Providence Christian Church - The Sermons: Recent Episodes
Providence Christian Church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
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Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Book Of Genesis- Week 3
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening! God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible! Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible! Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible! Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible! Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible! Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible! Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible! Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible! Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Connect with Providence: www.providence.church/connect
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
Instagram: www.instagram.com/providence.church
Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
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God is here, and anything is possible!
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Website: www.providence.church
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Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
Website: www.providence.church
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProvidenceSugarLand
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Thanks for watching!
God is here, and anything is possible!
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Website: www.providence.church
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Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
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Website: www.providence.church
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Thanks for listening!
God is here, and anything is possible!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC4kAY3OKuK90VuV8rm6Pmw
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“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Luke 23:34 (NIV)
“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land... About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’ – which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”
Matthew 27:45-46 (NIV)
Jesus was forsaken by God...
- Because Jesus became sin.
“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.”
Romans 8:3 (NIV)
“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.”
Habakkuk 1:13 (NIV)
- Because God is for us.
“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”
1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
“What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all.”
Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)
When I need to know “Why?”:
- Be honest with God about the pain.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?”
Psalm 22:1 (NIV)
“You who fear the Lord, praise Him! For God has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one. He has not hidden his face from Him, but (rather) has listened to His cry for help!...The ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the nations will bow down before him...”
Psalms 22:23-24; 27a (NIV)
- Seek God’s presence, not the answer.
“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard.”
Hebrews 5:7 (NIV)
KEY THOUGHT: If you get the cross wrong, you can’t get your life right.
Two ways we get the cross wrong:
a) Prosperity Gospel:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Mark 8:34 (NIV)
b) Progressive Gospel:
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NIV)
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’”
Luke 23:34 (NIV)
The power of the prayer:
- Jesus fulfilled prophecy.
“For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:12 (NIV)
- Jesus set the example for us to follow.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV)
- Jesus solved our greatest need.
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
Colossians 2:13-14 (NIV)
“Will you not revive us again so that your people may rejoice in you?”
Psalm 85:6 (CSB)
“So the Lord stirred up the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.”
Haggai 1:14-15 (NIV)
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory.’”
Haggai 2:6-7 (NIV)
- When your heart isn’t right, whatever you do will be wrong.
“On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Now, ask the priests concerning the law, saying, If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?’’ Then the priests answered and said, ‘No.’ And Haggai said, ‘If one who is unclean because of a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?’ So the priests answered and said, ‘Yes, it shall be unclean.’”
Haggai 2:10-13 (NIV)
“Then Haggai said, ‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.’”
Haggai 2:14 (NIV)
- To gain your heart, God may give you tough love.
“Look at what was happening to you before you began to lay the foundation of the Lord’s Temple. When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty. I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.”
Haggai 2:15-17 (NLT)
“From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. From this day on I will bless you.”
Haggai 2:18-19 (NIV)
“Will you not revive us again so that your people may rejoice in you?”
Psalm 85:6 (CSB)
Revival begins when I...
- Fear God more than the enemy.
“In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’’”
Haggai 1:1-2 (NIV)
- Love God more than my stuff.
“Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: ‘Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?’”
Haggai 1:3-4 (NIV)
“Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’”
Haggai 1:5-6 (NIV)
“‘You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.’”
Haggai 1:9-11 (NIV)
- Honor God more than good intentions.
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,’ says the Lord.”
Haggai 1:7-8 (NIV)
“So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.”
Haggai 1:14-15 (NIV)
Jehovah Tsidkenu = The Lord Is My Righteousness
“The Lord gave me another message. He said, ‘Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness...What did your ancestors find wrong with me that led them to stray so far from me? They worshiped worthless idols, only to become worthless themselves.’”
Jeremiah 2:1-2; 5 (NLT)
“All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Psalm 14:3 (NIV)
“All of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags.”
Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’”
Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NIV)
Through Jehovah Tsidkenu:
- God has given me a new name.
“God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NET)
- God has given me new desires.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Matthew 5:6 (ESV)
- God has given me a new purpose.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.”
Romans 1:16-17 (CSB)
“The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.’”
Exodus 17:8-9 (NIV)
“So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
Exodus 17:10-13 (NIV)
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.’ Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, ‘Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.’”
Exodus 17:14-16 (NIV)
No matter what battle you face,
- The battle belongs to the Lord.
“But you have raised a banner for those who fear you – a rallying point in the face of attack.”
Psalm 60:4 (NLT)
- The battle is fought on your knees.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you will be able to stand your ground. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)
“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.’ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.”
Exodus 15:22-27 (NIV)
Jehovah-Rapha: the God who heals.
Jehovah-Rapha reminds us...
- You can be in God’s will and still find yourself in the wilderness.
“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’”
Exodus 15:22-24 (NIV)
“When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, ‘If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.”
Exodus 13:17-18 (NLT)
- The only way out is to follow God’s ways.
“Then Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.”
Exodus 15:25a (NIV)
“There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.’”
Exodus 15:25b-26 (NIV)
- The blessing comes after the testing.
“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.”
Exodus 15:27 (NIV)
“O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, You have set your glory above the heavens!”
Psalm 8:1 (ESV)
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and find refuge.”
Proverbs 18:10 (CEB)
This, then, is how you should pray; ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name.”
Matthew 6:9 (NIV)
Key Thought: To know the names of God is to know God.
El Roi (El Ro-ee) the God who sees me.
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar;so she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived...”
Genesis 16:1-4a (NIV)
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.’ ‘Your slave is in your hands, Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’. Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.”
Genesis 16:4b-6 (NIV)
El-Roi is a reminder...
- God sees my struggle.
“The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, ‘Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’ ‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’”
Genesis 16:7-9 (NIV)
- God sees the solution.
“The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.’ The angel of the Lord also said to her: ‘You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.’ She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’
Genesis: 16:10-13 (NIV)
“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”
Hebrews 10:36 (NLT)
Key Thought: The promise always comes after the patience.
Why we need patient endurance:
- Life is tougher than we thought.
“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
Psalm 9:9 (NIV)
- Growth takes longer than we like.
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)
- God’s purpose is bigger than we planned.
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
“‘For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!’”
Haggai 2:6-9 (NLT)
“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!’”
Luke 2:25-32 (NLT)
How to experience Christmas:
- Hold on to His promises.
“At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.”
Luke 2:25-26 (NLT)
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)
- Listen for His promptings.
“That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there…”
Luke 2:27-28a (NLT)
“…listen to [God’s] voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life…”
Deuteronomy 30:20 (NIV)
- Enjoy His presence.
“He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!’”
Luke 2:28b-32 (NLT)
“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.”
Luke 2:1-7 (NLT)
The Nativity reminds us to...
- Trust and obey God.
“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’”
Matthew 1:18-21 (NLT)
- Seek and worship Jesus.
“After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Matthew 2:9-11 (NLT)
- Go and tell others.
“When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.”
Luke 2:15-17 (NLT)
“This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and Abraham.”
Matthew 1:1 (NLT)
- Tree = a symbol of eternal life through a wooden cross.
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.”
1 John 4:9 (NLT)
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.”
Acts 5:30 (NKJV)
- Lights = a symbol of Christ shining in a dark world.
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
John 8:12 (NIV)
- Ornaments = a symbol of our sins hanging on the cross.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
1 Peter 2:24 (CSB)
- Star = a symbol of God’s Word guiding our feet.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.”
Philippians 1:27 (NLT)
“These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Three—the three mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle. Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder! Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.”
2 Samuel 23:8-12 (NLT)
“Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there. David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem. David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. “The Lord forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three.”
2 Samuel 23:13-17 (NLT)
To fight together…
- Fight as a unit.
“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.”
Philippians 1:27 (NLT)
- Fight with the Right Equipment.
“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:13-17 (NLT)
- Fight to the End.
“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NLT)
“One day David asked, ‘Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’”
2 Samuel 9:1 (NLT)
At the King’s Table...
- The lost become found.
“He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. The king then asked him, ‘Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.’ Ziba replied, ‘Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.’ ‘Where is he?’ the king asked. ‘In Lo-debar,’ Ziba told him, ‘at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.’”
2 Samuel 9:2-5 (NLT)
- The broken become restored.
“When Mephibosheth; who was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson, came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, ‘Greetings, Mephibosheth.’ Mephibosheth replied, ‘I am your servant.’ ‘Don’t be afraid!” David said. ‘I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!’”
2 Samuel 9:6-8 (NLT)
- Enemies become family.
“And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons.”
2 Samuel 9:11(NLT)
“And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom.”
Luke 22:29-30 (NLT)
“Be devoted to each other like a loving family.”
Romans 12:10 (GW)
“And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him. Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.”
1 Samuel 19:8-10 (NKJV)
- We all live under the rule of an oppressive enemy.
“Saul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, ‘If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.’ So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped.”
1 Samuel 19:11-12 (NKJV)
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
1 John 5:19 (NIV)
- We all need a safe place to escape.
“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.”
1 Samuel 22:1-2 (NKJV)
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.”
Psalm 27:4-5 (NIV)
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:11-18 (NIV)
“I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”
Isaiah 46:9-10 (NIV)
KEY THOUGHT: Bible prophecy was not given to scare us, but to prepare us.
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ‘So when you see standing in the holy place “the abomination that causes desolation,” spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand...’”
Matthew 24:12-15 (NIV)
“He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Daniel 9:27 (NIV)
“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Daniel 12:1-3 (NIV)
“I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, ‘My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?’”
Daniel 12:8 (NIV)
“Now as for you (Daniel), go on to the end. You will rest and will stand to receive your reward at the end of days.”
Daniel 12:13 (CEB)
- Be watching.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Matthew 24:42-44 (NIV)
- Be encouraging
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)
- Be praying.
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.”
Colossians 4:2-3 (NIV)
“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV)
“These tests have come to prove your faith and to show that it is good. Gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire. Your faith is worth much more than gold and it must be tested also.”
1 Peter 1:7 (NLV)
“Then the herald loudly proclaimed, ‘Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
Daniel 3:4-6 (NIV)
A faith that stands firm in the fire...
- Follows God rather than the crowd.
“Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:10-12 (NIV)
- Draws strength from others.
“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’”
Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV)
- Converts critics into believers.
“So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’”
Daniel 3:21-24 (NIV)
“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.’”
Daniel 3:28 (NIV)
“At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice foods; not meat or wine touched my lips: and I used no lotions until three weeks were over.”
Daniel 10:2-3 (NIV)
“I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people. Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.”
Daniel 10:5-9 (NLT)
- God cares more than you know.
“Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, ‘Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.’ When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.’”
Daniel 10:11-12 (NLT)
- God is doing more than you see.
“Then (Jesus) said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.”
Daniel 10:12-13 (NLT)
- God’s strength is made perfect in your weakness.
“‘How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.’ Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said, ‘for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!’”
Daniel 10:17-19 (NLT)
“It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.”
Daniel 6:1-3 (NIV)
- When God raises you up, others will try to grind you down.
“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’”
Daniel 6:4-5 (NIV)
- Time on your knees will give you strength to stand.
“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
Daniel 6:10 (NIV)
- Putting trust in God is the safest place you can be.
“‘My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.’ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.”
Daniel 6:22-23 (NIV)
“To these four young men (Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego) God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”
Daniel 1:17 (NIV)
“This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.”
Daniel 4:24-26 (NIV)
God, help me...
- Confront compassionately.
“Upon hearing this, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) was overcome for a time, frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then the king said to him, ‘Belteshazzar, don’t be alarmed by the dream and what it means.’ Belteshazzar replied, ‘I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would happen to your enemies, my lord, and not to you!’”
Daniel 4:19 (NLT)
“‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.”
Daniel 4:27 (NLT)
- Confront cautiously.
“Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, ‘Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?’ Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, ‘This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.’”
Daniel 4:29-31 (NIV)
“Brothers if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”
Galatians 6:1 (NIV)
“At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.”
Daniel 4:34 (NIV)
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.”
Daniel 1:1-2 (NIV)
“Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility-young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.”
Daniel 1:3-5 (NIV)
The ENEMY has a plan for your life:
- Change your identity:
“The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.”
Daniel 1:7 (NIV)
“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”
Daniel 1:8 (NIV)
- Compromise your standards:
“Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, ‘I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.’”
Daniel 1:9-10 (NIV)
“‘Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.’ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days”
Daniel 1:12-14 (NIV)
“At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”
Daniel 1:18-20 (NIV)
“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.”
Hebrews 6:19 (NRSV)
A) The Return: Something is not right.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:1-3 (NIV)
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling - if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
2 Corinthians 5:1-4 (NRSV)
B) The Rapture: Live like you’re leaving.
“For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NRSV)
“No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man comes, it will be like what happened during Noah’s time. In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat. They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be in the field. One will be taken, and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding grain with a mill. One will be taken, and the other will be left. So always be ready, because you don’t know the day your Lord will come.”
Matthew 24:36-42 (NCV)
The Reunion: Enjoy eternity with God.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’”
Revelation 21:1-5 (NRSV)
“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.”
Hebrews 6:19 (NRSV)
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power”
Revelations 4:11 (NKJV)
“Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.”
Philippians 4:20 (NLV)
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLV)
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”
Isaiah 6:1 (NIV)
- God’s glory is awesome!
“Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.”
Isaiah 6:2-4 (NIV)
“Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.”
Leviticus 25:10 (NIV)
“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people... He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.”
Isaiah 11:11-12 (NIV)
- God’s glory is overwhelming.
“‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King the Lord Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:5-7 (NIV)
- God’s glory is moving.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul...”
Hebrews 6:19 (NRSV)
Grace: the unmerited favor of God.
“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.”
Luke 7:36-37 (NIV)
Being anchored to grace means...
- You can’t change your past.
“As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.’”
Luke 7:38-39 (NIV)
“Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said.”
Luke 7:40-43 (NIV)
- But Christ can change your future.
“Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”
Luke 7:44-48 (NIV)
“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul...”
Hebrews 6:19 (NRSV)
“When a gentle south wind began to blow, (the crew) saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day (the crew) began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, (the crew) threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”
Acts 27:13-15; 18-20 (NIV)
“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.”
Acts 27:21-25 (NIV)
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”
Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)
“Consequently, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
How to H.E.A.R from God:
Highlight.
Reading Plan
Explore.
What does this verse say about God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
What does this verse say about people life or faith?
Apply.
Why is this in the Bible?
How does it relate to me?
Respond.
How will I put this into practice this week?
“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”
Luke 2:52 (NLT)
“Then he shall take off his garments, put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”
Leviticus 6:11-13 NKJV
“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.”
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NKJV)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, where the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him and made their accusations against Paul. They asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul to Jerusalem planning to ambush and kill him along the way.”
Acts 25:1-3 (NLT)
“But Festus replied that Paul was at Caesarea and he himself would be returning there soon. So he said, ‘Those of you in authority can return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your accusations.’”
Acts 25:4-5 (NLT)
“Paul denied the charges. ‘I am not guilty of any crime against the Jewish laws or the Temple or the Romans government,’ he said. The Festus, wanting to please the Jews asked him, ‘Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?’ But Paul replied, ‘No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. You know very well I am not guilty of harming the Jews. If I have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has the right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!’ Festus conferred with his advisers and then replied, ‘Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you will go!’”
Acts 25:8-12 (NLT)
Key Thought 1: If you prepare to share your faith, God will prepare someone to receive it.
“A few days later King Agrippa arrived with his sister, Bernice, to pay their respects to Festus. During their stay of several days, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. ‘There is a prisoner here,’ he told him, ‘whose case was left for me by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem, the leading priests and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and asked me to condemn him. I pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict people without a trial. They must be given an opportunity to confront their accusers and defend themselves. When his accusers came here for the trial, I didn’t delay. I called the case the very next day and ordered Paul brought in. But the accusations made against him weren’t any of the crimes I expected. (Now I want you to catch this) Instead, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is alive. I was at a loss to know how to investigate these things.’”
Acts 13-20 (NLT)
Key Thought 2: The gospel is confusing for people who don’t know Jesus.
The Gospel on a Napkin:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.”
Acts 19:8-10 (NIV)
“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”
Acts 19:11-12 (NIV)
To follow Jesus...
- Start with a commitment to Jesus.
“...Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied. Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts 19:1-5 (NIV)
- Develop a relationship with Jesus.
“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.”
Acts 19: 13-16 (NIV)
- Be transformed by Jesus.
“When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.”
Acts 19:17-19 (NIV)
“And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”
Acts 16:7 (NIV)
“We can make our plans, but the Lord directs our steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)
When plans change, remember...
- God has a better perspective.
“So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God called us to preach the gospel to them.”
Acts 16:8-10 (NIV)
- It’s part of a bigger purpose.
“On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
Acts 16:13-14 (NIV)
“Once we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.’ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment the spirit left her.”
Acts 16:16-18 (NIV)
- To give God praise.
“The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown in prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.”
Acts 16:22-24 (NIV)
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.”
Acts 16:25-26 (NIV)
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called ‘the black man’), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul.”
Acts 13:1 (NLT)
Before I GO, I should know...
- The more I seek God, the more He shows me where to go.
“One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.’ So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.”
Acts 13:2-3 (NLT)
- Some people will help, others will hinder.
“So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant. Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing.”
Acts 13:4-8 (NLT)
“Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, ‘You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.’ Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him.”
Acts 13:9-11 (NLT)
- The message of Jesus is the miracle.
“When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.”
Acts 13:12 (NLT)
- All people are loved by God
- Sin has separated all people from God’s love.
- Jesus made a way for all people to experience God’s love.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.’”
Acts 10:1-5 (NIV)
Building a multi-cultural church means we have to…
- Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
“About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ ‘Surely not, Lord!’ Peter replied. ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.’ The voice spoke to him a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.”
Acts 10:9-16 (NIV)
- Don’t just attend a multi-ethnic church, live a multi-ethnic life.
“While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
Acts 10:19-20 (NIV)
“Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: ‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection.’”
Acts 10:27-29 (NIV)
“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them."Acts 6:1-5 (NIV)
Stephen understood...
- Small acts of service can change a city.
“So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.”
Acts 6:7 (NIV)
- Nothing is more important than knowing God’s Word.
“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
Acts 6:8-10 (NIV)
- Losing everything is never the end.
“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.’ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.”
Acts 7:51-54 (NIV)
“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
Acts 7:55-58 (NIV)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35 (NIV)
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’ Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’”
Acts 2:1-13 (NIV)
- Love requires relationships.
“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.”
Acts 2:42-43 (NIV)
- Love is open-handed.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
Acts 2:44-45 (NIV)
- Love makes the invisible visible.
“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.”
Acts 2:46-47 (NIV)
“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles, he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”Acts 1:1-3 (NIV)
For the church to become essential again, we must:
- Walk by the Spirit.
“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”Acts 1:4-5 (NIV)
- Focus on the mission.
“Then they gathered around him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” Acts 1:6-9 (NIV)
- Join together in prayer.
“Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”Acts 1:12-14 (NIV)
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 (NIV)
Two parts of spiritual growth:
- God’s part = lifting and pruning.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.”
John 15:1-4 (NRSV)
“He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.”
John 15:2 (NRSV)
- My part = abiding and obeying.
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”
John 15:7-10 (NRSV)
“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”
John 15:11 (NRSV)
“‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”John 14:1-6 (NIV)
Jesus is…
- The Way.
“‘You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”John 14:4-6 (NIV)
- The Truth.
“‘If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’” John 14:7-9 (NIV)
- The Life.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”John 14:12 (NIV)
“‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ I am the resurrection and the life.” Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die.”John 11:25 (NLT)
When you need a miracle…
- Hold on to God's love.
“So the sisters sent someone to tell Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’”John 11:3 (NIV)
“When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’”John 11:4 (NIV)
- Let go of "If only."
“When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days... When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.’”John 11:17; 20-21 (NLT)
“‘But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.’ Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’”John 11:22-23 (NLT)
- Roll the grave stone away.
“Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. ‘Roll the stone aside,’ Jesus told them. But Martha protested, ‘Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.’ Jesus responded, ‘Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?’ So they rolled the stone aside.”John 11:38-41 (NLT)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”John 10:10-16 (NIV)
The good shepherd…
- The good shepherd provides.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters; he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)
- The good shepherd protects.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”Psalm 23:4-5 (NIV)
- The good shepherd pursues.
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6 (NIV)
“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’”John 10:7-10 (NASB)
Jesus opens…
- The door of compassion.
“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind from birth. ‘Rabbi,’ his disciples asked him, ‘why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?’ ‘It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,’ Jesus answered. ‘This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”John 9:1-3 (NLT)
- The door of deliverance.
“Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, ‘Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam. So the man went and washed and came back seeing.’”John 9:6-7 (NLT)
- The door of a better story.
“So for the second time they called in the man who had been born blind and told him, ‘God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.’ ‘I don’t know whether he is a sinner,’ the man replied. ‘But I know this: I was blind, and now I see!’”John 9:24-25 (NLT)
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”John 8:12 (NIV)
“As he was speaking, the teachers brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus ‘this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The Law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’”John 8:3-5 (NLT)
When life is darkest, Jesus promises…
- To stand with me.
“They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.”John 8:6-9 (NLT)
- To shine through me.
“Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’”
John 8:10-11 (NLT)
“I am the bread of life.”
John 6:35 (NIV)
“When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.’”
John 6:25-26 (NIV)
To move from being full to being satisfied, I must...
- Focus on the relationship more than the benefits.
“But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.’ They replied, ‘We want to perform God’s works too. What should we do?’ Jesus told them, ‘This is the only work God wants from you believe in the one he has sent.’”
John 6:27-29 (NLT)
- Focus on trust more than control.
“So they asked him, ‘What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘always give us this bread.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”
John 6:30-35 (NIV)
“When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’”Mark 3:21 (NIV)
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”Luke 24:1-3 (NIV)
Because of the resurrection we can…
- Experience new life.
“While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!Luke 24:4-6 (NIV)
- Experience new peace.
“When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” Luke 24:9-11 (NIV)
“While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”Luke 24:36-39 (NIV)
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions.” James 2:14 (NLT)
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”James 3:13 (NIV)
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)
Wisdom that works…
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Builds on a solid foundation.
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Plans for the storms.
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Helps others rebuild.
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?”
James 2:14 (NIV)
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.”James 4:13-16 (NIV)
James shows us that…
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Life is unpredictable.
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Life is short.
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
James 4:17 (NIV)
- Live to know God.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
- Live for the future embrace.
“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NIV)
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him?”
James 2:14 (NET)
To endure a crisis,
- Think long.
“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” James 5:7-8 (NLT)
- Pray hard.
“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
James 5:13-15 (NLT)
“Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.”
James 5:17-18 (NLT)
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him?”
James 2:14 (NET)
“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.”Ephesians 2:8-9 (NET)
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Real faith impacts how I...
- Treat people.
“My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’ – well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?” James 2:1-4 (NLT)
- Use things.
“Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’ - but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
James 2:15-17 (NLT)
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?”
James 2:14 (NIV)
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James 1:22 (NIV)
To be Blessed,
- Hear the Word.
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
James 1:19-21 (NIV)
- Remember the Word.
“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”
James 1:23-24 (NIV)
- Obey the Word.
“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
James 1:25 (NIV)
What: What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit?
What: What does this passage say about life or faith?
Why: Why did God put this in the Bible?
How: How can I put this truth into practice?
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?”
James 2:14 (NLT)
“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…”
James 1:1-2 (NIV)
Finding Joy in Trials:
- Remember there is a purpose.
“...because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:3-4 (NIV)
- Trust God with the process.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
James 1:5-7 (NIV)
- Hold on to the promise.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:12 (NIV)
“I wish all of you were single like me. But you each have your own gift from God. One has this gift, and another has that one.”
1 Corinthians 7:7 (NIVR)
Singleness is a gift when...
- You embrace it.
“Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.”
1 Corinthians 7:25-28 (NIV)
- You leverage it.
“What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short...”
1 Corinthians 7:29 (NIV)
“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs - how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world - how he can please his wife - and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world - how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 7:32-35 (NIV)
- You protect it.
“If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.”
1 Corinthians 7:36-37 (NIV)
Fight Facts:
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All couples fight.
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Healthy couples fight for resolution, not to win.
Fight Rules:
“Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart."
“When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, ‘How the kind of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’”
"David said to Michal, ‘It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel – I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.’"
"And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.”
2 Samuel 6:14-16; 20; 21-23 (NIV)
Fighting Fair:
- Remember who the real enemy is.
“Our fight is not against human beings. It is against the rulers, the authorities and the powers of this dark world. It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly world.”
Ephesians 6:12 (NIRV)
- No low blows.
“Making up with a friend you have offended is harder than breaking through a city wall.”
Proverbs 18:19 (CEV)
- Take 100% responsibility for your half.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for one another.”
James 5:16 (NIV)
- Extend lots of mercy and grace.
“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
“The Lord said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”
Genesis 2:18 (NIV)
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and they will be united to his wife and they will become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:24 (NIV)
3 commitments happy couples make:
- Marriage is about we; not me – so I will put you first.
“Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Philippians 2:2-4 (NIV)
- Gratitude goes a long way – so I will be more thankful.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Colossians 3:15 (NASB)
- We’re in it to win it – so I will not give up.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
Galatians 6:9 (NLT)
“We love because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19 (NIV)
“Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ ‘What did Moses command you?’ he replied. They said, ‘Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.’ ‘It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,’ Jesus replied. ‘But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.’ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’”
Mark 10:2-9 (NIV)
- Let your eyes be your guide.
“God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 (NCV)
- Cheat on your spouse.
“Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well. Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares? They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers.”
Proverbs 5:15-17 (NIV)
- Ignore the elephant in the room.
“If you are angry, do not let it become sin. Get over your anger before the day is finished. Do not let the devil start working in your life.
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLV)
- Don’t make time for one another.
“So remember where you were before you fell. Change your hearts and do what you did at first.”
Revelation 2:5 (NCV)
- Expect your spouse to complete you.
“So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”
Colossians 2:10 (NLT)