steadfast love

Sermon 84 in Series

Exodus 34:6b-9

[6b] “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, [7] keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” [8] And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. [9] And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.   How does the desire to see God’s glory function as a test for authenticity? Why does it drive us to Scripture and our future hope?
2.   As God describes his name, what characteristics stand out to you? How does it inform or correct your view of him?
3.   How does God’s name hold together mercy and justice? In what ways does this render other “gods” deficient?
4.   How does this passage protect us from presuming on God’s grace? How can mercy or justice be emphasized at the expense of the other?
5.   What does it look like for us to practice God’s name? How does this passage challenge you in the areas of grace, forgiveness, patience, and anger?
6.   How did Moses respond to this revelation? How are you encouraged to bow down and/or lean in?

References: 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2; Exodus 3:14-15; Matthew 12:31; Exodus 20:5; John 1:14; Romans 3:24-25; 2:4; 6:1-2; Luke 6:36; Matthew 6:12; Proverbs 19:11; Psalm 116:1-5.

Psalm 136 is a call to give thanks to the Lord for his goodness. It is also a call to give thanks for his many benefits to his people such as those found in creation and those benefits that are part of salvation. 

Verses from Psalms 129, 130, and 131 remind us that God is our deliver, teach us to seek God when we are in despair, and call us to humility before the Lord.

Are you striving to surrender more in your faith? Guest Kari Levang and I realize how often we fail to recognize God's steadfastness and find ourselves trying to be the steadfast ones. How about a shift in perspective - from working harder to surrendering more and relying on God's unwavering love and mercy. We dive into the concept of HIS rest and how it provides peace and confidence and direction in our lives.

We also take a look at the impact of God's steadfast love on our relationships. As we experience his love firsthand, we increase in our ability to give and receive love with those we are in relationship with. Kari and I have practiced this a lot and can attest to the long and hard but worthwhile journey. We share some of our personal story and experiences, and chat about the crucial role of community in our growth as disciples of Jesus.

Join us as we challenge ourselves to remain firm in the Lord's strength, identify the enemy's tactics, and stand unshaken during difficult times. Jesus sure embodied this by the power of the Spirit! We hope that our journey of recognizing God's unwavering love, mercy, and strength inspires you to tap into these divine gifts to overcome your challenges and live a fulfilling life. 

God – in God’s goodness and steadfast love – stands with the poor, the vulnerable, and the oppressed, in the place of deepest need. In our anger, God invites us to stand there too. The imprecatory psalms point us to the deep pain in the world; they point us to the peril of our propensity for violence; and they point us – through all that – to seek the goodness of God, who is always standing there, in the place of deepest need.

2 Samuel 9: 1-7 // Tom Nelson

Early in David’s story, he is described as a man after God’s own heart. Having a heart for God means loving as God loves. David respectfully, honorably and it would seem warmly, calls Mephibosheth by name. The writer of Samuel wants to emphasize that here. David’s loving action of speaking Mephibosheth’s name is an encouraging reminder for each of us that one of the ways we can communicate love to others is by greeting them by name, others we may not know well or are meeting for the first time. God knows our name and calls us by name. One of our first acts of love is working to remember others’ names and calling them by name. This is an example as loving as God loves. Do we actively love as God loves? Do we show kindness to our neighbors? Do we have a heart that loves and serves the vulnerable?
 
Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49095508

Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new

23.07.02

1 Samuel 18: 1-9; 19:1 // Caleb Jenkins

As we explore the story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel, we’ll consider three myths in our culture about friendship that prevent us from experiencing friendship the way it’s meant to be, and more than that, keep us from being the kind of friend that others need. As we consider the kind of friend that Jonathan is, we’ll see three truths from this story that counter our culture’s myths, and also point beyond friendship to a deeper human need we have. We all want a friend who makes our friendship primary, who’s intentional with us, and who sticks with us even when it’s costly…. But it’s much harder to be that kind of friend for others. What might it look like for you to take a step towards sacrificing in your friendships?

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49085248

Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2553/responses/new

23.06.04

1 Samuel 18: 1-9; 19:1 // Bill Gorman

As we explore the story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel, we’ll consider three myths in our culture about friendship that prevent us from experiencing friendship the way it’s meant to be, and more than that, keep us from being the kind of friend that others need. As we consider the kind of friend that Jonathan is, we’ll see three truths from this story that counter our culture’s myths, and also point beyond friendship to a deeper human need we have. We all want a friend who makes our friendship primary, who’s intentional with us, and who sticks with us even when it’s costly…. But it’s much harder to be that kind of friend for others. What might it look like for you to take a step towards sacrificing in your friendships?

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49085245

Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2546/responses/new

23.06.04

1 Samuel 18-20 / Caleb Jenkins

Today, as we explore the story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel, I want to convince you that there are three myths in our culture about friendship that prevent us from experiencing friendship the way it’s meant to be, and more than that, keep us being the kind of friend that we as humans need. We’ll see, especially as we consider the kind of friend that Jonathan is, three truths from this story that counter our culture’s myths, and also point beyond friendship to a deeper human need we have.These three truths are Recognizing the importance of friendship enables our flourishing. Our friendships should be intentional. Friendship is Costly. We all want a friend who makes our friendship primary, who’s intentional with us, and sticks with us even when it’s costly…. But it’s much harder to be that kind of friend for others. What might it look like for you to take a step towards sacrificing in your friendships?

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/49081665
Prayer Requests: https://ccefc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/2509/responses/new

23.05.28

Listen as we meditate on Psalm 136:1-9, 26.  The scripture is from  ESV.
This week’s public prayer of the church is titled  “Thanks,”  by  St. Francis of Assissi

Public domain prayer of the church
https://acollectionofprayers.com/2019/02/04/thanks/

Music by Lara Marriott. Breathe In (The Presence of God) from her I Will Follow album, available in iTunes and Amazon.

Follow Lectio Podcast on Twitter @LectioPodcast

Thanks for Listening.

Get updates, encouragements, or just connect and follow Lectio Podcast on Twitter @LectioPodcast

Listen as we meditate on Lamentations 3:19-27.  The scripture is from  ESV.

This week’s public prayer of the church a  “Steadfast Love, Pure Desires,”  and is modified from  The Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church

Public domain prayer of the church
https://acollectionofprayers.com/2016/07/07/steadfast-love-pure-desires/ 

Music by Lara Marriott. Breathe In (The Presence of God) from her I Will Follow album, available in iTunes and Amazon.

Follow Lectio Podcast on Twitter @LectioPodcast

Thanks for Listening.

Get updates, encouragements, or just connect and follow Lectio Podcast on Twitter @LectioPodcast

We thank you for joining us here at Elim church on this online streaming service. You have been listening to Reverend Ben Cooper, Donnie Stockburn. Andy Hammond, as we have holy communion together as we pray for the online church prayer requests as they come through on the social media feeds, we read from the Old Testament, and also from the New Testament.