1. Ears to hear.
2. Don’t charge them.
3. Wherever they went.
FIERCE:
Menacingly wild in our evangelism.
Savage in our love & forgiveness
Hostile toward the religious spirits that oppose the Gospel.
Furiously eager to see new souls saved
God is real, God is good, and He loves you so much.
Luke 22:31-38
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” 34 But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?” “No,” they replied. 36 “But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! 37 For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.” 38 “Look, Lord,” they replied, “we have two swords among us.” “That’s enough,” he said.”
Luke 22:47-51
”But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.”
He asked for Jesus input, but didn’t wait for the answer. (He let panic win)
1 Peter 2:16, “For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.”
Galatians 5:13, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
1 Corinthians 10:23, “You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.”
He hadn’t been listening in the good times. (to Jesus’ many predictions & prophecies about what needed to happen)
1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.”
He was still in an us vs. them mentality.
Matthew 26:50-54
“Jesus said, “My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.” Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 51 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear. 52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? 54 But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
Jesus didn’t ask him to STAND & FIGHT. He asked him to LAY DOWN & DIE.
Read the story of Paul starting the Corinthian church, in Acts 18, here.
2 Corinthians 11:23-27
“Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”
1 Peter 4:12-17
”Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
14 If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. 15 If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. 16 But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! 17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?”
Don’t be surprised.
1 Peter 2:13-17, “13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.”
5 Functions of the Church: Evangelism, Discipleship/Learning, Fellowship, Service, Worship
Is it more about my comfort, or my heart?
Be very glad.
“Being a partner of Christ has to go much further than the crowds. It has to go to the cross.”
The glorious spirit of God rests upon you.
2 Peter 2:19, “So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.”
Exodus 4:10 1.
Me, Me, Me
Exodus 4:11
Who Makes Mouths?
Exodus 4:12
The Miracle Is In The Movement
Exodus 4:13-17
What's in your hand?
“Some of us are asking God a question RIGHT NOW, and we feel like God isn’t answering. But maybe it’s because we’re asking God a question that either A) he’s already answered for us...OR B) we don’t yet have the faith to BELIEVE the answer when we hear it!
It might be counterproductive for God to answer your question right now, in the way that you’re asking it, and God does not do counterproductive things!
So, instead, He leads you, patiently, through a series of demonstrations, that will answer your question, in a way that you can hear it. ”
What if they don’t listen?
"I will pour out my spirit on all people..." Joel 2:28
“Don’t let anyone think less of you because..." 1 Timothy 4:12
“All SCRIPTURE is inspired by God and is useful to teach us" 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear"...2 Timothy 1:7-8
“How many signs have I missed from God because I ran when I should have watched?”
He is in control.
Join the conversation! #FVChurch
Tag a quote, photo, or link from this sermon on social media and tag FVChurch in it!
Facebook: @fvchurch
Twitter: @fv_church
Instagram: @fv_church
Exodus 4:24-26 : 24 On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him. 25 But Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feet with the foreskin and said, “Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26 (When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the Lord left him alone.
1. Leave the past behind.
2. Put God first.
3. Just do it.
Exodus 3:5-12
5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. 7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”
Remember who God is!
Remember that God sees the oppression.
Remember who is WITH you.
Remember God’s signs still require faith.
Exodus 3:1-5
”One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” 4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. 5 “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. “
There’s a few ingredients to this encounter with God. Moses was:
Alone
Amazed
Drawn in
1. It starts with private preparation
2. Then moves to a public invitation
3. And then the promised demonstration of the Holy Spirit.
As I was planning this series, I knew that we had to change our thinking. And so the very first week we focused on taking our thoughts captive, and forcing them to come under the authority of Jesus Christ.
The second week of this series, we looked at how Queen Esther moved from a victim mindset, to a VICTOR. How she asked for help, fasted and prayed, and used wisdom in her situation to be a solution in her world of problems.
The third week of this series, we looked at how sometimes God asks us to sacrifice...and that even a little bit of obedience, in the hands of God, can be a solution for so many, from the story of Hannah & Samuel.
Last week, we looked at how David, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was able to say, “I’ll Go!” even when everyone else was shaking in their boots. He was a solution for his people--and we have access to that same Holy Spirit.
And although I do feel a stirring in my heart toward our next series, which will start in June, and I’m really excited about--I also just felt like I’m not quite done here…
We’ve been doing a Bible Plan together as a church over the past 40 days...they’ve honestly ALL been super good and helpful, but there was one in particular that I feel like is very relevant for today.
DAY 28 -- “This is a scary time to be living in”
Know your authority. Luke 10:19
Receive peace as a gift! John 14:27
Remember what you have--and what you ”have not”. 2 Timothy 1:7
Take your daily “pre-Scripture” as your new “prescription”. Psalm 91:10
Meditate on good news from Job. Job 5:19
Love conquers all. Romans 8:38-39
In the darkest of times, God presents His most stunning performances. Expect God to show up!
“This IS a scary time to live in, if you’re scared of things. I’ll fear God. And nothing less. “
The enemy is less.
The economy is less.
The virus is less.
The government is less.
Homelessness is less.
Unemployment...starvation...rejection...failure...isolation...it’s ALL less.
This IS a scary time to live in, if you’re scared of things. I’ll fear God and nothing less, because I’m called to be a solution in my world. I’m called to make a difference in the world I’m living in! because….
Psalm 91:1-16
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”
1 Samuel 16:6-13
Two things to take from that:
Your looks don’t qualify you. Your birth order doesn’t qualify you. Your training and background aren’t the things that qualify you. Your age doesn’t qualify you. Your gender doesn’t qualify you. THE LORD qualifies you.
And THE LORD doesn’t look at the outward appearance, THE LORD looks at the heart.
When THE LORD qualifies you, he also equips you.
He gave David HIS SPIRIT. Powerfully, the text says.
But we don’t have to wonder what the spirit empowered David to do...we have SO MUCH information about David’s life to learn from. Most people think that the Holy Spirit dwelling within us is just a NT thing...but we see it all over the OT too. It’s not readily accessible to just everyone, like it is today because of Jesus, but we get glimpses and examples like David’s that we can learn from too.
1 Samuel 17:1-51
A little more gruesome than you remember that Sunday School story as a kid??
Were there some other surprises too?
How we think faith works:
We think of something impossible, that would be nice to do...and just because we’ve thought of it, God must have given it to us as an assignment, and he’s asking us to pull it off. And it’s a little scary, but also would make us look good, so it must be God! Let’s start getting people on board, and see what happens.
How faith actually works:
You are placed in an impossible situation (like David’s bear and lion), and you have 2 options: run, or whisper a prayer...and fight.
And if you didn’t run, make it through that fight, then they’ll be another one. And again, you could run, or whisper a prayer...and fight.
And before you know it, you’ve made it through 2 fights...and now you’re thanking God, but you’ve also proved to yourself just how much you can accomplish, when you put your mind to it, and you whisper that prayer….
Now, because you got through those two fights...you have the faith for the 3rd.
Faith is BUILT--not just mustered.
David was able to step up to Goliath and save his nation because of two things:
He had built his faith over time.
The Holy Spirit was with him.
The Holy Spirit and real faith was how a young boy stepped up and became the solution for his scared friends, family, and nation.
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.”
If you look upon my sorrow….
If you look upon my sorrow...AND ANSWER MY PRAYER
If you look upon my sorrow, and answer my prayer...AND GIVE ME A SON
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.
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.
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”
Israelites - slave mentality..they were trained to complain because they were powerless to do anything else.
Cain - “the bare minimum”
Rahab - “Everyone is doing it--it must be right”
Gideon - “There’s power in numbers”
Jesus sent them into the unknown.
Proverbs 15:24, “the path of life winds upward for the wise…”
Complete self-reliance produces isolation.
Speak peace first.
Don’t be surprised at opposition.
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.
“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.
Stephen Served - Crisis Changes
Deacon - means servant - definitions 1 Timothy 3
Deacons - also preached, taught and did miracles.
Stephen Spoke - Crisis Challenges
www.fv.church/heroes
Stephen Sacrificed - Crisis Costs
Stephen Spread - Crisis Creates
TWO SEPARATE FEAR ISSUES GOING ON HERE.
Jesus was being hunted in Judea
Lazarus was very sick and could die.
SPOILER ALERTS BEFORE WE READ THIS:
Jesus did not get captured or die….BUT it did increase the heat exponentially.
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.
Mary - The Unashamed Worshipper
Out of TRUE UNDERSTANDING of who Jesus is.
Martha - The Grateful Servant
Because a love for Jesus, always turns into a love for others as well.
Judas - The Judgmental Thief
Because spending time AROUND Jesus, is not the same as giving him control.
Jesus - The People Treasurer
Because that’s the real treasure.
He was putting his money where his mouth was.
Jesus had said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where . . . thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19–20).
Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
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).
Find COVID-19 Updates at www.fv.church/updates
Find Today’s Challenge at www.fv.church/todayschallenge
Gave your life to Christ today? Click here: www.fv.church/iamin
Partner with us and impact people around the world. Click here: www.fv.church/give
