Mid-Week Bible Study Lessons – Growing by Knowing with Pastor DeWayne Cason

This week’s lesson focuses on the disciplined practice of praying, it’s process and purpose. Pastor Cason helps us understand and know what prayer is through the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was called, master, Rabboni, teacher among many other things. His followers or disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Our lessons text takes us to Luke 11:1-4 where Pastor Cason begins Learning from the Lord’s Model Prayer

There is a technical side to prayer in which we communicate with the Lord our God in the prescribed method as was just shared by Jesus to his disciples. And then there is a practical side of prayer where we can apply regarding our personal relationship with our God

Mid-Week Study – Lesson on Growing Up In Christ

You the members of New Berean are our first concern and we want to make sure you are being looked out for. We are constantly exploring ways to minister to the people of God. And the Lord has been gracious to us as we are using the online platforms to keep you informed, encouraged and aware. We are also asking you to keep us informed and aware of the things that are important to you through the Deacon ministry and your ministry Leaders. The Prayer Warriors are always communicating to us encouraging and uplifting daily message. With so much being said and to say, let be said in prayer and with words bathed in love and intended to edify (Eph. 4:1-4)

God is In Control – In a world of so many uncertainties, we all can be left in a fog of confusion and be overwhelmed. These events can have us so captivated we lose focus. In a recent message by Pastor Ricks, he reminded us that no matter we are experiencing, the God of the bible whom we love and more so loves us is still in control as he always has and always will.

We all need to be encouraged in these times. So many of us have been impacted (either directly or indirectly) by the ills of this viral pandemic. Our encouragement to you today and everyday is to:

• Trust The Lord (Proverbs 3:5) – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding”. No matter the circumstance, the Lord our God wants us to place our complete trust in Him, and his ability, to sustain, rescue deliver and help us. In trusting him, he will give us a peace that completely overcomes our human comprehension.
• Be Found Faithful (I Cor. 4:2) – “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful”. The principle applies to every aspect of our lives. From serving to giving, from treating others, praying, worshiping and ministering to following the following and obeying magistrates and those in authority we are expected to be faithful (Tit. 3:1).
• Remain Committed to The Commission of Christ Pointing Others to Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20) With all of heaven’s authority, we have been mandated to share and take the gospel to the world. We are being asked to explore and use the means of communication to tell of the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Sins of the People (verses 1-4)

Sin in its simplest form is the act of violating the established law. Israel’s history and heritage had been formed and shape by the divine wisdom of the Lord Jehovah (Ex. 13:3). God established himself early in their existence and reminded them often of who he was and their responsibility to him. For many reasons they were both prone to and susceptible to violating God’s law. In this week’s lesson, we find them in the same situation again but in his loving and character of compassion, the Lord shares with them through his prophet Isaiah, that he will redeem them.

Yet even in their rebellion against God and his word, he remained gracious and kind towards them. He reminds them that no matter how far they would stray away or how deep into the darkness of their sins, they are never too far from his reach (v 1-2). He too hears their cries even though it seems he’s not listening. . He is not willing for any of them to perish, but in his longsuffering way waits in anticipation. God explains to them the reason for the calamity (v 3). He wants them to judge themselves and return again unto himself (v 4) but no one does. If they would judge themselves, then he would not have to judge them (cf. I Cor. 11:31).

Redemptive Work of God (verses 15-21)

The love of the Lord towards his people is great. He is willing to go to great lengths to demonstrate his love. He even allows them to use his standards of righteousness to judge themselves before he exerts his own authority to judge (v 16, 17). But there was no one who would intercede and plead for them, so he becomes Zion’s Redeemer (v 16, 17). He clothes himself with all of the attributes of the righteous judge with righteousness, zeal, vengeance and salvation.

God declares what he will do to their enemies equaled to the acts or crimes committed (v 18) and the subsequent results of falling into the hands of the living God (v 19). Fear is used here in both forms of respect and terror. There times when fearing the Lord is to respect him and then there are times when terror is the proper response. But none the less, the God is to be feared by all at all times.

God promises to be the redeemer of Zion (his holy place in Israel, v 20, 21). The condition is for them to turn away from their sin and towards the holiest of their Lord. This is repentance in its truest form. And the Lord God seals his word with this covenant with his Spirit upon them and his words in their mouths.

There are many emotions we’re experiencing. We know people who are struggling from day to day with so many unknowns but God wants us to know beyond the shadow of doubt, we are loved personally with an everlasting love.

While in exile, bondage and enslavement under the strong hand of various captives, Israel experienced a full spectrum of emotion. From loneliness, to abandonment, to despair to everything else in between. God’s people were at a lost or perceived there were lost. Even though to some degree, they were in the position because of their own disobedience and rebellion, they were still loved. Jer. 31:2-4 reminds us that the Lord our God loves his people beyond they could ever imagine.

Feelings are not always indicative of truth. Our feelings will override and overwhelm at time (if allowed) but we have the assurance that no matter where we are or what state we find ourselves, we are to rest in the unshakable reality of God’s love for us. Storms will come, the bellows may rise and pandemics season will hover, but :

• We are chosen, selected and saved by God’s love (John 3:16, Romans 5:8) and
• We are sustained and kept by the love of God (Romans 8:30-38)

If you or someone you know has recently experienced overwhelming feelings, encourage yourself (as David did) and them in the reality of the everlasting love you are loved.

Good morning, we would like to thank you for joining us for another edition of Pulpit Points. Please continue to pray for one another and that we can be a greater blessing to each other. In our time of “social distancing” we are encouraging you to be considerate of those who are less fortunate, those who have lost loved ones due to this COVID-19 virus and those who are unsure where their next paycheck or meal is coming from. Pray for those who are expected to care for those are ill, in nursing homes and incarcerated. Those who keep the store shelves stocked with the supplies we need. Ask the Lord to not only guide and give wisdom to our civic leaders and medical experts but that they would listen and be open to obey His wisdom. May our tongues not be as open to criticize as they are to extend prayers. Again, thank you for your diligence in your support both in service and your financial giving to New Berean. Please be safe, take care of yourself and your family as we are stay focused of God’s desire and will for your life. Be thankful.

And now another message from Pulpit Points with Pastor Leroy Ricks, Sr…

Pray As Jabez Prayed – God cares more for us than we can ever imagine. He reminds us that, faith is what pleases Him (Heb. 11:6). He reminds us in His word, that our thoughts do not measure up to His (Isa. 55:8-9) and that we must not be double-minded (Jam 1:5-8)

In today’s message, Pastor Ricks shared with the congregation a message entitled, “Pray Like Jabez Prayed”. In the prayer Jabez offered to the Lord his God (1 Chronicles 4:9-10), he left for us a model of things we can specifically petition the Lord for things in our own life. Jabez prayed:

• Bless Me Lord – Knowing the Lord as we do, we know He is in the business of blessing his children. We ought to all be in line to talk to our heavenly Father to make our requests of blessings to him.
• Enlarge My Territory – Specifically, what are we looking for from our Father? He wants us to come to his holy throne in confidence (I John 5:14). We can go to him and lay out exactly the concerns and issues weighing heavy on our heart.
• That Your Hand Lord, Would Be With Me –
• God, Keep Me From Evil, That I May Not Cause Pain

God’s desire for us is to know we can trust Him and he cares for us. Be encouraged that just as Jabez prayed, we can go to our Lord in faith and boldly ask for grace to help in our time of need (Heb. 4:14-16)

The Assurance of Answered Prayer

With our world so unstable, what assurances do we have? In a continuation of of our Mid-Week Bible Study series, “Lessons of Growing Up In Christ“, Part II focuses in on the “Assurance of Answered Prayer.

From the scripture text I John 5:14, 15, Pastor Cason will address these questions as a means to help us in our prayer life:

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. I John 5:14, 15

• What is prayer?
• Who’s name should you pray?
• What does it mean to pray in accordance with His will?
• What are some hinderances to answered prayer?
• What is the wrong response to difficult circumstances?
• Who does God listen to?
• And what results do we get from prayer

The world is desperately looking for some resolution, some end to the world-wide demise we find ourselves in. There is almost no State in the union that has not been directly impacted by the virus that has spread across our country. We seem in some communities have struggled trying to make heads or tails about what is happening and more so, is this coming to my house. We just don’t know.

The church pews may be empty but our hope is full. there will come a time when the Lord will open up again. There church doors will have greeters and ushers standing there with big smiles, welcomes and programs of the things that you may experience once you come in. But until then we have been placed where we are and where we are is where we are to grow and bloom. Jesus told the woman he met at the well that worship, service and a practical display of Christ has never been limited or restricted to the church building (John 4:22-24). Her thinking of worship at the time was limited to a particular place. But as the Lord can only speak truth, he set her free with his words. He shared with her that worship is a personal expression that ought to be expressed before the presence of the omnipresence of the Almighty God wherever we may find ourselves not just in a facility.

God tells us in Psalm 31:24 we can and ought to be encouraged by the truth of his word. Regardless of our present condition, our God gives us hope in his word which speak of his inability to lie (Titus 1:2). The hope we have will strengthen our heart. So as we face the world today and tomorrow, we can experience it power, love and and with a sound mind. We Have Hope.

Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24

Years ago, Pastor Ricks was preaching a message to the congregation assembled at one of the Sunday morning services. In his message, he used the phrase “stay focused”. His intent was to first address the reality that at times our focus can be clouded or distorted based upon immediate situations and circumstances. And secondly, he wanted to redirect our spiritual eyes to the source of our hope and deliverance. Too much of our time is caught up into these things can weaken our faith. As the people of God, we represent a glorious and godly Kingdom.

Israel experienced something similar when the Philistines sought to overcome and takeover (I Samuel 17) them. The Philistines and their champion warrior, Goliath challenged the army of the Lord and a short standoff ensued. The Philistines on one mountain, the Israelites on another and a valley between them. While intimidation and conquer was in the minds of the enemy, fear and doubt gripped the people of God. Their focused was distorted by the size and the immediate threat of the opposing armies.

Our situations may be as real as they are, but we are never to forget but ever be reminded of the God we serve is able to settle our hearts and refocus of faith. As intimating as they are, God is and will always the mighty God who rules, reigns delivers and defends his people – his name sake. True, we are not able to save ourselves or others from every situation, but Eph. 3:20 reminds us God is able. David was told by soldiers in the Lord’s army that he was not skilled enough to challenge the nine-foot warrior of warriors of the mighty Philistine army. They had lost their focus. These were God’s people who had succumbed to the threat before them and lost focus of who they represented. But David had these words for them and these words speak a timeless truth to us today.

"Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” I Samuel 17:37

David demonstrated a level of peace, confidence and authority over the enemy of God. It was not as personal as we may consider but it became personal when God’s name was profaned and people threatened. Regardless of the threat, we are always encouraged that nothing is above the power of our God.

Daily seek the Lord our God to be refocused by the authority we live in which offers us the spirit of power, love and a sound mind (II Tim. 1:7). The Lord will settle us and give us peace that surpasses all human comprehension.