August 2005 Sermon Notes
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August 7, 2005 Unwrapping the Mysteries of God’s Will
August 14, 2005 Help, I'm Stressed
August 21, 2005 The Life that God Offers
August 28, 2005 Growing in GraceAugust 7, 2005
Unwrapping the Mysteries of God’s Will
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Ephesians 5:17
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ Ephesians 1:9
I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. Psalms 40:8… we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9
Approaches to finding God’s will
1. Rational
It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 1 Thessalonians 4:3
2. Supernatural
3. Relational
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.
Matthew 26:39
When you need to make decisions1. Pursue a close relationship with God
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. John 4:34
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21-22
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. Matthew 12:50
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
2. Seek His guidanceNow listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-15
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
3. Move forward in faithI will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go Psalms 32:8
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Hebrews 11:8
4. Look for confirmationLet the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
August 14, 2005
Help, I’m Stressed!
1. Get alone … with God
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Mark 6:31
… you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Luke 10:41-42
· You will be rested
· Your perspective will be restored2. Turn it over to the Lord
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Philippians 4:4-8
· Praise + Poise x Prayer = Peace
· Ponder3. Team up
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30
· You will learn what you need to do
· You will be restedAugust 21, 2005
The Life that God Offers“Becoming Real” by Steven James
“Imagine what life would be like if we could stop stepping onstage all the time. If we could simply be real with God and honest with others and up front about the things that are really important to us. If we could just be ourselves. Simply me. Simply you. Honest about our shortcomings. Genuine with our love. Transparent with our motives.
Imagine a life where we could peel away all the pretences and let the world see us for who we really are---vulnerable, valuable, hurting, hoping, dreaming, believing, wondering, wandering people who just want to be known and loved and accepted “as is”…by both God and by others.Imagine not worrying about what people think of our wardrobes or our job titles or our cars or our houses or our haircuts or our abs.
Imagine that kind of world.
Imagine a world where religion isn’t a show. Where its real. And God walks with us through our days and isn’t impressed by anyone’s spirituality, nor is he ashamed to call us his friends.”Sounds good doesn’t it? That is the kind of life God offers.
I. The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: The Truth About Ourselves
I am gaining weight. New clothes, bigger waist, bigger pants.
My wife & new pair of pants.
“My, you’re really filling out.” How many guys could get away with that?!?
Hey, why are my clothes shrinking!
Deny it all I want, the mirror & the scale tell all.
Mirrors remind us that we’re not as perfect as we think we are.Truth is like a mirror, it reveals the way things really are.
Plato said “Truth is the removal of the veil.”What mirrors do for our bodies, God’s word does for our hearts. It removes the lies, excuses, rationalizations and exposes us for what we really are.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.
The pathway to becoming real & the living the life that God offers begins in the operating room. Lying down before Him and laying our soul open to Him and let Him wield his scalpel of truth.
Q: Does it hurt? Yes, it does. It hurts to have our dishonesty & duplicity stripped away.à The truth hurts. But it is a healing hurt & a helpful pain.
And God’s love & peace soon fill your heart….and there is freedom.
The Voyage of the Dawn TreaderJesus is a master at unmasking people.
Jesus acted like a mirror to the Pharisees. And he acts like a mirror to you and me.
If we have the courage to look at Him, He reflects the true state of our soul.
If you want the truth about yourself, don’t look to yourself. Look to Jesus.
He will show you the true condition of your soul & he will also reveal the full extent of God’s love.Are you wearing a mask?
Mark 7:7 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, NLT
II. The Door of Humility
Luke 18:9-14
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone else: 10 "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. 11 The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery, 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored."
NLTWho is the bad guy in this story? Who is the good guy?
Here is the point: Only the humble man was forgiven!
Only the humble soul believes he needs to be forgiven & you will never find humility while we’re busy comparing ourselves to others.
Humility before God is the key to spiritual intimacy.
What does true humility look like?
True humility never points the spotlight at itself. It takes a genuine pleasure in the accomplishment of others.
True humility looks down on no one but up to all, honoring their gifts and admiring their beauty.
True humility is quick to give credit to others because it realizes every accomplishment requires sacrifice and teamwork.
True humility doesn’t seek honor, recognition, popularity, glory, or fame, because it realizes that we are all equally loved children of God.
True humility is honest because it has no hidden agenda or secret ambitions or ulterior motives. It has nothing to lose by telling the truth and nothing to gain by hiding behind lies.
III. The Great Enemy: Pride
James 4:6-7 "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble." 7 So humble yourselves before God… NLT
Pride sees the universe revolving around us.
Pride: the more you have it in you, the less you think you have it.
Pride: the more you have it in you, the less you like it in other people.
Pride compares…always.
Pride is concerned about image, appearance, reputation & the affections of others.
If your significance is based upon what we do/don’t do or what we have/don’t have, or what we wear/don’t wear….then you will never be happy or free.
If you gauge your worth by what we assume other people think about us, you will never know peace.
o One word can shatter your esteem
o One insult or comment or criticism can take you down.
o One wrong look can bring you to tears.The humble soul has lost all fear of other people’s opinions.
IV. The Invisible Top Ten
What are some of the secret sins God sees? He sees what’s going on in our hearts.
Mark 7:20-23 20 He went on: "It's what comes out of a person that pollutes: 21 obscenities, lusts, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 greed, depravity, deceptive dealings, carousing, mean looks, slander, arrogance, foolishness — 23 all these are vomit from the heart. There is the source of your pollution."Top Ten Invisible Sins
10. Prejudice: Looking down on others before getting to know them.9. Hatred: Harboring a bitterness that blossoms into loathing.
8. Envy: Desiring someone else’s position in life
? Anytime we wish we had someone else’s job, body, looks, smarts, money, spouse, waistline, house, clothes, biceps, car or position in life, we’ve begun walking the slippery slope.7. Greed: Lacking Contentment and always wanting more
Quite simply: Greed = Idolatry
When we are greedy, we seek fulfillment from something other than God.6. Unforgiveness: Clinging to past wrongs & continuing to take offense at them.
If we can’t learn to forgive & let go, then we shouldn’t expect God to forgive us.5. Resentment: Nurturing feelings of bitterness against others.
We hate it when other people receive promotion, favors, blessings, opportunities, or get breaks.
It is plain old selfishness4. Anger: Losing our patience when we shouldn’t
Anger isn’t necessarily wrong. But are we getting angry at the things which anger God or the things which inconvenience us?3. Unbelief: Trusting in ourselves rather than in God for Salvation
Some people hide in church for years, going through all the motions. But deep down there is no faith in their hearts.2. Lust: Fostering sexual desire for someone other than your spouse.
Admiring beauty isn’t necessarily wrong. God created beauty.
Fantasizing about sleeping with him or her is.1. Pride: Thinking more highly of ourselves than we should.
Pride is the fertile ground where all the other sins grow.
V. The Necessity of Repentance
Repentance is nothing more than agreeing with God about who we really are and desiring him to change us into who he wants us to be.Ps 32:5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them.
I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD."
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
NLTHe forgives us and forgets when we finally stop hiding & pretending.
1 Cor 11:23-30
23 For this is what the Lord himself said, and I pass it on to you just as I received it. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it." 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again.
27 So if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, that person is guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking from the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup unworthily, not honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
NLT
August 28, 2005
Growing in Grace
II Peter 3: 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18
Growth is not …
1. Learning more information
We sometimes tend to think we know all we need to know … We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all. 1 Corinthians 8:1, 3 The Message2. Keeping more rules
Your hearts should be strengthened by God's grace, not by obeying rules Hebrews 13:9 New Century VersionEvidences of growth
1. An increase of love
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another John 13:35
2. An increase of faith
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing
2 Thessalonians 1:33. An increase in the knowledge of God
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God Colossians 1:9 - 10
4. An increase in the fruit of the SpiritYou will know them by their fruit Matthew 7:20
5. An increase in the image of Jesus…he also predestined [us] to be conformed to the likeness of his Son Romans 8:29
Things we do to grow. . .
1. Work on the daily disciplinesBut be continually growing…
a. Quiet time with Godb. Bible study
c. Share God’s working with others
2. Depend on God’s transforming power
But grow in grace…
a. Undeserved kindness
being justified freely by His grace Romans 3:24
b. Enabling power
But by the grace of God I am what I am...
I Corinthians 15:103. Focus on Jesus
...and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
a. Get to know him as Lord
b. Get to know him as Savior