.”  Peter was sent and each of us is sent to be a witness and a testimony to the world.  This is how it is to be for each one of us.  It must be bigger than each of us.

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word.”  Feed my sheep and my lambs.  Are we willing to have an arm full of bottles?  Babies take a lot of care.  Lambs and sheep take a lot of care. 

Mar 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Mar 16:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

We have to take a whole lot in if we are to have anything to feed out.  This is what He told His disciples.   We are not all called to be a preacher, but we are all called to be followers and to be a witness.  Many times our lives are speaking louder than words.

Mat 28:16  Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

Mat 28:17  And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

What a wonderful promise.  On every one of these before He sent some out it said, “Some doubted.”  If you are having a battle with faith, don’t feel like you are lost, but say, “I’m going to get the victory and have faith.” 

There is victory to conquer every foe and that is why Jesus died.  We don’t want to settle for anything less than the victory that Jesus purchased for us.

Act 1:1  The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

Act 1:2  Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Act 1:3  To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Act 1:4  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

Act 1:5  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Act 1:6  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Act 1:7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Act 1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Sometimes we are thinking, “Well are we going to do this or that; build on this or go this other way?”  Sometimes it is not given unto us to even know.  This is a mission unto each of us; you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you.

Heb 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

Heb 3:1  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Heb 3:2  Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

We are all partakers of the heavenly calling and consider the High Priest of our profession Christ Jesus who was faithful.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

I’ve been reading “Alcoholic anonymous”.  It brings out several premises: no one will be free of alcohol without God’s help; they must acknowledge the need is greater than themselves.  They must then go out and tell others.  There is no greater joy than to rescue someone else that thinks there is no hope than to tell them they can be free. 

There was a story told of a man that went to a friend’s house to try to rescue him.  He sat down and his friend offered him a drink and he refused.  The friend after a while of visiting said, “What has happened to you?”  The man replied, “I got religion and I’ve come to give it to you.  I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to give into alcohol. 

The joy that is set before us.  If you feel that you have lost your joy then go tell someone about what Jesus has done for you and what He can work in their life.