2008-12-27 - Raising Awesome Kids - Work Ethic and responsibility Hard work and a sense of responsibility can be trained into a child Laziness is a flaw Sluggard finds nothing at harvest time - Proverbs 20:4 Sluggard says there is a lion road - Proverbs 26:13 Sluggard is a door on hinges - Proverbs 26:14 Stress loving hard work School work is character issue
Instead, make diligence and excellence the issue It helps immensely if the oldest child is well trained Give appropriate jobs and responsibilities around the house
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2008-12-31 - Raising Awesome Kids - How to Nuture Confidence (part 1) Only proper foundation is their relationship with God Develops confidence without cockiness Stress a relationship with God Focus on character - Tell your children over and over again that heart and attitude matter to God Applaud effort than ability Two of three men were successful because of their efforts not their ability - Matthew 25 Enough openness
Search out your kids strengths - everyone has at least some It is your job to help children discover and succeed in those things | ||||||
2009-01-12 - Raising Awesome Kids - Genuine Appreciation Appreciation for one another does not come about by accident Must teach it, talk about it, show it and confront the ways the kids are not expressing it - only way Cultivate appreciation by creating as many situations as possible where it expressed in words Encourage your family to begin expressing respect, appreciation, and encouragement - whole atmosphere will change Pleasant words are sweet to the soul - Proverbs 16:24 Teach your older children how to lead and teach your younger ones how to follow
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2009-01-31 - Jesus with People - No Dogs in Heaven Matthew 15 - The Canaanite Women Jesus was silent and by his silent he tested and revealed both the hearts of his disciples and the heart of this woman Perhaps the instructions given earlier by Jesus send then to find the lost sheep of Israel was still in their mind Maybe thought: "he sent us to find the lost Israelite. too bad, she is a Gentile. Send her away." Jesus did not send her away but said - I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel - Matthew 15:24 Jesus - it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their gods - Matthew 15:26 Savior was willing to be misunderstood in order to flush out faith or faithlessness in the heart of this woman In the end, Jesus affirmed her faith and admired her grit He did not see the woman as unsubmissive or rebellious or undeserving; he saw her as full of faith Jesus was more concerned about helping someone grow in their faith than he was keep up the nice-guy image | ||||||
2009-02-01 - Jesus with People - The Bleeding Woman The crowds followed him to point of his exhaustion Why did Jesus' life draw a crowd? Jesus was willing Jesus was not just a servant but was a selfless servant We get caught up with the duties of Christianity - serving the weak and the lost With more responsibility we have, the easier it is to administer rather than minister. Consistent delegation cause our hearts to harden - just organizing and managing If you are not seeing the crowds, develop the heart of selflessness After she touched his cloak, he could have let the woman leave anonymously, but her called attention to her so he could lift he up He was concerned not only for her sickness, but her emotions as well Jesus had forceful faith and expected it of others | ||||||
2009-02-02 - Jesus with People - Seeing and Not Seeing Luke 7:36-50 - Simon, I have something to tell you Jesus is able to cut through the muck - right to the heart He had outspoken clarity - Luke 7:40 In truth Simon saw neither the woman or himself for how they really were Jesus did see the woman - Her sin was obvious as her brokenness He actions came from her new sense of reality Once she saw Jesus, she responded the only way she could have - compelled by love - 2 Corinthians 5:14 Jesus' words should have cut Simon deeply - But he who has been forgiven little lives little He wants to have a relationship with us Think of trying to have a relationship with ant - talking with it, caring for it and especially dying for it - it is unfathomable! How many times did Jesus change people's view if God? Who am I most like: Simon or the sinful woman? | ||||||
2009-02-09 - Jesus with People - Heart Determined to Persevre Nothing test our determination like opposition Satan is trying to discourage, dissuade, distract, and divide If we get focused on the persecution or persecutors - renders us ineffective and unproductive Pharisees ____ Jesus :
His purpose was not to avoid pain but to please God - John 4:34 Must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day - Luke 13:32-33 God has not called us to defend or protect ourselves - we are then only working for ourselves and not will be doing nothing for God | ||||||
2009-02-21 - Jesus with People - Devil in Disguise John 13:27-31 Jesus knew all men - John 2:24-25 Have I not chosen you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil! - John 6:70 Jesus not only tolerated Judas, he lavished love on him | ||||||
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... | ||||||
2009-03-02 - 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? | ||||||
2009-03-04 - 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 | ||||||
2009-04-05 - 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
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2009-04-06 - Promises of God - Abrahams Faith By faith Abraham, called to place even through he did not know where is was going - Hebrews 11:8 Obedience to God is the only thing that makes sense Ludicrous to think that our limited and mortal minds can out smart an omnipotent and omnipresent God We will never find the blessing of God if we constantly question the wisdom of God How do you feel about the word of obey? | ||||||
2009-04-25 - Why We Need Jesus - He Reconciles Us to God HE RECONCILES US TO GOD...
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2009-04-29 - No one like him - Who did he think he was? Christianity built on the identification of Jesus Not like any other prophet, priest, or preacherAdolf Hitler – consider one of the worst tyrant in history There were others that were close to him (Stalin…)Jesus – there are no one comes close Most scholars can not deny that Jesus lived First Century movement that was started by those who saw him first hand How Jesus viewed himself:
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2009-05-08 - No one like him - His servant heart (part 3) To serve means
No one can save himself and still fulfill the mission of God Luke 17:7-10 – we have only done our duty Thinking not in terms of rights but of responsibility Slave to all – Mark 10:44 We need to empty ourselves with being a doormat | ||||||
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 | ||||||
2009-05-24 - No one like him - Kingdom Attitudes (part 4) The Pure in Heart About genuineness and sincerity The grace can not from us alone Create in me a pure heart O God - Psalms 51:10 After being forgiving and giving we start seeing ourselves as good - must have pure motives The Peacemakers True peace only comes from God - Isaiah 11:1-9 No without the other attitudes The Persecuted If you live like this, people will not like you Ironically being a peace-maker will get you hated Jesus was the Prince of Peace Attitudes not natural; not to do but to be | ||||||
2009-06-02 - No one like him - The Empty Tomb (part 1) Disciples were confused with ups and downs of the week (Joyous entrance into Jerusalem then the cross) Without the resurrection there would be no church or New Testament; disciples would have disbanded and movement would have ended The resurrection gave them courage to preach the resurrection: Acts 1:22; 2:24,32; 3:15; 4:2,10, 33; 5:30 Must be together – cross and resurrection Cross only – a tragedy; Resurrection only – just another miracle Changed the disciples lives forever | ||||||
2009-06-13 - A Life of Impact - Preparation Preparation Mark 1:12-13
The Message Mark 1:14-15
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2009-06-17 - A Life of Impact - Gentleness and Fueling Gentleness Mark 1:29-34
Fueling Mark 1:35-39
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2009-06-23 - A Life of Impact - Conciseness and Boldness Conciseness Mark 2:27-28 - Direct statement, only a few words. Boldness Mark 3:1-6 - Exposed the evil intentions of their hearts Anger
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2009-06-25 - A Life of Impact - Radical and Reasonability Radical Mark 3:20-22
Reasonability Mark 3:23-30
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2009-06-28 - A Life of Impact - Discernment and Productivity Discernment Mark 4:14-20
Productivity
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2009-07-09 - A Life of Impact - Toughness and Excellence Toughness Mark 6:45-46
Unwavering Excellence Mark 6:47-56
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2009-07-21 - A Life of Impact - Magnetism Magnetism Mark 9:14-29
Frustration
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2009-07-22 - A Life of Impact - Retreats Retreats Mark 9:30-32
Openness
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2009-08-01 - A Life of Impact - Anger Anger Mark 11:11-19
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2009-08-02 - A Life of Impact - An Emphasis of Fundamentals An Emphasis of Fundamentals Mark 11:20-25
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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? | ||||||
2009-09-13 - 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 | ||||||
2009-10-13 - Wild at Heart - A Beauty to Rescue Evil power who holds her captive Only a champion may win her Every little girl knows the fable without ever being told Little boys rehearse their parts Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet and so on Strong man coming to rescue a beautiful women is universal and human nature Why is it ten years later I wondered if I even wanted to be married to her anymore? Why do most us get lost somewhere between “once upon a time” and “happily ever after”? Our culture has grown cynical about the fable We have not been poisoned by fairy tales Many guys think that the biggest battle was asking her out She is the special target of the Evil One He turns most vicious malice against her If he can destroy her or keep her captive, he can ruin the story | ||||||
2009-10-15 - Wild at Heart - Offering our Strength (part 1) Man come to offer his strength, woman invites the man into herself Requires courage and vulnerability and selflessness for both of them Man must rise to the occasion, must move, women opens herself in stunning vulnerability Man spills himself - sweet is the death Life is created When a man withholds himself from his woman, he leaves her without the life only he can bring She is made for and craves words from him - Proverbs 18:21 If a man refuses to offer himself, then his wife will remain empty and barren Silent man starves his wife A man who leaves - he sacrifices them (wife and children) rather than for them Examples:
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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 | ||||||
2009-10-20 - Wild at Heart - An adventure to live (part 3) We pay attention to our desire. Often the clues are in our past, in the moments when we found ourselves loving what we were doing To recover his heart’s desire a man needs to get away When a man thinks that what will really make him come alive is something unholy – ask what is the desire beneath this desire? The greatest obstacle to realizing our dreams is the false self’s hatred of mystery Most important aspects of any man’s world – his relationship with his God and with the people in his life, his calling, the spiritual battles he’ll face To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways There are no formulas with God God is a person and not a doctrine Joshua blowing trumpets for a week – only did it once Gideon’s plan of attack 32000 to 300 and torches and water pots Jesus healing not the same way twice | ||||||
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? | ||||||
2009-11-01 - Repentance - The Prophets (part 3) Prophets Promise Real Hope
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2009-11-03 - Repentance - Jesus Opens Our Eyes (part 1) No one comes to Jesus without a preconceived paradigm about God Our only hope for overcoming our blindness is repentance – only way to see the kingdom Cursed Be The Pride that Blinds
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2009-11-04 - Repentance - Jesus Opens Our Eyes (part 2) The Red Pill and the Blue Pill
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2009-11-08 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 1) We each have a worldview or mindset that functions as a life lens World has been squeezing us into its mold – more than we realize Peter’s mind
Prepare your minds for action – 1 Peter 1:13-14 Space shuttle takes 2,250,000 pounds of fuel to escape the earth’s gravity Only few pounds to remain in orbit – Christians are called more than just to orbit Most trials produce greater faith – hospitalized child, illness, death, ministry turmoil, financial pressures Ways to fight – devote time to prayer, read scripture, explore ways to encourage wife, get advice from elders, spend special time with the kids Ways to not to – laziness, frustrate wife, neglect kids, feeling overwhelmed and under underappreciated, escape to the TV | ||||||
2009-11-09 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 2) Laziness is the greatest enemy to a girded mind. Need to wrestle in prayer – only after I’m certain that I’ve prepared my mind for action, do I conclude my time with God God only delays the coming Day of the Lord in order for more people to come to repentance Mind of Flesh Old self with a mind of flesh requires more and more sensation, wanting to “feel” alive, to overcome its callousness
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2009-11-10 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 3) Issue with Lust
Apply spiritual disciplines with dramatically different results How would Jesus think? Once you see the world through God’s eyes your mind and heart become so transformed that you “automatically” respond to every situation differently Questions
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2009-11-15 - Repentance - Godly Sorrow (part 3) Zelos - Zeal Zeal reject the “whatever…” attitude as it determines to do “Whatever to takes!”Questions
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2009-11-22 - Master Plan - Selection (part 1) Men were his method
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2009-11-26 - Master Plan - Association (part 2)
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2009-12-01 - Master Plan - Count the Costs
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2009-12-06 - Master Plan - Jesus gave himself away (part 2)
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2009-12-08 - Master Plan - Demonstration (part 2)
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2009-12-16 - Master Plan - Reproduction (part 3)
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2009-12-21 - First the Kingdom - Spiritual Beggars Two words for "poor" in Greek:
Only through confession and humility - only by owning up to our sin Spiritual Beggars can have everything in the Kingdom of God | ||||||
2010-01-03 - Kingdom First - Making Peace with God Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will called sons of God - Matthew 5:9 World knows little peace - God wages peace The heart of God is to be at peace with man In order to have peace with God, we must resolve war(s) in our heart Peace is not conflict avoidance, it is resolution after a spiritual war Only those who know God can make peace that endures Once alienated from God and enemies - Colossians 1:21 After humbling our hearts and mourning over our sin - we become his children, part of the family Keep peace is an on-going process Our lives must be continually cleansed from sin What is your level of peace? Have worries rob you of your trust in God? | ||||||
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 | ||||||
2010-01-18 - Kingdom First - Giving in Secret Giving should be done without even our closest friends and family knowing - Matthew 6:1-4 God blesses are many time unknown or unseen to many people He gives because he wants to Are you content when no one sees your sacrifice? Do you give without wanting anything in return? Jesus' life was full of sacrifical giving and he expects us to do likewise
God loves a cheerful giver - 2 Corinthians 9:7 | ||||||
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:
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 | ||||||
2010-01-29 - Kingdom First - So Much More God wants to bless us - Matthew 7:7-11 NOT: Why are things so bad? OR Why me? We need to ask God to help us answer the right questions:
Why don't we ask God?
Has God given you "bread" only to have you call it a "stone"? | ||||||
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?
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2010-02-06 - First the Kingdom - One-Lane Road (part 1) Seemingly contradictory statements: God wants all men be saved - 1 Timothy 2:3-4 Road to God is narrow and only a few will find it - Matthew 7:13-14 Both are true God shows he wants all me to be saved He sent his son who spoke clearly and plainly about what it takes The broad road says - I know better than God what life and eternity are all about On the broad road - so many people and so many standards Bible warns those on the broad road will face terrors and traps of many kinds - Proverbs 4:10-19 Many agree that the narrow road teaching Jesus describes is one of the most difficult Can not be faithful to Jesus' message and teach anything but the narrow road Only a few find = fact is that only a few search Everyone who seeks finds - Matthew 7:7-8 | ||||||
2010-02-14 - One Another - Bearing With Another (part 1) How are we to bear with someone sin?
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2010-02-18 - One Another - Encouraging One Another (part 3) Encourage one another - Hebrews 3:12-13
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2010-02-20 - One Another - Spurring One Another (part 2) Because of our great blessings with Christ, we can not take this fellowship lightly Must pursue it with greater vigor - Hebrews 10:24-31 There is great seriousness in this matter paroxusmos - Greek word, translates word:
Must be done with thought and with their needs in mind - not one size fits all Must be done with end result to result being love and good deeds
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2010-02-21 - One Another - Reconciling with One Another (part 1) Bible is clear - Jesus came to break down divisions - Ephesians 2:14 Worldly divisions
Can ONLY be done at the foot of the cross Only way a holy and righteous God can be reunited with his unrighteous enemy (us) - Romans 5:6-11 Reconcile = to become friends again Not to politely tolerate one another or a ceasefire The goal of Jesus is to be one - John 17:20-21 Only way Jews and non-Jews could form the church of God What Paul had is mind when writing - Ephesians 3:20 "...him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think" | ||||||
2010-03-02 - To Live is Christ - Partners in the Gospel Philippians 1:16 Philippi was named for Philip of Macedon It was a roman colony - not actually a place one would expect the message of Jesus to take hold A roman jail is where you would expect Paul and Silas to be Paul made a career of being with other and influencing their lives - reduced to visits from the guards Through many hard times he had learned to overcome the most challenging of circumstances Five lines into the letter, Paul remembers his relationship with God and other disciples:
Only when we have been in the trenches with others will we have relationships that are full of life | ||||||
2010-03-11 - To Live is Christ - Just Like Christ In the midst of the discussion about unity, Paul continues by talking about having the mind of Jesus - Philippians 2:5-8 The only way to have unity is to be like Jesus We were called to follow in his steps - 1 Peter 2:21 Jesus willingly because a servant
Jesus came not to be served but to serve - Matthew 20:28
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2010-03-15 - To Live is Christ - No Confidence in Flesh Paul describes people who do not appreciate what Jesus has done as dogs - Philippians 3:14 There are 2 options to approaching God:
Man, in his pride, is drawn to the performance model Paul refers to the people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord but would not let go of the performance model These people held on to certain Jewish regulation that were made obsolete by Jesus The grace model is revolutionary Seems too easy to be true but too hard for our egos to accept Grace model says:
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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 | ||||||
2010-04-02 - Life to the Full - Dead or Alive? (part 2) While there is certain kinds of judging that is prohibited or discourage, there is also judging that is encouraged
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2010-04-03 - Life to the Full - Dead or Alive? (part 3) God is just, his laws are just - this should give us great confidence God justice - does not guarantee life will be fair - James himself was executed in 62AD There is quite a difference between compassion and softness - James 2:8-13 The struggles to decide what to do, only God's perfect law can guide us:
Maybe the Ten Commandments? - If so, they would be wrong
A mark of true Christianity is adherence to these two laws Total commitment and total involvement As long these are two commands are the top priority, our focus will not be warped or unbiblical | ||||||
2010-04-05 - Life to the Full - Dead or Alive? (part 5) Christians who have no interest in helping the disadvantaged are not Christians at all - James 2:14-17 Jesus himself saw the crowds and healed them - Matthew 14:14 He taught that only those who reached out to the imprisoned, poor, hungry, and sick would be welcomed into heaven - Matthew 25:31 Mere belief is not enough; it is acting on the faith you have - James 2:18 Ask yourself, do these people believe? - Titus 1:15 Anyone who isn't a true disciple is an unbeliever - Titus 1:16 | ||||||
2010-04-19 - Life to the Full - In His Steps (part 2) Disciples are priests and ministers in function - using the righteousness of Jesus - 1 Peter 2:4-6 Preist, by definition, is holier than the common man The clergy-laity system is flawed because of there reasons:
Consider today's denominational titles:
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2010-04-28 - Heart of Maturity (Motivation of Maturing) Preached by John Lusk (2005-01-30) How passionate are you about maturing?
Motivation of Maturing 1. To regain your identify Genesis 1:26-27
2. To remian in Jesus 1 John 2:3-4 - This is a expectation from God 3. To be effective and productive 2 Peter 1:4-8
4. Secure salvation 2 Peter 1:8-11 - We have been given a new start Wrong motivation - Pleasing people, selfish ambition | ||||||
2010-05-06 - Top Ten of Giving Preached by unknown - 2004-03-21 1. Gave his one and only - John 3:16 2. He became poor for us - 2 Corinthians 8:9 3. Many thanks to God - 2 Corinthians 9:11 4. God loves a cheerful giver- 2 Corinthians 9:7 5. More than enough - Exodus 35:1-36:7 6. Burnt offering worth nothing - 2 Samuel 24:18 7. Rich generosity - 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 8. All she had to live on - Mark 12:41-44 9. It is more blessed to give than receive - Acts 20:35 10. Test me in this - Malachi 3:6-12 | ||||||
2010-05-08 - Men are without excuse (part 2)
2 Thessalonians 2:5-12
What excuses have you been making? Only the righteous will be saved! | ||||||
2010-05-10 - World Hates Jesus (part 2) Ephesians 5:1-13
John 6:60-71
Matthew 10:34-38
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2010-05-14 - Desire's Journey - Taking Up the Quest The only fatal error is to pretend that we have found the life we prize The Shawshank Redemption At first, these walls, you hate them. They make you crazy. After a while you get used to them, don't notice them anymore. Then comes the day you realize you need them. Most tragic day of all - to prefer slavery to freedom, to prefer death to life Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead - Ephesians 5:14 Bringing our heart among in our life's journey - the most important mission of our lives To desire something and not to have it - is not this the source of nearly all our pain and sorrow? | ||||||
2010-05-15 - Desire's Journey - The Dilemma of Desire We can not live without yearning, yet the yearning sets us up for disappointment Because of its vulnerable nature, desire begins to feel like our worst enemy Despair is the fate of the desiring soul - Sam Houston Hope deferred make the heart sick - Proverbs 13:12 How awful it feels to open our hearts to joy, only to have grief come in How do we live in a world with desire so deep in us and disappointment lurking behind every corner? Are a few arrows, dare we even desire? Do we refuse to love because we may hurt? possibility of pain? Shutting down our hearts is to die altogether Hope deferred make the heart sick... but when dreams come true, there is life and joy Most of us have chosen to reduce our desire to a more manageable size We allow it only in small doses:
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