Grace Communion Melbourne Fellowship Group
Melbourne, Florida

Dear Church family,

  As we come closer to Holy Week and all that Jesus endured and accomplished on our behalf, we turn our attention toward some of the hard questions about his betrayal and crucifixion. From scripture, we know that God foresaw, and did not prevent, and therefore included in his plan that his Son would be rejected, hated, abandoned, betrayed, denied, condemned, spit upon, flogged, mocked, pierced, and killed. All these are explicitly in God’s mind before they happen as things that he plans will happen to Jesus. How do we understand God’s role in the suffering and death of Christ? 

  Judas was one of the twelve apostles that Jesus had personally chosen and who had been with Him during his entire public ministry. He had been entrusted with the moneybag for the whole group (John 13:29). He was close enough to Jesus at the Last Supper to be dipping bread with him in the same cup (Mark 14:20). On the night of the Last Supper, Luke tells us that, “Satan entered into Judas.” (Luk 22:3) How do we understand Judas‘ will in relationship to Satan’s power?

  The answer to these questions of necessity will influence our understanding of God and His intent at the cross. Please join us for worship this Sunday at GCMFG.

Your pastor & brother,

Steve Schantz

Sermon: Betrayal, Murder, and God’s Purpose

Scripture: Isaiah 53:6-11 (ESV)

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;

    we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

    yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

    so he opened not his mouth.

⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

    and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

    stricken for the transgression of my people?

⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked

    and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

    he has put him to grief;^[a]

when his soul makes^[b] an offering for guilt,

    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see^[c] and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

    make many to be accounted righteous,

    and he shall bear their iniquities.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 53:10 Or he has made him sick
2. Isaiah 53:10 Or when you make his soul
3. Isaiah 53:11 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll he shall see light

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Steve Schantz

Grace Communion Melbourne Fellowship Group – 1^st, 3^rd, and 4^th Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

2^nd Sundays Potluck & Bible Study 1:30 p.m.

Meeting @ Pineda Presbyterian Church 5650 N. Wickham Rd

Charities

1. Food Bank @ Advent Lutheran (13) Advent Lutheran Church | Facebook
2. The Children's Hunger Project the Children’s Hunger Project l Homepage (thechildrenshungerproject.org)
3. Outreach Program for IHB School Supplies (13) City of Indian Harbour Beach Police Department - Posts | Facebook
4. Family Promise HOME | FPOB (familypromiseofbrevard.org)
5. GCI Grace Communion International (gci.org)
6. In His Steps Learning Academy, Inc.
7. Youth Summer Camps
8. Durham NC Start up GCI Church