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The Kingdom of heaven is like...#5: The Fishing Net

Matthew 13:47-52
Parable of the Fishing Net
47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. 49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, 50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Do you understand all these things?”

“Yes,” they said, “we do.”

52 Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

Matthew 4:18-20
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

1 Peter 3:15
”…if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”

Find your passion to fish. And your part of the net.

Resources you can get started with:

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The Kingdom of Heaven is like...#4: The Vineyard Workers

Matthew 20:1-16
Parable of the Vineyard Workers

20 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

6 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

HEART CHECK:

Is the landowner’s practice unfair or generous?

Luke 15:25-32
The Prodigal Son

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Luke 23:39-43
39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”

40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Eternity with the Father is NOT based on:

  • works

  • time served

  • self-righteousness or perfection

Eternal life IS based on: JESUS

  • His grace, given by (through) Jesus Christ

  • —> which means, BELIEF in Jesus Christ is necessary

  • ———> which means, TRUE repentance is necessary. Not just sorry because you think it’s what He wants. But TRULY coming to the realization that sin is bad for me. God’s way is GOOD for me.

 Eric Sterner grew up at FVYouth, spending his time with people who surprised him with their kindness and generosity. He hadn’t experienced human kindness outside of the people of his own household, before coming to Freedom Valley Church, and so when he graduated the youth group, he continued on as a volunteer, and developed a passion for students finding Jesus and their place within His church.

Eric passed away 2 days before he got to travel with a missions team to the Los Angeles Dream Center. For months prior, he worked tirelessly to send all the youth students he could on that trip. Today, we honor his memory by sending as many kids to camps and retreats and missions trips as possible. This fund is used for that purpose.

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The Kingdom of Heaven is like...#3: The 10 Bridesmaids

Matthew 25:1-13

1. The Bridesmaids represent Israel here.  The professors of religion, His holy people set apart for a purpose.
In Jewish culture, 10 was the number of witnesses one would have to have for a synagogue, a circumcision, passover, marriage, etc…Boaz, when he married Ruth, had ten witnesses, Ruth 4:2…this was a common number required for official things. 

Israel should have been the shining example.  The oil carriers.  Instead they became an exclusive club, only looking out for themselves.

2. The Groom is the Messiah. Our Lord Jesus Christ; (he is represented this way also in the Psalms. 45:1-17, Song of Solomon; and often in the New Testament. It represents his love for, and covenant with his people. Israel was meant to be those people!

3. The Bride is His People, who is now the church. Throughout scripture the church is described as the beautiful bride of Jesus.  Jesus lays down his life for his bride, just as husbands are meant to lay down their lives for their wives, and wives submit everything to their husbands, just as the Church submits to Christ.  

Believers are now betrothed to (or engaged to) Christ (Hos. 2:19); but the solemnizing of the marriage is reserved for the great day, when the bride, the Lamb’s wife, will have made herself completely ready, Rev. 19:7, 9 – the wedding feast of the lamb. 

4. The Job - right now, we' are both the bride, and the bridesmaids.

We’re not only meant to be disciples, but discipleMAKERS too!
We’re not only the fish, we’re also the fishermen! 
We’re not only the Kingdom, we’re a kingdom of priests!!
We are to wait upon the bridegroom, and to wait for him in the meantime.  

Our chief concern should be to have lights in our hands, when Jesus returns or calls us home.

If the heart is the lamp, then grace is the oil.

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Stand In The Gap #6: Take Courage

Take Courage 

Intro: Here we have a story where Jesus did a miracle and helped someone else do a miracle… The story has a lot of significant details: after this… (after feeding 5000 men), Jesus insisted…, he went up into the hills to pray alone…

Matthew 14:22 Immediately after this, (feeding 5 thousand) Jesus insisted (??)  that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

  1. Hesitation make you see things that are not there.

    1. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

    2. Jesus is coming for you

    3. He has been praying… and praying for you!

      1. Rom 8:34  34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, (praying) pleading for us.

    4. Fear makes you hesitate, doubt yourself, believe that it won’t work out, 

    5. Some of us got stuck here, and stalled in what we fear

    6. Fear: being accepted, being unwanted, being gossiped about, being hurt, being laughed at, being ugly, being poor, being the parent of a deformed child, dying young, dying away from, 

    7. Fear causing the thing you are afraid of, to come toward you

  2. Take courage

    1. 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here”

    2. You can find these words about 7 times in the New Testament

    3. The King James Version says “ “be of good cheer”  (keep control of your emtions)

    4. Take Heart (some Bible translations say this).

    5. 365 times the Bible says “do not be afraid”

    6. But how does a person TAKE courage?

    7. You have choices in a fear filled situation: take fear, take trembling, take running away, or TAKE COURAGE

    8. When you can’t feel His presence, it says more about you than about Him!

    9. It says you have tuned out, focused on other things, turned him off in your heart

    10. His presence brings EVERYTHING!

    11. In His presence there is fullness of joy! (Psa 16:11)

    12. Ways to take courage: (use ALL your resources!)

      1. Acknowledge your fear. 

      2. Confront it. ...

      3. Use positive self-talk. ...

      4. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. ...

      5. Make being brave a habit. ...

      6. Practice mindfulness. ...

      7. Find a mentor. ...

      8. Embrace failure.

I. Places that take courage to be there: Saying you are sorry, being yourself, taking responsibility, keeping commitments, saying no, forgiving  

  1. Ask big

    1. 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

    2. COME?: water walking can’t be done! Right? Have you ever felt water to be solid?

    3. Could Peter have asked for anything larger?

    4. Satan tells you “play it safe”. Run Away, hesitate, 

    5. Have you ever walked on water? Challenge him to ask you!

    6. No PHD has ever walked on water. 

    7. No matter how much of God you have had: there is more

    8. New levels of joy/fulfillment/giftedness/understanding/wisdom

    9. Don’t JUST ask Him to heal, provide, restore, build. Ask Him to teach you something new!

Conclusions: 1.I have got terrifying things that I have to face… 

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Stand In The Gap #5: When The Church Prays

Acts 1:14

Acts 2:42

Acts 6:4

Acts 8:14-17

Acts 12:1-19

Ephesians 3:20

1. Prayer was intentional.

2. Prayer was IMPORTANT!

Prayer SHOULD BE intentional, because prayer IS important.

Mark 2:1-5

Church Prayer Points:

  1. Breakthrough

  2. Harvest

  3. __________


3 People Inside the Church:

  1. __

  2. __

  3. __


3 People To Come To Know Christ:

  1. __

  2. __

  3. __

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Stand In The Gap #4: The Plot

Matthew 26:1-5
Matthew 26:57-68

Who: The Leading Priests
Why: pride, envy, power

Matthew 26:14-16

Who: Judas
Why: greed, power

Matthew 27:11-26

Who: Pilate
Why: power

Matthew 27:27-31

Who: The Soldiers
Why: mockery, pride, to feel powerful

Matthew 26:26-28

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Stand In The Gap #2: Peace In The Storm with Seth Reichart

John 16:33 NIV

Jesus wants you to have Peace in the storm

Mark 4:35-41 (ESV)

Keeping your eyes on Jesus will give you peace in the storm

Matthew 14:22-33

Focusing on the storm will hijack your peace

Obedience to God will give you peace with God no matter what storm comes your way

1 Peter 3:20b-21
Matthew 24:14
Matthew 24:37-39

Rebellion in your heart will cause you to be swallowed up by the storms of life

Matthew 12:40

Following Jesus will result in you being sent into the storm

Acts 27: 21-26
Acts 27:31-32

Being in the boat with Jesus guarantees his peace and protection in the midst of the storm

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Stand In The Gap #1: The Wall of Righteousness

#1: The Wall of Righteousness

Ezekiel 22:23-31

1. The Wall of Righteousness

Proverbs 13:6
Ephesians 6:14
Psalm 37:39-40

How Righteousness Protects:

  • a. Shield Against Evil

  • b. Protection of the Heart

  • c. God's Approval

  • d. Spirtual Warfare

2. Someone to Stand in the Gap

Ezekiel 22:30
Exodus 32:9-14
Ephesians 6:10-18

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The Bait of Satan #6: Reconciliation

Forgiveness Isn't Always Enough

  • When people wound you, just like a physical wound if not tended to it can become infected, which leaves you bitter and hateful.

  • So how do we tend to ourselves when others wound us?

  • Well forgiveness obviously. Forgiveness is a healing agent to a wounded soul.

  • And this is where I started to realize, maybe forgiveness isn't always enough. I forgave those who wounded me but I was still hurting.

  • I was wounded by someone and this wound was deeper than forgiveness could heal.

  • So if forgiveness isn't enough then what is? What am I missing? What did God need me to do?

  • Psalms 35:11-14:

    • 11 Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. 12 They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair. 13 Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. 14 I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.

  • Matthew 5:44 sums this Psalm up beautifully:

    • 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Prayer Heals Wounds Forgiveness Cant

  • But in order for prayer to be effective in healing us we have to forgive first.

  • Read verse 14 in Psalms 35:

    • 14 I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.

  • You have to pray for them as if they were your friends, as if they’re your family. I would challenge you and say pray for them as if you're praying for yourself!

  • And the only way you're gonna be able to do that is if you've forgiven them first.

  • Prayer heals deep wounds. If you've worked through forgiveness, but you're still struggling to move on from something that was done to you, you need to spend time in prayer for the one that wounded you.

  • Pray for them as if you were praying for yourself! With genuine prayers. And God will begin to heal you.

  • Now will you be healed in that moment? In that first prayer? I can't guarantee that. But I can guarantee if you’re obedient to what God asks you to do, praying for your enemies. He will begin to stitch you up. He will heal you and replace the hurt with a love for that person you wouldnt of thought possible.

  • If only it were that easy though. Pray for your enemies. No, you see the 6th session of the Bait of Satan isn't called, healing from wounds, pray for your enemies or anything like that. It's called reconciliation.

  • Reconciliation means: the restoration of friendly relations.

The Restoration of Friendly Relations

  • Romans 12:18 NIV

    • 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

  • Forgiveness isn't reconciliation. And neither is prayer.

  • Matthew 18:15

    • 15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.

  • Verse 15 tells us GO! Go IN PERSON (when possible) to those who have wounded us and be reconciled.

  • When not possible a phone call isa better than nothing!

  • Pride keeps us from doing this at times.

  • We must humble ourselves and apologize!

  • You cannot reconcile a relationship without repentance. That's why we have to repent of our sins in order to be in right relationship with God even though forgiveness was settled at the cross.

  • Reconciliation isn’t going to happen if you go with a list of the things you’re sorry for while being defensive about what you’re not sorry for.

  • Humble yourself for the sake of peace!

  •  2 Corinthians gives us a more complete understanding of the necessity of reconciliation in the life of a believer.

  • 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

    • 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. 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!”

  • God the father gave Jesus Christ his son the task of reconciling the world to himself! A task that we as Christians, little Christ’s, Christ's Ambassadors continue to this day through the message of the Gospel.

  • God has given us the task of continuing Jesus’ ministry to reconcile people back to himself.

  • So how can we claim to be christians whose task is to reconcile the world back to God when we aren't even willing to reconcile the relationships in our own lives?

  • You can't!

  • It is the deepest hypocrisy to claim to be in Christ while simultaneously denying his work of reconciliation to those around us.

  • If you’re a christian and you are not living in peace with everyone, where possible, as much as it depends on you, you are living a lie.

  • If you have an enemy in your life and I ask you “what have you done to live in peace with that person” and your answer isn't “I've done everything I possibly can” then you are living a lie. You're a hypocrite. Claiming to represent something you don't..

  • Now I want to put an asterisk here. The verse says “If Possible” meaning it isn't always possible. We will have enemies, people who refuse to be reconciled despite all our efforts.

  • But I would argue that this isn't a majority of the time. And I find that we far more often spend time rationalizing to ourselves that they're unwilling to reconcile with us because we're too proud, or too afraid to have an uncomfortable conversation.

  • Do not rationalize your way out of doing what God has called you to do.

  • Live at peace and Reconcile with people. As much as it depends on YOU.

This Week’s Challenge!

  • Those who made a forgiveness list week 3 of this series: I know Candace had you destroy them as a way to show symbolically that you’ve forgiven them.

  • But what is the thesis of this message? Forgiveness isn't always enough!

  • So this week recreate that list. But now that's your prayer and reconciliation list.

  • Begin praying for those on your list throughout the week and AS MUCH AS IT DEPENDS ON YOU Reconcile with them. If possible IN PERSON.

  • Told you this was gonna be challenging.

  • And for the rest of you, make a list of your enemies. Those you aren't living in peace with. And do the same thing. That's your prayer and reconciliation list.

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The Bait of Satan #5: The Poisonous Root

Anger is an emotion. Bitterness is a choice.

Hebrews 12:15b
Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.


Ephesians 4:26-27
26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Foothold: “a secure position that can be used to advance, or a small area of control that can be expanded”

So how do we not let the sun go down on our anger?  We deal with it quickly. Don’t allow it to fester.  Don’t allow it to sink in.  Deal with it quickly, either using Matthew 18 to hold people accountable, or get back on the same page with them, or FORGIVE THEM.


Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”

22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 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. 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.

35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Any amount of sin comes between you and God.

Unforgiveness will torture you.

Mark 11:25-26
25 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 6:14
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Luke 6:37
37 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.


Matthew 6:12 - the Lord’s prayer
and forgive us our sins,
    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

Radical forgiveness is impossible without Jesus.

An offended Christian is a Christian who has forgotten what they’ve been forgiven of!

Sometimes people will say, “I’ll forgive them when they apologize” ….. If Jesus would have waited until we said sorry to forgive us, he never would’ve gotten on that cross.

Hebrews 12:5b

How do I know if I’ve become bitter? Here are some things to think about:

  1. Is your baseline mood often angry, disappointed, or irritable?

    1. Think about the last 7 days…Have you…

    2. Sent an angry or frustrated email or left a similar voicemail?

    3. Got into a verbal conflict of any kind with anyone in your personal or professional life?

    4. Had a negative emotional reaction to a stranger you encountered while driving, at work, or running errands?

    5. Snapped at anyone in response to something they said or asked?

  2. Think about your closest relationships. Do you generally feel that others don’t fully understand you or appreciate all the things you do?

  3. Okay, now think about the concept of happiness…have you come to believe that it’s possible you may never feel truly happy?

  4. When you hear about that person being blessed, do you wonder how God could possibly bless them when they did such an ugly thing to you?

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The Bait of Satan #4: Vengeance is Mine

Romans 12:17-19

Proverbs 20:22

Deuteronomy 32:34-35

Proverbs 24:29

Vengeance is none of my business.

1 Peter 2:18-21

Mark 15:3-5

1 Peter 2:22-23

1 Peter 3:9

We return blessings for curses.

CHALLENGE: Gather some worship inspiration. A song, scripture, Bible hero, etc that inspires you to worship God and adjust your perspective, so you can more easily give over vengeance to Him.

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The Bait of Satan #2: Un offend able

Genesis 37:18-20
18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

2 Peter 3:3
3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.

Jude 1:18-19
18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

Psalm 1:1-3
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
No one, but you, can knock you off course.

Genesis 37:20
20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

Genesis 45:5-8
5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6 This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.[a] 8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser[b] to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

Genesis 50:19-21
19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

Psalm 37:23
The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.

1 Peter 1:6-7
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Isaiah 48:10
I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

“Often the thing that looks like an abortion of God’s plan actually ends up being the road to its fulfillment…if we stay in OBEDIENCE and FREE FROM OFFENSE.” - John Bevere

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The Bait of Satan #1: The Hardened Heart

Luke 17:3-4
3 So watch yourselves!
“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. 4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

Matthew 24:1-10
Jesus Speaks about the Future
24 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.

Proverbs 18:19
19 An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city.
Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.Proverbs 18:19

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 [a]We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

Strongholds = set patterns of reasoning through which we process information

Betrayal = the ultimate abandonment of relationship

Hate = void of love

Matthew 24:11
11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.

Matthew 7:15-16
The Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Matthew 24:12-13
12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Psalm 55:12-14
12 It is not an enemy who taunts me—
I could bear that.
It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—
I could have hidden from them.
13 Instead, it is you—my equal,
my companion and close friend.
14 What good fellowship we once enjoyed
as we walked together to the house of God.

2 Timothy 2:24-26
24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

Matthew 18:15-17
Correcting Another Believer
15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

1 Corinthians 11:23-30
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against[b] the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,[c] you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

Matthew 5:23-24
23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

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CHURCH #4: Vibrant Disciples Who Worship Together

Acts 2:42-47

“Vibrant disciples are single-minded in their dynamic life-worship of God.”

  • Vibrant = colorful, dynamic, passionate, full of life!  Opposite of dull, colorless, tasteless. We are to be the SALT and LIGHT of the world! Matthew 5:13-16

  • disciples = following JESUS

  • single-minded = NOTHING can get us off track. NOTHING can separate us from the love of the Father.  NOTHING can distract us, or confuse us. We have JESUS. “To whom would we go, YOU have the words of life!” John 6:68-69

  • dynamic = adjective

    1. 1. (of a process or system) characterized by constant change, activity, or progress.

      "a dynamic economy"

    2. 2. (of a person) positive in attitude and full of energy and new ideas.

      "she's dynamic and determined"

  • life-worship = it’s EVERYTHING we do, not just one thing. It’s centering yourself and everything you do around HIM and HIS will for your life.  Romans 12:1-2

  • of God = obviously, HE is the most important part of this equation. And where we place our worship is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to life itself.

VIBRANT, PASSIONATE, SELFLESS

VIBRANT disciples are single-minded in their dynamic life-worship of God.

Renew vibrancy. (our responsibility is to renew vibrancy.  Just meaning we stay connected to the source.  We can walk away at any time…we can disconnect from the source for all kinds of things…that’s what Satan WANTS, don’t let him do it!  Don’t blame it on him either.  He’s a liar, but he’s not that creative in his lies.  They’re only easy to believe when we WANT to believe them.  The second we don’t want to anymore, it’s very easy to see that they’re lies)

PASSIONATE disciples obediently pursue Jesus.

Feed your passion. (we do that by being obedient.  Obedience produces passion, passion produces obedience.)

SELFLESS disciples are willing to sacrifice comfort to demonstrate love.

Practice selflessness. (we practice…because it’s hard.  But practice makes perfect…we flex the selflessness muscle, and it becomes stronger.  We have to practice to expose more selfishness honestly, because it’s a deep well of selfishness in our souls. We don’t always recognize when we’re being selfish. So we practice. And correct as we go. The best example of this is like with toddlers…babies are the most selfish creatures on the planet!  They’re also innocent of course, because they don’t know any better yet.  They just know what THEY need, and don’t care what anyone else needs. We, as parents, have to TRAIN them how to not be selfish.  It takes YEARS and lots of practice, right? Same is true for us as adults, and as disciples.  We practice.

We CHANGE THE WORLD with the message of the Gospel. 

(by the power of the Holy Spirit) There is nothing else that WILL change the world, first of all.  The Gospel is THE most powerful thing on this planet!  It’s the most world-changing, life-changing thing that there is! And we NEED the Holy Spirit at work within us to accomplish this.  Because WITH God anything is possible, without Him, nothing is possible.

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Church #4: Ordinary People Who Have Been With Jesus

We have been over:
Fellowship - the idea that we are all connected, on mission together 
Ministry - the idea that we serve one another, selflessly, on behalf of God
Discipleship - we follow in Jesus’ footsteps, learning and growing as we follow humbly
Evangelism is today’s focus!

Acts 2:42-47
Matthew 16:18
Matthew 28:16-20
Mark 6:6-13

Jesus was teaching them:

  1. To get up close & personal with people.

  2. How to be provided for.

  3. How to shake the dust off.

Acts 4:13 - they were recognized to be ordinary men, with no special training in the scriptures, but who had BEEN WITH Jesus!

Stages of spiritual growth we often see:

  1. FIND JESUS (an UNlearning phase where we actually discover God, and His love for us expressed through Jesus)

  2. MOVE FORWARD (with our faith, flexing our faith muscles and learning how to walk it out)

  3. DO SOMETHING (for God, God will call us to use everything we’ve learned, to serve others)

RESPONSES TO THIS SERMON:

Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner

March 8th we will visit with new people, have a meal together, and BE the church together! Sign up to be a host or a guest here!

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Church #3: A Community Following Together

We have been over:
Fellowship - the idea that we are all connected, on mission together 
Ministry - the idea that we serve one another, selflessly
Discipleship

Acts 2:42-47
Matthew 4:18-22

Following Jesus requires humility

Luke 9:23-26
John 6:60-71

Disciples are teachable.

Spiritual Growth Questions:

  1. Are you growing in your relationship with God?

  2. Are you growing in your relationship with others?

  3. Are you growing in your influence with outsiders?

  4. Are you growing in your ability to handle your resources?

Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner

March 8th we will visit with new people, have a meal together, and BE the church together! Sign up to be a host or a guest here!

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