November 13, 2021

Dear Road Church Friends,

There are seven petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. The first three pertain to God: may your Name be holy; may your kingdom come; may your will be done. The final four deal with our needs: bread, forgiveness, protection, and deliverance.  The Sunday lesson is about forgiveness. The more I reflect on Jesus’ mission and message the more I see it as being all about forgiveness. Like bread, we need forgiveness,—or others need our forgiveness every day. Everything else we seek flows out of that. Failure to forgive was the biggest obstacle to the kingdom of God.

Let’s pray for forgiving hearts.

SCRIPTURES

Matthew 6:12

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Mark 13:1-8

As Jesus was leaving the temple grounds, one of his disciples said to him, “Look at these massive stones and buildings!” Then Jesus said, “As big as they are, not one stone will be left upon another; all of them will be torn down.” A little later he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him, “Are there warning signs to tell us when this will happen?” Jesus said, “Before this place is destroyed many messianic pretenders will rise up, but don’t let them fool you. You will also hear rumors of wars breaking out, one kingdom against another. There will be famines and earthquakes but don’t let that scare you. When this happens, it’s only the beginning of the things that will bring about the end of the Temple.”

SERMON TITLE:  “FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES”

THE QUALITY OF MERCY IS NOT STRAIN’D

The quality of mercy is not strain’d, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed:

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes…

It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God’s,

When mercy seasons justice. Therefore…

Though justice be thy plea, consider this—

That in the course of justice none of us should see salvation.

We do pray for mercy; and that same prayer

Doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.

by William Shakespeare

May the Spirit of the God of grace and mercy be with us all.

Pastor Norm

Pastor Norm’s message is posted on Facebook at: https://fb.watch/9h1v6P8XvP/