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.

November 23 2014 Building A Life Of Purpose

Building A Life Of Purpose

IF I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

• Life Seems useless.

Ecclesiastes 1:2-4 – Life is useless, all useless.  You spend your life working, but what do you have to show for it?  The world just stays the same.

• Life Seems tiresome.

Ecclesiastes 1:4-8 – The sun rises and goes down, the wind blows round and round and back again.  Every river flows into the sea, then the water returns to where the river began and starts all over again.  Everything leads to weariness.

• Life Seems unfulfilling.

Ecclesiastes 1:8-10 – No matter how much we see, we’re never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we’re not content.  History merely repeats itself.

• Life Seems insignificant.

Ecclesiastes 1:11 – No one remembers what has happened in the past, and no one in days to come will remember what happens between now and then.

• Life Seems uncontrollable.

Ecclesiastes 1:15 – You can’t straighten out what is crooked; you can’t count things that aren’t there!

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE?

• Life is a preparation for eternity.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – He has planted eternity in the human heart.

WHAT IS GOD’S PURPOSE?

I. First God made you to know Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:4-5 – Before the world was made, God had already decided that through Jesus Christ, He would bring us to Himself as His children that was His pleasure and purpose.

HOW TO KNOW GOD

1. Remember God first reached out to you.

1 John 4:10 – This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

2. Respond to His love.

John 5:24 – I tell you the truth, whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life.

II. Secondly, God made you to be like Him.

Romans 8:28-29 – We know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into His plans. For from the beginning God decided that those who come to Him should be like His Son.

HOW TO BE LIKE HIM

1. Make Christ your very life.

John 12:34 – I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat fall to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed, but if it dies it produces seed.

2. Allow every circumstance to mold you.

Romans 8:28 – We know that in all thing God works for the good of those who love Him.

III. Thirdly, God made us to serve Him.

Acts 13:36 – For David served God’s purpose in his generation and then he died.

HOW DO I SERVE?

1. It’s a choice.

Romans 12:1-2 – Offer yourselves to God, dedicated to His service, then you will be able to know the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect.

2. Serve God where you’re at.

1 Corinthians 15:58 – Nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.

IV. God made us to use our treasure in view of eternity.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 – Use your money to do good, always being ready to share whatever God has given you.  By doing this you will be storing up real treasure for yourself in heaven.

Luke 16:9 – Use worldly wealth to make friends who will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

August 24 2014 Life Circumstance - The Church's Challenge

Life Circumstance: The Church's Challenge

Genesis 2:22 - “As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.”

Ecclesiates 3:1 - “There is a right time for everything on earth.”

FIVE FACTS ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE

1. They are beyond our control.

Daniel 2:21 - “World events are under His control. He removes kings and sets others on their thrones...”

2. They are often confusing.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 - “God does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing.”

3. God has a purpose for each circumstance.

Romans 8:28 - “We know that all that happens to us is working for our good IF we love God and are fitting into his plans.”

4. The circumstances include both good & bad times.

Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 - “There is a time to: be born/die, laugh/cry, find/lose, love/hate, plan/uproot, dance/grieve, keep/throw away, peace/war, heal/kill, gather/scatter, repair/tear, build/tear down, hug/not hug, speak up/be quiet.”

5. What I sow in one circumstance, I’ll reap in another.

Galatians 6:9 - “So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued in doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up or quit.”

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF EACH CIRCUMSTANCE

THREE QUESTIONS

1. What can I learn from this Circumstance of life?

Deuteronomy 11:2 –“ Remember what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences.”

Two Facts:

• If you flunk a test, you take it again.
• When you think you’ve learned everything, here comes another class.

2 Corinthians 1:9 – “This happened that we might learn to trust not in ourselves but in God.”

2. What’s most important in our circumstance of life?

• We need to enjoy life now.

Ecclesiastes 11:8 – “People ought to enjoy everyday of their lives.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances that is God’s will for you.”

• Life is short.

James 4:14 –“How do you know what will happen tomorrow? What after all is your life? It is like a puff of smoke, visible for a little while and then disappearing into thin air.”

• You can’t have it all.

Ecclesians 3:1 - “There is a right time for everything on earth.”

Ephesians 5:18 – “Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who do not know the meaning and purpose of life, but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties these days.”

Philippians 4:11 – “I have learned to be content in any situation.”

3. How can I help others in this circumstance of life?

Ephesians 2:10 – “Your were created for a life of good works.”

Proverbs 3:27 – “Whenever you are able, do good to people who need help.”

Ecclesiates 11:4 –“If you wait for perfect conditions you’ll never get anything done.”