March 13 2016 Daring To Go In Faith

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DARING TO GO IN FAITH

Daring Faith: The Key To Miracles – Part 9

Two of the words that summarize Jesus’ message are: come & go

Matthew 11:28-30 (CEV) Jesus: “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, COME TO ME and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” 

Luke 7:50 Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you. NOW GO!”

Memory Verse: James 2:17 “Any faith that doesn’t lead us to GO INTO ACTON with good deeds is worthless, dead and useless!”

DARING FAITH IS ABOUT A PARTY THAT WILL LAST FOREVER:

Luke 14:16-20"A very powerful and generous man prepared a great banquet and invited many prominent guests. When it was ready he sent his servant to GO AND TELL those invited to ‘COME, for everything is now ready!’ But they all began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I’ve just bought a field, and I must go see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I’ve just acquired five pair of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ When the servant reported this, the Owner of the Estate became angry and told his servant, ‘GO QUICKLY into the streets and alleys of our city and BRING IN the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame as my guests!’ The servant said, ‘Master, we’ve already done this, but there is STILL ROOM FOR MORE in your banquet!’ The Master said, ‘Then now GO OUT OF OUR CITY to the roads and country lane, GO EVERYWHERE and INVITE EVERYONE TO COME so that my house will be full! I promise you this: not one of those people who ignored my invitation will ever get to taste what I had prepared for them!’" 

I must GO. . .to obey GOd. . . to do GOod. . . to live the GOspel. . .to become GOdly. . . to reach my GOals . . . to share the GOod News!

WHERE ARE WE GOING?

1. WE ARE GOING TO  GO TO GOD FOR HELP

1 Chronicles 16:11 (TEV) “GO TO THE LORD for help, and worship him continually.” 

Psalm 34:10 (ICB) “Those who GO TO THE LORD for help will have every good thing.” 

Psalm 37:40 (TEV) “God helps them and rescues them and saves them from the wicked, because they

2. WE ARE GOING TO GO TOGETHER FOR SUPPORT

Acts 14:22“(Paul & Barnabas) strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to remain true to the faith, reminding them that we must GO THROUGH many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." 

Philippians 1:27 - 2:2 (NLT) “ . . . I want to hear that you are working together and that you are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news . . . Don’t be intimidated by those who oppose you . . .You have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this fight TOGETHER . . . (so keep on) loving one another, and working together with one

3. WE ARE GOING TO GO ON TO MATURITY

Hebrews 6:1 (NIV) “Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and GO ON TO MATURITY . . .”

2 Peter 1:8 (LB) “The more you GO ON in this way, the more you will GROW STRONG spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus.”

2 Peter 1:9 (LB) “Anyone who fails to GO AFTER these additions to faith is blind, or very shortsighted and has forgotten that God delivered us from the old life of sin so that now we can live a strong, good life

4. WE ARE GOING TO TO GO TELL THE GOOD NEWS 

Romans 10:13-15 (ICB) "Anyone who asks the Lord for help will be saved. But before people can trust in the Lord, they must believe in him. And before they can believe in him, they must hear about him. And to hear about him someone must GO AND TELL them! And before someone can go and tell them, he must be sent. It is written, ‘How beautiful is the person who comes to bring good news.’ " 

Acts 1:8 “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you’ll be given my power, and you are to GO AND BE MY WITNESSES in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 

Luke 9:60 Jesus said, "Let people who are dead bury the dead. Your job is to GO AND TELL OTHERS about God’s kingdom.”

MY DARING FAITH COVENANT

In gratitude for all that Christ has done for me, and out of a deep desire to grow in my faith, and in obedience to Christ’s command that I “store up treasure in Heaven,” I make a covenant today with my brothers and sisters of Great Plains Church to use the next 2 years growing, sowing, and going in daring faith. ...I commit to showing and sharing God’s love with those closest to me and serving God by serving others in our community. Also, because I want someone to be in Heaven because I cared, I am asking God to give me the privilege of bringing ONE person to Jesus in the next 2 years and see them be baptized and become a part of the fellowship of our church family. I know I cannot do this on my own power but I will trust God in daring faith to see it happen.

February 22 2015 Thirty Days To A No Regrets Life

Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life

Memory Verse: Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.”
        
FOUR PRINCIPLES FOR LIVING FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS

1.  LIVE PASSIONATELY

John 10:10b (Msg)“… I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

Luke 7:31,32 (NIV)"To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.'”                

2.  LOVE COMPLETELY

John 13:1 (NIV)“Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.”         

Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)“Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'”             

1 Corinthians 13:8 (NIV)  “Love never fails….”         

3.  LEARN HUMBLY

Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”           

4. LEAVE BOLDLY

Luke 9:51 (NIV)“As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”         

Matthew 25:23 (NIV)"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'”

September 21 2014 Experiencing God's Power In Your Life

Experiencing God's Power in Your Life

Jeremiah 32:17 – Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

God’s Omnipotence: God is almighty.

Luke 18:27 – The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

The Evidence Of God’s Power

Psalm 19:1-2 – The heavens are telling the glory of God, they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God.

Genesis 1-2 – And God said…And there was.

Jesus displayed God’s power

  • over nature (Mark 4:36-41; Matthew 21:17; John 2:7)
  • over illness (Luke 5:27)
  • over death (Luke 7:11-15)
  • over satan (Luke 8:27-39)

God’s Power In My Life

Ephesians 1:20 – I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him, the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead.

Power Shortage #1: The power to get started.

Romans 7:18 – I often find that I have the will to do good, but not the power.

Romans 7:18 (LB) – No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right.

Romans 7:18 – (KJV) – How to perform that which is good, I find not.

Good News: God can give me the power to do His will.

Philippians 2:13 – For God is at work within you, giving you the will, and the power, to achieve His purpose.

Power Shortage #2 The power to keep going.

Psalm 6:2-3 – I am worn out, O Lord, give me strength, I am completely exhausted, and my whole being is deeply troubled.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 – (Solomon) I looked on everything I had tried, and it was all so useless, a chasing of the wind, and there was really nothing worthwhile anywhere.

Good News: God can give me the power to persist.

Isaiah 40:28-31 – The Lord is the everlasting God, He never grows tired or weary, He strengthens those who are weak and tired. Those who trust the Lord for help will find their strength renewed.

How To Appropriate God’s Power

Admit your lack of power.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 –(Paul) God said to me where there is weakness, my power is shown more completely. Therefore, I have cheerfully made up my mind to be proud of my weaknesses, because they mean a deeper experience of Christ’s power, for my very weakness makes me strong in Him.

Believe in faith.

Mark 9:23 – Everything is possible for him who believes.

Matthew 9:29 – According to your faith it will be done to you.

Speak in faith.

2 Corinthians 4:13 – With that same spirit of faith, we also speak because we believe.

Act in faith.

Joshua 3:13-27 – When the priests put their feet in the water, the Jordan River will stop flowing.