Daughters of grace week 4

 

Gomer

§    May have traded a shameful past for a faithful future because of her husband's sacrificial love

§    Mother of three children, Jezreel, a daughter, Lo-Ruhamah, and another son, Lo-Ammi

Weaknesses

§    Harlot

§   Develop a persistent promiscuous lifestyle resistant even to the responsibilities of motherhood

§   Sold herself into sexual slavery

§    Unworthy

§   Ambivalent

§    Adulterer

§    Unfaithful

§    Selfishness

§    Worldly desires

§    Ashamed

§    Unwanted

§     Bondage

 

 

 

 

Lesson from her life

1.      Unfaithfulness damages our integrity but does not prevent someone else from loving us despite our failure

2.      God’s love commits to us even though he knows our waywardness and bent toward sin

3.      Gomer did not learn to appreciate what the Lord had given her in Hosea, and one day decided to put into action her well-rehearsed plan: “She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink’” (2:5). And she did.

4.      Gomer’s actions remind us of how much God loves us even if we have backslid into our sin

5.      Gomer’s story reminds me to return to Jesus. We need to come home and be made whole.

6.      No matter what we have done, He is waiting to redeem

7.      God offers us life and love, but instead, we turn to other Gods

8.      God gave his son for us, his life, but we turn our backs on him. We seek happiness in people, money, status, possessions, security, etc.

9.      God provides us with everything, and yet we still choose sin

10.  She created a painful rupture in her family

11.  Sin will never satisfy; only God

12.  Our God feels the same for us when we are lured away by the things of this world.

 

Elizabeth

§    She was a descendant of Aaron.

§    Married to a priest of Israel, Zechariah

§     Known as a deeply spiritual woman

§    Showed no doubts about god ability to fulfill his promise

§     Mother of John the Baptist

§    The first woman besides Mary to hear from the coming savior

§    Respectable

§    Elizabeth was of priestly descent.

§    She was obedient to God's commands, devout

§    Her pregnancy was miraculous

§    Acting as a prophet (God's spokesperson), she blessed Mary.

§    Mary’s cousin

§    Filled the holy spirit

§     Patience

 

Weaknesses

§    Barrenness was a sign of God's disfavor

§     Elizabeth was late in years, probably menopausal (Sort of reminds us of Abraham and Sarah's situation).

§     Heartbroken

§     Sorrow

§     Live with her husband's muteness (due his unbelief)

§     Ashamed

Lessons from her life

1.      First, God was merciful to her. Elizabeth believed and bore a son in her old age, which was a miraculous blessing from God.

2.    Elizabeth taught that we should believe what God says He is going to do, even if it seems impossible.

3.      She also taught that if you do what God says to do and believe, you will be blessed by seeing the fulfillment of what was promised.

4.      God chose a woman of faith and obedience to rear and teach an important prophet.

5.      As parents, we should all desire to teach and inspire our children in the ways of God. It is true that John the Baptist was special, and none was like him, the greatest of all the prophets, but there is a lesson here for all of us.

6.     Elizabeth and Zacharias taught their son about God and the role and mission God wanted him to fulfill.

7.      God does not forget those who have been faithful to him

8. God's timetable and methods do not have to conform to what we expect

9.      The beauty of the life of Elizabeth is that God used her as a clear picture of Christian ministry. Let’s not forget that Elizabeth was probably old enough to be Mary's mother. Yet they both had children at the same time. Elizabeth had her child six months before Mary.

10.  Age is no hindrance to ministry or God's blessing. Keep loving the Lord out of a pure heart and His will for your life will be fulfilled.

11.  At Christ's birth, two generations were brought together, represented by Mary (probably less than twenty years old) and Elizabeth (probably over sixty years old). Christ has come to bridge the generation gap. Indeed, for any ministry to be truly effective, it must span the generations. The children, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are all touched by God's move.

12.  Elizabeth exhibits numerous treasured gifts of the Spirit, namely Faith, Prophecy, and Discernment.

13.  She was wholly dedicated to God, and every single moment of her life is proof of this.

14.  Revered as one of the most prominent women of the Bible, she is a testament to living a Godly life and a beautiful example of the Proverbs 31 woman who inspires all women, Jews and Gentiles alike.

15.  Even when we don’t understand His plan, we can Trust HIM

 

Mary, the mother of Jesus,

 

§    The mother of Jesus, the Messiah 

§    God knew that Mary was a woman of rare strength. The one human who was with Jesus from birth to death

      Willing to be available to God

§    Knew and applied Old Testament scriptures

§     Favored by God

§     honored as the mother of the Savior

§    Mary's submission to God's plan would cost her dearly, yet she was willing to be God's servant.

§    She gave birth to Jesus as her baby and watched him die as her Savior.

§    Mary also knew the Scriptures. She knew of the Old Testament prophesies about the coming Messiah.

§     Beautiful and fair

§      Humble

§       Obedient

   Faithful

Weaknesses

§     Momentarily doubted the angel’s promise of a son because of his own old age.

§     Mary was young, poor, and female. These qualities made her unsuitable in the eyes of her people to be used mightily of God. But God saw Mary's trust and obedience. He knew she would willingly serve God in one of the most important callings ever given to a human being.

§  God looks at our obedience and trust, typically not the qualifications that man consider important. God will often use the most unlikely candidates to serve him.

§    Loneliness

§    Shame

§    Grief

Lessons from her life

1.      Mary, the mother of Jesus

2.  It's ok to be afraid at first

3.      No matter who you are, the Lord can use you

4.      Be available

5.      Have faith

6.      God’s best servants are often ordinary people who make themselves available to him

7.      God’s plan involves extraordinary events in ordinary people’s lives

8.      Virginity is a wonderful gift to your future spouse

9.      God’s prophecy is sure to come to pass

10.  We need to completely follow the will of God

11.  Abortion is not the answer

12.  Following God does not always mean a life of comfort

13.  We need to be ready to be used by God

14.  Nothing is impossible to God

15.  Humility brings us closer to God

16.  We need to be completely devoted to God and Jesus Christ

17.  Mary recognized the authority of Jesus Christ

18.  We should not worship Mary

19.  Mary must have known that her submission to God's plan would cost her. If nothing else, she knew she would be disgraced as an unwed mother. Surely she expected Joseph to divorce her, or worse yet, he might even have her put to death by stoning.

20.  Mary may not have considered the full extent of her future suffering. She may not have imagined the pain of watching her beloved child bear the weight of sin and die a terrible death on the cross.

21.  Mary was foreordained and placed in circumstances to fulfill her important mission.

22.  Mary found strength in friendship with righteous women

23.   Every believer should have a faith like Mary’s. Each day, we should pray, “‘Behold the [servant] of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word’ ” (Luke 1:38). Bible Search Tool This is a simple prayer of faith and submission to God’s will.

24.  Mary valued her commitment to God far above others’ opinions. Rather than hesitate to accept the angel’s commission because of what others might think, she chose God’s will. It is not what people think of us but God’s assessment.

25.  Even Mary did not fully understand the import of Jesus’ teachings. She had been impregnated by the Holy Spirit and visited by an angel who told her to name her son “Jesus” (Savior). She had also been told that the “Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). So it shouldn’t surprise us if we don’t understand the plan God has for our children and us.

26.  Mary’s life reveals meditative wisdom. Mary remembered the wise men’s words and “pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). After finding the boy Jesus in the temple debating with the sages, Mary “kept all these things in her heart” (v. 51). There are special incidents that we may not fully understand, but, like Mary, we should store them in our hearts until God provides further insights.

27.  Mary kept herself sexually pure. Before marriage, in fact, until after the birth of Jesus, Mary had no sexual relations with her husband. She continued to be a faithful wife to Joseph and a celibate widow after her husband’s death. God’s best plan for every man and woman is to live a sexually pure life within the context of God’s Word and teachings.

28.  Mary faced fear and grief with faith.

29.  Mary was obedient to the will of God.

30.  Be it unto me as you have said” (Luke 1:38).

31.  Mary’s response to the angel’s stunning announcement shows remarkable trust. The announcement's consequences meant she was an outcast. No one believed her. Even her fiancé questioned her purity until an angel spoke in his dreams. Had Joseph wanted to, he could have had her stoned, but yet she obeyed, risking death. No doubt her neighbors thought her promiscuous. No doubt, she heard whispers as she passed by. The reward of being the mother of the Savior did not come without a price.

32.  And isn’t this what her son Jesus did as well? Obedience even to death?

33.  Parenting requires times when we must allow for His will, even when His plans seem impossible or inconvenient. Mary’s acceptance of God’s will for her life brought her shame, grief, and, much later, respect. But the benefit of being the Mother of God wasn’t fully realized until after her Son’s seemingly premature and unthinkable death. Yet she accepted His will and all that came with it.

34. His mother treasured all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51).

35.  Sometimes, the Holy Spirit shows us things to come as parents. When He does, it is best to do as Mary did and hide those things in our hearts until the moment is right. In the meantime, we pray and ponder what we feel God has revealed to us regarding our children. This “knowing” brings hope when the future seems hopeless, and we hold fast to our confession of faith, knowing that what He has promised He is faithful to perform.

36.  His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).

37.  Mary believed that her Son was capable of the miraculous. This is seen in the story of the wedding at Cana. This is the first record of a miracle performed by Jesus, yet Mary has quiet confidence that her Son will do what she has asked. In the same way, we need to draw on the anointing that God has placed upon our children, showing them the confidence we have in the gifts and talents that the Lord has given them.

38.  Yet even Mary was not the perfect parent. In Mark 3, we see Jesus' family coming to Jesus because they thought he must be out of his mind. Even the best of us will mess up sometimes. There is forgiveness from God. Confess your shortcomings and ask for forgiveness.

39.  Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother.... (John 19:25).

40.  Mary was there on Jesus’ worst day. She suffered with him. It would have been easy to look away, but she followed him to watch a mother’s worst nightmare instead. It must have been tempting to wonder if there had been a mistake. It must have looked like all of her pain and scorn was in vain and that her Son’s life had been cut short. She could have questioned, “Why?” Even worse, she could have questioned whether or not she had heard God’s direction for her life.

41.  Sometimes, something unexpected happens in the life of our family. Perhaps a child goes astray or makes a decision you feel isn’t in their best interest. Maybe there is a medical emergency or accident, and all your hopes and dreams seem to be in jeopardy. We want to cry out, “Why?” Even worse, we wonder if we ever understood God’s direction for that family member. It is not recorded that Mary questioned, only that she wept. She watched the death not only of her Son, but of the hopes and dreams of His followers. Only the Father understood what was necessary during the unthinkable. Yet Mary was there in the middle of His turmoil. We can be there for our children in the middle of their turmoil too. We can trust that God will turn any situation together for His good. (See Romans 8:28.)

42.  They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers (Acts 1:14)

43.  Mary continued with the work and community of Jesus after His departure. She was faithful to the vision that He cast before her. Even after her heart had been broken by the horrific death of her Son, she continued in faith to follow His teachings and His footsteps. She didn’t allow herself to become overwhelmed with questions and bitterness. She didn’t let her hopes and dreams die just because it seemed like the end of all that God had planned. She allowed God to work His plan and way and embraced a new way of believing.

44.  Our children don’t always do things as we had hoped or planned. But our trust needs to be in God and His plans and ways for our children's lives. The followers of Christ were caught off guard at His death. It wasn’t until later that they could see the plan clearly. They didn’t get stuck in despair, believing all hope was lost. They had faith in the midst of a crisis.

45.  During this season, take a moment to think about Mary and what she can teach us about parenting. She embraced God’s will for her life, even though it was embarrassing and inconvenient. She kept quiet about what God had revealed about her Son, allowing the promise to be revealed in God’s time. Mary believed in the gifts that God gave her child, and she pressed into the anointing God placed upon Him at the right time. She stood beside Him on His worst day, never leaving His side. Finally, she didn’t allow His death to make her bitter but carried on in faith and helped spread these beliefs worldwide.

 

Anna

§    She was at least 84yrs. old

§    Anna lived in the temple as a prophet; she worshipped night and day in prayer and fasting.

§    She heard Simeon speak to Mary.

§    Then she spoke about Jesus to all who sought Jerusalem's liberation.

§    She spoke for God.

§    She was an elder, a wise woman.

§    Anna is mentioned as a woman of exemplary piety.

§   Prophetess

§    Devoted to God

 

Weaknesses

·         Widow (84+)

·         Childless  

 

 

Lessons from her life

1.      She was in the temple when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus for the purification ceremony.

2.      God delights in using people who the world thinks are nobodies.

3.      Age is of no consequence to God

4.      God gives us reason for thanksgiving

5.      She didn't give up.

6.      She did what God told her to do.

7.      She taught me about being strong

8.      God provided for Anna.

9.      Fasting produces results.

10.  She was committed.

11.  She had a lot of courage.

12.  She was a strong witness for Christ.

13.  She listened to God for direction.

14.  She prayed never grew weary of her healthy Father

15.   She trusted God

16.  Our faithfulness is always with HIS faithfulness

 

The woman of Samaria

§     First evangelist

§    Chosen

§     Jesus showed himself to her

§     She might have credibility with the people

 

Weaknesses

·         To have lived in a way that relegated her to the margins of her society.

·         She is a Samaritan, a woman Jesus didn’t know. Two offenses.

·         Social outcast

·         Scandalous

·         Broken

·         5 husbands (widow or divorced?)

·         Rejected

·         Hurting

·         Carrying Personal Baggage

 

Lessons from her life

1.      Divine appointment

2.      Only Jesus can provide the living water that will fill you to overflowing, satisfy your longing, and soothe your thirst so completely that you'll never be thirsty again.

3. Jesus broke through barriers of culture, race, and religion to reveal himself to her.

4.      He wanted to point out that this new relationship with God and God’s children would be new to her and that she would find peace like she had never known. Even though she was a Samaritan woman, she would soon be worthy to give God thanks.

5.      Only through Jesus can we obtain and receive eternal life: “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:13–14; cf. John 14:6).

6.       Jesus’ ministry to the outcasts of Jewish society (the Samaritans) reveals that all people are valuable to God and that Jesus desires that we demonstrate love to everyone, including even our enemies (John 4:7–9; Matthew 5:44).

7.      Jesus is the Messiah (John 4:25–26; 1:41; Matthew 27:22; Luke 2:11).

8.       Those who worship God worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23–24; Psalm 145:18).

9.      Our testimony about Jesus is a powerful tool in leading others to believe in Him: “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, ‘He told me everything I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words, many more became believers. They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the world's Savior” (John 4:39–42).

10.  Additionally, we learn from Jesus’ dialogue with the woman at the well three absolute truths about salvation:

1) Salvation comes only to those who recognize their desperate need for the spiritual life they lack. Living water can be obtained only by those who recognize that they are spiritually thirsty.

2) Salvation comes only to those who confess and repent of their sin and desire forgiveness. Before this immoral woman could embrace the Savior, she had to concede the full burden of her sins.

3) Salvation comes only to those who accept Jesus as their Messiah. The absolute truth is that salvation is found in no one else (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

11.  He meets us where we are in your daily life, he knows us, he cares for us and he came for all