adoration – Harmony Bible

Section 44 | Week 30

This week our study illustrates how prayer was an essential aspect of Jesus’ relationship with His Father and an integrated quality of his life, ministry, mission and strategy. In light of this, and instruction throughout the Scriptures we must integrate the same discipline into our lives or suffer the perils of pride, prayer anemia, and spiritual malnutrition.

Scripture:

[one_third last=”no”]Matthew 4:23-35

23 Jesus went about in all Galilee,¹ teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 The report about him went out into all Syria.² They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them. 25 Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan followed him.[/one_third]
[one_third last=”no”]Mark 1:35-39
35 Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there.³ 36 Simon and those who were with him followed after him; 37 and they found him, and told him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 He said to them, “Let’s go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because I came out for this reason.”⁴¯⁵ 39 He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee,⁶ preaching and casting out demons.[/one_third]
[one_third last=”yes”]Luke 4:42-44
42 When it was day, he departed and went into an uninhabited place, and the multitudes looked for him, and came to him, and held on to him, so that he wouldn’t go away from them. 43 But he said to them, “I must preach the good news of God’s Kingdom to the other cities also. For this reason I have been sent.” 44 He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.[/one_third]

Group Dialog:

Do you feel close to God?
How has prayer benefited you?
Why do you pray? (brokenness, for family, spouse, faith, fear, defeat, sin, depression, covetousness, something else?)
Read and discuss these other passages of prayer (Ps 34:15,17; Ps 102:17; 1 Jn 5:14-15; Jms 4:3; Jms 5:16; Mt 21:22; Heb 10:19-22; )
What is at risk when we fail to pray? (Heb 2:3; Jer 2:32; Rev 2:4;
What is the most common reason you fail to pray? ☐ Self-Sufficiency ☐ Doubt ☐ Guilt ☐ Feelings of inadequacy ☐ Self-Interest ☐ Don’t know how ☐ Lukewarm Christianity ☐ Different Priorities
What should we pray based on Jesus’ life, prayers, and and teaching?
How does your specific focus in ministry rely on prayer, and your relationship with Christ?

Learning Objectives: prayer, recovery, spirit-filled, silence, strategy, renewal, ministry, priorities, spiritual disciplines,

Image: Looking toward the Caloosahatchee River at Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club in Fort Myers, FL (sorry its a sunset, not a sunrise). The palm trees and sun remind me of Psalm 113:3 “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised.”

Study Notes:

Week 9 | Sections 10,11

Jesus’ birth and the praise of the angels is the core content for every Christmas pageant. Children don their woolly ears or carry a staff and a baby is shown as candles glow and cherubs with cardboard wings sing silent night.

Our story today is similar but so much more glorious than we can imagine and more dirty than we care to think. Ah the humility of Christ, God incarnate, born from Mary’s womb to be held in the arms of shepherds and wise men – and to take residence in the soul of every believer.

Birth of Jesus Christ #VR Movie via @BibleVR

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Scripture:
Luke 2:1-7 | Section 10

1 Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.2 This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius¹ was governor of Syria. 3 All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem,²¯³¯⁴ because he was of the house and family of David; 5 to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant. 6 While they were there, the day had come for her to give birth. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.⁵

Luke 2:8-20 | Section 11

8 There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.⁶ 9 Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. 11 For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.” 13 Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude⁷ of the heavenly army praising God, and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men.” 15 When the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough. 17 When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child. 18 All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.⁸

Group Dialog:

Why would people not make room for a pregnant woman? Could it have something to do with the prophesies? What do you make of that?
Why do you think God would have the angels appear to the shepherds? It would have been just as effective to appear to the towns people? What message might be in this decision and how is the same seen in the life and ministry of Jesus?
Talk about how these shepherds received news that this baby is the Messiah and then went out and told people and how you and your friends first responded to the idea of a Savior, the Messiah, the virgin birth, the resurrection, and the divinity of Jesus?
Talk about the feeling of adoration when you see a new born and the feeling of adoration in worship.

Learning Objectives:

Shepherd king, worship, salvation for all, value everyone, patience, prayerful pondering.

Study Notes: