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

March 2 2014 Seeing What God Wants Me To See

Seeing What God Wants Me To See 

Illumination: Letting the Holy Spirit show me the meaning of God’s Word and how it applies to my life.

John 14:26 “Jesus said, ‘The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’”

John 14:17 “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”

John 16:15 “…The Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

Ephesians 1:17 “I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God.”

Ephesians 1:18-19 “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

What actually happens when God opens my spiritual eyes?

1. I see the barrier to my progress.

Numbers 22:22-27 But God was furious that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way… Balaam’s donkey suddenly saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand and the donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat the donkey and turned it back on the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing there, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place so narrow that the donkey could not get by at all. This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat it again with his staff.

verse 31 “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, He saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn.So He bowed low and fell facedown.”

2. I see how God is walking with me.

Luke 24:15-31 “Suddenly, Jesus himself came along and joined them and began walking beside them. But they didn’t know who he was, because God kept them from recognizing him. Jesus said, ‘You seem to be in a deep discussion about something, what are you so concerned about?’ They stopped short, sadness written on their faces. Then Cleopas said, ‘You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened in the last few days.’ Jesus said, ‘What things?’ And thedisciples said, ‘The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,’ they said. ‘He was a prophet who did wonderful miracles. He was a mighty teacher, highly regarded by both God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders arrested him and handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had thought he was the Messiah. who had come to rescue Israel. That all happened three days ago,’ they continued. ‘Then some women were at his tomb early this morning, and came backwith an amazing report. They said his body was missing, and that they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, Jesus’ body was gone, just as the women had said.’” “Then Jesus said, ‘You are such foolish people. You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering into his time of glory?’ Then Jesus quoted passages from the writings of Moses and all of the prophets, explaining what all the Scriptures said about him.”

“By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus would have gone on, but they begged him to stay the night with them, since it was getting late. So he [Jesus] went home with them. As they sat down to eat, Jesus took a small loaf of bread, asked God’s blessing on it,, broke it, then gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappears from their sight.”

Three things to cooperate with the Holy Spirit

1. I must begin a relationship with Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 2: 14 “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” .

2 Corinthians 4:4 “The devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News…”

John 3:3 “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God] until he is born again.”

2. I cleanse my heart of sin and conflict.

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

1 John 2:11 “Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and he walks around in the darkness. He does not know where he’s going because the darkness has blinded him.”

3. I commit in advance to do what God says.

Psalm 119:33-34 “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.”

Memory Verse: James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

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.

September 30 2012 The Choice Of Happiness

The Choice Of Happiness

I. The Popular Idea of Happiness:

Having the right circumstances. Ecclesiastes 2:1-26
Vs. 1 - (Solomon) I have decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is.

Dead Ends
• Accumulating things Vs. 7-8
• Experiencing pleasure Vs. 3, 10
• Achieving success Vs. 4-6, 9

Vs. 17 - All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

II. God’s Way to Happiness:

Having the right attitude. Matthew 5:3-12

The Beatitudes, Eight Secrets of Happiness

Blessed Means: Happy

The Point of These Contradictions

My happiness is not determined by what’s happening around me, but rather what’s happening in me.

III. The First Step to Happiness:

Be humble.

Vs. 3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

How Humility Increases My Happiness:

1. It reduces stress.

2. It improves my relationship.

3. It releases God’s power.

James 4:6 - God gives strength to the humble, but sets Himself against the proud.

Matthew 5:3 - Happy are those who know their need for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

John 13:17 - Now that you know the truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice.