On Mission with God: Destroying the works of the Devil • 1 John 3:8 The context here is sin, John it telling his readers that you can’t continue in a life of sin. • But the work of the devil is the source of sin. o Jesus came to destroy all the works of the...
On Mission with God: Suffering and Sacrifice (Hebrews10:32; Phil 1:29; 1 Peter 4:12) • Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He warns His disciple that He would have to suffer and die as a sacrifice. o Jesus also tells His disciples that no student is above their teacher o Jesus warns all who would comer after Him they...
On Mission with God: Being Sent Ones (Luke10:1 and Acts 2-3) • Again, and again Jesus gives the command to go! o Matt 28:18-20 o Many of Jesus’ parables give us insight into what the mission will look like. Luke 10:1 Jesus is commissioning and sending out the 72, expanding His mission team from 12...
On Mission with God: Empowered (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:1-8) Luke 24:49 Jesus told His disciples to stay in the city until they received the Holy Spirit, power from on high. • He starts out by saying “stay here.” In Greek, it’s actually the verb “to sit.” o The verb is also in the active form....
On Mission with God Praying toward the Mission (Acts 4:23-31) • We cannot be on mission with God as the primary purpose of the church without prayer. • The specifics, the wisdom, of how we are going to walk out this mission are going to come through prayer. o The power and empowerment for this...
On Mission with God Discovering the primary purpose of the Church • Since the moment Adam and Eve fell in the garden God has been on a mission, the missio dei o That mission has been to restore the relationship between mankind and God Himself. o In the OT era God’s mission was primarily seen...
In Philippians chapter 4 Paul says that he has learned to be content in every situation. I think that’s a great lesson for us all to learn. Let’s look at this passage and ask who were his teachers and what was the curriculum to see if we too can learn to be content? Learning to...
A Life Worth Following Part 2 1 Cor 11:1; 2 Cor 1:8-9 • From this statement, Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ, we saw three key issues. o First, the quality of Paul’s life, the worthiness to be followed. o Second, there is an invitation. “Follow me” A deliberate invitation. o...
Paul tell us in this verse to follow him as he follows Christ. But what made Paul’s life worth following? A Life Worth Following (1 Cor 11:1) 1 Cor 11:1 Is my life worth following? Context: Paul is addressing the entire Corinthian Church. He is not writing to an individual believer. Three key issues here:...
It’s Not My Job: It’s My gift (Colossians 3:22: 1 Cor 12:12) • The context of 1 Cor 12, Paul is talking about Spiritual Gifts. o Then in this section he abruptly talks about the body, meaning the church. o He is creating this picture, this analogy that the church is like the human body....
It’s Not My Job: It’s my Testimony Matt 28:18-20 These were Jesus’ final words to His disciples. • He commissioned His disciples to go and spread the news of His love and sacrifice to the world. • Even many of Jesus’ parables were stories around the idea of sharing our faith. This passage in Colossians...
Sometimes it’s really easy to complain about our jobs. At times it’s even easy to fall into the “it’s not my job” attitude. But in Colossians 3 Paul gives us a great way to see our work from a whole different perspective. To such a degree our jobs, how we serve and volunteer, even lead...
Doing the Right Thing will Cost You 1 Kings 16:30-33 This is the context into which the rest of this story takes place. 1 Kings 17 Because of the wickedness in the land, Elijah prophecy’s that there will be no rain, not even dew. Verse 7 Shows that what Elijah prophesied came true, no rain,...
Baptism The word Baptize There are two basic forms of the word baptize in the NT • One, which is used less frequently means “to dip” or “to dye” We see both of those images in baptism. • The Other form which is used far more frequently refers to the Jewish cleansing practices. o If...
Today I look a passage in 1 Cor 9 where Paul says he as been all things to all people to reach them for the Gospel. Paul entered into the world of people who had never heard the name Jesus before in order to bring the Gospel message. The call remains the same for us...
For the Love of Weeds (Matt 13:24-30) • Verse 24 Jesus tells a parable using language and concepts they would have been understood. But of course, adding new meaning and symbolism. Verse 24 The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God. Jesus tends to use these terms interchangeably. • The man or farmer here...
In this passage we take a look at Jesus’ warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. Jesus is talking about the world views of religion and government. Heeding this warning from Jesus will help us discern the times we are living in. Of Governments and Religion (Mark 8:1-18) Verses 1-3 This passage...
In this message we look a the deep connection between love and obedience. Love compels obedience. Jesus says he can only do what He sees the Father doing, and He can do nothing by Himself. He did the miracles he did through the Power of the Holy Spirit, acting in obedience to what the Father...
A brief introduction to the Holy Spirit and the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Living in the Spirit: Being Filled (Ehp 5:15 and Acts 8) Eph 5:18 The verb here in the NIV as “be filled” is a present passive imperative in the Greek. o There are three components to this grammar...
Today we take a look at Psalm 23 and how it perfectly represents Jesus and therefore also perfectly represents the Communion Table. Communion Psalm 23 Verse 1 The Shepherd’s job was to protect the sheep. • Jesus is of course The Shepherd, our Shepherd. o And He has laid down His life for us, the...
Remembering Remembering God’s presence and promises, can be a key to getting through difficult times. We all have a history with God, and it’s important to remember and reflect on that history. The problem is, there is just something about human nature that causes us to forget rather quickly what God has done for us....
Trust Last week I talked about walking into the fire, and how it takes deep trust in God to be able to enter in. But, in the fire we find what we were looking for all along. This week I want to talk about why can it be so hard to trust God, and where...
The church of Jesus has been born out of the presence of God and was created to gather around His presence continually through the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, we see that, within a few short weeks, the crowd in Jerusalem went from saying, “Crucify Jesus” to “What must we do to be...
Everything we need is the found in the presence of God. Moses knew this. Chapter 33 of the book of Exodus contains some incredible comments by Moses, statements that serve us well as we seek to know God and encourage others in the 21st Century. Even though Moses already had an incredible and personal relationship...
In the frantic pace of today’s society, the concept of rest sounds like a quaint antique. However, Sabbath rest is biblically fundamental to the kingdom of God. Sabbath rest is highlighted in the Ten Commandments, where God goes out of his way to remind us to “remember” the Sabbath. In the agricultural age of...
In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus illustrates spiritual realities through the natural world that apply to us as humans. Fruit trees require great care and attention to produce good fruit. The same is true for us – the words we speak reflect the condition we have cultivated in our hearts. Jesus condemns the religious leaders (the...
Words have great power. We were made in God’s image, and if we truly want to imitate him, we will use great care with our words and get in the habit of speaking blessings, not curses. The apostle Peter tells us that we should speak God’s words so that we advance Jesus’ kingdom, not...
There is no getting around it – God is concerned about justice for those who have no voice. Justice was a major part of Jesus’ ministry as well. In fact, the word “justice” is used 130 times in the NIV translation of the Bible. Jesus saved some of his harshest words for the religious leaders...
In this message I talk about what does it mean to be on mission with God and what is the mission of God. In Matt 28, the last words of Jesus to His disciples, Jesus gives His marching orders to the disciples. From this passage we can not only determine what the mission of God...
Seek First: Escape Condemnation, The King has a short memory • John 3:16 The context here is that Jesus is talking to Nicodemus about Spiritual things. Verse 16 Jesus is speaking both about Himself and God the Father when He says…“For God so loved the world..” • What God the Father did, He did from...
Seek First: The Rocks Cry Out, The Strength of Praise Luke 19:28-29 During this time period the only way to atone for your sin was to make an animal sacrifice. • Take an animal and head to the Jerusalem, or buy the animal in Jerusalem. • We see all of that imagery here in this...
Seek First: The Church (Matt 16:18-19) • The Church is the body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. You can’t love one without loving the other. o But to love the church we must understand the mission of the church. Verse 16 Jesus is talking to Peter and setting him up to be the...
Seek First: The Color of the Kingdom (Rev 5:8-10) Verse 9 Why is this a new song? • Because Jesus taking the scroll to open it represents a new era in God’s redemptive history. • What’s new about this era? • The Lamb’s death on the cross has never happened before, nor will it happen...
Seek First: Triumph over Afflicting Spirits (2 Tim 1:6-8) Fear, depression, anxiety • How do we deal with fear? o We must treat it as a spirit, an intruder spirit. An unwelcome guest. • We deal with is using the authority Christ has given us. o Deal with is like you would an intruder in...
Seek First: The Realms of the Kingdom, Spiritual vs Physical (1 Tim 4:1-9) Verse 1 There are other spirits out there, that are not the Spirit of God, and those spirits are deceiving. • The Spirit of God speaking through Paul tells us there are demons teaching. o The implications here is some of what...
Seek First: The King Gave You His Sword The ten weapons of Spiritual warfare from Nehemiah 4 1. Cry out to the Lord in _________ a. Ask the Lord to put the attacks back on the enemy’s head 2. Work with all your ___________ a. Working half-heartedly is victory for the enemy 3. _________ guards...
Seek First: You Carry His Message (2 Cor 4:1-6) Verse 1 When it comes to evangelism it’s easy to lose heart, and get discouraged. • Evangelism is an operation of God’s mercy and not our strength. o If we have been discouraged, we need to go back to God’s mercy again. Verse 2 He has...
Seek First: Love Like the King (1 John 4:16) • 1 John 4:16 This verse tells us three things: God Loves us. God is love. We are to live in love. • Two are statements about the character and nature of God, king Jesus o One is a statement about how we are to live...
Prayer: The Heart of Relationship I want to touch on a few, tangible, practical ways we can seek first the kingdom of God through prayer: It’s about making it personal. It’s about the yes. What keeps us from relationship? Making it Personal David is known as a man after God’s own heart. That’s a pretty...
Seek First: The Economy of the Kingdom (Matt 25:14-30) • The context here is that Jesus has been telling parables about what the kingdom of God is like. • Jesus is talking about money. So, we are going to look at it from the stand point of money. Verse 14 The word “man” used is...
Seek First: Everything Belongs to the King (Psalm 50:8; Malachi 3:6) Psalm 50:8-15 The context here is God was dealing with the people’s attitudes toward the sacrifice. • Everything already belongs to Him. He is not asking for it because He needs it like an earthly king might. Verse 13 He clarifies that He does...
Seek First: The Kingdom has a Helper (2) John14:15 The kingdom rule of King Jesus starts with love. Verse 16 Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, referred to here as the Counselor. • Do you see how much this stands in contrast to the way earthly leaders rule? o Earthly leaders surround themselves with counselors. But...
Seek First: The Kingdom has a King (Matt 6:25-34; Romans 14:17) • I can only give myself to seeking the Kingdom I know the Kingdom. o And if there is a Kingdom then there must also be a King. o I can only give myself to seeking the Kingdom if I know the King The...
Intro to Seek First Seek First: This series will be based on this passage in Matt 6 and the parallel story in Luke 12 • For the entire series we will focus in on the statement that Jesus makes to “Seek First His Kingdom” • The theme of this series is “Seek First the Kingdom...
The Christmas Story: Love is Born Part III (Luke 1:39-56) Verse 39 This journey would have been over 80 miles and taken 3-4 days. • No mention is made of a traveling companion but a young “single” woman would not have traveled alone. Verse 40-41 The word used here actually means to leap for Joy!...
The Christmas Story: Love is Born Part II (Luke 1:26-38) Verse 26 The story now shifts from Zechariah to Mary. • From the public setting of the Temple in Jerusalem to a private scene in a small town. • There are nine parallels between this story and the one that we just looked at with...
Rooted into Thankfulness (Col 2:6-10) Verse 7 There are four very important verbs in this verse. • Be rooted, to build, to be strengthened, and to overflow o And these verbs each build on each other. • The verb here is “to be rooted” or even “to be firmly rooted” o It’s a passive participle....
Sowing and Reaping with Authority in Partnership Matthew 28:18-20 Galatians 6:7-8 If we are co-heirs with Christ, and he has shared his authority with us, where is it, and why don’t we live with it constantly? I believe we were made to partner with Jesus to live in His full authority on this earth. But,...
Praying for Life, Praying Toward Vision Part 3 (Eph 6:18) • Eph 6:18 The emphasis here is actually on the word perseverance o NIV has always keep on • NASU be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, • Paul is calling the church to persevere in praying for itself...
Praying for Life, Praying Toward Vision Part 2 (Luke10:17; Eph 6:10) Psalm 23:5 The word “table” here has as its first meaning, a kings table, can also mean a sacred table o But the idea behind it is provision, blessings. • The Lord will not only bless us with great provision, a banquet table, He...
Praying for life, Praying toward vision Part 1.5 (Philippians 4:4-8) • Grammar definition: “The middle voice is that use of the verb which describes the subjects as participating in the results of the action.” • In the middle voice I actively participate in the results of an action that another initiates. o Peterson adds: “Two...
Praying for life, Praying Toward Vision (Mark 1:35 and John 15:14) Mark 1:35 It starts out by saying very early in the morning. • This helps avoid distractions. Jesus beat the crowds and distractions by getting up very early. • Then it says Jesus left the house. He had to find that quiet place to...
Entertaining the Presence Part 6 (Ezekiel 47 and John 7:37) Verse 1 Throughout the book of Ezekiel he has this tour guide simply identified as “the man.” o This man is leading Ezekiel through a long and complex vision. o Much of the last part of the book is related to the restoration of the...
Entertaining the Presence Part 5 • 2 Chronicles 5:11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. • Consecration was a part of the preparation they went through before the Lord sent His presence so strong. • Joshua 3:5 “Joshua told the...
Entertaining the Presence Part 3 (Acts 4) Verse 8 In Mark 13:11 Jesus told His disciple that when you are arrested don’t worry about what to say, the Holy Spirit will give you the words. I love how it says, “when you are arrested” We see that here. Verse 13 This verse should encourage all...
Baptism The word Baptize There are two basic forms of the word baptize in the NT • One, which is used less frequently means “to dip” or “to dye” We see both of those images in baptism. • The Other form which is used far more frequently refers to the Jewish cleansing practices. o If...
Entertaining the Presence Part 2 (1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5) 1. Response: God was responding to their preparation, sacrifice, praise, worship and honor. 2. Prophetic vision of the NT era: What God will do in the next era after the Temple. • This scene happens at the inauguration of the Temple • Yet God...
Entertaining the Presence Part 1.5 (1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5) Key verse 1 Kings 8:10 & 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 Why is it important to have this level of God’s presence? • First, it is just such a beautiful scene. I think we would all want to be there. • Second, it’s widely reported...
Entertaining the Presence (1 Kings 8: 2 Chronicles 5) Key verse 1 Kings 8:10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. Why did the...
Joy Complete (John 15:9-13) What are some things that attack our joy? 1. Church culture: In the church a few generations ago, there was a rise of stoics, those who thought the best practice of Christianity was to lead a stoic life. Some of this attitude remains today. 2. The enemy: Of course, satan loves...
The Full Armor of God Pt III (Eph 6:1-18) Verse 16 The shield here is a Roman shield that was four feet high, made of wood and covered in leather. • Right before a battle they would soak the shield in water to extinguish any flaming arrows. o The shield was also rimmed with metal...
The Full Armor of God Pt II (Eph 6:10-18) • Verse 14 … with the breastplate of righteousness in place, o In the Greek the verb to “to put on” is repeated in this clause, the NIV assumes that. o and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (NASB) • The breastplate was a piece...
The Full Armor of God (Eph 6:10-18) Verse 10 This statement is both a passive verb form and an imperative. • Paul is reminding us that we need to be strengthened and that we must look to the Lord for that to happen. Verse 11 Here Paul introduces the idea of needing to get dressed...
Mega Apostle or Servant (Phil 2:1-9) Verse 1 Paul is writing this letter because there was some disunity in the Philippian Church • Paul begins this section by asking some rhetorical questions. Verse 2 He is calling them to be unified in how they think. Then he goes on to call them to be unified...
Living in the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts Part II Verse 8, The word wisdom here means: wisdom, insight, intelligence, knowledge; Wisdom (of God) • The wisdom of God is really what is in view here. • The spirit gives us wisdom to help us understand the things of God. Words of knowledge The word translated as...
Living in the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor 12:1-7) The Difference: Spiritual gift verses a natural talent. • A spiritual gift is something that I can only do with the help of the Holy Spirit. o It’s super-natural • A natural talent is simply the way God has created me. o I am just really...
Living in the Spirit: Pentecost Sunday (Luke 24:49 & Acts 2:1) Luke 24:49 To emphasize the importance of the HS Jesus tells His disciple stay in the city until you receive the Holy Spirit, power from on high. • In this context Jesus is saying that the Great Commission is a Suicide mission without the...
Living in the Spirit: Keeping in Step with the Spirit (Gal 3:1; Gal 5-16-26) Gal 3:1 The context here is Paul is pointing out how some people had reverted back to the ways of the Law and Old Covenant thinking. Verse 2 We don’t get the Spirit by observing the Law. • If that were...
Living in the Spirit: The Ministry of the Spirit (2 Cor 3:1-18) Verse 3 This is an important ministry of the Spirit, to write on our hearts the testimony and grace of Jesus. • This is the perfect example of how things have now become internal. Verses 4-5 Paul is making the case that they...
Living in the Spirit: The Wisdom of the Spirit • John 14:25-26 Jesus says the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. • John 16:12 There was much more that Jesus wanted and needed to teach His disciples and us. • You can’t take all the wisdom of God and download it into human beings...
Living in the Spirit: Reject, Grieve, Quench (John 14:16; Eph 5:30; 1 Thes 5:19) • John 14:16-17 In the same context that Jesus promises the Spirit, He warns us that some will reject the spirit. • This makes sense since Jesus has already told His disciples that many would reject Him as the Messiah. •...
Living in the Spirit: Being Filled (Ehp 5:15 and Acts 8) Eph 5:18 The verb here in the NIV as “be filled” is a present passive imperative in the Greek. o There are three components to this grammar that we need to understand. • The first is the Greek Present tense. This basically means it...
Living in the Spirit: Who is the Spirit? First OT use: Gen 1:2 In the English it says the “Spirit of God.” • The word “Spirit” here in Hebrew is the word ruwach (roo-akh) o This word means: wind, breath, mind, spirit. Second use: Gen 2:7 The phrase here is “the breath of life” •...
Easter 2018 The Difference Easter Makes Living in the Spirit (Jer 31:31; John 14:15) • In the OT era the presence of God was confined largely to a geographic location. • When the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years his presence was confined to the Tabernacle. • When they finally reached the promised...
Palm Sunday 2018 The Strength of Praise (Luke 19:42 & Matt 21) • During this time period the only way to atone for your sin was to make an animal sacrifice. • We see all of that imagery here in this scene. Jesus the sacrificial lamb in on His way to Jerusalem. Verse 30 Jesus’...
Preparing for Worship Preparing for Worship 2 Sam 24:18-25 • This story starts earlier in the chapter with David sinning against the Lord by taking a census of his army. o Then the Lord speaks through the prophet Gad and sends three options for judgement. • Then we see this scene of worship. What do...
Sorry for the poor audio quality Winning the War for Our Mind Part IV From Jesus’ Victory (Luke 4:4-14 Isa 61:1-3) • Luke 4:14 Jesus is saying that all these prophecies from Isaiah are now fulfilled in Him. o So, everything promised in this statement from Isa is now true in the person of Jesus....
Winning the War for Your Mind Pt III Temptations (1 Cor 10:13, Proverbs) 1Cor 10:13 Three things to see here. • First, Whatever temptation has come against us, it’s common to being human. • Second, God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. Doesn’t mean we won’t fail and give...
Winning the War for Your Mind Pt II Scripture As Our Weapon (Psalm 23) • 2 Cor 10:6 In the natural realm Paul is reestablishing his authority as an Apostle and leader. • Paul talks about the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. o So, it would seem odd that...
Winning the War for Your Mind (2 Cor 10:1-5) Verses 1-2 Paul is addressing some in the Corinthian church who were questioning his authority. Verse 3 Paul realizes that this is a type of spiritual warfare. • They don’t have just cause for their complaints. Paul has been firmly established by God as an Apostle....
Making Disciples Step by Step Part II (Matt 9:9-13) (Review) Step one: Change our thinking Step two: Ask the Lord to open our eyes Step three: Seize the everyday opportunities Step four: Change our conversations Step Five: Think replication (reproducing) (Part II) Step six: Remember discipleship starts from the beginning • We don’t start at...
What Are You Attending to? Part III (Haggai 2:20-23) • 2:20 This is now the fourth and final oracle of the book. This word comes on the same day as the last one. • This word is addressed to the governor Zerubbabel. o And deals with national, governmental issues. • The Lord’s message is again...
What Are You Attending to? Part II Chapter 2:1 This begins the second oracle Verse 3 The Lord is asking if there is any one old enough to remember what the Temple used to look like. • But of course, it is nothing now because the people don’t have the resources they did with the...
What are You Attending to? (Haggai Chap 1) • The book of Haggai was written in what we call the postexilic era. o There had been a small and slow trickle of people coming back into the land of Israel. • By the time the events of this book take place the Jews had been...
Rejoice Always: A Prelude to Christmas (Philippians 4:4-7) • Context: Phil 3:18-21 Here Paul is comparing the ungodly, those whose god is their stomach. o To those who know that their citizenship is in heaven with Jesus. • It’s into this context Paul gives us this command to rejoice. • Verse 4 It’s an active...
Making Disciples Step by Step • Five Simple Steps: Practical steps for making disciples who make disciples. (A starting point) Step one: Change our thinking • Matt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and...
The Color of the Kingdom Part II (Acts 1:8; 10:1-35) • Acts 1:8 These are Jesus’ last words and instructions to His disciples. • Jesus is of course promising the coming of the Holy Spirit. o Jesus is telling us that we will not go in our own strength but empowered by the Holy Spirit....
Disciples making Disciples Part III (Luke 10:1-11) Verse 1 After those following Jesus counted the cost Jesus appoints 72 more disciples. • First, these are disciples who have been with Jesus for the last few days and they have heard Him talk about the cost. They have agreed to pay that price. • Second, they...
Disciples Making Disciple Part II (Luke 5:1-11) Verse 1 He has already begun the discipleship process with the people He is meeting. • It says He is teaching them the word of God, which would have been the OT. o He is of course using the Old Testament to point to Himself. Verse 2 Jesus...
Disciples Making Disciples (Matt 28:16-20) Verse 16 This is of course after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Verse 17 The word ‘worship’ here means to bow down, to fall down or kneel, in response to another. • Despite seeing the risen Lord, some still doubt, even in this incredible moment, doubt is still present. • Two...
Do Not Worry: Seek First (Matt 6:25-34) Verse 30 Jesus continues His analogy but switches from, “wild flowers” to “grass of the field.” • Something seemingly as worthless as straw, so mattered to God that he took special care to clothe it. o The grass wasn’t just an afterthought, God took care in creating it,...
