August 3 2014 Hope - The Inspiration Of The Church And Life

THE INSPIRATION OF THE CHURCH AND LIFE

Romans 15:1-13

The difference between faith and hope:

Faith: Tends to deal with the details of life.

Hope: Deals with the largeness of life itself.

Hope is a confident anticipation of good things to come with the corresponding effort to reach and attain them.

The Streams of Hope

1. The Dark Stream of Hope

Romans 15:4 – For everything was written to teach us, that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.

2. The Light Stream of Hope

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. The Bridge Between Endurance and Hope

Romans 15:4 – Through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 5:1-5

Perseverance means active endurance.

Psalm 33:18 – The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing peace.

• Hope comes from His character.

Hebrews 6:17-19 – Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.  God did this, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope, an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

• Hope comes from His control.

2 Chronicles 16:9 – For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

The Substance of Hope

Vs. 13 – Fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.

The Supply of Hope

Vs. 13 – So that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

• He gives us surviving power.
• He gives us reviving power.
• He gives us standing power.
• He gives us driving power.
• He gives us arriving power.

Are you looking for hope?  Then grab hold of the rope of Hope.  It is as strong as God’s character and as long as your faith.

July 27 2014 Faith: The Working Quality Of The Church

Faith: The Working Quality Of Life And The Church

Mark 5:25 – 34

Does my faith remove my mountains or my mountains remove my faith?

Lessons On Faith

1. We see the determination of faith.

Verses 25-26 – A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She has suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, she grew worse.

2. Look at the direction of faith.

Verse 27 – When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak.

Why She Tried Again:

• Her faith in others had been shattered.
• Time was ebbing away.

Two Directions Faith Can Take:

1. Discard our faith and give up.
2. Direct our faith and grow up.

Hebrews 12:12-13 – Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet.

3. We need to see the decision of her faith.

Verses 27-28 – She touched His cloak because she thought if I just touch His cloak.

The Formation Of Faith:

• Begins with knowledge.
• Grows with our inward reflection.
• A decision is made.

Verse 29 – When she touched Him, immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

4. There must be a declaration of this faith.

Verses 30-34 – At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him and asked “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against You,” His disciples answered, “and yet You can ask, ‘Who touched Me’?” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman came and fell at His feet and told the whole truth, and He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.”

Two Reasons For The Question:

1. She had an ignorant faith.
2. Jesus wanted a public demonstration.

Faith that brings us to Jesus and causes a positive response, that is publicly declared, is sufficient faith.

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 Faith For Life's Problems

Faith For Life's Problems

Without Mary’s faith, the compassion and power of God would never have been released into the people’s lives.

Five Insights Into Mary’s Faith

1. Her faith understood the setting.

Verse 1 – There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the Mother of Jesus was there.

We may often miss a miracle in life because we think God is not interested in people like you and me.

Judges 6:12 – The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.

Luke 1:31 – You will bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.

Jesus said, He came to give us life more abundant.

2. Her faith understood the situation.

Verse 3 – (Mary) – They have no more wine.

Is this not reality, that our best attempts have not led to God, but to lives where the wine of living has run out.

3. Her faith understood the solution.

Verse 5 – Do whatever He tells you.

You can go to Jesus with the confidence that His life will always be enough for you.

4. Her faith understood the sufficiency.

Verses 6 & 7 – Now six stone jars were standing there, each holding about 20 or 30 gallons. Jesus said, fill the jars with water, and they filled them to the brim.

Lesson: No matter how deeply you draw on Jesus for power to live, you cannot exhaust His grace.

• Paul: in isolation.
• Peter: on trial.
• Stephen: being stoned.

5. Her faith enjoyed great satisfaction.

Verse 10 – Every man serves the good wine first and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.

When Jesus enters the life, there comes a new dimension for living.

God can be found. He is the resting place you need.

June 29 2014 Confidence In The Storm

Confidence In The Storm

Three kinds of crises or storms:

1. Storms we bring on ourselves.

2. Storms that God allows to come our way.

3. Storms that other people cause.

Three responses to remember:

1. Trouble comes when we listen to the wrong people.

Verse 11 – But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot of the owner of the ship.

Proverbs 21:16 – A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead.

2. Trouble comes listening to the popular crowd.

Verse 12 – The majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there.

Proverbs 18:24 – A man of many companions may come to ruin.

3. Trouble comes by relying on wrong circumstances.

Verse 13 – When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted.

Responses that are wrong in the storm:

1. We are tempted to drift.

Verse 17 – The sailors let the ship be driven along.

2. We start discarding important things.

Verse 18-19 – We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

Verse 43-44:

3. We’re tempted to give up hope.

Verse 20 – When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

Responses that bring confidence in the storm:

Verse 29 – Fearing that we should be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.

Psalm 125:1 – He who puts his trust in God is immovable like mount Zion.

1. You need to stand in the presence of God.

Verse 23 – Last night an angel of the God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me.

Hebrews 13:5 – Never will I forsake you.

Matthew 28:28 – Surely I will be with you.

2. You can depend on God’s purpose.

Verse 24 – Do not be afraid Paul, you must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.

3. God’s promise can become an anchor of confidence.

Verse 25 – Keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.

4. Learn to pray for daylight.

Verse 29 – Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.

Abraham: DAYLIGHT WILL COME!