SOLUTIONS #3: The Surprise of Sacrifice

1 Samuel 1:10, “Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you.”

1. If you look upon my sorrow….

2. If you look upon my sorrow...AND ANSWER MY PRAYER

3. If you look upon my sorrow, and answer my prayer...AND GIVE ME A SON

4. If you look upon my sorrow, and answer my prayer, and give me a son….I WILL GIVE HIM BACK TO YOU.

You can trust God with your honesty--He will listen.
You can trust God with your prayers--He will answer.
You can trust God with your sacrifice--they are not wasted in His hand.

Discuss with your family!

SOLUTIONS #2: From Victim to Victor

Esther 4:7-16

She has PASSION FOR HIS PURPOSES. Not her own.

SACRIFICIAL SELFLESSNESS. God is looking for people who are willing to say, use me!

In Esther’s case, she not only had passion for God’s purposes and sacrificial selflessness, but she also had a FOUNDATION OF FAITH and so, when faced with something difficult, that she knew she had to do, she asked for help. 

RESOLUTE RESOLVE. If you know that God has called you to something, don’t look back. Don’t second guess. Don’t self-doubt.

SOLUTIONS #1: Capturing Thoughts

NLT: 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”
DESTROY PROUD OBSTACLES

TPT: 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.”
INSIST ON OBEDIENCE

MSG: 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”
STRUCTURE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS

NIV: 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
DEMOLISH ASSUMPTIONS

Bible heroes who had to renew their mind:

• Moses - “I’m not a leader”

  • Exodus 3:1-17

• Israelites - slave mentality..they were trained to complain because they were powerless to do anything else. 

• Cain - “the bare minimum”

  • Genesis 4

• Rahab - “Everyone is doing it--it must be right”

  • Joshua 2

• Gideon - “There’s power in numbers”

  • Judges 6

INTO THE UNKNOWN #4: You've Been Sent

Luke 10:1-20

1. Jesus sent them into the unknown.

   1. Proverbs 15:24, “the path of life winds upward for the wise…”

2. Complete self-reliance produces isolation.

3. Speak peace first.

4. Don’t be surprised at opposition.

5. Stay humble.

FV, we got this. God has bigger things for us on the other side of this. Each and every one of you have talents and gifts and abilities that God wants to use for the Kingdom! God is doing a new thing.  He’s bringing NEW things out of you, he’s building new roads in your life, along new rivers of blessing, as our Bible Plan said this week. He’s opening up new heights from where you will have an AMAZING perspective.  It’s time to step into all the promises of God for you, trust in His ability to bring them to pass---and GO CHANGE YOUR WORLD.

Go into the unknown knowing you have a legacy of bravery behind you, squaring your shoulders to the new challenges ahead of you, and understanding that God is molding and shaping YOU as much as HE’s molding and shaping the world THROUGH you.  Step into the unknown, disciple of Jesus...you’ve been sent.

INTO THE UNKNOWN #3: Born For This Time

“I guess we’re in for a time of hard decisions. I've always felt so bad that my grandchildren couldn't have lived in the calm, peaceful '50s like I did. But God told me no, they were born for this time. This is their time and they are making a huge difference in the world they're living in. So carry on and keep doing what you're doing. Love, Grammy”

Matthew 26:36-56
Right where He was supposed to be.

Matthew 27:11-26
Matthew 28:1-10; Matthew 28:16-20
The Moment.

Walk Out Of That Tomb.

INTO THE UNKNOWN #2: Crisis Causes Change

Acts 1:8

Stephen Served - Crisis Changes
Deacon - means servant - definitions 1 Timothy 3
Deacons - also preached, taught and did miracles.

Acts 6:1-5

Stephen Spoke - Crisis Challenges
www.fv.church/heroes

Acts 7:46-59

Stephen Sacrificed - Crisis Costs

Stephen Spread - Crisis Creates

Acts 8:1-3

Hebrews 10:24-25

INTO THE UNKNOWN #1: Bravery Runs In My Family

Hebrews 11:1-19

Heroes of the Faith

Bravery runs in my family

PRIVILEGES #4: The Privilege of Surrender

WATCH CHURCH ONLINE HERE

TWO SEPARATE FEAR ISSUES GOING ON HERE.

1. Jesus was being hunted in Judea

2. Lazarus was very sick and could die.

SPOILER ALERTS BEFORE WE READ THIS: 

1. Jesus did not get captured or die….BUT it did increase the heat exponentially.

2. Lazarus DID die….but was raised from the dead by Jesus, for a greater purpose.

John 11:1-16

When you’re able to look at life in the way that Jesus did--that death is NOT the end--you look at obedience differently too.
New perspective = new willingness

Daniel 3 “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

WE ARE IN A FAITH BUILDING SEASON. This is when DEEP faith is born. And every single day that you are tested is an opportunity! But what we have to remember during all this, is that God sees things differently than we do….

We have to remember that God sees things so differently than we do.

Your surrender = others surrender
Your leaders need you right now.

“There is a reason the Army pays for chaplains who jump out of airplanes—because soldiers need them.”

SURRENDER IS A PRIVILEGE.

1st week - We can TRUST God with our 10%, because He promises to provide.  

2nd week - And he provides SO MUCH, that we have overflow to give to others and be generous.  He doesn’t provide that ABUNDANCE AND OVERFLOW for YOU--He provides it so you can be generous with others...

BECAUSE, as we learned last week, the 3rd week - Jesus modeled for us that He treasures PEOPLE over money and possessions--every single time.

PRIVILEGES #3: The People Treasurer

John 12:1-8

1. Mary - The Unashamed Worshipper

   1. Out of TRUE UNDERSTANDING of who Jesus is.

2. Martha - The Grateful Servant

   1. Because a love for Jesus, always turns into a love for others as well.

3. Judas - The Judgmental Thief

   1. Because spending time AROUND Jesus, is not the same as giving him control.

4. Jesus - The People Treasurer

   1. Because that’s the real treasure.

   2. He was putting his money where his mouth was.

      1. Jesus had said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where . . . thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19–20).

      2. Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

      3. 3. And Jesus had said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

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PRIVILEGES #2: The Privilege of Generosity

With privileges come pressure.

There’s always a price to pay, isn’t there?
Text: I Kings 18

3 yrs of no rain = economic collapse

1. Generosity chooses Calling over Comfort

"There’s no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone.”

God reserves the right to disrupt your comfort zone at the time and place he chooses.

Your next level of generosity in your life has no respect for your comfort zone.
Comfort is the #1 barrier between you and the next level of growth. We’d rather have cheat sheets than study guides, lose 30 lbs in 30 days…the short cuts don’t work with spiritual growth!

Generous people take ownership, not renter-ship.

2. Generosity chooses Who over What

“Our privilege is found in trusting God, not understanding God.” 

If God is the one who said it, the rest doesn’t matter.

3 is the number of Godliness/divinity. 4 is the number of mankind. 12 is the number of completeness.

3. Generosity chooses Giving over Receiving

“Don’t pray for what you won’t pay for!” 

Where did the water come from? There’s been a drought! Water was the most valuable resource in the world at that time.
In God’s economy, the way to receive in my life, is to give. The area of your life where you need the most, is the place you need to give the most.
Stop praying for things in your life that you’re unwilling to pay for.

4. Generosity chooses Hearing over Seeing

“We always hear the call, before we the results.”  

PRIVILEGES #1: The Thief

 If we ACTUALLY believed, what we SAY we believe in the Word...how would our lives change?

It often surprises Christians when they discover just how much the Bible talks about money. In fact there are more than 2300 verses on money, wealth and possessions. Jesus spoke about money roughly 15% of his preaching and 11 out of 39 parables.

During offering-time every week, we say “now is the time we worship God with our giving, we really believe giving is an act of worship.  That we GET to give, we don’t HAVE to give…” right? We consider it a privilege to give to God...He includes us in His plans, and allows us to participate! Isn’t that a privilege?

Some of you might shake your heads at that statement...but the reality is that probably most of you, don’t actually believe it. 

A 2007 Barna Research Group study revealed that only 5% of adults in America tithed. 

Among those that do, evangelicals were among the most generous, but still only 25% of them (us!) tithed. 

Pushpay (the app that we use to process online giving) reported in 2019 that tithers only make up 10-25% of any congregation.

At FV, our church partners--those of us who have committed ourselves to giving here, serving here, attending here, and growing here...only 66% of us tithe.  That number should certainly be 100%, but even that number would only be about 31% of our weekly congregation.

So do we honestly see it as a privilege? Do we even know what that means?

The book of Malachi

“If you say God is your God, but you don’t tithe, is He really?”

Withholding from God puts barriers between you and Him.

• He’s not putting them there…your mistrust is.

We withhold from God out of fear, and fear and faith don't mix.

You take care of the house of the Lord, and He will take care of you.

TEMPER TEMPER #4: The Fruit Inspector

Sermon Title: TEMPER TEMPER #4: The Fruit Inspector

Matthew 21:18-22

Mark 11:1-25

Remember, the beauty of the Bible is in the details. And here’s another hint: The Bible explains the Bible...

Throughout the Old Testament, Israel is described as God’s vineyard, tree, or planting (6 passages: Judges 9:8–15; Isaiah 3:14; 5:1–7; Jeremiah 12:10; Ezekiel 17:2–10; 19:10–14)

The fig tree is a foundational metaphor for Israel!

• And her spiritual health all throughout the OT.

• The prophet Isaiah says the time had come for God’s people to yield fruit that would bless the world (Isaiah 27:6).

• Several times the prophets (Micah, Jeremiah, Hosea) describe God as inspecting Israel for “early figs,” as a sign of spiritual fruitfulness (Micah 7:1; Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 9:10–17)—but he finds “no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.”

• So in two exiles (Assyrian and Babylonian), God pours out the curse of barrenness (Hosea 9:16), and Israel becomes a rotten fig (Jeremiah 29:17).

• But all is not lost. God promises to one day replant Israel and produce healthy figs from her again (Joel 2:22; Amos 9:14; Micah 4:4; Zechariah 8:12; Ezekiel 36:8).

Jesus was…

1. displaying his power and authority over all creation.

2. demonstrating the consequences of fruitlessness.

3. setting the parameters for his church.

TEMPER TEMPER #3: The Cult Of Comfort

Job 1-3

Job does two things right: 1. He weeps. 2. He worships.

The friends did a few things right too: 1. They showed up. 2. They sat with him in grief. 3. They listened.

Job 32-33

1. You ASSUME God isn’t answering you. Job 34:33-37

2. You ASSUME God is going against his own sense of justice Job 35:1-13

3. You ASSUME you are without sin. Job 35:14-16

4. You ASSUME that because He hasn’t answered so far, he isn’t going to. Job 36:13-21

5. You ASSUME suffering is a punishment. Job 36:26-29

6. You ASSUME you should understand everything about God. Job 38:1-11

Job 40:1-4

I misjudged my own importance.

Not evil, but not safe.

God is sovereign, not simple.

TEMPER TEMPER #2: The Wrong Conclusions

Genesis 27:4
Genesis 37:18-20

WRONG CONCLUSION #1: Life Should Be Easy

• When did we begin to equate safety with the will of God?

• HOW could God let this happen?! 

WRONG CONCLUSION #2: God is Cruel.

Genesis 39:2

There are levels to this:

• Level one is the world’s way of thinking.

• Level two is the church’s way of thinking.

• Level three is the Kingdom’s way of thinking.

  • Jesus acknowledges this discrepancy: “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”

  • Matthew 5:43-45 NLT

Genesis 39:6-23

WRONG CONCLUSION #3: I’m my own provider.

Genesis 40:1-23
Ephesians 4:26-27

WRONG CONCLUSION #4: Forgiveness = trust

Genesis 45:3-15
Genesis 50:19-20

TEMPER TEMPER #1: What gives you the right?

Jonah 1-4

1. The opposite direction

   1. We feel very justified in our anger.

   2. Our TEMPERS aren’t always overt and out of control, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hurting you.

      1. “ I just need to CONTROL my emotions well enough that it doesn’t affect my relationships.”

   3. The root of the emotion is what I’m digging at in this series, not the emotion itself.

   4. I have this concern about current Christianity that we focus way too much on our BEHAVIOR, and not nearly enough on the state of our soul. We teach our kids that they should be good, and not tell lies, and don’t steal...instead of teaching them where they can find fulfillment, and how they can understand who they are in Christ Jesus.

   5. Anger is another one of those topical things that covers AND ENABLES a multitude of other sins.  Unforgiveness. Bitterness. Insecurity. Jealousy. Pride. Lust. Greed. 

      But anger is what presents. 

      So many people try to fix their anger issue, but it’s really something deeper.

   6. 5 word sermon in Hebrew: “40 more days and Ninevah will be overturned.”

   7. Certainly, if anyone has a right to be angry in this entire story, it’s God!! But instead, he asks Jonah a patient and kind question.

2. Is it right for you to be angry about this?

   1. When God asks a question, does He need to know the answer?

   2. Emotions aren’t inherently BAD.  Anger isn’t inherently BAD. We should be using our emotions as gauges. “you need to pay attention to this”

   3. God’s anger is always justified and it’s always righteous. Ours rarely is either of those things.

   4. What gives you the right?

      1. But seeing things through KINGDOM EYES is a different story. The Gospel changes everything.

         Jonah could have been a pattern of the Gospel.  A precursor to the Messiah.

   5. Last week we talked about how comfort is dangerous in the Kingdom though, right?

3. This book was written for you.

   1. We don’t get to see what happens to Jonah, or the city.  We don’t know if Jonah repents, or God takes him out, or what…but the book wasn’t written for Jonah. The book was written for YOU.

   2. What if we’re not Jonah, what if we’re Ninevah?

   3. We ARE Ninevah, but we don’t have Jonah, we have JESUS.

Other verses about anger:

• James 1:19-20

• Ephesians 4:26-31

• Psalm 29:11

• Proverbs 19:11

• Ecclesiastes 7:9

• Proverbs 15:1

• Proverbs 15:18

• Colossians 3:8

• Proverbs 22:24

• Matthew 5:22

• Psalm 37:8-9

• Psalm 7:11

• 2 Kings 17:18

Join the conversation! Comment below and online using #FVChurch and #TemperTemper hashtags with quotes, pictures, and notes from the message this weekend! And don’t forget to tag Freedom Valley Church!

SOULS TO SAVE: Truth & Love

Ephesians 4:11-25

What keeps us in a state of prolonged infancy?

1. FEAR

2. DENIAL

TRUTH:

1. keeps us righteous

2. prunes us

3. keeps pride at bay

4. keeps us constantly changing

SOULS TO SAVE: The Display Church

Mark 3:25, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Ephesians 3:6-19

“Your roots will grow down deep”

Unity in the church = Holy Spirit in the church

Holy Spirit in the church = unity in the church

I have limited resources.  HE has unlimited resources.

Matthew 25:14-30

Time. Patience. Hard Work. FAITH.

Responses:

1. I need to ask the Holy Spirit to baptize me with this power and fire to reach the lost.

2. I need to get to work so I’m ready when the next wave of Holy Spirit power comes.

Resources that spoke to Candace this week:

EPIC WEEKEND: with Tim Bennett

Each sermon this weekend will be different, so check back often for Pastor Candace’s notes!

6:15pm

If the devil can’t make you sick, he’ll make you busy!

Exodus 17:8-16

TURNING VALLEYS INTO VICTORIES

It’s amazing how one cup of bitter water can make us forget that God moved an entire sea!
Amalek was all about instant gratification. Literally means valley-dweller.
Valley dwellers want you to stay in the valley with them. When we begin to grumble like the Israelites, it invites the spirit of valley dwellers to come upon us! God has called you to turn your valleys into victories!

How do we do that?

1. Gain a new perspective. When the enemy comes low, you fix yours eyes on high. Stop allowing distractions. Lift God above your enemy (the posture of prayer!). Prayer isn’t intended to change God, prayer is intended to change YOU. Stop fixing your eyes on the problem, and fix your eyes on the answer: JESUS. Too many times we’re hanging around with losers.

2. Gain partners. You’re not called to live alone. Valley-dwellers are loners. They identify with the pain instead of identifying with the cure. Classic tactic of the enemy: ISOLATION. We get addicted to being alone. Admitting you need help, FEELS weak, but it’s the moment of strength. When we come together as the family. There would be a lot of prayers that wouldn’t need prayed, if we would just PRAISE THE LORD. Gods presence will always go before you, if His praise is always in your mouth. not everyone is a Moses or Aaron, we also need Joshua’s in the valleys. The battle is not yours, but the preparation is yours.
   3. Gain promise. We turn valleys into victories by praising the Lord. There’s nothing you could do that would chase down the goodness and mercy—God’s goodness & mercy is supposed to chase YOU down.

9:15am

Lamentations 3:19-27

DARE TO HOPE

Hope is confident patience in the enduring love of God.
If people have to come to us to get to God, that’s just religion!

If God gave you everything you are praying for right now, you wouldn’t know what to do with it.

Maybe God isn’t answering your prayers right now because you aren’t praying for something big enough!

1. Dare to Hope.

2. Declare Hope. Moments where we’re gonna have to encourage OURSELVES. We will either speak hope or we’ll strangle it. Speak the goodness of God.

3. Depend on Hope. The Lord is good to those who depend on HIM. Not depend on yourself. RENEW your strength. You gotta learn to crawl before you can walk, then run, then fly.
   

11:15am

Ephesians 2:1-10

POETRY IN MOTION

Grace is more than just being saved.
1. Saved from death / forgiveness from the past. Death is a promotion to the Christian. “I’ve never had to teach my kids to misbehave.” It comes natural to us. If you haven’t run into the enemy, maybe it’s because you’re going the same direction he is. This is a spiritual battle.

2. Seated with distinction / freedom in the present. We become so familiar with the cross, we don’t want to get out of the tomb. We get so familiar with our pain and our sickness we forget to walk away from it. It’s time to get out of the tomb! We die on the cross, but we come alive when we step out of the tomb! You’re not labeled by what you went through.

3. Set into destiny / fire to reach the promise. Just because you can’t tell who won yet, doesn’t mean the victory hasn’t already been won! God has destined you for greatness! Nothing you can do to earn it or deserve it!

6:00pm

Gifts that help you think like God. Discernment. Gifts of knowledge. (Gifts of revelation)

Gifts that help your speak like God. Prophecy. Gifts of tongues & interpretation of tongues.

Gifts that help us act like God. Healing. Faith.

Without the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are no good.

5 ministry gifts to equip you. Apostle. Prophet. Evangelist. Pastor. Teacher.

An apostle works with all 5 gifts, taking new ground.
A prophet is very specific.
An evangelist. Can be abrasive.
The pastor. Married to the church.
The teacher. Bringing up disciples.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Why does it have to be speaking in tongues? The hardest part of the body to tame. Wherever the tongue goes, the body follows.

SOULS TO SAVE: We Are His House

Christianity is full of what seem like contradictions.

I was born into sin, through no fault of my own, but I am also a sinner, and therefore guilty.
I am a sinner, daughter of sinners, but I am also a child of God, heir to a spiritual kingdom I cannot yet see.
I am imperfect, but a perfect God chooses to work through me for His purposes.
I am a new creation, the old has gone, even though sometimes the old threatens to take over again.

And yet, they are true.

YOU are incredibly important to God.
YOU are desperately loved by God.
YOU are put on this planet for a reason.

Ephesians 2:1-22

1. I used to be an outsider.

   1. The Gospel story is nothing without this part.

   2. As an outsider, I have:

      • No purpose

      • Deception

      • Selfishness

      • Sin

      • No promises from God

2. Now I am united.

   1. Unity is not the same thing as uniformity.

   2. Stop acting like an outsider! You’re IN now...you don’t have the be the same as everyone else, but you have to be united.

      • Secrecy.  

      • Stubbornness.

      • Selfishness.

3. WE ARE HIS HOUSE.

   1. Ephesians 5:19-21

   2. We’ve got souls to save!!!

REWIND WEEKEND: The Best Gift

Ministry is uncomfortable

• The Cost of Following Jesus: Luke 9:57-62

It’s emotionally AND physically draining.

• Luke 5:15-16

It’s difficult! 

• Matthew 17:17

It’s expensive.

Luke 21:1-4

Jesus watches us.

How much matters

John 1:36, ““Look! There is the Lamb of God!” 37 When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.