Matthew 6:25-34 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Don’t worry about your past Don’t worry about the opinion of others.  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 “Do not worry about your life.”   Matthew...

Luke 1:26-38 There is so much that we can learn from Mary in her response to trouble and pain. Mary knew very well that there was going to be pain associated with this announcement.  The first thing that we can learn from Mary is to:  1. Be honest in our pain. We must first acknowledge pain in order to receive healing.  Pain reveals Where you put your trust & where you find your peace.  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  Luke...

Psalm 103:1-2 1. Thanksgiving: The Holy Spirit is Always at Work in Everyone Everywhere Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. Psalm 103:1-2 NLT The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 NLT The Spirit you...

John 18:37 NKJV 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” MATTHEW 28:18-21 NIV 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father...

II Corinthians 8:1-7  A “faith promise” offering is simply FAITH in God to provide an amount of money followed by a PROMISE to give it. Paul called this the “grace of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7). Grace is always a provision of something we don’t have. A “faith promise” offering is a commitment to give what we will trust God to provide. I. An offering supplied by God’s grace.  “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches… They gave as...

Acts 3:1-10 I. HEALING IN THE BIBLE In the Old Testament. The Ministry of Jesus.  The teaching of Jesus   “The time has come,” he said. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15  All who believe will be totally healed on that day! The Kingdom of God is both “now” and “not yet" The ministry of Jesus “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the...

Matthew 28:16-20 1. The Command of Jesus (Great Commission) 2. Needs of Others.   3. The Gospel is Good News.   I. PRESENCE “…if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” I Peter 3:1-2 II. PERSUASION (not pressure) III. PROCLAMATION Invitational Relational Telling our own story IV. POWER V. PRAYER

Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 A life without connection brings: a. Isolation “Rising from the debris of our lost values is the new value on the individual. The ‘me’ generation has given way to a ‘me’ world. The question is, how will the church, the ultimate ‘WE’ organization, adjust?” – Church Consultant, Lyle Schaller in The Connecting Church by Randy Frazee Loneliness is a warning light on the dashboard of your life that confirms that you are running low on the primary fuel you need:...

Matthew 19:1-9 The culture does not need from the Church anger and judgment nor accommodation and compromise. The Church’s best posture is to joyfully teach and model God’s original design and intent while loving, accepting and forgiving ourselves and one another when we fall short. I. Isn’t this much ado about nothing? II. Why is the Church so focused on these issues? III. Can’t we agree to disagree? Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 3  God gave...

Acts 6:5; 7:54-60 I. Commanded to forgive More people will be emotionally, relationally, spiritually and physically healed by the power of forgiveness than by any other power. II. Unforgiveness is destructive Unforgiveness makes you weak because it makes you subject to the weakness of another. The great paradox of Christian forgiveness is that as long as I stay in a forgiving mode, I am stronger than those who are pursuing me to hurt me. III. The grace to forgive 1. Forgiveness is a...

Exodus 33:1-23 1. What do you Desire? a. Why wouldn’t I want to desire God? i. A relationship with God is disruptive, it will cost you something. ii. Are you willing to be inconvenienced by Jesus? b. What you do – determines what you want. c. Moses had to work this out. d. Moses was still receiving the blessing of God without the presence of  God.  2. God is accessible to anyone. a. God wants to be seen by you. b. Make it generational.  3. How do we do this...

Psalm 1:1-3 Introduction to the Bible:  *The most popular/preeminent book  7 billion total, 44 million copies per year  *The most powerful/influential book  The Bible is preeminent in influence. Why? Because it has the power to change lives!  *The most precious book  (Matthew 4:4) I. A manual for life — God has spoken Christianity is a revealed faith. We cannot find out about God unless God reveals Himself. God has revealed Himself in a person, Jesus Christ. He is God’s ultimate revelation...

I John 5: 1-5, 11-13   “When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun.” II Corinthians 5:17 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I John 5:13 I. The natural order 1. Cosmological argument 2. Evidential Evidence.   3. Moral Argument. II. The Word of God III. The Work of Jesus IV. The Witness of the Spirit

Acts 2:1-21  I. Love II. Power God wants to unleash on the world a passionate, focused, disciplined, humble, Spirit-filled church... Authentic in our expression of the love of God, purity of God and power of God. III. Purity The unresolved gap between our confession as a Spirit-filled Christian and the conflicted internal condition of our own lives is the crevice into which the post-modern, emergent culture has fallen. The great witness of the Holy Spirit is, above all else, a changed...

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 (ESV) Peter replied, ‘Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gif of the Holy Spirit.’ Acts 2:38 (NLT) I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Luke 12:50 (ESV) Or...

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 1. You have a new kind of love. God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 2. You are a new creation. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  2 Corinthians 5:17 Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in...

John 3:16-21 I. THE PROBLEM All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 The pollution of sin: What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ Mark 7:20-23 The power of sin: Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. John 8:34 The penalty for...

What do you have to do? John 4:4-10 1. The things that God calls us to do are greater than the excuses we make.  Put it another way — it’s not about you.  John 4:11-15 2. We will never be satisfied by anything other than God, and serving God is a great place to start.  She came to this well to get her physical needs met, Jesus wants to do something deeper.  John 4:25-30 3. When God calls us to Go — He will equip us.  We might not feel equipped, but God calls us to rest in Him. John...

Ephesians 2:19-22 • God formed me for his family.   • God’s family is called the church.   • I’m called to belong to his church.   1. In God’s family I learn my true identity.   2. In God’s temple I’m supported by others.   3. In Christ’s body I discover my unique value.     4. In God’s flock I’m protected and I’m cared for. 5. In God’s garden my life becomes productive.

Isaiah 1:18-20 I. Public worship connects us to God. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20 II. Public worship inspires us to faithful living. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their...

Philippians 2:5-11 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5 (NIV) Barriers to having the mindset of Christ in our relationships: 1. SELFISHNESS The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others - ignoring God! --- harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for it in his life is weeds. But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life...

Ephesians 6:10-13 John 10:10  1. Your relationships are under attack He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 Your enemy isn’t your spouse, your parents, siblings, children, or boss.   2. The devil usually attacks with distractions and seductions. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in...

Hebrews 12:14-17 Lies we believe that keep us from forgiving: Lie #1: If I get even, I’ll get better. Deuteronomy 32:35 – “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” Romans 12:19 – “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” Hebrews 10:30 – “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” Lie #2: I can forgive quickly. What does the process of forgiveness look like: 1. Face your pain Questions you need to answer: What happened? How do I feel? How has it impacted me? How can I move on?   2. Release the...

What would change if we really believed that we were on mission together? Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers...