September 25 2016 Winning Through Persistence

WINNING THROUGH PERSISTENCE

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

One of the most essential qualities for success is persistence.  Paul was a man of incredible endurance.  In this passage, Paul shares his …….

Seven Secrets For Persistence

1. Remember that God loves you.

Verse 1 – Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

1 Corinthians 15:10 – Talks about God’s grace.

Grace says:

• I don’t have to prove my worth.
• Gives energy to start over when we fail.

2. Maintain a clear conscience.

Verse 2 – Rather we have renounced secret and shameful ways, we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience.

1 Timothy 1:19 – Holding on to faith and a good conscience, some have rejected those and so have shipwrecked their faith.

Proverbs 10:9 – The man of integrity walks securely.

3. Have the right motivation.

Verse 5 – For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Verse 11 – For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake.

Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man.

4. I must accept my limitations.

Verse 7 – But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Exodus 23:29-30 – Drove enemy out little by little.

Hebrews 12:1 – Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

5. Love other people.

Verse 15 – All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

6. Take time to recharge.

Verse 16 – Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

List The Things That Can Renew You:

• A place to dump your worries.
• A time to play with family.
• Physical exercise.
• Bible reading and prayer.
• A strategy for daily renewal.

Psalm 119:50 – Your promise renews my life.

7. Keep your eye on the goal.

Verses 17-18 – For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

August 30 2015 Keeping The Spirit Of Renewal

KEEPING THE SPIRIT OF RENEWAL

Nehemiah 8:1 -10:39

Verse 1 – all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Water Gate.

Six principles that keep the renewal.

1. Keep spiritually sensitive.

Nehemiah 8:1 - When the seventh month came.

2. Maintained by unity.

Nehemiah 8:1 – All the people assembled as one man.

3. Came as a family to hear the Word.

Nehemiah 8:2 – Ezra the scribe brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men, women and all who were able to understand.

Verse 10 – For the joy of the Lord is your strength.

4. There was a spirit of broken heartedness.

Nehemiah 9:1-2 – The Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sack cloth and having dust on their heads.  They stood in their places and confessed their sins.

If you avoid in your present Christian walk a daily humiliation before God, you will soon become hard hearted, cold and indifferent to the things of God.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

5. Reflection upon God’s goodness.

Nehemiah 9:6-15

1) He preserved them all.

2) He chose Abraham.

3) Heard their cry by the Red Sea.

4) Divided the Red Sea – signs & wonders._

5) Defeated the enemy in the Sea.

6) Cloudy pillar and pillar of fire.

7) Produced water from the rock.

6. A life of obedience gives way to a Spirit of renewal.

Nehemiah 10:29 – All these now join their brothers and nobles to obey carefully all the commands of the Lord our God.

First they restored the family altar.

Ver. 29-30

Second it affected their social life.

Ver. 30

Third obedience affects the Church.

Ver. 39 – We will not neglect the House of our God.

1. Faithful giving of their money.

2. Faithfulness in Worship.

August 23 2015 Renewing Our Passion For God And His Church

RENEWING OUR PASSION FOR GOD AND HIS CHURCH

THE PLACE OF OBEDIENCE IN RENEWAL
I Kings 18

Introduction: Choice, not chance, determines our destiny.

Life’s Living Options:

1. Every person has a choice to make.

2. Every person has the ability to make these choices.

3. The choice we make always has consequences.

4. While we’re choosing we live in one of the choices.

Sermon goals help us to choose to live a life of continued obedience to God.

Observations About Obedience:

1. We need to be sensitive to the voice of God.
Vs. 1 – After a long time, in the third year, the Word of the Lord came to Elijah.

How to be Sensitive to the Voice of God:

1. We must be serving.
2. We have to be in the right place.
3. Samuel listened to a mature Christian.

2. Obey God even when the path is difficult.
Vs. 1-19 

3. Obedience is difficult if we haven’s seen God move in the lives of people.
Vs. 20-29
Vs. 21 – Elijah said, if the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal is God follow Him.

Three Classes of People at Mt. Carmel:

1. A group that was devoted to God.
2. A group devoted to a false god.
3. A group that was undecided.

4. God honors an obedient heart.
Vs 30-38

The preparation of an obedient heart.
Vs. 30 – He repaired the altar of the Lord which was in Ruins.

The predicament of an obedient heart.
Vs. 32-35

The prayer of an obedient heart.
Vs. 36-38

5. Obedience is easy when we see God move.
Vs. 39 – When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, the Lord He is God!  The Lord He is God!

August 16 2015 The Place Of Consecration In Renewal

THE PLACE OF CONSECRATION IN RENEWAL

1 Samuel 7:3,4,12,13
  
God never asks us to give more, He asks us to give all.

THE PROCESS OF CONSECRATION

1. Remove all that hinders your relationship with God.

Vs. 3 – Then rid yourselves of the foreign gods.

Christians don’t push God from #1 position all at once, He’s gradually edged out.

What causes us to remove attitudes and things which come before God?

(1) The place of helplessness.

(2) When we’re given hope.

2. Direct your heart towards God.

Vs. 3 – Commit yourselves to the Lord.

What had captured Israel’s attention?

(1) The Philistines.  (Sometimes all our attention is directed towards our problems.)

(2) The stolen Ark.  (Your mind is sometimes directed to our religious symbols instead of God)

Samuel wanted all attention to be given to the Lord.

3. Serve the Lord alone.

Vs. 3 – Serve Him only.

Service is love in working clothes.

4. Rest in God and watch Him work.

Vs. 12-13 – Thus far the Lord has helped us.  So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again.

August 9 2015 Renewing Our Passion For God And Church-Humility's Place In Renewal

RENEWING OUR PASSION FOR GOD AND CHURCH HUMILITY’S PLACE IN RENEWAL

2 Chronicles 34

Intro:

Humility is a strange commodity.  The moment you think you have it, you’ve already lost it.

Josiah – A Picture of Humility

He humbled himself before the Lord. (vs. 1-13)

He humbled himself before God’s Word. (vs. 14-28)

He humbled himself before his people. (vs. 29-33)

I. What is humility?

True humility is knowing where we stand before God.

What clouds the picture of our standing before God?

1. Presumption

2. Comparison

3. Pride

What clears the picture of our standing before God?

1. God’s circumstances

2. God’s Word

3. God’s people

II. What does humility do?

It causes us to:

1. Realize that we are wrong. (v. 19)

2. Repent of that wrong. (v. 19)

3. Reach for the truth. (vs. 21-26)

Humility reveals that we do not have all the answers.

4. Respond with tenderness. (v. 27)

5. Recommit yourself to God before others. (vs. 29-32)

Personal renewal must become public.

6. Remove all hindrances from your life. (v.33)

The result of a renewal of humility?  Consistent Christian living (v.33)