2008-09-07 - Teach Us To Pray - Honesty and Openness Honest communication is crucial element to any great relationship: God, spouse, children. Consider how ludicrous it is to not be real with God:
Moses:
It is in our openness that we hear our faithlessness and can turn away from it. God wants a relationship with you He wants to know our longings, aspirations, problems, anxieties, doubts, and even our sin |
2008-09-09 - Teach Us To Pray - Fasting and Focusing "When you fast" - not if you fast God commanded the Jews to fast on the day of Atonement - Leviticus 23:27-29 Getting practical
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2008-09-15 - Teach Us To Pray - Changes in Character Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place - Psalms 51:6 Character can grow if we take a sober gut-level check look at who we are Too often we pray:
When we aim at nothing, that is what we hit The word of God discerns the thoughts and intentions of our heart - Hebrews 4:12-13 Like a mirror reflecting how we look spiritually - James 1:23-25 We also learn the truth about ourselves from other people in our lives - Proverbs 20:5 Ask God to help you see what you need to change Ask others what things they see in your sinful nature How badly do you want to change? It will show by the way you pray My power is made perfect in weakness - 2 Corinthians 12:9 |
2008-09-19 - Teach Us To Pray - Direction for Decisions Most difficult decision are not so much a question of right and wrong but rather what is good, better, and best When ask according to God's will, he hears us - 1 John 5:14-15 God give wisdom in prayer (James 1:5) and through his Word (Hebrews 5:14) He will give us wisdom to discern what is best God also gives wisdom to men and women in his kingdom It is would be foolish and arrogant to not actively seek out wisdom God has made available Should imitate leaders faith - Hebrews 13:7 |
2008-09-23 - Teach Us To Pray - Going Through the Open Door Luke 11:9-10 - Asking, Seeking, and Knocking as three separate commands to be obeyed The idea of the door being opened is associated with God-given opportunity - 1 Corinthians 2:12 The rest of the chapter is about how God worked in the author's life, opening doors. |
2008-10-01 - Man of Prayer - Father (part 2) Addressing God as the Father seems pretty normal - not the case in Jesus' day Sometimes David prayed:
...but nowhere will you find David addressing the living god as "Father" Patriarchs, the prophets, and the priests of Israel were all men of prayer - never addressed their prayers to God as "Father" We begin our time in prayer with a father-child relationship |
2008-10-05 - Man of Prayer - Name In Jesus' day, a person's name reflected one's character God had powerful encounters with an individual, he would change the person's name with the change in them Halllow mean to treat with great reverence Focusing our thoughts helps lead to a response of worship Many focus on telling God their needs, need to focus on God Seek first his kingdom - Matthew 6:33 In interpersonal communication, remember a person's name is very important Moses asked God, "Who shall I say sent me?" God answered, "Tell them I AM has sent you" YHWH (Yahweh) is the proper name of the living God God is the God who is, who causes to be, and who will be who He will be Thinking about God in this way gets my focus on Him |
2008-10-15 - Man of Prayer - Understanding the Kingdom In the New Testament, kingdom is used from the Greek word basileai Refers to "realm" of a king Westerners think "kingdom speaks of geography Biblical times emphasized "reign" or "dominion" = wherever the king reigns The kingdom is within you - Luke 17:21 Seek first His kingdom (not a piece of real estate) - Matthew 6:33 God ultimately reigns over the entire universe but for the moment God does not reign everywhere on earth Until then we must pray to advance God's kingdom everywhere |
2008-10-18 - Man of Prayer - Praying for our personal lives Jesus has given us permissions to seek divine intervention He delights in our desire to experience His intervention Part our our prayer time should be devoted to our needs: What do you want? Sometimes we do not have because we do not ask - James 4:2 OR because our motivation is not proper Asking for God's favor can not be self-centered because God is infinite: David asked to be the apple of God's eye - Psalms 17:8 He was a man after his own heart - Acts 13:22 Spiritual needs may include:
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2008-10-19 - Man of Prayer - Praying for our family There is no greater privilege and responsibility than to pray for our spouse and children Powerful spiritual forces of evil try to undermine God's foundational institutions like the family Bible clearly teaches that our struggle come from the spiritual forces outside conscious perception - Ephesians 6:12 Each of us need to realize that how we pray for our spouse is limited only by our creativity When we have been faithful in praying for my children, we have a great sense of peace about their lives |
2008-10-21 - Man of Prayer - Praying for the church body Should pray for:
Pray for dreams for the church that will stretch our vision for the church and city How are you praying for your church? - Its your church
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2008-10-30 - Man of Prayer - Futile Solutions God has the solution to sin, but man tries to come up with other ones Eastern philosophy - experiencing the oneness of god by escaping the world of material illusion Modern pharisee - do more good Every system has a solution But guilt will ultimately destroy you Some seek to atone by becoming religous or working at humanitarian causes Other punish themselves through drugs to self-hatred, depression, or low-self-esteem These don't work... |
2008-11-01 - Man of Prayer - Getting Honest On a daily basis we need to allow the Holy Spirit to show us areas of our life to be brought to confession Psalms 139:23-24
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2008-11-14 - Man of Prayer - Meditation One may ask, where is the quiet listening part of prayer in this book God encourages us to be still and know that he is God - Psalms 46:10 Mature prayer is not intended to be a monologue, but a dialogue Christian meditation and Eastern meditation has to do with is in our minds as meditate Biblically based contemplation and meditation seeks not to empty the mind but fill it |
2008-11-15 - Man of Prayer - Miracle List It is helpful to keep a separate list of needs for times of pure intercession:
Also good to have a "miracle list" God can do anything - nothing is impossible - Luke 1:37 During difficult times, God extended a seeming impossible invitation: Call to me and I will answer with great and unsearchable things - Jeremiah 33:3 He can do immeasurably more than what we can ask - Ephesians 3:20 We know God can do anything; we just don't know if he will do them
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2008-11-16 - Raising Awesome Kids - First Things First (part 1) Unless the Lord builds the house, its builder labor in vain - Psalms 127:1 We have someone or something we love most in this world Jesus must be our first love He must be our life, not just a part of it Been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me - Galatians 2:20 To live is Christ - Philippians 1:21 This is the key to everything Your kids must see that Jesus is a real person to you You walk with him and love him as a brother You can not fake it - kids can spot a fake |
2008-11-17 - Raising Awesome Kids - First Things First (part 2) When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength - Mark 12:30 Committed to God vs committed to a person Deeply loves God vs being religious
Were we one time zealous - before we got married and had kids? Where am I today? Have I allowed "life's worries, riches, and pleasures" to choke my relationship with God? - Mark 4:19 |
2008-11-23 - Raising Awesome Kids - Provision and Protection If anyone does not provide for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever - 1 Timothy 5:8 Our families should never have to worry about where the next meal is coming from Our Heavenly Father provides for all our physical needs - Matthew 6:25-34 We should not imitate him in caring for my children? He works his land , will have abundant food - Proverbs 28:19 Get adequate medical insurance - so you do not burden your family will major costs Takes care of things around the house Do the repair jobs and maintenance work Husbands who are lazy - kids will see this and either disrespect us or gladly imitate us in it Fathers are protectors If any family member is in a situation where they are being beaten down, overwhelmed - this is the time to act Should not shield them from the realities of life, but from the forces from which they become helpless |
2008-11-26 - Raising Awesome Kids - Liberty and Justice His brothers saw that their father loves him more and hated him - Genesis 37:4 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent - the Lord detests both - Proverbs 17:15 We fathers must see that there is respect given to all Must rule justly in any areas of dispute Playing favorites is deadly Who must be respected? Mother - besides watch the children's respect, we must watch how we communicate with our spouse Younger and weaker children - Your role as dispenser of justice starts from day one and it is one of your most vital roles |
2008-11-30 - Raising Awesome Kids - Have Fun, Be Hip What is wrong with having fun? Nothing! Jesus was a fun person:
If we are fun people, our kids will have fun If we let them have fun they will love our leadership You need to be hip to what is happening We show love when we are interested in someone else's world Be coming all things to all men - 1 Corinthians 9:22 Take a look at the current youth scene and not ridicule it Confront the sin but accept the style |
2008-12-13 - Raising Awesome Kids - Winning Obedience from Children (part 2) First principle = first time obedience Sometimes the whole issues comes down to the "mother of all battles" If you have failed in this area:
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2008-12-18 - Raising Awesome Kids - Dreary Disobedience (part 2) Israelites - if only we had meat; we never see anything but manna - Numbers 11:4-10 God met the needs of the Israelites but he punished them for their attitude - Numbers 11:33 Must teach our kids to be grateful |
2008-12-30 - Raising Awesome Kids - Mistakes Parents Make 1. Being basically critical If you mostly see the negative things about your kids - what they will see about themselves 2. Failing to teach Teach the basics - throw a ball 3. Failing to express praise and admiration Say what we love, like, respect, and appreciation 4. Spending little or no exclusive time Always too busy - then you are too busy They will conclude that they are unimportant and worthless 5. Showing favoritism Comparing to each other - will breed frustration, jealousy, and bitterness 6. Pushing too hard, too soon Let them be kids 7. Parental self-degradation Downgrade yourself in front of your children Will hurt their view of life and of themselves 8. Living our lives through our children End up pushing your kids into things they don't really care about |
2009-01-08 - Raising Awesome Kids - Evangelistic Lifestyle Something the whole family should think about constantly Each child has a role in reaching another family Too many of us separate our families from our outreach to others Our families are the brightest light that God can use to illuminate a dark world
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2009-01-19 - Jesus with People - Through the Roof When the paralyzed man came down through the roof - damaged the house of Peter and Andrew - how would you respond? If we follow Jesus, the smallest seed of faith that we see in others should encourage and excite us. Who big is your crowd? |
2009-01-20 - Jesus with People - Harassed and Helpless Jesus was always able to look beyond people's outward behavior to the need within How does a person who is harassed and helpless behave?
He saw beyond the paralytic's phyiscal condition to his need for forgiveness - Mark 2:5 When we see a crowd who is harassed and helpless we see - problems, problems, problems Wiser to evangelize the "suburbs" because there are less "problem" people - NNNNOOOO!!!! Jesus saw the potential in people, not the problems - why see inspired such change People need a shephard and Jesus responded and raised up other shephards - Matthew 9:38-10:4 Are you meeting needs or do you alwaysfind yourself reacting to the way people treat you? |
2009-01-21 - Jesus with People - Going Deeper We want to be know but we keep a safe distance John 4:39 - Samaritan women:
We too can be afraid of seeing who we really are To set people free, we must be like Jesus:
Jesus' love and acceptance allowed the woman/us to be real and to change |
2009-01-26 - Jesus with People - Nic at Night Some people's needs could be quickly dealt with: "Heal my blindness" or "Let me just touch your garment" But not Nicodemus, Jesus knew it would be a long night - John 3:1-3 Nicodemus, was a man looking for something:
Could this be right? Could Jesus be the Messiah? Jesus was straight to the point: I tell you the truth, you must be born again - John 3:3 Nicodemus knew he could get time with Jesus and he did Who was intrumental in answering your questions and healping you see the truth? |
2009-01-27 - Jesus with People - Rich Young Ruler Luke 18:22-24 Sell everything and follow him = It's not what you do but who you are Jesus did challenge him but he also loved him Jesus does not get into a lengthy theological debate Each of us lacks that "one thing" deep down that we must give up and following Jesus |
2009-01-28 - Jesus with People - Full of Grace and Truth John 8:10-11 - When they were going to throw stones - Jesus just didn't say no
Was she being used by the Pharisees? Yes Sin enslaved us - John 8:31-34 Sometimes we think repentance is more difficult than it is - Jesus called for immediately Is it hard for me to confront others in their sin? |
2009-01-29 - Jesus with People - God Come Looking John 9:25 - One thing I do know, I was blind and now I see
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2009-01-30 - Jesus with People - Greatest in th Kingdom I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven - Matthew 18:1-4 Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost - Matthew 18:12-14 We need to become like children in a very specific way Our human nature wants to be first and to have control Matthew 18 were driven by the same desire - they asked Jesus "Who is the greatest?" When become like little children, we become like Jesus Paraphrase - Because of your power-hungry pride you guys are not even in the kingdom of God, and nothing will change this fact unless you start imitating this child After Jesus' sacrifice, all his teachings made sense Having a child's humility is impossible until we understand the cross Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends - John 15:13 Must see other brothers and sisters in Christ as God's little spiritual children who must be cared for God's heart is that not a single person be lost Do we feel the personal responsibility for others? Who do you know who is struggling spiritually? What can you do to help them? |
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? |
2009-02-03 - Jesus with People - Give or Take? World seem to be divided into givers and takers Usually we feel as though we are the givers and everyone else is a taker We can draw back and become cynical - before long we cling to possessions, our rights or our feelings At that point we have become takers We would never admit it - and many of us do not see it Jesus meet a man that was a taker - Matthew Matthew was no different than us - he probably had a family with mouths to feed As he left the office and crept closer toward the crowd surrounding Jesus He heard the words - You must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me Jesus then walked up to Matthew and said "Follow me" His life changed forever - became a disciple of Jesus How did Jesus know? do it? Jesus knew that he was sick and need to get well - Mark 2:17 We need to see people as they ready are and what they can become Is there some in your life you can share with but haven't because you don't think they are open? |
2009-02-05 - Jesus with People - Realness When it comes to friendship, Jesus again sets the standard Jesus knew John:
Incredible thing about John is that it would seem that he never doubted Jesus' love He refered to himself 5 times as the "disciple that Jesus loved" |
2009-02-08 - Jesus with People - Trusting In his torment, he sees the need of his mother and he entrusts her to John's care - John 19:25-27 Jesus let John know that he trust him and needs him to take care of his mother John was transformed from "son of thunder" to "Apostle of Love" The problem with not feeling close, real, or trust is our issue How close, real, and trusting are your relationships? What do your relationships with people tell you about your relationship with God? |
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 |
2009-02-10 - Jesus with People - Heart Determined to Preach Jesus did not avoid his persecutors; he confronted them.
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2009-02-11 - Jesus with People - Heart Determined to Love Jesus' strongest and clearest denunciation of the Pharisees came in Matthew 23
His last and strongest words were spoken to wake them up He was trying to open their hearts and win them over to God |
2009-02-12 - Jesus with People - The Better Choice Martha and Mary - Luke 18:29-30 Jesus and his disciples were passing through the village when Martha opened her home to them - Luke 10:38 Jesus didn't stop to correct Martha in her preparation Martha - Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work myself? With compassion - Martha, Martha Explained that Mary's choice was right and a lasting one What Jesus wanted most was to see her have a single-minded desire to know him and his teachings Sometimes we get so wrapped up in preparing to server others that we are either too distracted or too exhausted to server them when they arrive |
2009-02-20 - Jesus with People - People Pleasing Pilate After having found Jesus innocent of the charges, three times Pilate "appealed to them" In the end surrender Jesus to the will of the crowd - Luke 23:13-24 Jesus still let Pilate know that he was guilty of sin - John 19:11 Instead of seeking an escape, Jesus testified to the truth about God He was still preaching and reaching out the lost - even his executor Jesus had an impact - from then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free - john 19:12 Pilate lived and kept his job - for a little while, but his name was written in infamy How do you fare under negative chatter about your Christian conviction? |
2009-02-23 - Jesus with People - Will He Find Faith? Luke 18:1-8 - Jesus tells of a parable about praying not giving up; concluding, 'will he find faith on the earth?' After Jesus was crucified and resurrected he could have gone home to the Father but chose to remain with his friends again He wanted to know their hearts. Where was their faith? - They still did not get it He did not walk away in disgust and give up on them |
2009-03-06 - Promises of God - You Call, He Answers Call me and I'll answer - Psalms 91:14-16 I can help others when I am confident that God is listening to and responding to my prayers When we lose faith that our prayers will be answered, we lose heart and our relationship with God withers We may not always give us the answer we want; he always responds for our good We must see the answers he gives and never doubt that he loves us |
2009-03-08 - Promises of God - Lord of Physical Challenges Psalms 91:9-11 - God will protect us and guard you in all your ways We do not see the refuge that God is or the trouble from which he has saved us - we can become bitter He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us In what areas of your life are you most thankful for this promise? |
2009-03-09 - Promises of God - The Problem is Me Deuteronomy 4:29 - Find God when we seek him with all of our heart Repentance must be proven by our deeds - Acts 26:20 Praise God for his faithful correction - Proverbs 3:11-12 God hates sin, takes sin of idolatry, personally - Deuteronomy 6:15 Sin comes when we lower the standard of commitment in our lives and allow ourselves to become lazy, selfish and self-indulgent Being idolatrous and lukewarm is a serious sin against God - Revelation 3:16 Against God, his church, and the souls that are not saved as a result |
2009-03-10 - Promises of God - God is Merciful God is merciful - Deuteronomy 4:29-31 Even when you have sinned greatly and even when you think - This time I have really blown it God promises if from there you seek him, even from a deep dark hole of shame, disappointment and failure - you will find him Must be with all of your heart We are not the best judge for our own repentance Our loved should know and should be asked It is from the deepest darkest hole that that God promises are the most truest For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you - Deuteronomy 4:31 |
2009-03-22 - Promises of God - One Greater The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world - 1 John 4:4 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness - 1 Peter 5:8 Satan is seen leading "the whole world astray" - Revelation 12:9 He is the Ling of Kings and the Lord of Lords - Revelation 12:9-11 The devil will eventually be thrown into the lake of fire - Revelation 20:1-10 |
2009-03-24 - Promises of God - Remember Gods Heros Scriptures have many examples of those who were tested, humbled, exiled or disciplined by God:
There was far greater blessing in store for them in God's own time |
2009-03-29 - Promises of God - God Can Relate Hosea 11 - God who knows what is lie to grieve We see his compassion and sorrow over the loss of his relationship with his people Jesus displays a similar broken heart over the people of Jerusalem - Luke 13:34 He can relate, he has felt the same feeling too |
2009-03-30 - Promises of God - God Sees and Cares When feeling that no really understands.... Did God cause this situation? Is here angry with me? Is he disappointed in my reactions? Does my fear mean I don't trust him? David displayed many of these emotions Even with these emotions, we also see a firm trust in God God so aware of the pain David was suffering that God kept a record of every tear that was shed - Psalms 56:8 |
2009-04-02 - Promises of God - Work That Is Worth It An old criticism of Christians: Too heavenly minded that they are no good on earth Seem to spend so much dreaming of heaven and not working on solving the earth's problems This was never God's idea Prepare your minds for action - 1 Peter 1:13 Setting our minds on the amazing blessings is a powerful encouragement for us to work hard and give our best effort now Is it worth saying "No" to sin? Just consider heaven! Worth it to giving to the poor? Just consider heaven! Worth staying in the race when it gets difficult? Just consider heaven! Worth blood, sweat, tears to help other to know God? Just consider heaven! Your labor in the Lord is not in vain - 1 Corinthians 15:58 |
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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2009-05-09 - No one like him - His Submissiveness Not a characteristic most see in Jesus Mark 1:4-9 – Jesus was submissive to John – standing in line with everyone else Submission comes to tests our hearts Isaiah 53:7 – Jesus submitting to arrogant/self-center religious/non-religious when he was on his way to die |
2009-05-18 - No one like him - The Kingdom of God First time God said the time has come Something had come upon us Something within us Kingdom is like:
Kingdom is so different that it requires us to change What does new kingdom person look like?
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2009-05-19 - No one like him - Church the Kingdom? Luke 17:20-21 - Kingdom does not come through carefully observation Kingdom is a state of mind/heart Kingdom forcefully advancing from John the Baptist until now (Matthew 11:11-12) Preaching the good news of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23) Mark 9:1 - will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God Matthew 16:15-20 - only scripture with both kingdom and church How does this all fit? Kingdom can not be put in a box, mentioned:
All in the church PART of the kingdom? YES |
2009-05-21 - No one like him - Kingdom Attitudes (part 1) New Moses, on a different mountain Attitudes God does bless - free us to receive more blessing and generosity Attitude help us more clearly see what God is doing Poor in Spirit Poor or Beggar Luke 18:9-14 - Pharisee prayed to himself vs tax collector - in touch with his failures Our culture: think highly of yourself; never feel bad about yourself; do not think negatively; be nice We have the debt of sin |
2009-05-22 - No one like him - Kingdom Attitudes (part 2) Those who mourn After seeing the impact and the hurt we have caused - Having godly sorrow - 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 Taking ownership The Meek No one wants to be meek Meekness - horse that has been broken Gentle, Humble, Teachable Defensive spirit gone We must remember we have been cleansed from our past sins - 2 Peter 1:9 "will inherited the earth" - will make the most of our lives on this earth |
2009-05-23 - No one like him - Kingdom Attitudes (part 3) Those Who Hunger and Thirst We see our lostness, we see our need to be learners; pursues what comes from God Righteousness less about perfection, and more about the relationship The Merciful First four about relationship with God; Next have to do with our relationship with others in the light of God Matthew 18:23-27 - forgiven will love much |
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 |
2009-05-25 - No one like him - Kingdom Lifestyle (part 1) Sermon not a code of law but a higher calling NOT what is the law so I do not break it IS was lost but now found; I will seek him with all my heart Call to perfectionism is burden vs imitating our Father; being radically different Different Attitudes – Beatitudes – Matthew 5:1-12 Different Effect – Matthew 5:13-16 Salt – stops decay |
2009-05-26 - No one like him - Kingdom Lifestyle (part 2) Different Righteousness – Matthew 5:17-6:18 Righteousness for the Pharisee had became having the correct facts and outward performanceDifferent priority – Matthew 6:19-34 The pursuit of God’s will should be the overriding passion of our lives |
2009-05-29 - No one like him - Conflict and Controversy (part 2) Like the earlier prophets, Jesus spoke bluntly to the religious leaders Ungodly religion must be rebuked; Nice words will not drive the point home; Too much is at stake Jesus did not enjoy the rebukes but wept over cities (Luke 19:41) Jesus made sharp contrasts between traditions and the word of God (Matthew 15:3) Religion that avoided sinners at all cost vs a religion that seeks after sinner at all cost The goal of a physician is not to spend time with the sick but to help the sick get well |
2009-05-30 - No one like him - Conflict and Controversy (part 3) Jesus did not just hang around the sick but he had a message and plan for them to get well Today is the opposite problem – association with all kinds of people; but without a message – bring the spirit without the truth Sin must be dealt with at the heart level; not just outwardly like the Pharisees – could not be cured by rules or rituals Living like Jesus (living a totally different life) will cause conflict and controversy Living like Jesus entails:
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2009-06-06 - One Another - Center of the Target Many people look at everything in God's will is the same weight - this leads to endless controveries over smaller details Jesus looked at God's will as a target Ex. Pharisees gave 1/10 of their spices but neglected the more important maters of the law - Matthew 23:23-24 Scriptures does not spell out what the second and third rings are Made it very clear what was at the center of the target |
2009-06-20 - A Life of Impact - Selfless Authority Abandon Mark 2:6-12
Selfless Authority
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2009-06-21 - A Life of Impact - Focus on the individual Focus on the individual Mark 2:13-14
Acceptance of others Mark 2:15-17 · Jesus did not seem to worry about ruining his reputation |
2009-06-22 - A Life of Impact - Nonconformist Mark 2:15-17 Nonconformist
Protector
Challenger
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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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2009-06-28 - A Life of Impact - Discernment and Productivity Discernment Mark 4:14-20
Productivity
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2009-07-11 - A Life of Impact - A passion for truth Mark 7:14-23 - He had no stomach for the misdirection spread by the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law High Expectations
Blame
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2009-07-16 - A Life of Impact - Scout Scout Mark 8:14-21
Rebuke
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2009-07-29 - A Life of Impact - Leading the way Leading the way Mark 10:32-34
Mark 10:35-40
Mark 10:41-45
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2009-08-01 - A Life of Impact - Anger Anger Mark 11:11-19
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