2008-09-14 - Teach Us To Pray - Our Daily Bread Many of us have little concern about having food Other things can distract us like: finding a job, paying off debt, development of our children Satan schemes to blind us God Worry definition:
If the enemy can get us to be preoccupied, it destroys our effectiveness as disciples He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom - Isaiah 40:28-31 Our Father is the God of the universe; nothing is too great for him | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-09-16 - Teach Us To Pray - The Church of Jesus Disciples must have a deep commitment to pray for the needs of the church:
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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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2008-09-18 - Teach Us To Pray - Courage and Boldness Prayer reminds us God is in control It is his battle, I belong to God, and God will make me successful God will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear - 1 Corinthians 10:13 To pray for boldness and courage:
God's work cannot be done in this world without courage | ||||||||||||||||||
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? | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-10-10 - Man of Prayer - YHWH-jireh YHWH-jireh means "the Lord will provide" Our God is a provider God saw Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, God provided a ram "My God will meet all your needs - Philippians 4:19 He is a good provider Every good and perfect gift comes from His hand - James 1:17 No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly - Psalms 84:11 | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-10-16 - Man of Prayer - Then and Now People of the OT knew there was going to be a incredible upheaval - know as the Day of the Lord Jesus changed our understanding of the Kingdom of God Some religious leader rejected Jesus and his message They said Jesus was from Satan when he was casting out demons - Matthew 12:26-28
NT understanding
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2008-10-24 - Man of Prayer - Praying for Provision (part 1) By nature, fathers are designed to be providers Jesus instructed the disciples to pray "Give us this day our daily bread" Father knows our needs already - Matthew 6:32 First phrases of the prayer all point to God:
Then topics having to do with us:
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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... | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-10-31 - Man of Prayer - Forgiveness Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors - Matthew 6:12 Debt = opheilema = owning money to another Colossians 2:13-14 - written charge was canceled charge or code = cheirographon = charges drawn up against a convicted criminal Roman business world - debt had been paid - "tetelsthai" was written across the note - meaning "paid in full" Some word was used to when the punishment was executed on a list of chrages Every failure on our part to do God's will is a charge against us - a long document for most Jesus cried - it is finished (John 19:30) was actually the word "tetelsthai" = PAID IN FULL | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-11-03 - Man of Prayer - Developing Spiritual Protection World is filled with unknown and dangerous supernatural enemies - the battlefield is out there Not against flesh and blood - but the spiritual forces of evil - Ephesians 6:12 We are part of a war of epic and eternal proportions that effect every area of our lives Many men are casualties of a war they don't know is being waged We are to prepared and equipped to wage this spiritual war One of the seven major components of prayer is developing spiritual protection Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one - Matthew 6:13 | ||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-11-19 - Raising Awesome Kids - Husband and Father Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her - Ephesians 5:25-6:4 Our relationship with our father is, in many ways, the defining relationship in all of our lives Our response to authority and our self-confidence comes from our father Responsibility of training children squarely upon the father Fathers...bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord - Ephesians 6:4 | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-11-24 - Raising Awesome Kids - Training and Teaching Fathers, bring up your children up in the training and instruction of the Lord - Ephesians 6:4 We, as fathers, teach and train non-stop Do not underestimate the importance of teaching The worst mistake you can make is to do nothing Children love to learn Why else would God let us keep them for almost 20 years, but to train them | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-11-25 - Raising Awesome Kids - Model of Masculinity In the image of God he created male and female - Genesis 1:27 Kids are extremely aware of the difference World is so mixed up - men want to be women; women wanting to be men Unnatural relations - Romans 1:24-27 The answer - the real thing will outshine the twisted Homosexuality is not natural No young boy was made that way by God A great relationship with a strong, affectionate father reduces to virtually zero Mama's boy or sissy:
Needs sense of approval If you are kind, strong and have a close relationship with your daughter, she will want to marry someone like you | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-11-27 - Raising Awesome Kids - Compassion and Caring God cares! Nothing too great or too small can escape his notice We also some be available to meet the needs of our family Otherwise, because they have given up trying to reach us, they will have no desire to talk to us anymore "Why can't I reach my kids?" - we weren't there when they reached for us God hurts for us and with us He looks for and has compassion for us - Luke 15:20 We need forgiveness and we need to grant it Our children are.... children Expect a lot, let them be kids - God is patient with us | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-11-28 - Raising Awesome Kids - Encouragement and Inspiration Fathers deals with his children with encouragement, comforting, and urgency of lives worthy of God - 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 Life is hard, especially for kids - easy to lose heart There is a immense power in a father's encouragement Young Timothy -
By his encouragement, Timothy became the dynamic leader of the huge and powerful Ephesus church It is our jobs as fathers to assess our children's talents and gift and help them to excel in them Be a great inspirer and encourager of your children Let it be you who thinks they are great and who picks them up when they fall | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-12-01 - Raising Awesome Kids - Love Love is of first importance. All else is secondary. Above all we should have love - 1 Peter 4:8 Lack of love, we are nothing - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 We may lavish upon our children the finest things but if we do not make them feel loved, it is all to no avail If there is closeness and love between us and our kids, we have a place to stand and start for the battle of their hearts Build our families on love and our kids will be strong Kids are born with the capacity to love, but not all learn how | ||||||||||||||||||
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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2008-12-15 - Raising Awesome Kids - Disarming Disobedience They crack you up laughing while he or she is disobeying you Never let them do whatever just because they are cute or charming | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-12-20 - Raising Awesome Kids - Power of Discipline (part 2)
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2008-12-22 - Raising Awesome Kids - Power of Discipline (part 4) Be consistent - put up a fence and leave it there Parents must always be unified - never argue in fron of the kids - otherwise they will play you against each other Make a definite plan - have a family meeting and talk about your expectations Walk on the narrow/middle road of parenting - not child abuse; not a lack of discipline either | ||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-12-30 - 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-01-01 - Raising Awesome Kids - How to Nuture Confidence (part 2) Help them improve in areas of weakness Encourage your children to be well-rounded Academics are too important to neglect just because it does not come easy Examples:
Help them form upbuilding friendships All young people need to belong to a group If they are generally outsiders:
If you can't help someone be better or if either one of you makes the other a worse person, then you can not be friends | ||||||||||||||||||
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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2009-01-09 - 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-01-12 - 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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2009-01-14 - 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-01-16 - Raising Awesome Kids - Atmosphere (part 2) If we can laugh together, then we like being together, which adds up to unity Idea: have a "joke night" - everyone tell jokes Happy heart makes the face cheerful - Proverbs 15:13 Cheerful heart has a continual feast - Proverbs 15:15 Cheerful look brings joy to the heart - Proverbs 15:30 Cheerful heart is good medicine - Proverbs 17:22 The phyical environment need to be pleasant The environment says, "we don't care", then people stop caring about each other | ||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-01-22 - Jesus with People - Finding Faith Jesus was in ahuge crowd and suddenly a Roman centurion walks up to Jesus - Matthew 8:5-10 NT centurions are often mentioned with honor:
Lord, my servant lays paralyzed and in terrible suffering - Matthew 8:5-6 Jesus was moved by the man's heart - I will go and heal him Lord, I don't deserve to have you under my roof - Matthew 8:8 Say the word and he will be healed - Matthew 8:8 Jesus did not find anyone in Israel with such faith | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-01-25 - Jesus with People - Call of the Wild Read Mark 4:35 - 5:43 - No one and nothing is beyond the reach of God
Nothing and no one intimidates Jesus How often have we given up on or stopped praying for others too soo? Have you ever wondered if someone or something was beyond God's reach? | ||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-01-31 - 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-02-03 - 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? | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-02-04 - Jesus with People - Perceiving Potential John 1:42 Usually when you meet someone, you introduce yourself - Jesus knew Peter and changed his name!
Jesus looked at people differently than they look at themself
Jesus knew he would fail but he never gave up on Peter. What name might Jesus give you? | ||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-02-11 - 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-02-13 - 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? | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-02-18 - Jesus with People - Doing What We Ought 1 Timothy 6:13-14 Compared to previous struggles, the "Jesus dilemma" made the governor's worries look minuscule Jesus was accused of
Masses that had given homage were the same crowds asking for his death Jesus always did what was right Pontius Pilate knew what he ought to do and what he wanted to do but did not do it | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-02-19 - Jesus with People - What is Truth? Upon hearing the charges made by his fellow Jews, Jesus did not even rely to a single charge - Matthew 27:14 Governor was amazed; Jesus' self-control stumped Pilate Ill-fated Jews were forcing Pilate to face "truth" head on All he wanted to do was avoid another political blunder; he responded - What is truth? Jesus stood before him as the truth For this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth - John 18:37 Everyone on the side of truth listen to me - John 18:37 | ||||||||||||||||||
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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2009-02-23 - 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-03-01 - Promises of God - Practical and Powerful Promises Since the promises of God can relied on, it can have powerful affect on how we view life and how we live it Psalms 119 - Shows us the relationship of God to spiritual life Psalms 119:50 - God's promises enable him to press on and not give into dispair Psalms 119:140 - Again and again he has relied on God's promises and has come to value them Psalms 119:148 - Deep conviction about focusing on the promises, keep him up Psalms 119:154 - When he is threatened and in danger, remind the Lord of his promises Psalms 119:162 - Promises of God is a treasure to him | ||||||||||||||||||
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? | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-03-16 - Promises of God - Strength From Prayer Jesus had to overcome unfathomable temptation - Matthew 26:36-36 If he chose to follow through with his Father's will: humiliting insults, excruciating beatings, and agoninzing crucifixion would follow Jesus: If it's possible, may this cup be taken from me We should ask ourselves: How many hours have I wrestled with it in prayer? We must turn to God at the moment we are tempted - it may take hours but we will have great power to resist sin | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-03-17 - Promises of God - Encouragement From Disciples Jesus overcame temptation by using scripture, prayer, and he called others for encouragement from others He deliberately sought out support and encouragement from his 3 closest friends We desperately need relationships for encouragement EVERY day - Hebrews 3:12-13 There is no excuse in an age of modern technology for getting in touch | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-03-27 - Promises of God - Living By Faith Habakkuk complained to God about what he saw happening God basically said, "You are right, life is hard" The idea that life is not fair robs us of our peace Solution? God assurance to Habakkuk, "the righteous will live by faith" - Habakkuk 2:4 Then came incredible faith and peace - Habakkuk 3:17-19 Even if upheaval and uncertainty exist in every area of our lives, we can have peace Why do our circumstances sometimes have such an impact on our peace? | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-04-08 - Promises of God - Tireless Labor Satan works quickly to wear us down Fatigue and discouragement are his greatest tools Do you realize God can give you energy? Luke 17:7-10 and Galatians 6:9 -> gives energy to never quit Focusing on how hard something is will never product the desired fruit Focusing on God and letting others help us product tireless labor Moses needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his hands Ester needed Mordecai to carry out the plan to save the Israelities Jesus needed Simon to carry his cross God provides helps when we labor tirelessly for him | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-04-16 - Promises of God - Never Give Up Never give up - Hebrews 10:35-39 Why?
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2009-04-28 - Why We Need Jesus - He Guides Us By His Words and Actions WHO GUIDES US BY WORDS AND ACTIONS... His words provide a solid foundation upon which to build our lives
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2009-05-05 - No one like him - Dependence In Prayer Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:15-16) Gave up a night - All night praying (Luke 6:12-13) Lord teach us to pray (Luke 11) – some disciples were taught to pray from infancy Prayer was more important than eating or sleeping – Jesus could no go without it Jesus called God, Father, what perceptions of a father-son relationship are correct and incorrect? We have a perception that Jesus had a great advantage over of us but Jesus needed the Father like we do. | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-05-10 - No one like him - His Courage Submissive yes, Timid and fearful, no. Submissiveness, not cowardly or silence – gave up self for others Wanted loyalty over their families and friends (Luke 14:25-27) They must give up everything for salvation (Luke 14:28-33) Who can accept it? (John 6:60) Many no longer followed him (John 6:66) 1. Rich young ruler found that Jesus’ message would not change for anyone (Luke 18:18-30) 2. Jesus never held back – Jesus and turning over tables of thieves
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2009-05-11 - No one like him - His Compassion and Love Jesus shifted focus from forceful advancement to giving to the poor Kept him up late – Mark 1:29-34 Willing to touch the untouchable – Mark 1:40-41 No time for the “healthy” – Luke 5:31 Parents trusted Jesus with their children – Matthew 19:13-15 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-05-12 - No one like him - Joy Most of the first 1,000 years’ pictures were of Jesus not smiling – common view Jesus never felt bitterness, negative thinking, or despair [Cheer-up] I have overcome the world – John 16:33 We can have complete joy – implementing the teaching of Jesus drew near to God (Joy) – John 16:21-24 Joy in enduring the cross – Hebrews 12:2 | ||||||||||||||||||
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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2009-05-20 - No one like him - Extravagant Generosity Jesus about the insanely generous love of God God wants to do more than we can ask or imagine God's radical giving - Luke 15 Parable of lost coin, lost sheep, lost son Our radical response - Matthew 13:44-46 We must the same as God has for us We must give up all we have for the kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-06-03 - No one like him - The Empty Tomb (part 2) What it means for us: 1. Jesus can be trusted a. Jesus taught with truth and compassion i. No man can come to except through me c. Gives us a place to stand – embolden the disciples2. Shows the kingdom has come 3. God fully intended to continue Jesus mission a. Jesus was the foundation4. Those who follow him also share in the resurrection a. Died with Christ, now we can live a new life with him – Romans 6:4,5,8 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-06-04 - No one like him - Count Cost (part 1) Not a question of how hard or difficult but if it is true Not all struggling is bad Jesus calls us to:
Jesus was not out of touch – Matthew 9:36 Jesus had a clear view of love and generosity – John 10:33 Kingdom now in the present age Fix our eyes on Jesus We need to deal with OUR heart Jesus did not just come to amaze He came to call people to change their lives He was upfront with commitment level Must deny self | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-06-05 - No one like him - Count Cost (part 2) Every effort Must give up everything God not as concerned about material as your heart Everything must be under the Lordship of Christ For all people Message for all people – young and old Spoke to the large crowds – Luke 14:25-33 Supreme Concern Jesus was concerned about the people becoming disciples Common belief is to believe - Christians vs Disciples Just because you think are a disciple does not mean you are – Luke 6:46; 7:22-23 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-06-10 - One Another - Walking in the Light What does it mean to walk in the light? 1 John 1:7-9 Living our lives with openness and transparency in response to the blood of Christ Fellowship is both the practice and product of walking in the light How central are our relationships to following Jesus?
"I need to get serious about my relationship with God" = Need to get serious with my relationship with other believers | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-06-11 - One Another - Correction Needed There were a lot of relationship issues that needed to be corrected in first book of Corinthians:
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2009-06-12 - A Life of Impact - Expectation and Encouragement Expectation Mark 1:1
Mark 1:2-8 - People consistently live up to the perceptions others have of them Encouragement Mark 1:9-11
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2009-06-18 - A Life of Impact - Compassion Compassion Mark 1:40-45
Humility
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2009-06-22 - A Life of Impact - Nonconformist Mark 2:15-17 Nonconformist
Protector
Challenger
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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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2009-06-27 - A Life of Impact - Storyteller and Chastening Storyteller Mark 4:1-12
Chastening Mark 4:13
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