August 23 2015 Helping Others Like Jesus

HELPING OTHERS LIKE JESUS

The Jesus Model – Part 1

Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV) “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me To preach good news to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim freedom for the prisoners, To recover the sight of the blind, To release the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

THE FOCUS OF A CHRIST-LIKE MINISTRY

Who Jesus came to help:

“THE POOR” The Have Nots

Types of poverty:

• material poverty
• moral poverty
• spiritual poverty

“THE BROKENHEARTED”The Let Down.

“THE IMPRISONED” the Locked Up.

Types of prisons:

• addictions
• secrets
• ignorance
• fear.

“THE BLIND” the Shut Out.

Types of blindness:

• night blindness
• relational blindness
• spiritual blindness.

“THE OPPRESSED” the Kicked Around

Types:

• political oppression.
• Cultural oppression
• Spiritual oppression

“The year of JUBILEE”

John 13:15 (NLT) “I have given you an example to follow. Now do as I have done to you.”

THE FEATURES OF A CHRISTLIKE MINISTRY

What Jesus came to do

• “Preach good news” 
• “Heal the brokenhearted” 
• “Proclaim freedom”
• “Provide recovery of sight” 
• “Release the oppressed”

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NLT) “… I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ… When I am with those who follow Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with Gentiles… I fit in with them as much as I can… so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this for the sake of the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings.” 

January 25, 2015 Becoming A Stronger Person

BECOMING A STRONGER PERSON

Hebrews 11:32

Judges 13:24 – The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson.  He grew and the Lord blessed him.

Three Things That Will Weaken Your Life

1. Self Indulgence.

Judges 14:1 – Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.

Verse 2 – When he returned, he said to his father and mother, I have seen a Philistine woman, not get her for me as my wife.

Verse 3 – His father and mother replied, isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among your own people?

Galatians 6:7-8 – Don’t be misled, remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it, a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!  If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death.

Lesson One: Strong people discipline their desires.

1 Corinthians 6:12 – I will not be mastered by anything.

Proverbs 25:28 – Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self control.

2. Bitterness.

Judges 14:18 – He was burning with anger.

Judges 15:3 – This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines.

Judges 15:7 – Since you acted like this, I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.

Judges 15:11 – I merely did to them, what they did to me.

Judges 15:3-5 – I will really harm them.  He went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs.  He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines.  He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vine yards and olive groves.

Judges 15:15 – Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

Lesson Two: Strong people restrain their reactions.

Proverbs 29:22 – An angry man stirs up dissension and a hot tempered one commits many sins.

Proverbs 11:32 – Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

3. Carelessness.

Judges 13:4-5 – See to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, no razor shall be used on his head.

Judges 16:7   Verse 11   Verses 13-14

Verse 17 – He told her everything.

Verse 19 – Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and his strength left him.

Verse 20 – He did not know that the Lord had left him.

Lesson Three: No one ever plans to be a failure.

Verse 21 – Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza, binding him with bronze shackles.  They set him to grinding in the prison.

Verse 22 – But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.