March/27/ 2016 Filed in:
knock knockKnock Knock
Part 1:
The Door
John 10:7-10 NCV “ So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All the people who came before me were thieves and robbers. The sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door, and the person who enters through me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life—life in all its fullness.”
1. Jesus is the only door
verse 7 “I tell you the truth, I am the door for the sheep.
Acts 4:12 “ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
2. Jesus is the open door
Rev 3:7 “These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 6:23 “the wages of sin is death”
John 3:16 “for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life”
I John 1:9 “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
a. Open doors provide entry.
“A Door is a direct contrast to a wall. It is hard to climb a wall. It is easy to go through a door. Anyone who wants to get to God doesn’t have to climb. He just takes a step.”
verse 9 “He who enters through this door will be saved and will be able to come in.”
verse 10 “A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life—life in all its fullness.”
Nicholas Cage “I wonder if there is a hole in the soul of my generation. We have inherited the american dream but where do we take it? it’s not just about cars and wealth it has to do with freedom. We fight for freedom but are we free in our thoughts or are we paralyzed by our dreams of consumption?”
Jim Carrey “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.”
I Peter 1:18-19 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
Romans 8:11 (MSG) “It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!”
b. Open doors provide exit.
verse 9 “I am the door, and the person who enters through me will be saved and will be able to come in and go out”
I Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Luke 13:24-25 Jesus said to them… “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.”
Matthew 24:37-39 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.”
Romans 5:1-2 MSG “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us… we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.”
March/06/ 2016 Filed in:
Moral_of_the_storyMoral of the Story
Part 4
The Parable of the Lost Son
Luke 15:20-24 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[b]’
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.”
Moral of the Story: You may leave the Father’s house but you can never escape His heart.
Romans 8:38-39 “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Deuteronomy 26:18 “The Lord has declared today that you are his people, his own special treasure.”
Notice the heart of the Father for his lost son.
- A heart of compassion:
verse 20 “Filled with love and compassion for him.”
Psalm 103:8 “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
Psalm 103:13 “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
2. A heart of protection:
verse 20 “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him
1 Peter 5:4-7 MSG “But all of you, leaders and followers alike, are to be down to earth with each other, for— God has had it with the proud, But takes delight in just plain people.So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”
verse 20 “he ran to him and embraced him...”
- A heart of restoration:
Verse 21-22 “His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[b]’22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.
2 Corinthians 5:16-20 “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. 18 “And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
4. A heart of celebration:
March/06/ 2016 Filed in:
Moral_of_the_story
Moral of the Story
Part 4
Parable of the Unmerciful servant
Matthew 18:32-34 “Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.”
Moral of the story: The merciless life is the miserable life.
4 results of the merciless life
1. Our prayers are hindered
Mark 11:24 “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
Matthew 5:23-24 "So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and suddenly you remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God."
2. Our vision is blurred
I John 2:10-11 “Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.”
3. Our relationships are poisoned
Hebrews 12:15 “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”
4. Our sins are not forgiven
verse 34-35 “Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters[m] from your heart.”
Matthew 6:14-15 “For 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.”
If we want to get out of our misery we have to give more mercy.
Mercy = remembering what God has done for us while forgetting what others have done against us.
How do I show mercy?
1. Remember what God has done for me.
verse 32 “Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
2. Forget what others have done against me.
There is freedom in forgetting.
I Corinthians 11:23 “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”