January/28/ 2018
What Difference Does it Make?
Part 4
Attitudes that Make a Difference
Key Thought: To experience the difference I must do things differently.
Matthew 5:1 “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he WENT UP on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him..”
3 attitudes that will make a difference in your life this year.
1. Your attitude toward PAIN.
verse 4 “blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted”
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Isaiah 61:1 “He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted…”
verse 10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
John 10:10 “The thief comes to steal kill and destroy.”
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
verse 12 “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Romans 5:3-5 “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment
2. Your attitude toward PEOPLE.
verse 9 if you want to be blessed be a “peacemaker”
verse 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Matthew 6:14 “…if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”
3. Attitude toward GOD.
verse 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”
verse 3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him”
So what’s the take away today?
1. Your attitude is a choice
2. Your attitude will take commitment
verse 1 (MSG) “when Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him.”
January/21/ 2018
What Difference Does it Make?
Week 3:
Relationships that Make a Difference
Key thought: To experience the difference I must do things differently.
You will become the average of you closest friends….
Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.”
3 kinds of relationships that make a difference:
Someone who… sees the best in me
I Samuel 16:12-13 “Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David.”
2. Someone who… strengthens the weakness in me
1 Samuel 23:15-16 “While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that[a] Saul had come out to take his life. 16 And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 17 “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” 18 The two of them made a covenant before the Lord.”
Hebrews 3:12-13 “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
3. Someone who… speaks the truth to me
2 Samuel 12:1-7 “The Lord sent Nathan to David….”
Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Seek the right relationships
Proverbs 18:24 NKJV “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.”
James 3:18 (MSG) “You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Hebrews 10:25 (TEV) Let us not give up the habit of meeting together…”
2. Stop the wrong relationships
Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Proverbs 12:26 “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”
3. Strive for healthy relationships
January/14/ 2018
What Difference Does It Make?
Part 2
Habits That Make a Difference
These are the things that will make a difference in our lives this year…
Habits we make
Relationships we build
Attitudes we keep
3 things about habits about creating good habits.
1. Start at the beginning
Zechariah 4:10 “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin”
2. Stay focused on the ending
Discipline = choosing what you want most over what you want now.
I Corinthians 9:24-27 “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
3. Don’t quit in the middle
Galatians 6:9 “Let us not grow wearing in doing good for the at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Start at the beginning
Stay focused on the ending
Don’t quit in the middle
1. Focus yearly
2. Serve monthly.
Proverb 11:25 MSG “The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. “
3. Worship weekly
4. Connect w God daily
5. Stretch regularly
