JUNE 4, 2006
“FINDING
REST IN GOD’S PROVISION”
SCRIPTURE READING: GENESIS 22:1-14
SCRIPTURE TEXT: GENESIS
22:14 (ASV)
And Abraham called
the name of that place Jehovah-jireh. As it is said
to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be
provided.
INTRO:
Anxiety is the great robber of rest.
1.
A state of
uneasiness and apprehension, as about future
uncertainties.
2. A state of intense apprehension,
uncertainty, and fear resulting from the
anticipation of a threatening event or situation,
often to a degree that the normal physical and
psychological functioning of the affected individual
is disrupted by doubt concerning the reality and
nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s
capacity to cope with it.
Fear is the father of anxiety.
The fear of being unable to meet a certain need.
NOTE:
Fear will lead to
anxiety when we find that we are not able to be in
control of some circumstance or situation.
MATTHEW 6:8 (KJV)
…your Father knoweth what things ye have need of,
before ye ask him.
There are many needs that we face that can cause our
hearts and minds to be overcome by anxiety and all
fall into one of these three areas of our nature.
1.
Sinful Nature
2.
Physical Nature
3.
Eternal Nature
I.
FINDING REST IS GOD’S PROVISION FOR OUR SINFUL
NATURE.
EPHESIANS
2:1-10 (KJV)
And
you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses
and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience: among whom also we
all had our conversation in times past in the lusts
of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind; and were by nature the children of
wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in
mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and
hath raised us up together, and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages
to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his
grace in his kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not
of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them.
A.
OUR
SINFUL NATURE.
·
Alienated from God.
·
Bound
by sin.
·
Unable to redeem ourselves.
NOTE:
God’s
Provision for our Sinful Nature was the cross.
1
CORINTHIANS 1:18 (KJV)
For
the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the
power of God.
II.
FINDING REST IN GOD’S PROVISION FOR OUR PHYSICAL
NATURE.
A.
OUR EMOTIONAL NEEDS.
1
PETER 5:7 (KJV)
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for
you.
·
Love
·
Joy
·
Peace
·
Being
needed
B.
OUR PHYSICAL NEEDS.
·
Health
EXODUS 15:26 (KJV)
And said, If thou
wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy
God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight,
and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all
his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon
thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I
am the LORD that healeth thee.
PSALMS 103:1-3 (KJV)
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within
me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all
thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
·
Protection
PSALMS 121:1-8 (KJV)
I
will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence
cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which
made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot
to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber
nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy
shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite
thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall
preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy
soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy
coming in from this time forth, and even for
evermore.
C.
OUR FINANCIAL NEEDS.
PHILIPPIANS 4:19 (KJV)
But my God shall supply all your need according to
his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
NOTE:
Too often we only
think of this need when it is the lest of
importance.
·
My
God
What kind of God was Paul’s God?
What kind of God in our God?
·
Shall
supply ALL
What does Paul mean by ALL? Are there any
exclusions?
·
Your
need
NOTE:
Our
needs can be divided into three different areas;
Emotional, Physical and Spiritual.
Whose riches are they dependent upon?
·
According to His riches
Where do these riches come from?
·
In
glory
How are these riches
provided?
·
By
Christ Jesus
III.
FINDING REST IN GOD’S PROVISION FOR OUR ETERNAL
NATURE.
NOTE:
We will all face eternity, where we
spend it depends on whether or not we have accepted
God provision.
JOHN
14:1-3 (KJV)
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also.
REVELATION 20:6 (KJV)
20:6
Blessed and holy is he that hath part
in the first resurrection: on such the second death
hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and
of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand
years.
CONCLUSION:
We
will all spend eternity somewhere. Where we will
spend it depends on if we have accepted the Promise
of God’s Provision or we have rejected it.
JUNE 11, 2006
“GOD’S WORD HAS THE FINAL WORD”
SCRIPTURE READING: PSALMS 19:1-14
SCRIPTURE TEXT: HEBREWS
6:18 (NLT)
So God
has given us both his promise and his oath. These
two things are unchangeable because it is impossible
for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him
for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on
to his promise with confidence.
INTRO:
There
are many people who, in many ways seek to discredit
the Word of God.
When we listen to these who seek to discredit God’s
Word, we have opened the door to Satan and
unbelief.
Satan used this scheme in getting Eve to doubt God’s
Word in regards to the fruit of the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil.
We
can’t allow the silver tongue of Satan to cast
doubts in our hearts about the Truth of God’s Word.
Man, even Christian, will lie or fail to keep their
promises and break their word, but God’s Word is
true and He will never lie or break His Word to us.
ROMANS
3:3-4 (NLT)
True, some of them
were unfaithful; but just because they broke their
promises, does that mean God will break his
promises? Of course not! Though everyone else in the
world is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say,
"He will be proved right in what he says, and he
will win his case in court."
We can rest assured in God’s Promises knowing that
He will keep them.
ROMANS 4:21 (KJV)
And
being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he
was able also to perform.
The value we place upon the Word of God will
determine how much we trust and rely on it.
Those who place little or no value on the Word of
God will be quick to believe Satan’s lies.
Those who place great value on God’s Word will not
believe Satan’s lies.
PSALMS 19:7-11 (KJV)
The
law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the
simple. The statutes of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is
pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is
clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD
are true and righteous altogether. More to be
desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine
gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in
keeping of them there is great reward.
There are three ways God’s Word speaks to us.
1.
Through His creation.
PSALMS
19:1-4 (NIV)
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they
pour forth speech; night after night they display
knowledge. There is no speech or language where
their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into
all the earth, their words to the ends of the world…
ROMANS 1:18-20 (NIV)
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven
against all the godlessness and wickedness of men
who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since
what may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them. For since the
creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his
eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been made, so
that men are without excuse.
2.
Through the written Word.
2
TIMOTHY 3:14-17 (NIV)
3:14
But
as for you, continue in what you have learned and
have become convinced of, because you know those
from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you
have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to
make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
HEBREWS 1:1 (KJV)
God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2
PETER 1:21 (KJV)
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of
man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost.
3.
Through the Holy Spirit in many different ways.
-
Circumstances
-
People
-
Our
own thoughts
NOTE:
The problem we face; is how do we
know what is from God and what is from some other
source.
What makes God’s Word the final word?
The only thing we can look to for conformation or
rejection is the written Word of God.
Our faith in Who God is and His attributes will
determine how we view His Word.
There are many today who claim to hear and be the
voice of God.
How do we discern between the true and false.
ILL:
I KINGS 13
(The
unnamed prophet who disobeyed God)
ILL:
I KINGS 22
(Jehoshaphat,
Ahab and Micaiah)
Accepting God’s Word as the final
word requires faith, faith in God and faith in His
Word. Faith is a matter of choice.
We must have something that we can rely on as the
final authority.
The wisdom of man will fail us.
-
The World is
round. ISAIAH 40:22 (KJV)
It is he
(God)
that sitteth upon the circle of the earth…
-
Sodom and Gomorrah. GENESIS 18-19
-
Life is in
the blood.
LEVITICUS 17:14 (KJV) For it is
the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for
the life thereof: therefore I said unto the
children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no
manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is
the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be
cut off.
-
Quarantine.
LEVITICUS
13:46 (KJV) All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be
defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone;
without the camp shall his habitation be.
I.
GOD’S WORD IS PERFECT.
The
law of the LORD is perfect, converting the
soul
taw-meem';
entire (literal, figurative or moral); also
(as noun) integrity, truth :- without
blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity),
sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly),
whole.
NOTE:
God’s Word is inerrant, free from error in what it
teaches, it is infallible without mistakes.
God’s Word is perfect, complete in need of nothing
else and nothing can be added without corrupting
God’s Word.
II.
GOD’S WORD IS SURE.
The
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the
simple
aw-man';
a primitive root; properly to build up or
support; to foster as a parent or nurse;
figurative to render (or be) firm
or faithful, to trust or believe, to be
permanent or quiet; moral to be true or
certain;
ROMANS
4:21 (KJV)
And being fully
persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able
also to perform.
CONCLUSION: We must choose between the wisdom of man which sounds
right, feels good and seems true, and the Word of
God which is true.
JOSHUA 24:15 (KJV)
And
if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose
you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods
which your fathers served that were on the other
side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in
whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we
will serve the LORD.
JUNE
18, 2006
“DATE WITH THE PIGS”
SCRIPTURE READING: LUKE 15:11-32
SCRIPTURE TEXT: LUKE 15:7 (KJV)
I say unto you, that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that
repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just
persons, which need no repentance.
INTRO:
This is one of the
most beloved stories found in the Bible.
This story has many facets.
Too often we only consider the surface aspects of
this story.
There are three main characters found in this
story.
-
Youngest son
-
Eldest son
-
Father
Each of these
characters goes through different stages.
I
want us to look beyond the surface and find who we
are and where we are in this story.
We
should find ourselves in one of the stages of each
of the characters found in this story.
I.
THE YOUNGER SON.
NOTE:
Each of us can find ourselves in one
stage or another of the younger son’s life.
A. LIVING IN THE FATHER’S HOUSE BUT WANTING TO BE
ON HIS OWN.
NOTE:
We are in the church, but not happy
about being there.
We
chafe under trying to live the Christian life while
all the time wanting to be free from its
encumbrances.
We
are like the Children of Israel, freed from the
slavery of Egypt but longing to go back to its leaks
and garlic.
God has provided everything we need, food, water,
direction but we want control, and we want to do
things our way and not the way of the Father.
As
the cry of the world becomes stronger, the voice of
the Father becomes softer.
B. ASKING FOR HIS INHERITANCE AND LEAVING.
NOTE:
We
want the blessings of God, but are unwilling to
remain under His Lordship.
We want God’s gifts but are not willing to accept
the responsibilities that come with the gifts.
We have received our gifts and abilities from God
but we are not willing to use them for His glory, we
want to use them for our own pleasure.
By asking for his inheritance now, he
is saying to his father, “I wish you were dead.”
We go into a far country. As far away from God as
we can.
We reject the values taught to us by our loving
Father and accept the values of a dark and sinful
world.
C.
WASTING HIS INHERITANCE.
NOTE:
We have taken the gifts and blessings
God has given us and have wasted them in the
satisfying of our own selfish desires.
We
have forsaken the unconditional love of the Father
in search for the conditional love
(I
will love you if you are…)
of
the world.
We allow the world to use and abuse us until we have
nothing left that the world wants from us.
D.
LIVING AMONG THE PIGS.
NOTE:
Our life is a mess; we are bound by
sin and habits, and have no ability to change.
We hate where we are but we can’t see any way out.
This is the same attitude we had when we live in our
Father’s house.
E.
COMING TO THE REALIZATION OF HIS TRUE CONDITION.
NOTE:
We have come to the end of the road
and realize that one more step in this direction and
we will face eternity without hope.
We reflect on what it was like back in our Father’s
house.
We hope we can go back not as a son but as a
servant.
F.
ON
HIS WAY BACK HOME.
NOTE:
The journey back home is a long and
difficult one.
There is repentance, but not
repentance in the light of God’s immense love and
mercy, but rather in the thought of survival.
We head home; hoping for acceptance and toleration
but never expecting forgiveness and restoration.
G.
BEING
ACCEPTED BY A LOVING FATHER.
NOTE:
The Father welcomes us home with open
arms.
JAMES
4:8 (KJV)
Draw
nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye
double minded.
We receive from our Father much more than we had
ever hoped for.
We have been
restored completely to our son ship.
1
JOHN 1:9 (KJV) 1:9
If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
CONCLUSION:
Where
are you in this story?
-
In the
Father’s house but wishing you weren’t
-
Leaving the
Father’s house
-
Wasting
everything for selfish purpose
-
Living among
the pigs
-
On your way
back to the Father’s house
-
Safe in the
arms of your loving Father.
JUNE 25, 2006
“WHEN
CHRISTIANITY BECOMES MUNDANE”
SCRIPTURE READING: REVELATION 2:1-7
SCRIPTURE TEXT: REVELATION 2:4 (KJV) 2:4
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because
thou hast left thy first love.
INTRO:
I
believe that as you read the letters to the seven
churches of Asia, that all though they may be
addressed to individual churches, Jesus is speaking
to all Christian everywhere.
I
also believe that each one of us can find
characteristic in one or more of these churches,
that we can see in our own spiritual lives.
Is it possible for a person to become
so involved in their personal faith, in serving God,
that they become cold and indifferent to Him?
The letter to the
Church at Ephesus show to us that it is.
I.
THE CHURCH IS COMMENDED. Vs. 2 & 3
REVELATION 2:2-3 (KJV)
2:2
I know thy works,
and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst
not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried
them which say they are apostles, and are not, and
hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast
patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and
hast not fainted.
-
THE CHURCH
WORKED AND LABORED FOR CHRIST.
NOTE:
The people in this church are not
lazy people but people who work hard at fulfilling
their responsibilities as Christians.
ECCLESIASTES
9:10 (KJV)
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy
might; for there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou
goest.
Not only did they work for Christ but the word labor
means working to
exhaustion.
-
THE CHURCH
PATIENTLY ENDURED.
-
THE CHURCH WAS
A HOLY CHURCH.
-
THE CHURCH
TESTED IT LEADERS.
-
THE CHURCH HAD
NOT FAINTED UNDER ADVERSITY.
II.
THE COMPLAINT.
NOTE:
To all outward appearances this was a
wonderful Church. It seemed to be doing everything
it was supposed to do.
The problem with this church, it was doing
everything out of habit.
Its Christianity had become mundane.
There was no passion, no love.
They were doing everything they were supposed to do
but all for the wrong reason.
1
CORINTHIANS 13:1-3 (KJV)
Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity,
I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and
though I have all faith, so that I could remove
mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And
though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not
charity, it profiteth me nothing.
They lack love in three different areas:
A.
LOVE
FOR GOD
NOTE:
Every thing we do for God must be done out of
our love for Him and for what He has done for us.
MATTHEW
22:36-38 (KJV)
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment.
NOTE:
This is the greatest commandment
because if we love God in this way we will do the
thinks we are supposed to do, but it is possible to
do the things we are supposed to do without loving
Him.
MATTHEW 24:12 (KJV)
And because iniquity shall
abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
B.
LOVE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR.
MATTHEW
22:39-40 (KJV)
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets.
NOTE:
I break our neighbor down into two
groups.
-
Fellow Believers
regardless of the name of the church they
attend.
JOHN
13:34-35 (KJV)
A
new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one
another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one
another. By this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another.
1
PETER 1:22 (KJV)
Seeing ye have
purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that
ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
-
Love for those
who are lost.
NOTE:
We
should love even as God loves and as Jesus gave to
us as an example.
JOHN 3:16 (KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.
MARK 2:17 (KJV)
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They
that are whole have no need of the physician, but
they that are sick: I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance.
2 PETER 3:9 (KJV)
The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.
III. THEY WERE TO REPENT AND RETURN TO THEIR
FIRST
LOVE.
NOTE:
Three steps are given:
-
Remember from
where you have fallen.
-
Repent and turn
away from that which has stolen your love.
-
Redo your first
works.
NOTE:
Remember what it was like when you
first come to Christ, how you love to read His Word
and spend time in prayer.
How
much you wanted to
