Falls Presbyterian Church (OPC)

The gift of Jesus is that our Savior is humble.-1. The King of Kings came under the decrees of a lesser king. -v.1-3--2. The Son of David allowed His royalty to be ignored. -v.4-5--3. The Christ-child allowed His body to be placed in a trough. -v.6-7--What does the birth of Jesus mean for us---Who sets the example for our attitude-- Philippians 2-3-4-Name the opposite of humility. Galatians 5-26-With what should we clothe ourselves-- 1 Peter 5-5-6

Jesus' shepherding allegory sets the stage for identifying himself as the true shepherd of his sheep.-1. The False Shepherd in the Allegory -vs. 1 - 5--2. The True Shepherd in the Allegory -vs. 2-4--3. The Ignorance of the Allegory -vs. 6-

The Christian greetings exchanged by Mary and Elizabeth, and their unborn babies, stands as a model for Christian greetings.-1. Greeting with eagerness. -v.39-40--2. Greeting with joy and honor. -v.41-44--3. Greeting by recognizing and blessing faith. -v. 45--What is important to maintain-- -2 Cor. 3-2-3--When not glad to see a Christian, what's wrong-- John 3-29-30,36.-What do we have in common- what greeting is fitting-- Heb.11-31.-How can we honor the faith of another-- Eph.4-29.

Habakkuk, ch. 2 and 3

The statements of the Pharisees prove them to be the blind ones who abuse others to maintain their control.-1. Legalistic -vs. 13-17--2. Threatening -vs. 18-23--3. Presumptuous -vs. 24-34--4. Self-Righteous -vs. 40-41-

Because Christ did the impossible when He came, we are called to take the attitude of believing servants. -1. We appreciate the humiliation of Christ for us. -v.26-27--2. We know our privilege as servants of God. -v.28-32--3. We live expectantly. -v.33-38--Where do we go to put more faith in our attitudes---What did Christ come from, in order to save us-- John 1-14-How long will we remain believing servants of God-- Psalm 145-13-What promises of God do we have trouble absorbing-- James 1-12

Introduction to Habakkuk, and chapter 1.

The birth of John the Baptist foreshadowed the birth of Christ, in order to bring sinners back to God.-1. Eagerly desiring the arrival of a child. -v.5-17--2. Humbly being corrected by the Lord. -v.18-22--3. Joyfully receiving God's gracious removal of disgrace. -v.23-25- -What do we need to know about pre-Christmas---What are some other teachings that distract us-- 1 Timothy 1-15-Why would others be inclined listen to us-- Luke 2-52-Who is called to influence whom-- 1 Timothy 4-14-16

Since God gave us His Word, we accept with certainty the truth about the coming of Jesus.-1. We accept what The Spirit wrote about Jesus, not what others have said about Him. -v.1--2. We accept how good, orderly, and sufficient God's Word is to inform us about the coming of Jesus. -v.2-3--3. We accept with certainty of the things God revealed to us. -v.4--How did your beliefs get formed about Jesus and Christmas---About whom are the 1st 5 books of the Bible-- Jn 5-46, Lk 24-44 -What can be done to fortify you in the truth-- 2 Tim. 3-14-17-What is your view of the authority of Jesus-- Mt. 28-18. Ps.119-102

Overview and intro to The Book of Nahum

The centerpiece of our worship is when we listen to God in His Word.-1. Rejoice. -v.1-5--2. Remember. -v.6-10--3. Repent. -v.11-16- -What is the gain for us in having God's Word---Why should we sing and celebrate-- Exodus 15-20, Deut. 6-4-If people do not listen, what is next-- Acts 7-42. Rom. 1-24,26,28.-So, what is your heart to do, while you sing-- Eph. 5-19-20

David addressed this song to His own heart- we remind ourselves to express thankfulness for God's favor.-1. On a personal note. -v.1-5--2. Good reasons to worship Him. -v.6-18--3. Everyone, worship God with me- -v.19-22--How do we convince ourselves and others to worship---Where did our sicknesses go-- Matthew 8-16-17-What is God like, and what is our rejoinder-- Exodus 34-5-7-Why would others be motivated to join in-- Dt. 8-10-14, Is. 55-6-9

Because our King has rescued us, our response is singing for joy.-1. Our rescue. -v.1-3--2. Our victory song. -v.4-6--3. Our back-up chorus. -v.7-9--How ought one to respond to being rescued---What was the source of our rescue-- Hebrews 10-14-How do people respond to a good King-- 1 Kings 1-39-40-How can inanimate objects respond to a King-- Is.55-12

In Psalm 34, our good God gave us four steps to cope with a crisis.-Step 1. Decide to praise God throughout the crisis. -v.1-3--Step 2. Learn about God early in the crisis. -v.4-7--Step 3. Teach others in the middle of the crisis. -v.8-9--Step 4. Hide from the crisis in The LORD, follow His way, and wait it out. -v.10-22--What do most people typically do in a crisis---When tempted to call on others to see how great our suffering is, how can we learn to instead show them how great our God is-- 1 Samuel chapters 17 and 21 -If we give up hope, what, specifically, have we forgotten-- Exodus 34-6-7-When trouble breaks our hearts, do we experience a closeness of God, or do we demand removal of the crisis-- 2 Corinthians 12-7-10

We praise our generous God. -1. We commend God's works to the next generation. -v.1-7--2. We give thanks to God for His love- -v.8-13--3. We make God known to others. -v.14-21--What should we do in response to God's generosity---Who is singing the praises of the Father-- Hebrews 2-12-Why should we praise God, too-- Ephesians 1-3-Why have we been called out of darkness into light-- 1 Peter 2-9

Micah, chapters 2-7