The Apostles -- walking with Jesus!
The 4th of July is about freedom. Although Independence Day is not a religious holiday, freedom is a concept that originated in the bible and is very spiritual topic. Celebrating our freedoms on this earth is not the same as the freedoms that God has given us! God presents a very different view of freedom through Christ!
The apostle Paul spoke about freedom more than any other apostle! Paul lost his freedom several times throughout his life! Paul describes his life before Christ in Romans 7:7-14,18-20,24
Romans 6:16 we all become slaves to the one we obey. Who is your master? The master of sin will not stop until it has destroyed you! Sin will wants to consume every bit of your life. How far do you lower your guard to convince yourself that you can play with sin? Sin desires to master you. Sin always leaves us in chains and hopeless!
Paul lost his freedom but he was set free!
Romans 7:24-25 Paul was delivered by God through Christ! Grace did not just help him win the game of sin and righteousness, it helped him end the game of sin and righteousness!
There is a big difference between following the law because you want to rather because of fear of consequence! Paul knew that because he was set free that he was enough and no longer need to earn freedom.
Paul used his freedom to serve!
Galatians 5:1, 13-14 with our freedom comes a choice to use our freedom to serve the spirit and deny the flesh!
Romans 6:15-18 true obedience comes from the heart. Paul was set free but he wasn't set free to rule himself. He and we are set free to serve God!
Who will you chose to serve? Jesus didn't break the chains of sin so that you could serve your own best interest! Paul used his freedom to set others free!
Freedom comes with a price
Philippians 2:6-7
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Friday, July 13, 2018
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Keeping the main thing the main thing!
Keeping the main thing the main thing!
We all want to be more for God and for the church. Focus is essential and there are many things that can distract us. Money is one of them!
Psalms 90:12
We can either spend money or invest it. When you give and invest in the kingdom the return is greater than we can calculate. Same is true with your life. You can spend it or invest it! You can invest your life or you can waste it.
Matthew 6:33
Keep first things first! If your priorities are not right you won't be right.
God is wide open! We each have as much of God as we want. What restrictions am I putting on my retaliation ship with God?
James 4:8; Jeremiah 29:13 -- God wants it all! God does not want to share our devotion with anything! 1 Corinthians 10:31
Giving back to God is an act of faith.
Gods kingdom needs to be the obsession of our lives. Nothing should come between us and seeking Gods kingdom!
Acts 4:13 -- if we follow the king then the people around us should see the kingdom!
Matthew 5:6 -- the banquet table is open. We have as much God as we want!
Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21;
Matthew 6:33 -- what are these "things" that are promised to those who seek the kingdom first? God knows what we need. Our father will take care of us and we will not be lacking anything!
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We all want to be more for God and for the church. Focus is essential and there are many things that can distract us. Money is one of them!
Psalms 90:12
We can either spend money or invest it. When you give and invest in the kingdom the return is greater than we can calculate. Same is true with your life. You can spend it or invest it! You can invest your life or you can waste it.
Matthew 6:33
Keep first things first! If your priorities are not right you won't be right.
God is wide open! We each have as much of God as we want. What restrictions am I putting on my retaliation ship with God?
James 4:8; Jeremiah 29:13 -- God wants it all! God does not want to share our devotion with anything! 1 Corinthians 10:31
Giving back to God is an act of faith.
Gods kingdom needs to be the obsession of our lives. Nothing should come between us and seeking Gods kingdom!
Acts 4:13 -- if we follow the king then the people around us should see the kingdom!
Matthew 5:6 -- the banquet table is open. We have as much God as we want!
Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21;
Matthew 6:33 -- what are these "things" that are promised to those who seek the kingdom first? God knows what we need. Our father will take care of us and we will not be lacking anything!
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Father's Day
Father's Day
The day we honor dad's. For many this day can be filled with many emotions. Some feel hurt and pain for the ways that there fathers we're either absent physically or absent emotionally.
Dads can do damage both near and far. Dads have a profound effect on their kids both good and bad. Some have mixed emotions about Father's Day and many cannot relate to the picture perfect relationship that the world tries to portray.
God knew that there was all the baggage with the word father and yet he still chose to call himself father. Why?
Psalms 68:5 God identifies as a father because that is who he is. God is the example of what he meant to create when he created fathers!
What can we learn from the way Jesus talked about his father?
Jesus's father gives gifts!
Matthew 7:7-12
God gives the gift of life. The gift of eternal life. The gift of grace and mercy. All blessings come from God. All talents come from God. Everything we have comes from God the gift giver!
Jesus's father provides!
Matthew 6:25-26
Not only does give us gifts but he also provides. A God who provides is a God who gives us what we truly need. God loves to provide and protect us. As much as God provides protection, God does not provide over protection!
God sent his son to live in a bad neighborhood (earth). God did not withhold suffering from Jesus. God did not exclude Jesus from discipline and sacrifice.
Jesus's father forgives!
Matthew 6:12-15
God forgives but with conditions. When we forgive someone with conditions it is so we get something in return that benefits us. With God his conditions are for our benefit.
Luke 15:17-24
Jesus's father does not forgive begrudgingly!
Sent from my iPhone
The day we honor dad's. For many this day can be filled with many emotions. Some feel hurt and pain for the ways that there fathers we're either absent physically or absent emotionally.
Dads can do damage both near and far. Dads have a profound effect on their kids both good and bad. Some have mixed emotions about Father's Day and many cannot relate to the picture perfect relationship that the world tries to portray.
God knew that there was all the baggage with the word father and yet he still chose to call himself father. Why?
Psalms 68:5 God identifies as a father because that is who he is. God is the example of what he meant to create when he created fathers!
What can we learn from the way Jesus talked about his father?
Jesus's father gives gifts!
Matthew 7:7-12
God gives the gift of life. The gift of eternal life. The gift of grace and mercy. All blessings come from God. All talents come from God. Everything we have comes from God the gift giver!
Jesus's father provides!
Matthew 6:25-26
Not only does give us gifts but he also provides. A God who provides is a God who gives us what we truly need. God loves to provide and protect us. As much as God provides protection, God does not provide over protection!
God sent his son to live in a bad neighborhood (earth). God did not withhold suffering from Jesus. God did not exclude Jesus from discipline and sacrifice.
Jesus's father forgives!
Matthew 6:12-15
God forgives but with conditions. When we forgive someone with conditions it is so we get something in return that benefits us. With God his conditions are for our benefit.
Luke 15:17-24
Jesus's father does not forgive begrudgingly!
Sent from my iPhone
The Apostles! -- walking with Jesus!
The Apostles! -- walking with Jesus!
The apostles were simple men who did extraordinary things. The word apostle is not a complicated word that simply means "sent". The apostles spread the gospel to every nation in their generation. They performed many miracles and almost all of them died horrendous deaths in Jesus name!
The apostle John was the last to die and his brother James was the first to die. John was known as the apostle of love. John learned the power of love from Jesus.
John had to learn to love!
Like most of us love was not a natural virtue. Luke 9:53-54 John was also named the sons of thunder. He was cold and cruel at times. John 12:21-24 John considered himself as the one Jesus loved the most. How could John describe his relationship with Jesus in that way?
John spoke about love more than any other writer in the bible. John 3:16; John 13:34-35; 1 John 3:1,18; 4:10-11,18
What would happen if we fixated on loving the way Jesus loved?
John also learned the power of obedience. John 8:31-32; 14:23; 15:10; 1 John 2:3; 3:22,24; 5:3
John understood the connection between obedience and love. God's love language is obedience! This is how God wants to be loved! Do you show God love through obedience? You cannot love God without being obedient!
Imaging what true obedience for God would do to our world. True obedience would end hypocrisy! If we focused on obedience in our own lives we would show the world true love!
Jesus was the perfect example of love and obedience! Luke 22:42
Sent from my iPhone
The apostles were simple men who did extraordinary things. The word apostle is not a complicated word that simply means "sent". The apostles spread the gospel to every nation in their generation. They performed many miracles and almost all of them died horrendous deaths in Jesus name!
The apostle John was the last to die and his brother James was the first to die. John was known as the apostle of love. John learned the power of love from Jesus.
John had to learn to love!
Like most of us love was not a natural virtue. Luke 9:53-54 John was also named the sons of thunder. He was cold and cruel at times. John 12:21-24 John considered himself as the one Jesus loved the most. How could John describe his relationship with Jesus in that way?
John spoke about love more than any other writer in the bible. John 3:16; John 13:34-35; 1 John 3:1,18; 4:10-11,18
What would happen if we fixated on loving the way Jesus loved?
John also learned the power of obedience. John 8:31-32; 14:23; 15:10; 1 John 2:3; 3:22,24; 5:3
John understood the connection between obedience and love. God's love language is obedience! This is how God wants to be loved! Do you show God love through obedience? You cannot love God without being obedient!
Imaging what true obedience for God would do to our world. True obedience would end hypocrisy! If we focused on obedience in our own lives we would show the world true love!
Jesus was the perfect example of love and obedience! Luke 22:42
Sent from my iPhone
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