Archive for February 2007

Still Working On It

February 25, 2007 by PastorMark.

Play now#269 Still Working On It, Sunday 02-25-2007

Theme: Hang in there when you dream seems to be a nightmare.

Text: Genesis 39:1-6

 

Introduction:

  1. Many of you comment to me about your work …
    1. “The people I work with are …”
    2. “I can’t wait to get out of there …”
  2. I was reading about Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel.
    1. At 17, Joseph received special dreams from God. (Genesis 37)
    2. At 17 life was a dream for Joseph, he even had designer clothes.
    3. One day his dreams crashed down around him.
    4. “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.” (Genesis 39:1)
    5. Once a slave, always a slave (talk about a dead end job).
  3. God still had special plans for Joseph and his dreams.
    1. Joseph couldn’t see God’s hand.
    2. Joseph would have to do his part. – He couldn’t become passive and depressed.

 

What made Joseph press on through the dark times?

 

  1. “The Lord was with Joseph” (vs. 2A)
    1. The blessings begin with God, not man or circumstances.
    2. I’d rather be with God is difficulties than without Him in prosperity.
    3. “I’d rather be limping in the right direction than running in the wrong.”
    4. God’s presence with Joseph made the difference.
    5. Even as a slave, he prospered and “the Lord gave him success in everything he did.” (Genesis 39:3)
    6. Potiphar saw that the Lord was with him.
    7. Potiphar saw his household blessed (vs. 5)
    8. We should pray for the blessing of God on the business and boss.
    9. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
  2. Joseph was with the Lord.
    1. Many people claim, “the Lord is with me.”
    2. “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
    3. Joseph held on to his faith in God. “By faith Joseph” (Hebrews 11:22)
    4. His faith held when everything else failed
    5. “They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons.” (Psalm 105:18)
  3. Joseph held on to faithfulness.
    1. Faithfulness will lead to favor.
    2. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you … Then you will win favor and a great name in the sight of God and man.”
    3. Faithfulness may lead to more trials.
    4. While God was blessing Joseph, Potiphar’s wife was testing him.
    5. Blessings and trials often travel on parallel tracks.
    6. Joseph’s faithfulness to God compelled him to reject Potiphar’s wife’s advances.

 

What’s worse than being a slave? Being a slave in prison.

 

  1. Joseph never gave up.
    1. His family wrote him off. Potiphar gave up. Other believers might have concluded “there’s sin in his life.” He even had a terrible resume. What hope was there for improvement?
    2. Joseph kept a good attitude.
    3. “If I’m going to be a slave or prisoner, than I’ll be the best slave or prisoner I can be”
    4. He refused to carry the baggage of anger, bitterness, resentment and self-pity.
    5. God continued to bless Joseph. (Genesis 40:21-23 – Joseph was blessed just like at Potiphar’s
    6. What if you’re demoted instead of promoted?
    7. “I will do the best I can with what I have for Jesus’ sake today.” –Sister Beisel
    8. Your breakthrough will be determined by your follow through.
    9. God honored Joseph’s faith and perseverance.
    10. He went from the prison to the palace in one day!
    11. He was lifted to second in command under Pharaoh.
    12. God used his position to preserve his family in Israel.

 

Conclusion:

God doesn’t tell us to trust His answers, but to trust His promises.

 

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Godliness With Contentment

February 18, 2007 by admin.

Play now Godliness With Contentment, Sunday 02-18-2007

Guest Speaker: Roger Hillegas

Text: 1 Timothy 6:6-8

 

  1. The greatest gain comes from godliness.
  2. King David guarded his heart.
  3. King Solomon guarded his mind.
  4. It is important to guard both your heart and mind in Christ.

 

1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NIV)

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

 

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Still Learning

February 11, 2007 by PastorMark.

Play now#268 Still Learning, Sunday 02-11-2007

 

~ Theme: What are some lessons God wants to teach us about loving one another – the Family of God? (lessons from philadelphia)

~Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

 

Introduction:

  1. One of my most memorable classes in school wasn’t in a classroom, but was in a garage: Industrial Arts with Mr. Benson in 7th grade.
    1. “There’s the right way, the wrong way and Mr. Benson’s way.”
    2. Life consists of what I think is the right way, the wrong way and God’s way.
    3. If I’m going to get along with God I need to learn God’s way. (Good thing He’s willing to teach us!)
  2. The Apostle Paul taught converts the way of God.
    1. Paul had one them he kept coming back to … love.
    2. Besides God, love is the most misunderstood word in the world.

 

Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

 

  1. Now about brotherly love (philadelphia).
    1. This word in Greek literature almost always referred to the mutual love of brothers, sisters of the same family.
    2. In the New Testament, Philadelphia means the love of fellow believers in Christ … we have the same Father.

 

We need to keep learning to keep loving.

What are some lessons God wants to teach us about loving one another – the Family of God? (lessons from philadelphia)

 

 

 

  1. Learn to receive love so you can give love. (You can’t give what you don’t have.
    1. We tend to look for love around us. (It’s natural)
    2. We enter a friendship just looking to be loved.
    3. We enter a marriage just looking to be loved.
    4. We enter a church just looking to be loved.
    5. We must look for love from the One above us. (If we could only see how loved we are by God.
    6. Paul addressed the Thessalonians as those, “loved by god.”
    7. “For we know, brothers, loved by God, that He has chosen you.” 1 Thessalonians 1:4
    8. To receive God’s love gives us His ability to love. “and so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” 1 John 4:16
    9. We can love even if love isn’t coming our way.
    10. Marriage is a ministry of giving love, forgiveness.
  2. Learn to be motivated by love.
    1. There are so many motivations … to help others or get involved in ministry.
    2. We can help because of guilt.
    3. We can help for hope of recognition.
    4. We can help out of sense of duty.
    5. All of these motives are shallow and short term.
    6. The greatest motivation is love. “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love …” 1 Thessalonians 1:3
    7. It’s better not to do something than do it without love.
    8. The Lord will help us in our decisions. “Simply let your yes be yes and your no, no.” Matthew 5:37
  3. Learn to love in spite of stuff.
    1. We are all woks in progress.
    2. Some leave the fellowship because of “being offended”.
    3. Give people some slack. (There’s only one Divine, we’re all da branches.)
    4. God uses the “stuff” in others to grow us.
    5. It’s amazing how fertilizer underground produces fruit above ground.
    6. A church community is filled with irritating, imperfect, frustrating people … what an opportunity!
    7. We can learn how to forgive and overlook faults.
    8. We can learn how to reconcile.
    9. We can learn how to speak the truth in love.
    10. Don’t quit God’s school … Graduation is coming!

 

Conclusion: A little boy was coloring a “picture of God.”

  1. Paul told the Thessalonians, “you do love … yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.”
  2. Let’s keep coloring, let’s keep receiving God’s love, and learning how to give it away.
  3. Jesus said, “Greater love has no person than this, that a person would lay down his life for another” … Jesus died for you, for me … we can love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Treasures in Heaven

February 4, 2007 by PastorDave.

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Title: Treasures in Heaven ~ Text: Matthew 6:19-21, Sunday 02-04-2007

 

Introduction

Last Sunday morning on this very screen you saw these words of exhortation: “Go after God’s treasure.”

Colossians 3:2 was a key verse: “Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth.”

Why is it so important to go after God’s treasure, why must I set my affections on things above? Is this truly necessary, or just a suggestion?

2 Corinthians 5:10 helps answer the question: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

“Surprised millionaire” story

Jesus had something to say about “treasure” as well

Read Matthew 6:19-21

 

Transition:

Jesus gives two commands here, one negative (do not) and one positive. Do not store up treasures on earth; do store up for yourselves treasures in heaven!

What does a life look like that is storing up treasures in heaven?
“Store up” or “Lay up” means to accumulate, heap up, and store up for the future.
So let me rephrase the question: What does a life look like that is accumulating, heaping up treasure for an eternal future?

 

THREE WITNESSES

  1. Jesus, in Matthew 6:19, gives us insight into three witnesses that want to testify against us before the Lord.
  2. “Where moth and rust corrupt and where the thieves break through and steal.”
  3. Moth, rust and thieves; the three witnesses.
  4. MOTHS: lay their eggs in things we store, they represent resources that are not being used. We just store them up for; well we are not even sure.
  5. RUST: rust appears on things we neglect. When we do not take proper care of the resources we have, they become “rusty.”
  6. THIEVES: thieves are stirred up by extravagance. When we live above our “needs” or have possessions that were just too expensive they attract thieves.
  7. These three witnesses can only affect treasure that is stored up here on earth.
  8. See, the key to understanding what Jesus is saying here is to keep V. 21 fresh in your mind: “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”
  9. What do you treasure? Moths, rust & thieves have no power if what they are after you and I do not treasure.
  10. What you are storing can God have it? The extravagant things…can God have them?
  11. Martin Luther said, “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands that I still possess.”

 

SEE YOURSELF AS A SOWER FOR GOD’S KINGDOM

  1. 2 Corinthians 9:6 – “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
  2. See God challenges us to see ourselves as “sowers” and encourages us to sow generously so we can reap a great heavenly harvest!
  3. When we see ourselves as sowers then we become content with food, clothing and basic needs. Because we are really excited about sowing (investing) our time, energy and resources into a growing harvest for the Lord.
  4. “If we focus on our needs, we will always be needy, but if we focusing on sowing, we will always have what is sufficient for our needs.”
  5. One man got hold of this perspective and he breaks his resources down into two categories: “Bread money” (his needs) “seed money” (for sowing into the Kingdom of God).
  6. Have you purposed to be sower? Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven!
  7. In order to truly do this you have to establish your true identity. Many people believe that they will gain identity through positions, possessions or pleasures.
  8. But true identity must be founded on our relationship with Jesus Christ.
  9. The inner conflict will be too great if you put identity in possession and try to become a Kingdom sower.
  10. Storing up treasure in heaven is not about having nothing here on earth. But in the process of surrendering your life to Jesus Christ you abandon the goals of this world and set your treasure on Him.

 

PICTURE ETERNAL TREASURES

  1. It is easy to picture treasure on earth (lots of money, valuable possessions, and a big house.
  2. Our minds need to picture things before our hearts can attach affection to them.
  3. Jesus gives us insight when trying to picture eternal treasure when He said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.”
  4. So we want to picture righteous fruit that will remain (be established for eternity)
  5. Let me suggest 4 types of righteous fruit from Scripture that have eternal value:
  6. Children (fruit of the womb) “the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Ps.127
  7. Godly Character (fruit of the Spirit) “fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth.” Eph.5:9
  8. Generous Contributions (fruit that abound to our account) “desire fruit that may abound to your account” Phil. 4:17
  9. Converts whom we disciple (fruit of our rejoicing) “I planned many times to come to you in order that I might have a harvest among you.” Rom 1:13.
  10. But this is only the beginning: God promises eternal crowns for faithfulness as well:
  11. Crown of righteousness for those who look forward to His appearing 2 Tim.
  12. Crown of glory for those who disciple others 1 Peter
  13. Crown of life for those who endure temptations Rev. 2

 

CLOSE

  1. While God keeps records, and the end of all things is near, we would be wise to ask ourselves some questions:
  2. Do we view children as blessings or burdens?
  3. Is the fruit of the Spirit clearly evident in our lives?
  4. How many disciples have we made?
  5. How much of our resources are invested in the Lord’s work?
  6. This whole area “store up treasure in heaven” I admit has overwhelmed me in my life at times (many times)
  7. But I would like to share you with this morning as we close some of my eternal investments:
  8. Light for the Lost Councilman (10yrs. $15 a month = $1,800.00) above tithes, even faith promise giving. Sowing into the Kingdom
  9. My Marriage: 3 yrs. my wife and I pray 2 minutes a day together. 365 days a year, for 3 yrs = 2190 minutes or 36.5 hours of prayer together. Sowing into the Kingdom
  10. Words from Dad: for past 3 yrs. I take 5 minutes a week and write one devotions for my children. A word I believe God has given me to share to them. I have over 40 pages, of a book that is just for my children. Sowing into the Kingdom.

 

Last Thought

Your greatest asset is time, value it more than anything.

Everybody has time; it’s what we do with it. Will what your spending your time on now count 10 years from now, secondly will it count for eternity?

 

END:

Pastor Mark’s 3rd point last week was “Consider Your Great Future.”

Bow your heads with me and let’s take a minute to do just that.

 

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