December 20 2015 Revealing The Purpose Of Christmas

REVEALING THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS

Luke 2:8-20

Luke 2:10 – I bring you good news of great joy.

Five Wonderful Purposes of Christmas:

1. God reaches out to every person.

Verses 8-9- And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them.

Job 36:7 – He does not take His eye off the righteous.

Isaiah 64:8 – We are all the work of God’s hand.

2. God releases your fears.

Verses 10-11 – Do not be afraid, A Saviour has been born to you, He is Christ the Lord.

Examples:

• Storm tossed sea Matthew 14:27
• At His resurrection Matthew 28:10
• At the last supper John 14:27

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

John 16:33 – But take heart, I have overcome the world.

Matthew 6:33 – Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all those things will be given to you as well.

3. God recovers your lost condition.
Verse 11 – A Saviour has been born to you.

Luke 19:10 – Jesus said, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

Matthew 20:28 – I did not come into the world to be served, but to serve and give My live a ransom for many.

John 12:47 – I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.

4. God reproduces His life in you.
Verse 14 – Peace to men on whom His favor rest.

John 10:10 – Jesus said, I have come that you might have life and have it to the fullest.

2 Corinthians 9:15 – Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

5. God needs your response.

Verses 16-17 – So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a manger.  When they had seen Him they spread the word.

John 6:47 – I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.

December 28 2014 Building Confidence In Prayer

Building Confidence in Prayer

Luke 5:16 – But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Seven Principles Towards Confidence In Prayer:

1. Make sure all known sin is confessed.

Psalm 68:18 – If I regard sin in my heart the Lord will not hear me.

Isaiah 59:1-2 – Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

Principle to live by: Before I pray for change in my circumstances, I should pray for a change in character.

James 5:16 – The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

2. Keep a forgiving spirit towards others.

Principle: A forgiving spirit is not an act, it’s an attitude.

Matthew 5:23-24 – First go and be reconciled to your brother.

3. Keep a surrendered will at all times.

James 4:3 – You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly.

Principle to live by: If God lays a burden on our heart, He also purposes to grant it.

Psalm 33:13 – From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind.

Principle: When God sees me He also sees the crowd and does what’s best for the whole group.

4. Understand God’s Sovereignty.

Principle to live by: I must accept the Sovereignty of God in my life of prayer.

5. I must have faith.

James 1:5 – But let him ask in faith, with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

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

Matthew 17:20 – If your faith is as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will.

Principle: To make prayer a force, I must look for question marks in my life.

6. I must have persistence.

Jacob
Ask, Seek, Knock

Principle: Persistence in prayer does not change God, it changes me.

7. Put action with your prayers.

James 2:14 – Faith without action is dead.

Principle: My great need is not faith and works, but faith that works.

July 28 2013 God On Film: The Lone Ranger - Standing Up For What's Right

The Lone Ranger: Standing up for what’s right.

Deuteronomy 6:18“Do what’s right and good in the Lord’s sight.”

Daniel Stands Up for What’s Right: Daniel 1:3-15

HOW TO STAND UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT

1. Know what's right

Proverbs 2:3-5“Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure… and you will gain knowledge of God.”

2 Timothy 3:16“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

2. Trust what's right (Even if Others Don’t Agree)

Daniel 1:12-13 “‘Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,’ Daniel said. ‘At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.’”

Psalm 118:8 “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.”

Romans 8:28“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

3. Live what's right (Even in the Face of Opposition)

2 Chronicles 19:9“…You must always act …with integrity and with undivided hearts.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you…”

Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.”

April 8 2012 Building Hope In The Home

Building Hope In The Home

I Peter 1:3 - In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

THREE STEPS TO HOPE

STEP ONE - Build hope through your commitment.

HOW

1. Focus on Christ.

a) Matthew 28:9 - Suddenly Jesus met them.

Resurrection Principle #1

No home is complete without Christ.

b) Acts 16:34 - The whole family was filled with joy

Because they had come to believe in God.

c) Psalm 127:1 - Unless the Lord builds the house, it’s builders labor in vain.

2. Focus on each other.

a) Philippians 2:4 - Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing.

b) Ecclesiastes 4:12 - One standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer.

STEP TWO - Build hope through communication.

Matthew 28:10 - Jesus said to them, do not be afraid.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE

1. Talk to each other daily.

a) Ephesians 4:26 - Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

2. Show your appreciation.

a) Example - Mark 14:8 - (Jesus said) she has done a beautiful thing to me.

3. Learn to forgive each other.

a) Ephesians 4:32 - Forgive each other as God forgave you in Christ.

Resurrection Principle #2

Communication builds hope in the home.

STEP THREE - Build hope by being consistent.

a) Psalm 145:17 - The Lord is righteousness in all His ways.

b) Psalm 145:13 - The Lord is faithful to all His promises.

c) Malachi 4:6 - He will turn the hearts of the Father’s to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.

Resurrection Principle # 3

Honesty promotes consistency.

STEP FOUR - Build hope through confidence in God.

Verse 6 - (The Angel said) He is not here, He is risen.

HOW TO BUILD

1. Remember Jesus is available.

Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.

2. He is adequate.

Jeremiah 32:17 - Nothing is too hard for God.

Resurrection Principle #4

He is always available and adequate.

YOU CAN BUILD HOPE IN YOUR HOME

August 15 2010 Managing Tough Times Under Pressure

Managing Tough Times Under Pressure

(1 Peter 1:10 - 12 - Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.)

There are tough times today
*Disbelief
*Disinterested
*Disdain
*Life Storms

(1 Timothy 1:18-19 - Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.)
(Proverbs 10:25 - When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.)

1. We must have a sacrificing spirit
(verse 11 - trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.)
(Revelation 13:8 - All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.)
(John 10:18 - "No one takes it from me, but I lay it d own of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.")
(2 Peter 1:4 - Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.)

2. Be willing to accept some denials in life
(Matthew 6:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.)
*Elijah
*3 Hebrew Children
*Noah
(Isaiah 40:31 - but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.)

3. We must maintain a willingness to serve
(verse 12 - It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.)
(Mark 9:35 - Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.")

4. We must open our lives to the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ
(Verse 10 - Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care)
(Romans 3:24 - and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.)
(Acts 15:8 - God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.)
(2 Timothy 2:1 - You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.)
(Hebrews 4:16 - Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.)