ID Week 3 - Redeemed
Read
Ephesians 3:7-8
7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. 8 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ,
Psalm 51:1-13
1 Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion. 2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you—you alone—I have sinned
and done this evil in your sight. So, you are right when you pass a sentence; you are blameless when you judge. 5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. 10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to you.
Summary
Welcome back to Community Group! I pray you had a great summer, for those of you who took the summer off. I want to continue what Pastor Chris calls a culture of celebration. During this past summer we remodeled our Alice Campus, we finished up our student complex in McAllen and we are almost finished with the pavilion remodel. God has been so good. And while that is all great news, the best news is that we have seen 353 people accept Christ as their Savior, we have seen 231 of them enter the waters of baptism. God has been so gracious to allow us to be a part of what He is doing.
We are in week 3 of our ID series and the title of this week’s sermon was REDEEMED.
The sermon did not have any real points, but it focused on what it means to be redeemed. Many of us take our redemption lightly. Do you really know what it means to be redeemed? In order to redeem something, a price needs to be paid. At times the price is low and at times the price can be really high. We have been redeemed at a very high price. If you grew up in church, you may remember an old song that we used to sing in Sunday School. I’ve been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, filled with the Holy Ghost I am, all my sins are washed away, I’ve been redeemed.
Our redemption cost Jesus His life, Jesus was the price God paid to redeem us. What were we redeemed from? Do you remember your life before Jesus? How has He made you new? We were taken from death to life and for some reason we don’t share that with others. Some of us have been saved from a bad marriage so we can help those in bad marriages. Some have been rescued from addiction, so you can help others caught in addiction. We all have a purpose, and that purpose is to share our story, and in that show God’s mercy and point to His glory.
What is your story? It changes every day, because His mercies are new every day. We can’t go a day without something being added to our story. Don’t keep it to yourself, share it LOUD, share it STRONG, and share it OFTEN!
Discussion
How should the fact that Jesus died for you affect the way you share your story? Explain
When was the last time you shared your story? How did it go? Share
What is the newest thing God has added to your story? Share
How will you use this new chapter with those around you? Share
What is your favorite part of your story? Share with a smile and a grateful heart
Announcements
Before I left on sabbatical, I sent several letters out to couples inviting them to join our next level of leadership. We have been blessed to grow in the numbers of CGs that we have. We have implemented this next level of leadership and that is our Shepherd Couples. I am grateful to God for their willingness to serve. Each CG will be assigned a Shepherd that will come alongside you, providing whatever support you may need. They will be praying for you on a daily basis and they will be disseminating and gathering information we need. Please join me in welcoming this new level of leaders and please keep them in your prayers!
Shepherd Couples:
Herb and Maggie Cuellar
Ismael & Ashley Ledezma
Ozie and Maritza Hernandez
Randy & Yvette Pena
Will and Elizabeth Stewart
Jon and Libby White
You will be hearing from them in the near future!
Pastor Isauro Medina
Cell: (956) 984-9380
Meichelle Vasquez
Cell: (956) 566-4762
