Alpha to Omega

Psalm 40:1-8

1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”

Qualities of a Godly Mother

1 Samuel 1:8-18 (NKJV)

8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

9 So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. 11 Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

12 And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!”

15 But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 “Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

17 Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”

18 And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

SERMON NOTES:

As we celebrate another mother's day, we are reminded of how precious mothers are to us and what we should do to express our appreciation of them. But, on this special occasion, mothers will also be made aware anew of their roles at homes and in society. God calls for godly motherhood. In this story of Hannah, we see some qualities that make her a model of what a godly mother should be.

1. A godly mother ________________________ (vs.10,12-18)
2. A godly mother________________________ (vs.11)
3. A godly mother________________________ (.1:19-2:11)

The Post-Resurrection Acts of Jesus Christ

Luke 24:33-48 (NKJV)

33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.

SERMON NOTES:

Luke, the historian, wrote in the book of Acts that Jesus, after He arose from the dead, presented Himself to His disciples alive by many infallible proofs for forty days and spoke of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God (1:1) In the passage that we read, we see 4 things that Jesus specifically did to prove that He was indeed risen.

1. He showed them His physical ______________________(vs.33-35)
2. he offered them His divine ______________________(vs.36-43)
3.  He made them understand Scriptural ______________________(vs.44-45)
4. He assured them of the Father's ______________________(vs.46-48)

The Lord's Supper - a Celebration That Nourishes the Christian Hope

1 Corinthians 11:26 (NKJV)

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Titus 2:11-14 (NKJV)

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

SERMON NOTES:

The Lord's Supper is a memorial service that helps us to look back to what Jesus did for us on the cross. It also is a prophetical service as it challenges us to look forward to Christ's return. The celebration therefore nourishes our "blessed hope" which is expressed in 3 ways:

1. The __________________ look of ________________ (vs.11,12)
2. The __________________ look of ________________ (vs.13)
3. The __________________ look of ________________ (vs.14)