December 13 2015 Christmas Is Time To Seize The Moment

Christmas Is...Time to Seize the Moment!

Luke 10:38-42 “As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him.  She had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said.  But Martha was distracted by all her preparations that had to be made.  She came to Him And asked, ‘Don’t You care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!’   ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.’”

THE BATTLE FOR THIS MOMENT: A FILTER

1. REPLACE THE URGENT WITH THE SIGNIFICANT

verse 39 “She had a sister called Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said.”  

Matthew 6:34 (Msg) “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up 

2. REPLACE PHYSICAL PREPARATION WITH SPIRITUAL PREPARATION

Verse 40 “But Martha was distracted by all her preparations that had to be made.” 

Colossians 3:2 (Msg) “Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you.  Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is.  See things from 

3. REPLACE SELF-ABSORPTION WITH PERSONAL REFLECTION

verse 40 “Don’t You care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!”  

verses 41-42 “‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘You are worried and upset by so many things but only 

4. REPLACE THE SUPERFICIAL WITH THE SUPERNATURAL

verse 42 “Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” 

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.”  

HOW NOT TO MISS GOD’S PRESENCE AND PURPOSE THIS CHRISTMAS

1. “SIT” = slow down

Pray
Connect
Serve

2. “LISTEN” = open up.  

Inspect
Correct
Direct

3. “CHOOSE WHAT IS BETTER” = Don’t miss the moment

Relationships
Spiritual Renewal
Transformation

August 23 2015 Renewing Our Passion For God And His Church

RENEWING OUR PASSION FOR GOD AND HIS CHURCH

THE PLACE OF OBEDIENCE IN RENEWAL
I Kings 18

Introduction: Choice, not chance, determines our destiny.

Life’s Living Options:

1. Every person has a choice to make.

2. Every person has the ability to make these choices.

3. The choice we make always has consequences.

4. While we’re choosing we live in one of the choices.

Sermon goals help us to choose to live a life of continued obedience to God.

Observations About Obedience:

1. We need to be sensitive to the voice of God.
Vs. 1 – After a long time, in the third year, the Word of the Lord came to Elijah.

How to be Sensitive to the Voice of God:

1. We must be serving.
2. We have to be in the right place.
3. Samuel listened to a mature Christian.

2. Obey God even when the path is difficult.
Vs. 1-19 

3. Obedience is difficult if we haven’s seen God move in the lives of people.
Vs. 20-29
Vs. 21 – Elijah said, if the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal is God follow Him.

Three Classes of People at Mt. Carmel:

1. A group that was devoted to God.
2. A group devoted to a false god.
3. A group that was undecided.

4. God honors an obedient heart.
Vs 30-38

The preparation of an obedient heart.
Vs. 30 – He repaired the altar of the Lord which was in Ruins.

The predicament of an obedient heart.
Vs. 32-35

The prayer of an obedient heart.
Vs. 36-38

5. Obedience is easy when we see God move.
Vs. 39 – When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, the Lord He is God!  The Lord He is God!

April 28 2013 How To Bring Change Into Your Life

HOW TO BRING CHANGE INTO YOUR LIFE
Philippians 2:12-13
Continue to work out your Salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.

* Work out: This is our part.

* Your Salvation: It’s our responsibility.

* God works in you: This is God’s part.

I. God’s part in changing me.

3 TOOLS HE USES
1.) God uses the Bible.
II Timothy 3:16-17 - The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives, it straightens us out and helps us to do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point.

2.) The Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:11 - Once the Spirit lives within you, He will bring to your whole being new strength and vitality.
I Corinthians 3:18 - As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him.

3.) Circumstances.
Romans 8:28-29 - To those who love God and are called according to His plans, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. For God chose us to bear the family likeness of His son.
Proverbs 20:30 - Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways.



My part in changing me.

3 CHOICES
1.) I can choose what I think about.
Proverbs 4:23 - Be careful how you think. Your life is shaped by your thoughts.
Ephesians 4:23-25 - Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way.

2.) I can choose to depend on God’s Spirit.
John 15:4-5 - Take care to live in Me and let Me live in you. For a branch can’t produce fruit when severed from the vine. Nor can you be fruitful apart from me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit.

3.) I can choose to respond correctly to my circumstances.
James 1:2-4 - When all kinds of trials crowd into your lives, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends. Realize that they come to test your faith and produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed and you become people of mature character, people of integrity, with no weak spots.
Romans 5:3-4 - We can be full of joy right here and now, even in our trials and troubles. These very things will give us patient endurance. This in turn will develop a mature character.

YOU CAN BRING CHANBE INTO YOUR LIFE