December/23/ 2018
A Weary World Rejoices
Lamentations 3:19-20 “I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.”
Why are we weary?
1.The Hurts of the past
verse 19-20 “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I remember them well, and my soul is downcast within me.”
2.The Struggles of the present
Job 4:5 “ But NOW trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed.
3.The Anxieties about the future
Mark 14:33-34: “Jesus began to be deeply distressed and troubled. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
So how do you find this rest that Jesus is talking about?
Psalm 42:5 “Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?”
verse 5b “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
1. Remember God's faithfulness in the past.
verse 19-24 “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is heavy, it's downcast within me. Yet I call this to mind and therefore I have hope. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
2. Cry out to God in the present.
Psalm 142:2, 5-6 “I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble… 5 I cry out to you O Lord; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need…"
3. Trust in God's power for the future.
2 Chronicles 32:7-8"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him. for there is a greater power that is with us than with them. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles..."
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make you path straight.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a FUTURE. “
December/16/ 2018
FAVOR
part 4
God is FOR us!
Romans 8:31 “If God is FOR US, who can be against us?”
1. Because God is for us… Our PAST can't condemn us
Romans 8:1-3 NLT “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.”
2. Because God is for us… our PAIN can't harm us
Romans 8:16-18 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
3. Because God is for us… our PROBLEMS can't stop us.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 “I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-17 “ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
How do we live in this Favor of God?
1. Receive God’s forgiveness
Romans 8:1 “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
2. Rest in God’s love
Romans 8:35, 37-38 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
a. God loves you even when you do wrong
b. God loves you even when others do wrong
Romans 8:31-34 “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
c. God loves me even when things go wrong
Romans 8:35-37 NLT “Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? …37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”
December/09/ 2018
Finding Favor
part 3
Favor with People
Luke 2:52 “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, favor with God and man”
Acts 2:45-47 “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 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, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Daniel 6:1-5 “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. 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...”
If you want to make a difference you’re going to have to be different.
1. Serve
Philippians 2:3-8 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:v6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
2. Love
John 13:35 TLB “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples”
a. Showing compassion
b. Taking an interest
c. Making an extra effort
Proverbs 3:3-4 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.”
3. Respect
I Peter 2:17 “Show proper respect for everyone.”
I Peter 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”
4. Lead
Daniel 6:4 NLT “Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.”
I Thessalonians 4:11-12 TLB “This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and doing your own work, just as we told you before. 12 As a result, people who are not Christians will trust and respect you.”
Mark 7:37 “People were overwhelmed with amazement. He has done everything well,”
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
