2008-06-19 - Purpose Driven Life - Growth Through Temptation Happy is the man who does not give in - will be rewarded with the crown of life - James 1:12 Every temptation is an opportunity to do good through the path of maturity How does the Holy Spirit produce fruit in our lives? - Galatians 5:22-23 By allowing you to be tempted by the opposite opportunity
Temptation follows 4 steps:
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2008-06-21 - Purpose Driven Life - Overcoming Temptation Refuse to be intimidated You will never outgrow temptation Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you Paul says, "WHEN you are tempted..." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 Jesus was tempted, but never sinned - Hebrews 4:15 The closer you grown to God, the more Satan will try to tempt you Recognize your pattern of temptation Know what exactly what trips you up - Stay alert, Satan waits til you are napping - Matthew 26:41
Plan carefully what you do... - Proverbs 4:26-27 Request God's Help Call on God in times of trouble - Psalms 50:15 Jesus is sympathetic; he understands our weakness - Hebrews 4:15 We can be embarrassed to ask God for help after failing over and over again, but let us have confidence when approaching - Hebrews 4:16 |
2008-06-22 - Purpose Driven Life - It Takes Time There are no shortcuts to maturity - it takes us years to mature physically While we worry about fast we, God is concern how strong We arrive to spiritual maturity when have gained the fullness of Christ - Ephesians 4:13 Why does it take so long to learn?
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2008-06-25 - Purpose Driven Life - The Call and Commands to Serve You are called to serve God It is full-time position A "non-serving Christian" is a contradiction in terms You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God - 1 Peter 2:9 You are commanded to serve God For Christians, service is not an option Spiritual maturity is never an end in itself Maturity is for service, we grow up in order to give out Impression with expression cause depression Study without service leas to spiritual stagnation Galilee lake full of life - takes in water but also gives out Dead sea - takes in but the is no outflow Not who is going to meet my needs -> Whose needs should I meet? |
2008-07-02 - Purpose Driven Life - Real Servants (part 2) Real servants do every task with equal dedication Whatever you do, do it with all your heart - Colossians 3:23
Small taks often show a big heart Real servants are faithful to their ministry Servants finish tasks, fullfill their responsibilities, and complete their commitments Real Servants maintain a low profile Put on the apron of humility, to serve one another - 1 Peter 5:5 Servants are content with quietly serving in the shadows Be confident that nothing you do for God is a waste of time or effort - 1 Corinthians 15:58 |
2008-07-04 - Purpose Driven Life - Thinking Like a Servant (part 2) Servants think about their work, not what others are doing They do not compare, criticize, or compete with other servants; same goal and same team If you serve like Jesus, expect to be criticized Servants base their identity in Christ They are loved and accepted by grace, servants don't have to prove their worth Insecure people are always worrying about how they appear; want others to serve them instead Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation Serve the Lord with gladness - Psalms 100:2 The only really happy people are those who have learned to serve |
2008-07-11 - Purpose Driven Life - Made for a Mission (part 3) Your mission give your life meaning The nest use of your life is to spend it for something that outlast you. My life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me - Acts 20:24 The is some people that only you can reach God's timetable is connected to the completion of our mission Some are focus on when Christ will come No one knows (or will know) the day or hour of the end - Matthew 24:36 It is not for us to know; it is up to us to witness - Acts 1:7-8 Jesus quickly switch the conversations from prophecy to evangelism Satan would rather have do anything besides sharing your faith Expect Satan to throw all kinds of diversion at you Anyone who lets themselves get distracted from God's plan is not fit for the Kingdom of God - Luke 9:62 |
2008-07-12 - Purpose Driven Life - Sharing Your Message (Testimony) Your message includes testimony Tell other of the difference he made for you - 1 Peter 2:9 Witnessing = simply sharing your personal experiences regarding the Lord In court witness are NOT expected to:
You will be my witnesses - Acts 1:8 Personal stories:
Four parts of your testimony:
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2008-08-08 - 30 Days at the Cross - Problems or Possibilities Suffering is a problem for us:
We spend too much time asking questions:
We should:
The issue is how you respond and how you will respond in the future |
2008-08-10 - 30 Days at the Cross - Surprise of Serving Two types of serving: Hired and Bond (no rights nor wages) Bond servants included: thieves, unable to make restitution, and the poor Jesus willfully and purposefully became a bond servant - Phillippians 2 Character changes need to be made and preceded by suffering:
Are you know as a servant? Will others quickly turn to you in their time of need? |
2008-08-13 - 30 Days at the Cross - Lasting Impact We learn that we should pursue: fame, fortune, and material possessions from the world Jesus refutes all that we have learned - service, sacrifice, and spiritual power
Many of us spend more time at work than any other single place If we aren't living the cross here, how can we be living it at all Honest is required - may mean less money or advancement Time commitment - it is easy to get caught up at work Every disciple needs to work hard - but what is the reason?
How could a temporary ob on earth be more important than Jesus and his work? If we compromise at work, how will we ever overcome the world? |
2008-08-18 - 30 Days at the Cross - Turning the Tables Jesus came to turn the tables on Satan
When he died, almost everyone thought evil won Satan pulled out all the stops. 7 moves to turn the tables:
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2008-08-20 - 30 Days at the Cross - I Am Not Alone Stress, word for the modern world, everyone has too much of it Synonymical cousins: worry, frustration, and impatience Vacation sometimes causes it Sociologists and Psychologist make a lot of money because of it Jesus never was described as stressed Jesus was tempted in every way as we are - Hebrews 4:15 How did he conquer stress? He was not alone - John 16:31-32 Allowing stress to overwhelm us is sin - focus on ourselves It tempts us to let our emotions lead over our convictions Worry - always be thousands of reasons to worry - still sin Frustration - thing don't go the way we think it should - we need faith We too can overcome stress - we too are not alone |
2008-08-21 - 30 Days at the Cross - Never Forget Remembering is not easy God foresaw our tendency to forget:
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2008-08-23 - 30 Days at the Cross - Consumed with Reconciliation Bible makes it clear: God is consumed with reconciliation At the cross: it reconciles us to God, then reconciles us to each other There must be humility on both sides: God humility (did not need to go the human level but he did for our sake) - Philippians 2:5-8
Do you want to resolve a conflict in a relationship? Do it Gods way:
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2008-08-27 - Teach Us To Pray - Savior and Redeemer The Cross is enough, then, now, and always Hebrews 7:25-27
God wants his children to be abolutely confident that we can draw near to him with freedom and assurance Without seeing the cross, David understood his Savior and Redeemer - Psalms 69:13
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2008-08-29 - Teach Us To Pray - The God who Enjoys Hearing and Watching Us We enjoy accomplishment: meeting a deadline, A on a test Imagine the incredible feeling God must have experienced when he first viewed his own creation:
How would iy affect your prayer life if you had a deep conviction that God enjoys his relationship with you? God Enjoys Hearing Us Talking to Him God Enjoys Watching Us |
2008-09-01 - Teach Us To Pray - Hungry and Thirsty (part 2) We must Desire God Alone Many people fail to have satisfying prayer lives because they are double-minded when they pray Must do our best to rid ourselves of distractions Unless you passionately fight for time alone with God, it will not happen God Blesses the Hungry Heart When we pray righteously, it allows God to work powerfully in our lives
No hungry heart will ever be turned away |
2008-09-05 - Teach Us To Pray - Eager to Act Nehemiah 4:6-9 - Nehemiah prayed to for the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt Nehemiah turned his theology into biography He prayed to a powerful God, but it did not end there; he was ready and eager to act Many times we pray (talk) and then sit back (no walk) waiting for a miracle to happend Nehemiah prayed often and spontaneously - 1:4, 4:4, 5:19, 6:9, 13:14, 22, 29, 31 He is prayers were followed by:
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2008-09-08 - Teach Us To Pray - Reasoning with God Reasoning with God in prayer is an expression of great faith Persistent widow reasoned with the unjust judge - Luke 18:1-8 We cannot change the eternal purposes of God but we can change his mind on how his purposes will be accomplished Abraham was a man who reasoned with God - his Son being sacrificed - Genesis 18:23-33 Moses was too - God decided to destroy the disobedient Israelites and start a new nation True humility is the key to the prayer of reason - not telling God what to do |
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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2008-09-10 - Teach Us To Pray - Alone and in Private Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:13, and Luke 4:42 - shows us that Jesus often went to solitary places to pray Solitude is essential in developing a deep relation ship with God Psalms 5, 38, and 42 are examples of how open and expressive David was with God We get fired up by sermons, fellowship, and music - Jesus went to be alone Prayer times make special memories Ideas for times with God:
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2008-09-12 - Teach Us To Pray - In Marriage and Family Unless the Lord builds, its builder labor in vain - Psalms 127:1-2 Powerful benefits of daily prayer with one another:
Prayer in family life:
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2008-09-17 - Teach Us To Pray - The Harvest Is Plentiful Jesus promises a great harvest but the worker are few (Matthew 9:35-38):
Fruitfulness limited primarily by one thing - God himself Gratitude control the harvest Luke 9 - The charge was to preach the kingdom and heal the sick They gave to everyone who had need - Acts 2:43-47 Salvation wasn't just a doctrine rather a reality in their lives Jesus spent much of his time meeting physical needs, feeding, comforting, healing, serving As a result, people spread the word even more Reflects the power of meeting needs and our heart as a worker To acquire this heart, we need to pray:
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2008-09-24 - Teach Us To Pray - Plans to Prosper Us God has plans to prosper you - Jeremiah 29:10-13 Quiet time about things that happened in Flavio and Renee Uribe's life as they trusted in God. The found out that their plans and prayers didn't come about on their timing. |
2008-09-26 - Teach Us To Pray - Our Eyes Are on You 2 Chronicles 20:5-7 When all goes wrong, it is time to pray Not just prayer, but a Jehoshaphat prayer (a prayer of desperation) - a deep-felt need for God He who fails on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed - Matthew 21:42, 44 Get Broken or get crushed - this difference is a matter of prayer |
2008-09-27 - Man of Prayer - Introduction 10% of those who don't believe in God still pray - just in case 55% of those who do pray, pray less than 5 minutes That is not much time for fellowship and communion We end up doing the thing that we are highly motivated to do Quality of prayer is low when the only motivation is obedience Matthew 26:36-46 - Jesus asked them to keep watch while he prayed Could we keep for even one hour? How is your prayer life Is it satisfying, effective, fulfilling, productive? |
2008-09-28 - Man of Prayer - Strategy In context, the disciples probably spent quite of bit of time and energy in prayer After spending time with Jesus, they felt challenged by Jesus' prayers Jesus was always praying:
One day, the disciples had enough: Teach Us to Prayer - Luke 11:1 |
2008-09-30 - Man of Prayer - Father (part 1) Dads should constantly aware of how how their character impacts their child God is the perfect Father |
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 |
2008-10-03 - Man of Prayer - Relationship After asking for help from the Holy Spirit, then focus on the relationship with Pater (greek) = father Holy Spirit in our lives is a spirit of adoption by which God give us our spiritual birthright (Romans 8:16; Galatians 4:6) He delights when we come to Him as our Father, Abaa, Daddy:
The closer you are, the better responce you will get This relationship is critical to a healthy and vitaul prayer life |
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 |
2008-10-20 - Man of Prayer - Praying for the church leaders Should pray for the influence and empowerment of the leadership in the church (full-time staff and elders) They are the primary targets in the spiritual war If Satan can effectively compromise the the leadership in the church, he may keep believers from being effective The more a leader brings to the truth of God to the church, the more problems surface Actually creates greater demand on the staff - pray for refreshment and protection Pray for leaders to experience:
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2008-11-05 - Man of Prayer - The Flesh (part 2) Sinning is easy; it comes naturally Fruits of that new nature - Galatians 5:22-23 Jesus fought the battle with scripture - He said "It is written" many times while responding to others God promises that we will not be tempted more than we can bear - 1 Corinthains 10:13
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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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2008-11-17 - 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 |
2008-11-18 - Raising Awesome Kids - Second Thing Second Assuming God is first, who is next on our list? Our spouse Devotion to our lifetime companion must be the greatest earthly love of all Kids are our flesh and blood, but we are one flesh with our spouse Some make up for the affection by pouring all their love into their children Makes them arrogant and/or insecure Bag the excuses, example: too busy, take an honest look at your marriage Little eyes and ears are fine-tuned to our frequency and they know They love it when we love each other - it gives them a sense of peace, happiness, and security Much of the anger and rebellion issues in kids can be traced back to marriage problem |
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 |
2008-12-03 - Raising Awesome Kids - Love Your Children For some, children are a burden Some, kill the unborn Withholding your love is killing them from the inside Many children their parents problems simply because they do not feel loved To those who are failing to love their children - now is the time to repent Otherwise you will ruin your children, wreck your life, and lose your chance of going to heaven Whoever welcomes a little child welcome me (Jesus) Whoever causes one of them to them to sin - better to a large millstone around your neck and drown in the sea - Matthew 18:5-6 |
2008-12-04 - Raising Awesome Kids - Love each one with your time Love each one We cannot play favorites with suffering the consequences It takes time - kids look at time we give them as the most direct expression of our love |
2008-12-11 - Raising Awesome Kids - Honesty (part 2) Must have deep convictions and treat it as a serious character (as it is) Lying issues can start at age three Don't be naive, learn to spot them, and deal with the probelm is terms they understand Truthful lips endure forever; but a lying tougue last only a moment - Provebs 12:19
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2008-12-12 - Raising Awesome Kids - Winning Obedience from Children (part 1) Discipline your son and he will give you give - Proverbs 29:17 From the very beginning children should learn to obey Our will and word will be supreme Repeating ourselves and louder each time is not true obedience - find ourselves frustrated, weary, and resentful
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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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2008-12-14 - Raising Awesome Kids - Defiant Disobedience It starts with 'No' The key is to break their defiance with crushing their spirit |
2008-12-19 - Raising Awesome Kids - Power of Discipline (part 1) vWhat are we to do when our children disobey us?
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2008-12-25 - Raising Awesome Kids - Gods Training Plan (part 3) These commandments... are to be upon your hearts (v. 6) Should train from the heart level Impress them on your children (v. 7) Training with the Scriptures must be done with great conviction, sincerity and earnestness Talk about them always (v. 7) Train consistantly - everywhere, anytime, anyplace About teaching our children how to live life - not nagging about their misdeeds Make it fun, doable, effective Most training should be spontaneous Never underestimate how many times we will have to say the same things over and over again |
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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2008-12-30 - 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 |
2009-01-03 - Raising Awesome Kids - Foundations of a Spiritual Family Spiritual = to be on the inside what we trying to do one the outside: to be genuine, not to live a pretense of religious performance but to function out of a sincere relationship with God A spiritual family is where:
We can not take our families where we have not gone Children can spot a fake We must be:
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2009-01-04 - Raising Awesome Kids - Prayer We should pray for our children continually To protect them, guide them, save them, and one day take them to heaven Paul - Prayed day and night to Timothy - 2 Timothy 1:3 Most powerful weapon available in their spiritual defense and offense We must pray with our children as well Regular times such as bedtime and mealtime to start Praying while going to place like church are also helpful In times of difficulty and great challenge - we can do nothing without his blessing What if they do not want to pray? Talk about how God wants to be close to them Do not do other activities are bedtime either, too tired for prayer than to tired for _______ |
2009-01-05 - Raising Awesome Kids - Discipling Times These are times set to spend alone time with your child to talk with them, teach them the Bible, and pray with them Can begin as soon as your child can communicate fairly well Never let discipling times become boring and burdensome duty Try to go somewhere out of the house if possible Try to have set hours Select a topic and verse to share Realize that there may be a different topic that need to be discuss depending on the situation Compare notes with your spouse Read verses together > Talk about them > Take action > Share with the rest of the family These are incredible times to draw your children closer to God and you |
2009-01-06 - Raising Awesome Kids - Family Devotionals Family worship is an abolute must if we are to build a spiritual household Two or three come together in my name, there am I with them - Matthew 18:19-20 Shouldn't be anything but a boring or irrelevant hour Plan devotionals with your spouse - select relevant to the current needs Last about 45 mins |
2009-01-09 - Raising Awesome Kids - Childrens Quiet Times Having their own quiet times is the best way for them to know God and enjoy him personally - develops their own faith Younger years (preschool and early elementary) - sit down with them a couple of mornings a week Later elementary - they can begin to have them on their own - 10 minutes a session Create a structure for them Write down what they learn ACTS like prayers Older - direct them toward Proverbs, Psalms, and the Gospels - always keep up with how it is going Pushing them too quickly = overwhelmed kids Not challenging them enough = leave a vacuum for them to be filled by the world Pray for wisdom, get wise counsel, and trust God will guide you |
2009-01-13 - Raising Awesome Kids - Openness Instead, speak the truth in love - Ephesians 4:15 An open family is a close family Children should believe that we care enough to give them our full attention; will not fly off the handle Openness is not limited to parents and children - includes the children with one another King Saul - filled with jealousy and envy and held in his feelings Parent should be concerned for a child that holds everything in |
2009-01-14 - Raising Awesome Kids - Fabric Refers to the building a structure and rhythm into our famiy schedule Mealtimes Stop letting people read the paper, watch TV or do homework during dinner Create family traditions - do things that uniquel to our family |
2009-01-18 - Jesus with People - Grateful Son Mary and Jesus - no greater pain than for parent to bury a child and live with that memory Jesus stops the process of redeeming humanity to focus on one final moment with him mom All excuses for neglecting our families die with Jesus - spends final moment and thinking how to provide for her Jesus submitted himself to being human - learned the lesson to honor your mother - Exodus 20:12 4x in the gospels - Jesus relates to Mary:
Busy disciples - often neglect the needs our immediate family? Husbands - too busy to listen to our wives? Parents - too busy to invest in our relationship with our children? When we neglect to provide for our relative - we deny the faith - 1 Timothy 5:7-8 Jesus won Mary's soul with a relationship |
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? |
2009-02-02 - 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? |
2009-02-05 - 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" |
2009-02-06 - Jesus with People - Closeness Jesus, knowing he would have to face the cross alone - would be have been easay to maintain his distace Closeness reuires spending time together At the last supper, John was seated to Jesus' left - John 13:23-26 |
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 |
2009-02-13 - Jesus with People - Jesus Wept Upon hearing about the death of his close friend Lazarus, Jesus wept... Jesus really felt the emotions that we feel Why did he cry? Scripture does not say. Could be because:
Who are your deepest relationships in the church? |
2009-02-14 - Jesus with People - Jesus Won When Jesus first heard the news about Lazarus, Jesus declared that his illness was not going to be fatal - John 11:4 When Lazarus died, the disciples probably thought that he really blew it this time Good thing Jesus called lazarus by nameotherwise every corpse in cemetery may have come out The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead foreshadows Jesus' own resurrection after three days in the tomb Jesus is a victor over death While some could not pay taxes for a while; no one but Jesus can conquer death Do you fear death? How does your relationship with Jesus change the way you once thought? |
2009-02-15 - Jesus with People - Widows Financial Sacrifice Mark 12:41-44 Without ever speaking to her, he made her gift he biblical standard for financial sacrifice She gave all she had to live on - Luke 21:4 Being a widow at that time, she likely had no income Probably hungry and surely without financial hope He faith in God was evident in her action Bible does not tell us what happened to her - we can know that GOd took care of her needs - Matthew 6:25-26 |
2009-02-20 - 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? |
2009-02-22 - Jesus with People - Daily Unconditional Love Jesus was tempted in every way we are but was without sin - Hebrews 4:15 How could he put up with this day after day? Jesus was in complete submission of God's will:
How Jesus' heart must have ached when teaching:
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2009-03-03 - Promises of God - Remember Your Sins No More Remember Your Sins No More - Hebrews 8:12 God wants to forgive God's nature is to forgive Psalms 103:
God doesn't need forgiveness
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2009-03-04 - Promises of God - Forgiving Others By the time we are old enough to understand, we have hurt and been hurt so many times - we need forgiveness and so do others The definition of a dysfunctional relationship: the inability to solve conflict and forgive Hugh obstacle: We can not truely forgive until we have experienced forgiveness Once we are forgiven, we are obligated to forgive others - Matthew 18 Our sins against each other pale in comparison to our sins against God |
2009-03-08 - 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? |
2009-03-10 - 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 |
2009-03-13 - Promises of God - Faith vs Doubt Doubt: God has forgotten about you and does not care Faith: He knows the way you have served - Hebrews 6:10. He knows notices and cares when a sparrow falls - Matthew 10:29 Doubt: He remembers but he remembers others more than you; Doubt fills in the blanks and customizes to your hopes and desires. Faith: God shows no favoritism; He moves at different time for different people; He has given everything we need for life and godliness Doubt calls into question the faithfulness of God Faith tells us it is impossible for God to lie When Doubt comes calling, we must turn away Faith says yes to God's promises |