November 27 2016 The Story Of Mary

THE STORY OF MARY

Luke 1:26-38

Memory Verse: “ For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

God uses our impossible circumstances to shows us His incredible LOVE

TO RECEIVE GOD’S GIFT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE THIS CHRISTMAS I...

1. RECEIVE THE GIFT through faith.

“Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’ And then the angel left her.” - Luke 1:38

Often I’m disappointed with God’s plan because...

1. It is not what I expected.

2. It seems ordinary.

3. It sometimes causes more problems at first.

“She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” - Luke 2:7

2. RECOGNIZE THE GIFT with others .

“A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.” - Luke 1:39-42

“When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.” - Romans 1:12

3. REFLECT ON THE GIFT every day,.

“...but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.” - Luke 2:19

“How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.” - Psalm 111:2

“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.” - 1 John 4:9

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.

April 5 2015 Discovering God's Power

Discovering God’s Power

“Then the angel spoke to the women. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said, ‘I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. now, go quickly and tell his  disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember, I have told you.’” – Matthew 28:5-7

“Although Jesus died on the cross in weakness, he now lives by the mighty power of God. We, too, are weak, but we live in him and have God’s power.” – 2 Corinthians 13:4

• I CAN  understand God’s Plan

“His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  And this gave him great pleasure.” – Ephesians 1:5

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins.” – 1 Corinthians 15:13-17

“When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father.” – Ephesians 3:14

• I CAN  experience God’s presence.

“You who were once so far away from God.  You were his  enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and  actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body.  As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” – Colossians 1:21-22

Memory Verse: “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those how believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25-26

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” - Ephesians 3:18-19

February 2 2014 God's Plan For Your Life

God's Plan For Your Life

WHAT IS GOD’S PLAN?

I. God made you to know Him.

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. God reached out to us.

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.

3. Spend time with Him every day.

II. 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 12:24 – Unless a kernel of wheat fall to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.

2. Allow every circumstance to mold you.
Romans 8:28 – We know that all that happens to us is working for our good.

III. God made us to serve Him.

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. Where you're at.

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

IV. God made you to live with Him.

2 Corinthians 5:1 & 5 – For we know that when the tent we live in on earth is folded up, there is a home built by God for us, and everlasting home in heaven. This is the purpose for which God made us.

HOW TO PREPARE

1. Make the Lord King.

John 6:40 – Everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life.

2. Begin to serve Him.

Matthew 6:33 – Be concerned above everything else with God’s Kingdom and with what He requires and He will provide you with all these other things.

January 26 2014 The Truth About Change

The Truth About Change 

MYTH: "I should be able to change overnight. "

I. THE PROCESS GOD USES TO CHANGE US

Phase 1: CONCERN

Job 30:27 (LB)"My heart is troubled and restless. "

Deuteronomy 32:11 "like an eagle that stirs up its nest .... "

How you feel: UNCOMFORTABLE

Phase 2: CRISIS

2 Corinthians 7:10 (LB)"God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin .... "

How you feel: INTENSE PAIN

Phase 3: CHOICE

Job 34:3-4 (LB)"We choose the sounds we want to listen to; we choose the taste we want in food, and we should choose to follow what is right. "

How you feel: SCARED

Phase 4: COMPREHENSION

Romans 12:2 (NCV)"... be changed within by a new way of thinking .... "

John 8:32 (LB)". . . the truth will set you free. "

How you feel: CAUTIOUSLY HOPEFUL

Phase 5: CONDUCT

James 2:17 "Faith, if it is not accompanied by ACTION, is dead."

How you feel: FRUSTRATED

Phase 6: COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE.

How you feel: DISCOURAGEMENT

II. HOW TO COOPERATE WITH GOD'S PROCESS

Phase 1: Be Alert To God's Voice

Job 33:13-19"For God does speak -- now one way, now another -- though man may not perceive it. In a dream . . . as they slumber . . . (or) he may speak in their ears . . . with warnings . . . Or a man may be chastened on a bed of pain with constant distress .... "

Phase 2: Accept God’s Comfort

Isaiah 42:3 "God will encourage the fainthearted, those tempted to despair. "

Psalm 31:7 (LB) "You (God) have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul. "

Jonah 2:7 (LB) " When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. "

Phase 3: Ask God For Courage

Isaiah 43:2" When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty you will not drown! When you walk through the fi re of oppression, you will not be burned up .... "

Phase 4: Apply God’s Word

2 Timothy 3:16 (LB)"The whole Bible . . . 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 do what is right. "

James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Phase 5: Anticipate God's Help

Psalm 37:5 (LB)"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it. and he will. "

Phase 6: Adhere To God’s Plan

Galatians 6:9 (LB)"Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don 't get discouraged and give up. "

Philippians 1:6 "Be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. "