September 4 2016 When Only A Miracle Will Do

WHEN ONLY A MIRACLE WILL DO

A Time To Build

1. Admit we have a need.

Mark 6:34-37 - When Jesus saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, so He began teaching them.  By this time it was late in the day, so His disciple came and said, ‘This is a remote place. Send the people away so they can go and buy something to eat.’  But Jesus answered, ‘You give them something to eat!’ They said, ‘That would take eight months of a man’s wages!’

2.  Assess our ability.

Mark 6:38 - How many loaves do you have? Jesus asked, ‘Go and see.’  When thy found out, they said, ‘Five small loaves of bread and two fish.’

John 6:6 - Jesus asked this only to test them, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.

3.  Give God the resources we have.

Mark 6:41 - Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish.  He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people.

The boy gave what he had, willingly, cheerfully and immediately.

4.  Expect Him to expand it.

Mark 6:42-43 - Everyone ate and had enough.  Afterwards they collected 12 baskets full of leftovers!

Mark 10:27 - All things are possible with God.

EXPECT FOUR THINGS

1.  Expect us to grow spiritually.

2 Corinthians 8:7 - You are growing in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us.  In the same way, be strong also in the grace of giving.

2.  Expect greater fellowship.

1 Peter 3:8 - You should be like one big happy family.

Acts 2:47 – Enjoying the favor of all people.

3. Expect great worship and celebration.

Psalm 95:2 - Let us come before Him with thanksgiving.

4.  Expect a challenge to sell out to God.

2 Corinthians 8:5 - They first gave themselves unreservedly to God.  Then the other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives.

June 5 2016 Living What You Believe

The Apostle's Creed: "I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen."

• Wasn't written by the apostles
• Is not Scripture
• Was used to distinguish orthodoxy from heresy

FOUR QUESTIONS OF BELIEF

1. ASK: WHAT DO I BELIEVE?

"Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups." — 2 Corinthians 13:5

2. ASK: ON WHAT ARE MY BELIEFS BASED ?

"An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth; fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies." - Proverbs 15:14

"Truth stands the test of time; lies are here today, gone tomorrow." - Proverbs 12:19

3. ASK: DOES MY BEHAVIOR MATCH MY BELIEFS?

Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. - James 2:17

4. ASK: HOW WILL I LIVE OUT WHAT I BELIEVE ?

"Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong." - 1 Corinthians 16:13

"Fool! When will you ever learn that 'believing' is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith." - James 2:20

My Beliefs Determine:

• MY BEHAVIOR

(James 4:17; Psalm 119:59)_

• MY SIGNIFICANCE

(Genesis 1:27; John 10:10; John 8:31-32; Mark 6:34)

• MY ETERNITY

(John 5:24; John 3:16-17)

"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9

January 17 2016 How To Prepare For A Miracle

How to Prepare for a Miracle

Daring Faith ­ Key to Miracles Part 2

Mark 6:34­-44 – The Miracle of Feeding the 5,000

Memory Verse: Romans 8:28. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

1. ADMIT I HAVE AN UNSOLVABLE PROBLEM.

Mark 6:34-37a (NIV) "When Jesus . . . saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them . . . so he began teaching them. By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came and said, ‘This is a remote place.

Send the people away so they can go and buy something to eat.’ But Jesus answered, ‘You give them something to eat!’ They said, ‘That would take eight months of a man’s wages!’"

2. GIVE GOD WHAT LITTLE I ALREADY HAVE.

Mark 6:38 (NIV) "‘How many loaves do you have?’ Jesus asked. ‘Go and see.’ When they found out, they said, ‘Five small loaves of bread and two fish.’"

John 6:6 (NIV) "Jesus asked this only to test them, for he already had in mind what he was going to do."

3. PUT IT ALL IN THE HANDS OF JESUS.

Mark 6:41 (NASB) "Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish . . . He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people . . ."

The boy gave what he had . . . willingly, cheerfully, & immediately.

4. EXPECT GOD TO MULTIPLY IT.

Mark 6:42-­43 (Ph) "Everyone ate and had enough. Afterwards they collected 12 baskets full of . . . leftovers!"

Mark 10:27 (NIV) "All things are possible with God."

John 12:24 (NIV) Jesus: "A kernel of wheat must be given away and planted in the soil. Unless it dies and is buried, it will remain a single seed. But its death will produce many more seeds and a great harvest!"

July 20 2014 Determining Your Faith During Discouragement

DETERMINING YOUR FAITH DURING DISCOURAGEMENT

Mark 2:1-5

I. The first step to determining your faith during discouragement: Commitment.

Verse 3 – Some men came bringing to Him a paralytic.

How to Make Commitments:

1. Set a goal.

Philippians 3:13 – One thing I do.

2. Reveal your decision to God.

Psalm 37:5 – Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will.

3. Invest your life.

2 Corinthians 12:15 – I am glad to give you myself and all I have for your spiritual good.

II. Courage.

Verse 4 – Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralytic man was lying on.

How to Establish Courage:

1. Perserverance.

Examples:

• Thomas Edison
• Abraham Lincoln

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 – We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken; we are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit.

Verse 9 – We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up and keep on going.

III. Also we need to add cooperation.

We cannot overlook the fact that four men carried the paralytic.

Examples of Team Work:

• Mark 6:7
• Nehemiah 4

How to Build a Team:

1. Learn to trust others.

2. Express your appreciation.

3. Communicate your needs.

Philippians 1:3 – I thank my God every time I remember you, because of your partnership.

IV. Finally, there must be complete surrender.

Verse 4 – They lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.

Verse 5 – When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Steps to Complete Surrender:

1. Give God first place in your life.

Matthew 6:33 – But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

2. Give God the benefit of the doubt.

Examples:

• Matthew 7:11
• Caleb

You Can Determine Your Faith During Discouragement

July 13 2014 When I Feel Stressed About My Future

When I Feel Stressed About My Future

1. REMEMBER GOD’S FAITHFULNESS IN MY PAST.

“Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember your kindness – from Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.” – Psalm 42:5 - 6

2. EVALUATE THE SPECIFIC SOURCE OF MY STRESS.

eu-stress: GOOD STRESS

“Then Jesus said, ‘Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest.’ There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat.” – Mark 6:31

dis-stress: BAD STRESS

(Jesus) "So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.” – Matthew 5:31 - 34

3. STICK TO WHAT I KNOW IS RIGHT

“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.”– 1 Peter 3:12

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

4. TRUST GOD COMPLETELY WITH MY FUTURE.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’”” – Jeremiah 29:11

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

“Then the angel spoke to the women. ‘Don't be afraid!’ he said. ‘I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen.’” –Matthew 28:5-6