April 9, 2006, Head of State
April 16, 2006 Easter Sunday First Born
April 30, 2006 Lost

 

April 9, 2006
Head of State

 

Matthew 21:1 – 11

Jesus Christ … the ruler of the kings of the earth … has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him Revelation 1:5-7

We follow His leadership

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:24-28

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

We experience His kingdom

1. an internal reality

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20-21

2. a spiritual dimension

We anticipate His return

… we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
1 John 3:2-3

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April 16, 2006
Easter Sunday
First Born

Jesus Christ … the firstborn from the dead Revelation 1:5

Exodus 11:4-7; 12:1-3, 57, 11-14

Luke 22:7-8, 13-16

Jesus is the prototype for human life

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15

We discover life’s meaning when we become like Him

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29

Resurrection is intended for us, too

He is … the firstborn from among the dead Colossians 1:18

It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Ephesians 2:1-3 The Message paraphrase

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” John 11:25-26

We should choose God’s family

You have come … to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. Hebrews 12:22-23

Find your spiritual base

B Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for me and showed He was God by coming back to life
A Accept God's free forgiveness for my sin
S Switch to God's plan for me
E Express my desire for Christ to direct my life

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April 30, 2006
Lost Luke 15

Luke 15 is one parable with three stories of lostness bracketed between the wrong responses of “good” people.

People may be lost like a sheep

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; Isaiah 53:6

1. Separated from the fold and the shepherd

2. Don’t realize they are lost

3. Defenseless and in great danger

People may be lost like a coin

1. Inaccessible to their owner

2. Detached from their purpose

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

... he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

People may be lost like a son

1. Rebellious

2. Living wild

3. Feeding at a pig trough but still hungry

4. Desperate

5. Missed by dad

The point of the parable is that we must focus on lost people instead of our own concerns

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:36

This sermon was first preached by Pastor Dennis Lacey of Dunwoody, Georgia

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