Great final message in our One Prayer series this morning in church. Andy Stanley spoke on the promise that in the midst of uncertainty God is still certain.
Mark 14:17-29
Was this not the darkest hour for the disciples? Yet in the midst of all that was happening God was still in control even when it looked liked all had deserted Jesus.
The perfect place to run to in times of uncertainty is the Bible…the word of God.
In the midst of uncertainty God is still certain. God is right there in the middle of everything that is happening.
Can you trust God when there appears to be no evidence of his activity in your life, in your culture, in your world? Our response to that question will determine our response to the uncertainty in our society today.
Even when the disciples were facing their darkest hours God was doing his greatest work at that exact moment in time.
The greatest things happen in the most difficult moments in time. Can we maintain our faith in those times?
Uncertain? God is still certain. He still has the whole world in his hands. There is a way to have peace even in the midst of a storm.
He has your entire world in his hands.
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
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
One Prayer III
We heard a great message from Kevin Gerald yesterday morning in church. He spoke on ‘Fear not…God is’.
1 Kings 17:7-16
Elijah said to the woman ‘don’t be afraid’. (vs 13) This phrase is used again and again in the Bible.
There are ‘brooks’ drying up in our world today. Fear grips the world. Fear sabotages the progress you want to make. Economic collapse is not our greatest threat…but financial ‘fear’ is our greatest enemy.
Fear not…God is! God doesn’t change in poor economic times. Sometimes these are the best times for God to show up. There is the miracle provision that God wants to bring into our lives.
Are we acting as if ‘God is’ or as if ’God is not’? ‘God is to me who His word says He’ll be’
God is…
Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble
Jehovah Shammah – God is present in my life! Ever-present!
Don’t look at life through the eyes of the media…your fear level will go up. Do a media fast! Look at life through the promises of God from His word.
God is my help! Lift up your eyes and put your confidence in God. Act as if God is present. He is right here right now!
Psalm 27:1-3 – The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
Jehovah Gibbor – God is strong in battle! When life is at its worst God is at his best. You are not alone when you go into battle…if you’re willing to go!
Get your heart anchored in this truth…act as if God is empowering you. Don’t act as if God is not…act as if God is! Don’t whine…praise! Don’t grumble…celebrate His goodness!
Lamentations 4:9 – Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine
Better to die in battle than to starve! God is strong in battle…fear not!
Jehovah Jireh – God is our provider. This is God’s description of himself. This was how he introduced himself. When we grasp this truth fear is driven out. Shifts us from fear and into confidence.
Look at who God is in your life. God is present, God is strong in battle and He is your provider – he will sustain you. Focus your thoughts and prayers on these truths. Don’t go backward but move forward. Stand up, rise up and get confident. Fight the good fight of FAITH!
1 Kings 17:7-16
Elijah said to the woman ‘don’t be afraid’. (vs 13) This phrase is used again and again in the Bible.
There are ‘brooks’ drying up in our world today. Fear grips the world. Fear sabotages the progress you want to make. Economic collapse is not our greatest threat…but financial ‘fear’ is our greatest enemy.
Fear not…God is! God doesn’t change in poor economic times. Sometimes these are the best times for God to show up. There is the miracle provision that God wants to bring into our lives.
Are we acting as if ‘God is’ or as if ’God is not’? ‘God is to me who His word says He’ll be’
God is…
Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble
Jehovah Shammah – God is present in my life! Ever-present!
Don’t look at life through the eyes of the media…your fear level will go up. Do a media fast! Look at life through the promises of God from His word.
God is my help! Lift up your eyes and put your confidence in God. Act as if God is present. He is right here right now!
Psalm 27:1-3 – The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
Jehovah Gibbor – God is strong in battle! When life is at its worst God is at his best. You are not alone when you go into battle…if you’re willing to go!
Get your heart anchored in this truth…act as if God is empowering you. Don’t act as if God is not…act as if God is! Don’t whine…praise! Don’t grumble…celebrate His goodness!
Lamentations 4:9 – Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine
Better to die in battle than to starve! God is strong in battle…fear not!
Jehovah Jireh – God is our provider. This is God’s description of himself. This was how he introduced himself. When we grasp this truth fear is driven out. Shifts us from fear and into confidence.
Look at who God is in your life. God is present, God is strong in battle and He is your provider – he will sustain you. Focus your thoughts and prayers on these truths. Don’t go backward but move forward. Stand up, rise up and get confident. Fight the good fight of FAITH!
Monday, June 15, 2009
One Prayer II
Excellent message in church yesterday as we continued the One Prayer season. Paul Benger spoke about us being called to be God’s Apprentice.
God is saying to you – ‘You’re hired’.
God takes people of no experience and trains them into his apprentices. He has prepared a place for us right here, right now – we’re meant to be living here now for a great purpose.
Matthew 4:18-22 – As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him
Jesus gave people hope, purpose and life, and he’s still doing that today. His greatest focus during his ministry was making disciples because he understood the significance of that for building the kingdom.
John 14:12 – I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father
We, the church, have carried on that mission.
Disciple = Apprentice
I do – you watch; I do – you help; You do – I help; You do – I watch; We do – others watch.
Rabbis had disciples, so it was a common thing. Jesus, however, was completely different to normal Rabbis. Here are three of those differences:
1) It’s his call. Not everybody became a Rabbi’s apprentice. Those who did found a Rabbi to follow. But Jesus came to them.
Matthew 8:19-22 – Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
The call to follow him now extends to all people – it isn’t limited to a few and the benefits apply to all.
2) It’s a call to follow. Jesus taught by example not through knowing the scriptures. The call expects an immediate response. The disciples had to decide there and then. Jesus looks for a no reservations response from us too.
What is Jesus going to ask of CLC in the next 12 months? Jesus looks for something in our hearts that says ‘YES’
Matt 5:1; Matt 8:23; Matt 9:19; Matt 13:36
3) It’s Lifelong. The Rabbi’s discipleship was a means to an end – the disciple usually became a Rabbi themselves.
For Jesus it was to become an apprentice for life. Matthew 23:10 – Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ
We are the followers all the days of our lives – we never stop learning.
It’s all about our spirit and attitude.
In conclusion, even though we don’t graduate, we serve others and make other disciples.
John 13:13-14; Matthew 28:19-20
God is saying to you – ‘You’re hired’.
God takes people of no experience and trains them into his apprentices. He has prepared a place for us right here, right now – we’re meant to be living here now for a great purpose.
Matthew 4:18-22 – As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him
Jesus gave people hope, purpose and life, and he’s still doing that today. His greatest focus during his ministry was making disciples because he understood the significance of that for building the kingdom.
John 14:12 – I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father
We, the church, have carried on that mission.
Disciple = Apprentice
I do – you watch; I do – you help; You do – I help; You do – I watch; We do – others watch.
Rabbis had disciples, so it was a common thing. Jesus, however, was completely different to normal Rabbis. Here are three of those differences:
1) It’s his call. Not everybody became a Rabbi’s apprentice. Those who did found a Rabbi to follow. But Jesus came to them.
Matthew 8:19-22 – Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
The call to follow him now extends to all people – it isn’t limited to a few and the benefits apply to all.
2) It’s a call to follow. Jesus taught by example not through knowing the scriptures. The call expects an immediate response. The disciples had to decide there and then. Jesus looks for a no reservations response from us too.
What is Jesus going to ask of CLC in the next 12 months? Jesus looks for something in our hearts that says ‘YES’
Matt 5:1; Matt 8:23; Matt 9:19; Matt 13:36
3) It’s Lifelong. The Rabbi’s discipleship was a means to an end – the disciple usually became a Rabbi themselves.
For Jesus it was to become an apprentice for life. Matthew 23:10 – Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ
We are the followers all the days of our lives – we never stop learning.
It’s all about our spirit and attitude.
In conclusion, even though we don’t graduate, we serve others and make other disciples.
John 13:13-14; Matthew 28:19-20
Sunday, June 07, 2009
One Prayer I
June kicked off in church with our One Prayer series. The theme of this year is “God is…”. We heard an excellent message from Craig Groeschel on ‘God is LOVE’.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
We often so easily accept that God loves the world and that God loves someone else…but what about ME?
2 questions we may ask ourselves…
1) Why would God love someone as bad as me?
Have you ever felt unworthy? There are many in the bible that have felt like this at times.
Job 42:5-6 – “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job)
1 Corinthians 15:9 – “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (Paul)
2) Why would God love someone so insignificant?
Ever felt like that? All these billions of people on the planet…why me?
There are others we read about in the Bible who have had those same feelings.
Exodus 3:11 – But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Moses)
1 Chronicles 29:14 – "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (David)
GOD IS LOVE
God doesn’t just LOVE…God is LOVE!
1 John 4:8-10 – Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
This helps us know and accept God’s love for us today. LOVE is not just what God does, but LOVE is what God is.
There is nothing we can do to earn more of God’s love or even lose his love. Because He is love! It’s who he is. His love covers our sin. Jesus shed his blood for you and me so that we might know God’s forgiveness from our sin.
1 Peter 4:8 – Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins
Religion can often make us feel like we’re never good enough…it gets us trying to earn our salvation through works. It is because of his love, grace and mercy that we can know forgiveness and God’s salvation today.
Titus 3:4-5 – But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit
GOD’S LOVE MAKES YOU SIGNIFICANT
Jeremiah 31:3 – The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness
Luke 15 – talks about the lost coin, the prodigal son and the lost sheep. The fact that God’s loving-kindness draws us back to Christ. He pursues us!
Fill in the space below with your name today…this is so true for each and everyone of us. Whoever we are and whatever our background is or what has happened to us in the past.
‘For God so loved ................... that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ – John 3:16
We love because he first loved us.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
We often so easily accept that God loves the world and that God loves someone else…but what about ME?
2 questions we may ask ourselves…
1) Why would God love someone as bad as me?
Have you ever felt unworthy? There are many in the bible that have felt like this at times.
Job 42:5-6 – “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job)
1 Corinthians 15:9 – “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (Paul)
2) Why would God love someone so insignificant?
Ever felt like that? All these billions of people on the planet…why me?
There are others we read about in the Bible who have had those same feelings.
Exodus 3:11 – But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Moses)
1 Chronicles 29:14 – "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (David)
GOD IS LOVE
God doesn’t just LOVE…God is LOVE!
1 John 4:8-10 – Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
This helps us know and accept God’s love for us today. LOVE is not just what God does, but LOVE is what God is.
There is nothing we can do to earn more of God’s love or even lose his love. Because He is love! It’s who he is. His love covers our sin. Jesus shed his blood for you and me so that we might know God’s forgiveness from our sin.
1 Peter 4:8 – Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins
Religion can often make us feel like we’re never good enough…it gets us trying to earn our salvation through works. It is because of his love, grace and mercy that we can know forgiveness and God’s salvation today.
Titus 3:4-5 – But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit
GOD’S LOVE MAKES YOU SIGNIFICANT
Jeremiah 31:3 – The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness
Luke 15 – talks about the lost coin, the prodigal son and the lost sheep. The fact that God’s loving-kindness draws us back to Christ. He pursues us!
Fill in the space below with your name today…this is so true for each and everyone of us. Whoever we are and whatever our background is or what has happened to us in the past.
‘For God so loved ................... that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ – John 3:16
We love because he first loved us.
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