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Searching for "look" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "50" to "75". (212 found)

2009-09-12 - Wild at Heart - False self (part 3)
Waling away from the false, we will feel vulnerable and exposed
Tempted to turn to our comforters for relief
Stop looking for women to validate you

Passive men tiptoe around their wife for years, never wanting to rock the boat
Violent men release anger on her

Some dating men make her the sun of their universe but man needs a bigger obit than that
He needs something to invite her into
Many men do not offer her strength, but do drink from her beauty and are unable to commit

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
  • Where does your sense of power come from?
  • Is it your position?
Look to be the servant of all
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

2009-09-24 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 5)
Not every thought that crosses your mind comes from you
  • Where are those ideas coming from?
  • Where are those feelings coming from?
  • We are unaware of his schemes – 2 Corinthians 2:11
  • We look for a psychological or a physical explanation for every trouble we meet

Who caused the Chaldeans to steal Job’s herds – Satan Job 12,17
Anaias and Sapphira – Satan
Heartache keeps us from praying
Satan is behind that brutal assault on your on strength
There is a whole lot more going on behind the scenes of our lives than most of us have been led to believe

Behind the world and the flesh is an event more deadly enemy, one we rarely speak of and are even less ready to resist

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
Paul does not get into a discussion what is right and wrong

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

Great questions in these verses:

  • Who are you to judge some else's servant? - Romans 14:4
  • Why do you judge your brother? - Romans 14:10
  • Why do you look down on your brother? - Romans 14:10
On the day of judgment:
  • No "I'm right" or "Your wrong" on that day
  • Rightness will be perfectly obvious to all
Therefore lut us stop passing judgment on one another - Romans 14:13

2009-10-07 - One Another - Admonish Questions
Who can best admonish or coach someone?
  • someone in close relationship
  • someone with credibility in the area of concern
  • someone who is a person of humility
  • some who is allowing the word of Christ richly dwell in them
What is the goal of admonishing?

To help another person grow and change and be transformed more fully into the image of Christ
  1. not making the person receiving look bad
  2. not making the person giving look good
  3. not to give someone authority or superiority
  4. not to force someone to do something they do not want to do
  5. not to embarrass someone
  6. not to keep people in line


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.

2009-11-16 - 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 forth
More than just showing faults (easy)
Sets out to prove the offense to the blinded offender
Laodicean – I know your deeds, church became blinded
Exposing the church resented a gate to enter repentance
The 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…
  • To give repentance – Acts 5:30-31
  • God granted repentance – Acts 11:11-18
  • God will grant the repentance – 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Questions
  1. What is the value of the gift of elegcho (pronounced “elencho”)?
  2. What methods has the Holy Spirit used to convict you? Which has been most effective at producing repentance? Which methods have you most tried to avoid?
  3. How have you tried to avoid reproof from fellow Christians?
  4. According to Revelation 3:19, why does Jesus reprove us? What response does He desire from us?
  5. How can a person dead in sin repent and believe?
  6. How does God grant repentance?
  7. Look back over the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus (see chapters 4 and 5); list examples of how they reproved their hearers in order to bring them to repentance.
  8. Why is repentance impossible without God?


2009-12-08 - Master Plan - Demonstration (part 2)
  • There were many situations and many types of people
    • Rich and poor
    • Healthy and sick
    • Friend and Foe
  • No chalk board outline or “Do It Yourself” Manual
  • Jesus made sure they didn’t miss in understanding
    • Ask what the parables meant – Luke 8:9
    • Seem to spend more time explaining than the initial interaction lesson
    • Applied lesson to their lives – Mark 10:24-31
  • Jesus did not ask anything that He was not doing Himself
  • Class was always in session – every waking moment of everyday
    • People are looking for demonstration not explanation
    • Only way to train men is to live by example
    • Not shrinking back or evading our personal responsibility
    • Mere knowledge is not enough
    • Knowledge unapplied to living can become a stumbling stone for further truth
    • Jesus saw to it that they applied the truth in their life


2009-12-26 - First the Kingdom - Mourning Misunderstandings
Two extremes to mourning:

1. Mournful mourning
  • Self-centered - woe-is-me
  • We shield ourselves from God's grace
  • Focused on our own unworthiness
2. Matter-of-fact mourning
  • Qualifies as mourning because the mourner defines it as such
  • Brokenness is missing
  • God is looking for a broken and contrite heart - Psalms 51:17
The cross is the center point within the extremes

We will have to face the mourning someday - it is be now and God's way or it will be later and God's way

Are you postponing?

Are you ignoring?

2009-12-28 - First the Kingdom - At Ease
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth - Matthew 5:5
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace - Psalms 37:11

Meekness is strength under the control of God
Being meek is being at ease before God and man
One looks outside himself for the power of life
Totally open with God, God will work in all things for his good

To be meek is not to be afraid...

1. Is at ease with God

Someone who worries and has anxiety reduces them to practical atheists

A child is at ease with their father/mother (in most cases)
I have stilled and quieted my soul; child with mother is my soul within me - Psalms 131:2

2. Is at ease with himself
Jesus knew exactly what authority he had been he had been given by God - John 13:3

3. Is at ease with others
Neither inferior nor superior
No longer deceived by pride, he is free to learn from anyone
At ease with God and himself - has nothing to prove and nothing to fear



2010-01-10 - Kingdom First - Majoring in the Minors
Unless your righteousness surpasses the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 5:20

Pharisees:
  • Strict observers of the law
  • Walked around in flowing robes
  • Offered prayers in unnatural holy voices
  • Advertised their benevolence
  • Majored in the minors yet forgetting the heart
Any different today?
  • Boring clergy in odd clothes
  • Preaching burdensome dos and donts
  • Unrelatable sermons
  • Unrelatable lives
People need and desire a relationship with God - not man-made religion

Perfect salvation is not the basis of salvation
Not a matter of making ourselves feel or look good, but to please God

Do you struggle with this?
  • Have you created your own system of salvation?
  • Do people say you are a people pleaser (Galatians 1:10)?
  • Are we steeped in our own traditions or preconceived notions about the truth?
  • What if no one was watching, would you still: give, sing, pray, study the same?


2010-01-19 - Kingdom First - Handle Prayerfully (part 1)
Jesus was a man of prayer - he knew how to do it and he did it all the time
  • Prayed for the power to heal and to change others - Mark 9:29
  • In prayer in order to be at peace with God's will - Matthew 26:36-46
  • Struggled in prayer to be wholehearted submissive to his Father - Hebrews 5:7-8
  • Prayed by himself - Matthew 14:23
  • Prayed before others - John 11:41-43
  • Prayed with his face to the ground - Matthew 26:39
  • Prayed looking up to heaven - John 17:1
  • Prayed standing up - Mark 11:25
  • Prayed kneeling down - Luke 22:41
  • Prayed in early in the morning - Mark 1:35
  • Prayed throughout the night - Luke 6:12
He did NOT say:
  • If you pray
  • Please, I beg you to pray
  • I command you to pray
But "When you pray..."

2010-01-28 - Kingdom First - Personal Responsibility (part 2)
When talking about removing the plank from our eye so we can remove the speck from someone else, there are two extremes:
  1. Becoming inwardly focused, see only our problems
  2. Trying to help other straighten out their lives without being open to the same help ourselves
How do I get a sober estimate of myself?

A. Look daily into the mirror of God's word
Foolish to just look at the word of God and not let it transform you - James 1:22-25

B. Pray fervently for God to open your eyes and give you insight into your heart and life
An incredible prayer about searching our heart - Psalms 139:23-24

C. Be open with those in your life
Be quick to confess sin - James 5:16

D. Have a humble attitude toward challenge in your life
Let this be our goal - Psalms 141:5

2010-01-30 - One Another - Confession Lessons
Sin is still a reality - even in Christ
God uses relationships to transform us
Everyone who seek these relationship will find themselves either being the one sinning or the one being sinned against

Christ has freed us to be real
We no longer have to prove anything
No longer have to pretend or conceal
Love of Christ compels us and reminds us and reassures us

We should not be shocked or disillusioned when someone confesses
Will we look down on others like the Pharisee did in Jesus' parable - Luke 18?
Or will we see we all are capable of bad things in need of grace?

Sooner we can walk in the light, the better
Longer something stays concealed, the more demons of darkness have time to work

2010-02-15 - One Another - Bearing With Another (part 2)
When helping each other likely not going to happen:
  • When relationships are superficial - deeper and consistent basis
  • When we feel our own burdens are quite enough - not hard for anyone to feel this
When will bearing with each other happen?

1. When relationships are real, open, and deep
When we know people, walk with them, feel with them, and pray with them - we will know when they are leaving the path
We need to care for them

2. When we feel our burdens, but live with a servant heart
Should look to the interest of others - Philippians 2:4-5

3. When we understand that we are responsible for one another and accept it

2010-02-28 - One Another - One Another In Groups (part 2)
Look for the Spirit's work in all things - 1 Thessalonians 5:6-19

The Spirit is always at work - John 5:17
Guard against the tendency to look at your group through unspiritual eyes
God chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong - 1 Corinthians 1:27
Don't just hang those you click with, God wants to teach us through people who are different from us

Support spiritual leadership - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Ask your leader(s) if he/she feels your support and encouragement - how you can more fully show it

2010-03-13 - To Live is Christ - No One Else Like Him
Those with with the greatest impact are not the ones you expect
Romans centurion - Matthew 8:5-10
Canaanite woman - Matthew 15:21-28

Timothy struggled with illness and fear made quite an impression on Paul
  • He looked out for the interest of others
  • He lived out the message
  • He knew what it meant to go to the cross
  • He was convinced that he was more alive when he was dead
  • He discipleship was a matter of practice
  • He had no trouble seeing the mission of Jesus
  • He did not run aimlessly but purposeful, selfless, and dedicated servant of Jesus
How do Timothys come about?
  • They study to become like this
  • They are discipled to become like this
  • They do whatever it takes
God uses them to bless the world

2010-03-19 - To Live is Christ - Pressing On

Although is righteousness that is not our own becomes laziness, we show we have the grace of God - Philippians 3:12-16

Despite all that Paul went through and has done - he pressed on
Greek word, dicoko = used in both hunting and foot racing

There is certainly a time to remember what we have done - 2 Thessalonians 2:5
But there is also a time to forget

Paul did not cling to the fact that he planted a lot of churches
He purposely "forgot", so he would not see himself as arriving

Paul was looking forward to the next thing God had in store for him
All who are mature, should think this way

The way to take it higher is to hold on to what you have already grasped and then reach for more



2010-04-10 - Life to the Full - Two Wisdoms (part 4)
There are two sorts of wisdom: earthly and heavenly

Do you have God's wisdom? - James 3:17-18
  • pure - not mixed with anything else - in thought, word or deed?
  • peace-loving - never to be soft on sin and not follow ways of violence
  • considerate - do we really put others first?
  • submissive - "obedient, compliant", open to persuasion
  • full of mercy and good - God is looking for changes and results
  • impartial - not taking the side of the unjust
  • sincere - "unhypocritical"
Wisdom in the Bible is more about moral quality than intellectual quality
Is why the wise may turn out to be fools and the "foolish" may the wisest of all


2010-04-11 - Life to the Full - Macho Mist (part 1)
Worldliness = spiritual adultery
In the OT, Israel is called "adulterous" after going after idol

We are in the world but must not be of the world - John 17:14-18

Question to check to see if we are flirting with the world:
  • Am I tempted to miss church meetings?
  • Do I work overtime without a thought?
  • Do I cheat on my contribution?
  • Do I pretend to be more devoted that I am?
  • Do I take a second look at .....?
  • Do I grow sleepy during sermons?
  • Is there anything in the world that has a stronger grip on my heart, soul and strength than God, his word, or his will?


2010-04-22 - Life to the Full - In His Steps (part 3)

1 Peter 3:1-7...

Submission, kindness is a two-way street

Wondering God is not using you more?
Why children are slow to become Christians?
Why don't feel more peace and joy in your house?

Look no further than your marriage!

Questions for wives:

  • Do you resort to worldly means to win?
  • Do you fight for your rights more than fighting for others?
  • Do you show respect for your husband and emphasize his strengths?

Questions for husbands:

  • How often you compliment your wife?
  • Are you generous in the amount of housework you do?
  • Do you respect your wife for her spirituality and other strengths of character?

Questions for both:

  • Do you pray together regulary?
  • Do your children have a fear of God?
  • Are your family devotionals consistent?
  • When outsiders visit your home and see your family, are they more likely to want to follow Christ?


2010-05-02 - Renewing Your Spiritual Passion for God (part 1)

Preached by Richard Dixson (1997-05-18)

1 Samuel 16:7

  • Worldly things look more appealing
  • The people saw the others with better things
    • Most important thing:
      • Everyone spends time to get ready
      • Do you spend more time getting ready for the outside appearance than your inward?
      • The heart is most important

Psalms 51:4-9

  • Being true to one's self
  • When our conscience violated things are not fun
  • Renew the steadfast spirit


Special Place for a special for a special friend

Psalms 63:2-4 - Remember God's Power

Psalms 63:6-7 - The night bed and protection from God

Psalms 91:4 - We are being attacked all the time

Psalms 63:8 - Confidence - God holds us up



2010-05-10 - World Hates Jesus (part 2)

Ephesians 5:1-13

  • Being open pleases God
  • Sin enslaves us.
Hebrews 10:26-31

  • Our sins killed Jesus
  • Not oops...Deliberate!
  • Two ways to look at it
    • Bad Bad = Guilty/No change
    • Good Bad = Repentence/Change
  • Only 72 left to follow Jesus when he ascended
  • Today:
    • God is the same.
    • People change.

John 6:60-71

  • Jesus' message offended people
  • They my have said:
    • You are going to lose some members
    • You are not going to be popular
    • This might start a controversy

Matthew 10:34-38

  • The message is going to cause friction
Matthew 7:13-14
  • The road is narrow:
    • Hard to get on
    • Not easy
    • Few will be on it
  • Are you on the narrow road?


2010-05-11 - World Hates Jesus (part 3)

The answer is out there

John 5:16-23

  • If this is true then there is nothing else
  • Religious are looking for answers. Why?
    • Easier
    • More followers
    • Do not want to look bad

You are in the right place

John 6:68-69

  • No where else to go
  • What are you looking for?
Jesus says those who obey are his disciples - John 8:31-32

What are you going to do?



2010-05-12 - Desire's Journey - Our Heart's Deepest Secret
But I still haven't found what I am looking for - U2

We have a secret desire for life as it was meant to be
Again and again the yearning of our heart cries for this life

Life  comes to all of us as a mystery
We long to live a life we are not sure where to find

The greatest human tragedy is to give up the search for life.
Nothing is of greater importance than the life of our deep heart
To lose heart is to lose everything - Proverbs 4:23

Who we really are and why we are here comes to us through our heart's desire

Our heart yearns for things to be right is so strong that it overrides the logic and hopes against hope every time
The heart has its reasons which reason knows not of - Proverbs 20:5

There are two things that pierce the human heart:
  • Beauty
  • Affliction


2010-05-26 - Desire's Journey - Faith as Desire

First two servant doubled their investment and were rewarded
Most would have agreed with the third servant burying the money saying, "well, at least it was safe" - Matthew 25
The third servant was put into darkness because he did not trust God

When we bury our desires, we saying to God = 'I don't dare desire because I fear you; I think you are hard-hearted"

Is our obedience more out of love or out of carefulness?
Killing desire may look like sanctification but it's really godlessness

Persistent widow - won he case because she refused to let up

When Jesus returns, will he find faith? - Luke 18

To live with desire means:

  • Choosing vulnerability over self-protection
  • Admiting our desire and seeking help beyond ourselves
  • Living by faith and refuse to kill desire

 



2010-05-28 - Desire's Journey - Hopeless without Desire
Peter tell us to be ready to give the reason for the hope that everyone one is asking us about - 1 Peter 3:15
When was the last time someone stopped you to ask about your hope?

Is there nothing about our lives that is worth asking about?
Our hopes are deeply tied to our real desires
Killing desire has meant a hopeless life for too many

People aren't exactly ripping the roofs of churches to get inside

The enemies ploy:
  • Drain life and beauty away from the church
  • Bury Christians in duty
  • Nobody will want to take a closer look
Wrong conclusion: Desire gets me into trouble and I must avoid it at all costs
Danger is not desire but disowning desire

2010-05-29 - Desire's Journey - Mocking Desire
We want the adventure without the risk - ex. Only 5% of SUV ever go off-road

Idols usually come in pairs:
Nearby idol - gives a since of control
Faraway idols - provides the taste of transcendence
But the idols are impostors - we are taken by the array of choices we have but never have to stop and look at what we are doing

Is your desire truly and deeply satisfied with these idols?
Does the relief come more through the temporary absence of desire?
We have found a powerful drug - distraction

Sometimes we don't want to take a good, hard look at what we are really doing
Used wood to make fire and cook with - then made an idol??? - Isaiah 44:16-17, 19-20


2010-06-12 - Why Jesus Came (part 1)

Preached 1998-07-05
    Most of us have lost something:
    • Losing wallet - not a good thing
      • Feels good to find it.
    God's desire is to "find" what is lost - YOU!
     
    • Problem: We are separated from God by sin

    Jesus came to...

    Save the lost

    Luke 19:10

    • Uses people to save others
    • Many people to save some:
      • Do not know they are lost
      • Are confused
      • Misguided
      • Are not interested
      • Are looking
    • Despite the what phase we are in we are still lost.
    • No excuses 
      • Those who have issues are not really searching
        • "What about those hypocrites?"
        • "I am too busy"
        • "I will but...."

    Acknowledge the Father

     John 14:9

    • To relate
    • Some think God doesn't care
      • How can God allow all these shootings?
        • Isrealites were saying the same thing in the dessert
    • Jesus = God with us
    • If Jesus was standing next to you how would you act differently?


2010-06-16 - Jesus - The Healer (part 1)

Preached by Richard Dixon on 1999-10-03

Matthew 9:12
  • God is looking for the person that make need for Him appearant.
  • Why do we need to be healed?
Psalms 73:1-17
  • They "seem to have no struggles".
  • What happens behind closed doors?
10 things that can hurt us:
 
1. Hurt by others 6. Frustration
2. Hurt by yourself 7. Mistake towards another
3. Internal Sin 8. Unresolved Issues
4. Lack of Purpose 9. Not Forgiving Yourself
5. Failure 10. Not Forgiving others

Sometimes we become like rolly pollies. 
(Clam up if someone gets to close)



2010-07-14 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 1)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst

The dilemma of desire is the deepest dilemma we will ever face
The dangers are deep and potentially fatal

How do we not lose heart?

No one wants to:
  • Fill up on snack on Thanksgiving
  • Buy gifts for one's self for Christmas
  • Look for a date at his own wedding rehearsal
There is something about waiting in expectation for something really special

Three things we must come to terms with in our heart:
  1. We must have life
  2. We cannot arrange for it
  3. It is coming


2010-07-18 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 5)
We can learn many things about the journey of desire in the story of Jesus' wilderness trial

1. He was hungry - Matthew 4:1-4
  • We can see the humanity of Jesus
  • Because his hunger was real, we can learn something about ours
  • Hunger is normal, except it
  • Don't be embarrassed by it, don't try to hide it
  • We end up repenting of the wrong thing

Satan: You don't have to stay hungry, you have options
The lie is that the options will bring us what we most deeply want and need
Evey idol is an impostor - not true life

When on a marathon - and are given a beer
It is cold (we desire cold) but we know we really need cold water for our thirst
Junk food does not have the nutrition we need

When we have been working out, working hard in the field, we know what we want
Knowing full well what our heart's real thirst is, we will have looked the imposer in the face and laughed as Jesus did

2010-08-02 - Desire's Journey - Keeping Heart (part 3)
Not all the truths help us descend with the mind into the heart
We have dissected God, man, and gospel thousands of times - all facts
It is not that these insights aren't true, but knowing facts will not help feel closer to God

How do you get to know a person? Through stories
We should stop approaching the Bible looking just for tips and techniques

We are bombarded by thousands of messages each day, every on of them urgent
Must reduce the constant noise - turn off the TV
Even the news is a problem because of its artificial importance
Every night there is an urgent story (to sell more news) but nothing is


2010-08-05 - Waking Dead - Arm Yourselves (part 2)
God intends for you to have eternal life

When someone gets married, it isn't just a marriage to help them in retirement but their whole lives

I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living - Psalms 27:13

No one who has left everything will fail to receive many times as much in this age, in the age to come, eternal life - Luke 18:29-30

Jesus talks about a life available to us in this age
Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come - 1 Timothy 4:8

When we hear eternal life, most think a life that waits for in eternity
But eternal means "unending" not "later"
Eternal life can start now

Jesus was raised from the dead, now we also may live new lives - Romans 6:4
Coming fully alive is what he was committed to

What a different it would make if we really knew that our lives and God's glory were bound together
Things would start looking up


2010-08-09 - Waking Dead - The Heart's Eyes

Do not lose heart, fix our eyes on what is unseen - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We are losing heart, all of us, daily

Someone was trying to shutdown Paul during his ministry - 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
He was looking at what he could not see

Life is an illustion - there is a way of looking at life and be able to live from the heart no matter what
How? By seeing with the eyes of the heart - Ephesians 1:18

Jesus spoke in parables to our hearts:

  • A sower went out to sow some seed
  • A man fell into the hands of robbers
  • Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one
  • There were ten virgins with ten lamps

Jesus spoke in a way that will get past all intellectual defenses
Civil War: Fought between 1861 to 1865 vs stories of the lives lost during that time

When you tell a story, you speak to the heart



2010-08-14 - Waking Dead - Heart is Central

The heart is central
The need to even to be remined of this show how far we have fallen from the life we were meant to have

The heart is addressed in the Bible more than any other topic

Love the Lord your God with all your heart - Deuteronomy 6:5
Man looks at the outward appearance, Lord looks at the heart - 1 Samuel 16:7
Where your teasure is, there your heart will be also - Luke 12:34

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart - Proverbs 3:5
These people honor me from their lips but their hearts are far from me - Matthew 15:8
The Lord weighs the heart - Proverbs 21:2

The heart can be:

  • Trouble, wounded, pierced, grieved, even broken
  • Cheerful, glad, merry, joyful, rejoicing
  • Whole or divided
  • Wise or foolish
  • Steadfast, true, upright, stout, valiant
  • Frightened, faint, cowardly
  • Wandering, forgetful, dull, stubborn, proud, hardened

The heart can be unpredictable but it is central to our being

The heart answers a lot of questions:

  • Why did my relationship fail? One or both don't have to heart to make it work
  • Why are some many struggling with depression and discouragement? They have lost heart
  • Why can I not break free from our addiction? We gave our heart away and need to get it back

 



2010-08-16 - Waking Dead - Motives
Those who live from the mind shed few tears
There are the stated reasons for what we do and then there is the real reasons = motives

On the day of judgment, the Lord will expose the motive of men's hearts - 1 Corinthians 4:5
The Pharisees prayed to impress men with their spirituality and gave to impress with their generosity
God looks at the heart

The law is written on our hearts and consciences - Romans 2:15
It is why it is so important to not to harden our hearts

The heart is where we do our deepest thinking
Jesus knows what the we are thinking in our hearts
Solomon asked for a wise and discerning heart - 1 Kings 3:9

The modern mistake is to think that the mind equals reason and the heart equals emotion

2010-08-24 - Waking Dead - Glory (part 1)
Our destiny is to come fully alive
To explain sin, some have gone to the point of saying "I am just a sinner, saved by grace" or "there sure isn't anything good in me"
But this is unbibical

They point to: "For I know that nothing good lives in me" - Romans 7:18
Notice he says " in my flesh" - there is a difference between the flesh (old heart) and the true you

Yes, we battle sin and crucify the flesh but we choose to live from the new heart
That sinful nature you battle is not who you are

"it is no longer I myself who do it"  X 2 - Romans 7:17-18; 20, 22
Paul opens the letter with "Paul, an apostle" not as a sinner

You should shine like stars - Philippians 2:15-16
Let your light shine before men - Matthew 5:16

Shame says - "I am nothing to look at. I am not capable of goodness"
Humility say - "I bear a glory for sure, but it is a reflected glory"

2010-08-27 - Waking Dead - Guided
Narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it - Matthew 7:14

Each day: do you wake to tackle a to do list or wake in the midst of a dangerous story?
If you are not pursuing a dangerous quest, then you do not need a guide
If you want the life Jesus offers, then you are going to need more than a handful of principles
Can not possibly prepare yourself for ever situation
We need God intimately and we need him desperately

You have made know the path of life - Psalms 16:11
There is a narrow path to life and we need help finding it

Example path from a church:
  • Become a member
  • Take a course on doctrine
  • Faithfully attend the Sunday morning service and small group fellowship
  • Complete a course on Christian growth
  • Live a life of Christian growth
  • Complete a course on evangelism
  • Consistently look for opportunities to evangelize
  • Complete a course on finances, marriage, and parenting
  • Complete a course on leadership
  • Complete a course on hermeneutics
  • Complete a course on spiritual gifts
  • Complete a course on missions
  • Complete a course on biblical counseling
  • Carry a significant local church ministry load
Program teaches you principles and how to apply them but not how to walk with God

All religions has principles to follow but only Christianity can teach you to walk with God
The most important thing of all is intimacy with God

Those who only do good things - Jesus will say I never knew you - Matthew 7:23

Teach a man to fish?
Teach a man to walk with God and you help him solve the rest of his life

2010-09-03 - Waking Dead - Help of Others
We are usually too close to our lives to see what is going on
Because it is our story , we don't know what  is true and false

In every great story, the hero or heroine must turn to someone older and wiser to answer a riddle
  • Dorthy seeks the Wizard
  • Frodo turns to Gandalf
  • Neo has Morpheus
  • Curdie is helped by Lady of the Silver Moon
  • Jedis look Yodo
Pride is so blinding
Sometimes in our discipling we just fix what is wrong (sin) and not work on the glory of God
Need to also me focused on moving forward and to go out on faith

2010-09-06 - Waking Dead - Deep Restoration (part 3)
Chris came not only to pardon us but to heal us

Jesus can and wants to heal your heart.

What does that rouse in you?
  • Hope?
  • Cynicism?
  • Pride?
Without your heart you cannot hope to find God
The heart is God's dwelling place
If you ignore your heart, it is like looking for him everywhere but at home

It might be a surprise to you that Christ ask our permission to come in and heal

Behold, I stand at the door and knock - Revelation 3:20
He does not force his way in

There are sometimes rooms we have kept locked up
We must give him permission to come in there - ask Jesus for your whole heart back

2010-09-09 - Waking Dead - Spiritual Warfare (part 1)

The heart of our enemy: determined to hinder and harm and ruin God's image bearers

God is serious about life - Isaiah 45:2-3

  • He will level the mountains
  • Break down the gates of bronze
  • Cut through the bars of darkness
  • Give us hidden treasures
May seem overblown or metaphoric
What if we looked at the passage through the eyes of the heart?
We are in an epic battle - things are not what they seem

This is God personal mission - Isaiah 61:1
  • Bind up the brokenhearted
  • Proclaim freedom for the captives
  • Release from darkness for the prisoners

What is the hidden treasure? Our hearts
Our hearts are not darkness but hidden by darkness



2010-09-13 - You are what you eat
Preached by Curt Simmons on 2002-08-18

Ephesians 1:11-14

  • We eat to get energy
  • We need to eat to healthy spiritually too
  • What are we feeding the spirit?
    • What is your spiritual diet?
    • Are you eating junk food?
  • Do not forget the Holy Spirit! - get to know him better
  • We will die if we continue to gratify the sinful nature

Ephesians 3:14-19

  • We desire to be filled
  • Fullness = satisfied (not looks for more)

Ephesians 4:11-13

  • Leaders help us
  • Let other into your life

Ephesians 4:17-29

  • All these sins are poisonous to our health
  • Put on new self - start a new diet


General healthy spiritual food items

  1. Obedience
  2. Prayer
  3. Bible Study
  4. Singing
  5. Encouraging Others
  6. Serving
  7. Contribution
  8. Graduated
  9. Fasting
  10. Confessing Sin
  11. Discipling
Where are you at?
  1. Weak - poison = no, good food = no, eats little
  2. Sick - poison = some, worldly, impure
  3. Dying - not eating much, lots of poison
  4. Strong - lots of food, consistent, wide variety
Practicals
  1. Scheduled meals
  2. Decide what meals should go
  3. Decide what to start eating


2010-09-15 - God is love

Preached by Richard Dixion on 1999-05-04

Psalms 25:10

  • Gratefulness: no arguments, no frustration, no complaining
Unconditional Love

Psalms 145:13

  • All he made - Did God make you?
  • We live in an unloving world
    • God is not like use
  • We make limits to our love
    • God does not stop
  • We all need unconditional love
Tough Love

Hebrews 12:4-10

  • God love is tough
  • Two kinds of discipline
    • Action - stops for the short-term
    • Heart - God way, deals with sin
  • Discipline - creates - discipline and gratefulness
  • Running away or running toward discipline?
  • He wants us to be holy, righteousness
  • Wrong thinking: I won't because I might get disciplined
  • Right thinking: I will, and I will be molded


His love is Transforming

Romans 12:1-2

  • What transforms you?
  • How are different than a year ago?
  • Living sacrifices?

2 Corinthians 5:3

  • How would you look if God transformed your life?
  • Do you know who are?
  • What would Jesus do different in your life?
  • God loves us the way we are
    • He refuses to leave us that way


2010-09-29 - Contagious Christian - People Matter (part 1)
We might like the idea of having a spiritual impact on others, we won't take decisive action unless we raise our motivation level
The best way to do this is to have God's perspective on the matter

1. The way things are - Science
Anthropic principle - when we look at the world around us, the universe was somehow designed to support and nourish human life
  • Raise or lower the universe's rate of expansion by one part in a million, - it rules out the possibility of life
  • If the average distance between star was any greater, the planets would not have formed; any smaller, the planets orbits for life would not have occurred
  • The ratio of carbon and oxygen was different, we could not breath the air
  • Change the tilt of the earth's axis slightly, we would freeze and burn up
  • Any change in the distance from the sun or speed of rotation of the earth would result in unlivable temperature changes
Someone must have gone to a lot of effort to make things just right
We matter to God

2. The way things ought to be - Business
Business is turning to the "upside-down" approached
They refocus on they are there - to server their customers

Focus must be outside the church as well
It is easy to get entangled and ensnared in internal issues in our church that it is hard to remember the primary reason we remain on this planet - to reach out to other people

If we matter to God, then they'd better matter to us too

2010-10-10 - Contagious Christian - Pull of Compassion
Caring for the tangible needs of others is at the core of Christianity
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless - look at orphans and widows in their distress - James 1:27

Compassion is echoed throughout the Bible:
  • Be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor - Deuteronomy 15:11
  • Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me - Matthew 25:40
  • All I ask is that you remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do - Galatians 2:10
Uncaring Christianity does not attract inquirers
Clear and consistent demonstration of Christ-like love is a powerful magnet that pulls people toward Him

Not about who you are or what you did
It is about how you care, being a neighbor - Luke 10:36-37
In Luke 10 - when the wounded man awoke, he must have wondered, "Who did this? Why would they do help me in such a great way?"
It is when people start asking, "Why didn't he not turn away like everyone else?"

As I have loved you, so you must love one another - John 13:34-35
All men will know that you are my disciples

2010-10-12 - Dealing With Your Heart (Part I)
  1. The Blessing of Giving - Acts 20:33-35
    1. Paul did not desire anyone else's money or possessions.
    2. He worked hard and sacrificed to help the weak.
    3. He knew that giving brought more joy than receiving.
  2. Living for Eternal Possessions - Matthew 6:19-21; Hebrews 10:32-34
    1. When our treasure is in heaven not on earth, our hearts will be in heaven also.
    2. As disciples, we will look foolish to the world because our hearts and our treasures (money) are in heaven not on earth.
  3. All Things For Our Enjoyment - 1 Timothy 6:17-18
    1. It is very easy for us who have wealth to put our hope and trust in money/things rather than God.
    2. As disciples we are commanded to be generous and willing to share.
    3. When we follow God"s plan we can feel great about enjoying the blessings God has given us.

QUESTIONS
  1. Which do I desire more, to give or to receive?
  2. How can I put all my treasure in heaven so that all my heart will be there also?
  3. How am I being generous and willing to share on a daily basis?
  4. Am I enjoying God's blessings or do I feel guilty about the things I have?


2010-10-19 - Planning and Budgeting
  1. Introduction
    "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"
    As Christians, we often fail to have a plan for our finances. Prior to doing this study, you may have even thought it unspiritual to spend time focusing on your finances. Hopefully, by now you have developed convictions as to God's plan for your finances. In this study, we will look at the need for us to establish a budget for our spending. A budget is a reasonable written plan for your giving, spending, and saving based on your income. It is a tool to help you to be a good steward of that which God has entrusted to you.
  2. The Need for a Budget
    1. God expects you to know the condition of your flocks and herds (money, possessions, debts) Proverbs 27:23
    2. We must have a plan and commit it to God. Proverbs 16:3, 3:9
    3. Jesus teaches us to know the cost of something before we begin. It is foolish not to budget. Luke 14:28-30
  3. Guidelines
    1. Plan first to give to God.
    2. Plan to live sacrificially, not beyond your means.
    3. Plan to have something to share, to be able to be generous with others.
    4. Plan to save for occasional or emergency expenses (e.g. special contributions, auto repairs, medical expenses, family trips).
    5. Plan to eliminate debt - Romans 13:8

QUESTIONS
  1. Do I have a written budget that I use to plan my giving, spending, and saving?
  2. Do I compare my actual spending to my budget?
  3. Have I adopted a standard of living that enables me to stay out of debt and have enough to be generous with others?


2010-10-30 - Contagious Christian - Barriers to Relationships (part I)
Biblical Issues with understanding what friendships are in the Bible can be barriers to relationships
Some feel that befriending people who are irreligious is questionable and maybe unbiblical

A look at a few examples of some verses misunderstood

James 4:4 - says not to be friends with the world
1 John 2:15-17 - world is referring to sin and evil that people commit, not to the people themselves
We need to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world

John 17:14 - we are not of this world is sometimes interpreted that we should not associate with people outside of God's family
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one - John 17:15-18
Jesus' purpose was to seek and save what is lost, he had to have relationships in the world to accomplish this - Luke 19:10

2 Corinthians 6:17 - Come out from them and be separate; avoid being yoked with unbelievers
Not referring to everyday friendships but more formal alliances
Paul in an earlier letter said that ordinary interactions with non-Christians is right and necessary - 1 Corinthians 5:9-10

Jesus was a friend of tax collectors and sinners - Luke 7:34

2010-11-03 - Contagious Christian - Finding the Approach
Besides talking to people you are ready know try contacting people you used to know
The curiosity factor comes into play
  • Because you contacted them out of blue
  • Both of you want to see all the changes that have happened since you last saw them
Call them out of curiosity and call them into fun
In the process, prayerfully watch for opportunities to share the way God has changed your life

There are also many opportunities where there people you would like to know
We all go to gas stations, stores, restaurants
With a little forethought, these errands can be turned into evangelistic opportunities
Change your thinking about the way you look at the employee who are serving you
These are people who matter to God and put in your path for you to meet
When we approach people with this attitude, with concern and respect - it is easy to get on a first name basis with them

2010-11-05 - Contagious Christian - The Paul Approach
Paul certainly confronted people but his main approach was logical and reasonable presentation of the gospel

Romans - best example of how Paul lays out a sound explanation of the central truths about God nature, sin, and Christ's solution

Paul was a highly educated man and learned under one of the finest teachers of the time

Was there a better person to philosophers in Athens in Acts 17?
His presentation took them from their unknown God all the way to the one true living God
Philosophers would have related to Peter's direct approach
No "you will just have to accept it on faith" = "Leap before you look. Are you lucky?"

Who in your life enjoys working with ideas and evidence?
Many seekers need to hear the gospel not only declared but also defined and defended

2010-11-07 - Hunger for Christ
Preached by Mike Gross

Nearly 1 Billion people in the world do not get enough food
25,000 die every day because of starvation

Are you hungry?

John 6:22-28
  • Just witnessed 5,000 people being feed
  • They were looking for free food but in reality they had to work at it find it
  • The bread they needed was to spend time to know about Jesus - the bread of life
  • Are you searching for the right kind of bread?
  • The search and hunger for God does not end when we are baptized, it only begins
Proverbs 2:1-5
  • We need to find God like hidden treasure
  • God does not change but our viewpoint changes
  • Example - Engagement ring to a couple verse the a jewelery store owner
Food Poising

Mark 4:18-19
  • Money, worries, wasted time choke out our hunger for him
  • During the holidays this becomes a bigger issue
Hunger for the bread of life

John 6:28-40
  • They asked for a miracle but they had already forgotten about the miracle they just saw - feeding the 5,000
  • The work is to believe - it takes work to believe
  • NOT working to get salvation but we need to work at our salvation


2010-11-16 - Contagious Christian - Making the Message Clear (part I)
Before you can bring the message to others, need to make sure we clearly understand we understand the message ourselves
Making the message clear will need us to be able to illustrate it for those we talk to

God
Three aspects of God we need to look at:
  1. God is loving - Out of compassion He made us and still desires to have a relationship despite our sin against him
  2. God is holy - He is absolutely pure and is separate from everything impure
  3. God is just - He is a perfect judge who will dispense justice to everyone fairly
Us
God made us without sin but we abused our freedom and became evil
Sin requires God to pronounce upon us the death penalty - both physical and spiritual
This is separation from God via hell
We are helpless to change this

Christ
God had the power and authority to devise a plan for our salvation
Christ died and suffered the death penalty debt for us and
  • Expressed the love of God
  • Upheld the holiness of God
  • Satisfied the justice of God
He offered us His forgiveness and friendship
You don't deserve it, we didn't pay for it, we can not earn it

He paid a debt He did not owe
I owned a debt I could not pay

2010-12-04 - Mission - Peter, From a Reed
Peter was a reed blowing in the wind who became a rock whom God could build great things
Jesus looked at Peter and saw what he could become
Perhaps for the first time in Peter's life someone believed in him and had a vision that he could be someone great

When we feel believed in, we feel loved
The only thing that counts if faith expressing itself through love - Galatians 5:6
God looks at us for what we will become - Jeremiah 29:11
Viewing our day to day struggles and failures as their growth process on the way to becoming what God wants
Peter was convinced of this It kept Peter coming back after his failures

When Peter was asked if he wanted to leave, he said 'Lord, to whom shall we go?" - John 6:68-69

Think of all of Peter's heartbreaking failures....
  • Stepped of the boat, only to sink - Matthew 14:31
  • Rebuked for his dullness - Matthew 15:15-16
  • Rebuked Jesus and got the rebuke of a lifetime - Matthew 16:22-23
  • Fell asleep when Jesus needed him most - Matthew 26:40
  • Denied knowing Jesus three times and wept bitterly - Matthew 26:75


2010-12-08 - Mission - Cannot Help Proclaiming (part II)
What else compelled Peter and John?

3. Having a spiritual perspective of the plan of God
God orchestrated situations so people will find him - Acts 17:26-27

Satan can lull us to sleep with his lies
If I miss this opportunity, maybe God will use someone else, they don't look interested
They apostles felt the burden of salvation
They were convicted that they were the only hope of salvation
If they stopped, hope was gone
We must have a heartfelt conviction that we are God's vehicles to reach a lost and desperate world

4. Must understand that Satan's victory/defeat is determined by our faithfulness to proclaim the word of God boldly
We have two God-given weapons:
  • Blood of Jesus
  • Word of our testimony - Revelation 12:11
Satan's goal is to keep people away from God, ours is to bring people to God
He wins every time we do not open our mouth - we must not be silent

2010-12-09 - Mission - Cannot Fail
The harvest is plentiful; ask the Lord of the harvest - Luke 10:2
Those who have taken up the work must devote themselves to prayer
What they get from him is something they can not find in themselves

Prayer is not the only important thing needed, it is just the most important thing to the harvest
Obstacles are many for those working in the harvest
There is not one that cannot be overcome with prayer

Efforts to bring the harvest often stop because the workers run into problems or frustration
Problem begin to look larger than the mission
They lose their fire and joy

Jesus says there is a problem (workers are few) but there is not despair
The problem is an opportunity for perseverance and faith

Frustrations and challenges differ but two things remain the same
  1. In all places, the harvest is plentiful
  2. In all places, God hears and answers us
As we go prayerfully into the harvest, we can not fail

2010-12-11 - Seeking God (part I)

What are you looking for in life?

Acts 17:16-28

  • Ever ask yourself: “What on earth am I here for?” You aren’t alone!
  • Why did God create you and bring you to this very point and time in your life? So that you would seek him and
    find him in order to have a personal relationship with him.
  • Who takes the initiative in seeking this relationship? Because God loves us and desires a relationship with us, he has been actively determining times and places long before we ever thought about seeking him (Psalms 14:2-3).
  • Why do so few seem to be seeking today?
    • God is unknown and the image many have of him is distorted v23
    • We have created our own god. We all worship something.
    • To seek God, we must be willing to change our ideas about who God is to match what has been revealed to us in the Bible
  • There is nothing more important or exciting in life than to seek and to find our Creator God.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

  • We will find God if we seek Him with all our heart.
  • Have you ever done something with all your heart? What is it?
  • What will it mean for you to seek God with all your heart?


2010-12-13 - Seeking God (part III)

John 1:18

  • Jesus has made God known.
  • Where do we begin our search for God? We begin by getting to know Jesus.
  • To the degree that we know Jesus, we will know God.

John 20:30-31

  • The Word of God produces faith in Jesus.
  • What will we find if we seek God by coming to know Jesus through God’s Word? Finding God begins with coming to faith in Jesus
    which promises true life now and eternal life later!
  • As we take a closer look at Jesus, are you willing to make a heartfelt effort to draw closer to God by praying and reading the Bible?


2010-12-20 - Worlds Wisdom vs Gods Wisdom (part II)
Before we go on:  What is the “world’s wisdom”?
  • If you asked a person who is street smart or the person on Wall Street or just a person who watches a lot of TV, what is at the heart of the world’s wisdom about how to live?
    • “Look out for number one.”
    • “Get what you want.”
    • “Get the power, the pleasure, the control you want.”
    • “Get the money.”
    • “Protect yourself.”
    • “Guard your rights.”
    • “Maintain your independence.”
  • And so what is at the center of man’s wisdom? Self! (See 2 Timothy 3:2)

Matthew 16:24-26
  • What is Jesus’ message? How is it the opposite of the world’s message?
    • Deny self– “disown” (Matthew 26:34). We renounce our old self, our old approach to life.
    • Take up the cross (instrument of death). Die to ourselves.
    • Follow Jesus. Make his life our model. Jesus life is a demonstration of his message.
  • What does Jesus say will be the bottom line for those who “save their own lives”? For those who foolishly lose their lives for him?
Final thoughts
  • What is everything on the left side (world’s wisdom) called? Sin.
  • What is everything on the right side (God’s wisdom) called? Love.
  • How have you lived according the world’s wisdom?
  • Have you ever made a decision to renounce it?
  • Which side was Peter still on (though he was religious)?
  • Which side are you on?


2010-12-22 - Sin (part II)
Galatians 5:19-21
  • Sin is the fundamentally “un-God-ward” orientation of our “flesh” or “sinful nature” and finds expression in many different ways. Emphasize “and the like.”
  • What is the common element in all these things? Self-centeredness.
  • Be as specific as necessary to explain and share from your own life about the sins listed. How do you see yourself in these verses? What sins have been characteristic of your own sinful nature? (If needed, look at additional Scriptures which catalog sins.)
James 4:17
  • We are sinful and in need of forgiveness not only as a result of those sins we have committed, but for failing to do the good that we know to do.
Romans 6:15-18
  • How does sin enslave?
  • Note that sin is a power that must be defeated as well as specific acts that must be repented of.
  • Who alone can set us free from sin? (John 8:31-36)
Romans 6:23
  • What are the eternal consequences of sin?
  • Why be urgent to learn about receiving the gift of God that comes through Jesus Christ?
  • Review these verses as honestly as you can to get in touch with the bad news about your own sinfulness. In the next couple of studies, we will look at the good news of God’s solution to our bondage to sin. (Note: In some instances it is important to have the person articulate how he or she was saved or forgiven of sin before examining the Bible’s teaching about salvation.)


2010-12-23 - Cross of Christ (part I)
Romans 3:22-26, 5:6-8
  • The cross is a demonstration of God’s justice in the face of sin.
  • God would not be righteous if he simply looked the other way in the face of sin and evil.
  • The cross is the greatest demonstration of God’s love. Because God loves us, Jesus Christ died for our sins.
Mark 10:42-45
  • Jesus understood God’s plan for him to give himself as a ransom for us - to die for our sins.
  • He could do this only because of his sinless life.
Mark 14:26-15:41
  • One account of the crucifixion. As you read and discuss each section, ask the question: “Why did God allow this to happen to Jesus?” Because He loves us! (To better describe the physical torments of the crucifixion, you may also wish to read “The Passion of the Christ from a Medical Point of View” by C. Truman Davis, M.D.)


2010-12-26 - Saved by Grace through Faith (part II)
Ephesians 2:1-10
  • What condition are we all in? We are dead in sins and transgressions.
  • How much can a dead man do to improve his own condition? What then is the only way we can be saved?
  • What do you learn about God in his passage? His love? His mercy? His grace?
  • What is the condition of receiving what God has done on our behalf?
  • We are saved by grace through faith. Faith is obedient trust in God (James 2:14-18).
  • Here we trust what God has done in Jesus as the grounds of our salvation and commit our lives fully to him. While we can never do enough good works to save ourselves, what are we saved for?
  • Saving faith is “worked out” in ways that bring glory to God and attest to a Christ-centered life.

Romans 3:21-26
  • Having shown that Gentiles (non-Jews) are sinners in Romans 1 and Jews are no better off Romans 2, Paul summarizes his argument here.
  • Is it possible for anyone to be “good enough” to be saved?
  • Illustration: a plane goes down half way between Hawaii and California. Everyone must swim for the coast. Can some swim much further than others? But what eventually happens to them all? So with us, no one’s own efforts are enough. All fall short. So how are we saved?
  • God justifies those who “have faith in Jesus” (v26).
  • Saving faith is not in ourselves but “in his blood”—that is, in the death of Jesus on our behalf (v25).

Titus 3:3-8
  • When we humbly consider our own sinfulness, it becomes obvious that we are saved because of God’s mercy, not because of righteous things we have done.
  • Those who have trusted God for salvation, however, will devote themselves to doing his will.
  • God’s grace is AMAZING! He generously accepts us as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.
  • To enter into this saving relationship with God, we must be washed of our sins and renewed by the Holy Spirit.
  • We will look more at the conditions of accepting God’s grace in the coming studies.


2010-12-28 - Repentance (part II)

Ephesians 4:20-24.

  • Repentance is turning from an old life to a new one.
    • Negatively, what must be “taken off”?
    • Positively, what is the new attitude to be embraced?
  • What is “put on” in place of the “old self”?
  • Repentance orients us toward God and the true life and purpose we were created for: to become like him in righteousness and holiness.
  • What do you need to “take off” and “put on”?

2 Corinthians 7:8-11.

  • What is the difference between “worldly sorrow” and “godly sorrow?”
  • What kinds of attitudes characterize godly sorrow?
  • Have you previously confused worldly sorrow with true repentance?
  • We must consider the destructive consequences of our sin and what our sin cost God, because only godly sorrow leads to repentance and salvation.
  • Repentance is above all a matter of heart.

Luke 15:11-32 or Luke 19:1-10

  • Examples of heartfelt repentance.
  • What kind of fruit did their repentance produce?
  • How did they feel after repenting? How did God feel?
  • What will repentance look like for you?


2010-12-29 - Baptism into Christ (part I)

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

  • God’s plan to bring salvation to the world culminated in the death, burial and resurrection of his Son,Jesus Christ.
  • This is the heart of the “gospel” or good news about Jesus.
  • Draw picture - Through Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is now available.
  • In this study we will look at the Bible’s teaching about baptism, a crucial link between Christ’s sacrifice and the forgiveness of our sins.

Acts 2:36-41

  • The first proclamation of the good news of Jesus after his departure.
  • What did Peter instruct those to do who believed the message about Jesus?
  • When do we receive the forgiveness of sins? The Holy Spirit? (More on this later.)
  • Those who accepted this message were baptized, thus they were saved.
  • Let’s look at some passages that describe more fully what takes place in baptism…

Romans 6:1-4

  • In baptism, we are united with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection.
  • Through baptism, we die to sin and are raised to a new life.


2011-01-01 - Discipleship (part I)

Acts 11:25-26

  • To call oneself a Christian can mean many different things to people today.
  • The name “Christian” was applied for the 1st time to disciples at Antioch, about 7 years after the beginning of the church.
  • How many times is the word “Christian” used in NT? (Three times.)
  • How many times is the word “disciple” used? (About 300 times.)
  • What is a disciple? A disciple is a learner who strives to conform his thoughts, words and actions to those of his master.
  • To understand what it means to live as a Christian today, we will start by looking at Jesus’ expectations for those who would be his disciples . . .

Mark 1:16-20

  • Call of the first disciples: “Follow me.”
  • A disciple asks himself, “What would Jesus do?” then strives to do it - regardless of the cost.
  • A disciple of Jesus has the same purpose as Jesus: to be a fisher of men.  What does this mean?
  • What did they abandon to follow Jesus? Everything! (job, possessions, family)


2011-01-06 - Holy Spirit (part III)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-20 - How do we “put out the fire of” the Holy Spirit? Why is a life of faith the only
one that is in keeping with God’s Spirit living in us? What influences in the world around us can keep us
from having a faithful, God-centered outlook?

Romans 8:5-17, 26-27 - A Spiritual mindset brings life and peace, and obedience to God’s Word. The
Spirit frees us from fear and confirms that we are fully God’s children. The Spirit also aids in our life of
prayer and devotion to God.

Galatians 5:22-23 - The fruit of the Spirit: Expect it! Pursue it! This is the best “evidence” that you have
received the Holy Spirit, who is transforming us to become like Jesus. Decide to live according to the
Spirit - and keep affirming that decision!



2011-01-07 - Church (part I)

Acts 2:40-47

  • The first 3000 converts joined together in devotion to the Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.
  • A beautiful view of the early church. How would you like to be part of such a church?

Romans 12:1-8

  • The church is a community of people
    • devoted to God (vv1-2)
    • belonging to one another (vv3-5) 
    • devoted to one another (vv 6-10).

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

  • The Spirit baptizes us into the body of Jesus, his church.
  • The church consists of distinct yet unified parts, just like a human body.
  • God himself has arranged it this way.
  • We are the church; each of us must actively look for the distinct yet unified ways we are to support this body.
  • How will you help build up the body of Christ?


2011-01-25 - Followup - The New Testament Church (part II)
A picture of the New Testament Church (continued)

4. Giving
  • Generously - 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 9:6-11, Luke 16:13-16
  • Weekly - 1 Corinthians 16:1
  • To advance the gospel - Philippians 4:14-16, Titus 3:13-14
  • To meet the saints’ needs - Romans 15:25-27, Acts 2:44-45
5. Preaching - 1 Timothy 4:13, 2 Timothy 4:2

Work

  1. Evangelism - Philippians 2:14-16, Colossians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 2:9
  2. Serving
    • Serving food - Acts 6:1-4
    • Providing clothes - Acts 9:36-39
    • Looking after its orphans and widows - 1 Timothy 5:16, James 1:27
    • Showing hospitality - 1 Corinthians 16:5-6, 3 John 5-8, Hebrews 13:!2
    • 1 John 3:16-17, James 2:15-16, Matthew 25:34-36
Conclusion

That God may be glorified in His church - Ephesians 3:21

2011-01-27 - Followup - Prayer (part II)
Key to Effective Prayer
  1. 1 Peter 4:7 - Be clear-minded and self-controlled
  2. Luke 18:1-8 - Be persistent
  3. James 5:16-18 - Personal righteousness
  4. Matthew 21:21-22 - Believe and do not doubt
  5. Psalms 5:3 - Pray daily and expect prayers to be answered
Conclusion
  1. God can and will do the impossible through prayer
  2. Prayer is vital to a dynamic walk with God.
  3. God is looking for people who will devote themselves to be close to Him. - Jeremiah 30:21


2011-02-07 - Christian Joy (part II)
What is your personal yoke?
Who or what are you yoked to?
  • Job
  • Money
  • Internet
  • Pain
Being yoked with Jesus means joy

What burdens you about Christianity?
  • Evangelism? Jesus' reason for being here
  • Quiet Times? Jesus got up early and make effort to get away to do so
  • Christian Fellowship? Jesus was a friend even to Judas
Matthew 23:25-26
  • We are concerned with how we look
  • Jesus is concerned with your heart
How much do you want to be joyful?
Matthew 13:44-46
  • They found the most important thing and sold it all to find it
  • They knew what they wanted
How desperate are you?
What is stopping you? You are

2011-02-15 - Sin and Repentance - Kansas City (part II)

Definition of Sin
Romans 3:21-25

  • The Law and the Prophets (Old Testament) testify about the righteousness from God (Jesus)
  • Questions
    • What has sinned?
    • Who is separated from God then?
    • Where does our redemption come from?

Sins of Omission
James 4:13-17

  • Involves inward things that people don't nessarily see
    • Bitterness
    • Hatred
    • Procrastination
    • Looking down on others
    • Unwillingness to help/serve
  • Question: What sins of ommission would you say have been or are currently in your life?

Sin of Commission
Galatians 5:16-25

  • Go through the list and define each sin to paint a clear picture
  • Person leading the study share their own sin (5-6 minutes), then 1 or 2 others for 2-3 minutes
  • After the person studying shares then suggest meeting again to talk about things further


2011-02-18 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part II)
Physical and Emotional Pain
Matthew 26:36-56
  • Jesus felt alone because of the selfishness of his friends (choosing to sleep instead of praying for him)
  • Share: Jesus prayed so intensely that his capillaries burst and mixed with his blood (I have a medical account for you)
  • Question: Jesus could have stopped this but he didn't. Why do you think he was willing to sweat blood for you  (He loves you)
  • Afterwards Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss (they arrested him and his words came true; the disciples all scattered)
Pain of Being Disowned and Beaten
Matthew 26:57-75
  • They spit in Jesus' face and beat him with their fist. Have you ever been spit on?
  • Jesus looked straight at Peter after the 3rd denial and the rooster crowed - He was that close to Peter - Luke 22:61
  • How do you think this made Jesus feel? Why do you think Jesus continued to go to the cross? (He loves you)


2011-02-19 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part III)
Pain of Not Being Appreciated
Matthew 27:1-31
  • Pilate could have released Jesus but he was more concerned with pleasing people than pleasing God
  • Think of all the people that shouted "crucify him". People who he healed, fed, etc. How do you think Jesus felt?
  • They released a murderer instead of Jesus (many said they believed he was the son of God but still this)
  • Share: Pilate tried to escape responsibility by washing his hands but denying the truth does not remove the sin
  • They beat Jesus again, to the point he did not look human - Isaiah 52:14
  • Question: Why do you think Jesus was still willing to go through this for you? (Because he loves you). He is not even at the cross yet.
Pain of Being Separated from God
Matthew 27:32-54
  • Jesus was beaten so badly that he couldn't even carry his own cross
  • v46 Jesus hung on the cross for hours (slow tortuous death) but yet he screams out loudly 
  • Share: Jesus had never been separated God (since the beginning of time they were united)
  • Share: Once Jesus took on YOUR sin, he was separated from God (Wall of Sin  = Isaiah 59:1-2)


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