Week 5
Share
ICEBREAKERS
- What is your favorite dish on Thanksgiving?
- Share one thing you are thankful for?
- Share one person in your life that you are thankful for.
OPEN IN PRAYER
MESSAGE REVIEW
The church has a closed mouth about issues that need to be addressed from the pulpit. I’m tired of seeing people depressed, addicted, and doing things they hate and not knowing the reason why. Tired of seeing people attracting the same kind of people that they don’t like but they still attract them. There are so many things that are happening in our lives and we are fighting it, but we don’t know what and who we are fighting. This leads to frustration, anger, depression, addiction, promiscuity, unfaithfulness…it can take us into a million directions. It doesn’t mean that people are bad people, it means that people are swinging against an enemy that they cannot see. Where the pulpit is silent, the people struggle!
At Redemption, we are a church that does not skip pages, if it’s in the Word; we’re going to talk about it. We shouldn’t lose control of our emotions when it comes down to spiritual things or demons. Think about the demonic movies that are shown often…Hollywood is not worried about showing demons. However, in the church where we have authority over demons, we do not like to talk about it. We’re going to talk about the demonic and the different ways that they try to influence our lives. The enemy is the most lethal when he masquerades as an angel of light. Which means you can’t really tell what is behind the mask. The enemy comes looking like one thing but he’s really something else. Those are the kind of enemies that I’m trying to alert us of.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!
· Read Exodus 20:4-5
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;” 5 “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,”
I believe what we’re dealing with today that is displayed publicly, a generation or two ago people struggled with privately. It was a private struggle but what happens with every generation that grows? The things that are unconfronted increases. Nothing stays the same, if it’s not confronted, it becomes bigger. The word iniquity is not sin; sin is where we “miss the mark”. God has standards of righteousness and holiness and when we miss the mark, that’s called sin. Sin is not when God is mad at us but when grace is supplied to us. In our weak times is when God shows up and becomes our strength. He does not throw us away when we miss the mark, because we all miss the mark every day. Grace is a supply that comes and does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. It makes up the difference between us and the standard that God has put in place. We always try to live in such a way that pleases God, but when we don’t, He is still gracious, merciful, and loving towards us!
The word iniquity means to be bent or twisted. When we are born with our natural bloodline, do not think it’s odd that Jesus said two things have to happen. Number one Jesus had to spill blood, and the blood did not come from the mother that was of the Earth which was Mary. It came from the Father that overshadowed Mary and she conceived. The Father determines the bloodline and it was heavenly and untouched by any human. Why? Because blood had to spill, that was perfect because my blood is contaminated. Number two, to inherit eternal life you have to be born again. Because my first birth twisted me, so I have to be born again. He was wounded for our transgressions and He was bruised for our iniquities.
What is one thing that you think affects all of us in our Christian walk that we may try to keep private?
· Read Isaiah 6:1-8
1“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” 2 “Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.” 3“And one cried to another and said:” Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.” 5“So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” 6 “So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.” 7 “And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” 8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Jesus has done so much for us! He died on the cross for our sins…He has protected us and sacrificed so much for us so that we can live a life that is more abundant and fulfilling. He loves you more than you know! Think of some ways that God has shown up in your life personally. How do you win the fight against the enemy when it comes down to spiritual attacks and warfare? If you feel comfortable, share with the group!
PRAYER FOCUS & REQUESTS
Support one another in sharing prayer requests and celebrate praise reports. Share prayers in which you are “standing in the gap” for someone or something to happen.