North Main Street Church of God
The Descendant
1201 North Main Street Ext. Butler, PA 16001 06/11/2023
Locations & Times
North Main Street Church of God
1201 N Main St Ext, Butler, PA 16001, USA
Sunday 10:30 AM
Sunday Morning
Join us on Sunday Mornings online where you can Check-in/Connect, Give, and Watch along with us.
https://northmaincog.org/online/Know Christ intimately,
Grow in Christ continually, and
Go for Christ daily
Check-in Here
Thanks for joining us! If it's your first time here we'd love to connect with you! Fill out the form below. <br> For our regular attenders, please check in with your name and email, if you need to update information
https://northmaincog.org/online-connection-form/Joining us online?
Thank you for joining us today! Please check in here:
https://northmaincog.org/online-connection-form/
Newcomers to North Main
If you are a newcomer, we’re so glad you’ve joined us! If you’re here in person, make sure to stop by the Welcome Center where we have a gift bag for you with some information about us and some delicious homemade chocolate chip COOKIES. <br> For those online please visit the website below and make sure to click the COMMUNICATION CARD button and fill that out so we can send you a free gift!
https://northmaincog.org/onlineChurch Mobile App
Did you know North Main has a church mobile app? Access videos anytime from your device and never miss a sermon. Securely and easily give your tithes, offerings, and donations. Instantly register for upcoming events, and stay in the know of what's happening. Contact Us at any time with a simple message. Find others in the North Main directory. To download go to:
https://northmaincog.org/app/Bible Reading Plan
Join us in 2023 as we read through the Bible in a year and highlight evidence of “KINDNESS” throughout our daily Scripture readings. Reading Guides and GREEN highlighters, the color that represents KINDNESS, are available at the Welcome Center. You can also access the resources digitally on NORTHMAINCOG.ORG/BIBLE
https://northmaincog.org/bible/
Events
We want to highlight a few events for you today, but feel free to check out our other upcoming events on our website at:
https://northmaincog.org/eventsNorth Main’s kitchen is giving away the hundreds of sets of unused ceramic dinnerware that have been in the kitchen for decades. They’re sitting out on tables in the Life Center for you and are FREE FOR THE TAKING. They will only be available this Sunday and next Sunday the 18th.
Softball
We are excited to invite you to come out and support our church softball league team! Our next game will be held on Monday, June 12th at Slippery Rock MAC Field 1. Our team has been working hard and we would love to have your support as we play. We hope to see you there!
https://northmaincog.org/softballSurvey
So, you may have noticed you received a paper survey when you walked in today. We are surveying everyone to gather your preference on starting a mid-week service either on Wednesday or Thursday. Your input will help us determine which day is most convenient for the majority and will allow us to plan accordingly. Please take a few moments to complete the survey and during our offering time please place your survey results into the offering plate. For those joining us online, you can take the survey at NORTHMAINCOG.org/SURVEY. Thank you for your participation!
https://northmaincog.org/surveyGive
We thank you for your faithful gifts. You can give online and, of course, on Sundays by using the secure drop boxes located outside the doors of the Sanctuary. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
https://northmaincog.org/give/
(Jeremiah 23:1-8)
Yearly Theme: “Kindness is… Amended”
Series Title: “Kindness through Discipline”
June 11th, 2023
It's hard to have faith in something (or someone) you cannot see, but faith is what is needed in order to conquer some of the most towering doubts that we face.
As we continue our series today through the book of Jeremiah, entitled “Kindness through Discipline,” we come to a passage of hope. After having warned the leaders and the people of Judah about impending judgment from GOD through the Babylonian Empire’s invasion of the land, GOD gives Jeremiah a word of hope to the people for future generations; a descendant of David who will come and rule with wisdom and do what is right throughout the land. This ruler will be called, “The Lord is our Righteousness,” and in that day Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. Let’s take a closer look today:
Key Point: “Even though people may fail us, GOD will always come through for those who remain faithful to Him.”
There are three main characters that we need to take a closer look at today in order to understand the goodness of GOD:
Jeremiah 23:1-2 (NLT), “What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.
2 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.
Jeremiah 23:3-4 (NLT), 3 But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord have spoken!
Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NLT) 5 “For the time is coming,”
says the Lord,
“when I will raise up a righteous descendant
from King David’s line.
He will be a King who rules with wisdom.
He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
6 And this will be his name:
‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’
In that day Judah will be saved,
and Israel will live in safety.
Even though GOD may discipline His people through judgment, He still comes through for those who remain faithful to Him. These people throughout the Old Testament are called “The Remnant,” people who continue to remain loyal to GOD even when the rest of the world/culture rejects Him.
In your walk of faith, have you become too familiar with a certain concept of GOD that you’ve lost interest in Him altogether? Have you become so used to going through the motions of religious activity, that you’ve grown bored with what you consider to be “Christianity”? Have the government and spiritual leaders in your life left you frustrated and weary to the point where you’ve said cynically, “If you can’t beat them, then join them?” Are you judging GOD’s responsible shepherds through the lens of irresponsible, destructive shepherds?
Let us remember the words of Paul to the Church at Galatia:
Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT), 7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
The Hebrew word for marred is translated ruined. The flaw was in the clay itself not in the skill of the potter. Reflecting on the entire verse, what does this reveal to you about God’s hand in your life? How can you respond to God when you find those flaws in your own life? Are you able to trust the Potter as he creates you into something new?
Count the times the word “if” is used in this passage. What does that tell you about God’s promises? Since God does not change, what are his blessings and punishments contingent upon? Does this idea force you to consider how you approach God? Does this passage help you better understand the importance God places on relationships as opposed to religion?
Reading through the passage and reflecting, can you identify a “shepherd” who was uncaring, harsh, frightening, and or destructive? What was your response? Was it effective? What does God promise in this passage not only about the destructive shepherds but of the sheep in their care? How can you walk out faithfulness to God when He places you in the role of a shepherd over others?
In this passage, God describes a new King. What are some of the promises to come with this King? What are the Hebrew people looking for regarding this King who was to come? Often, as we read these texts, we wonder how the nation of Israel missed the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Why might it be easier to understand the dismay of the Crucifixion because of passages like this?
Reflecting on this passage, what are the Israelites instructed to do while in exile, and for how long? Why is obedience to this directive important? What happened within a period of 70 years? Can you find any connection between this exile and the time following the Exodus? How easy do you think it was for the Israelites to follow God’s lead, to find that place between revolt and compromise? How difficult is it for you to do today?
Past Sermons
To view past sermons, please visit our website below.
https://northmaincog.org/media-resources/sermons/Contact Us
If you would like to update your information or have a prayer request, please fill out the link below.
https://northmaincog.org/media-resources/contact-us/North Main Street Church of God
1201 North Main Street Ext.Butler, PA 16001 (724) 285-4214 info@northmaincog.org
http://www.northmaincog.org/Give
We thank you for your faithful gifts. You can give online at NORTHMAINCOG.ORG/GIVE, text "give" to (724) 313-2211, and, of course, on Sundays by using the secure drop boxes located outside the doors of the Sanctuary. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
https://www.northmaincog.org/giveMonday - Thursday
9:00am - 4:00pm