February 8, 2015 - How God Turns Nobodies Into Somebodies (Goehner)

How God Turns Nobodies Into Somebodies

Hebrews 11:32 and Judges 6 & 7

Judges 6:11 – The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press to keep it from the Midianites.

Verse 12 – The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.

Four Steps To Becoming Somebody Usable:

Step One: Affirmation.

Verse 12 – You are a mighty warrior.

Verse 13 – But sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us and put His hand into the hand of Midian.

Verse 15 – But Lord, Gideon asked, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Mannasseh, and I am the least in my family.

-The wrong village.
-The wrong family.
-The wrong guy.

Verse 14 – Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?

Verse 16 – I will be with you, and you will strike down the Midianites as if they were but one man.

-I am sending you.
-I’m going to be with you.
-You can’t fail.

Step Two: Revelation.

Verse 22-24 – When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face. But the Lord said to him, peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die. So Gideon built an altar there, and he called the altar, the Lord is Peace.

Altar: A personal commitment to God.

Lesson: Before you are ready to fight external battles, you must have internal peace.

Step Three: Confrontation.

Three Tests:

-God may test you spiritually.

Verse 25-27 – Tear down your fathers’ altar to Baal, so Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him.

Exodus 20:3 – Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.

-God may test you emotionally.

Lesson: Service for the Lord always begins at home.

-God may test you physically.

Judges 6:30 – The men of the town demanded of Joash, bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar.

Verse 31 – But Joash replied to the hostile crowd, are you going to plead Baal’s cause? If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself.

Step Four: Transformation

Verse 34 – Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon.

Lesson: Power always comes after testing.

Luke 4:1 – Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the desert.

Verse 14 – Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.

December 20 2012 How To Set Your Priorities

HOW TO SET YOUR PRIORITIES
Exodus 20:1-3

Just as a new mower comes equipped with an owner’s manual, explaining how to get maximum performance with minimum wear and tear, God has given us the Ten Commandments as instructions for life as it’s meant to be.

I. Why God gave us the Ten Commandments.
God’s motive: He Loves Us.

II. Step #1 to the Better life
Verse 3 - You shall have no other gods before me.

1. The principle God must have First place.

Definition of a “god.” Anything that has first place In your life.

Key to freedom: Choosing the best Master.

2. The promise He’ll take care of you.

Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

3. The procedure Give our whole life to God.
How do I make God the #1 priority of my life?

F. First in our Finances.
Proverbs 3:9-10 - Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops, then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your bats will brim over with new wine.
1 Corinthians 16:2 - The purpose of tithing is to teach you to put God first in your lives.

I. First in your Interest.
1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.

R. First in our Relationships.
Proverbs 27:19 - What a man is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.

Joshua 24:15 - As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

S. First in your Schedule.
Psalm 55:17 - I will pray morning, noon, and night and He will hear and answer me.

Mark 1:35 - Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went off to a solitary place where He prayed.

T. First in your Troubles.
Psalm 50:15 - Call upon me in your day of trouble and I will deliver you and you will honor Me.

Colossians 1:18 - (Christ) was raised from death in order that He alone might have first place in all things.

November 4 2012 The Choice Of Purity

THE CHOICE OF PURITY

Matthew 5:8 - Happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Pure in Heart:

Matthew 6:1 - Be careful not to parade your good deeds before others to attract their notice, or you will lose all reward for your Father in heaven.

How to Develop a Pure Heart (Matthew 6)

1. Remember God sees everything.
Vs. 4, 6, 18 - Your Father sees what is done in secret.

Hebrews 4:13 - Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

2. Review my motives.
Proverbs 24:21 - God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch over you. He knows, and He will reward you according to what you do!

• Giving (vs. 2-4)
• Praying (vs. 5-15)
• Fasting (vs. 16-18)

1 Thessalonians 2:4 - We do not aim to please others, but to please God who knows us through and through.

3. Realign your priorities.
Exodus 20:3 - You shall have no other gods before Me.

Three Tests

• Look at my activities.
Matthew 6:19 - Don’t pile up treasures on earth, but keep your treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

• Look at my anxieties.
Matthew 6:25 - Therefore, I tell you, don’t worry about your life.

• Look at my ambitions.
Matthew 6:31-33 - Don’t worry about (these things), this is what pagans are always looking for, your heavenly Father knows you need them. Instead, set your heart first on His Kingdom, and His goodness and all those things will come to you as a matter of course.

Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires.