2008-08-21 - 30 Days at the Cross - Never Forget Remembering is not easy God foresaw our tendency to forget:
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2008-08-22 - 30 Days at the Cross - Not Surprise by Joy Joy set before him endured the cross - Hebrews 12:2-3 Yet joy joy was still in the heart of Jesus:
When we try to take over God's role - there is no joy Even the violent scene of the cross brought about joy and hope | ||||||||||||||||||
2008-08-28 - Teach Us To Pray - Strength and Shield The closest solar system is 3.5 light years away or 21 trillion miles Some galaxies have 10 trillion stars Countless are the stars but has no trouble Our visible universe is 15 trillion by 6 trillion miles across We need to learn to trust God's ability to meet our daily needs:
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2008-09-06 - Teach Us To Pray - Praise and Thanksgiving God's plan is a blessing and not a burden - 1 John 5:3 Once we lose our gratitude, we have lost everything Growing in Gratitude
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2008-09-11 - Teach Us To Pray - Unity with Others Questions to ask meself:
If no, denying one of the most powerful aspects of pray After Judas' sucide - two eminently qualified individuals were proposed - Acts 1:15-26 Peter and John were on their way to pray - Acts 3:1
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2008-10-17 - Man of Prayer - Kingdom and Prayer Thy kingdom come and your will be done - their is a nowness (call of God to intervene in our lives) Our intercessions remain focused on His kingdom and his will - His kingdom first God influences situation - we should expect that will happen: Act 12
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2008-11-06 - Man of Prayer - The Flesh (part 3) Three other ways to fight the battle aginst our flesh (nature) Resist temptation - 1 Peter 5:9 Most effective - avoidance - Lead us not into temptation Prayer becomes our spiritual "dressing room" for the battle of the day - Ephesians 6:13-17
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2008-11-29 - Raising Awesome Kids - Humility and Approachability Clothe yourself with humility toward one another - 1 Peter 5:5 Our families know how imperfect we are Most responsibility = most mistakes Powerful and enduring leaders are those without pretension Paul said he was the chief of sinners Apologize bluntly Apologize quickly Ask "Is everything all right? Is anything else bothering you?" Wallowing in guilt or losing self-confidence over your mistakes is not true humility - it is selfishness and lack of faith People in our family should feel free to come to us and tell us whatever is on their mind Our responsibility is to create a feeling of freedom and openness in our households If we do not, we are headed for a day of bitter reckoning | ||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-01-07 - Raising Awesome Kids - Devotion to Church Love the brotherhood - 1 Peter 2:17 If you have a positive, loving attitudes about the church, your kids will too If you notice that things were not done excellently - pitch in and help make it better Teach your kids to respect their Bible class teachers If you have problem with someone - don't speak inappropriately in front of your kids
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2009-01-19 - Jesus with People - Through the Roof When the paralyzed man came down through the roof - damaged the house of Peter and Andrew - how would you respond? If we follow Jesus, the smallest seed of faith that we see in others should encourage and excite us. Who big is your crowd? | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-02-04 - 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? | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-03-03 - 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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2009-03-22 - Promises of God - One Greater The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world - 1 John 4:4 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness - 1 Peter 5:8 Satan is seen leading "the whole world astray" - Revelation 12:9 He is the Ling of Kings and the Lord of Lords - Revelation 12:9-11 The devil will eventually be thrown into the lake of fire - Revelation 20:1-10 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-04-01 - Promises of God - No Disappointment No one will be disappointed in heaven No mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him - 1 Corinthians 2:9 Not even the most creative can envision No analogy can really do it justice No metaphor for it will ever be good enough Boredom will be as absent in heaven as sorrow, pain, and tears Jesus said he came to give us life to the full - John 10:10 Started hear on earth in his kingdom on earth It will be a blast, a feast It will never end Our new birth brings us into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven - 1 Peter 1:4 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-04-02 - Promises of God - Work That Is Worth It An old criticism of Christians: Too heavenly minded that they are no good on earth Seem to spend so much dreaming of heaven and not working on solving the earth's problems This was never God's idea Prepare your minds for action - 1 Peter 1:13 Setting our minds on the amazing blessings is a powerful encouragement for us to work hard and give our best effort now Is it worth saying "No" to sin? Just consider heaven! Worth it to giving to the poor? Just consider heaven! Worth staying in the race when it gets difficult? Just consider heaven! Worth blood, sweat, tears to help other to know God? Just consider heaven! Your labor in the Lord is not in vain - 1 Corinthians 15:58 | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-04-13 - Promises of God - God Passes the Test God Passes the Test:
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2009-04-14 - Promises of God - Come to Repentance The current "promise/prosperity theology" lacks three things:
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2009-04-16 - Promises of God - Never Give Up Never give up - Hebrews 10:35-39 Why?
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2009-04-20 - Why We Need God - He is Our Redeemer GOD AS OUR REDEEMER...
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2009-04-27 - Why We Need Jesus - He Offers Us a Better Life WHO OFFERS US A BETTER LIFE...
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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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2009-05-22 - No one like him - Kingdom Attitudes (part 2) Those who mourn After seeing the impact and the hurt we have caused - Having godly sorrow - 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 Taking ownership The Meek No one wants to be meek Meekness - horse that has been broken Gentle, Humble, Teachable Defensive spirit gone We must remember we have been cleansed from our past sins - 2 Peter 1:9 "will inherited the earth" - will make the most of our lives on this earth | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-05-31 - No one like him - Even Death on the Cross All during Jesus life, his brutal death was on his mind; he struggled and submitted to it (John 12:27) At Gethsemane, did not try to do it alone but asked for help from his friends (Mark 14:32-34); Peter and Judas did not ask for help One of the most important words in the Bible, Jesus – not as I will, but as you will (Mark 14:35-36) The image of the cross was so gruesome that it took 500 years to appear in art | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-06-09 - One Another - Fellowship and Carrying Burdens Fellowship - bring to mind casual conversation or other lightweight associations Greek word for fellowship is koinonia = to partnership and deep involvement Word also defined as "sharing together in the common life" Word used outside of NT to describe marriage The root word - Koinon = "common" or "in common" Galatians 6:1-2
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2009-07-03 - A Life of Impact - Assertiveness Assertiveness Mark 5:35-43
Fear Sensitivity
A Simple charge
Privileging
Consideration
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2009-07-19 - A Life of Impact - Timing Timing Mark 8:31-33
Approachability
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2009-09-30 - One Another - Greet One Another Greeting seems to be pretty important aspect of relationships in the NT:
Need to show each other they are welcomed, loved and accepted - not just saying "I accept you" roboticly Challenge for all of us is to really communicate the heart of love and acceptance Identify 2 or 3 people that you have a hard time "accepting" Will you be comfortable saying "God judge me just as I judge them"? | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-10-08 - Wild at Heart - The Strategy (part 1) 1. I am not here Satan says, “ I am not here, it just you” You cannot fight a battle that you don’t think exists Satan prowls around like a roaring lion - 1 Peter 5:8-9 Assume you are under spiritual attack When you ignore the enemy, he wins He simply loves to put everything on us Get us to feel hurt, misunderstood, suspicious and resentful Before an effective military strike, must take our the lines of communication Marriage is a living example – Satan loves to divide and conquer Sends a message – you are blowing it – “I thought you were disappointed with me” They did not send this message Most of all the Enemy tries to jam communication with Headquarters Commit yourself to prayer every morning for two weeks and just watch what happens Satan tries to make our mind wonder and cause interferences | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-11-08 - Repentance - Transfigure Our Minds (part 1) We each have a worldview or mindset that functions as a life lens World has been squeezing us into its mold – more than we realize Peter’s mind
Prepare your minds for action – 1 Peter 1:13-14 Space shuttle takes 2,250,000 pounds of fuel to escape the earth’s gravity Only few pounds to remain in orbit – Christians are called more than just to orbit Most trials produce greater faith – hospitalized child, illness, death, ministry turmoil, financial pressures Ways to fight – devote time to prayer, read scripture, explore ways to encourage wife, get advice from elders, spend special time with the kids Ways to not to – laziness, frustrate wife, neglect kids, feeling overwhelmed and under underappreciated, escape to the TV | ||||||||||||||||||
2009-11-11 - Repentance - Worldly Sorrow (part 1) Sorrow does not equal repentance Nothing is more tragic than losing your eternal reward through popular yet readily avoidable errors Two great misconceptions Confusion that sorrow is repentance Humble prayers and our sorrow pleases God – still not repentance World Sorrow is neither Godly Sorrow Nor repentance Worldly sorrow brings death Five signs of world sorrow (pride) 1. Damage Control
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2009-11-23 - Master Plan - Selection (part 2)
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2009-12-11 - Master Plan - Delegation (part 3)
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2009-12-14 - Master Plan - Reproduction (part 1) He expected them to reproduce
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2010-01-07 - Kingdom First - Blessing of Persecution Matthew 5:10-12 - Describes 3 types of blessing that come from persecution: 1. Kingdom of Heaven Testing refines our faith and proves it to be genuine - 1 Peter 1:6-7 Faith, by definition, is all weather 2. Reward in Heaven Because of Christ blood, he keeps no records of wrong He is keeping a record of rights He will not forget your work and the love you have shown him - Hebrews 6:10 3. Prophets before you Persecution and suffering means pain but also means glory Glory - Comes from in realizing we walk in the company of the glorious They endured the exact same things We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses - Hebrews 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
2010-02-26 - One Another - Forgiving One Another (part 2) Other matters related to forgiveness: Forgiveness is the ultimate 'one another' trump card Love, which always forgives, can cover a multitude of sins - 1 Peter 4:8 Forgiveness must come from a grateful heart If forgiveness comes from anything other than a grateful heart, we lack the purity of heart Rid yourself of all bitterness, rage, and anger - forgiving each other as Christ forgave you - Ephesians 4:31-32 We must help one another forgive When a person is not forgiving, they grow bitter The sin of lack of forgiveness of someone may be greater than the actual offense See that no one misses the grace of God and no bitter root grows - Hebrews 12:14-15 Pain and anger are not resolved in a moment, but let us never doubt where we must end up | ||||||||||||||||||
2010-03-11 - To Live is Christ - Just Like Christ In the midst of the discussion about unity, Paul continues by talking about having the mind of Jesus - Philippians 2:5-8 The only way to have unity is to be like Jesus We were called to follow in his steps - 1 Peter 2:21 Jesus willingly because a servant
Jesus came not to be served but to serve - Matthew 20:28
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2010-03-29 - Life to the Full - Crown not Frown (part 3) God does not work to ruin our lives but to improve us - James 1:16-18 Don't accuse God of wrong doing like Job did - Job 1:22 Our fate is in God's hands, not in the stars - v. 17 God's goodness is his gift of rebirth Peter makes this clear - 1 Peter 1:23 James moves to relationships with one another Don't retaliate when times are tough - James 1:19-21 James' wisdom would transform many a relationship if put into practice
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2010-04-08 - Life to the Full - Two Wisdoms (part 2) Teaching is one of the few gifts mentioned in both in the lists of Ephesian 4 and 1 Corinthians 12 What exactly is a teacher?
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2010-04-16 - Life to the Full - Personal Life of Peter (part 1) Before calling him, Peter's character was more rash than rational The Bad He gave into bad habits, swearing - Matthew 26:74 He lacked a mission in his life - Luke 5:10 The Good He spoke his mind plainly - Matthew 16:22 Responded quickly - Galatians 2:11 Always ready to learn from his mistakes - Luke 22:23 Peter was totally transformed by the Lord; he became bold and confident - Acts 4:12-13 | ||||||||||||||||||
2010-04-17 - Life to the Full - Personal Life of Peter (part 2) Peter steady increased in his faith:
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2010-04-18 - Life to the Full - In His Steps (part 1) Paraphasing: Since salvation is so awesome, get you heart right! - 1 Peter 2:1-2 Are you craving pure spiritual milk?
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2010-04-19 - Life to the Full - In His Steps (part 2) Disciples are priests and ministers in function - using the righteousness of Jesus - 1 Peter 2:4-6 Preist, by definition, is holier than the common man The clergy-laity system is flawed because of there reasons:
Consider today's denominational titles:
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2010-04-22 - Life to the Full - In His Steps (part 3) 1 Peter 3:1-7... Submission, kindness is a two-way street Wondering God is not using you more? Look no further than your marriage! Questions for wives:
Questions for husbands:
Questions for both:
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2010-04-23 - Life to the Full - In His Steps (part 4) Do not fear but set apart Christ as Lord - 1 Peter 3:14-15 Context of the passage is to continue evangelism in time of oppostion There are many fears:
Passages assure us that there is no need to fear When Christ is dwelling in our hearts by faith we overcome fear and the need to fear | ||||||||||||||||||
2010-04-24 - Life to the Full - In His Steps (part 5) According to Peter, evangelism must be:
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2010-04-25 - Heart of Friendship (part 1) Preached by John Lusk (2005-01-23) Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Christ is the key to having true friendships Friendship with Christ John 15:14-15
Matthew 11:28-30 - Jesus yoke is easy and he will give you rest Hebrews 4:15-16 - Jesus understands and have been in your situation 2 Peter 1:3 - He given everything we need in life | ||||||||||||||||||
2010-04-27 - 7 Habits of Highly Effective Children Preached by Dan Rice (2005-06-26) Mark 10:13 - We must have a child like heart to make it to heaven Children Want to Grow Children Change Fast - 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 Children Take Risk - Care less about what people think about them. John 12:42-43 Children are quick to trust Children are Idealist - they dream; it is better than synical Children are faithful - John 3:16 - They did not many reasons like we do. | ||||||||||||||||||
2010-04-28 - Heart of Maturity (Motivation of Maturing) Preached by John Lusk (2005-01-30) How passionate are you about maturing?
Motivation of Maturing 1. To regain your identify Genesis 1:26-27
2. To remian in Jesus 1 John 2:3-4 - This is a expectation from God 3. To be effective and productive 2 Peter 1:4-8
4. Secure salvation 2 Peter 1:8-11 - We have been given a new start Wrong motivation - Pleasing people, selfish ambition | ||||||||||||||||||
2010-05-23 - Desire's Journey - Disowned Desire Examples of desires used for bad then good King David - passions got him in trouble, then gave us our book of worship Peter - was hotheaded disciple always quick with a reply Paul - extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers, killed Christians Those who killed their passion altogether would murder the very essence that makes heros of the faith |