The Augusta Church

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.

Sunday Lesson Notes

Borrowed from a visit to Piedmont Triad Church, Greensboro, NC

July 14, 2024

Read Ephesians 2:19

• Jesus is the chief cornerstone of the church, the cornerstone of a building is the stone that all other stones follow to make a building square and solid
• Jesus sets the pattern of life that we should follow
• As Christians we are to follow the way of life Jesus lived so that  we can build up the church based on his teachings
• A chief cornerstone also joins two walls together. Jesus allows us to be unified and helps us to stay together, although we have different gifts, talents and personalities. 
• The apostles and the prophets gave us a message from God about how to live in a right relationship with God and with each other, which leads to unity among those who listen and obey

Read Exodus 3:12

• God gave Moses a charge to lead the Israelites to worship God on Mount Sinai. They were to be unified in their worship of God as they came out of captivity

Read Jeremiah 29: 13-14

• God brought the Israelites back from captivity and promised to unify and bless them
• The prophets were always calling the people back to unity with God, for example to stop following idols and rely on God’s protection
• The apostles also called the people into unity with God by calling them to repentance and to have right relationships with each other, for example to stop cheating, stealing and telling lies about each other
• We have to be intentional in everything we do in our relationships with God and with each other as we build unity
• When we take time to learn about God and Jesus more, we are able to build on the foundation Jesus set. We can work on finding out about God’s character a little more every day. 

Read Matthew 7: 26-27

• A sign of wisdom is to hear God’s work and follow it in our lives
• Figure out what God’s foundation is made of: truth, love, kindness, forgiveness, patience, peace etc etc

Sunday Lesson Notes June 23, 2024

Read John 16:5-11

• Jesus told his disciples that he was going back to be with his Father and would send the Holy Spirit to be with them
• The Holy Spirit would continue to teach them the truth about sin, righteousness and judgment
• Jesus could see it was all too much for his disciples to handle at the moment, so he told them about what was going to happen to him in stages--very considerate of Him!

Read Mark 14: 32-42

• Jesus prepared them for his death that was coming
• Jesus took three of his disciples with him to the garden to pray,  as he was praying for strength to continue to complete his mission to save humanity
• Jesus allowed us to see his true humanity by his vulnerability and need to pray to God for strength
• The disciples were having a hard time connecting to the magnitude of this moment. They could not even stay awake to support Jesus, it was too much for them to handle

Read Matthew 28: 16-20

• Jesus gave his final words to his disciples to go and make disciples of all the other nations and to baptize them and to teach them to obey
• Jesus started his ministry in Galilee and ended it there with his 11 disciples. They had great faith and continued on with the mission. The mission could have died at that moment but they continued to spread the message of Jesus, which is still being taught throughout the world today.

Read Romans 6:1-8

• We get to participate in Jesus’s death and resurrection through our baptism
• Because our old selves died with Christ, we are raised to a new life with Him
• Dying to our sinful nature starts in this world, living a risen life also starts in this world and will continue when we meet with Jesus in heaven

Read Joshua 1:1-9

• God promised the Israelities and Joshua that He  would be with them forever and never leave them or forsake them. God has given us Christians the same promise today

Revelation 21:1-4

• This is a description of what our future will be with Jesus as he becomes the bridegroom to his church. The church is made up of all Christians who truly follow and obey Jesus’s teachings.
• We can take heart that Jesus is coming back for his Church and will take us to be with him and his Father forever in his kingdom, the new Jerusalem.

From April 2024

What is the Joy that Jesus Brings?

• Isaiah 35
  • Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom, and the southern kingdom was about to be conquered next. Hezekiah prayed for the Assyrians to withdraw from Judah and they left. Isaiah foretold that this would happen in Judah. Isaiah also predicted that a time of joy was coming and the redeemed will make it. They were rejoicing that God was present and they would enter Zion with great singing.
  • They were rejoicing because they were redeemed. The remnant that was left made it back
  • To be redeemed brings true joy

• Luke 1: 5-10
  • Zechariah was a righteous Levite. He had no children with Elizabeth but they had John. John was a Nazarite, never cut his hair or drink fermented drinks. The angel told him he would have a son that would change the world. The name JOHN means- God’s GIft. Zechariach was doubting God’s promise and was therefore silenced. Sometimes when we are silenced, it gives us time to think more about who God is and that he keeps his promises.

• Luke 1:26-38
  • Mary’s response was very different from Zechariah’s. She surrendered to the angel’s directions right away. She asked a question about the promise, but she did not doubt it. Mary should have been familiar with the promise that David would always have someone on his throne. She was to give birth to Jesus in continuation of the line of David. She became blessed among women because of her belief in God. 

• John 3:29
  • John said he was Jesus’s bridegroom and full of joy. Do we get joy from Jesus or from our circumstances? This Joy is available to anyone who wants it. Nothing is impossible with God. 

• Luke 10:1-20
  • Jesus sent out the disciples in pairs to spread his message that his kingdom is near and gave them power to heal the sick.. When they returned they were rejoicing because of the miracles they were able to do. Jesus advised them to rejoice in the fact that their names were written in heaven and not in the miracles they were able to perform. Jesus wanted them to have a permanent joy that comes only from God, not from our temporary circumstances. 

• John 15:9-17
• 1 John 5:1
  • Jesus loves us the way God loves us. We show love for God when we obey his word. We aren’t a friend to Jesus when we disobey his commands.
  • Jesus advised that we have complete joy when we love God and when we love people. We can only do these things when we remain in Jesus' love for us. Jesus will give us this joy. Reading and obeying Jesus’s words connects us with his love for us. 

• John 16:17-24
  • We can ask anything from Jesus, he wants our joy to be complete
  • Jesus was able to accomplish God’s plan for eternity which gives us complete Joy

• Habakkuk 3:16-19
  • Habakkuk is very upset about the state of affairs in Judah. God told him he would use Babylon to punish Judah. Habakkuk was in pain as he was waiting for calamity to fall on Babylon but he waited patiently for God to act. He was trusting God would save despite the circumstances of the situation. 

• 1 Peter 1:3-9
  • The reward for trusting God is salvation in God. When we face trials, our faith will be refined. When we persevere in our faith, we bring honor and glory to God. We should remember to keep our joy in who God is, not in who people are.

• Hebrews 12: 1-3
• Hebrews 1:1-4
  • God made promises to several people listed here and kept all of his promises to them.
  • We need to remember to run our own race and fix our eyes on Jesus to make it to the end. Jesus is sitting on his throne right next to God and is rooting for us. Don’t quit and get tangled up in worries and sins and stumble and fall. If you do, get up and keep running toward the finish line. 
  • Joy comes from knowing God is a promise keeper, that Jesus is our biggest fan and is helping us to obey God. Our joy will be complete when we stay in our word and close to Jesus and obey him.