God’s Promise of Mercy

24 December 2014 - We're not actually meeting in person on Christmas Eve for Bible Study, but here it is for home study. Merry Christmas!

Opening Prayer/Worship

Hymn: Let Us with A Gladsome Mind

Theme: The Body of Christ

Topic: God’s Promise of Mercy

Reading: Luke 1:47-55

⁴⁷   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 
⁴⁸ for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name. 
⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation. 
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 
⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly; 
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty. 
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy, 
⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Introduction

We serve a God who is rich in mercy.  The Lord’s steadfast love and mercy to all His people are beyond human understanding.  To receive God’s mercy requires no special prerequisites, but for His power to reach full potential in our lives depends on our willingness to accept His gift of love and grace towards us.  This week, we celebrate the greatest gift God gave us, the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.  Jesus came and died a shameful death on the cross, taking upon Him the punishment for our sins.  As we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise of mercy to us in Christ Jesus this week, let us make merry with a thankful heart.  May we who have received God’s mercy, be merciful and loving to the people He put in our lives.   

Questions/Discussion

1. How will you describe the mercies of the Lord? 

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ²the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ ³Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.’ ⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? ⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; ⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.

Lamentations 3:19-33

¹⁹ The thought of my affliction and my homelessness
   is wormwood and gall!
²⁰ My soul continually thinks of it
   and is bowed down within me.
²¹ But this I call to mind,
   and therefore I have hope: 

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
   his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
   ‘therefore I will hope in him.’ 

²⁵ The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
   to the soul that seeks him.
²⁶ It is good that one should wait quietly
   for the salvation of the Lord.
²⁷ It is good for one to bear
   the yoke in youth,
²⁸ to sit alone in silence
   when the Lord has imposed it,
²⁹ to put one’s mouth to the dust
   (there may yet be hope),
³⁰ to give one’s cheek to the smiter,
   and be filled with insults. 

³¹ For the Lord will not
   reject for ever.
³² Although he causes grief, he will have compassion
   according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
³³ for he does not willingly afflict
   or grieve anyone. 

Romans 8:28-39

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. ³⁰And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. ³¹ What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³²He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? ³³Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. ³⁵Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written,
‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;
   we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’ 
³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

2. What are the lessons for us in Luke 1:26-38 regarding the Lord’s mercies for us in Christ?

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ ³⁴Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’³⁵The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.’ ³⁸Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

3. Discuss some of the challenges to receiving the Lord’s mercies.  How do we overcome them?

Psalm 136:1-26

¹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
² O give thanks to the God of gods,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.
³ O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever; 

⁴ who alone does great wonders,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁵ who by understanding made the heavens,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁶ who spread out the earth on the waters,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁷ who made the great lights,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁸ the sun to rule over the day,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
⁹ the moon and stars to rule over the night,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever; 

¹⁰ who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹¹ and brought Israel out from among them,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹² with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹³ who divided the Red Sea in two,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹⁴ and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹⁵ but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹⁶ who led his people through the wilderness,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹⁷ who struck down great kings,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹⁸ and killed famous kings,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
¹⁹ Sihon, king of the Amorites,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
²⁰ and Og, king of Bashan,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
²¹ and gave their land as a heritage,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
²² a heritage to his servant Israel,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever. 

²³ It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
²⁴ and rescued us from our foes,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever;
²⁵ who gives food to all flesh,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever. 

²⁶ O give thanks to the God of heaven,
   for his steadfast love endures for ever.

Matthew 13:53-58

He came to his home town and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? ⁵⁵Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?’ ⁵⁷And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honour except in their own country and in their own house.’ ⁵⁸And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

Romans 16:25-27

Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— ²⁷to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever! Amen.

Intercession/Worship

Conclusion

As we celebrate the first coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ, may we who have received God’s mercy, be merciful and loving to the people God put in our lives.

Closing Prayer (Collect for Fourth Sunday of Advent)

Heavenly Father, who chose the Virgin Mary, full of grace, to be the mother of our Lord and Saviour, now fill us with your grace, that we in all things may embrace your will and with her rejoice in your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.