April 16 2017 Easter - The Foundation For Happiness

EASTER, THE FOUNDATION FOR HAPPINESS

Col. 1:14 – Christ bought our freedom with His blood.

John 10:10 – Jesus said, “I come to give you life to the full.”

Matt. 28:5 - He is not here, He has risen.

Psalm 146:5 – Happy is he whose hope is in the Lord.

Happiness is Possible:

1. Because Christ can free you from guilt.

Eph. 1:7 – By the death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.

Col.2.14 – He has cancelled every record of the debt

we owed. Christ has done away with it by nailing it to the cross.

Rom 8:1 – There is no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ.

2. Because Christ can free you from worry.

I Peter 1:2 – God’s Spirit has been at work in you heart through Jesus Christ. May God grant you increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.

Ph. 4:13 – I am ready for anything through the strength of Christ who lives in me.

3. Because Christ can give you purpose.

Eph. 2:10 – We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as He meant for us to live it.

Acts 20:24 – Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.

4. Because Christ can give you a home in heaven.

Col. 2:20 – Christ has set you free from following the world’s ideas of how to be saved by doing good and obeying various rules.

Rom 4:4 – You don’t earn the right to heaven, no, for being saved is a free gift. If a person could earn it by being good, then it wouldn’t be free, but it is.

Rom. 6:23 – The free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

A Prayer That Leads to Happiness: Dear God, I believe Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be, Your Son, and that He proved it by rising from death. Jesus Christ, thank You for dying for me on the cross. I want You to forgive my sins and I want to know You personally and experience the freedom You offer. As much as I know how, I ask You to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Amen.

July 17 2016 Conquering Inner Anxiety

CONQUERING INNER ANXIETY

Psalm 23

While we may often walk in the valleys, we need not fear it’s shadow.

1. Anxiety is conquered by a personal relationship with God.

Verse 1a – The Lord is my Shepherd.

2. Anxiety is conquered by understanding His provisions.

Verse 1b – I shall not be in want.

Matthew 6:25 & 32 – Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear, your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

Verse 33- But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all those things will be given to you as well.

3. Anxiety is conquered by seeing His promises.

Verse 4 – I will fear no evil.

Verse 5 – Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.

4. The practical application of this Psalm.

Verse 6 – I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

• Admit it
• Commit it to God
• Stand firm in God’s strength

CAST YOUR BURDEN UPON THE LORD AND HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU

April 10 2016 The Cure For Your "I" Problem

THE CURE FOR YOUR "I" PROBLEM

James 4:6 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Good pride = Self-respect, dignity, satisfaction with a job well done. Joy in seeing others succeed. (Gal. 6:4, 2 Cor.7:4)

Bad pride = Conceit, egotism, selfishness. Attitude of superiority, (Prov. 16:5, 18, 29-33)

I. HOW PRIDE CAUSES PROBLEMS

1. IT PREVENTS ME FROM GROWING.

Proverbs 26:12"There is more hope for a fool than for a man who is wise in his own eyes, "

Proverbs 10:17 (LB)"Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance.

2. IT POISONS MY RELATIONSHIPS

Proverbs 13: 10"Pride only breeds quarrels."

Matthew 7:5"Take the log out of your own eye first, and then you will be able to see and take the speck out of your brother's eye. "

3. IT PRODUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY

Proverbs 29:25 (GN)"It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you

Proverbs 20:27 (GN) The Lord gave us a mind and conscience. We cannot hide from ourselves."

Matthew 5:5 (GN)"Happy are the humble! "

II HOW TO BE HUMBLE AND HAPPY

1. ADMIT MY WEAKNESSES HONESTLY

Proverbs 28: 1 3 (LB)"A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance. "

2. EVALUATE MY STRENGTHS REALISTICALLY

Romans 12:3 (Ph)"Don't cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities. - - "

Galatians 6:4"Each man should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else."

3. ENJOY MY SUCCESSES GRATEFULLY

1 Corinthians 4:7 (LB)"What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all you, have is from God, why act as though you have accomplished something on your own?"

4. SERVE OTHERS UNSELFISHLY.

Philippians 2:3-5"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves... Look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ."

5. HUMBLE MYSELF VOLUNTARILY

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift -you up.

March 27 2016 The Foundation For No Fear Living

THE FOUNDATION FOR NO-FEAR LIVING

Matthew 28:5 – Don’t be afraid.
Matthew 28:10 – Do not be afraid.

Ephesians 3:12 – In Christ we can come before God with freedom and without fear.  We can do this through faith in Christ.

How To Establish Your Foundation

Accept God’s Love For Me.

1 John 4:18 – Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.

Romans 8:39 – Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

Luke 12:7 – God even knows how many hairs you have on your head.  Don’t be afraid. You are worth much.

Believe Christ Died And Rose For Me.

Hebrews 2:14-15 – By embracing death, Jesus destroyed the devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life scared to death by death.

Hebrews 2:15 – Only in that way could He deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread.

Romans 10:13 – Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.

Commit My Fears And My Life To Christ.

1 Peter 3:14-15 – Don’t be afraid of anyone and don’t worry.  But have reverence for Christ in your heart and honor Him as Lord.

1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Romans 8:15 – This resurrection life you’ve received is not a timid, brave tending life.  Instead, it’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, ‘What’s next, Papa?’

Isaiah 54:7 – With deep love I will take you back.

November 22 2015 Maintaining Thanksgiving Joy

MAINTAINING THANKSGIVING JOY

Philippians 3:1 – Finally my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.

Six Ways To Maintain Thanksgiving Joy

1.  Stop dwelling on past failures.

Philippians 3:13 b - One thing I do is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.

Isaiah 43:18-19 - Forget what happened in the past and don’t dwell on the events from long ago because I’m going to do something new.

2. Let go of anxieties about the future.

Philippians 4:6 - Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.

3. Embrace God’s plan for our life.

Philippians 1:21 - For me to live is Christ.

2 Timothy 1:3 - My only purpose in life is to please Him.

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

4. Dwell on the positive facts.

Philippians 4:8 - Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

5.  Give our lives away to others.

Philippians 4:1 - Dear brothers and sisters, I love you and I long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward of my work.

Philippians 3:21-24 - For me, living means opportunity for Christ, and dying, well, that’s better yet!  But, if living will give me more opportunities to win people to Christ, then I really don’t know which is better, to live or die, sometimes I want to live and at other times I don’t, for I long to go and be with Christ.  How much happier for me then living here, but the fact is, that I can be of more help to you by staying.

6. Learn to be untroubled by circumstances.

Philippians 4:11 - I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances.

2 Corinthians 11:23 - I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely and been exposed to death again and again.