Monday Nights @ First B (11)

In one paragraph

This was not a typical Sunday sermon. Lauren, a member of First B Jackson, shared the story of her father Mike's final months after a lung cancer diagnosis in spring 2015, and what she witnessed God doing in his life and heart during that time. Pastor Carl and the congregation had been praying for Mike throughout, and Lauren brought her account back to the church family just one week after...

Read together

1. Romans 5:1 opening verse on being justified through faith and having peace with God through Jesus
2. Acts 2 (partial) God raised Jesus from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him
3. Romans 1:16-17 Lauren reads it as her reason for sharing: not ashamed of the gospel, the power of God for salvation, the righteous shall live by faith
4. John 6:44 no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, used to show God seeking her dad throughout his life
5. Proverbs 3:6 in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths, used on the theme of trust
6. Jeremiah 29:11 God has his own plans for you, used when praying for God's will rather than their own
7. Romans 8:38-39 nothing can separate us from God's love, encouraged during her dad's crisis
8. Romans 5:5 hope does not put us to shame, God's love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
9. Romans 12:12 rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, constant in prayer, used when hitting bumps in the road
10. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 God comforts us in affliction, referenced around her dad's passing
11. Hebrews 12:2 for the joy set before him he endured the cross, used while reading scripture to her dad in ICU
12. Isaiah 53 prophecy about Jesus read aloud to her dad in ICU, the man of sorrows passage
13. James 1:2-4 count it all joy when you endure trials, testing of faith produces perseverance and hope
14. 1 Timothy 6:12 fight the good fight of faith, take hold of eternal life, used near the end of the testimony
15. Psalm 90:12 teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom
16. Galatians 5:5 by faith we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness, used on the theme of eternal hope
17. John 11:25-26 whoever believes in me though he die yet shall he live, used when speaking of her dad's salvation
18. Ephesians 2:4-7 God rich in mercy made us alive together with Christ by grace, Lauren's closing slide on sharing the good news

Talk about it

1. Lauren said her dad struggled for years with the idea that a good God could allow evil in the world. Have you ever wrestled with that same question, and what has helped you or not helped you work through it?
2. Lauren described her dad telling her, 'I realized I can't do anything about this, and it's really in God's hands,' and then experiencing what she called the peace that surpasses all understanding. What does trusting God with something completely look like in your own experience, and how did you know when you had actually let go?
3. Lauren said she wanted to confront her dad about his smoking but felt God telling her that was not her place, and that the loving thing was simply to tell him she was proud of him. Can you think of a time when what you wanted to do for someone and what God was asking you to do were two different things?
4. Lauren talked about God putting scripture in your heart before you know you are going to need it, and then it surfacing at the right moment. Has that happened to you, and what was the verse or truth that came back when you needed it?
5. Lauren said she could not get her dad to make a verbal confession of faith in front of witnesses, but that everyone who worked with him in that hospital saw his life proclaim Jesus' love. How do you think about the relationship between what a person says and what a person's life shows, especially when words are no longer possible?