December 27 2015 Missions Is Giving

MISSIONS IS GIVING

John 3:16 – For God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son.

• Missions requires giving yourself in Christian living.

Matthew 5:16 – Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:13 – You are the salt of the earth.

Ephesians 5:18 – Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, instead be filled with the Holy Spirit.

• Missions is giving a personal witness.

Mark 1:17 – Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.

• Missions is giving our life.

Matthew 16:24 – If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

Luke 10:41 – Mary has chosen what is better.

Matthew 28:19 – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.

The Benefit Of Giving

Luke 6:38 – Jesus said, give and it will be given to you, for with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

• Giving makes us more like God.
• Giving draws us closer to God.

Matthew 6:21 – For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

• Giving gives me victory over materialism.
• Giving strengthens my faith.

Proverbs 3:5-9 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income and He will fill your barns to over-flowing.

• Giving is an investment for eternity.

Jesus said, store up your treasures in heaven.

2 Corinthians 8:5 – They first gave themselves to the Lord.

February 23 2014 How The Bible Changes Us

How The Bible Changes Us 

Psalm 33:6 “The Lord merely spoke and the heavens were created. He breathed the word and all the stars were born.”

John 6:63 “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge; the Bible was given to change our lives. -D.L. Moody

SIX WAYS GOD WANTS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH IS WORD.

1. God’s Word recreates my life.

James 1:18 “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth…

1 Peter 1:23 “You have been born, again not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.”

2. God’s Word eradicates my guilt.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins to God he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Romans 8:1 that says “There is now no condemnation no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 5:25-26 “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word.”

3. God’s Word activates my faith.

Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” 2

Exodus 23:29-30

4. God’s Word stimulates my growth.

Acts 20:32 “I commit you to God and to the Word of his grace,which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

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

5. God’s Word elevates my mood.

Romans 15:4 “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

6. God’s Word liberates my potential.

John 8:31-32 “If you continue in my Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!”

HOW DO I GAIN THESE BENEFITS?

1. I’ve got to learn it.

Mark 12:24 “Your trouble is that you don’t know the Scriptures…”

Proverbs 14:12 “There’s a way that seems right to men but it always ends in death.”

2. I have to accept it.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “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.”

3. I have to act on it.

John 13:17 “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” 3

Memory Verse: Psalm 119:18. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

January 30 2011 How To Live Generously

How To Live Generously

(Acts 20:35 - In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive.'")

Key Bible Words: Believe, Pray, Love, Give

Luke 6:38 - "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

I. How giving benefits your life

1. Giving makes us more like God

(John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.")

2. Giving draws me closer to God

(Matthew 6:21 - "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.")

3. Giving is a victory over materialism

(1 Timothy 6:17-19 - Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.")

(Deuteronomy 14:23 - Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.)

4. Giving strengthens my faith

(Malachi 3:10 - "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.")

(Proverbs 3:5&9 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding - Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops)

5. Giving is an investment for eternity

(1 Timothy 6:18-19 - Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.)

6. Giving it blesses me in return

(Proverbs 22:9 - A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.)

(Psalm 112:5 - Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.)

7. Giving makes me happy

(1 Chronicles 29:9 - The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.)

II. How to get the most out of giving

1. Learn to give willingly

(2 Corinthians 9:12 - This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.)

2. Give generously

(2 Corinthians 8:3-4 - For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.)

3. Give joyfully

(2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.)

4. Give thankfully

(1 Chronicles 29:13-14 - Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.")

5. Give expectantly

(2 Corinthians 9:6 - Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.)

(2 Corinthians 8:5 - And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.)

August 1 2010 Help For Discouraging Moments Under Pressure

Help For Discouraging Moments Under Pressure

(Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.)

Four Things To Remember

1. God has chosen us to be a part of His family
(Verse 2 - who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.)
(Verse 3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead)

2. God is still working in your life
(Verse 2b (TLB) - and the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please Him.)

*He cleanses
*He changes

Two Benefits
1. Increasing freedom from fear and anxiety
2. No matter what happens, God will help you

(Verse 2 - who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.)
(verse 7 - These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.)
(2 Corinthians 4:17 - For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.)

3. God has secured my future
(Verse 4 - and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you)

*inheritance incorruptible
*inheritance is undefiled
*inheritance is unfading

4. We are protected by God's power
(Verse 5 - who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.)
(Ephesians 6:16 - In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.)
(Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.")
(2 Timothy 1:7 - They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.)
(Verse 6 - In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.)