SouthPoint Church: Recent Episodes
SouthPoint Church
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Notes:
Some invitations have the power to change our lives for good in ways we could never imagine.
Without a ‘yes’ the power of an invitation gets passed over.
How do we make sure we’re saying ‘yes’ to the right invitations?
After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.
- Luke 5:27-32
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.
- Luke 5:27-32
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
- Luke 5:27-32
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
- Luke 5:27-32
Jesus invites His followers to partner in His mission to bring God’s Kingdom here.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
- Ephesians 2:8-10
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
- 1st Peter 4:8-10
You’re invited to:
- Invite Others
- Serve Others
- Give Generously
Our God-given mission has run into a space issue. Doing nothing just becomes a “no” to the people around us that God loves and wants to reach.
Rapid Growth: Expansion-Completion-Addition
Jesus invites ALL of us to partner with Him in His mission yet it requires a 'yes' to unlock the life change and impact we dream of.
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Notes:
Everyone will experience “it’s complicated” in love, sex, and romance because we’re all flawed.
It’s complicated: Dysfunction, Hurt/Bitterness, Addiction, Moral failure, Health (physical or mental), Divorce, Hardship
Not knowing how to deal with “It’s
complicated” not only leaves us
stuck, it leaves us stuck in a place
that continues to create damage.
● Ignore
● Pretend
● Blame
When we eventually end
up in “it’s complicated” how
do we actually get unstuck?
The modern take was
supposed to be the ultimate
path to our best life
Unfortunately, the research and
science proves the opposite
Just because something is
“good” doesn’t mean it
erases the damage of misuse
How do we get unstuck
when we eventually end
up in “it’s complicated”?
Feeling stuck in marriage
can cause us to feel
separated from God
A man with leprosy came to him
and begged him on his knees,
"If you are willing, you can make
me clean."
Mark 1:40-42
Filled with compassion, Jesus
reached out his hand and
touched the man. "I am willing,"
he said. "Be clean!" Immediately
the leprosy left him and he was
cured. Mark 1:40-42
Jesus is NOT repulsed
Jesus is NOT ashamed
Jesus is NOT begrudging
Jesus is NOT unable
Jesus wholeheartedly
steps into our mess out
of His great love for us
God’s ‘unstuck’ plan:
We Acknowledge the problem
We Admit our part
We Alter our actions
God’s grace and goodness
allows us to address ‘it’s
complicated’ instead of
settling for avoidance
which only keeps us stuck.
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Notes:
When the church is silent on sex, our primary inputs on sex becomes the distortion of culture and the fiction of media.
When our expectations of sex come from fiction and not reality, we end up disappointed and frustrated.
The messiness of real life is no match for the illusion of media.
“Intimacy is key to having a healthy, functional and overall happy relationship.” John Hopkins - Chris Kraft, Ph.D., director of clinical services at the Sex and Gender Clinic
“Our prediction models establish intimacy as the main predictor of sexual satisfaction.”
Your Sexual Medical Journal
Intimacy includes:
● Relational
● Physical
● Emotional
Therefore, to help make your sex life better and more satisfying, focus on the following:
1 Increase general relationship satisfaction...
…how both partners feel about the relationship overall impacts their feelings of sexual satisfaction as well…
Given that, spending some time improving your relationship in other areas can benefit you in the bedroom.
Psychology Today
Don’t weaponize scriptures or sex to manipulate and guilt another for self-gratification.
Relational: Without intentionality and boundaries, we can give all our time and energy away and leave nothing for our spouses.
Planned For – Say, No
“In terms of how their sex life could be improved, people say they're looking for more love and romance, more quality time alone with their partner, more fun, and less stress.”
Verywell Mind
“There is strong evidence to suggest that relationship factors and dynamics contribute to a large portion of the overall variance in sexual satisfaction scores”
University of Texas
Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”…
…Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean.”
John 13:8 & 9-10
Physical
Orgasm gap (90% men & 48% female)
Regularity (snack, meal, feast)
Communication
“…only 28% of women can have an orgasm from penetrative sex alone.
“For a lot of women, they need direct clitoral stimulation in order to have an orgasm.”…
…“Women have the same kind of erectile tissues as men, but all on the inside, woman need a lot of time for that stuff to come into play…After 15 to 20 minutes of foreplay,”
ABC.net - 9/17
Gigi Engle is a feminist author, certified sex coach, sexologist, and sex educator.
Gigi was nominated for a WEGO Health Award for her science-first sex, women's health, and relationships content.
"More than half of women reported they had wanted to communicate with a partner regarding sex but decided not to; the most common reasons were not wanting to hurt a partner’s feelings…”
Verywell Mind
The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs…
…The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.
1st Corinthians 7:3-5
Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer.
1st Corinthians 7:3-5
Emotional
Intimacy requires feeling valued!
(Female & Male)
Females & Males generally feel valued differently
It’s different for me (fair feeling/unfair excuse)
Female:
Being “for me” outside the bed confirms you’re for me in the bed.
Male:
Being “for me” in the bed confirms you’re for me outside the bed.
“Interestingly, both men and women rate sex with love feelings as more sexually satisfying on average.”…
…”While sexual desire may not be as intense as a couple moves into the attraction stage, having more meaningful sex (and dopamine-charged) becomes much more satisfying.” PsychCentral: Dr. Nicole Prause
Sharing chores is the third-highest factor in successful marriages — behind fidelity and a happy sex life.
University of Chicago
“Committed relationships make women almost twice as likely to climax” Women’s Health
University of Chicago study
Marriage is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other.
Hebrews 3:4
A healthy marriage with intimate sex requires love, mutuality, selflessness, and God-given boundaries.
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Notes:
Everyone wants a great sex life
Nobody wants a miserable sex life
Interrupted Sex Life:
Newborn/Kids
Tragedy/Difficulty
Medical/Physical
A temporary season should not become a permanent lifestyle.
Scientific Evidence:
Sexual activity in America at 30yr low
1 out 5 marriages are ‘sexless’
1 out 2 (15yr–24yr olds) will have an STD
Sky rocketing sexual dysfunction 43% women/31% men
Pornography Epidemic 69% men/40% women
Science has proven, “IT’S JUST SEX” is a lie.
Biologically
Physiologically
Emotionally
Mentally
Spiritually
SEX: is more than vaginal intercourse
Any mental or physical activity taken to invoke erotic or sensual gratification
Oxford Academic: The brain’s role as the ‘master organ’ governing sexual function
Scientific America: Far from being a simple issue of hormones, sexual desire and orgasm are subject to various influences on the brain
Psychology Today: So much of sex occurs in our brains
“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a ‘person’ with lust has already committed adultery with ‘them’ in their heart.”
- Matthew 5:27-28
A dumbed-down definition of sex will derail our dream for a “great sex life”
God Designed Sex:
- To Be Pleasurable
- To Have A Purpose
- Sacredness Protects
During orgasm the brain releases a cocktail of neurotransmitters that boost feelings of happiness and relaxation (dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin).
Brain scans reveal that an orgasm has the same reward pathways as a heroin rush.
I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love…His left hand is under my head, and his right hand caresses me….Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.
- Song of Songs 2:3-7
God Designed Sex:
- To Be Pleasurable
- To Have a Purpose
- Sacredness Protects
Sex, including casual sex, causes the brain to release neurotransmitters, which makes us feel more emotionally tied to a person. Basically, you're biologically wired to attach to any sexual partner…
- Women’s Health
Medical Institute for Sexual Health:
Oxytocin is released regardless of who the sexual partner is which can cause a woman to bond and trust a man even after a one-night stand. That bond/trust explains why it can be so painful emotionally when sexually active people break-up.
Vasopressin occurs during an intimate physical relationship and cannot distinguish between right and wrong. We cannot separate the brain from the body. What our body does has a dramatic impact on our brain.
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.”
- Mark 10:6-7
God Designed Sex:
- To Be Pleasurable
- To Have a Purpose
- Sacredness Protects
Medical Institute for Sexual Health:
But we do know that sex can literally change a person’s brain, influencing the thought process and affecting future decisions. When sex is experienced in unhealthy ways, at the wrong time, it can damage vital aspects of who we are as human beings.
…studies have shown that having multiple premarital sex partners is negatively associated with marital quality and stability.
Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
- 1st Corinthians 6:18
Understanding God’s purpose and design for sex reveals a sacredness that can protect us from misusing sex!
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Notes:
The number one cause of dissatisfaction in romance and marriage comes from a myth we all buy into.
TRUE LOVE’S MAGIC:
- Effortless serving & sacrifice
- Erases painful conflict
- Excuses apathy and accountability
- Encompasses total fulfillment
- Euphoric sex & romance
The myth of ‘true love’ leads to this lie:
I’m wrong for them or they’re wrong for me
What does ‘true love’ look like in the real world?
Loved by another
Romantic attention
Sexual satisfaction
Just because something is “good” doesn’t mean it erases the damage of misuse
What does ‘true love’ look like in the real world?
Philia – deep friendship
Storge – family love
Eros – sexual passion
Agape – selfless love (God’s)
Without “agape love” at the core we will selfishly misuse all other types of love
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
- John 3:16
Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.
- John 13:1
…So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
- John 13:4-5
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
- John 15:12-13
True LOVE requires the hard work of being selfless
We can’t give what we don’t have
Love doesn’t dismiss different it embraces it
Love is a decision ‘to do’ despite our feelings
Receiving God’s true love in Jesus allows us to pass-on what we don’t naturally have
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Notes:
Loved by another
Romantic attention
Sexual satisfaction
Just because something is “good” doesn’t mean it erases the damage of misuse.
What is one of the greatest threats to our fulfilment of love, romance, and sex?
Single – Married – Complicated
Desire: Love – Romance Sex
Fulfilment: Love – Romance – Sex
Choosing the path of self-gratification sabotages our hopes for fulfilment.
Failure is NOT final!
God’s grace & love has the power to redeem every area of our lives.
What path leads to fulfilment without damaging our dreams?
Don’t throw the baby out with bathwater
In our passion to rid ourselves of something unwanted and harmful, don’t accidently get rid of something valuable and important to ourselves.
God’s path to healthy fulfilment in love, romance, and sex is purity.
Purity distorted:
Culture – Boring & No Fun
Church – Legalistic & Shameful
Purity is not just do’s and don'ts
It’s a heart posture of honor and selflessness
“Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.”
- Mark 7:18-23
“For it is from within, out of A PERSON’S HEART, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
- Mark 7:18-23
“And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
- John 13:34
Using something made to be selfless in a selfish way just becomes exploitation.
- Surrender to God’s version of good, not our own
- See all people as image-bearers not objects of wants
- Serve one another without weaponizing legitimate needs
Trusting God’s goodness and boundaries through obedience protects us from the trap of self-gratification that harms fulfilment
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Notes:
Loved by another
Romantic attention
Sexual satisfaction
Trusting sources with failing records harms ourselves
Church:
Scare
Shame
Scandal
Sometimes churches create the illusion that God’s timeless truths are outdated and out-of-touch
Modern Take:
Personal happiness is what matters most
Freedom means “no restraints”, so if it feels good do it.
All our romantic wishes deserve to be met
Sex is only physical, it’s disconnected from our emotions, hearts, and souls
Love is whatever we want it to be, so trust your feelings
Modern Take:
Historically low marriage rates (30yr old avg)
5 Million people sex trafficked
1 out 4 women sexual assaulted
1 out of 2 15yr–24yr olds STD
7.1 billion visits in month OnlyFans
70 million - child pornography
How do we not get misled by either the church or culture?
Just because something is “good” doesn’t mean it erases the damage of misuse
Half-truths often create the most powerful lies
Going to the Original Source is the best place to find the truth
Half Truths:
Make a part the whole
Freedom equals no boundaries
Desire dictates behavior
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
- Matthew 6:25
Half Truths:
We make a part the whole
Freedom equals no boundaries
Desire dictates behavior
Jesus said to them, “I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave of sin.”
- John 8:34
True freedom isn’t the lack of boundaries, it’s the absence of being bound to unwanted consequences
Half Truths:
We make a part the whole
Freedom equals no boundaries
Desire dictates behavior
…when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires…
- Ephesians 4:20-22
Half Truths:
We make a part the whole
Freedom equals no boundaries
Desire dictates behavior
God’s wisdom and truth helps us avoid the myth that misusing good won’t cause damage and dysfunction.
Welcome!
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Notes:
Why are we here today?
Celebrate:
Tradition
Philosophy
Cheering
Political hostility
Financial instability
Social unrest
Physical destruction
Emotional distress
Life is unreliable
(Chaos – Ruin – Uncertainty)
Security in the unsecure makes peace impossible
Without peace we’re trapped in a life of anxiety, stress, and pain-avoidance
Jesus of Nazareth did what no one else has ever done!
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”
- John 11:25
From that time on Jesus began to say plainly to his disciples, “I must go to Jerusalem and suffer much from the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life.”
- Matthew 16:21
Chaos, ruin, and uncertainty gave JESUS it’s best shot and lost!
Historical Facts:
Paul martyred 62-64 AD
Letter to Corinth 53-54 AD
Jesus crucified 33 AD
Creed (10yrs min)
10yr difference not 300yrs+
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day…
- 1st Corinthians 15:3-8
He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive…Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.
- 1st Corinthians 15:3-8
God loves you
Death & Evil are defeated
Eternal life is available
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
- John 14:27
We don’t know what tomorrow holds
We do know who holds tomorrow
JESUS’s peace frees us to live a life of meaning not avoidance.
A Love like Jesus’s is worthy of our response, today…
- Remember
- Receive
- Research
- Reject
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Notes:
In Essentials – Unity
In Non-Essentials – Liberty
In All Things - Charity
The Apostles Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
In Essentials – Unity
In Non-Essentials – Liberty
In All Things – Charity
God is Good
Humanity is Fatally Flawed
Jesus is Essential
Eternal Life is Relational, Not Religious
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
- John 17:1-3
Religion – Relationship?
Religion - Relationship?
Religion is less than Relationship!
Religion – Information, Law, Guilt, My works, Activity, Fear
Relationship – Intimacy, Love, Grace, His work, Identity, Trust
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for people to see…”
- Matthew 23:1-5
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
- John 3:1-9
“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
- John 3:13-15
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
- John 3:16-17
Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth.
- John 9:38-40
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN – Jesus
Religion: Performance – Control – Keep the Rules – Me centered
Relationship: Presence – Freedom – Grace-Inspired Obedience – Jesus centered
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Notes:
If God is good, why is there evil?
God’s goodness gave humanity the gift of freedom and dignity
Humanity’s self-first posture causes ALL of us to misuse our freedom to do wrong
Without justice evils wins
Without mercy love loses
How does God fulfill the requirements of justice AND provide the mercy love demands
Getting the “essentials” of faith wrong sets us up to fail at what matters most in life
God is Completely Good
Humanity is Fatally Flawed
Jesus is Essential
Eternal Life is Relational not Religious
How does God solve the paradox problem of justice and mercy?
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Mark 10:45
“I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep.”
- John 10:11
“For I tell you that the scripture which says, ‘He shared the fate of criminals,’ must come true about me, because what was written about me is coming true.”
- Luke 22:37
“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations…”
- Luke 24:46-47
Substitutionary atonement:
Substitute - a person that takes the place of another
Atonement - reparation for a wrong or injury
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
- Romans 3:23-25
…and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice…
- Romans 3:23-25
Jesus is Essential
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection not only cancels a debt we can’t pay, He cures our disease we can’t fix
Salvation: can’t be earned
Salvation: must be received
Salvation: is about purpose
Without Jesus both our debts and disease keeps us stuck
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Notes:
If God is good, why is there evil?
Intellectual truth explains BUT won’t remove emotional pain
Disliking an answer doesn’t make it any less true
Genuine love requires the freedom of choice
Freedom of choice demands the dignity of consequence
Love’s freedom and dignity make evil a possible outcome
Why do we choose wrong even when our personal history proves it harms ourselves and others?
Getting the “essentials” of faith wrong sets us up to fail at what matters most in life
God is Completely Good
Humanity is Fatally Flawed
Jesus is Essential
Eternal Life is Relational not Religious
Why do we keep choosing wrong despite history’s proof that it always ends badly?
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts - murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person.”
- Matthew 15:18-20
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
- Romans 3:23
…they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
- Matthew 19:25-26
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
- Ephesians 2:8-9
Humanity is Fatally Flawed - All of humanity has a spiritual disease that leads to death that we cannot cure by ourselves
Fatally Flawed:
Born with a spiritual disease
Unavoidably “miss-the-mark” (sins)
Demand hypocritical justice
Truthfully admitting our problem isn’t about shame or guilt – It’s an honesty that allows for healing
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Notes:
We lose-out on what’s best for us when we pick the wrong version of good
Version of “Goodness”
Ours
Others
God’s
Exploitation: Good for me at the cost of you
Transactional: Good for both as long as the other delivers
Altruistic: Good for you even at the cost to me
What “good” is the most trustworthy?
Getting the “essentials” of faith wrong sets us up to fail at what matters most in life.
God is Completely Good
Humanity is Fatally Flawed
Jesus is Essential
Eternal Life is Relational not Religious
Jesus is the BEST authority on who God truly is!
If we want to see God, we must look at Christ!
What “good” is the most trustworthy?
light/dark - oceans/land - vegetation/own kind - sun/moon/stars - sea creatures/birds - animals/Mankind
And God saw that it was good.
- Genesis 1
…in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them…fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature.
- Genesis 1:27 & 28
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
- John 3:16-17
“As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
- Matthew 7:11
God is Completely good
God the Father has repeatedly shown his love and character so that we will trust Him for our own good.
God is OTHER:
He is LIFE giving
He is radically GENEROUS
He is pure LOVE
God’s goodness in Jesus proves He is worthy of our complete trust
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Notes:
Misunderstanding the essentials leads to faulty outcomes.
What we believe determines how we live.
Orthodox
Catholic
Pentecostal
Anglican
Baptist
African Methodist Episcopal
Fundamentalist
Mainline Protestant
Essential: Irremovable – Necessary – Central - Required
Non- Essential – Cultural – Fashionable – Traditional - Harmful
God is Completely Good – Humanity is Fatally Flawed – Jesus is Essential – Eternal Life is Relational not Religious
Who’s the best authority on God?
I think God would want me to __________.
I don’t think God would want me to __________.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
- John 14:6-7
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?”
- John 14:8-9
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?”
- John 14:9-10
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ…
- Colossians 1:15&19
Jesus is the BEST authority on who God truly is! If we want to see God, we must look at Christ!
Without revelation we end up making God in our image instead of being made in His image.
See God through:
our Crazy
our Circumstances
our Culture
Jesus is the clear authority on God that we need to navigate the complexities of life.
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Notes:
THE 5 HEARTBEATS - Leading Your Heart
Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life.
- Proverbs 4:2
5 HEARTS - The “Christ First” Heart – “Christ is my First Love.”
“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write: “These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and found them liars, and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works…”
- Revelation 2:1-5
5 HEARTS - The “Angry” Heart – “I am not angry. I am passionate.”
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
- Psalm 62:8
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
- Ephesians 4:31-32
5 HEARTS - The “Envious” Heart – “I want what you have and I resent you for having it.”
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”
- James 3:13-17
5 HEARTS - The “Driven” Heart – “Be more, do more, have more, get more.”
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
- John 15:4
5 HEARTS - The “Shame-Full” Heart – “I am not enough.”
Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
- Judges 6:11-15
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Notes:
You want a better life
You want to be better at life
All of us have a dysfunctional loop in some area of our lives.
Uncomfortable feeling – Irrational thought – Unhealthy action – Painful consequence – Uncomfortable feeling
“I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.”
- Jesus of Nazareth
Our biggest obstacle
Our disgust of discomfort
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
- Luke 9:23-24
Mistaking the good of following Jesus for easy and pain-free will derail us!
Discomfort of Discipline OR Discomfort of Dysfunction
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
- Hebrews 12:11
Short-term joy with long-term discomfort
Short-term discomfort with long-term joy
“The farmer I talked about is anyone who brings God’s message to others, trying to plant good seed within their lives. The hard pathway, where some of the seed fell, represents the hard hearts of some of those who hear God’s message; Satan comes at once to try to make them forget it…”
- Mark 4:14-20
“The rocky soil represents the hearts of those who hear the message with joy, but, like young plants in such soil, their roots don’t go very deep, and though at first they get along fine, as soon as persecution begins, they wilt. The thorny ground represents the hearts of people…”
- Mark 4:14-20
“…who listen to the Good News and receive it, but all too quickly the attractions of this world and the delights of wealth, and the search for success and lure of nice things come in and crowd out God’s message from their hearts, so that no crop is produced.”
- Mark 4: 14-20
The Goal: Reflect the love of Jesus
The Process: Partnership in change
The Power: God’s Spirit
The good we want and need is often uncomfortable, that’s not a bad thing – it’s just a true thing.
The “full life” that Jesus offers is absolutely good, it’s just not pain free.
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Notes:
All of us have a dysfunctional loop in some area of our lives.
We can do by training what we can’t do by trying.
“The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”
- Luke 6:40
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserve full acceptance.
- 1 Timothy 4:7-9
Say ‘no’ to the thing we’re stuck to so we can say ‘yes’ to something better.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say- but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”- but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
- 1 Corinthians 10:23-24
Let’s not just stop something that harms. Let’s replace it with something that gives life.
“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
- Matthew 12:43-45
Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”
- Matthew 12:43-45
Start habits that reflect our identity as Jesus-followers.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness…
- 2 Peter 1:5-8
…and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 2 Peter 1:5-8
https://www.southpoint4u.com/serve
https://www.southpoint4u.com/give
We can do by training what we can’t do by trying.
● Say ‘no’ to the thing we’re stuck to so we can say ‘yes’ to something better.
● Let’s not just stop something that harms. Let’s replace it with something that gives life.
● Start habits that reflect our identity as Jesus-followers.
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Notes
Nobody wants to be a hypocrite.
This time of year often sets us up to be one.
If you want to make a permanent change in behavior, you must change how you think about yourself, in order to experience an identity shift.
- Medium – 1/23
Identity-based habits are the Holy Grail to making good habits stick. But there is one thing you should know about. A nasty side effect. Namely, choosing the wrong identity. Or even worse, if you don’t take the time to define yourself.
- Medium – 1/23
One of the most effective ways to change your behavior is to change your identity. Our perception of who we are—our identity or self-image—has a dramatic effect on our future actions.
- Psychology Today
The key to lasting behavioral change lies in IDENTITY CHANGE. Our behaviors are deeply connected to how we perceive ourselves.
- James Clear – “Atomic Habits”
By altering our self-concept, our actions naturally align with this new identity. It's not just about DOING differently; it's about BEING different.
- James Clear – “Atomic Habits”
Focusing on behaviors without addressing our identity sets us up to fail.
All of us have a dysfunctional loop in some area of our lives.
Uncomfortable feeling – Irrational thought – Unhealthy action – Painful Consequence – Uncomfortable Feeling
How do we address our identity so we can experience lasting life-change?
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
- 1st John 3:1
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, and I am wonderfully pleased with him.”
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil.
- Matthew 3:17 & 4:1
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
“If you are God's Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says…”
“All this I will give you,” the Devil said, “if you kneel down and worship me.”
- Matthew 4:3, 6, & 9
The same enemy that attacks Jesus’s identity attacks our identity.
So Jesus called a child to come and stand in front of them, and said, “I assure you that unless you changeand become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.”
- Matthew 18:2-3
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
- Matthew 7:9&11
Identity – Orphan/survival – Earner/transactional – Beloved/relational
Our identity determines our behaviors, and our actions decide the quality of our life.
Jesus enables anyone to live out their true identity as a beloved child of God
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Notes
A dysfunctional outcome is always a result of a defective input.
Family: Broken/unlovable
Others: Sex/Drugs/Fun
Enemy: God doesn’t love you/God couldn’t love you
INPUTS:
Family: imperfection
Others: misguidance
Enemy’s: lie
-----> Dysfunctional Outcome
The quality of input determines the quality of outcomes in our life!
All of us have a dysfunctional loop in some area of our lives.
Uncomfortable feeling – Irrational thought – Unhealthy action – Painful consequence – Uncomfortable feeling
Jesus is the different we need. Jesus is the inspiration we need.
Where do we find the input that leads to a quality outcome for our lives?
INPUT
Feel – Think – Action – Consequence – Feel
Control feelings – Renew thoughts – Wise actions – Healthy consequences – Control feelings
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and... “
- Matthew 7:24-27
“…the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish…”
- Matthew 7:24-27
“…like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
- Matthew 7:24-27
- Difference between knowing & doing
- Following Jesus’s input is wisdom
- Ignoring Christ’s input is unwise
- Life is going to happen/no passes
Jesus is the input that changes the outcomes of our life.
INPUTS:
Family: imperfection
Others: misguidance
Enemy’s: lie
-----> Dysfunctional Outcome
God’s Inputs:
Scriptures reveals a perfect love
Church encourages & demonstrates love
Holy Spirit reminds us of love’s truth
God gifts us alternative inputs that can free us from dysfunctional outcomes.
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Notes:
Depending on motivation to get us unstuck will disappoint every time.
Motivation is external which means it’s both fickle and fading.
Inspiration is more than a what – it’s a who do we want to become.
Genuine change comes from internal inspiration not external motivation.
All of us have a dysfunctional loop in some area of our lives.
Uncomfortable Feeling – Irrational thought – Unhealthy action – Painful consequence – Uncomfortable Feeling
Jesus is the different we need to get unstuck from our dysfunctional loops.
Where do we find the inspiration that frees us from dysfunctional loops?
When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to Zacchaeus, “Hurry down, Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today.” Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed him with great joy.
- Luke 19:5-6
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”
- Luke 19:7&9
Jesus’s grace inspired genuine life change!
Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead you from the right way. It is good to receive inner strength from God's grace, and not by obeying rules about foods…
- Hebrews 13:9
Grace reveals:
Unconditional Love
Unfailing Security
Unparalleled Purpose
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
- John 3:16
Grace reveals:
Unconditional Love
Unfailing Security
Unparalleled Purpose
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Hebrews 13:9
Grace reveals:
Unconditional Love
Unfailing Security
Unparalleled Purpose
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
- Ephesians 2:8-10
God’s grace found in Jesus inspires real change from the inside.
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Notes:
91% of us will fail our New Year’s resolutions.
All of us have a dysfunctional loop in some area of our lives.
Uncomfortable Feeling – Irrational thought – Unhealthy action – Painful consequence – Uncomfortable feeling
The fear of different chains us to the pain of the familiar.
Everyone needs to know how to get unstuck from a dysfunctional loop.
“I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness.”
- Jesus of Nazareth – John 10:10
If God loves me why doesn’t He just fix me?
God will not rob us of:
- Dignity of Choice
- Nobility of Overcoming
One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
- John 5:5-6
“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me…” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man got well; he picked up his mat and started walking.
- John 5:7-9
God sees you
God cares about you
God wants to help you
Following Jesus is the different we need to be free from our dysfunctional loops.
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NotesEveryone wants to be home for Christmas.
Home for Christmas:
- People
- Peace
- Provision
The “home” we’re made for is impossible by ourselves!
Mary & Joseph - poor/displaced/conquered
Shepherds - outcasts/failures
Magi - forgotten/foreigners
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good newsthat will cause great joy for ALL the people.”
- Luke 2: 10
“Today in the town of David a SAVIOR has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
- Luke 2: 11
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth PEACE to those on whom his favor rests.”
- Luke 2: 14
The first Christmas is where God brings all the pieces of “home” here to us through Jesus!
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NotesOur holiday chase for transcendent love from imperfect people sets us up for a letdown.
Transcendent Love - Unconditional + Unfailing
We need a love that both feels “for us” and also “fixes us”.
One without the other is incomplete.
Christmas reveals that we’re made for a transcendent love we can’t fully provide.
Christmas is where we try to make life as we wish it would be - Goodness/Relationship/Love
Our chase to experience Christmas often leaves us exhausted, stressed, and glad when it’s over.
Christmas isn’t a chase
Christmas is a celebration
How do we experience an unconditional and unfailing love that we all so desperately need?
Ancestry of Jesus Christ:
Tamar – Widow
Rahab – Prostitute
Ruth – Foreigner
David – Murderer
Solomon – Idolatry
- Matthew 1:3-7
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Matthew 1:18
“Joseph, son of David”, the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
- Matthew 1:20-21
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
- Matthew 1:23
The first Christmas is about: God showing up personally to bring us unconditional and unfailing love through Jesus!
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
- 1 John 4:9
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us.
- 1st John 3:1&16
Transcendent Love:
- You’re made to be a child of God
- You’re loved by God
- You’re called to significance
Christmas is God’s transcendent love in action for ALL to see and have!
It’s a free gift we can receive or reject.
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The holidays loudly remind us that meaningful relationships come with both joy and pain.
Everyone wants the good of relational connection.
Even our best relationships are flawed.
We lack the peace needed for the friction that comes from imperfect relationships.
Christmas is where we try to make life as we wish it would be
Goodness
Relationship
Love
Our chase to experience Christmas often leaves us exhausted, stressed, and glad when it’s over.
Christmas isn’t a chase
Christmas is a celebration
How do we find the peace needed for the friction of imperfect relationships?
The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
- Isaiah 7:14&9:6-7
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
- Isaiah 9:6-7
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,
- Luke 2:8-9&13-14
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
- Luke 2: 8-9&13-14
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
- John 14: 27
The first Christmas is God’s undeserved gift of peace to any through Jesus!
PEACE is not the absence of hurt or disappointment
PEACE is where God’s unfailing love defines us
Not the failures of ourselves or others
Celebrate
A love that chased us
A love that gifts us
A love that invites us
Christmas isn’t a chase to bypass the unavoidable friction of relationships.
We celebrate a peace that reconnects us to God and others.
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Notes
The Christmas season is where we try to make life as we wish it would be.
Everyone wants GOODNESS
Everyone wants RELATIONSHIP
Everyone wants LOVE
Our chase to experience Christmas often leaves us exhausted, stressed, and glad when it’s over.
Our holiday chase reveals our need for someone to fix what we can’t.
Christmas isn’t meant to be a chase, it’s meant to be a celebration of a Savior who fixed what we couldn’t.
While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.
- Daniel 2:34-35
…But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
- John 1:9-14
During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands…
- Daniel 2:44-45
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem…
Matthew 2:1-2
…asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
- Matthew 2:1-2
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.
- Matthew 2: 10-11
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
- Matthew 2: 10-11
The first Christmas reminds us that God’s promised goodness will never fail!
Why Celebrate:
We Remember His promised goodness
We Pass down His promised goodness
We Live out His promised goodness
Christmas isn’t chasing an impossible experience
It’s celebrating a faithful God who sent a Savior to fix what we couldn’t.
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Notes
Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.”
- Revelation 19:6-7 (NLT)
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.”
- Luke 14:7-11
“But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
- Luke 14:7-11 (NLT)
Then he (Jesus) turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”
- Luke 14:12-14 (NLT)
“What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”
- Luke 14:15 (NLT)
Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’
- Luke 14:16-17 (NLT)
But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
- Luke 14:18-20
”An excuse is the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.”
- Billy Sunday
“The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’”
- Luke 14:21-22 (NLT)
“So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”
- Luke 14:23-24 (NLT)
Jesus is So Exclusive!
- Christianity
- Islam
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
- Taoism
- Shinto
- Judaism
- Sikhism
Jesus is So Exclusive!
There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
- Acts 4:12
Whoever Believes - John 3:16
Everyone Repent - 2 Peter 3:9
All Who Call - Romans 10:13
The gospel says you are simultaneously more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe, yet more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope.
- Tim Keller
“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways…”
- Deuteronomy 30:15-20
“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life…You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.”
- Deuteronomy 30:15-20
“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Your will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Your will be done."
All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”
- CS Lewis
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people.
- Titus 4: 11-14
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NotesFixing the symptom of a problem but not the cause leads to repeated failure and continued frustration.
We’re born into a world where the normal ‘way’ to a good life is broken.
Self-image:
I deserve mercy - You deserve justice
Self-gratification:
Pleasure is at the heart of a good life
Self-preservation:
Hooray for me & to the heck with you
Jesus’s way is often the opposite of the world’s way.
Fixing the symptom of a problem but not the cause leads to repeated failure and continued frustration.
We mistake what’s at the heart of the problem:
- Better education
– Better political system
– Better technology
– Better economy
– Better laws
Human history is the undeniable proof that ‘better’ hasn’t been able to fix what’s broken in the way we chase the ‘good life’
What’s at the heart of our problem?
‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
- Matthew 5:21-22
“But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court.”
- Matthew 5:21-22
“You know the next commandment pretty well, too: ‘Don’t go to bed with another’s spouse’.”
- Matthew 5:27-28
“Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those ogling looks you think nobody notices – they also corrupt.”
- Matthew 5:27-28
“For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”
- Matthew 6:21&24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Matthew 6:21&24
Jesus teaches us:
Hate in heart – Murder
Lust in heart – Adultery
Greed in heart – Idolatry
“For from your heart come the evil ideas which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob, lie, and slander others.”
- Matthew 15:19
Jesus teaches us:
What’s at the heart of our problem is our HEART.
Excuse – what’s in heart
Suppress – what’s in heart
Heal – what’s in heart
Allow God’s love through Jesus to heal our hearts and it will change how we chase the good life.
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Notes
Pursue what feels good
Pursue doing good
We’re born into a world where pleasure is at the heart of a good life.
When pleasure is at the heart of a good life
We abuse good and exploit people
Prioritizing feeling good over doing good will harm people and that’s not the good life.
We’re born into a world where the normal ‘way’ to a good life is broken.
Our filter distorts:
- Self-image
- Self-gratification
- Self-preservation
Good for me – even at the expense of you
Self-Centered vs Jesus-Centered
How do we keep our desire to ‘feel good’ from ruining our dream to ‘do good’?
“are the poor in spirit…are those who mourn …are the meek …hunger & thirst for righteousness…are the merciful …are the pure in heart …are the peacemakers …”
- Matthew 5: 3-9
“You are like salt for the whole human race. You are like light for the whole world. In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.”
- Matthew 5: 13-16
Jesus teaches us:
Our purpose is to bring God’s goodness in a world that desperately needs it.
…that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.
- 1 Thessalonians 4: 4-6
Jesus teaches us:
Using people for pleasure is what’s wrong in the world
At the heart of a good life is our purpose not pleasure.
THINK: owed - fortunate
SEE: object - sacred
Do: use - benefit
Our God-given purpose to do good overrides the pleasure of feeling good so we become rescuers not exploiters.
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Notes
All of us experience legitimate hurt and pain that’s unavoidable in a world where everyone is flawed.
Payback is “the way” we’ve been programmed to respond to hurt and pain.
Payback may feel good, but it keeps us stuck in the never-ending loop of vengeance.
We’re born into a world where the normal ‘way’ to a good life is broken.
Good Life:
-Self-image
-Self-gratification
-Self-preservation
Good for me – even at the expense of you
Jesus’s way is often the opposite of the worlds’ way.
Is there a “way” that keeps us from getting stuck in payback’s never-ending loop of vengeance?
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children…”
- Matthew 5: 43-48
“…of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”
- Matthew 5: 43-48
“If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.”
- Matthew 5: 43-48
“Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times, Jesus replied, but seventy times seven!”
- Matthew 18: 21-22
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
- Luke 23: 34
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
- Ephesians 4: 31-32
Jesus teaches us “the way” to handle pain and hurt is to forgive as we’ve been forgiven.
Asking for mercy while giving payback is asking God to participate in our hypocrisy.
Forgiveness is not relabeling wrong
Forgiveness doesn’t remove healthy boundaries
Forgiveness isn’t a feeling
Forgiveness is a choice to freely pass along God’s undeserved grace
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Notes
Everyone wants to experience the “good life.”
Good Life:
Looking Good
Having Good
Feeling Good
Power
Wealth
Beauty
Privilege
Talent
Willpower
Pleasure
Strength
Intelligence
Prestige
Our filter distorts: Self-preservation-Self-gratification-Self-image
We chase the ‘good life’ in a way that has been repeatedly proven to harm ourselves and others.
Everyone is born into a world where the normal ‘way’ to a good life is broken.
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said…
- Matthew 4: 17 & 19
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
- John 14: 6
…and he began to teach them. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are the meek …Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness …”
- Matthew 5: 2-10
“Blessed are the merciful …Blessed are the pure in heart …Blessed are the peacemakers …Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness …”
- Matthew 5: 2-10
World’s Way:
Power
Wealth
Beauty
Privilege
Talent
Willpower
Pleasure
Strength
Intelligence
Prestige
Jesus’ Way:
Humility
Compassion
Meekness
Serving
Merciful
Generosity
Purity
Peaceful
Faithful
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
- Matthew 16: 21-23
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.”
- Matthew 16: 21-23
Jesus’ way is often the opposite of the world’s way
Jesus’ Way:
Surrender
Service
Sacrifice
Worlds’ Way:
Self-preservation
Self-gratification
Self-image
Admit change
Self-centered to Christ-centered
Love is the inspiration and destination
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Notes
Made New: Jesus Changes Everything
Jesus went into Jericho and he was walking through the city. There was a man there called Zacchaeus. He was a leader of the men who took taxes from people. He had become very rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was.
- Luke 19:1-3
There was a big crowd there and he was a small man. So he could not see Jesus. He ran on in front of the crowd and he climbed up a tree. He could see Jesus more easily from the tree, because Jesus would walk along that way.
- Luke 19:4
When Jesus came to the tree, he looked up at Zacchaeus. He said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly. Today I must stay in your home.” So Zacchaeus came down immediately and took Jesus into his home. He was very happy about this.
- Luke 19:5-6
The people saw what had happened. They were not happy, and they were saying, “Jesus has gone to stay in the home of a man that does bad things.” Later, Zacchaeus stood up in front of everyone.
- Luke 19:7-8
He said to the Lord Jesus, “Listen, Master! I will give half of all the things that I have to poor people. I may have taken too much money from some people. I will give back to them four times as much as I took from them wrongly.”
- Luke 19:8
Jesus said to him, “Today God has saved people in this home. Now Zacchaeus also belongs to the family of Abraham. I, the Son of Man, came to look for people who are far away from God. They are in danger and I have come to save them.”
- Luke 19:9-10
Observations:
1-Zacchaeus humbled himself.
2-Jesus was happy to see Zacchaeus.
3-Zacchaeus obeyed Jesus.
4-Zacchaeus became a better person.
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Notes
It’s nearly impossible to win at life… when we’re losing at relationships that matter
Navigating relationships as deeply flawed people naturally creates stress
Relational stress is caused by the combination of unfair expectations and unhealthy boundaries
Where does stress start:
Unrealistic expectations
Unhealthy speed
Unprepared seasons
Unquenchable ache
Unbalanced relationships
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. “
- Matthew 11:28
We don’t need more
We need different
How do we repair out-of-balance relationships?
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desiredto eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”
- Luke 22:14-15
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
- John 13:6-10
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
- John 13:6-10
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean.”
- John 13:6-10
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.
- John 13:3
Jesus both modeled and taught us to be selfless without abandoning self-dignity
Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had…
- Philippians 2:4-5
Our identity in Christ is the foundation for our relational expectations and boundaries - Broken AND Beloved
No one can complete us
Healthy relationships don’t just happen
Seek God’s approval first
Allow our identity in-Christ to set fair expectations and healthy boundaries.
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Notes
Experiencing life as it should be is a stark reminder that life isn’t all it’s meant to be.
Unquenchable Ache
Fun
Success
Pleasure
Fame
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart.
- Ecclesiastes 3:11
We’re made to have a perfect
- relationship with God
- relationship with others
- relationship with creation
We often medicate our unquenchable ache by chasing substitutes that only add to our pain.
Adult-ing often leaves us exhausted and stressed-out.
We don’t need more
We need different
Using substitutes to medicate our ache only adds to our pain.
We want the ‘feel good’ of the life we’re meant for, but without any of the pain that’s a part of the real world.
When the people found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Teacher, when did you get here?”
- John 6:25-27
Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood my miracles.”
- John 6:25-27
“Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life.”
- John 6:25-27
“Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?”
- Matthew 6:25
Jesus teaches us to pursue what matters over what makes us feel good.
Enjoyment vs Pleasure
Relationship vs Entertainment
Contributing vs Consuming
Trusting the promises of Jesus allows us to chase what matters not what medicates.
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Notes
Adult-ing often leaves us exhausted and stressed-out
We don’t need more - We need different
A balanced life leads to a great life
True balance does not exist. Life is constantly in flux. Things are always changing.
Maybe that’s why so many people who seek “balance” feel like they are rocking to-and-fro at sea, searching for a phantom equilibrium that floats just outside their grasp.
In my experience, the resulting anxiety, guilt, and second-guessing caused by pursuing “balance” is more stress than it’s worth.
- Forbes – 10/22
A balanced life is a lie. Purpose, meaning, significance — these are what make a successful life.
Seek them and you will most certainly live your life out of balance, crisscrossing an invisible middle line as you pursue your priorities.
- The One Thing - Gary Keller – Wall Street Journal best seller
Chasing the myth of a ‘balanced life’ will leave us dissatisfied and stressed.
Life has different seasons
Physically
Relationally
Vocationally
Financially
Spiritually
New Season = Stress
Unknown
Unprepared
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
- Ecclesiastes 3:1
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
- Psalm 90:12
Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
- Proverbs 24:7
Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone.
- John 6:15
Life has different seasonsWisdom is neededPreparing reduces stressEngage & Enjoy
Learn & Listen
Genuine Community
Being aware and prepared for the different seasons of our lives helps reduce the stress we’ll experience.
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Notes
In today’s America, complaining about being busy and working all the time is so commonplace most of us do it without thinking. If someone asks “How are you?” we no longer say “Fine” or “I’m well, thank you.” We often simply reply “Busy!”
- Harvard Business Review
Of course, everyone is still busy — worse than busy, exhausted, too wiped at the end of the day to do more than stress-eat, binge-watch and doomscroll — but no one’s calling it anything other than what it is anymore: an endless, frantic hamster wheel for survival.
- The New York Times
We can try to sustain living at breakneck speed but sooner or later, physically, mentally and/or emotionally we fall apart. Our bodies – and minds – weren’t meant to endure continual stress. Blood pressure spikes – and eventually remains at an elevated level, hearts wear out, we become irritable and easily angered, and we get upset – sometimes to the point of weeping - from frustration and exhaustion.
- Psychology Today
Being hurried robs us of the ‘good life’ we expected by damaging our bodies, our souls and our relationships!
Adulting often leaves us exhausted and stressed-out
We don’t need more
We need different
How do we get off the hamster wheel of hurry?
The difference:
Busy is a task
Hurried is a state
One is a reality the other is a choice
We’re so preoccupied with preparing for the next
We’re disconnected from being present in the now
…a woman named Martha welcomed him (Jesus) as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he said.
But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me.”
Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.
- Luke 10:38-42
But Jesus kept lookingaround to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.
- Mark 5:32-33
Jesus teaches that hurried hinders the life we’re meant for
Jesus was busy but never hurried
Unhurried Practices:
Simplify
Slow (no)
Stop
Hurry promises us more but at the cost of missing moments that matter
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Notes
Life’s a little ______ right now
I’m at the end of my _____
My life is falling ______
I feel like I’m coming ______
My plate is ______
I can’t handle ______ more thing
Adulting often leaves us exhausted and stressed-out
75% of Americans experience mental or physical health issues due to stress
- American Psychology Association - 2023
34% of Americans experience stress so bad it’s debilitating
- American Psychiatric Association - 2023
Not knowing how to adult differently keeps us stuck in being stressed-out.
We don’t need more
We need different
Where does stress start:
Unrealistic expectations
Unhealthy speed
Unquenchable ache
Unprepared seasons
Unbalanced relationships
Unrealistic expectations
Right = Easy
Right job
Right spouse
Right money
Right stuff
Right friends
Upgrading is more of the same
Different results requires different
Then Jesus said, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
- Matthew 11:28-29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- Matthew 11:28-29
Jesus invites us into more than a ‘belief system’ He calls us live a different lifestyle.
What keeps us from different?
Resist directions
Fear disappointment
Avoid delayed-gratification
Move from just believing the different Jesus teaches to doing the different Jesus did!
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Notes
Sometimes we follow a sabotaging voice because it’s disguised as a friendly voice.
A feel-good voice isn’t the same as a good-friend voice.
How do we see through the disguised voices that can mislead us?
The noise around us is so loud and constant it drowns out the One voice we need to hear.
● We can’t see all
● We don’t know all
● We all trick ourselves
We need a voice that knows and sees better than we do!
How do we see through the disguised voices that can mislead us?
History proves humanity has an enemy!
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
- John 10:10
Those who hear the message about the Kingdom but do not understand it are like the seeds that fell along the path. The Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in them.
- Luke 8:12
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.
- John 14:16
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
- John 14:26
Three disguises:
Distrust
Deserve
Desire
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.
- Revelation 21:4
Three disguises:
Distrust
Deserve
Desire
…but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
- Matthew 6:33
Three disguises:
Distrust
Deserve
Desire
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
- Matthew 22:37 & 39
The Holy Spirit provides the power to see through the disguised voice of our enemy.
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Notes
Loud and Popular
- Listen to your feelings
- Follow your dreams
- Be yourself
- It’s the thought that counts
- Never give up
- YOLO
Sometimes the loud and popular voices of others mislead us.
How do we hear the right voices over the shouts of what’s loud and popular?
The noise around us is so loud and constant it drowns-out the One voice we need to hear.
● We can’t see all
● We don’t know all
● We all trick ourselves
We need a voice that knows and sees better than we do!
God’s voice through the Bible anchors us to His truth so our inner voice won’t mislead us!
How do we hear the right voices over the shouts of what’s loud and popular?
Loud Crowd:
Fickle
Flawed
Fails
…many people were convinced that he was indeed the Messiah. But Jesus didn’t trust them, for he knew mankind to the core. No one needed to tell him how changeable human nature is!
- John 2:23-24
Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.
- Ephesians 2:19
Loud Crowd:
What’s good for me?
Adopted Family:
What’s God’s good for us?
Church community:
Seen & Known
Encouraged & Challenged
Give & Receive
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
- 1st John 3:1
The Church:
Seen & Known
Encouraged & Challenged
Give & Receive
Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another, to show love, and to do good. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another…
- Hebrews 10:24-25
Church community:
Seen & Known
Encouraged & Challenged
Give & Receive
For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift…
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
- Ephesians 2:8 & 10
Church is a community that helps us hear and see the voice of Jesus so we’re not mislead by the voices of others.
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Notes
The noise around us is so loud and constant.
Everywhere we turn it feels like someone or something is always screaming for our attention. With so many voices that have conflicting ideas, it makes it hard to think clearly and to make good choices.
It drowns-out the one voice we need to hear.
Inner voice
Other’s voices
Enemy’s voice
Inner voice: Regret and dysfunction are painful proofs that our inner voice can’t always be trusted.
This isn’t about blame or shame, it’s not some religious dogma – it’s actual backed by science.
We’ve all rationalized bad decisions. Whether it was buying something you couldn’t afford or didn’t need, doing something you knew was wrong, or opting out of something you should have done, we always seem to be able to justify our decisions.
- Psychology Today
In the scientific literature…our brains causes us to perceive the world around us in ways that contradict objective reality, distorting what we see and hear.
- Vox
Some people think they are doing what’s right. But what they are doing will really kill them.
- Proverbs 14:12
We need a voice that knows and sees better than we do!
The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.
- Jesus of Nazareth - John 6:63
Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It didn’t fall because it was firmly set on bedrock.
- Matthew 7:24-29
But everybody who hears these words of mine and doesn’t put them into practice will be like a fool who built a house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It fell and was completely destroyed.
- Matthew 7:24-29
● We can’t see all
● We don’t know all
● We all trick ourselves
Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.
- Psalm 119:105
● What we can’t see
● What we don’t know
● We all trick ourselves
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.
- 2nd Timothy 3:16
● What we can’t see
● What we don’t know
● We all trick ourselves
Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.
- Psalm 119:29
God’s voice through the Bible anchors us to His truth so our inner voice won’t mislead us!
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Notes
God, break my heart for what breaks yours.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters
- 1 John 3:16
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.
- Psalm 68:5-6
“We are for abused, neglected and orphaned children because we have been cared for by Jesus. Caring for the marginalized, oppressed, and orphaned is not only one of the clearest expressions of the heart of God but also one of the most tangible demonstrations of the Gospel this world will ever see.
- Jason Johnson - All in Orphan Care
“Orphan care demands we interject ourselves into broken stories just as Jesus interjected Himself into ours”
- Jason Johnson
“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”
- Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision.
In the United States:
606,000 children in foster care
23,000 aged out of the system
54,200 were adopted
114,000 were awaiting adoption
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Childwelfare.gov
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'
- Matthew 22:37-39
James 1:27 reminds us, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress."
“Orphan care requires that we stand for justice in a deeply spiritual battle, Just as Jesus, our true Hero, stood for us.” “To be Jesus-centered means to always keep at the forefront of our thinking the belief that it is better to give than to receive, and that true service of others almost always involves true sacrifice of self.”
- Jason Johnson
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
Call to action:
- Support foster families
- Respite care (approval needed)
- Babysitting (approval needed)
- Prevention
- Become a foster parent
- Call Department of Social Services at 240-895-7000
- Adopt
- Orphan care small group
- CASA
“A child born to another woman calls me mommy. The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege is not lost on me.”
- Jody Landers:
“Each of us has a role to play, and every role is important. There is no small service to God; it all matters.”
- Pastor Rick Warren
At SouthPoint, Core value 5 is:
We’re contributors not consumers.
We give, serve, and go to impact eternity and change the world locally, nationally, and globally.
God, break my heart for what breaks yours.
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Notes
When Elijah saw how things were, he ran for dear life to Beersheba, far in the south of Judah. He left his young servant there and then went on into the desert another day’s journey. He came to a lone broom bush and collapsed in its shade, wanting in the worst way to be done with it all.
- 1 Kings 19:3-5 (Message)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
- Matthew 11:28-30 (Message)
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Notes
Improving Your Serve (In marriage and in the world)
Daily Surrender - Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 2:3-5
Daily Honor – Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
Daily Receiving – Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. (Romans 15:7)
Daily Humility – Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. (James 4:10)
The Story of Us – Your “Name” Exercise
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Notes
Now he had to go through Samaria.
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
- John 4:4-24(NIV)
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
“I have no husband,” she replied.
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
- John 4:4-24 (NIV)
Barriers
Gender
Race
Lifestyle
Political/Politics
Social/Economic Class
“The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.”
- John 4:9 (NLT)
Who do you engage with that people are surprised about?
Pour from the well God has given you
LOVE shows up through our actions.
Love because of its action, is a barrier breaker!
It is tangible
It is identifiable
It is powerful
Love because of its action, is a barrier breaker!
It is a witness of the power of God
It is the power & demonstration of the Holy Spirit @ work within you
It authenticates our witness
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Notes
We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.
- 1 John 1:1-3
This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.
- 1 John 1:1-3
We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
- 1 John 1:1-3
Has Christianity done more HARM than GOOD?
Our proclamation of the gospel is in conflict with Our demonstration of the gospel.
God is LIGHT
God is LOVE
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
- 1 John 1:5-8
Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.
If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates his brother, that person is still living in darkness.
- 1 John 2:7-11
Anyone who loves his brother is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates his brother is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.”
- 1 John 2:7-11
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
- 1 John 4:7-13
This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
- 1 John 4:7-13
No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.
- 1 John 4:7-13
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgement, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
- 1 John 4:16-17
“For it is by graceyou have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”
- Ephesians 2:8-9
For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
- Ephesians 2:10
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
- Jesus (Matthew 5:16)
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
- Paul (Galatians 5:6)
Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
- Paul (Philippians 2:12)
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Notes:
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
- John 6:5-12
What are they among so many?
What are you carrying?
As parents we can give our kids “bread and fish.”
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Notes
We stay stuck when our story isn’t part of a bigger story
Not dead – Not done
Mess into message
Disciples have a destiny
The myth of the “Big Moment”
Fiction and fairytales have conditioned us to miss-out on a life that counts
Waiting for a special moment to have our life count
Wastes the everyday moments that build a life that counts
He had to go through Samaria on the way, and around noon as he approached the village of Sychar…
- John 4:4
Jesus was tired from the long walk in the hot sun and sat wearily beside the well.
- John 4:6
Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.
- John 4:13-14
All too true! Jesus said. For you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.
- John 4:17-18
Just then his disciples arrived. They were surprised to find him talking to a woman… Then the woman left her water pot beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone, “Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
- John 4:27-29
When they came out to see him at the well, they begged him to stay at their village; and he did, for two days, long enough for many of them to believe in him after hearing him.
- John 4:40-41
Jesus knew that any ordinary moment can become a God moment!
● Start where you’re at
● Work with what you have
● Take one step
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
- Acts 4:13
Making space for Jesus in our everyday moments builds a life that counts!
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Notes
Failure is unavoidable
Failure isn’t what keeps our life from counting - it’s our response to it that keeps us stuck
We stay stuck when our story isn’t part of a bigger story
Not dead – Not done
Mess into message
Disciples have a destiny
What’s the right response to failure so it doesn’t have the final say in our lives?
Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor…
- 1 Samuel 15:12
Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?
But I did obey the Lord, Saul said. I went on the mission the Lord assigned me.
- 1 Samuel 15:19-20
Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the Lord's command, he has rejected you as king.
- 1 Samuel 15:23-24
Yes, I have sinned, Saul replied. I disobeyed the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of my men and did what they wanted.
- 1 Samuel 15:23-24 & 30
But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel.
- 1 Samuel 15:23-24 & 30
David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger said, Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
- 2 Samuel 11:3-4
Then David sent messengers to get her.
- 2 Samuel 11:3-4
David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. He wrote: Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat and let him be killed.
- 2 Samuel 11:14-15
Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan, As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!
Nathan said to David, You are that man!
- 2 Samuel 12:5 & 7
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
- 2 Samuel 12:13
Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation…
- Acts 13:36
Repentance -> Admit -> Alter
Repentance redirects us back to God’s plan and purpose for our lives
Avoid as much as possible
Admit quickly - no qualifiers
Alter aim – habits/behaviors
Repentance (admitting & altering) allows God’s grace to define our destiny, not our failures.
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Notes
We stay stuck when our story isn’t part of a bigger story
Not dead – Not done
Mess into message
Disciples have a destiny
All of us have flaws that can cause us to fail at living a life that counts
Insecurity
Short-tempered
Prideful
Stubborn
Impulsive
Selfish
Indecisive
Lazy
Abrasive
Greedy
Bitter
Lustful
Dishonest
Immature
Obsessive
Hypocritical
God uses flawed people to reach a flawed world!
PETER
Tells Jesus to “go away”
Sinks in water (lack of faith)
Fighting over “being the greatest”
Rebukes Jesus to His face
Fell asleep when Jesus asked for help
Cuts off soldiers ear
Goes back to fishing
Asks about “other disciple”
Hypocritical people pleaser
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
- Luke 5:8
But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.
Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
- Matthew 14:30-31
He (Jesus) asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
- Mark 9:33-34
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me
- Matthew 16:22-23
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?”
- Mark 14:34 & 37
Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them.
When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
- John 21:20-21
But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore.
- Galatians 2:11-13
Peter’s flaws didn’t have the final say in his life
God’s grace and power had the final say in his life
Foundation of Flaws
How we see ourselves
How we see others
How we see God
Our relationship with Jesus redefines how we see everything
Grace – in Jesus
Truth – in Jesus
Unfailing Love – in Jesus
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Notes
Everyone wants a life that counts…
Jesus gifts anyone a destiny worth living and dying for based on His grace not our goodness!
We’ll all face a circumstance that seems to derail any chance of us fulfilling our dream destiny
RUTH:
Foreigner-Woman-Widowed-Poor
No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”
- Ruth 1:13
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
- Ruth 1:15-18
“Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
- Ruth 1:15-18
Ruth was loyal at great personal cost
One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields so I can gather grain behind whoever permits me to do so.”
- Ruth 2:2 & 11
“She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”
- Ruth 2:2 & 11
Ruth took the “next right step” even though it wasn’t pretty or easy
You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.
- Ruth 3:10-11
Ruth had integrity in the tough times
This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth
Matthew 1:1 & 5
Not the spectacular or special
It’s the small and simple
The character trait of “honoring God” makes space for God’s grace to step in and do what we can’t!
Circumstances: Wrong indicator
Honor God: The next right thing
God honors integrity: now & eternity
Our destiny isn’t determined by circumstances, but by our daily trust in God’s character
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Notes
Everyone wants their life to count…
but, all of us have flaws, failures and circumstances that often disqualify us.
A poor decision
A short-coming
A circumstance
Being banned from a bigger story leaves us with the sickness of selfishness.
He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore.
- Luke 5:2-3
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
- Luke 5:5
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken
- Luke 5:8-9
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
- Luke 5:10-11
Jesus gives the unqualified a destiny worth living and dying for!
● Not dead – Not done
● Mess into message
● Christ-followers are called
For I am the least of all the apostles—I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God's church. But by God's grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect.
- 1st Corinthians 15:9-10
● Not dead – Not done
● Mess into message
● Christ-followers are called
This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that…
- 1st Timothy 1:15-16
Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.
- 1st Timothy 1:15-16
● Not dead – Not done
● Mess into message
● Christ-followers are called
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
- Mark 1:17
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
- Ephesians 2:8-10
Jesus qualifies the undeserved to have a life that counts!
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Notes
Some of life’s most defining moments come from a simple YES!
When they saw him (Jesus), they worshiped him; but some doubted.
- Matthew 28:17
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
- Matthew 28:18-20
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:18-20
Make Disciples
Baptize Them
Teach Them to Obey
“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know.
- Acts 2:22
But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.
- Acts 2:23
But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”
- Acts 2:24, 36
Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
- Acts 2:37-38
Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
- Acts 2:39
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
- Acts 2:41
Our YES to JESUS is the most significant choice will ever make.
Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
- Acts 2:37-38
Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
- Acts 2:39
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day. — about 3,000 in all.
- Acts 2:41
Obstacles to Obedience
Confusion
What is Baptism?
Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward decision.
And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- 1 Peter 3:21
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that,
- Romans 6:3-4
…just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
- Romans 6:3-4
I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!”
- Luke 12:50
Obstacles to Obedience
Confusion
Pride
Fear
Don't allow any obstacle to cheapen your yes to Jesus!
Delayed obedience is diminished obedience!
- Have YOU said, "yes" to Jesus?
- Said, "yes" but have not been baptized.
- Were baptized younger and didn't choose/understand.
4.You believed and were baptized.
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Notes
All of us have a dysfunction that harms the life we want.
Addiction, Pride, Demanding, Passive, Callous, Insecure, Greedy, Lustful, Angry, Impulsive, Controlling, Jealous
The most dangerous dysfunction is the one we’re unwilling to admit or address.
Easy to see in others
Hard to see in myself
Ignoring our dysfunction to focus on the dysfunction of others we can’t fix is madness and hypocrisy.
Heaven on the Inside
before
Heaven on the Outside
What do we do with the dysfunctions that damage the life we want?
Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.”
The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
- John 4:7 & 9
“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
- John 4:10 & 13
Look good
Feel good
Be good
“I don’t have a husband,” she answered.
“You’re right! You don’t have a husband – for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
- John 4:17-18
Look good – Feel good – Be good
SELF at the expense of others
OTHERS at expense of self
“But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now—when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.”
Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah.”
- John 4:23&26
God doesn’t want a religious costume, He’s looking for real heart devotion.
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
Surrender to Jesus removes the core cause of our dysfunctions.
Self-Centered – Christ-Centered
Admit
Replace
Repeat
Selfishness = Dysfunction
Surrender to Jesus = Life
Brokenness everywhere – Heaven in PART
Brokenness nowhere – Heaven in FULL
All of us will have struggles we can’t overcome by ourselves.
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Notes
Everyone feels the influence of FEAR in some way
“A Culture of Fear”
Media
Advertisers
Politicians
Churches
Fear is a powerful motivator. The last 50 years of empirical research on fear-arousing messaging has shown evidence that high fear messages are generally more effective than low fear messages in changing people’s actions, intentions, and attitudes.
Fear is peddled for profit, not for our benefit
PROBLEM:
Fear distorts our focus and warps our decisions leading to unhealthy results
All of us will have struggles we can’t overcome by ourselves
Heaven on the inside
BEFORE
Heaven on the outside
How do we deal with the normal feelings of fear?
ThereforeI tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?
- Matthew 6:25
And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’
- Matthew 6:27&31-33
…but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. But above all pursue his kingdom and righteous-ness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So then, do not worry about tomorrow
- Matthew 6:32-34
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
- Matthew 6:21-22
But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other…You cannot serve both God and worldly riches.
- Matthew 6:23-24
Consume:
Self-Image
Self-Gratification
Self-Preservation
Creator:
Christ-Centered
Identity
Character
Priorities
Our focus on God drives our decisions not our feelings of fear
What we value
Who we trust
How we control
Feeling fear is normal
Jesus’ love determines our actions, not fear
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Notes
Everyone experience unavoidable pain in life.
Pain of Failure
Pain of Suffering
Pain of Loss
The agony of pain often overwhelms us into medicating our lives no matter what the cost
WHY?
No answer will fix our feelings.
Some can help shape our responses though.
All of us will have struggles we can’t overcome by ourselves.
Pain
Ourselves
Others
Life
Dignity of Choice
Dignity of Consequences
Pain proves life is broken
John the Baptist who was now in prison, heard about all the miracles the Messiah was doing, so he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you really the one we are waiting for, or shall we keep looking?”
- Matthew 11:2-3
Again the next day John was standing there with two of his disciples. Gazing at Jesus as he walked by he said, “Look the Lamb of God.” When John’s two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
- John 1:35-37
Pain blinded John from the very problem Jesus came to fix.
The young man who died was a widows only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion.
- Luke 7:12-13
When Jesus saw her weeping and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed. Jesus WEPT.
- John 11:33 & 35
I have told you these things so that in me, you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
- John 16:33
Look, God’s home is now among his people…He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.
- Revelation 21:2-3
Jesus joined us in our pain.
Jesus conquered what brings pain.
Jesus promises pain is temporary.
The unfailing love of God found in Jesus conquered the cause of our unavoidable pain.