For March 8, 2009

News

1. Attendance 3/1/09 -- We had 501 in Sunday School Sunday!! 261 at 8:30 and 240 at 9:45!

2. CARE Ministry -- If your class has not been involved in the CARE ministry on Tuesday nights, please come out and get involved. One class that has consistently been involved in CARE has grown twofold in attendance. CARE is every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, activities at 6:00 p.m.

3. Summer Sunday School Curriculum -- I would like for teachers to let me know if they plan to use Explore the Bible curriculum for the Summer Quarter or the Bible Studies for Life curriculum by March 8 so that we can order the correct literature at the early bird discount. I will be sending by e-mail to each teacher an outline of the summer lessons for both series so that you can make your choice.

4. Project Care: Mission Possible -- Last year our church participated in an outreach/mission blitz in the community called Operation Inasmuch. We will be doing this again this year under the name of Project Care: Mission Possible. Stay tuned for information about projects your Sunday School class can do on the blitz date -- Saturday, April 25!

A Note About Our Current Curriculum!!

All adult classes are using the Explore the Bible curriculum series this quarter. The reason is that the lesson topics for March, April, and May in this curriculum series fit best with our 2009 emphasis on Spiritual growth and development. It's all about "Living for God Today." The three units covered in Explore the Bible during the quarter are, "Maintain Spiritual Health," "Affirm Spiritual Certainties," and "Choose Spiritual Paths." This will be a study of the books of Isaiah and Micah. I think you will find it to be a rewarding study experience, and I expect great things from it.

IMPORTANT!! For the summer quarter, I need teachers to let me know which curriculum you choose to use. I need this decision by March 8 so that we can get the early bird discount on our order. I will send you an outline of lessons for the summer in both series so that you can make your choice.

Lesson Supplement for March 1

Explore the Bible
"Honor the Lord"
Isaiah 6:1-13

Intro. -- Remember that the topic for the current unit is, "Maintain Spiritual Health." The title of each lesson for the month then answers the question, "How can I maintain spiritual health?" The lesson for this Sunday would have us to understand that we can maintain our spiritual health by honoring the Lord. It's not all about you and me. In fact, if we are going to be vibrant, fruit-producing Christians, living the abundant life that Jesus offers, then we have a responsibility to honor our Lord.

How do you honor someone? Synonyms for the word "honor" include: respect, adoration, credit, esteem, glory, praise, reverence, and worship. If we want to maintain spiritual health, we should praise, esteem, adore, reverence, and worship the Lord. Indeed it is not about you and me. It is all about Him. As we will see in this week's lesson, one way to honor the Lord is to serve Him.

Isaiah 6:1-4 -- Why do we honor someone? Usually it is because the individual is worthy, and worthiness is usually determined by the valuable things the individual has accomplished. But what about God? Surely, He is worthy because of the valuable things He has done, but He is also worthy of honor because of who He is. In these first verses of chapter 6, we are ushered into the presence of the Lord through the vision that Isaiah had, and we discover, as he did, that God is holy. God is worthy because He is holy. Three times He is called holy. Three is a number that represents completeness. God is completely holy. There is no fault nor error in Him whatsoever.

How do we worship? Do we really see worship as an opportunity to enter into the presence of the one and only Holy God or do we see worship as we do so many other things in life? Do we evaluate worship rather than experience worship? I evaluate worship when I leave wondering what did I get out of that. I experience worship when I leave knowing that I gave my best to God, and He changed me.

Isaiah 6:5 -- In true worship, we acknowledge His worthiness because of His holiness. In true worship, we realize our unworthiness because of His holiness. When we focus on Him and see Him for who He really is, we then see ourselves and how far short of His glory (Holiness) we fall. This is what Isaiah realizes in verse 5.

In Matthew 15:18, Jesus says, "But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man." Some say the eyes are the window to the soul. If this is the case, then according to the words of Jesus, I would say the mouth is the front door to the soul. What comes out of the man reveals the heart of the man. Isaiah says that he is a man of "unclean lips." In other words, he confesses his sin. He acknowledges that he is sinful inside and out and falls far short of God's glory.

Isaiah 6:6-8 -- Thank the Lord there are verses 6-8! God does something that man is incapable of doing. God makes a way for us to have a relationship with Him. Isaiah couldn't make such a relationship happen no matter how hard he might have tried. We can't either. God sent His angel with fire from the altar and touched Isaiah's "unclean lips" removing Isaiah's wickedness from him. Isaiah had confessed his complete uncleanness inside and out by declaring himself a man of "unclean lips." Now the angel of the Lord cleanses Isaiah completely, inside and out, by touching his "unclean lips" with fire from the altar.

Then, if that is not enough, God issues a call to service to people formerly known as "unclean lips." Having been touched by the altar fire, Isaiah is now available to serve the Lord. From God's perspective, Isaiah is now an available servant. And when God calls, Isaiah enlists. I think he enlists so quickly because he has experienced true worship and has experienced life change because of that experience!

Isaiah 6:9-13 -- Serving the Lord is no easy task. It is filled with all kinds of potential hazards and risks. As you know, many have lost their physical lives while serving the Lord. We honor our Holy Lord when we persevere in difficult and demanding service for Him. If we ever find ourselves in difficult and demanding circumstances in our service for the Lord, we can draw strength to endure those times knowing that we are honoring a holy and gracious God whom we have "seen" in worship, who has changed our lives!

For Further Help with this Week's Lesson

Visit http://www.lifeway.com/articleclick/?id=166474 and read Dan Kassis' weekly article


Comments Welcome -- Any ideas for illustrations, other scripture, or class activities to enhance the lesson?