The Point Church: Recent Episodes

The Point Church

Listen to Pastor Greg as he teaches biblical lessons designed for spiritual growth and inspiration.

Jesus’ Word

John 4:46-54

46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.

47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.

52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

PROBLEM

It’s common for people to come to Jesus as a last resort
It’s common for people to say they’d believe in Jesus if they could see a sign
But would they believe in Jesus or in miracles? There is a difference.

GOD

The royal official was used to getting his way
But in his hopelessness, he turned to Jesus
Many of us insist things happen our way
But the royal official was a peace with Jesus’ way

APPLICATION

Faith is not receiving what you want but accepting what God gives
It is claiming what Jesus names
It is trust without demanding a sign
Believing that Jesus loves me enough to ______

VISION

Faith is resting in the power of his word
Whether I study or read at home, Jesus is with me
By the Spirit and the word, we have all of Jesus there is to have
Verse 50- believed the miracle, but it didn’t stop with there. Verse 53- believed in Jesus

John 2:1-11

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,

2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so,

9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside

10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

1 Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear

Jn 4:18 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.”

What are people dealing with?* Some have an unsolvable problems * Their security is being threatened * Things they never expected

Daily life* Texas abortion pill ruling – taking sides * Ukraine or Taiwan – World War III? * Does anybody respect anybody anymore?

We all have a lot of the same questions* Why can’t we live in peace? * Why is there so much resistance? * Ever feel like you don’t belong here?

Easter is about the past, present, and futureThe WHY of Easter* Problem with creation * Solution to creation * We were not made for this world

**1 Corinthians 15: 35-44**35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”**36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.**37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.**38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.**39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.**40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.**41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.**42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;**43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;**44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.** Keep your eye on the future

**Matthew 21 1-2: NIV**"Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

**Zechariah 9:9**Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

**Luke 19:37-38**When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:“Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

**Luke 19:39-40**Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” “Hosanna! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

**Psalms 118:25-29 (NIV)**O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

**Luke 19:41-44**As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Their expectation was that He came to rescue them from the temporary but he came to rescue them from the permanent

**Psalm 31:19 MSG**What a stack of blessing you have piled up for those who worship you, Ready and waiting for all who run to you to escape an unkind world.

2 Kings 6:8-17

8 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.”

9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.”

10 So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.

11 This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

12 “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”

13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.”

14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Problems are real and God is able guide you past them

The way we deal with difficulty is to find a distraction from it. God’s way is the opposite. Acknowledge that the enemy is great, but understand that God’s love is greater
Both unbelievers and believers lack faith in God’s goodness. Unbelievers walk away from God and believers worry
The proof of God is not that problems disappear, but that God has kept you surrounded
The servant thought he was surrounded by the enemy but the enemy was surrounded by God

What God sees is more real than what we see

We don’t walk by sight, we walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7). To be at peace we have to remember the unseen realm
We can’t visibly see angels, God, what he’s up to, or his plan. But when it seems he’s absent, is when He’s doing the most. Joseph & Dothan
What do you think of God vs what does God think of you?
Problems of adoption: parents + God

We can trust God’s love for us

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). You may feel you’re in the fire but the good news is you’re not in there by yourself. The 4th man is there with you
The goal of a lecture is information, of motivational speech is inspiration, and of a sermon is that you leave worshiping and the way you worship is you see God
People need to see God, which leaves pastors in a dilemma, because no preacher can create spiritual sight

**2 Kings 3:9-20**9 So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.**10 “What!” exclaimed the king of Israel. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to deliver us into the hands of Moab?”**11 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?”An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”**12 Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.**13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why do you want to involve me? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.”“No,” the king of Israel answered, “because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to deliver us into the hands of Moab.”**14 Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you.** 15 But now bring me a harpist.”While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha **16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water.** 17 For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. **18 This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands.** 19 You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”**20 The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.** Starting out without God* Elisha had followed the camp as a volunteer. The kings never cared to ask him about God. Now he has three kings waiting at his door. * The Moabites were not the real enemy. Their failure to seek God was * One problem became two. That’s the reality. Need a spiritual clarification about the physical reality

Needing God’s help* Worship music is to set the atmosphere for God to speak * You can come here for the sermon but you don’t need a sermon, you need a word from the Lord * The Holy Spirit is referred to as the life-giving fountain, and the water for the soul

Stepping out in faith* If God is your partner, make your plans big. * People burn plows and set out to live for God but then get stuck because they don’t think big enough and don’t start small enough * God won’t trust you with a big dream if He can’t trust you to start small

Doing what God gives you to do* Digging a ditch is creating space for God to fill * Daily time with God, relationships, marriages, careers, ministries, every area of our lives * “I forgive you” is a ditch. I’m going to be vulnerable, and ask that you fill up this space…

Receiving what God gives* God wants us ready to catch the blessing * We are not digging alone and it’s not in vain * God wants us and our church full of empty trenches, ready to receive the water/ Holy Spirit

**1 Kings 5:1-14** Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. * Usually we are more familiar with someone’s victories than with their vulnerabilities * Syria recently experienced a deadly earthquake

**Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.** She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”**Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.** “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. **The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”** * Naaman represents everyone seeking God

As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” * The king saw a fight, Elisha saw an opportunity * We feel angry whenever life presents us with something we are not equipped for. (dad, bill/job, faith to believe) * Most of us fight the opportunities God is actually sending us (I didn’t expect…)

**When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”** So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. **Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”**But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. **Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.** * 2 most dangerous words between you and peace. (thank you, piano) * Elisha didn’t run after him. He let God work through another * He became angry because he didn’t go in. When I don’t go into the presence of God, when I don’t ask God, “What are you doing in this situation”? When I don’t seek the spirit of God to lead me. If I would have taken one moment and said, “I don’t wanna fight about this. I don’t wanna be right. I wanna be healed. I don’t want to prove my own power. I wanna receive your power.

Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” **So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.**

**Luke 4:24, 27**“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown… And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” * When we are obeying God we don’t see the change. His skin didn’t heal with every dip. We need to have faith for the end. * As long as we want to be in control, we’ll be angry. That’s why we have the presence of God. This is the Jordan river where we can dip 7 times. Isn’t it interesting that God’s greatest goal in Naaman’s life was not to heal his skin, but to produce faith in his heart.

**2 Kings 4:1-2**The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” 2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT YOU REALLY WANT, GOD IS WHAT YOU REALLY NEED.

2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all...” STOP WAITING FOR WHAT YOU WANT AND START WORKING WITH WHAT YOU HAVE.

**2 Kings 4:2**“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” OFFER GOD WHAT YOU HAVE AND TRUST HIM TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED.

**2 Kings 4:3-7**3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” 5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

**2 Corinthians 4:7**7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay...

PROBLEM – letting go* Nursing home illustration. It’s a common thing to be in the same place/mindset for many decades because we trusted ourselves more than God * We want to hold onto the familiar, the plow, because that is what we’ve always known. But if God is going to move you, it’s going to require you to give up some things * We love things that are about us

GOD – a quick yes **1 Kings 19:19-21**So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. * God calls us when we don’t think we are ready. Moses> bush, David>shepherd, Nehemiah>cupbearer, Peter>fishing, Matthew>tax collecting, Elisha>plowing

APPLICATION Ready to go Elisha’s response was immediate, showing that he was not only internally and spiritually prepared, but also that he was all in. He didn’t need 24 hours to think it over. * Ready to change “Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant” -1 Kings 19:21. The test for Elisha was if he was prepared to take a subservient role. To become a servant, subjecting himself to the will of another. To place himself at the disposal of another, ready to take orders from him, ready to promote his interests. To give the best of what he has to the one he serves * Ready for the season* God is working in every season of our lives, there’s not one thing you’re doing right now that God’s not going to use at some point in your life. Our steps are ordered by the Lord. Many times he will make us a bit uncomfortable before we step into a new season

VISION – are we ready?* Peter Milne- tribe of headhunters in the New Hebrides islands, in the south Pacific, off Australia’s coast * It all started with a plow but it’s going to end on a mountain. Perhaps your marriage is going through it right now, it’s all starting with the plow, but it’s going to end with “look what the Lord has done.” Maybe you got a report from the doctors that wasn’t favorable, but it’s going to end with the report, “look what God has done.” It started off with a plow but it’s about to end with the mantle. It’s time to kill the cow and burn the plow * if you are brave enough to say goodbye, God will greet you with a new hello

Thriving Together

PROBLEM – the need for God

What is our situation?
All we need to do is… science, archeology, Bibles, tech
Nothing short of a mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God is adequate to deal with our situation

GOD – God wants you to know his love

Ephesians 3:16-19 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
The word “revival”means “to bring back to life, a restoration, rejuvenation, or renewal of interest after spiritual neglect. Many beginnings

APPLICATION – God wants you to be filled with his presence + power

Definition: extraordinary, repentance, presence, obedience, individual and corporate, evangelism
What did Noah have to do with drawing the animals to the ark? A vision of people being drawn into the Ark and not animals. The Ark is Jesus, our safety. If we are being drawn into the Ark that means sudden and massive judgment is coming on the earth. Please don’t ignore His drawing that you may find safety and refuge in the Ark (presence) of the Lord. Time is standing still for a great harvest!
Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
A time is coming when God may not be easily found. No one knows how much time he or she may have left.

VISION – get ready for what God is going to do

After Acts 2 – miracles and signs were common, the church grew, persecution rose and the Holy Spirit moved in a whole new dimension! We need to get ready for what’s next!

PROBLEM* When choosing a spouse … you’re also accepting several unsolvable problems * You don’t need a big marriage book to save your marriage; you need a big God

GOD **Colossians 3:23–24**Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving

**Proverbs 3:6 TLB**In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success APPLICATION* Pray first (keep this on the screen until I get to the dream detective part)- losing car key illustration + We think we can just keep looking and eventually we’ll find what we’re missing + Apart from God’s daily intervention, we can do nothing to help our marriage + What are we doing to prevent God from working? + Lesson learned: go to God first rather than last * Move from “your spouse and you”, to “your spouse, you, and God” + Approach your spouse softly about a problem + Develop strategies to avoid confrontations (housework)

VISION* Become a dream detective + Our deepest dreams are frequently rooted in childhood - Are you treating your spouse the way you learned from Jesus? * Father, I surrender all of me to you right now. I put you first from now on and choose to find my life, my happiness, in Jesus alone. Fill me with your Son, Jesus, in such a powerful way that I became the man/woman you created me to be. In the power of the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

1) God-Honoring Sex starts before the bedroom. **Song of Solomon 4:1**“How beautiful you are my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves.” Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from the hills of Gilead.”

**Song of Solomon 4:2**Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone.

**Song of Solomon 4:3-4**“Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. “Your neck is like the tower of David, built with [the] courses of stone.” 2) God-Honoring Sex is a Passionate Priority **Song of Solomon 4:5**“Your breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies.”

**Song of Solomon 4:6**“Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense. 3) God-honoring Sex is built on absolute trust. **Song of Solomon 4:7**You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. 4) God-Honoring Sex is Holy **Song of Solomon 4:12-13**You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain. Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits...

**Mark 10:8**And the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

**Ephesians 5:25-33**Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. * What is your main responsibility toward your wife? * What is the real cause of failure, ultimately, in marriage?

4 Principles Of Loving Your Spouse:Showing Attention **1 Thessalonians 5:11**Encourage one another and build one another up**.** * Will a couple chat while they eat lunch? If they do, they are repairing and building connection * In strong marriages, couples are always making overtures for each other’s attention, affection, humor, or support. * Each person responds to each overture either by turning toward the spouse or turning away. A tendency to turn toward your spouse is the basis of trust, emotional connection, and passion.

Increasing Trust **Proverbs 27:17**As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. * Emotionally intelligent husbands have figured out how to convey honor and respect. * Emerson Eggerichs “Crazy Cycle,” a woman’s number one need is to feel cherished and loved, and a man’s number one need is to feel respected. If a wife doesn’t feel loved by her husband, she reacts by not showing respect for him. Then he responds to that lack of respect by not loving her. * If you respect your wife’s ability in areas that she is better at, she will likely give you authority in areas that you are better at.

Deepening Connection **James 1:19**My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. * Reunite at the end of the day and talk about how it went. * Take your partner’s side. This means expressing support even if you think his or her perspective is unreasonable. Don’t back the opposition! Let him or her complain. * When you understand someone’s childhood, you understand them.

Making Peace **Romans 12:10**Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. * Care about your spouse’s feelings, not what is right or wrong. Your job is to make her feel safe. * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOqgbk2tYd8&t=1s * Baseline emotions & emotional control * You are a gift from God to help them heal

All couples fight: * Healthy couples fight clean. * Unhealthy couples fight dirty. * Healthy couples work toward resolution. * Unhealthy couples work to win.

**James 1:19-20**Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. STOP TO LISTEN CAREFULLY.GUARD YOUR WORDS FAITHFULLY. **Proverbs 21:23 NLT**Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.

**Proverbs 19:11**Insightful people restrain their anger; their glory is to ignore an offense.

**Proverbs 27:5**Wounds from a friend are faithful… HANDLE YOUR ANGER RIGHTEOUSLY. **James 1:19**Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…

**Ephesians 4:26-27**"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. The Story I’m Making Up Is… **Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT**Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!

**Romans 12:21**Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Reason #1: Not enough emotional intelligence* Unfortunately, many of the people we know have failed at relationships, so we don’t have as many great examples to model after as we need. * In most marriages, it only takes six months for one to look at the other and say, “I wish I would have never married you!” * Emotional Intelligence: example of mother * Getting to know your spouse better is a lifelong process. Fondness + Admiration + Appreciation

Reason #2: Lack of depending on God to enable us to love* No wonder the biblical term for sexual love is to “know.” * A godly marriage is like a triangle. 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. * Why do we need God? There’s plenty of love without God… for myself.

**Ephesians 4:1-3 CEB**Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. Reason #3: Not making friendship the heart of the relationship* A marriage that includes God isn’t a one-time deal; it is a daily surrender. You want a real definition of marriage? It’s gonna be a lot of dying to self, throughout the day. * Is there a more important person than your spouse for you to follow all of the biblical mandates to show love to?? * Betrayal is any act or life choice that doesn’t prioritize the commitment and put the partner “before all others.”

Reason #4: Making your feelings the priority of the marriage* A marriage that includes God is a place where you lose yourself—not necessarily in the dreams and ambitions of your spouse, but rather in the dreams and direction of a trustworthy Father. * Key question: What’s the life God wants for your spouse? * God takes weeping that has lasted all night and somehow turns it into a joyful morning of rejoicing
He takes ashes—the final, worthless thing that remains when everything has burned to the ground—and produces something beautiful
He transforms death into life. This is not just a metaphor; this is literally what God does

**Acts 27:20-25**When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.

**Revelation 3:1b-3b**I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.

**Proverbs 16:9**In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

**Luke 1:26-29**…God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. Confused and disturbed = Freaking Out

**Luke 1:30-38 NLT**“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High... Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God... Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” You don’t always have the power to control, but you do always have the power to surrender

When you overestimate your ability to control We Underestimate the power of God.

PROBLEM – we don’t see the miraculousAlbert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.”

The Miracle Of Breath by James Robinson. Consider the journey of an oxygen atom. The same atom, which at this moment hovers around your face, was once in the lungs of a dinosaur.

The journey begins when you take a simple breath. For what it’s worth, the average person moves about 440 cubic feet of air every day! You ought to have a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day.

The oxygen atom travels through the trachea into the lungs. If spread out, the surface area of your lungs could cover a tennis court — all compressed within the tiny confines between your ribs. That oxygen atom then hitchhikes with hemoglobin and travels throughout the entire human body via blood vessels. If those blood vessels were laid end to end they would be approximately 100,000 miles long.

The blood vessels in your body could wrap around the equator four times! At the end of the journey, oxygen enters individual cells, bonds with the food we eat and releases energy. Biologists call it cellular respiration. I’d call it a miracle.

Webster defines a miracle as ‘an extraordinary, unusual wonder or marvel. Isn’t a bloodstream 100,000 miles long, in a human body an unusual wonder? Isn’t the journey of an oxygen atom a true marvel? We don’t need supernatural events to experience a miracle! All we need is breath. The human breath is Sacred. Cherish your breathing: it is the miraculous gift of life to us from God.

We can live as if nothing is a miracle. Or we can live as if everything is.

GOD – we miss the miraculous because it doesn’t fit in our box. **Luke 2:8-14**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, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”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.” The most important event in human history is announced first to people who occupy a modest position in society.

God’s coming to shepherds with the Word would be much like seeing a headline tomorrow morning

I find it fascinating that God didn’t reveal himself to the religious leaders or influencers or the successful people

APPLICATION – peace that only God can giveJust as fast as the angels appeared in the sky, they vanished from sight and the shepherds are plunged into darkness once again.

So what kind of peace are the angels referring to?

Three gifts of peace

God’s guidance and personal presence with us
The ministry of others – Angels gather among us
The hope of heaven

VISIONPeace can be found no matter what the circumstances. The most real part about you is your soul, and when your soul is at peace with God, you have the capacity to endure any circumstance from this world.

PROBLEM Not much info on Joseph. No mention in John and Mark or the rest of the Bible. No words are recorded. * His life was set until a dream changed everything*.

GOD **Matthew 1:18-21**This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband, was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” * Jesus’ name means the same as Joshua’s in Hebrew—“Yahweh saves,” or “God saves”. The Joshua that led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land in their last stage of deliverance from bondage in Egypt. * According to Matthew, Jesus will save his people, as Moses and Joshua did. He, too, will lead them out of bondage, but in this case it is an even deeper bondage than physical enslavement. * Jesus will deliver them from the stranglehold that sin has over their lives, and he’s going to rebuild us from the inside out so that we might do the right thing, that we might pursue God’s will and that we might love.

APPLICATION Don’t be afraid to carry out the mission that God is asking you to perform. What is about to happen is part of God’s plan, as the prophet foretold. God is with you. God will keep you. God will see you through. * We assess the world as it is; we look to see what the world is supposed to be like; and then we seek to close the gap. This gap is what dreams are made of. When we think about who God is and who God calls us to be and how the world is supposed to be… suddenly we find dreams welling up inside of us. * In the book, “A Trip Around The Sun”. Einstein as a teenager was intrigued by the cosmos and wonder of physics crept into Albert’s dreams. One night, he dreamed he was sledding down a hill faster and faster until he approached the speed of light. The stars radiated a broad spectrum of colors. He was entranced when he awoke, he knew he had to understand the dream. In later years, he said that his entire scientific career was a meditation on that dream. * Pay attention to the dreams*, and you give yourself to God. You make yourself available and to be his presence in the world.

VISION With 3 dreams, Joseph pursues, sacrifices himself, takes great risks, humbles himself to protect the Christ Child and Mary and he ends up mentoring Jesus. So much of what Jesus says and does is rooted in what he learned from his father. * When we seek to protect the Christ who has been born in us, Joseph’s story makes me wonder sometimes, especially during this season, if I am doing all that I can to protect that which has been born in me as fiercely as I would if the lives of my own children were at risk? It can’t help but change and transform the lives of those around us. * Someone you know is facing a dark time in his or her life, or simply struggling against the darkness in our world, may be waiting on you to be a living reminder that the Lord is near, that God is always with us. Someone may be depending on you to provide the presence of God’s angels. For someone, you may be a sustaining light. * Welles Crowther. When we orient our way of seeing to focus on God, we may come to recognize the conduits of God’s love* that we call angels are always among us.

PROBLEM* “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:45-46).undistinguished and unimportant. <400 * If I were Mary, I would be thinking, I’m only a peasant girl. I’m a nobody. history is about the powerful.

GOD **Luke 1:26-41** In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. * Jesus declared that he had come to bring “good news to the poor” (John 4:18).

APPLICATION What does it mean to be favored by God?* born sinless or being so good? We are all favored by God. * The One who formed you has called you by name. You are loved. * women and slaves- equal value and importance with those who were rich and powerful * “Here am I, the servant of the Lord,” she says to Gabriel. “Let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). steps out in faith, just as the disciples did, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19). * The struggles will be worth living a favored life in God’s presence. * When we are favored, when we are given an honor yoked with struggle, when we are afraid that we can’t possibly meet the expectations of that honor, we would do well to remember that we can’t, but God can if we will trust in the power and the presence of the Most High. For “nothing will be impossible with God.” * a profound sense of mystery and awe at being a participant in the creation of new life.

VISION the church* beautiful scene-two women, find themselves in very similar circumstances. * One seeks out the company of the other, and together they wait for what has been promised to them and to the world. In their waiting, they represent the waiting of Israel. In their waiting together the Holy Spirit is present. In their example of waiting together and offering mutual encouragement, they become the first example of what the Christian community should be for one another: a community that waits together in mutual faith and encouragement for the promise of what has been conceived in them. * Sometimes angels come disguised as young men as mechanics ready to dispel our fears and give us courage to face what needs to be done. * you recognize those angels when they appear in your midst, and may you be that angel in someone else’s time of fear and need.

PROBLEM* Specifically Adventus (Advent) referred to a visitation by the emperor—an event that required people to make special preparations. * Zechariah didn’t believe that God would answer long-forgotten prayers in unexpected ways. Secretly disappointed and afraid to admit it. Do what supposed to do, never really believing that God is at work * We all ask, “does God really still care about what’s happening in my life and in the lives of those around me?” * God often leaves indicators that he is at work, if we just keep our eyes and hearts open for them.

GOD* God prepares our minds and hearts for this story. So he begins with the story of Zechariah and Elisabeth.

**Luke 1:11-17**Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” * Zacharia needs a sign, something that will help him to believe. He is given one, but it comes as a punishment; * Zacharias has been praying for a miracle. God says, “Prayer granted.” God can’t do that.” “God wasn’t wasting his time when he sent me. I’m not wasting my time by coming, so don’t you waste my time with that question!” Convince Liz, charades

APPLICATION* Underestimating God is just as serious as rebelling against God. Look at the gospels—the thing that frustrated Jesus the most was a lack of faith. * We are literally talking about an 80-year-old woman going into the bathroom with a stick, and coming out with a plus sign. * When you read the Bible do you ever see yourself in it? Do you feel like the illustration is about you or the letter addressed to you? Because in an important way, it is. * God takes care of everybody and God blesses everybody.

VISION* When we are in darkness, God is preparing a light that will lead us into the way of peace. And God is preparing us to be a light that leads others to peace. * Often the best life lessons: experience things that drive us to him and to his promises. God will bring his promise to pass. But not in the way you expect. * Illustration: Stem cell transplant after high risk surgery. 50% success. Knew no one else. Cried at table. Lady from Egypt. “We don’t have anyone here from Egypt.” He went on to say, “We get stories like this all the time here at MD Anderson. You’ve just experienced an angel sighting!” * “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). John’s mission to be a source of stimulating others to find God is something we all can seek to follow.

PROBLEM What benefit is God to you? How our relationship with God is like marriage. Contract v covenant. Called off example, vows. What does it mean to trust God? Our end of the deal is to live like Jesus. But what is God’s end? That’s a bit confusing. What are we trusting God for? To provide and protect. But we lock our doors at night. Our trust is in your locks. Protection- insurance. Act of God. insurance against God. God […]

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PROBLEM The real problem for the Church is not that people are asking these questions but when the Church stops listening, being empathetic, and caring for those who are hurting. I would be willing to assume that we have all struggled with the problem of evil in our own way. Many of my atheist friends think that Fry’s response is fantastic. That’s naive. It is striking that this God allows, even encourages, questioning. a large part of the Psalms, and […]

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At the core of the image of God is the restoration of the perfect relationship between the trinity + us. PROBLEM – Living without God creates a lot of problems If you can’t love yourself you are going to have problems. Loving yourself is necessary for happiness. Where there is a lack of self-love, there’s also an assumption of being unlovable to the core. If you’re not really loving yourself, your message is “I don’t love me for my strengths […]

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PROBLEM Financial success is seen in a mixed light. It’s a blessing from God, yes, but it’s also tremendously dangerous. Money can derail us spiritually, even if we are “succeeding” financially. Money itself is neither good nor bad, but its use is highly spiritual. Money is a deceptive force that can capture people’s hearts, drawing them away from God like a powerful magnet. The closer you get to a magnet, the harder it pulls—and the more you give your heart […]

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Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Acts 13:36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. The greatest tragedy in […]

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PROBLEM “Last week, I was reading my Bible and praying. But just five minutes after I finished, I found myself yelling at my husband and kids. What’s wrong with me?”. I’ve tried following biblical principles to improve my marriage, but we feel closer to a divorce than to each other. I’m afraid to tell my Christian friends I’ve fallen into an overwhelming sense of depression. They’ll just tell me I need to trust God more. For years I’d been taught […]

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Salvation has a 4,000 year history What do people think church is for? What is a Christian? Pray to Jesus and go to heaven In the image of God – Balloons Tree of decision Genesis 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. Battle […]

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PROBLEM All of us can choose to forgive or not. If you were hurt you can choose to forgive everyone or no one. You can choose if you’ll be a victim or a victor. There is a story of a father and 3 siblings. They resented their father for being so indifferent to them. One day as the father was dying he told the son that he gave his children a better life than he had. His father would punish […]

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Problem What if our individual sins are not really the problem? What if the real problem for us is how others see us, whether they think we are good or bad? What is our response? How can I do better? (recent examples) Bible – Adam and Eve From the start they were perfectly loved by God and perfectly loved each other. They could look at each other in the face. Then – “You will be like God” You can do […]

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Luke 17:1, 3-5 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come… 3 So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that […]

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PROBLEM – forgiveness fixes brokenness We don’t like conflict, and yet we have so much of it. Forgiveness is an emotionally charged topic, especially when we’ve been deeply wounded. We sinful people who will regularly hurt and be hurt by other sinful people. Victim+izer Too many people dread learning about forgiveness. They fear they will learn what they ought to do and that what they ought to do will make them miserable. GOD – repeat offenders Only God’s Word helps […]

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PROBLEM Prayer as a wedge into our busy schedules vs the life we are already living Prayer is about how God welcomes us into what He is doing and how we welcome God into what we are doing. Our response to life: You can pray Illustration: Billy “Graham started praying when he got up this morning, he prayed while eating breakfast, he prayed on the way over here in the car they sent for us, and he’ll probably be praying […]

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PROBLEM It just feels like we can’t find the joy in things, like we are too aware to trust or hope. Everyone has an angle. Unlike our parents , we never believed in anything. Our defining characteristic is cynicism. But that’s a double – edged sword. It protects you from crushing disappointment, but it paralyzes you from doing anything. David Goliath. Answer to prayer I think it would have happened anyways. Pastor Mary. Paul in prison. You cannot go on […]

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PROBLEM Powerful and effective prayer is how God extends His kingdom, it’s how he defeats Satan and his empire of darkness and evil, and it’s how God brings His good will on earth. It is God’s means of covering the earth with His blessings. F.B. Meyer – “The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.” In 1952, Albert Einstein at Princeton, What is there left in the world for original dissertation research? Find out about prayer. […]

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Some of us lack focus. Some of us lack confidence. Some of us lack faith. Prayer isn’t just an action you do.Prayer is a way that you live. At His baptism. (Lk 3:21-22) In the morning before heading to Galilee. (Mk 1:35-36) After healing people. (Lk 5:16) All night before choosing His disciples. (Lk 6:12-13) While speaking to the Jewish leaders. (Mt 11:25-26) Giving thanks to the Father before feeding 5,000. (Jn 6:11, Mt 14:19, Mk 6:41, Lk 9:16) Before […]

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PROBLEM – Why we don’t pray and why we should What motivates us to pray? Trouble. Fears: God’s not going to do it. Wonder if God doesn’t want what I want? God wants your best, can you trust him? Is there something you want so bad but you know God doesn’t want that for you? Psalm 88 asks, is God praised for the bad things? Answers to prayer glorify God. GOD – God has a purpose for us and he […]

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PROBLEM And even after walking with Jesus for quite a while I still find that when it comes to prayer, I’m a learner. I still feel like such a rookie sometimes. I’ve learned a lot about prayer, but I still also have a long way to go. But that is how everyone feels about prayer. It’s like asking Jacques Cousteau how much he knows about the ocean. But as important as prayer is, it is also pretty difficult, isn’t it? […]

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PROBLEM – Why is mercy so hard Grace is what God gives us – Mercy is what we give others – Compassion is what people deserve (fine line). Opposite- ruthless, cruel, inhumane. Judge and executioner Do you ever think to yourself, Is my life really pleasing to God? Mercy isn’t natural for me, complaining is. Pizza guy GOD – But it’s what we do A story of mercy Matthew 18:23-35 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who […]

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PROBLEM Lots of people seek the spiritual for help. Apparently, the religious website Beliefnet sends out more than 8 million daily emails of spiritual wisdom in various flavors to more than 5 million subscribers. Generic inspiration is the most popular 2.4 million emails, followed by inspirations from the Bible with 1.6 million. But there are 460,000 subscribers to the Buddhist thought of the day, 313,000 Torah devotees, 268,000 subscribers to daily Muslim wisdom, and 236,000 who get spiritual weight loss […]

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The fastest way to kill something beautiful and unique is to compare it to something else. Comparison is the thief of joy Teddy Roosevelt Matthew 25:14-30 14 Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man […]

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Problems leadership was a blend of competence and character. Until a friend remarked, “Did you ever stop to think that most failures in leadership are failures in character and not failures in competence?” If character is the reason most people fail, what causes most of our character failures? who I think I am is not who I am. Who I say I am is not who I am. Character is this: who I am at my core is displayed through […]

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FUNNY PICS OF WHY KIDS ARE MAD PROBLEM The first thing that a sinful heart causes us to do is to believe a lie that dates all the way back to the garden. The lie that we can be independent from God. For kids, the bottom line is they are asserting they don’t need, or want, a parent to guide them. But behind the behavior, whether good or bad, something on our inside is hooked to something dangerous on the […]

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The quality of your decisions determines the quality of your life. Deuteronomy 3:19-20 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years […]

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The Perfect Parent These principles are applicable to all relationships… God is here to help you now If God did a lot for me in the past, future, why isn’t he doing something for me now? Ready to help you where he has placed you today. Hebrews 12:7-11 CEV Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don't all parents correct their children? God corrects all his children, and if he doesn't correct you, […]

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PROBLEM One way or another, parenting is at the center of many people’s lives, either as a parent or a child of parents. But one of the things that is hard about parenting for Christians, is that it can take our focus off of Jesus. It’s easy to do. I did that myself. Like many parents, I felt deep frustration for the problems my kids faced and many times I took it personally. Are you familiar with how things have […]

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Carla and her husband served 13 years in Russia and Ukraine as a pastor and church leader. After planting the Moscow Church of the Nazarene, they planted 50 churches in Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan and other countries. She will share with us about the churches in Ukraine and how their church families are staying on mission even during a war. Today Carla is a world leader for our church (Church of the Nazarene). Click here for her wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carla_Sunberg

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Mothers Day Happy Mother’s Day A couple years ago I read this book about getting a piece of advice from biblical characters if we could. (Great cloud of witnesses) John Maxwell- Running with the Giants. The idea that while we’re in the race of life, that these characters would come down from the stands and run a lap with us and give us advice from their lives. Then he wrote another book called learning from the Giants. Then he wrote […]

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Hey welcome everyone! Today we’re starting a new teaching series on the family. Sometimes we teach verse by verse out of a book of the bible and occasionally we take topics and see what God’s word has to say about them. So today and for the next couple weeks as we head into summer we’re going to be talking about family and all its wonderful, difficult and rewarding complexities. And the Bible has so much to say about families and […]

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Why Fear, Just Do ItAnd Seize The Moment Acts 18: 1 - 17 1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy came […]

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A Moment of Change Romans 8:10-11 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. PROBLEM Have you ever had a moment that changed everything […]

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Today is an important day in Christianity- Palm Sunday Why? The day that marks the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. That’s cool but what do we care? It’s the day that all the followers of Jesus celebrated Him as King and in this one action He fulfilled prophecies about being the coming Messiah. On this side of history, we know Jesus and celebrate Him as the one who came to save us, the Messiah. But back in those times, […]

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God Never Changes Suffering in this life is inevitable but it doesn’t change God. He ultimately brings everything perfectly together. And that is why we praise him. Acts 16:25-30 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 […]

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Conversion Is True Acts 26:9-18 INTRO Last week we briefly mentioned a young man named Saul who was persecuting the Christians. The follow up to that persecution was a lot of conversions to Jesus that happened as a result. It started with many being converted in Samaria, then Simon the sorcerer, then the Ethiopian and now the conversion of Saul himself. In the New Testament, Saul and Paul are the same person. Saul was his Hebrew name and Paul was […]

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What To Do With Suffering Acts 8:-3 And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. PROBLEM Why do people suffer? People have been looking […]

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Acts 5:12-18The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on […]

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Acts 3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then […]

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Mission Enlightenment Project Interview with Interview of Dr Fletcher Tink, director of PhD-TD program at APNTS

Manila You can contact Dr. Fletcher Tink Here: FletchT@aol.com

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Interview with Founder of the Trash Punx, Justin Imamura

You can contact them at TheTrashPunx@gmail.com

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PROBLEM * Lots of people talk about how we are isolating more from others. * Loneliness as the #1 problem * We all are going to church less and less * I miss calling church “God’s house”

GOD

**Acts 2:42-47** They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

**Matthew 16:18** “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” He says, “I will [future tense, sometime soon] build My church”–it’s going to happen.

From Israel> to church; jews>all nations; israel as a nation> people from every nation
The first church was the prototype
Verse 42
Note how everything was done in fellowship

APPLICATION * To the early Christian, fellowship meant, “to hold something in common” or “to share something.” * Why was fellowship needed? * The antidote to the persecution became the “one another” experiences * Why is fellowship so important today? – danger of moving away from the prototype + Without concentrated effort, we drift away from Jesus + The call of Jesus is higher than our personal preferences + Those closest to you can pull you away from Jesus

VISION * We are to encourage each other to continue to grow closer to Jesus. * The most precious thing we share together is our connection with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. * The Church is a place to deal with sin and find forgiveness and salvation. * When we pray in church we get a strong sense that he hears us and will answer in powerful ways

Pray together 1. It starts with our hearts 2. How am I looking to God to lead me 3. Who are you close to? 4. church and Church

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A Small Thing To Do THE SITUATION Illustration of 2 birds on a board in the middle of the ocean.

People are in situations where they feel they don’t belong.

SCRIPTURE

``` 2 Kings 5:1-14 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. ```

NAAMAN’S PROBLEM Naaman’s problem drove him to God and God already had a solution and salvation

And Naaman had expectations of what needed to happen too

It was embarrassing to go to Samaria, for Elisha not to greet him, to be told to bathe in the Jordan

APPLICATION Communication with God – obedience to the most recent thing God asked you to do

When we do what God wants, he takes care of everyone

**Revelation 2:4-5** Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

Naaman didn’t understand the power of the simple Jordan river and we don’t understand the power of simple obedience

VISION All of us have a leprosy that is threatening everything we have

What was the last thing God asked you to do? What’s holding you back?

Security and peace of the birds at sea

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God Never Runs Out 1 Kings 17:8-16 PROBLEM Some of us worry about how much longer we have, especially when things are beginning to look bleak. In these situations, all of us ask ourselves, “how long do I have before I die, how long can I live until I run out of money…”

As those fears increase, some people can become competitive about it. They feel like it makes them a loser or that they lived life wrong. So they make unhealthy decisions in an effort to avoid “losing” at all costs, making it nearly impossible to trust God to take care of them.

Many in the Bible have also felt that way too. Moses – When he fled from Pharaoh after killing an Egyptian. Jonah – When he found himself in the belly of the whale. The Disciples – When they found themselves in the storm.

This passage centers on the nation’s economic collapse as the result of a severe drought that ruins crops and decimates the population and focuses on the experience of a widow and her young son.

GOD A bit of background about how God was building Elijah’s faith step by step through each experience.

**1 Kings 17:8-16**Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

For her, the famine was the only thing left to face and she was focused on the last meal she would have before she lied down to die of hunger.

And for Elijah’s part, it’s remarkable that he didn’t throw up his hands and say, “I don’t believe this! You mean this impoverished widow waiting to die of hunger is my supply for food?

3 APPLICATIONS Could the widow’s experience ever become our experience? On the negative side, I can come up with a long list of reasons why God would not help me. And on the positive side, I have learned that God will always provide for me.

1. The events of life are tools and agents of the Almighty. Even our everyday mundane, insignificant or terrible things are not without importance. God redeems it all.

2. In the midst of an economic meltdown, As Jesus followers, even in our pain we are to think of others and how God may want to use us. Remember how Jesus on the cross was concerned about his mother.

3. Serving God from an empty barrel does more to fill my barrel than trying to fill it myself. If I forget about what I think I need and leave my care in the capable hands of God, He will take care of me and everyone. This is what worship is about too.

3 PRINCIPLES 1. Life isn’t a race you win or lose. It’s a team sport where you win or lose depending on who’s on your team.When you worry, that is your cue to surrender it into God’s care.

Example of building the church in Maine.

If you feel like the widow, you are about to meet Elijah. The widow made a costly sacrifice that proved she put her faith in God. What sacrifice is God asking you to make? 2. It’s not faith until a sacrifice is made.

3. God doesn’t need a lot to work with. In creation, God took nothing and made everything. All He is looking for from us is the faith to make a sacrifice. When we do, big things happen.

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The narrative of Gideon and the battle with the Midianites is an aspirational story that exemplifies how “less is more.”
Judges 6:11-16 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
The key to understanding our text is Judges 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men…”
Judges 7:3-8 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.”Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.
What started out as 4:1, went to 13:1, then ended up at 450:1.
When we come to the account of the actual events of the battle we find that (1) That no more than 300 men were needed for the task they were to perform; (2) That any more than 300 men would have been a detriment to Israel’s strategy; and (3) That the provisions given the 300 by those who were sent back were exactly what the 300 needed to perform their task.

APPLICATION

From God’s perspective, you are in the situation you are meant to be. Some would say God is not with us because we find ourselves weaker in comparison to others around us.
But unlike almost all other battles, ours is not a battle between 2 armies —- it is simply something God is using to build our faith and trust by demonstrating His power and authority.
There are people and situations that can only change when a change of heart happens. And that is exactly where God works the best.
Most of us still rely on what we have to make life better, so Imagine if God took away 99% of what we have and value. People who are truly dependent on God are used to losing or disregarding a lot — at least in appearances anyway. Have you ever given something up because you realized God did not need it to accomplish his purpose?
Only when there is less of us can there be more of God.

VISION

“What is unthinkable and undoable on my own becomes unstoppable when it’s God and me” is the hinge on which everything in life turns.
There is a good deal in the Christian life that appears on the surface ineffectual, weak, unimpressive — a talking head preaching the Bible, bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper, a weak, broken, crucified Jewish Rabbi. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual and mighty for tearing down strongholds.
Things around us can seem to be swirling out of control, but there’s this inner reality: God is enough. That is why Paul said, I can do all things. I can sit in a prison cell and face anything life has to throw at me through him who gives me strength.
God knows about the Midianites in your life. He knows about your worries. He knows about your kids. He knows what you’ve lost. He knows about the marriage. He knows about your finances. He knows about where you are stagnant and where your dreams have died. But he has better dreams for you. If you just ask him, he will be a bigger presence in your life than you have ever imagined.
What was true for Gideon and the Israelites – for Moses and the Israelites – for Jesus and the disciples and the cross – is true for us – as 21st century followers of Jesus Christ, with God we have all that we will ever need or want.

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START WITH THE PAST PROBLEM * Isaiah prophesies about 700 years before the arrival of Jesus. The people of Israel had broken God’s covenant. Isaiah prophesies that the people will be captured and carried away into Babylonian exile and Jerusalem will be destroyed. But the hope for the people is not over and God’s plan to save the world and draw people to him has not been thwarted. Hope is being pictured. * Rather than trusting and obeying God, they had become entangled in political struggles for power, and they had paid the price. Their cities had been destroyed, their temple had been demolished, and their people had been carried away into captivity. Generations had come and gone. Many of them had given up hope of ever seeing the land of Israel. * The mourning in Isaiah 61 rises out of frustration and humiliation over the failure to rebuild the city and the temple to match its former economic and social glory.

GOD

**Isaiah 61:1-4 NIV** The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, a to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion---to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

The original audience for this prophetic scripture was a group of exiles who had returned to Jerusalem after many years in Babylon. The temple was still in ruins, and the walls of the once-great city of Jerusalem were piles of broken stone.
However, upon their return, the former exiles find that God, who made possible their return, has not seen fit to make their task easy.
But history moves and the people of Israel found themselves once again in bondage to Rome, enslaved by sin, and separated from God. It was then that the echo of Isaiah came to rest in Jesus of Nazareth.

APPLICATION * Today we may not see the devastation of ancient Jerusalem but can see “the devastations of many generations” in the world today * He didn’t come to lift us out of the darkness, but he came to help us shine his light in the darkness. In Jesus’ first coming, he gives us hope and changes our perceptions of our situations. What looked like a mountain can now be seen as nothing but an anthill. * It’s easy for me to get overwhelmed at the thought of how a city can ever change. I so quickly forget that the city is people. God looks and sees people. I need to return to Isaiah 61 constantly, to pull myself back to see that God’s plan has always been and always will be relational and salvific. * Reforming cities is about both the Spirit and the Word, and it is a deeply spiritual thing. Social change starts with the Holy Spirit, who then personally enables us and partners with us in seeing people’s lives radically turned around from sin. * Unless we acknowledge our sin, we will be trying to live our present from the future — a little bit like expecting to be at the 10th rung of a ladder while your foot is still on the first. Our identity is made up of our past and our present. To make sense of our future, they have to have an understanding of our past.

VISION * The words of Isaiah 61:1-4 echo throughout history to announce the Lord’s favor to people in the midst of oppression. God does see. God does care. These words of Isaiah give hope of deliverance to us. Here, between the expectation of heaven’s peace and this world’s pain, these words of Isaiah proclaim that God is poised to do something about the strife of his people. Ashes will be turned to joy and mourning will be turned to praise as God’s Anointed One, the one upon whom his spirit rests, announces the year of the Lord’s favor.

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Becoming A Mustard Seed PROBLEM – DISCOURAGEMENT OF THE TIMES * Have you heard the old adage that all you need is a “mustard seed faith”? * We are in an age of disorientation, confusion. Our Political judicial systems are contradictory and hypocritical * New year reflections are filled with loss and gain which lead to a less hopeful future.

GOD – YOU ARE GOD’S SEED

**Matthew 13:31-32** He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Jesus was speaking into a culture where people expected big and dramatic.
God designed it that this seed would reside in people like you and me, earthen vessels who are very imperfect and fallen. Today we’re gonna talk about what it means to become a mustard seed.
Bible examples: Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, the disciples, Jesus.
When the tree grows…

**Revelation 11:15** The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.

APPLICATION – EXTERNAL VERSUS INTERNAL SIGNIFICANCE * We need to be content with small steps. That’s all life is. Small steps that you take every day so that when you look back down the road, it all adds up, and you know you covered some distance.

**2 Corinthians 12:9-10** But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Just like the disciples, so many of us in the church didn’t sign up for this mustard seed thing. But we soon realize its power.

VISION – SIGNIFICANCE IN HEAVEN * I finish with a great story that is told by a Christian thinker of the twentieth century named C.S. Lewis. He was an Englishman. He wrote a story about a man that goes to heaven. He has a host. They’re swinging around heaven, and he sees this beautiful parade, and at the foot of the parade is this glorious, beautiful, regal woman. And he thinks, Oh, is that a queen? Is that a monarch? And his host says, “No, not at all. It’s someone you never heard of. Her name was Sarah Smith, and she lived in the suburbs.” “Well, she seems to be a person of particular importance.” The host says, “Oh yes, she’s one of the great ones. You’ve heard that theme in your country. Earth and fame in heaven are two quite different things. Right?” The man hadn’t heard that. He says, “Well, who are all these young men and young women at her side?” And the host responded, “They’re her sons and daughters.” “Oh, she must have had a very large family.” “No,” the host says, “every young man or boy that came to her back door to deliver something became her son. Every girl that she met was her daughter.” * We are in the midst of a long winter. Focus on tilling the soil of your heart. It’s okay that you’re not changing the world right now, Jesus insists on that being his job. Our job is to release our death grip on achieving our own significance by transferring our dependence onto him.

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WAITING * Waiting is always hard. * Easy – Birth of a child * Hard – Airports are horrible places to wait.

OUR PLANS * The Bible says in Proverbs 16:9 that in our heart we plan our course but the Lord ultimately determines our steps.

EXPECTATIONS * Maybe, like Mary, you don’t want a baby in a manger, either. COVID, MONEY PROBLEMS, RELATIONSHIPS, PROBLEM BOSS

VERSE

Galatians 4:4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…

JESUS * Yale historian, Jasola Slav Pelican, “Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him. Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost 20 centuries. If it were possible with some sort of super magnet to pull up out of history, every trace of his name, how much would be left? You see, the impact of Jesus’s influence on the world cannot be measured. When you look at our culture, Jesus’ teachings have impacted education, showed us how to view the oppressed and the poor; inspired medicine; reshaped our thinking of money; gave us new ideas about who our neighbor was. Without Jesus there would still be slavery and the undervaluing of women and children.

DOTS * You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. But we must live it looking forward, and that’s hard.”

VISION * We’re still waiting, and that is the true spirit of Christmas. * She was able to personally watch the impossible become possible.

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Interview With House Of Refuge Founder, Geraldine Padua

Contact Info Cell: 408.859.1700 Email: geraldine@sanctifiedrealestate.com

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And she will bring forth a Son, You are to give him the name Jesus because he will forgive his people of their sins.

Jesus came to bring new life. * Our History * Our Hurts * Our Habits

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:12

Live carefree before God: He is most careful with you. 1 Peter 5:12 (MSG)

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

``` The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Ezekiel 37:1-3

```

``` Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Ezekiel 37:4-8

```

``` Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Ezekiel 37:9-10

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1) He used words to create life

The new life you’re waiting to experience starts with your own words of belief over your situation.

2) Nothing happens outside of God’s timing You’re going to have to say yes to a future you don’t fully understand yet.

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SENT AS JESUS WAS PROBLEM * LAST WEEK Last week, we said Jesus actually frees us from sin’s power. * QUESTIONS What we’re trying to do in this series is not simply tell the Christmas story. We’re trying to figure why Jesus was sent and what in the world does that mean for us today?

GOD

Matthew 1:18-24 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Context for the Emmanuel name
Assyrians invading Aram+Israel. Aram + Israel plan an attack on Judah.
Isaiah tells Ahaz to not worry. Offers a sign. Ahaz refuses to believe. God gives the sign of Emmanuel.
Exactly as God said. Assyrians attack Aram+Israel but not Judah. Samaritans.

APPLICATION * Emmanuel—The Hebrew word for God is el; and emmanu signifies “with us.” * “Emmanuel” heaven and earth, God and man, infinite and finite. * Jesus was vulnerable and comfortable in poverty. * God could not redeem without becoming vulnerable * The manger was a parable of the whole life of Jesus. * Christmas means the consecration of the commonplace. * EXAMPLE Group Home, Sober Living Homes * EXAMPLE Archie and Cal telling me to go live with my dad. * SLIDES 1-Pearl Lenihan, 2-Ruth Burks, 3-Cliff Morrison

VISION * Everything in the life of Jesus fits into one great design

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