2009-02-16 - Jesus with People - Widows Emotional Sacrifice Be careful for your hearts will be weighed down with anxieties of life and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap - Luke 21:34 Sacrifice requires that we take control of the anxieties of our lives It is a daily struggle In order to change our character weaknesses, true emotional sacrifice is needed
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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 |
2009-04-08 - 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 |
2009-04-11 - Promises of God - Satan Tries to Create Doubt Satan uses his energy and his demons to break down our trust in God: Eve in the garden - Genesis 3:1-7 Moses at the burning bush - Exodus 3:1-4:17 Tried it will Jesus in the desert - Luke 4:1-13 Do you really think his strategy with us will be any different? Satan will attempt to get us to doubt God so much that we will trust a stranger more than him Problem is not that we do not know how to trust
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2009-05-02 - No one like him - His dependence on God (part 1) No one claimed to be able to do what he did He knew the result would be if he completely depended on God – gave confidence Dependency can have negative connotations; those who are dependent sometimes are looked down on. Bible says not to depend on ourselves or other men … but on God.
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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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2009-06-02 - 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 |
2009-06-17 - A Life of Impact - Gentleness and Fueling Gentleness Mark 1:29-34
Fueling Mark 1:35-39
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2009-07-04 - A Life of Impact - Amazing Speech Amazing Speech Mark 6:1-6 Suspicions and fear can evaporate because of love and openness 1. Deep Conviction
2. Passion - If the speaker isn’t moved by the message, how can he expect it to move anyone else? 3. Integrity - Speaker must take plank out of their own eye before one can challenge other on the same topic 4. Person to person
5. Inspirational
6. Practical
7. Meet the Need - Out of touch with the needs on the audience can actually make things worst then they are. |
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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2009-07-23 - A Life of Impact - Ambition Ambition Mark 9:33-35
Win/Lose/Win
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2009-07-26 - A Life of Impact - Taking the Offensive Taking the Offensive Mark 10:2-12
Judgment
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2009-08-02 - A Life of Impact - An Emphasis of Fundamentals An Emphasis of Fundamentals Mark 11:20-25
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2009-08-14 - A Life of Impact - Emotional Transformation (part 1) Emotional Transformation Mark 14:32-42
In touch with His feelings
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2009-09-01 - Wild at Heart - The wound (part 1) There comes a time when we simply have to face the challenges in our lives and stop backing down Men rarely praise each other directly - by way of accomplishments (“you are a wild man”, “what is up stud” The question – Do I have what it takes? Am I powerful? Until a man knows he’s a man he will forever be trying to prove he is one, while at the same time shrink from anything that might reveal he is not Boy learns who is he and what he’s got from a man
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2009-09-05 - Wild at Heart - Battle for a mans heart (part 1) Jesus told us to turn the other cheek. We can not turn a cheek we do not have. Church full of such men Many have their soul hanging in the balance because no one invited them to be dangerous and to know their own strength or to discover they have what it takes I feel like I have to ask for permission Nearly every blow ends up falling in the same place - against our strength Life takes one vertebra at a time until he has no spine at all Boy are 3-4 times more likely to be diagnosed as suffering from ADD Society teaches to be a nice guy -– to be soft Women are often attracted to wilder men, but once have caught him they settle down to task of domesticating him How do I get my husband to come alive? Invite him to be dangerous Women don’t start wars Violent crimes aren’t really committed by women. Our prisons aren’t filled with women |
2009-09-10 - Wild at Heart - False self (part 1) Place of our woundedness we construct a false self People can shutdown their heart and focus on what they are good at - Spock like Can become a perfectionist An impostor - don’t ever be your real self anymore because nobody likes you as you are As a defense against pain It becomes OUR plan for salvation - will fail time and time again until we give up God must take it away Those plans to protect and save us will actually destroy us - leads to death - Proverbs 16:25 Seems right to shield ourselves from pain and to save a little love There is a critical point in every man’s life True test of a man is when he starts to longer rely on what he’s used all his life Not women want a man that just exists |
2009-09-22 - Wild at Heart - The Enemy (part 3) Walk right into those situations you normally run from Speak right to the issues normally remain silent over If you want to grow in masculine strength, then stop sabotaging yours. Being wronged and saying that is OK, but furious inside This will push your strength down and eventually you will believe you do not have any. When you deny your anger, it turns to fear Sabotage also happens when we give our strength away Taking a bribe, refusing to confront an issue, sexual sin Sexual struggle is sin and a battle for his strength Start choosing to live out your strength and you’ll discover that it grows each time Stand your ground and begin to taste your true strength and you’ll want more Our strength is will and fierce and we are more than unsettled by what may happen if we let it arrive “I’m afraid I will do something bad if I let all this show up” – You will do something bad if you don’t Man’s addictions are a result of his refusing his strength Let people feel the weight of who you are and let them deal with it |
2009-09-29 - One Another - Differences (part 2) Conviction and Acceptance How we blend conviction with an equally deep level of acceptance? We need to understand that some convictions can be disputable matters Accept those whose faith is weak - Romans 14:1 Accept one another in order to bring praise to God - Romans 15:7 Example: It is OK to treat one day more special to worship God than another day - Romans 14:5-6 Even if the conviction is misguided - we sin if go against it
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2009-12-05 - Master Plan - Jesus gave himself away (part 1)
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2009-12-11 - Master Plan - Delegation (part 3)
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2009-12-12 - Master Plan - Supervision (part 1) He kept check on them
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2010-01-04 - Kingdom First - Making Peace with Others Having peace with God - story is not over We are in a world to wage peace just as God does Jesus is our example Courage and honesty destroy barriers Openly expressing his thoughts and feelings pulls down superficiality and distrust Jesus expressed his:
If you want real peace, don't avoid conflict Do whatever is required to settle matters quickly |
2010-01-11 - Kingdom First - Rapid Resolution Reconcile your difference with your brother before offering a gift to God - Matthew 5:21-25 Similar to a verse in the OT - Leviticus 19:16-18 Jesus is basically telling us that we are responsible to be righteous in every relationship Whether or not it is our problem - we are responsible
Hatred is like murder - rejoices in the downfall of person you have a problem with Take the initiative; love speaks the truth Remember that relationship with others mirrors our true relationship with God We'll never be close to God if we're afraid to speak the truth to our fellowman |
2010-01-19 - Kingdom First - Handle Prayerfully (part 1) Jesus was a man of prayer - he knew how to do it and he did it all the time
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2010-01-30 - One Another - Confession Lessons Sin is still a reality - even in Christ God uses relationships to transform us Everyone who seek these relationship will find themselves either being the one sinning or the one being sinned against Christ has freed us to be real We no longer have to prove anything No longer have to pretend or conceal Love of Christ compels us and reminds us and reassures us We should not be shocked or disillusioned when someone confesses Will we look down on others like the Pharisee did in Jesus' parable - Luke 18? Or will we see we all are capable of bad things in need of grace? Sooner we can walk in the light, the better Longer something stays concealed, the more demons of darkness have time to work |
2010-02-02 - One Another - Confession Questions (part 3) Can confession be turned the wrong way? a. If we react with condemnation b. If we gossip and don't keep confidence - Golden rule applies with handling confession c. If we label people to control them - confession can used to help them but not beat them down d. If we think it is our role to fix them - main role of responsibility is on the one confessing - we are here to help e. If leaders do not do it - but expect others to confess - One-way confesses will become dysfunctional and unhealthy |
2010-02-03 - One Another - Confession Questions (part 4) How do we grow in our confession? a. Be open even at the temptation level We will get used to talking what we are thinking and going through We will nip many things in the bud before they progress to sin b. Start over-correcting Start confessing everything You can always tone it down so it does not become annoying :) c. Ask some else what they think of your confession: Do you find me to be a confessing person? What is my confession level?
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2010-02-09 - First the Kingdom - Trees (part 2) Bad Trees Bad trees always produce bad fruit
Until someone sits down and studies the Bible with someone it is impossible to know what kind of heart they have |
2010-02-10 - First the Kingdom - Trees (part 3) No fruit means a bad tree too A fruitless tree in a useless tree - Matthew 3:10, Matthew 13:22, Luke 13:6-9, Luke 19:11-27, John 15:2, 6, Hebrews 6:8 Jesus warned the Pharisees the kingdom of God would be taken away from people who will not produce - Matthew 21:43 In the Christian life there is no neutrality of example Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire - Matthew 7:19
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2010-02-21 - One Another - Reconciling with One Another (part 1) Bible is clear - Jesus came to break down divisions - Ephesians 2:14 Worldly divisions
Can ONLY be done at the foot of the cross Only way a holy and righteous God can be reunited with his unrighteous enemy (us) - Romans 5:6-11 Reconcile = to become friends again Not to politely tolerate one another or a ceasefire The goal of Jesus is to be one - John 17:20-21 Only way Jews and non-Jews could form the church of God What Paul had is mind when writing - Ephesians 3:20 "...him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think" |
2010-03-03 - To Live is Christ - In My Heart Philippians 1:7-8 During Paul's 3 days of blindness:
Instead of seeing cell walls - he saw the Philippian disciples needs, struggles, and victories Paul had to have come to know them all He did not just start the church there, he began a family He was committed to all of them - he was a true shepherd:
We too can long for people with the affection of Christ but we must have people in our hearts |
2010-03-27 - Life to the Full - Crown not Frown (part 1) James address Christians under pressure Without pressure, the human body soon slows down and dies Pressure keeps the blood flowing James chooses to call himself servant rather than brother - James 1:1 He was a prominent leader in the early church but he kept a down-to-earth perspective Anyone in a leadership role needs to have the same attitude How are trials to be met? With pure joy - James 1:2-8 There are two options: continue in the process of becoming mature or walk away and do it our own way Maturity is not just spiritual longevity - it is how you react under pressure What do we do it we lack wisdom? Ask for it Not IQ but for knowing what to do in tricky situations It's a promise of God that he will enable you to live more intelligently What is last big trial you faced? How did you react? |
2010-05-15 - Desire's Journey - The Dilemma of Desire We can not live without yearning, yet the yearning sets us up for disappointment Because of its vulnerable nature, desire begins to feel like our worst enemy Despair is the fate of the desiring soul - Sam Houston Hope deferred make the heart sick - Proverbs 13:12 How awful it feels to open our hearts to joy, only to have grief come in How do we live in a world with desire so deep in us and disappointment lurking behind every corner? Are a few arrows, dare we even desire? Do we refuse to love because we may hurt? possibility of pain? Shutting down our hearts is to die altogether Hope deferred make the heart sick... but when dreams come true, there is life and joy Most of us have chosen to reduce our desire to a more manageable size We allow it only in small doses:
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2010-06-10 - Jesus - the Zealot (part 1) By Richard Dixon in 1999-09-26
Jesus mission was to overthrow Satan's ruling government over the earth1 John 3:7-8 Cause worth living forLuke 9:25
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2010-06-17 - Jesus - The Healer (part 2)Causes of Sickness:Break Down of System Our spiritual immune system can break down:
You must be prepared: 1 Peter 4:1-11
Ephesians 5:10-18
Will you let him? |
2010-06-27 - Jesus - The Lord (part 1) Preached by Richard Dixon on 1999-10-10 We have many bosses:
Matthew 9:27-34
Jesus is Lord of our FaithDo you believe that you will receive everything that you ask for in prayer? 5 Faith Killers:
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2010-07-21 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 8) Losing all sensitivity - the dullness that most people accept as normal - Ephesians 4:17-19 A deadened soul requires a greater and greater level of stimulation to arouse it This is known as the downward spiral of any addiction TV today would be consider shocking thirty years ago This is why holiness is not numbness - it is sensitivity God wants to be our perfect lover but instead we seek perfection in human relationships and are disappointed when our lovers cannot love us perfectly The Law (Music sheet, if you will) is our help for guiding us Our instrument is out of tune from years of misuse We're not clear all the time on what it is we really want |
2010-08-08 - Waking Dead - At War (part 3) Until we come to terms with war, we will not understand life We will misinterpret most of what is happening around us:
We have to realize we are part of a story and the situation we are in right now will change We won't understand our life until we see it as a battle - warring against your heart The issue is: we can not see things as clearly as we ought to - but we need to The attack on our hearts weighs down our lives and glory is being held back We don't see clearly because we don't see with the eyes of our heart |
2010-08-09 - Waking Dead - The Heart's Eyes Do not lose heart, fix our eyes on what is unseen - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 We are losing heart, all of us, daily Someone was trying to shutdown Paul during his ministry - 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Life is an illustion - there is a way of looking at life and be able to live from the heart no matter what Jesus spoke in parables to our hearts:
Jesus spoke in a way that will get past all intellectual defenses When you tell a story, you speak to the heart |
2010-08-18 - Waking Dead - Point of all Living Everything you love is what makes a life worth living Action: Set down the book and make a list of all the things you love
Jesus was asked what was most important He boiled it down to loving God and loving others - everything else will fall into place The heart is the connecting point; can not love without it If we can truly love, be loved, and never lose love - we would be finally truly happy If we worship efficiency, we can not grow in our love Some try to master all sort of principles and and never know God intimately, heart to heart. If do all sorts of Christian things without knowing God, he will say "I never knew you" - Matthew 7:22-23 The point is not the activity but intimacy with God Taking a course on anatomy won't help you love you spouse Taking a religion class will not help you love God You will find God when you seek him with all of your heart - Jeremiah 29:13 |
2010-08-21 - Waking Dead - Last Adam Paul refers to Jesus as the Last Adam and the Second Man - 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 Adam and Eve were rulers over all creation and glorious image bearers of God Their choices would forever shape our lives - chose to disobey the one command they were given Fruit does not fall far from the tree Parents often wonder where their toddler learn how to be disobedient It was taught to them - it is inherent to human nature Through one man disobedience - many were made sinners - Romans 5:12 A man comes down from heaven, slips into the world unnoticed as:
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2010-08-26 - Waking Dead - Glory (part 3) You are going to the need your whole heart - so you will need every ounce of courage and faith as well James and John, sons of Zebedee did hide what they thought
He can see clearly who they really are We many times spend our time hiding through false selfs Like Adam and Eve did with fig leaves We make up a glory because we are convinced we have none of our own Must ask: God, who am I? What do you think of me? What is my real name? The deeper reason we fear our own glory is that once we let others see the truest us - aka nakedness It is awkward when everyone else is veiled Living from your glory is the only way to live You cannot love another person from a false self You can not help others if you are in captivity yourself Our deepest fear of all - we will have to live from our hearts Means we do not know the next thing God will ask of us |
2010-09-02 - Waking Dead - Ask God
When Christ arose, he did not let Peter sweep the whole matter under the rug - John 21:15-17 It would have haunted the old fisherman for the rest of his life Most of us try to "put things behind us"
Jesus was asked would he feed his sheep times - for each betrayal Lessons that have been laid down in pain can be accessed only by pain Christ must open the wound not just bandage it over Instead of burying the pain, ask God what he is wanting to speak to you |
2010-09-09 - Waking Dead - Spiritual Warfare (part 1) The heart of our enemy: determined to hinder and harm and ruin God's image bearers God is serious about life - Isaiah 45:2-3
What if we looked at the passage through the eyes of the heart? We are in an epic battle - things are not what they seem This is God personal mission - Isaiah 61:1
What is the hidden treasure? Our hearts |
2010-09-12 - Waking Dead - Spiritual Warfare (part 4) Heads up. Satan can give us actions and words to say:
Some trying to "work through" things are simply have agreements with the Enemy Satan uses your wounds and unresolved emotional issues to pin your heart down under a spiritual stronghold We must be careful not to make agreements with Satan to increase his dominion |
2010-09-16 - Why can't we be friends? Preached on 2003-01-26 Conflicts -Who are having problems? 1 John 4:20 - To love God, is to love our brothers Three reason why we can not 1. Lack of spiritually (half-hearted) Genesis 4:1 - God wants us to give your best - First reaction: Anger and downcast - Relationships - best to God, best to others How could being close to God change things for you? 2. Selfish Jacob and Esua Genesis 25:27-35 - Only do things you like to do - Waiting for them to come to you - You make the first moved 3. Jealous/Anger Genesis 37:1 - How is jealousy effecting you relationship? - Focus on all the blessing you DO have - Pray for them |
2010-09-17 - Waking Dead - Spiritual Warfare (part 5) The worldview has simply removed warfare as a practical category We shouldn't be surprised - we can not see spiritual strongholds after we say they really don't exist If you deny the battle raging against your heart, then the theif can just come and go as he pleases Satan says there is not war Lord Almighty = he who is sovereign over all the powers in heaven and on earth, especially over the armies of Israel The God of angel armies God is powerful and and in control but don't always think of of him taking up a sword and shield, breaking down gates to rescue us Big difference: Joe the good man who is in control vs Joe the Naval Seal |
2010-09-22 - Waking Dead - It Must Be Small Jesus did not march around backed by hundreds of followers He had a band of brothers - the Twelve Through we are part of a great company, we are meant to live a little platoons Groups small enough for each of the members to know one another as friends and allies Who's heart will you fight for? Who will fight for your heart? He spoke to the masses but lived with his closest twelve His followers took his example and lived this way too
Anytime an army goes to war or expedition, they break down into platoons and squads You can not be devoted to a mass of people Devotion takes place in small units like a family |
2010-09-23 - Waking Dead - It Must Be Intimate Most churches offer small group activities but they are usually short lived for two reasons: 1. Can't just throw a random group together and then it instantly become allies Closeness takes time - playing, working, helping, living together develops relationships All the believers were one in heart - Acts 4:32
You can study til you are blue in the face but it will not heal a broken heart A small fellowship needs to be a redemptive community and one that protects Idea: In a group - write down 5 words or phrases that captures your life right now Then find what stories or scenes or characters help you interpret those words |