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“Help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey.” - Genesis 24:12, A Servant’s Prayer
- Habakkuk 3:16-19
- We tend to hang onto materialism and not onto God.
- In some ways, we need to “loosen up” and in other ways, we need to “tighten up.”
- Habakkuk was saying if he lost everything, he would be able to hold onto God.
- Job was able to see what he should hold tightly to and what he should hold loosely to.
- Matthew 14:30– Peter’s sinking experience– he was concentrating on the circumstances instead of the Master of the circumstances. Peter prayed the shortest recorded– “Lord, save me!”
- Psalm 118:8-9
- Job moved away from earthly pleasures because they can ‘dry up’ at any time.
- John 3:30
- Acts 16:25– Others around us watch how we react in difficult situations. Praise looks beyond the right now. Praise flows from a grateful heart.
- Luke 15:1-10
- Many times, we tend to cater to the Body of Christ instead of being a friend to sinners. We focus on ourselves instead of the outside world.
- That’s not totally bad, but when we don’t reach out for Christ, we’re failing Him. He has decided to use us, His church, to build His Kingdom.
- Be careful of the message of the Pharisees (their yeast). They taught that God basically hated sinners and that He is pleased when they suffer and die because of sin.
- Are we attracting sinners and tax collectors? What made Christ attractive to the lost should make us attractive to them as well. (Titus 2:10)
- Are we making it easy for sinners and tax collectors to feel welcome? Do we welcome them to our churches? Jesus never condoned or avoided or ignored their behavior, but He told them they were at the right place. “I’m glad you’re here.” (John 6:37). Jesus never turned anyone away– but many decided to leave Him.
- Are we identifying with sinners and tax collectors? Are we broken with and for them? (I Corinthians 5:9-11). We used to be like them– lost. Don’t forget where God brought you from.
- Lost people do what lost people are supposed to do. They are lost! Lost people don’t need just a scolding– they need love too. (Luke 15:5-6). Sometimes, we the church, put them down so far and show so little love, they see no way out.
- Every human being has been created in the image of God and is worth searching for.
- Some of us were covered with dirt (like the coin), and God can clean us up.
- How hard are we willing to search for the lost?
- Matthew 20:20-28; James 4:1
- God centered vs. self centered.
- To know and do the will of God, I must live a God centered life (John 12:23-25) and deny myself.
- I must focus my life on God’s purpose, not on my plans (Genesis 6:5-14; Judges 6:11-16; Acts 9:1-16)
- I must wait until God shows me what He’s going to do through me. We must join Him at work around us.
- Understanding what God is about to do is more important than us telling God what we’re going to do.
- God will accomplish more through us yielded to Him than we ever will in our own strength.
- Favoritism was already going on.
- Appearance can be deceptive.
- Christ had no beauty or attractiveness that would draw people.
- We must see others as Christ sees them– the ground is level at the cross.
- Christ is the standard by which we measure our life.
- Important Scriptures:
- I Samuel 16:7 and on
- Isaiah 52:2-3
- Romans 10:12
- Luke 10:25 and on
- I John 4:20
- Exodus 21:2-6
- The servant had his ear pierced this way: A nail was hammered through his ear into a door and then removed.
- He would “sacrifice” his own life because of his love– it was the slave’s decision.
- If he chose to remain a slave, he would remain in bondage to his master and lose everything this world calls good.
- The question arises– who do we serve? Everyone is a servant to something– that’s just the way we are.
- We have two choices: serve sin or serve God.
- Romans 6
- We must remember that the price will be paid somehow– we’ve earned it. We can choose to allow Christ to “pay” for our sin (the gift of God) or we can choose eternal death (Romans 6:23).
- John 1:12-13
- It is our choice and there is a cost. You give up everything in your life to God and He will direct our path– a good choice considering He created the path!
- Some “Christians” try to wear “clip on earrings.” They try to serve sin and God. You can’t serve two masters. It’s convenient and it doesn’t hurt as bad, but it’s fake.
- We must take care of earrings. If we don’t the hole can close up or become infected– people can do this too.
- There’s no third choice.
- What kind of earrings do we have? It’s time to choose.
- Psalm 32
- Blessed is he:
- whose transgressions are forgiven.
- whose sins are covered.
- whose sin the Lord does not count against him anymore.
- whose spirit is not deceitful.
- For these things to happen to us, we must ask for forgiveness from the Lord, but many times, our pride gets in the way.
- We have two choices:
- The first choice– Be silent in our pride or silent because we’re ashamed of sin– either way, silent! This choice brings us:
- A wasted life– our bones are wasting away. Without the Lord, our life is truly nothing more than a wasting away.
- Day and night, nothing but heaviness.
- Completely weak as though the heat of summer zapped away your strength.
- Notice, it was the Lord’s hand upon you. He wants us to choose Him. He loves and cares about us enough to keep after us about sin. He doesn’t give up on us– day or night.
- The other choice– Drop the pride or our own self pity, and ask for forgiveness. This choice brings us:
- Forgiveness– no guilt, no questions asked, no more heaviness or groaning over past sin– the burden is lifted!
- All it took was confession and repentance towards the Lord. Confession that we did wrong and repentance meaning we don’t plan to go back to it again.
- The choice must be made sometime, though, while the Lord can be found.
- Look at the promises we receive when we confess and allow the Lord in our life:
- He becomes our hiding place, our refuge to go to when things are bad.
- He will instruct us on how to live and the things we should do– our counselor.
- He will watch over us. (He can see things that we can’t.)
- We will be surrounded by His unfailing love. This does not mean we’ll have no troubles or problems. It does mean that we have someone to rely on when troubles come. The “wicked” have nothing to rely on.
- With all these promises, how can we not rejoice?
- Praise the Lord for His blessed forgiveness!
- Luke 5:1-11
- Some of the myths that are eroding the morality of our nation:
- The battle isn’t real. Too many “don’t know and don’t care”– complacency.
- Life began with blind chance. Evolution is not proven (and many times not supported) by evidence. Nothing + Nobody doesn’t equal Everything. God is just in the way.
- Whatever is legal is moral. Abortion? The holocaust in Germany was legal.
- Morality cannot be legislated. That’s what morality is. No law is neutral. Morality will be imposed on us. The question is– who’s morality?
- A fetus is not human. Today, 97% of abortions are performed for convenience, not for safety reasons.
- Pornography is a harmless adult pleasure. It distorts and perverts the mind and heart of a person. We tend to make excuses and the line was pushed back.
- The church should have no voice in government. We can’t apply political solutions to spiritual problems.
- Obedience begins when God speaks to you– whenever that is. His revelation is our invitation.
- Sometimes, what God asks doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t seem to fit into what we’re thinking. Once we know it’s God, we need to do what He’s asked and leave the rest to Him.
- Without fruit, your gift is being wasted– you have the ability to produce, but you aren’t doing it. Without fruit, it’s hard to tell what kind of tree you have.
- Love– our definition is sometimes so shallow.
- Fellao= brotherly, conditional love.
- Eros= selfish, conditional love.
- Egappe= all inclusive, unconditional love. God’s kind of love– it develops as we mature as believers.
- Love is not a feeling, but a commitment.
- 1 Corinthians 13– we are not bound by the philosophies of this world (even though the world tells us we’re stupid).
- 1 Samuel 16:7; Hosea 1 – 3; 2 Corinthians 12:15
- We are called to be love, not just to love. This is impossible without Jesus being in your life.
- It covers a multitude of sins.
- Revival can be hindered because we lack God’s kind of love.
- One purpose of the church is fellowship, but this is weak because we’re weak in love.
- What does it mean to be love? Open and honest; correcting when necessary; not being walked on; tough.
- Love is what seperates the wheat and the tares and it sets the children of God free.
- God’s love must be available through us all the time.
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-13
- 1 John 2:1-11
- Ephesians 6
- God has put parents over us, no exceptions.
- Proverbs 22:6
- Obey them in the Lord.
- Obey and honor– makes life more complete.
- Why is it dangerous to want our parents out of the way?
- Children tend to think they know all there is to know, yet we don’t even know our own hearts.
- We need the authority to teach us, no matter what age.
- Micah 7:5-7
- Trust (or seemingly lack of trust)
- We earn our parent’s distrust.
- Our parents don’t trust us because they messed up in a similar situation in the past.
- We compare our parents with others and complain.
- We (as children) may not be ready for the responsibility yet (even though we think we are).
- Parents are an authority-reflection of God. If we won’t honor our parents, we certainly won’t honor God.
- Proverbs 13:24
- James 1:19-27
- How do I respond to people?
- Proverbs 1:5– quick to listen.
- Proverbs 15:1– slow to speak.
- Proverbs 29:11– slow to become angry.
- Anger always shuts the door on abundant living.
- Numbers 20:10– anger cost Moses a lot.
- How do I respond to God’s Word?
- Be doers, not just hearers.
- Being self sufficient is not the way.
- How do I respond to the needs of others?
- Love (Galatians 5:6; James 2:15-16)
- Talk is cheap.
- Don’t be polluted by the world.
- Exodus 15:22-27
- If we continue to do what we’ve always done, we’ll continue to be what we’ve always been.
- Where will God take me? Why did I have to go through “the desert?” What is God up to?
- He may be weaning you from the past. We can’t continue to live in the past and move on with God. Make a decision to obey and then go.
- Don’t be alarmed! God didn’t get lost and take you the wrong direction.
- People are thirsty everywhere– the world can’t quench a person’s spiritual thirst.
- Do we pass them by as we work to fulfill our own wants and desires?
- It’s easy to sing when things are great, but what about when they aren’t so great? “It wasn’t supposed to be this way.” When it doesn’t seem like God is going to come through, it’s because He’s preparing us for something greater.
- Deuteronomy 8– Wilderness/Desert experiences reveal what’s in our heart.
- God has given us what we need if we’ll only recognize it and use it (the wood). Many times, He uses people/things/circumstances that we wouldn’t normally think about using.
- The final question is– Are we going to do it God’s way? If so, then He will come through on His promises.
- John 12:32
- Matthew 4:1-10– when Christ was tempted, His focus was tested. Satan failed because Christ knew what God wanted Him to do– God’s plan and purpose, God’s way.
- John 5:1-13; 19– Jesus was focused on what God’s purpose was He didn’t add to what God said. He adjusted His life to what God wanted.
- Luke 8:40-48– Crowds didn’t upset His focus.
- Are we distracted? They are always be close by. We often elevate distractions above the Lordship of Christ.
- Circumstances (Matthew 14:28-31)– It’s our perspective that distracts us.
- Relationships (Luke 9:46-48)– Jealousy among brothers distracts us from our mission of lifting up Christ.
- Religion (Luke 13:14)– Making ceremonies more important than God’s purpose.
- Thorns and Limps (2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Genesis 32:31)– God uses something meant for evil to keep us focused. They can be reminders of God’s power and our own shortcomings.
- Remaining focused through conflict (Philippians 4:2-8)
- Rejoice– see things from God’s perspective.
- Let your gentleness be obvious.
- Don’t be anxious– keep eternity in perspective.
- Pray– there’s no substitute for it.
- Refocus– you see what you look for.
- Romans 8:35-
- 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2
- People have a deep hunger for a relationship that will last– look at the newspaper ads.
- God’s grace (His undeserved favor) isn’t cheap, but it’s free.
- We must be looking for ways to bring people back to God.
- If God doesn’t count sin against someone who has repented (because of Christ), why should we?
- What can truly seperate us from the love of Christ? Bad deeds? Lack of Church attendance? Poverty? Death? Nothing?
- We don’t deserve God’s grace, yet He multiplies it freely to us– that’s what makes it grace.
- John 5:17-20
- Jeremiah 18:1-6
- Am I willing to be God’s servant?
- If we don’t see God working, it’s not God’s fault. He’s around us in our everyday life. He wants to shape us as He sees fit.
- We need to be available, flexible, teachable, and dependable.
- Psalm 20:7
- Will it be God’s way or my way? Will I be self-centered or God-centered? God’s purposes or my own plans?
- Phillipians 2:13
- It’s up to Him. We need to quit worrying about and concentrating on what we can’t do and focus on what God can do.
- Acts 10:34-36
- God is God. Our beliefs cannot change that fact.
- God has a right to interrupt our lives when He is Lord.
- Acts 8:4-24
- Simon represents the spirit of the world within the church– Using worldly methods to achieve Godly goals.
- v. 4-5– removed barriers to allow God’s spirit to move. They opened the door to outsiders.
- Believing, Baptism, and knowledge are not a guarantee of anything (James 2:19).
- Saving faith involves the whole person and it expresses itself through a changed life.
- Sometimes we try to manipulate God and use Him to reach our own goals. This results in disappointment.
- We have to allow God to be God and let Him do His work. He changes hearts– we don’t.
- Acts 2:42-47
- So many times we try to “work” God into our schedule. We need to always be available when He moves.
- Our Christian life is similar to a sailboat. We need to have our sail ready so that when God moves, we’ll move too. We can’t tell the wind when and where to blow– it’s the same with God.
- There should be some excitement about what God is doing. There was kindness to the world– not acceptance of the world, but love and kindness shown to the world. They were unanimous in their thinking.
- Are we hungry for the things of the Lord or do we “fill up” with the things of the world? When we fill up on the junk food of the world, we’re not very hungry for the meat and potatoes of God. Then we realize that the junk food didn’t fill us up or satisfy us.
- Do we spend more time with the world than with other Christians? It makes a difference.
- Prayer is discovering God’s agenda and adjusting to what He is doing around us.
- When the people were filled with fear and awe, it meant that they didn’t want to interfere or get in the way of what God was doing.
- Epehsians 4:30.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:19.
- What things do I hold onto? We must release things and our life to the cause of Christ.
- The circle of believers was ever widening because they intentionally involved others in their life.
- 3 John 9-10
- Diotrephes was someone who always wanted to be the leader, who always knew best. He seemed to want to be the center of attention and refused to help and work with other believers.
- What are the signs and symptoms of this disease?
- Love is to be first (Mark 9:33-35; Philippians 2:3-4)
- Have nothing to do with “us” (Hebrews 13:7,17)– rejection of leadership
- Gossiping maliciously (James 3:1-12; Ephesians 4:25, 29)
- Refuses to welcome the brothers (Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:9-11)
- Stops those who want to do right (James 4:17)
- Puts those who want to do right out of the church (I Corinthians 5:1-5; Matthew 18:15-17)
- The big question is – what should our response be to this? 3 John 11
- Nehemiah 1:1-11
- Are we being good stewards of the Body of Christ?
- Nehemiah asked them, “How are things back home?”
- Sometimes the church doesn’t seem to broken or hurt when pieces of the Body are missing.
- Confession clears the obstacles between ourselves and God (or others).
- Prayer helps us discover God’s agenda– many times we want it now, but it’s not usually that way. It helps us get to where God is at work. It changes us. It should accomplish much.
- We must never give up on God’s people.
- Luke 15:1-7
- Philippians 3:4-14
- We spend a lot of time and energy focusing on regret.
- Regret= troubled feeling over something done or undone.
- Keeps us locked in the past.
- Limits what God can do in our life.
- Important Scriptures:
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
- Psalm 103:12
- Isaiah 43:18 and 25
- Isaiah 44:22
- Isaiah 55:7
- Jeremiah 31:34
- Micah 7:18
- Lamentations 3:22-23
- I Corinthians 13:5
- We must work at not concentrating on our regrets.
- We must let them go like a life jacket. We must press on.
- James 2:14-26
- Faith= an absolute or firm conviction; a personal surrender; changed behavior; to do what God says even when the evidence, common sense, or others point a different direction.
- Dead Faith (14-17)
- Genuine faith affects your behavior and desires.
- Insensitive to the needs of others.
- Sometimes there is knowledge, but no action.
- Demonic Faith (18-19)
- Believing is just the beginning of a believers changed life.
- More of an emotional belief.
- Real Faith (20-26)
- Works naturally follow a salvation experience (fruits of the Spirit). Salvation doesn’t come from works.
- Ephesians 2:8-10
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