The Augusta Church

Sunday Lesson Notes

Read Luke 24: 13-35

• Why did these disciples not recognize Jesus as they were walking away from Jerusalem? Why did Jesus ask them what they were talking about on their walk?
  • Perhaps they did not recognize Jesus because the events of his life did not turn out the way they thought it should.
  • Maybe their faith was low and they were discouraged.
  • Jesus often asked his followers questions to get them to think about events on a deeper level or to test their faith in what he was telling them.
  • Jesus frequently was able to get his disciples to pause and think about things in a way they otherwise would not have been thinking. He always wanted to know if his disciples were truly understanding what was happening.
• What was the mood of the disciples and why?
  • They were downcast and sad because they thought Jesus was going to be the one to save their nation/Israel but he was crucified. 
  • They did not realize that Jesus not only saved Israel but the whole world from sin when he was crucified.
  • Their minds were closed to the big picture of God’s plan to save the world through Jesus’s sacrifice. They were focused on their own plan that Jesus was going to come and get rid of the Roman oppression and make Israel a free nation.

• How did Jesus help them to come to recognize who he was?
  • Jesus reminded them of the scriptures starting with Moses and the prophets. Jesus gave them a stern warning that they were being fools by not remembering the scriptures and being slow in heart.
  • When they invited Jesus to stay with them at the house for the night, Jesus served them bread. Jesus took the opportunity to make this a teachable moment so they could recognize him again.
  • They were able to recognize Jesus by exposure to the scriptures and exposure to a familiar event from Jesus’s life - ie, the last supper where he broke bread, gave thanks and gave it to the disciples.These disciples’ hearts were opened to talking more with Jesus so they asked him to spend more time with them, and he obliged.
  • Jesus really cared about these two disciples who left Jerusalem after his death and were discouraged. He took the time to come back and remind them of the promises of God. When they realized who he was, their faith grew and they returned to Jerusalem to tell the others and praise God. They were no longer downcast and hopeless after their encounter with Jesus. 
• What keeps you from recognizing Jesus in your life today?
  • Are you too busy to stop and notice his presence?
  • Are you reading the scriptures and obeying them and spending time learning about who Jesus really is?
  • Do you ask for help to learn more about Jesus’s life?
• Do you walk around disappointed by your life circumstances or do you walk around full of hope and faith in the life to come with a risen Jesus?

Sunday Lesson Notes

April 20, 2025

READ ROMANS 8:5-8

• What does it mean to live by the Flesh?
  • Living in a way to please our physical needs, urges and desires
  • Usually living unrestrained and without intention and unwilling to seek out God’s desires
• What does it mean to live by the Spirit?
  • We are living based on the direction we receive from God’s Holy Spirit that lives inside of us 
  • We receive the Gift of God’s Holy Spirit at Baptism and when we set our minds to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit we are able to make decisions based on how God wants us to live
  • Living by the Spirit takes work, perseverance and a community that will help encourage us to keep our minds on God’s Spirit. 
  • When we set our minds on following God’s Spirit, we live a life of peace; but when our minds are set on meeting the desires of our flesh, this leads to death and an inability to submit to God’s laws. Those who live by the flesh cannot please God and cannot have peace.

READ ROMANS 8: 9-12

• How are we able to live in the realm of the Holy Spirit?
  • We are able to live in the realm of the Holy Spirit because He lives inside of us since our baptism. We are no longer under the rules of the evil spirits of the world, but under the rules of God’s Spirit
  • People that aren’t Christians are unable to live like Christ because they do not have the Holy Spirit. We belong to Christ because he placed his Holy Spirit in us. 
  • We need to understand that if someone does not claim to be a Chrisitian, we cannot hold them to the standard of living a Holy Spirit- led life in Christ. 
  • Also, someone can be a disciple- a learner or student of Christianity, but not a baptized Chrisitian, who has the Holy Spirit living in them.
  • Sin leads to death. Our physical bodies will eventually die, but our spiritual, renewed bodies will be resurrected upon Christ’s return.
  • Our obligation as Christians is to live by the Holy Spirit and to put to death the misdeeds of the flesh.

READ ROMANS 8:14-17

• As Christians we do not have to live in fear because we know God’s ways in our lives
• We will share in Jesus’s sufferings if we live a Christian life but we will also share in his glory in the end. We gain wisdom from suffering and going through trials. Jesus spent 30 years learning scriptures and working as a carpenter before he started his ministry and was therefore prepared to live the life God wanted him to live while on earth.
• What is this glory we are waiting to participate in?
  • Creation will be restored
  • Renewed Humans, A New Heaven and A New Earth will be revealed
  • The Day to Day struggles to set our minds on things above and to fight against the flesh leads to being with God in Glory at the end of time. 

Midweek Lesson Notes

Read 1 Timothy Chapter 2

1. What do you like about meeting with the church? Does your church follow the instructions in this passage? What are the instructions that Paul gave for the church to follow?

• Pray, Intercede and give thanksgiving for all people-including kings and leaders ( for example- our modern day leaders, even if we don’t personally agree with their views).
• Why should we pray for all people? So that we may live in peace and please God with the way we are living our life and will allow others to have a chance to be saved. 
• Women should dress modestly with decency and have good deeds to go along with it.

• In the Hebrew language, Wives and Women are the same word, so learning in submission and quietness could be related to how women/wives should interact with their husbands and/or male leadership. There should be an order to things in the church and yielding to leadership allows for orderly worship. 
• This mostly refers to husband/wife relationships and order. However, God has given men the authority to lead spiritually in the church and we would do well to yield to God’s leadership. Women also have a role in teaching younger women to follow the Bible, so just being quiet is not an option!

Read Titus Chapter 1: 1-16

1. Who wrote this letter and why?
   1. Paul wrote this letter to Titus in order to encourage him in his spiritual work
   2. Paul encouraged Titus to appointment and to take care of the members of the church in Crete by calling them to obey God and give up their worldly ways
   3. The people in Crete, followed a greek god named Zeus who was well known for his worldly living
   4. Paul reminded the Christians in the church that he was an apostle, sent by God and Jesus to teach them about following God and obeying Jesus’s teachings.
   5. Paul also gave specific instructions on how to appoint elders in the church and the qualities they were to possess in order to be appointed as an elder. 

1. Who does this remind you of?
   1. Jesus was sent by God to teach us how to obey God
   2. Jesus then sent out his disciples, his followers, to teach other followers about obeying God
   3. When we do not live a right life before God, we deny who God is and who God made us to be
2. What are some ways we can deny God in our daily lives? What are some ways we can acknowledge God in our daily lives?
   1. We can deny God when we do not live according to his word in our relationships, in our work performance, in our home lives- when we fight, or quarrel, or lie or don’t forgive or are impatient with others
   2. We acknowledge God when we practice God’s ways in our daily lives- by forgiving others, being generous and kind, being patient and humble, serving others, saying encouraging words 

Read Luke 2: 21-24

• Jesus as a baby was brought by his parents to the temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised by the priest on the 8th day after his birth
• His parents were so poor they could not offer the customary lamb so they offered the two doves or two  pigeons (How Ironic because Jesus himself becomes the sacrificial lamb for all mankind)
• Simeon was a devout man and righteous waiting for this moment in history to occur: the consolation of Israel, the coming of the Lord’s Christ.
• What is consolation? The comfort or encouragement of Israel when all of God’s promises come to fruition.
• Read Isaiah about God’s promise to comfort and restore Israel to Himself.

Read Isaiah 40:1-11

• God promised comfort for his people in Jerusalem despite all they were suffering under the military attacks, exile, and rule of the unbelieving nations
• He promised that the sins of the people would be paid for and they would be redeemed to God himself.
• God promised that He was coming to restore his people and all mankind would see it
• God’s words would stand forever, God is a promise keeper
• God was going to provide comfort, shepherding and leadership in their future, through the birth of Jesus
• In Luke Chapter  3- John the Baptist referred to this passage as he was preparing the way for Jesus. In the past, when a king would visit a town, the people would go ahead on the roads and clear a path for the king to pass. As John the Baptist was ushering in Jesus as the Messiah,  he warned the listeners to prepare a path for Jesus--prepare the path with repentance.(Luke 3:4-6).

Read Luke 2:25-35

• Simeon was lead by the Holy Spirit to go meet baby Jesus and his family at the temple and to let his parents know that Jesus was the one Israel had been waiting for
• Simeon trusted what God had revealed to him: that he would see the Christ. He proclaimed it to Jesus’ parents. 
• Simeon’s name means- One who hears and one who listens. Simeon listened to the Holy Spirit and acted on it.
• Simeon delivered the message from the Holy Spirit that Jesus would unify mankind-Jews and Gentiles and everyone would see God do this
• Simeon may have been seen as an insignificant character in his day to day life, but he had such a huge impact on others because he took the time to be right with God and devoted to God. And when the time came he was able to listen to the Holy Spirit and obey and proclaim who Jesus was. What role are you playing in your life right now in order to be used by God and the Holy Spirit to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah from God who has come to send all comfort to mankind?

December Midweek Lesson 

READ Isaiah Chapter 9:1-7:

• How will the Messiah come to humanity and what will he bring?
  • He will come by way of Galilee and will be a great light for those in the darkness
  • He will increase the nations and bring them peace and joy with no more war
  • His kingdom will be here and everlasting. God and Jesus are in charge, so there will be peace

READ Isaiah Chapter 11:1-9:

• What does the Messiah’s peace look like?
  • Everyone will be in unity with God and Jesus
  • Everyone will be filled with the knowledge of God
  • Even animals and the universe will be at peace and unity with each other
  • The world will return to the peace of the Garden of Eden

READ Luke 2:8-20:

• How did Jesus come to earth? What was his purpose?
  • Jesus was born on earth in humble circumstances, born in a barn with animals, yet God’s angels showed up to praise him
  • Jesus’s purpose was to teach humanity about who his Father is so that we can be in relationship with God and Jesus. This brings us total peace, being in unity with our Father in heaven.
  • Only Jesus can deliver this eternal peace, not things, not money, not status, not other people, etc

READ Matthew 11:25-30:

• Who can receive this peace on earth?
  • Jesus invites us to come to him and to be at peace
  • Anyone that is weary and burdened can go to Jesus for rest
  • We have to be willing to give up our control and let God and Jesus take care of our lives

READ Revelation 21:1-4:

• What does the final peace look like?
  • Heaven--all things will be made new
  • We can take hope that in the future we will be with God and Jesus in a new place, but the peace that Jesus brings is available to us right now in our hearts and minds if we yield our lives to God

Sunday Lesson Notes

October 22, 2024

What Do I Want from Jesus?

Read John 1: 35-38

• What do the disciples want?
  • They wanted to know who Jesus was
  • They wanted to know what Jesus was about
  • They wanted to follow John initially. John teaches them from the Scriptures who Jesus is. They have the heart to want to follow Jesus

Read John 2:1-7

• What does Mary want?
  • Mary wanted Jesus to help with the wine situation
  • She may have wanted her son to obey her wishes but yielded to his decision and instruction,, which is a sign of her faith 
  • Mary reminds us to do what Jesus says

Read John 2: 13-17

• What does Jesus want?
  • Jesus wanted others to show respect for his father’s house
  • He wanted the people to have zeal for God
  • Jesus had control over his anger and was therefore able to have a positive impact on the people there
  • When we keep our emotions in check in tough situations we can be a great help to others
  • Jesus wanted his Father’s house to be a place for all to come and worship at this Father’s House
  • What do we allow into our temple that is destroying the presence of God? Remember to eliminate the hindrances and distractions that keep us from being in God’s presence. 
  • Does Jesus get what he wants from us today when we get together to worship God?
  • Remember to let Jesus shepherd our wants so we can focus on what God wants.

Read John 3: 16-21

• What does God want?
  • God wants no one to perish
  • God wants to help us make it into a relationship with him and to keep it
• What do the people want?
  • They wanted darkness and comfortability
  • They don’t want to change or be in a relationship with God
  • We have to choose to live in the light or the darkness
  • It takes work to come into the light and to get help from Jesus
  • Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light--Jesus shows us the truth about who he is and who God created us to be (reflecting the glory of God)

Sunday Lesson Notes

September 15, 2024

What Helps You Connect with God’s Love Demonstrated Through Jesus?

Read 1 John 3: verse 1 and verse 16

• God loves us by calling us his children
• Because God loves us, he sent Jesus to lay down his life for us so that we could have a right relationship with him

Read Isaiah 43: 1-7

• God promises that he will be with us always
• He will seek us out even if in trouble
• God wants us to be close to him, we are chosen by him

Zephaniah 3:14-17

• God is with us and will save us
• God delights in us and rejoices over us with singing

Psalm 33:18-22

• God watches over those who fear him
• God delivers us from death and famine
• God is our help and our protector
• God’s love for us is unfailing, we can put our hope in God

Romans 8: 28-39

• God works for the good of those who love him
• God is always paying attention to our lives

Ephesians 3:14-19

• God gave us Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith in him
• We can be rooted and established in God’s love for us

Examples of What Helps People Connect to God’s Love

• Reading God’s word
• Getting to know who Jesus and God really are through the scriptures; not just hearing about things they did
• Building friendships with other Christians
• Spending time in Nature
• Serving others that are less fortunate
• Praying to God and seeing prayers that are answered
• Going through difficult times and turning to God for help
• Going through great times and rejoicing in who God is

Sunday Lesson Notes August 25, 2024

Read Exodus 33:12-17

• Moses wanted to make sure God would go with him to lead the Israelite people so that the people and the other nations around would know God was with them. 
• God agreed to go with Moses as he asked. God was pleased with Moses' willingness to ask for help. 

Read Deuteronomy 31:1-8

• Moses told the people that God would go with them and with Joshua.
• Moses reminded them that God would protect them from their enemies. He pointed them to God for help and leadership and protection. He encouraged them to not be discouraged or afraid. 
• God also reminded them that he would never leave them or forsake them,

Read Matthew 1:18-23

• The angel reminded Mary that God was with her.
• Joseph was told to name the baby JESUS- because he was going to save the world from their sins. 
• He was called Immanuel: Meaning God is With Us
• God’s messenger appeared to Joseph and told him what to do so that he would not be afraid.
• Mary and Joseph needed to be reminded and encouraged by God’s promises.

Read John 14:1-4

• Jesus reassured the disciples with troubled hearts to trust in God and in him..
• Jesus promised that he was going back to his Father to prepare a place for them  to join him and his Father for eternity. This promise is for us as well.
• We can have security that our future is together with God and Jesus

Read John 14:15-28

• Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit to counsel them and remind them of his teachings. 
• Jesus promised he would give peace, not temporary peace or peace from the world, but peace that only he can give us.
• When we remember and live like we believe God is really with us and his Holy Spirit is in us, we will live transformed lives.