April 6, 2008 Prayer That Beats Temptation
April 13, 2008 All Dressed Up With No Place to Go
April 20, 2008 Noble Character
April 27, 2008 When the Church Gathers

April 6, 2008 Prayer
That Beats Temptation

10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.
6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry." 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did — and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did — and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
I Corinthians 10:1-13

Statements About Temptation

1. Temptation is inevitable
2. Your temptation is not unique
3. All temptation is bearable

Pray to stay out of temptation

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:13

Forces of temptation

1. Personal tendency to desire what is opposite of Spirit

… each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. James 1:14

2. Activity of the enemy

At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. Mark 1:12-13

3. Prodding of Spirit that directs us into engagement with the enemy

Pray that we recognize our weakness

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matthew 26:41

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

Pray when being tempted

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18

[Jesus] has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

 

1 Hear what the Lord says to you, O house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. 5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good." 6 No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. 7 Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. 8 They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. 9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple — all made by skilled workers. 10 But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. 11 "Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.'" 12 But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. 13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. 14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; they have no breath in them. 15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish. 16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance — the Lord Almighty is his name. Jeremiah 10:1-16

Reject the ways of the nations Jeremiah 10:2

1. They accept everything man made

2. They disallow exclusivity

But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. Jeremiah 10:10

There is no god besides me. Deuteronomy 32:39

Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. Isaiah 43:10

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Worship the King of the nations Jeremiah 10:7

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. Psalm 95:1-7

Back to the top

April 20, 2008
Acts 17:10 - 12 Noble Character


As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians,
for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. Acts 17:10-12

People of noble character examine the scriptures every day
A fundamental truth
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.
A core value
We are bible based.

The scriptures are the guide for our mission.

We ask ourselves: Is it biblical?
A vision statement
People encountering His life changing Word
Core competencies
Belief: I believe the Bible is the Word of God and has the right to command my belief and action.Practice: I study the Bible to know God, the truth, and to find direction for my. daily life
The bible is …
… true in matters of faith and morals
The bible is …
… true in matters of faith and morals
… the word of God

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.  I Thessalonians 2:13

The bible is …
… true in matters of faith and morals
… the word of God
… the decisive authority over what I say and do
The bible is …
… true in matters of faith and morals
… the word of God
… the decisive authority over what I say and do
… relevant to the needs of contemporary culture

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. II Timothy 3:16-17

Use the bible to …
… learn God’s ways
… find life direction

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

Use the bible to …
… learn God’s ways
… find life direction
… live obediently

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. Phillippians 3:10  The Message Translation

Back to the top

April 27, 2008
When the Church Gathers

Disciples accomplish God’s purposes

· We understand the church is God’s plan

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known
Ephesians 3:10

Church is the “ekklesia”

ek = out

+

klesia = called ones

· We regularly hang out with other Christians

So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!" What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. I Corinthians 14:23-26

When the church gathers …

1. Spiritual gifts are used

We are Spirit filled – The Holy Spirit is the power for our mission
Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people… And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Acts 2:12-17, 21

2. People turn to God

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call." With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:37-41

3. We are strengthened

But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified. … Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. I Corinthians 14:3-5, 12

What do you bring?
What will we look like?

· People continually filled with the Holy Spirit

· Servants of the Lord released into ministry

Back to the top