March 12 2017 Challenges Of The Deeper Life

Challenges Of The Deeper Life

Mark 10:32-52

Verse 32 - They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid.

Challenges Of The Deeper Life

1. The place.

Verse 33 - Jesus said we are going up to Jerusalem.

Matthew 23:37 - How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

Luke 24:49 - But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

Philippians 3:10 - I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.

2. The position.

Verse 37 - James and John asked Jesus, let one of us sit on your right and the other on your left.

Verse 38 - Can you drink the cup I drink and be Baptized with the Baptism I am Baptized with?

2 Timothy 2:11-12 - For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.

3. The purpose.

Verse 43 - Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be a slave to all.

4. The pressure.

Verse 32 - They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way.

Verse 52 - Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus.

Three Action Steps

1. Accept the place.

Ephesians 4:11 - I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

2. Submit to Christ.

John 17:11 - So they may be one as we are one.

3. Begin to serve.

Verse 52 - Immediately he followed Jesus.

November 29 2015 Realizing The Heart Of Christmas

REALIZING THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS

Matthew 2:1-10

Five Truths To Remember

1. We must move beyond religious practice.

Matthew 2:2 – We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.

Verse 6 – Who will be the shepherd of my people.

Matthew 3:7-8 – You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

2. Our faith must move faith to the heart.

Matthew 2:8 – Herod said..go and make careful search for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.

Matthew 15:8 – These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

3. We must understand no one is too far away.

Matthew 2:1 – Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem.

4. We must make our surrender real.

Matthew 2:9 -11 – After they had heard the King, they went their way and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary and they bowed down and worshiped Him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

5. We must decide to be obedient.

Matthew 2:12 – They returned to their country by another route. They had diving instruction to go a different route.

September 13 2015 Game On

Game on

Memory Verse: “Jesus prayed to the Father: ‘In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.’” - John 17:18

BEFORE I ASK GOD TO USE ME, I MUST:

1. PURIFY MY Heart.
“Joshua told the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.’” - Joshua 3:5

2. DEDICATE MY Body.
“Athletes practice discipline and self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” - 1 Corinthians 9:25

3. SIMPLIFY MY Schedule.
“As Christ’s soldier, don’t let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army.” - 2 Timothy 2:4

4. FORTIFY MY Faith.
“Strengthen yourselves so that you will live here on earth doing what God wants, not evil things people want.” - 1 Peter 4:1-2

HOW DOES GOD WANT TO USE ME?

• IN MY Family.

“But if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve...But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” - Joshua 24:15

• IN MY Church.

“Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” - Ephesians 4:16

• IN MY Work.

“In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.” - Colossians 3:23

• IN MY Entire World.

(Jesus) ““But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”” - Acts 1:8

• FOR HIS Glory.

“So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus.” - Romans 6:11

MY PRAYER FOR GOD TO USE ME: “Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send…? Who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘‘Lord, I’ll go! Send me.’” - Isaiah 6:8

January 25 2015 Getting Stuck In My Career - Parts 1 and 2

GETTING UNSTUCK IN MY CAREER

So I decided there is nothing better than to... find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that this pleasure is from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:24    

Definition of UnStuck: Moving forward in my life because I am willing to give God complete control.

THE STORY OF MARK
(Acts 13:4-5; 13-14; 15:36-40)

So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit.  They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus.  There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God.  John Mark went with them as their assistant. Acts 13:4-5

Paul and his companions then left Paphos by ship for Pamphylia, landing at the port town of Perga. There John Mark left them and returned to Jerusalem.  But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. Acts 13:13-14

THE STORY OF MARK (contd)
(Acts 13:4-5; 13-14; 15:36-40)

After some time Paul said to Barnabas, >Let's go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing. Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.  But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted
them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work.  Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated.  Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.  Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord's gracious care.  Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there. Acts 15:36-40
    
4 CHOICES TO GETTING UNSTUCK IN MY CAREER:

1)  CHOOSE TO MAKE GOD MY BOSS.

In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. Colossians 3:23

• Love God & Others (see Matthew 22:37-39)
• serve my co-workers. (see Matthew 23:11-12)
• find a Godly mentor.  

(Paul) Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

2)  CHOOSE TO SEPARATE who I am FROM what I do.

For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

• Daily Quiet Time
• A Weekly Sabbath

(Jesus) For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Mark 8:36

3) CHOOSE TO BE FAITHFUL IN THE SMALL THINGS

His master replied, >Good job!  You=re a good and faithful servant!  You proved that you could be trusted with a small amount.  I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master=s happiness. Matthew 25:23

Whatever presents itself for you to do, do it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10

4) CHOOSE TO PERSEVERE EVEN WHEN I FEEL STUCK

We were under great pressure; far beyond our ability to endure As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened.  Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally B not a bad idea since He=s the God who raises the dead! 2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Timothy, please come as soon as you can.  Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica.  Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia.  Only Luke is with me.  Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry. 2 Timothy 4:9-11 (see also Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24)
                     
Memory Verse: It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5

November 30 2014 The Christmas Tradition Of Purification

THE TRADITION OF PURIFICATION

““Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. it was time for the purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. law of the Lord says, ‘If a woman's first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.’’ they offered a sacrifice according to what was required in the law of the Lord – ‘either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.‘” – Luke 2:21-24

“Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.”  – Psalm 24:3-4

Memory Verse: “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.” – Matthew 5:8

FOUR STEPS TO A PURE HEART THIS CHRISTMAS

1. EXAMINE MY HEART FOR IMPURITIES

““Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin?’” – Proverbs 20:9

“A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart.” – Matthew 12:35

“People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.” – Proverbs 16:2

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” – Psalm 139:23-24
 
2. PROTECT MY MIND FROM IMPURE THOUGHTS

“Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness.” – Luke 11:34

“I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.” – Psalm 101:3

3. FILL MY LIFE WITH GOD’S PRESENCE

“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. it says, 'I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean. the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”  – Matthew 12:43-45

“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules.” – Psalm 119:9

4. RECEIVE COMPLETE FORGIVENESS FROM JESUS

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” – Psalm 51:7

“We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.” – Romans 3:22

“Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a right spirit within me.”” – Psalm 51:10