2008-02-27 - Power of Gratitude - Free at Last MLK - as bad as slavery was - there a slavery that last for eternity 2 Corinthians 5:21 - Jesus might become sin for us As existence of righteousness does not ensure we receive it Satan tries everything to help us miss this opportunity Jews after saw their failures in the past - created many regulations so they would not sin
Religion that is performance based is doomed
Romans 7-8 - Focus is not on themselves but on him who died for them; Because they are saved James 1:23-25 - Law points out their sin clearly / making them feel more indebted to God Motivation to last a lifetime - Our love responding to his grace Other motivations:
YES: I'll accept you, now let's walk together in my strength |
2008-03-09 - Be Still My Soul - Early Morning Time Jesus went to God early in the morning Excuses:
How does spending the early morning with God help build a closer relationship with him?
Hard time getting our of bed?
|
2008-03-14 - Be Still My Soul - All the Time To be real, a relationship with God must be all-the-time If not, you are compartmentalizing your walk with God "I am with you always" - Matthew 28:20 ""Pray continually" - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Nehemiah prayed, wept,and fasted for days before talking wit King Artaxerxes then he prayed again right before talking to him just before opening his mouth - Nehemiah 2:4b
Both are needed - a quiet time can never replace all-the-time |
2008-03-31 - Falling in Love with God - Intro Loving God is a journey Father draws us to himself - John 6:44 Father does not change - James 1:17 It is OK for a journey to have highs and lows Why love God? What touches you most about God?
Despite all the good qualities of God - our relationship with God still takes work |
2008-04-02 - Falling in Love with God - Bitterness An emotional response (along with fear) that succeed at undermining our love for God A result of an uncard-for emotional wound Matthew 18:15-17 - can resolve most issues Examples
Bitterness will actively oppose any attempt to restore our love for God Bitter or better - a channel of curses or blessings Disciples need Jesus' example to overcome the pain of the cross Jesus wants us to have his attitude toward suffering
Bible command us to get rid of all bitterness
|
2008-04-04 - Falling in Love with God - Doing vs Being Remembering the height from which you have fallen - Revelation 2:1-7 Doing the right works does not mean you are doing good Not a substitute for dealing with our heart Satan's plan: Damage our relationship with God, then damage our faith about our ability to change Ephesians
|
2008-04-08 - Falling in Love with God - Jesus: Their All 1 John 1:1-4 Jesus: that which:
Christ was their happiness Christ was their peace Christ was what they wanted to experience in life They were committed to experiencing Christ Paul's joy of completing the task the Lord Jesus has given him - Acts 20:16-24 They did not chafe at the cost of following Christ - cost was a chance to grow |
2008-04-12 - Falling in Love with God - Our False 'Gods' Here are some false 'Gods' we can create in our mind:
All of these ideas are false, contridict the Bible, and are from Satan If this is my "Father", I will have a turbulent relationship with "him" |
2008-04-13 - Falling in Love with God - Our Perception We must wafe through our fog of experience and except the truth about God We can not love a God who is created in our own image God's timing doesn't always make sense to us:
Some of us have bad days, maybe years. How do we return to God? Our only hope is to believe in his promises more than we believe in our own perceptions |
2008-04-17 - Falling in Love with God - Experiencing the Spirit What does it mean to NOT experience the Spirit? Paul had six questions (Galatians 3:15)
Our works will never validate our relationship with God Only relying on the Spirit, can we feel free to have deepening relationship with God Spirit helps with: Help not have a heart of stone - Ezekiel 36:24-27 Speak to us not to fear - Haggai 2:1-5 Encourage one to return to God - Isaiah 44:22 No phone calls, sermon, nor spiritual book can move my heart live the Spirit Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing - John 6:63 We are never alone on this journey - constant source of strength, wisdom, truth, and refreshment |
2008-04-29 - Falling in Love with God - Seeking Only Him If God's people will humble themselves pray and seek his face, he will hear from heaven and forgive us - 2 Chronicles 7:11-16 Even after the temple was built, God was concerned whether his people will still seek him God himself was often "felt" but not "found" - He has the same concern today Difference: being members / having a deep personal and individual relationship with God In his pride the wicked does not seek him - Psalms 10:1-4 One thing I ask: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, gaze upon the beauty - Psalms 27:1-9 Nothing will satisfy like seeking his face |
2008-04-30 - Falling in Love with God - God Finding Us When does seeking really start? Romans 3:11 - there is no one that seeks God Studying the Bible is simply allowing ourselves to be sought by God If it was our own effort - baptism may seem like the end of the quest We need to active learners When we were young, we understood obligation - "I gotta go to school"
Treasures are for those who will continue to seek forever; not for those who want tips and tricks for being "effective" If there were ever a moment to be a passive learner, it would be when you walk with Jesus Luke 11:1-13 - where would we be if the disciples had not asked about praying to the Father? - not know how to address the Father We need to take responsibilty to get deep and ask questions |
2008-05-03 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Rest of the Story The first person who presents a case - seems right - Proverbs 18:17
Involving everyone on a decision will help others to feel valued and for you to consistently have good decisions We have trouble listening to other opinions besides our own Can you get hurt by other that love you? Yes - Double indemnity insurance policy against unresolved issues (Matthew 18:15-17 and Matthew 5:23-24) |
2008-05-04 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Buy Now and Pay Later Many struggle with the route of least resistance - CHARGE IT Satan invented the mind-set: Sin now and pay later God is not short-term but long-term Pay up front and gain big dividends later Righteousness is an investment of life Without perseverance through hard time times we will not grow - Romans 5:1-5, James 1:2-4, Hebrews 12:5-14 God does not "zap" change into you: Change requires:
|
2008-05-14 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - I was Born this Way Son will not share the guilt of the father - Ezekiel 18:20 Environment or heredity - most likely both Must be slow to judge situations we do not completely understand otherwise may bless us with an understanding in a way we do not want Other extreme - develop a victim mentality regarding ourselves or others Can lead to being angry, use drugs, being immoral, or just about anything else We have difficulty applying this to a murder Answer: despite it being more difficult and having different backgrounds, the standard is still the same He does not ask us to do anything he will not enable us to do Identify the sin > repent of it > start relying on God grace > formulate a plan to overcome sin Psychology can find root causes but it is powerless to find a cure Hezekiah and Josiah were righteous amount a line of kings that were evil The promises of God are far greater than our past and present challenges Pray that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way - Colossians 1:10-12 |
2008-05-19 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Sentimentality Can easily become sentimental when talking about salvation:
All have sin and have fallen short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23 Being "broader" than the Bible puts you on the wrong road God will be the judge and he has given us the basis of his judgement - John 12:48 Extremes:
|
2008-05-23 - Purpose Driven Life - You Are Not an Accident God planned:
God was thinking of you even before he made the world, that is why he created the world God's purpose even took in account sin and human error. If there was no god, we would all be accidents The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us - Romans 12:3 |
2008-05-24 - Purpose Driven Life - What Drives Your Life? What shouldn't drive our life (will miss God's purposes for your life): People are driven by guilt Allows the past to control their future God turned a murder (Moses and Paul) into a leader and a coward into a hero God specializes in giving people a fresh start People are driven by resentment and anger - Resentment always hurts you more than it does the other person People are driven by fear - from unrealistic expectations and high-control situations People are driven by materialism - Your value is not determined by your valuables People are driven by the need for approval - those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it Living a purpose driven life, knowing your purpose:
|
2008-05-29 - Purpose Driven Life - Planned for God's Pleasure You are planned for God's pleasure He chose to create you for his enjoyment Bringing enjoyment to God is the first purpose in life He considers valuable enough to keep you for eternity with him Bringing pleasure to God is called worship Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship to God Worship is a universal urge - if not worshiping God, it will be something Worship is not for your benefit, not "I got a lot out of it" Worship is far more than music Worship music is not limited to a particular style of music - nothing to do with volume or speed of the song Style of the music says more about you than it does God Worship is not a part of your life, it is your life Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship Whether you drink or eat or whatever... do it all for the glory of God- 1 Corinthians 10:31 |
2008-06-04 - Purpose Driven Life - Developing Your Friendship with God You are as close as you choose to be to God Must work to develop your friendship Must choose to be honest ...about your faults and feelings No one in the Bible was perfect:
We may harbor resentment toward God He wants you to hold back nothing about how you feel Choose to obey John 15:14 - You are my friends if you do what I command We are not equals - We obey obey God because we love him True friendship isn't passive; it acts "Great things for God" - Great things come once in a lifetime; small things come everyday Must choose to value what God values What does God value the most? His lost children Must desire a friendship with God more than anything Longing, yearning, thirsting, hungering - that was David Nothing matters more NO: What is it worth to you? NO: What cost is too much? Problems are wake-up calls for you come back to him |
2008-06-12 - Purpose Driven Life - Cultivating Community Community requires commitment Only the Holy Spirit can create real fellowship between believers Cultivating community takes... ...Honesty Silent when someone sins - not loving thing to do Means caring enough to lovingly confront - Proverbs 24:26 A group will remain superficial because they are afraid to conflict It is where gossip thrives Corinth church was allowing sexual immorality because no one had the courage to say anything. ...Humility Pride builds walls between; humility builds bridges Being prideful is living in opposition to God - 1 Peter 5:5 Develop humility by: admitting weakness, being patient with other's weakness, being open to correction, pointing the spotlight on others ...Courtesy Nothing to do with compatibility Basis of our fellowship is our relationship to God - We are family ...Confidentiality Does not mean keeping silent about sin Means - stays within the group - Proverbs 16:28 ...Frequency You need to spend time - make it a habit - Hebrew 10:25 Community is not built on convenience - "Let's get together sometime" |
2008-06-13 - Purpose Driven Life - Restoring Broken Fellowship Relationships are always worth restoring God has given us the ministry of restoring God gave everything (his son) for restoring relationships Does not mean avoiding conflict or appeasement Talk to God before talking to the person God may change your heart or their hear - James 4:1-2 Tell God your frustrations Most conflict is rooted in unmet needs; some needs can only be meet by God Always take the initiative God expects you to make the first move - Matthew 5:23-24 Abandon your offering at the alter and go make things right first Acting quickly reduces the spiritual damage Bitterness is only hurting yourself Sympathize with their feelings Use your ears more than your mouth - Philippians 2:4 Focus on feelings and not facts Start with sympathy, not solutions Confess your part of the conflict Ask "Am I the problem?" - Matthew 7:5 The way you handle a conflict creates a bigger hurt Attack the problem, not the person How you say it is important as what you say Cold War - country decided on weapons that should never be used Cooperate as much as possible - Romans 12:18 Sometime it cost our pride, self-centerness Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution Reconciliation focuses on the relationship Takes a lot of effort to restore a relationship |
2008-06-16 - Purpose Driven Life - How We Grow God wants you to grow up - some grow older but never grow up (Ephesians 4:14-15) Nothing shapes your life than the commitments you make God's part and your part Our part is to: Continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling - Philippians 2:12-13 Our role = "work out" salvation (grow - in a body workout we have our body but we make it better) Changing your autopilot Becareful what you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts - Proverbs 4:23 Going on a diet, exercising does not work if you do not change your thinking - "I am going on a diet" The way you think determines the way you feel - which influences how you act - Ephesians 4:23 Babies by nature are completely selfish It is not the amount of biblical information and doctrine you know |
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:
|
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?
|