Quiet Times Search
Search Quiet Times via a keyword or stringSearching for "does" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "50" to "75". (343 found)
| 2009-01-17 - Jesus with People - Humility in Action Jesus and John the Baptizer were very different - ie one preached in the desert and one in the cities and villages John called the people not to focus on him but the one who was coming Jesus came to be baptized by John - Matthew 3:11 John responds - I need to be baptized by you John submits to Jesus' submission and baptizes Jesus Satan hated it - they kept humbling themselves before one another - the bond of unity grew tighter and tighter This humility continued through out their lives - John: He must become greater; I must become less - John 3:27-30 Jesus did not grasp his equality with God - Philippians 2:6 Humility kept them bonded together, even when Satan was working to divide Pride: Keeps people from being united Humility: Bring people together When unity does not exist among believers: People are not willing to pay the price Pride means too much to them What relationship do you have that would be greatly changed if you show humility and not pride? |
| 2009-01-20 - Jesus with People - Harassed and Helpless Jesus was always able to look beyond people's outward behavior to the need within How does a person who is harassed and helpless behave?
He saw beyond the paralytic's phyiscal condition to his need for forgiveness - Mark 2:5 When we see a crowd who is harassed and helpless we see - problems, problems, problems Wiser to evangelize the "suburbs" because there are less "problem" people - NNNNOOOO!!!! Jesus saw the potential in people, not the problems - why see inspired such change People need a shephard and Jesus responded and raised up other shephards - Matthew 9:38-10:4 Are you meeting needs or do you alwaysfind yourself reacting to the way people treat you? |
| 2009-01-27 - Jesus with People - Rich Young Ruler Luke 18:22-24 Sell everything and follow him = It's not what you do but who you are Jesus did challenge him but he also loved him Jesus does not get into a lengthy theological debate Each of us lacks that "one thing" deep down that we must give up and following Jesus |
| 2009-02-13 - Jesus with People - Jesus Wept Upon hearing about the death of his close friend Lazarus, Jesus wept... Jesus really felt the emotions that we feel Why did he cry? Scripture does not say. Could be because:
Who are your deepest relationships in the church? |
| 2009-02-14 - Jesus with People - Jesus Won When Jesus first heard the news about Lazarus, Jesus declared that his illness was not going to be fatal - John 11:4 When Lazarus died, the disciples probably thought that he really blew it this time Good thing Jesus called lazarus by nameotherwise every corpse in cemetery may have come out The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead foreshadows Jesus' own resurrection after three days in the tomb Jesus is a victor over death While some could not pay taxes for a while; no one but Jesus can conquer death Do you fear death? How does your relationship with Jesus change the way you once thought? |
| 2009-02-15 - Jesus with People - Widows Financial Sacrifice Mark 12:41-44 Without ever speaking to her, he made her gift he biblical standard for financial sacrifice She gave all she had to live on - Luke 21:4 Being a widow at that time, she likely had no income Probably hungry and surely without financial hope He faith in God was evident in her action Bible does not tell us what happened to her - we can know that GOd took care of her needs - Matthew 6:25-26 |
| 2009-02-25 - Jesus with People - Faithful Thomas John 20:24-29 - Thomas with Jesus Thomas selection as a disciple was solid:
Yet something happened to his faith during Jesus' death... |
| 2009-02-27 - Promises of God - Standing on Promises For no matter how many promises God has made, they are all "Yes" in Christ - 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 Promises from others and one we have made > can make us highly skeptical about promises They represent efforts to pacify us at the moment; the promiser does not usually have to fulfill the promise immediately Does he promise and not fulfill? - Numbers 23:19 God fulfills his promises - every last one of them God is:
A promise from God is as good as fact |
| 2009-03-02 - Promises of God - Give and it will be given to you God is faithful. He will meet all our needs He desires to meet our every need - to the point of sacrificing his own son - Romans 8:32 In Philippi, church sacrificed financially to support Paul (only church to do so) - Philippians 4:14-18 The more we are focused on his will, the more our needs will be richly met What must be true in our lives in order for us to claim the promise that God will meet all our needs? |
| 2009-03-03 - Promises of God - Remember Your Sins No More Remember Your Sins No More - Hebrews 8:12 God wants to forgive God's nature is to forgive Psalms 103:
God doesn't need forgiveness
|
| 2009-03-04 - Promises of God - Forgiving Others By the time we are old enough to understand, we have hurt and been hurt so many times - we need forgiveness and so do others The definition of a dysfunctional relationship: the inability to solve conflict and forgive Hugh obstacle: We can not truely forgive until we have experienced forgiveness Once we are forgiven, we are obligated to forgive others - Matthew 18 Our sins against each other pale in comparison to our sins against God |
| 2009-03-13 - Promises of God - Faith vs Doubt Doubt: God has forgotten about you and does not care Faith: He knows the way you have served - Hebrews 6:10. He knows notices and cares when a sparrow falls - Matthew 10:29 Doubt: He remembers but he remembers others more than you; Doubt fills in the blanks and customizes to your hopes and desires. Faith: God shows no favoritism; He moves at different time for different people; He has given everything we need for life and godliness Doubt calls into question the faithfulness of God Faith tells us it is impossible for God to lie When Doubt comes calling, we must turn away Faith says yes to God's promises |
| 2009-03-26 - Promises of God - Hearts at Peace God makes clear his offer of peace Does God promise pleasing circumstances to those who trust him? No Paul, from a prison cell, said the Philippians could "peace of God which transcends understanding" - Philippians 4:7 Peace came from trusting in God - Isaiah 26:3 Trust is essential Must imitate childlike humility - Matthew 18:3-4 Children are generally are at peace They do not worry about the mortgage, stock market, bills They are content to let mom and dad tackle those issues We have to believe that God is in charge and he knows what he is doing |
| 2009-03-30 - Promises of God - God Sees and Cares When feeling that no really understands.... Did God cause this situation? Is here angry with me? Is he disappointed in my reactions? Does my fear mean I don't trust him? David displayed many of these emotions Even with these emotions, we also see a firm trust in God God so aware of the pain David was suffering that God kept a record of every tear that was shed - Psalms 56:8 |
| 2009-04-05 - Promises of God - Noahs Faith Confidence in God's promise must be so great that we obey "even though" we don't understand and it does not make sense By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen - Hebrews 11:7
|
| 2009-04-10 - Promises of God - How We Are to Give? Do not give as the world gives - John 14:27 Give to :
Fear may cause questions:
|
| 2009-04-13 - Promises of God - God Passes the Test God Passes the Test:
|
| 2009-05-18 - No one like him - The Kingdom of God First time God said the time has come Something had come upon us Something within us Kingdom is like:
Kingdom is so different that it requires us to change What does new kingdom person look like?
|
| 2009-05-19 - No one like him - Church the Kingdom? Luke 17:20-21 - Kingdom does not come through carefully observation Kingdom is a state of mind/heart Kingdom forcefully advancing from John the Baptist until now (Matthew 11:11-12) Preaching the good news of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23) Mark 9:1 - will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God Matthew 16:15-20 - only scripture with both kingdom and church How does this all fit? Kingdom can not be put in a box, mentioned:
All in the church PART of the kingdom? YES |
| 2009-05-21 - No one like him - Kingdom Attitudes (part 1) New Moses, on a different mountain Attitudes God does bless - free us to receive more blessing and generosity Attitude help us more clearly see what God is doing Poor in Spirit Poor or Beggar Luke 18:9-14 - Pharisee prayed to himself vs tax collector - in touch with his failures Our culture: think highly of yourself; never feel bad about yourself; do not think negatively; be nice We have the debt of sin |
| 2009-06-04 - No one like him - Count Cost (part 1) Not a question of how hard or difficult but if it is true Not all struggling is bad Jesus calls us to:
Jesus was not out of touch – Matthew 9:36 Jesus had a clear view of love and generosity – John 10:33 Kingdom now in the present age Fix our eyes on Jesus We need to deal with OUR heart Jesus did not just come to amaze He came to call people to change their lives He was upfront with commitment level Must deny self |
| 2009-06-05 - No one like him - Count Cost (part 2) Every effort Must give up everything God not as concerned about material as your heart Everything must be under the Lordship of Christ For all people Message for all people – young and old Spoke to the large crowds – Luke 14:25-33 Supreme Concern Jesus was concerned about the people becoming disciples Common belief is to believe - Christians vs Disciples Just because you think are a disciple does not mean you are – Luke 6:46; 7:22-23 |
| 2009-06-06 - One Another - Center of the Target Many people look at everything in God's will is the same weight - this leads to endless controveries over smaller details Jesus looked at God's will as a target Ex. Pharisees gave 1/10 of their spices but neglected the more important maters of the law - Matthew 23:23-24 Scriptures does not spell out what the second and third rings are Made it very clear what was at the center of the target |
| 2009-06-08 - One Another - They Will Know You John 13:24-25
|
| 2009-06-10 - One Another - Walking in the Light What does it mean to walk in the light? 1 John 1:7-9 Living our lives with openness and transparency in response to the blood of Christ Fellowship is both the practice and product of walking in the light How central are our relationships to following Jesus?
"I need to get serious about my relationship with God" = Need to get serious with my relationship with other believers |
| 2009-06-15 - A Life of Impact - The Challenge The Challenge Mark 1:19-20
Vision
|
| 2009-06-29 - A Life of Impact - Disclosure Disclosure Mark 4:21-23
Challenge to listen Mark 4:24-25
|
| 2009-08-20 - Wild at Heart - Intro (part 2) Deep within man there are some fundamental questions Who am I? What am I made of? What am I destined for? Today’s man Endless hours at the computer Requires man to be efficient and punctual Is this what boys dream of? Where are the real men? Did you ever dream of being a nice guy? We are told we don’t know how to: Keep our promises Talk to our wives Raise our children Some women want passive men Wonder why they have no access to their heart God made the masculine heart – Come live out what I meant you to be He does not make generic people – man/women |
| 2009-08-21 - Wild at Heart - Intro (part 3) What makes a man come alive? 1. Need a battle to fight
2. Needs an adventure to live
3. Needs a beauty to rescue
|
| 2009-08-24 - Wild at Heart - A battle to fight Christ draws the enemy out, exposes him for what he is, shames him in front of everyone Nice guy? Egyptians – plagues … Samson – killed a lion with bear hands, stripped thirty Philistines, killed 1,000 men Every man is from a victorious stock He is an original Who are you? Are you bored by him? What impact does he have on others? Are you too nice? Jesus was one with out fear – Did not shrink back but faced things head on - John 18:4-8 Jesus was no paled faced alter boy He commanded the loyalty of dockworkers Will return on a white horse There is something fierce in the heart of God |
| 2009-08-26 - Wild at Heart - God loves wilderness (part 2) God’s relationship with us is risky We are unpredictable; there is the likelihood to get hurt (ultimate risk anyone ever takes is to love) God give love all the time (and gets hurt all the time) Music, wine, poetry, sunset – all his inventions God is romantic at heart Heart of man is drawn from God – strong and courageous love Have you noticed the most often word used with boys is 'don’t' –God’s design 'Yes' Sexes show different sides of God’s heart Heart of a woman – deep hearted, seductive more than fierce Wants to be loved Why don’t you choose Me? 'Seek and you will find me…with all of your heart' – Jeremiah 29:13 God wants to be wanted Why does God does not answer prayer right away? – he wants us to talk to him God has beauty to be unveiled Each stage of creation is better than before All Adam can say is “WOW” Women wants he beauty unveiled Do you delight in me? God wants to be worshiped |
| 2009-08-29 - Wild at Heart - Question that haunts every man (part 3) What is a man for? Why does God create Adam? Desire reveals design – our design reveal God command to Adam – rule, subdue, be fruitful and multiply Explore, build, and conquer – take risk and danger (the catch) Something hinders us from living to the level of risk God invites us to God has a enemy and so do we There are many, many battles to fight on many different battlefields Before Eve is drawn from Adam’s side and leaved that ache that never goes away until he is with her. God does not tell Adam what he has done. No warning or instructions – temptation of eve God believes in Adam – he does not need a play-by-play book – this is what Adam is for Hebrew word “with her” – means elbow to elbow Adam was watching the whole thing unravel What does he do? Nothing He won’t risk, he won’t fight, he won’t rescue Eve |
| 2009-08-31 - Wild at Heart - Question that haunts every man (part 5) We pick battles that are easily won, rescue only the beauties we are sure to rescue Strength gone bad Violent men and passive men - Cain kills Abel Men say the most awful things to their wives or they kill them with their silence Type-A personalities – casualties tend to be the family Abraham - Always hiding behind his wife’s skirt - tells Pharaoh that Sarah is his sister Isaac does Rebecca the same way - he is a coward What if I offer her all I have as a man it’s not enough? |
| 2009-09-02 - Wild at Heart - The wound (part 2) Adam receives his name from God Abraham names Issac Jesus needed to hear those words God renames Jacob and Paul Racheal names son “son of my sorrow”. Jacob renames him “son of my right hand” It took intervention by the man, it always does A boy is brought into the world by his mother There comes a time for the shift when he begins to seek out his father’s affection – Hard for a mother Dad coming home is biggest event in a boy’s day Women try to fill void that an absent father has left Father calls his son “tiger” Turns to mom for comfort and dad for adventure If a mother will not allow her son to become dangerous, if she does not let the father take him away, she will emasculate him. |
| 2009-09-03 - Wild at Heart - The wound (part 3) Masculinity – boy craves (passed between men) Boys love to wrestle
Is it growing, real, substantive? Mother does not give new respect to son - hurts Clinging mother - she feels rejected and son feels guilty Many adult resent their mothers and do not know why Mom did not let go and dad did not take him away We do not grow up wondering if we are going to be a nice boy. Be wild and we need to know that |
| 2009-09-07 - Wild at Heart - The enemy fears you If you ever really got your heart back, lived from it with courage, you would be a huge problem to him Many men have not been shown how to fight from the heart. Failure of fathers and left men without direction If you want the wound healed and your strength restored and to find your true name, you re going to have to fight for it. Notice your reaction at these words. Does another come in and caution you to stop We need to know who we are and if we have what it takes A man’s core question does not go away We search for the answer of validation
|
| 2009-09-13 - Wild at Heart - False self (part 4) A masculine journey always takes a man away from the women, come back to with his question answered A man does not go to a woman to get his strength; he goes to her to offer it. Addiction comes when we have taken our soul to her for validation. What else are we looking for? God Adam had God God gave Adam Eve out of His humility Eve eventually took the place of God Adam was not deceived Time where Eve had fallen but Adam had not Adam choose Eve over God Men without his true love, God, will try to find another Why do you remain thirsty after you have had a drink… it is the wrong well In God will only find the true healing of the wound |
| 2009-09-23 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 4) The world is a carnival of counterfeits, counterfeit battles. Counterfeit adventures, counterfeit beauties Men should think of it as a corruption of their strength Battle your way to the top says the world and you will be a man World give a false sense of security
Want to know how the world really feels about you – start living out your true strength Say what you think, stand for the underdog, challenge foolish polices Many of us have actually been afraid to let our strength show up because the world doesn’t have a place for it |
| 2009-09-29 - One Another - Differences (part 2) Conviction and Acceptance How we blend conviction with an equally deep level of acceptance? We need to understand that some convictions can be disputable matters Accept those whose faith is weak - Romans 14:1 Accept one another in order to bring praise to God - Romans 15:7 Example: It is OK to treat one day more special to worship God than another day - Romans 14:5-6 Even if the conviction is misguided - we sin if go against it
|
| 2009-10-02 - One Another - Gifts Nowhere in the NT does it tell us to "search" or "discover" what our gift is Paul's teachings were directed toward how to use the gifts, not how to figure out what they are To be focused on being part of the body Romans 15:1-2 - bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves
|
| 2009-10-09 - Wild at Heart - The Strategy (part 2) Satan uses propaganda He is the “accuser” - Revelation 12:10 Christ was attacked - “If you are the son of God” - prove it - Luke 4:1-13 So long as a man remains no real treat to the Enemy – You are fine After you take sides - Your heart is bad and you know it He looks for weaknesses Throws a thought or temptation that he hopes we will swallow If I thought this was just me, my heart, I’d be very discouraged. Knowing that my heart is good allowed me to block it, right then and there Think of how lust starts .. “I am not here it is all you.” Any hand to hand combat, there are blows, dodges, blocks, and counterattacks How did Christ handle Satan? - he did not get into an argument with him He simply stood on the truth Satan doesn’t just throw a thought but feelings as well Guard your heart |
| 2009-10-10 - Wild at Heart - The Strategy (part 3) 2. Intimidation Our condition may become normal to use after a while - depression If you pray and fight against – It will get worse. Once the Enemy is discovered, he usually does not just roll over and die. Jesus says get tough and resist the onslaught Next level Satan tries intimidation and fear He wants you to agree with intimidation because he fears you Fighting back, he will lose – Resist the devil and he will flee – James 4:7 Why do so many pastor’s kids go off the deep end? Evil One is trying to an old tactic – strike first and maybe the opposition will run He can’t win, you know God is with us “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you” – Joshua 1:5 The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is his name – Exodus 15:3 How did Jesus win the battle against Satan? God was with him Doesn’t simply mean that he’ll be around - he will fight for us Satan is trying to appeal to the traitor’s commitment to self-preservation when he uses fear and intimidation. So as long as we are back in the old story of saving our skin, looking out for Number One, those tactics will work. Become a warrior The most dangerous man on earth is the man who has reckoned with his own death. All men die, few men ever really live. |
| 2009-10-17 - Wild at Heart - Offering our Strength (part 3) She needs God more than she needs you You need him more than you need her You do not love her to get a good grade, you love her because that is what you are made to do Ruth: How does a good woman help her man to play the man? Arouse him to be a man Boaz offers her some protection and some food, but what Ruth really want was a ring Four options:
Will you fight for her? Stop being a nice guy and act like a warrior Pray for her like you never prayer for her before, OUT LOUD Step between her and the forces of darkness Not just once (some will do it 1,2, or 3 times) Man can only be justified by the measure of his sacrifice |
| 2009-10-18 - Wild at Heart - An adventure to live (part 1) A man just won’t be happy until he’s got adventure in his work, in love and in his spiritual life God is intimately personal with us and he speaks in ways that are peculiar to our own quirky hearts – not just through the Bible, but through the whole creation Don’t ask yourself what does the world need. Ask yourself what make you come alive and go do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive I realized I was living a script written for me by someone else To go where the world takes us, to drift with whatever current happens to be running the strongest What would have happened if Moses had listed to his mother’s advice, “never play with matches”? Paul didn’t leave his familiar group of Pharisees? God took a big risk in making the world |
| 2009-10-19 - Wild at Heart - An adventure to live (part 2) Most spend the energy of their lives trying to eliminate risk Their children hear “no” far more than they hear “yes” If a man succeeds in securing his life against all risk, he will wind up in a cocoon of self-protection and wonder why he is suffocating Seizing upon some sort of competence and rejecting anything that cannot be controlled This a refusal to trust God and reach out for control – runs deep in every man False self’s desire is to have power over experience – to control events and consequences - Mark 8:36 Too may men forsake their dreams because they aren’t willing to risk or fear they aren’t up to the challenge or are never told that those desire of the heart are good Soul of a man isn’t made for controlling things His job is charter to explore, build, conquer, and care for all creation If you had permission to do what you really wanted to do, what would you do? "How" is a faithless question – How is God’s department… Ask "what" What is written on your heart? What make you come alive? Don’t ask yourself what does the world need. Ask yourself what make you come alive and go do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive I’ve met men who’ve used advice like it was permission They are deceived about what they really want Goal of Christian discipleship is the transformed heart We move from boy who needs the Law to the man who is able to live by the Spirit of the Law Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit then you won’t feed on compulsion or selfishness |
| 2009-10-21 - Wild at Heart - An adventure to live (part 4) The problem with modern Christianity is it’s obsession with principles Real test of a man comes when all his resources fail Living and loving – jump in with both feet Ask your wife what is wrong? Dangerous – very much a mystery She does not want to be solved; she wants to be known We know how to be nice but we really do not know how to fight Christian life should not be chaotic or be flagrantly irresponsible. Break away from it all and head off into the unknown God Adam - No formula for how he was to handle mess God honored and did not hold his hand Was not left alone to face life The only way to live in this adventure – is in an ongoing relationship with God Control we crave is an illusion – it in exchange for God’s relationship Moses and God knew each other David was after God’s own heart Jesus made God known – John 15:15 What are you teaching me here, God? What are you asking me to do or let of? What in my heart are you speaking to? |
| 2009-10-26 - Repentance - What It Is (part 3) Dictionaries of Biblical Greek - Repentance
Questions:
|
| 2009-10-29 - Repentance - Illustrations (part 3) Like all paradigms, everything depends what you put in the center We put us in the center, it is impossible to satisfy a self-centered man In order to shift our paradigm to the truth:
Questions:
|
| 2009-11-02 - Repentance - The Prophets (part 4) Prophets Transcend Public Opinion
Prophets Get to the Root to Produce Real Fruit
|
| 2009-11-06 - Repentance - Jesus Opens Our Eyes (part 4) Necessity of Repentance
|
| 2009-11-07 - Repentance - The Cross Compels Our Hearts World is graceless, performance orientated
Sin + Forgiveness = Love Accurate assessment of debt
Questions
|
| 2009-11-11 - Repentance - Worldly Sorrow (part 1) Sorrow does not equal repentance Nothing is more tragic than losing your eternal reward through popular yet readily avoidable errors Two great misconceptions Confusion that sorrow is repentance Humble prayers and our sorrow pleases God – still not repentance World Sorrow is neither Godly Sorrow Nor repentance Worldly sorrow brings death Five signs of world sorrow (pride) 1. Damage Control
|
| 2009-11-12 - Repentance - Worldly Sorrow (part 2) 3. Excuses
A repentant Christian embraces absolutions, even moral absolutes5. Repetition Repentance is no fragile state of mind that we barely notice entering and exitingQuestions
|
| 2009-11-15 - Repentance - Godly Sorrow (part 3) Zelos - Zeal Zeal reject the “whatever…” attitude as it determines to do “Whatever to takes!”Questions
|
| 2009-11-16 - Repentance - Holy Spirit Convicts Us Exposure is a gift from God Women at the well – John 4:10 Elegcho – The gate of repentance Means to show someone his sin and to summon him to repentance; bring light, expose set forthThe truth demands repentance Purpose of Elegcho? It’s a loving summons to godly sorrow Is repentance a gift or a command? We often confront the idea of repentance in the form if a command or an activity As a gift…
Questions
|
| 2009-11-18 - Repentance - The Church Reorients Us (part 2) Bible says if your brother sins again you – go and point out his sin Must repentance as a whole Church repentance – 41 times Individual repentance – 11 times Not usual in the world Football team at half-time Company changes due to market conditions All churches sin; not all repent Some spin their shortcoming, craft reasonable explanations, minimize damage to reputation, issue statements Questions
|
| 2009-11-19 - Repentance - Its Time To Go Home (part 1) Psalms 51 – has become an anthem of repentance for generations David worldly sorrow: 2 Samuel 12: V9 – why have you despised the word of the lord? How to repent? – Consider what God does Establishes foundation of grace and kindness – 2 Samuel 12:7-8 Provides role models – 2 Samuel 11:11 Sends prophets – 2 Samuel 12:1 Creativity opens our eyes – 2 Samuel 12:5-6 Exposes and Convicts – 2 Samuel 12:7 |
| 2009-11-20 - Repentance - Its Time To Go Home (part 2) Where are you on this path? Are you part of “all people, everywhere”? Good, you quality for the command to repent – Acts 17:26-27; 30-31 Ignorance of Jesus perpetuates a self-focused paradigm Jesus is Lord – changes our heart, mind-set, allegiances, purpose, and agenda Subsequent repentance has lesser fan fare (like 2nd to the moon or Mt. Everest Satan doesn’t want you to know that he created your dilemma His scheme:
Shame is the greatest obstacle to post-baptismal repentance How to escape? You already have – Trust god’s grace Light is not a place of condemnation |
| 2009-11-21 - Repentance - Its Time To Go Home (part 3) There is no perfect repentance, but wholehearted repentance David – search me (Psalms 139) Spirit’s conviction Good – overcome blinding pride Bad – Satan will try to stop you Sometimes easier to see our sin than think about loved ones salvation (passed away) What would they want you to do? Questions
|
| 2009-12-24 - First the Kingdom - Key to everything else The first beatitude is the key to whole sermon on the mount By ourselves we can not live out the sermon - we need help from God
Does this describe you? Would God describe you this way? |
| 2010-01-01 - First the Kingdom - Guarding Against Heart Disease Blessed are the pure in hear, for they will see God - Matthew 5:8 What does it mean to keep our hearts pure? To have undivided devotion? Set our hearts are things above - Colossians 3:1 Must learn to battle Satan's attacks on our heart Recent years - we have aware about physical heart conditions We should lower our bad cholesterol and exercise more Since we desire a healthy heart for a longer life we: diet and exercise The heart is the "want to" muscle When we really want something, we go after it with all of our heart |
| 2010-01-04 - Kingdom First - Making Peace with Others Having peace with God - story is not over We are in a world to wage peace just as God does Jesus is our example Courage and honesty destroy barriers Openly expressing his thoughts and feelings pulls down superficiality and distrust Jesus expressed his:
If you want real peace, don't avoid conflict Do whatever is required to settle matters quickly |
| 2010-01-09 - Kingdom First - Light Drives Satan Away God is light; in him there is no darkness at all - 1 John 1:5 Satan can not be where there is light When the light comes, sin is exposed The light will bring a reaction:
The light takes away Satan's power The more we open ourselves to God's light, the more his light shines through us |
| 2010-01-13 - Kingdom First - True Companions Scriptures repeatedly draw a parallel between marriage and our relationship with God - Matthew 5:31-32 Jesus recalled God plan for marriage from the beginning and used word 'united' - Matthew 19:5 Romans 6:5 - we are united with Christ through his death and resurrection We are all one in Christ - Galatians 3:28 Unfaithfulness in marriage is also unfaithfulness to God Anyone who does not love his brother, cannot love God - 1 John 4:20 Our faithfulness to him is mirrored in our faithfulness to our husband or wife |
| 2010-01-14 - Kingdom First - Words are Big Jesus wanted people to get to heaven; it is the little things (our words) that will make us or break us - Matthew 5:37 If anyone considers himself religious and does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, is deceived and religion is worthless - James 1:26 Paul: most important ingredient? Reliability - unreliable men will not only break God's chain but also discourages others - 2 Timothy 2:2 Most obvious way we can be unreliable is with our tongue David about adversaries - Not a word from their mouth can be trusted - Psalms 5:9 Get character that speaks and lives the truth Our "no" is okay if we say "no" But in mostly it should be "yes" - 2 Corinthians 1:19 Jesus is our best example Perhaps his favorite phrase was "I tell you the truth" He did and he does |
| 2010-01-24 - Kingdom First - Wise Investing Jesus is not interested in our obedience outwardly without having our hearts set on heaven
|
| 2010-01-31 - One Another - Confession Questions (part 1) While someone is confessing a sin, what if repentance is not in a person's heart? a. Confession is never done from humility if it does not involve repentance Confession without repentance is the same as faith without action - useless b. Confession is self-focused and not God-focused if it does not seek to please him Without repentance, confession is being done for a self-serving reason:
The opposite of concealing sin is confession AND forsaking sin The one who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses them and forsakes them will find mercy - Proverbs 28:13 |
| 2010-02-03 - One Another - Confession Questions (part 4) How do we grow in our confession? a. Be open even at the temptation level We will get used to talking what we are thinking and going through We will nip many things in the bud before they progress to sin b. Start over-correcting Start confessing everything You can always tone it down so it does not become annoying :) c. Ask some else what they think of your confession: Do you find me to be a confessing person? What is my confession level?
|
| 2010-02-07 - First the Kingdom - One-Lane Road (part 2) When have been given a second chance to walk the narrow road Finding the narrow does not guarantee we will go through the final gate Must make daily decisions:
|
| 2010-02-10 - First the Kingdom - Trees (part 3) No fruit means a bad tree too A fruitless tree in a useless tree - Matthew 3:10, Matthew 13:22, Luke 13:6-9, Luke 19:11-27, John 15:2, 6, Hebrews 6:8 Jesus warned the Pharisees the kingdom of God would be taken away from people who will not produce - Matthew 21:43 In the Christian life there is no neutrality of example Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire - Matthew 7:19
|
| 2010-02-11 - First the Kingdom - Trees (part 4) All disciples should produce fruit of all kinds of fruit There are some who debate over and over again what fruit (harpos in Greek) is:
A good heart refuses to get entangled in a semantic debate and simply produce for God What kind of fruit does God see in your life? |
| 2010-02-18 - One Another - Encouraging One Another (part 3) Encourage one another - Hebrews 3:12-13
|
| 2010-02-22 - One Another - Reconciling with One Another (part 2) Biblical Principles of Reconcilation:
|
| 2010-03-10 - To Live is Christ - Having the Same Love Paul wanted to remind the Philippians of the blessings of their relationship with Jesus - Philippians 2:1-4 By this all men will know we are Jesus' disciple by our love - John 13:35 "Sharing in the common life" ws his heartfelt vision for them He applealed to them to be one to initiate this kind of love It is not natural to love this way Will we trust the message he lived and taught? |
| 2010-03-17 - To Live is Christ - Considered Rubbish Not only did Paul give up his religious past and performance, he gladly counted everything else a loss too He would give up any claim of such things so he could gain justification by grace He considered them rubbish - Philippians 3:8-9 skubala = human waste or dung (KJV) He was saying the same thing as Isaiah - all righteousness acts are like filthy rags - Isaiah 64:6 The good we do is not rubbish but it is if those works are seen as the source and trusted in Our obedience, which is imperfect, does not make us right with God Christ's righteousness saves by faith The message of the cross calls us to sacrifice everything to Christ, who sacrificed everything for us Without his sacrifice, our sacrifice would be worthless to God and to man |
