On 3-2-14, 2 Samuel 7:4-16 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as An Eternal Kingdom

An Eternal Kingdom

2 Samuel 7:4-16

International Sunday School Lesson

March 2, 2014

                                                                                 

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

This week in 2 Samuel 7:4-16 we can see a wonderful continuation of our lesson from James last week.

When I wrote my commentary on James 3:1-12 and the taming of the tongue, I concentrated on the first verse’s mention of not all who aspire to be teachers should do so.  In that commentary I touched on our need to utilize our Holy Spirit given gifts and that not all who teach are given to do that.  In most cases those individuals who fall in that category are doing it in love but that doesn’t make it God’s will.

This week we see in David another example of love attempting to go against God’s will.  That doesn’t seem possible but it is.

Has God taken you “from the pasture”?  Has He “been with you wherever you have gone”?

I believe that most Christians active in their faith should be able to answer this in the affirmative as God has been active in their lives and so they react.  Just as David wanted to do for God we want to glorify Him.

God is not offended by this as we see from the rest of the scripture.  He in a no nonsense matter says in affect like He did to David, “Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?  Or it might be, “are you the one to preach?”  Or, “are you the one to teach?”  Or, “are you the one to have this ministry or another?”

I don’t think many of us could be doing much if we haven’t set out on a course of glorifying God and failed or at least had mediocre results because we weren’t on the right path.  There isn’t anything wrong with wanting to do it but as we can see God does have specific roles for us to accomplish that.

I find today’s scripture encouraging because I too have failed in attempts and yet I know just as God still loved David He still loves me.  I have overreached, I have at times been sure in the attempts only to fail.  Rather like the old saying, “It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.”  I firmly believe that determining God’s roles for our lives, in other words His will, is all a part of our maturing as Christians (Romans 12:2).  I don’t see in my own children anything wrong when they try their best and fail in fact I expect it and I encourage them to try again until they get it right.

We as Christians likewise will rarely enter into the perfect place to bring glory to God the first time.  As a result many will fail to try again.  Some will plow on stubbornly refusing to recognize the error.  There was no way David was going to go on and build this temple to God because it wasn’t what God wanted but He didn’t abandon God.

Let’s admit our missteps, let’s help those who have likewise stepped into wrong roles and let’s all grow in our lives as Christians.  This is the way we will determine God’s perfect will for us which will bring Him glory.

For Discussion:

1.      Have people offer examples from their own lives in which they had an experience “similar” to David’s.

2.      Discuss how some might react to such a disappointment.

3.      Discuss the opposite where success came in attempts to bring God glory.

4.      Discuss how sometimes we won’t admit we were wrong in our attempts.

5.      Discuss different reasons people might not be willing to admit their mistake.

6.      Discuss how people can know they are on the right track.

Upcoming Lessons

3-9-14         Son of David, Psalm 89:35-37, Isaiah 9:6, 7; Matthew 1:18-23 or Psalm 89:35-37

3-16-14       Peter’s Report, Psalm 110:1-4, Acts 2:22-27, 29-32 or Acts 2:22-36

3-23-14       Worthy is the Lamb, Revelation 5:5-13 or 5:6-13

3-30-14        Triumphant and Victorious, Zechariah 9:9, 10; Matthew 21:1-11

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 2-23-14, James 3:1-12 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Control Your Speech

Control Your Speech

James 3:1-12

International Sunday School Lesson

February 23, 2014

                                                                                 

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

There is any number of ways that you can deal with this week’s lesson.  As a student you can concentrate on the thought that our words can wreak havoc, especially words of anger or negativism and it may be a fairly easy lesson.  But consider that many teachers will read the first verse and freeze.  They remember with regret the mistakes they’ve made and perhaps worst of all, the mistakes made unknowingly.

I would ask for all to pray about this first verse and those that teach.  Not just student for teacher but teachers for themselves.

Consider that some students should be teaching and some teachers shouldn’t be.  Are you brave enough to remove yourself from a position that you lovingly volunteered for or accepted?  Many have misconstrued their gifts and their love for God and the church and entered into areas of need for which they weren’t intended.  And many more have ignored their Holy Spirit given gift and the need for them to utilize that ability.

James talks of the consequences of what we say likening the power of the tongue to a bit guiding a powerful horse, a small rudder a ship or the destructive nature of fire.

Our teachers guide us.  With those that are gifted by God showing what He intended through His word guiding us along a proper path.  And with those who are not meant to teach often times leading us off that narrow path.  It doesn’t matter whether it is intentional or not as the negative consequences that result are legitimate and should be given grave consideration and I will give you what I think is a major example.

Consider versions of the Bible.  Different versions are labored over by scores of individuals who devote themselves to hour upon hour studying the original text in hopes of communicating best what was meant. 

Some working on what is produced interject underlying motivations.  The example that is forefront of my mind is the current NIV.  Do a little research on the version now versus what was before.  Now ask yourself why all sorts of versions from KJV to the Revised Standard to The Voice and so on are available online but the previous version of the NIV is not.  You can access and compare if you own it but they aren’t letting you buy new ones or look at it online.

Will you ask why?  Will you consider what teaching from one and not the other accomplishes?  Does one steer you closer to the path and the other off?

Teaching comes in many forms and all will be judged.  Yes, I think we should pray for teaching.

For Discussion:

1.      Discuss teachers from your past.

2.      Discuss things to look for in ourselves concerning what we say.

3.      Discuss how you have been affected by what has been said to you.

4.      Discuss how you have affected others by what you have said.

5.      Taming the tongue I contend is not as easy as it might seem.  Discuss why.

6.      Is taming the tongue a process of Sanctification.

7.      What is a nasty tongue indicating about the individual Christian?

8.      Discuss what seems like good speech on the outside but turns out not to be.

9.      Prepare a plan to pray all week daily for those that teach.

Upcoming Lessons

2-23-14       Control Your Speech, James 3:1-12

3-2-14         An Eternal Kingdom, 2 Samuel 7:4-16

3-9-14         Son of David, Psalm 89:35-37, Isaiah 9:6, 7; Matthew 1:18-23 or Psalm 89:35-37

3-16-14       Peter’s Report, Psalm 110:1-4, Acts 2:22-27, 29-32 or Acts 2:22-36

3-23-14       Worthy is the Lamb, Revelation 5:5-13 or 5:6-13

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 2-16-14, James 2:14-26 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Show Your Faith by Your Works

Show Your Faith by Your Works

James 2:14-26

International Sunday School Lesson

February 16, 2014

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

Real faith naturally shows results.  We know by our hunger to be involved, to be in His word, to witness and to make a difference. 

In some places where our brothers and sisters worship it is easy to do and in others, well, not so much.  For the latter the biggest loss is among those who are new to their faith so I cannot stress how important it is to get them off to a good start.

My experience shows that our communication skills are suffering badly as we go backwards in age.  I will lay the blame at the feet of our electronic age as we get further and further from writing and conversing at length, favoring instead abbreviations and snippets.  What makes it more amazing is that this is despite the massive and quick amount of communication outlets we now have.  It would be hard to compare the advancement in communicating God’s word and the message of the gospel with the first mass printing of the Bible with how we are doing with the “advancements” we have today.

What makes it worse is that those who are coming up eventually don’t know they aren’t communicating very well as it becomes the norm for them. 

So what’s the answer? 

1.      You must try and make a difference anyway.

2.      You must hold people accountable by rocking the boat once and awhile.

3.      People who think they are succeeding at communicating should ask anyway if they are doing things the best way.  No one should be satisfied with the status quo.

4.      People must realize that their favorite ways of communicating are not everyone’s.

There are other answers but I feel that this idea of communication is critical if all are to be involved in their faith.

In conclusion I’d like to communicate to you a few areas where I feel you can demonstrate your faith.  Perhaps there are some areas you hadn’t considered and I will have accomplished what I set out to do.

First and foremost begin where you worship, second expand your deeds into the kingdom at large and finally progress to those without.  Here is a short list:

The widowed

The orphan

The poor

The homeless

The prisoner

The hungry

The immigrant

The oppressed

Missionaries

Other ministries

The spreading of the gospel

Finally, I would like you to remember as I often remind that as Christians we are all gifted by the Holy Spirit with different abilities.  These gifts should be utilized in many of the deeds you do.  For some there will be multiple gifts and that is great but certainly we all have deeds to perform from teaching to encouraging, from giving to managing.

Our ultimate role is as assistants to each other working out our deeds in this manner so that the many make the complete whole.

For Discussion:

1.      Discuss who might not be currently being reached where you worship.  I’d start looking at those advancing in age.  There is much yet for them to do and to do for them.

2.      Examine what is in place to communicate to those new in their faith the importance of being more than a spectator.

3.      Discuss what is in place for those just mentioned to have a place where you worship from the new, the old, the men, the women and couples.

4.      If you meet in groups such as in couples in your homes how do new couples join in if you don’t regularly invite them.  Some will decline by nature so keeping asking as they may start feeling secure.

5.      True shepherds (pastors and elders) know their flock.  The bigger the flock the more the challenge.

6.      Discuss ideas you have where people can get involved with their faith in addition to my list above.

Upcoming Lessons

2-16-14       Show Your Faith by Your Works, James 2:14-26

2-23-14       Control Your Speech, James 3:1-12

3-2-14         An Eternal Kingdom, 2 Samuel 7:4-16

3-9-14         Son of David, Psalm 89:35-37, Isaiah 9:6, 7; Matthew 1:18-23 or Psalm 89:35-37

3-16-14       Peter’s Report, Psalm 110:1-4, Acts 2:22-27, 29-32 or Acts 2:22-36

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 2-9-14, James 2:1-13 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Treat Everyone Equally

Treat Everyone Equally

James 2:1-13

International Sunday School Lesson

February 9, 2014

Commentary

By

Jed Greenough

On the surface today’s scripture seems simple enough to be obedient concerning but I feel it is deeper than that.  This seems most apparent to me because though I am familiar with this scripture each time I revisit it I seem to feel I am reminded anew to follow this direction.  Why?

Unlike God we surround ourselves with our favorites.  Think about your own life.  We choose that special someone to be our mate.  Now that is favoritism.  We have favorite colors, foods, drinks, clothes, seasons, authors, TV shows, and even favorite versions of the Bible.  We go to our churches and classes and groups and we have our favorite places to sit and people to sit near and visit with.

This isn’t the problem, I’m confident of that.  No, if we look at this scripture we see favoritism that results in someone being ill-treated or unfairly treated or unequally treated as a result.

It can be a challenge for a pastor to attempt to engage one person in conversation and have a difficult go of it and then attempt to converse with them just as earnestly again.  It might be difficult for some to invite a person they are intimidated by to join their bible study.  A committee chairperson may find it hard to conclude that a shabby person is suitable to join them as compared to the person dressed to the nines.

Knowing this, my idea is that we need to develop a mindset of people being like rungs of a ladder in how we treat them.  First you have to get by the negative connotation that might have to you from what we would normally think that means and the oversimplification this format puts on the example.  Next we must never forget that with regard to Christians we are not the same with regard to how we have been gifted by the Holy Spirit.  Just as one example, those who have the gift of encouragement or management are not the ones you should ask to teach and vice versa but this is not favoritism as I defined the bad results above.  Instead in our general dealing of people, each person whether chic or shabby, poor or affluent, man, woman or child should be approached and dealt with the same as if, yes, they were a rung on a ladder we are climbing with the first one just as important as the next.

This is how we want God to think about us and what we need to remind ourselves to do.

For Discussion:

1.      Do you greet one another as a part of your church service?  I know you gravitate towards the same people.  This is an example of favoritism.  Get in the habit of starting at the nearest person and work in a direction regardless of who they are.

2.      Make it a point to weekly attempt a conversation with a person where you worship.  The next week the next person.  The next week another person and so on treating each person the same.  You can visit with your favorites later!

3.      Discuss your favorites and why you are glad God isn’t like that.

4.      See Acts 10:34

5.      Discuss what God thinks of those who love Him versus those who do not.

6.      See 1 Timothy 5:21

7.      Discuss what is meant by the poor of verse 5.

8.      Discuss judging people so as to choose one over another.

Upcoming Lessons

2-16-14       Show Your Faith by Your Works, James 2:14-26

2-23-14       Control Your Speech, James 3:1-12

3-2-14         An Eternal Kingdom, 2 Samuel 7:4-16

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved