Wednesday, July 31, 2002

A Study of the Miraculous Cont. - A Journey Of Faith

A Study of the Miraculous Continued

A Journey Of Faith

GTCOTR/ws073102

The setting: Genesis 14

Abram had just come from a victorious battle to recover his nephew Lot, Lot’s family and all the people and goods of Sodom from their captors. He had been asked to accept all of the goods recovered as a financial reward for his victory by the King of Sodom. Abram refused to allow any man the claim of making him rich because he had already covenanted with God in that matter. Abram asked only for provisions for his servant/soldiers and also takes one tenth, a tithe of the recovered wealth, and gives it to Melchizedek, the priest of God. By this act, Abram sanctified the regained goods, passing them through the covenant at the altar of God in the form of a tithe.

This shows that Abram had both a dependence on God and a covenant with God.

Genesis 15

1 ¶ After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

2 ¶ And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Romans 4

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

17 ¶ (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:

20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 ¶ Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Abraham Chose A Journey Of Faith

* Abraham asked God for a son

* Abraham believed God against all hope for his miracle

* Abraham confessed his faith above his circumstances

* Abraham learned patience (through several errors)

> He learned that only God can make an Isaac

* Abraham received his miracle

* Abraham’s miracle was put to the test

> Genesis 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

* Abraham passed the test (He did not withhold from God)

> Genesis 22

15 ¶ And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Get Into Covenant With God (dependence & involvement)

* Choose Your Miracle

> For God’s Glory

> For Other’s Provision

> For The Kingdom’s Advancement/Enhancement

> For Covenant’s Sake

* Go Against The Odds (Against hope, believe in hope)

* Declare Your Faith - (out talk your fears)

* Be Patient (Do not let time dictate future)

* Keep your Isaac on the altar

Divide up into small groups

Begin your journey of faith

Start small: (Exodus 23:30; Deuteronomy 7:22; Isaiah 28:10&13)

Ask yourself the question:

What would I change if I could?

What would I get if I could?

What would I do if I could?

What would I give if I could?

What would I be if I could?

Declare your faith

On this journey you will learn many lessons. Enjoy!

Sunday, July 28, 2002

The Far Spent - Desert Place Teaching

The Far Spent - Desert Place Teaching

Gtcotr/ss072802

Scripture Reading:

Mark 6

34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:

36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.

37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

38 He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.

39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.

41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

42 And they did all eat, and were filled.

43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.

44 And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

Jesus was moved with compassion for people

He sees them as a sheep without a shepherd

Wandering around

Lost

No direction

In danger

Here He begins to teach them many things

When the day was far spent … in a desert place … the time far passed

He taught them yet one more lesson

The lesson many of us need to be reminded of again & again.

The Far Spent - Desert Place Lesson

I. Mark 6:34-44 Jesus organized for a miracle

A. He knew the need

B. He knew the supply

C. He knew the way

1. He brought order

2. He gave structure

3. He made the miracle doable

A. put the people into groups

B. made them sit down in grass

C. in ranks (rows) of hundreds & fifties

Note:

Jesus orders our lives for miracles just like He did here

So we can contain it

So we can handle it

So we can get the greatest benefit from it

So we can learn from it

There is no hap-hazard approach to Kingdom business

Jesus has a plan

John 6:6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

At times we are his disciple

At times we are the child with the little basket of food

At times we are the multitudes sitting on the grass eating

Jesus’ hope is that one day, we would learn to be the one

Filled with compassion

Sensing the need

Knowing the supply

Charting a way

Meeting the need of multitudes wandering in their desert places

II. The Far Spent Lesson

A. The Life Of Christ Revealed

Matthew 14:19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

Mark 14:22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

Luke 9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.

Luke 24:30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

B. Your Life’s Greatest Hope

* The same hand that takes you to bless you …. Is the same hand that breaks you to give you.

III. The Emmaus Walk

A. Luke 24:35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

B. Any Jesus, other than the …

Taken

Blessed

Broken

Given … is not the real Jesus!

C. Any Gospel message, other than the …

… is not the real Gospel message!

D. Any other life … Any other way

Note: No Cross - No Crown!

Wednesday, July 24, 2002

A Study Of The Miraculous Continued

A Study Of The Miraculous

GTCOTR/ws072402

Continued

The Partnership - The Purpose - The Process

The miraculous is a Partnership with a Process connected to a Purpose.

The Process

Key Scripture For Process: Matthew 7

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

I. Every Answer To Prayer Is A Miracle

We asked for Greg Chipman

We asked for April’s ovarian cist

We asked for Brenda’s pre-cancerous cells

We asked for Travis Braugh’s life

We asked for $452,000 loan to pay off bonds

We asked for victory concerning building on our land

We asked for favor to get the North Church building

I asked God for Brenda for my wife

I asked God for a piece of land in my hometown

II. The Process of A Miracle (3 Key Steps)

1. Trust in the Partnership

Read God’s Word

Renew Your Mind

Do not be deceived

2. Establish The Purpose

Last Lesson: 3 Primary Purposes + 1 Peripheral Purpose

* For God’s Glory

* For Man’s Provision

* For Kingdom Advancement & Enhancement

* No Promise Goes Unfulfilled

Do not ask amiss for your own selfish lust (James 4:3)

God only obligates to His will

1 John 5:14 “anything according to His will”

3. Begin The Process

* Ask In Faith (James 1:6)

Nothing wavering

There is a partnership

There is a purpose

There is nothing to doubt

4 Ways We Get Faith

Rom 12:3 Everyone is given a measure

Gal 5:22 Faith is grown as a spiritual fruit

Rom 10:17 Faith increases by the Word intake

1Cor 12:9 Faith is a manifestation of the Spirit

God’s word is God’s will

You have not because you ask not (James 4:2)

* Keep Asking

Luke 11:8 “importunity” (bread for the neighbor)

Luke 18 The widow’s continual cry

1 ¶ And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Mark 8:25 Jesus prayed twice for a blind man

* Possess Your Request By Faith

Now faith is the substance and evidence (Hebrews 11:1)

Hebrews 11:13 The Patriarchs and Matriarchs of Faith

Saw the promises of God by faith

They were persuaded of the promises by faith

They embraced the promises of God by faith

They confessed the promises of God by faith

Abram changed to Abraham before Isaac was born

* Hold Fast Your Profession Of Faith (Hebrews 10:23)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Pro 18:20-21)

You shall have whatsoever you say (Mark 11:23)

* Have Patience

You have need of patience (Hebrews 10:36)

Through faith and patience you inherit (Hebrews 6:12)

In your patience possess ye your souls (Luke 21:19)

III. The Key To The Process Is Asking

1. In The Right Way (In Faith)

2. For The Right Reasons (God’s Kingdom & Will)

Ask of Me and I will give the nations (Psalms 2:8)

Ask for the rain in its season (Zech 10:1)

Lord knows your need before you ask (Mat 6:8)

Ask and you shall receive, seek and knock (Mat 7:7)

The Father will give good things to them that ask Him (Mat 7:11)

Agree and ask (Mat 18:19)

Ask in prayer believing you shall receive (Mat 21:22)

Ask in My Name, I will do it (John 14:13)

Ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:14)

If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask …(Jn 15:7)

Ask the Father in My Name (Jn 15:16)

Up to now you have asked nothing (John 16:24)

Ask and receive that your joy might be full (Jn 16:24)

Exceeding abundantly above … ask .. (Eph 3:20)

Ask of God (Jam 1:5)

Ask in faith, nothing wavering (Jam 1:6)

You have not because you ask not (Jam 4:2)

Whatever we ask we receive of Him (1Jn 3:22)

If we ask according to His will, He hears (1Jn 5:14)

If He hears what we ask, He grants (1Jn 5:15)

If you ask for forgiveness for others, they receive (1Jn 5:16)

Jn 11:22 I know, Jesus, if You ask, God will do it

Jn 16:23-27 In that day, you will ask God & He will do it

IV. Keep a Journal (Psalms 136)

Record God’s Goodness

Remember God’s Goodness

Rehearse God’s Goodness

Sunday, July 21, 2002

Always In Remembrance

Always In Remembrance

GTCOTR/ss072102

This is the third time I am coming to you

2 Corinthians 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

As long as I am in this body … put in remembrance …

2 Peter 1:

12 ¶ Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

Conclusions: Why?

Perhaps we do not always do a good job of communicating

Perhaps many here today were not here yesterday

Perhaps some who heard a message to keep out of trouble, need to hear it again to get out of trouble

Here is an unprecedented message:

FIVE LESSONS OF LIFE

I. What You Say Will Be Said

A. Ecc 10:20 “A bird of the air ... shall tell the matter”

B. Ecc 7:21-22 Don’t listen too close to what is repeated about you

II. What You Do Will Be Found Out

A. Luk 12:1-3

1. Don’t be a hypocrite

2. There is nothing covered that shall not be uncovered

3. What is spoken in secret shall be proclaimed in public

B. 1Tim 5:24-25

1. Some sins are open now, others will be open later

2. Some good works are seen now, others will be seen later

C. Luk 12:2 … (there is nothing) hid, that shall not be known.

III. What You Believe Will Be Tested

A. Mark 4:17 Tests arise for the word’s sake

B. Gen 3 “Hath God said?”

C. Do Not Change Your Theology To Accommodate A Tragedy

D. Do Not Change Wrong To Right … Reprobate

IV. What You Compromise To Keep You Will Lose

A. You Must Lose Your Life In Christ In Order To Save It

1. Mat 16:25

2. Mar 8:35

3. Luk 9:24

4. Luk 17:33

B. 1Sam 15:22-23 “To obey is better than sacrifice”

C. Gen 4 When God asks for a sacrifice, an offering just won’t do

1. Sin will take you farther than you expected to go

2. Sin will keep you longer than you wanted to stay

3. Sin will cost you more than you bargained to pay

V. It Takes Courage To Begin Again

A. Job started over after loosing everything

B. Hosea started over after his wife, who had become a prostitute, returned home again.

C. The Apostle Paul started over after jailing, torturing and killing Christians

D. Peter started over after cursing & denying the Lord three times

E. Ruth started over after loosing a husband, leaving her home, becoming a beggar and marrying a man old enough to be her grandfather.

F. Rahab started over after being a prostitute and committing treason against her country

G. David started over after committing adultery, murder and loosing an infant son.

Note: Where does one get the courage to begin again?

Note: Where did David get his courage to begin again?:

* 1Sam 30:6 David “encouraged himself in the LORD his God”

* Psalms 86:16 Grant Thy strength to Thy servant

* Judges 16:28 Please strengthen me (Samson)

Also to Note: (Numbers 2)

* The error of Balaam (Jude 1:11 - for reward)

* The way of Balaam (2 Peter 2:15 - loved wages of unrighteousness)

* The doctrine of Balaam (Revelation 2:14 - taught Balak)

Conclusion:

A. If you are or someone you know gets in trouble for:

1. What they said

2. What they did

3. Failing the test

4. Compromising their life

5. An unwillingness to repent and begin again

B. Then You

1. Love them

2. Pray for them

3. Encourage them

4. But Do Not Side With Them

5. Remember:

A. they did it to themselves

B. and left unrepentant and unchanged with reasons & excuses, full of pride or anger …

C. they will only do it again

D. the error will become a way and then a doctrine

E. and you are not their Lord or Savior

Sunday, July 14, 2002

Different Reasons

Different Reasons

GTCOTR/ss071402

Our 1 year anniversary in our new building.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

The story of Hannah and Elkanah from 1 Samuel 1

Elkanah could have had several Different Reasons for going up to Shiloh, to the Temple of the Lord at this appointed time.

* 1 Chronicles 6:27 tells us that he was a Levite priest, and according to 1599 Geneva Bible Footnotes, it was a custom that all priest present their families before the Lord once each year.

* As the head of his household, Elkanah also would have been responsible to bring the tithes and traditional sacrifices and offerings on behalf of his entire family and appear before the Lord three times each year. According to Deuteronomy 16:16 it was a Demand of God.

* John Gill’s Expositor argues that this could have been the feast of Passover or perhaps it was the feast of tabernacles. At any rate it was the duty of each man to pay at a yearly festival, the vows he had made on any account since the last festival.

* The vow referred to here could have been in response to the husband’s Duty to confirm or disallow his wife’s vow, (in light of Numbers 30). Hannah, in this case, had vowed to lend her child, (actually their child), to the Lord all the days of his life. Elkanah could have just found out about this pledge. This was also Elkanah’s only son of his well favored wife. A great sacrifice to confirm this vow, but nonetheless, his rightful, God given, God expected duty. To have said nothing was to confirm and to confirm was to pay.

* This vow could have been simply connected to the joyful birth of his son, leading Elkanah, through Desire, to vow and be excited to offer a special gift to God in thanksgiving .

* We don’t know all of the reasons why Elkanah went to the Temple of God in Shiloh, but we are told it was to “ … offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.”

I. Three Reasons We Offer Our Sacrifices And Our Vows To God

#1: By Demand (Elkanah did this as a priest and head of his house)

It can be nothing more than just Obedience

Just going through the motions because we:

Have been told to

Have been taught to

Are afraid not to

Always have done

Don’t know what else to do

#2: By Duty (Perhaps Elkanah did this as a husband)

Sense of obligation

It is my job, my place

I ought to because it is right

#3: By Desire (Elkanah did this as a father and as a son)

I want to

I love to

I don’t have to, I get to

It’s Passion - ‘to do’

(perhaps this is what David meant when he said, “restore unto me the joy of my salvation” Psalms 51:12 … give me back the passion to be and live the life of - me!)

Note:

* What are some of the sacrifices and/or vows you have committed to

Some biggies:

Marriage - Is it demand, duty or desire

Child raising -

No premarital/extra-marital sexual relationships

Church

Personal Decisions/Commitments

* Are you paying your vow unto God by demand, duty or desire?

Doing it because you have to?

Doing it because you ought to?

Doing it because you want to?

II. What To Do When We Find Ourselves Without a Want To, To Do What We Have To And Ought … or … Regaining The Passion To Serve God

What do we do when we don’t know what to do or we don’t want to do what we know we ought to or need to do, but we want to want to?

Similar to any emergency:

* First: Fly The Plane

keep doing the last thing we know for sure we were told to do

(the first thing we do in any emergency is ‘fly the plane’)

This is no time for us to make life changing decisions

* Next: Search for the problem

(remember: we might not be able to fix what broke … what went wrong is hardly ever the most important thing, but rather, what do I do now?)

(just because we know why we failed, does not guarantee success next time … there are probably another 1000 ways to fail. Simply avoiding our last experience will not in itself, make the next time work)

* Then: Take Positive Action

How?

(this information is readily available)

It is usually very simple

It is usually easily doable

It is usually things we know to do, have done before, and quit doing somewhere along the way.

Here are two simple things we can do whether we find out what went wrong or not:

* Call upon Jesus to restore the joy & passion of your life

> don’t think of leaving Jesus out of this equation

> He won’t think of leaving you out either … so -

* Work with Him to fix it

> sow simple seeds in season by faith

> prayer, church, friends, bible reading,

> fight the good fight of faith

> don’t panic

> keep flying the plane

Wings level

Right attitude

True to course