Women of Courage- Mary Magdalene – Mar. 7 conclusion

Women of Courage- Mary Magdalene – Mar. 7

 Question 4 in Bible connections:

Matthew 11:25-30

 ²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.^{[g] 27} All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We are looking at the spiritual recognition that He is sovereign over us .  Shera discussed the types of yokes that have been used, the double yoke for training; the single yoke for the master to lead; the human yoke that wraps around shoulders and must be a balanced load in order to carry it.  What are the possibilities of the type of yoke we are discussing?  The yoke being our subjection to the Lord, devoted and surrendered.   Having a life of obedience and having the discernment to know the will of God is the yoke we should have.  

Every woman we have studied is similar in their place of obedience.  It was the Lord’s direction in their lives that revealed the truth.  The complete opposite of that is revealed in Jeremiah 6:16

Thus says the Lord:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
    and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
    and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

We sometimes don’t recognize the yoke we should be walking with.  It is often that we take our eyes off of the Lord and our hearts travel the wrong direction.  We long to see the world yoked back to God.

Matthew 11- the only self-description of Christ in the scriptures: , for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

If we take up His yoke it will be as he has described, we will find rest for our souls.  But, it is work.  We will not learn by just sitting.  We need to be teachable, letting God work through you, to have an open heart and open mind, making sure we are learning the truth, meditating upon His words and communing with him in prayer.  We tend to struggle against giving him all.  We must desire to delight ourselves in Him, to “beat our bodies into subjection” taking up the yoke, keeping connected to the Lord, abiding in Him.

Question 5 John 20:1-13  Shera went to verse 18.

Staci mentioned that the disciples left her there as they went home.  She may not have been able to keep up with the disciples.  She remained and was the first of many that would see the Lord.  WE need to be careful not to be callous of heart.

Vs. 8 – the disciple saw and vs. 9 they did not know the scripture, and vs. 13  know ( the recognition of something)  but when they believed they understood all the words of the Lord.  We have to recognize and experience the words of the Lord as well.

Question 6 : John 10:3-5

³ To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

Mary recognized his voice, she followed in obedience.  He called her out of the demonic influence and she remained obedient and following.   Jesus said to her in John 20

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,^[b] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

So many had followed Christ, but at his crucifixion there were so few that stood with him.  The same is true today, the remnant can be very small.  Are the people that turn away and leave saying the words from Jeremiah 6:16.  We must remain steadfast in our walk.   WE need to hold together and so much the more as we see the end approaching.  We have to fight the current of the world that is trying to lead us away from the things of God.  We need to put the things of the Lord first and the things of the world last.


2 Thessalonians 3: 1-5

 Finally, brothers,^[a] pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored,^[b] as happened among you, ² and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.^{[c] 4} And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Women of Courage- Mary Magdalene Feb. 21

Women of Courage- Mary Magdalene  Feb. 21

Bible Connections

Luke 11:24-26

²⁴ “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

WE are imperfect and need something far better than ourselves to reform, the only perfect is Jesus.  We often deceive ourselves, thinking we are better than what we really are or stronger than we are.  WE need to pray to God to help us.  WE fall short.  There is NO self-reform.  Self-reform is a deception.  Unless God cleans the house, we are too weak to withstand demonic powers.  They will undermine what mortals might do, only God can truly cure.

Phil. 2:12-13

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Malachi 3- For he is like a refiner’s fire and a fuller’s soap – He will purify

#2 Isaiah 64:3-8 and Jeremiah 13:22-25

3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for,
    you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
⁴ From of old no one has heard
    or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
    who acts for those who wait for him.
⁵ You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
    those who remember you in your ways.
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;
    in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?^[b]
6 We have all become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
    and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
⁷ There is no one who calls upon your name,
    who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
    and have made us melt in^[c] the hand of our iniquities.

⁸ But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
    we are the clay, and you are our potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.

22And if you say in your heart,
    ‘Why have these things come upon me?’
it is for the greatness of your iniquity
    that your skirts are lifted up
    and you suffer violence.
²³ Can the Ethiopian change his skin
    or the leopard his spots?
Then also you can do good
    who are accustomed to do evil.
²⁴ I will scatter you^[a] like chaff
    driven by the wind from the desert.
²⁵ This is your lot,
    the portion I have measured out to you, declares the Lord,
because you have forgotten me
    and trusted in lies.

 Psalm 139

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

God is with us, he walks us through darkness because it is as the light to him.  His path is sure, he holds us.  We need to trust and depend upon Him.

Jeremiah 17

9The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?
¹⁰ “I the Lord search the heart
    and test the mind,^[b]
to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds.

The philosophy of the world is “follow your heart”, but that is a deception, our hearts are wicked.  We all want to avoid the fact that we are wicked, but the truth is that only God can help us and change our hearts.

Psalm 119:29   Put false ways far from me (the course of life the mode of action)
    and graciously teach me your law!

WE work out our sanctification, purging our sins and learning to depend upon the Lord.

#3  2 Peter2:9

⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,^[d] and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially those who indulge^[e] in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

1 Peter 2:9

 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light

2 Cor. 4:6

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

We have been called and chosen.  A holy nation, His possession, so that we would be the proclaimers of his glory

Malachi 2: 16-18

¹⁶ Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. ¹⁷ “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸ Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

We can sense the pride that God has in his children- they shall be mine and they are my treasured possession.

Deut. 32: 8-9

When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance,
    when he divided mankind,
he fixed the borders^[a] of the peoples
    according to the number of the sons of God.^[b]
9 But the Lord's portion is his people,
    Jacob his allotted heritage.

God selected a small section of the entire population to be his.  It is the same today.  He calls his few to follow him.

Women of Courage- Mary Magdalene Jan 17

Women of Courage- Mary Magdalene  Jan 17

We began with Shera giving us a historical background on the grand jury. The grand jury, based on the Magna Carta,  is the shield and the sword of the people. It is the last bastion of justice and protection for our land.  (Deut. 25: 1)

 She mentioned that we were, in a sense, looking at Mary Magdalene giving her the justice, ferreting out the truth.

Luke 8:1-3

We then looked at a portion of John MacArthur’s book “One perfect Life” Chap. 192-201, where it describes the first three hours on the cross.  Mary was there this whole time, watching the events as they happened.

With this reading there was much discussion about the words from the Gospels and how they spoke to our hearts.

Women of Courage- Mary Magdalene Jan 3

Women of Courage- Mary Magdalene  Jan 3

We reflected on the women we have studied in the past and how Satan had been an influence on them.  How easily it is to take our eyes off of the Lord and we need to walk carefully in keeping our eyes focused on Him.  Shera stated that this study would be a very important study.

Question #1-  What have you discovered about her that you thought you knew but truly did not know? There is only one place that is written about her. 

Her demon possession may have been lost in our thoughts about her. Some were surprised that she was NOT the one that washed Jesus’s feet with tears or the adulterous woman or some of the other assumptions that have been taught.

Pg. 173-  At the top of the page- “What Scripture actually says about here is extraordinary enough without any false embellishment.  Let’s not allow this truly remarkable woman to get lost in the fog of ancient heretics.”

Eph. 6:10-20    The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Our prayers should be for one another to put on the whole armor so that we don’t miss one piece of the armor. Warren Wiersbe made a statement, “Christ invaded Satan’s kingdom when he came to earth as a man…”

Satan works to make Christians complacent and lazy. We no longer realize that we are in a battle, we need to move forward for the cause of Christ.

2 Tim 2: 22-26

²² So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Martha and Mary concludes

 

Women of Courage – Martha and Mary     Dec. 6

Question 7- In what ways do Martha and Mary depict the contrast between doing good works and having faith?

There is no contrast between doing good and having faith, they are interrelated.  Good works can be a bad thing if they take the place of the best things, but Paul was a good worker that had tremendous faith.  Faith without works is dead.

Our acts of going to church, Bible study, or any worship can be a work of faith and worship.  If we are attending these things with a heart of anticipation and longing to fellowship and worship, then it doesn’t feel like a work.  God knows our motives and what is going on in our hearts.

James 2 :14-24

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

This refers to all righteous behavior that conforms to God’s revealed word.

Just like the example given by Christine where a father who asks his son to do a job and the son complains but did it anyway and the other son that said he would do the job and then didn’t do it. Which one would be justified?

In the book on page 169, the last paragraph is a great summary of the life of these women. We ask you to revisit that paragraph.

We had a great discussion about the personality differences of Paul, Mark, Barnabas and Silas. How God uses different personalities in his church.  What God wants in the way we walk may appear to the world to not be good works.  But we are not of this world, therefore we need to make sure we walk with the Lord and follow his words, even when the world turns against us.

Romans 10:17- So faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

This simple verse is important in our walk.

Col. 3:22-24 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

2 Chronicles 31:20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. 21 And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.

Good, right and true. He went to the truth of God’s word and followed it.

Matthew 26:6-13

6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Luke 6: 46-49

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Women of Courage – Martha and Mary Nov. 15

 

Women of Courage – Martha and Mary  Nov. 15

We began by re-reading Luke 10

³⁸ Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴² but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Another person sat at Jesus feet in Luke 8  ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.  ³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ³⁶ And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed^[d] man had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.

Deut. 33:3 Sat down; 2Sam 2:18; 1 Peter 2:1-3 Longing for the word; Luke 2:46

No matter what position you are in you can sit at Jesus’ feet

Matt. 13:23 the parable of the soils- the good soil had a great increase and the proverbs 31 woman worked a whole lot and was honorable because her heart was for the Lord.  We need to watch our focus.

Psalm 119: 30, 63, 104-105, 111, 173  David loved the precepts of the Lord, he loved his commands, even the wrath because he knew the Lord was just and righteous.

Matt. 13 ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’

Sometimes we don’t like what we see around us and we want to remove the tares…. But it is the Lord that places and removes.  We need to be more like the slave, doing what the master wants.  Sometimes we have tasks that we don’t like we need to go to God in prayer.  God can be teaching us and his kindness is revealed as he gently leads us through the rough spots.   God is always concerned with our physical and spiritual needs.

We spoke about question 6 and next time we will address question 7

Women of Courage – Martha and Mary Nov. 1

 

Women of Courage – Martha and Mary  Nov. 1

Received – Through the Greek it is a combination of 2 words, hupo and dechomai which means to receive under and into, to take under one’s care as if placing the hands or arms under a person.  Vs. 38  Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.   Welcomed is the word that this translation is.  She totally took responsibility to give her full self to taking care of those that entered her home.  Her intent was honorable, it was good.  It is used 4 times in the New Testament.  Luke 19:6 ⁶ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.  Act 17:7 and Jason has received (harbored) them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.  James 2:25 ²⁵ And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

dechomai to receive as a gift = Romans 15:7 ⁷ Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.  2 John:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting . 

At the door, before the work, her heart was full of the love of the Lord and the willingness to work for Him.  Romans 10 :17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.  Eph. 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

What are some of Christ’s commands: Go, love your enemies, make disciples, there are so many that we need to obey.

Matthew 16: 22- 23 ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me.  For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Both Peter and Martha forget that the Lord is before them and they made these statements thinking of themselves.  Cumbered= she was dragging the emotion and being overwhelmed with all the cares.  She let the things take over her focus and in the process leaving her first love. 

Luke 8: ²² One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, ²³ and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. ²⁴ And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵ He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Psalm 119 Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet

Who was David? He wasn’t a prophet; but he was called out by God. This psalm was as a journal of thoughts.  David was a true worshipper; he continued to strive to do the right, the good,  the needful thing.

Malachi 2:7  For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.