MID WEEK NEWS FOR JULY 31 PLEASE REMEMBER IN PRAYER: Richard Cowell Rev. Rick Cepris Ruth Lawson Janice Mitchell’s daughter, Charlotte Doug Mather’s Mom, Peg Tim Nordland’s grandmother, Elsie Bruce Burr – healing Pastor Mike Sperry Bob Peppel John Adolphson Ben Bemis Tina Schwab Hannah Beason Doretta Fleet Danette Tucker Dan Downey Peggy Paul Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 PM AA Meetings are held at the church on Wednesday evenings beginning at 7 PM Pastor Larry will be away on vacation August 7th – 16th. Committees will meet on Monday, August 11th at 6:30 PM. Communion will be served at both services on Sunday, August 17th. Session will meet on Monday, August 18th at 7:00 PM. Women’s Indoor Picnic will be held on TUESDAY, AUGUST 19TH AT 6:00 PM in the fellowship hall. Keith and Natalie Stroup will be speaking about bees. This is a catered event. Please sign up on the board in the entry way if you plan on attending. All women of the church and guest are urged to attend. Healing and Prayer Service coming September 7th at 7:00 PM. Sermon Cliff’s Notes: Genesis 32:22-31 Matthew 14:13-21 We are wrestling with some very difficult issues this week in the Jacob cycle and the principles of the Kingdom of heaven put into action. Jacob has labored for Laban for 20 years in order to receive the hand of Rachel, his beloved wife, and maintain the flocks of Laban. Jacob, his two wives, and his eleven children have snuck away from Laban and are headed toward the land of Esau. Jacob sends flocks and herds of animals ahead of him as a way to appease Esau’s anger and test his brother’s intentions. Hearing that Esau is approaching with 400 warriors, Jacob divides his family and his animals into two groups so that some of his possessions might survive Esau’s wrath. Sending his family across the river Jabbok, Jacob returns to the other side to spend a very restless night. During the night, a man, demon, or God wrestles with Jacob until nearly dawn. Seeing that Jacob prevailed in the struggle, the opponent injured Jacob’s hip. With the dawn approaching the challenger wants Jacob to release his hold. Jacob firmly holds his grip and demands a blessing from his adversary, “Then he (foe) said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me,” (v. 26). After asking his name, the phantom wrestler changes Jacob’s name to Israel, “Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed,” (v. 28). Jacob realizes he has risked his very life as he grappled with God face to face and survived the struggle. God was true to his promises at Bethel as the Lord blessed Jacob with a new name that reflected Jacob’s new walk with his God. This Old Testament passage contains several word plays in the Hebrew language. Wrestle (abaq), Jabbok, and Jacob sound very similar when spoken aloud. Jacob also names the place where he wrestles with God Peniel which is near the place Penuel. Our New Testament passage also deals with individuals wrestling with God as we continue our development of the issues of the Kingdom of Heaven. John the Baptist has just been martyred by Herod. Hearing the news, Jesus seeks an isolated place where he can rest and mourn the loss of this cousin. The crowds continue to flow out of the local towns wanting to hear more of the teachings of Jesus and seeking healing for their ailments. Setting aside his own needs, Jesus compassionately cures their diseases well into the evening. The disciples urge Jesus to send the vast crowd back into the towns so the people might find food. Jesus uses this situation to teach the disciples and the people a firsthand example of the Kingdom of Heaven, “Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat,” (v. 16). Much like the teachings of the mustard seed and the yeast in relation to the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus takes the meager offerings of 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed the vast multitude. Preventing a mobbing of the small amount of food, Jesus has the disciples organize the crowd in small groups while the Lord blessed the picnic, “Then he (Jesus) ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds,” (v. 19). Just as with the teachings of the vastness of the Kingdom, there are more leftovers than the original amount of food, “And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children,” (vv. 20-21). How often have we allotted our circumstances of live to hold us captive much like Jacob and the disciples in our respective passages this Sunday? Jacob finally realized that he had grappled with God face to face, received a blessing from God, and lived to share his experience with others by the new way he limped. The disciples observed a blessing from God in the form of life giving food. What is the evidence of our wrestling match with the Lord and our observations of his blessings in our everyday lives?
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:45:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015