February 12 2017 Getting A Grip On Respect

GETTING A GRIP ON RESPECT

RESPECT WHO?

Parents (Ex. 20:8-9)

Spouses (Eph. 5:22, I Peter 3:1, 7)

Church Leaders (Heb.13:17)

Anyone in Authority (Rom. 13:1-7)

1 Peter 2:17 – Show proper respect to everyone.

I. WHY TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT?

1. BECAUSE God made everyone.

Ps. 8:5 – You (God) made man inferior only to yourself; you crowned him with glory and honor.

2. BECAUSE Jesus died on the cross for everyone.

1 Pet. 1:18-19 – God paid a ransom to save you. He paid for you with the precious life-blood of Christ.

3. BECAUSE it shows I personally know God.

1 John 4:8 – If a person isn’t loving and kind, it shows that he doesn’t know God, for God is love.

4. BECAUSE I’ll get back what I give out.

Gal. 6:7 – A man’s harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows.

II. HOW TO SHOW RESPECT TO OTHERS.

1. Accept others unconditionally.

Romans 15:7 – Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 12:18 – If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

2. Commit yourself personally.

Romans 12:10 – Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Romans 12:5 – In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

3. Encourage others continually.

1 Thess. 5:11 – Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Cor. 13:7 – If you love someone you always believe in him and always expect the best of him.

4. Serve people cheerfully.

1 Peter 4:10 – Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

Romans 12:13 – Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

5. Forgive others freely.

Col. 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

6. Demonstrate God’s love.

John 13:35 – By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you have love for one another.

2 Cor. 5:14 – For Christ’s love compels us.

CONCLUSION:

Eph. 3:17 -18 – I pray that Christ will be more at home in your heart, living within you as you trust Him. May your roots go deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love, and may you be able to feel and understand how long, wide, deep and high His love really is, and experience this love for yourselves.

November 27 2016 The Story Of Mary

THE STORY OF MARY

Luke 1:26-38

Memory Verse: “ For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

God uses our impossible circumstances to shows us His incredible LOVE

TO RECEIVE GOD’S GIFT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE THIS CHRISTMAS I...

1. RECEIVE THE GIFT through faith.

“Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’ And then the angel left her.” - Luke 1:38

Often I’m disappointed with God’s plan because...

1. It is not what I expected.

2. It seems ordinary.

3. It sometimes causes more problems at first.

“She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” - Luke 2:7

2. RECOGNIZE THE GIFT with others .

“A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.” - Luke 1:39-42

“When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.” - Romans 1:12

3. REFLECT ON THE GIFT every day,.

“...but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” - Luke 2:19

“How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.” - Psalm 111:2

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.” - 1 John 4:9

October 9 2016 Getting Where We Want To Be - Focused On God's People

GETTING WHERE WE WANT TO BE, FOCUSED ON GOD’S PURPOSE

Romans 12:1 - Because of God’s great mercy to us, offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His Service and pleasing to Him.  This is your true Worship that you should offer.

1 Peter 4:2 - From now on, live the rest of your lives controlled by God’s Will, not by human desires.

Romans 6:13 - Give yourselves completely to God, every part of you, you want to be tools in the hands of God to be used for His good purposes.

1.  Why Get Focused?

He shaped us for a specific reason.

Galatians 1:15 - For even before I was born, God had chosen me to be His and He called me, what kindness and grace.

God Knows what’s best for me.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.

I Am grateful for my salvation.

2 Timothy 1:9 - Christ saved us and called us with a Holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.

God Promises to reward our focus.

Proverbs 7:6 - In everything you do put God first and He will direct you and brown your efforts with success.

WHAT KEEPS US FROM GETTING FOCUSED

1.  Short term values.

Mark 4:19 - The attractions of this world and the delights of wealth, and the search for success and love of nice things came in and crowded out God.

1 John 2:17 - The world and all its passionate desires will one day disappear, but anyone who does the Will of God will live forever.

2.  Past failure.

Philippians 3:13-14 - Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.

3. To self-motivate.

Proverbs 14:14 - The back slider is bored with himself, but the Godly man’s life is exciting.

Mark 8:35 - If you insist on saving your life you will lose it.  Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.

4.  Fear keeps us from focus.

Psalm 37:5 - Commit everything you do to the Lord, trust Him to help you do it and He will.

HOW DO WE GET FOCUSED

1.  Consider the cost.

Luke 14:27-28 - No one can be My disciple who does not carry his own cross and follow Me, but don’t begin until you count the cost.

2. Come just as you are.

3. He wants you to do it now.

Hosea 10:12 - Sow for yourselves righteousness, break up the follow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord.

4.  God wants 100%.

Romans 12:1-2 - Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His Service and pleasing to Him.  This is true Worship, then you will be able to know the Will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

C.S. LEWIS “THE ONLY THING CHRISTIANITY CANNOT BE IS MODERATELY IMPORTANT.”

August 14 2016 Prevailing To The Coming Of Christ

PREVAILING TO THE COMING OF CHRIST

1 Thessalonians

Timothy’s Report
• They were loyal in the persecution.
• They were Doctrinally pure.
• They were concerned.

Five views of Christ’s Second Coming

1. The view of the new Christian.

Chapter 1

Three things about the Church from verse 3

• Their work produced by faith.
• Their labor prompted by love.
• Their enduring hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Three things they did in light of His coming

Verse 9 They turned to God from idols.

Question:
• Does the coming of Christ’s second coming change your lifestyle?
• If He were to come today would it change your lifestyle at this very moment?

Verse 9 Began to serve the living God.

Question:
• Does the coming of Christ motivate us to begin to find a Ministry that we can do for Him?
• If Jesus were to come today, would He find us doing something profitable for His Kingdom?

Verse 10 They are to wait for God’s Son.

Question:
• Are we at peace with ourselves in the midst of the storm that is around us?
• Are we holding steady?

2. The view of the worker in the Church.
Chapter 2

Verse 20 – Indeed you are our glory and joy.

Question:
When Jesus comes back, am I going to have any crowns?

3. The view of the Brother.

Chapter 3

Verse 12 – May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as it does for you.

Two aspects of love

• We are to increase in love.
• We are to overflow in love to others.

1 John 4:20 – If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

Question:
• Are your relationships all cleared up?

4. The view of the one who is suffering.

Chapter 4

Verse 14 – We believe Jesus died and rose again and so believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

5. How the Christian is to conduct himself.

Chapter 5

Verse 1 Exact time not important.

Verse 2 Coming will be a surprise.

Verse 3 No escape from the event.
   
Verse 4 & 5 Don’t be surprised.

Verse 6-8 Be alert, sober, prepared.

Verse 9 Be our final salvation.

Verse 10 No Christian left behind.

Verse 11 Encourage one another.

Verse 12 & 13 Respect the Spiritual leaders.

Verse 14 Meet the needs of the body.

Final Instruction

July 10 2016 Living With Eternity In Mind

Living with Eternity In Mind

The Apostle’s Creed: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, He descended into hell; On the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; "And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; from where He shall come to judge the living and the dead. "I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”"

1 John 5:11. (NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Psalm 136 (NIV) “His love endures forever.”

Jude 1:21, (NLT) “Live in such a way that God’s love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ and His mercy is going to give you.”

THREE WAYS TO LIVE WITH AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE.

1. Recognize that everyone is created for eternity.

Genesis 1:26 (NIV) Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness

Ecclesiastes 3:11. (NLT) “God has made everything beautiful for its own time.” He planted eternity into human hearts. But even so, people cannot see the scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

2. Participate in the Sacraments.

Sacrament = an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual divine grace.

Memory Verse: John 3:16. (NLT) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 10:28 (NLT) “I give them eternal life and they will never perish.” No one can snatch them away from me.

3. Invest my life in eternal pursuits.

• Invest my time in something that is going to last forever.
• Invest your treasure in a way that will last forever.
• Invest your testimony in a way that is going to last forever.

1 John 1:2 (NLT) This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.

1 Corinthians 9:25 (NLT) All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.