But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:20 (CSB)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-16 (CSB)
2) HIS BIRTH—Jesus is humble
While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:6-7 (CSB)
3) HIS NAMES—Jesus is with me and saves me
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”
Matthew 1:21-23 (CSB)
But if this accusation is true and no evidence of the young woman’s virginity is found, they will bring the woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her father’s house.
Deuteronomy 22:20-21 (CSB)
The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.
Matthew 1:18-19 (CSB)
2. Fear of will I have enough
Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:7 (CSB)
3. Fear of where is this going
After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.”
Matthew 2:13 (CSB)
4 Things God says to help you overcome fear…
1. You are highly favored
And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:28 (CSB)
2. You Are Not Alone
And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:28 (CSB)
3. I have a plan
Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?” The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:31-35 (CSB)
4. I have given you the Holy Spirit
The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:35 (CSB)
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:41 (CSB)
What we can learn from the enthusiasm of the shepherds…
1. Hurry and Find
In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors! When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.
Luke 2:8-16 (CSB)
2. Worship and Celebrate
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:20 (CSB)
3. Go and Tell
After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:17-18 (CSB)
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2 (CSB)
I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites.
Numbers 24:17 (CSB)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
2. Abounding Joy
When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.
Matthew 2:10 (CSB)
3. Fervent Worship
Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him.
Matthew 2:11 (CSB)
Then the angel told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
Luke 1:30-32 (CSB)
4. Extravagant Generosity
…Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11 (CSB)
5. Vigorous Protection
And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.
Matthew 2:12 (CSB)
“One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy. 31 If you want to buy back the Lord’s tenth of the grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent. 32 Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the Lord as holy. 33 You may not pick and choose between good and bad animals, and you may not substitute one for another. But if you do exchange one animal for another, then both the original animal and its substitute will be considered holy and cannot be bought back.”
Leviticus 27:30-33 (NLT)
What Is A Tithe?
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God.
Exodus 23:19 (CSB)
Why Should I Tithe?
A. It Belongs To The Lord
The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.
Haggai 2:8 (NIV)
…but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth.
Deuteronomy 8:18 (CSB)
B. It’s Holy To God
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I TITHE?
A. Keeps me from becoming selfish
“In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 (CSB)
B. Empowers my church
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.
Matthew 28:19-20 (CSB)
C. Puts me in the place of blessing
Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Luke 6:38 (CSB)
But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:18-19 (CSB)
D. Challenges me to live by faith
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 (CSB)
Aaron will present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Next he will take the two goats and place them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Leviticus 16:6-7 (CSB)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 (CSB)
2. God Eliminates
When he slaughters the male goat for the people’s sin offering and brings its blood inside the curtain, he will do the same with its blood as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. He will make atonement for the most holy place in this way for all their sins because of the Israelites’ impurities and rebellious acts. He will do the same for the tent of meeting that remains among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities.
Leviticus 16:15-16 (CSB)
Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the Israelites’ iniquities and rebellious acts―all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the man appointed for the task. The goat will carry all their iniquities into a desolate land, and the man will release it there.
Leviticus 16:21-22 (CSB)
Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins. 12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
Hebrews 10:11-12 (CSB)
But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (CSB)
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB)
3. We Reciprocate
Atonement will be made for you on this day to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.
Leviticus 16:30 (CSB)
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12 (CSB)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 (CSB)
You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan.
Leviticus 25:10 (CSB)
1. I Have Freedom In Christ
You are to make the purchase from your neighbor based on the number of years since the last Jubilee. He is to sell to you based on the number of remaining harvest year
Leviticus 25:15 (CSB)
The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn.
Isaiah 61:1-2 (CSB)
He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”
Luke 4:16-21 (CSB)
The land is not to be permanently sold because it is mine, and you are only aliens and temporary residents on my land. Leviticus 25:23 (CSB)
2. I Have Mercy In Christ
If your brother becomes destitute and cannot sustain himself amongyou, you are to support him as an alien or temporary resident, so that he can continue to live among you. Do not profit or take interest from him, but fear your God and let your brother live among you. You are not to lend him your silver with interest or sell him your food for profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
Leviticus 25:35-38 (CSB)
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
Ephesians 2:4-5 (CSB)
3. I Have Rest In Christ
The fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you are not to sow, reap what grows by itself, or harvest its untended vines. It is to be holy to you because it is the Jubilee; you may only eat its produce directly from the field.
Leviticus 25:11-12 (CSB)
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest.
Hebrews 4:1-3 (NIV)
4. I Have Provision In Christ
What God provided on the 6th year was to cover you for the 7th year. If you wonder: ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we don’t sow or gather our produce?’ I will appoint my blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest. You will be eating this until the ninth year when its harvest comes in.
Leviticus 25:20-22 (CSB)
Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25-33 (CSB)
Life is in the blood, and I have given you the blood of animals to sacrifice in place of your own.
Leviticus 17:11 (CSB)
2. My Spiritual Life Is In The Blood
The Blood… A. Reconciles Me To God
According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:22 (CSB)
God presented him as an atoning sacrifice in his blood, received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
Romans 3:25 (CSB)
B. Cleanses Me From My Sins
But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:7 (CSB)
C. Makes Me More Like Christ
Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that he might sanctify the people by his own blood.
Hebrews 13:12 (CSB)
D. Grants Me Spiritual Victory
They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death.
Revelation 12:11 (CSB)
Belonging to God, set apart, different Progress, not perfection
Why Would I Want To Be Holy?
Brings Me Freedom For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1 (CSB)
Helps Me See God
Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
Allows God To Use Me
Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some for honorable use and some for dishonorable.
2 Timothy 2:20-21 (CSB)
Makes Me Joyful …for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17 (CSB)
How Can I Be Holy?
1. Spiritual Birth
…because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.
1 Peter 1:23 (CSB)
2. Showing Gratitude
For I am the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy.
Leviticus 11:45 (CSB)
3. Personal Discipline
For I am the Lord your God, so you must consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy. Do not defile yourselves by any swarming creature that crawls on the ground.
Leviticus 11:44 (CSB)
4. Supernatural Empowerment
I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16 (CSB)
You must not go about spreading slander among your people; you must not jeopardize your neighbor’s life; I am the Lord. “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him. 18 Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:16-18 (CSB)
1. LOVE
Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:18 (CSB)
The commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet, and if there is any other commandment-all are summed up by this: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Romans 13:9 (CSB)
2. EDIFY
You must not go about spreading slander among your people; you must not jeopardize your neighbor’s life; I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:16 (CSB)
3. FORGIVE
Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.
Leviticus 19:17 (CSB)
4. EXTEND GRACE
Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:18 (CSB)
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:18-25 (CSB)
1. Pray Through The Present
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.
Romans 8:18-22 (CSB)
2. Look Forward To The Future
For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (CSB)
And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
Romans 8:23 (NLT)
How Can I Get Ready For Heaven?
1) Our Spirit Foreshadows Eternity
2) Our Salvation Will Be Complete
3) Our Sufferings Will End
Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:23 (CSB)
4) Our Swag
Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:24-25 (CSB)
Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens. Praise Him for His powerful acts; praise Him for His abundant greatness. Praise Him with trumpet blast; praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with flute and strings. Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah!
Psalm 150:1-6 (CSB)
1. Where do I praise the Lord?
Hallelujah! Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Psalm 150:1 (CSB)
2. Why do I praise the Lord?
Praise Him for His powerful acts; praise Him for His abundant greatness.
Psalm 150:2 (CSB)
3. How do I praise the Lord?
Praise Him with trumpet blast; praise Him with harp and lyre. Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with flute and strings. Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals.
Psalm 150:3-5 (CSB)
4. Who should praise the Lord?
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah!
Psalm 150:6 (CSB)
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
How Do I develop a positive, Godly mindset…
1) Don’t Overlook the Greatness of God
The Lord said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites…
Numbers 13:1-2 (NIV)
GOD IS FOR ME
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31 (ESV)
GOD IS IN ME
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27 (ESV)
GOD IS WITH ME
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid.
Psalm 118:6 (NIV)
2) Don’t Let Your Circumstances Define Your Attitude
And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.
Numbers 13:32 (NIV)
3) Don’t Let Negativity Spread
And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.
Numbers 13:32 (NIV)
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.
Numbers 13:30-32 (NIV)
4) Don’t Let Fear Distort Reality
We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
Numbers 13:33 (NIV)
5) Don’t Let Your Past Define Your Future
Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
Numbers 14:3-4 (NIV)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
1 Peter 5:6-8 (CSB)
1. Stay Alert–The Devil Attacks
Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
1 Peter 5:8 (CSB)
2. Stay Hopeful–God Cares
…casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 (CSB)
When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:36 (CSB)
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.”
Mark 1:41 (CSB)
3. Stay Prayerful–God Listens
…casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 (CSB)
Throw all your worry on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 (ISB)
God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.
1 Peter 5:7 (CSB)
Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 (GNT)
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Romans 12:9-11 (CSB)
2. DON’T REPAY EVIL
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:17-19 (CSB)
3. DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO DO EVIL
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:20-21 (NIV)
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 14:12-13 (NIV)
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.
Luke 14:21-23 (NIV)
2. EXPECTATION=UNDERSTAND NOT EVERYONE WILL ATTEND
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
Luke14:15-20 (NIV)
3. CELEBRATION=THOSE WHO COME WILL BE GLAD THEY DID
When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 14:15 (NIV)
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Luke 15:7 (NIV)
The Lord Almighty will prepare a feast.
Isaiah 25:6 (NIV)
The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.
John 2:13-17 (CSB)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10 (CSB)
1. I’m Chosen
But you are a chosen race…
1Peter 2:9 (CSB)
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people.
1 Peter 2:10 (CSB)
2. I’m Called
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood.
1 Peter 2:9 (CSB)
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people.
1 Peter 2:9 (Mess)
3. I’m Set Apart
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession.
1 Peter 2:9 (CSB)
4. I’m Valuable
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession.
1 Peter 2:9 (CSB)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 (CSB)
But you are the chosen race, the King’s priests, the holy nation, God’s own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9-10 (GN)
…to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
1 Peter 2:9-10 (Mess)
Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God.
1 Peter 4:10 (CSB)
Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
Hebrews 13:5 (NLT)
For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.
Romans 12:3 (CSB)
According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith…
Romans 12:6 (CSB)
2. Your Gifts Differ From Others
Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function…
Romans 12:4 (CSB)
3. Your Gifts Connect Your Church
…in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.
Romans 12:5 (CSB)
4. Your Gifts Empower Ministry
According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:6-8 (CSB)
Therefore don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is the Messiah.
Colossians 2:16-17 (CSB)
2. The Mirage of Mysticism
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his fleshly mind. He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, develops with growth from God.
Colossians 2:18-19 (CSB)
3. The Abyss of Asceticism
If you died with Christ to the elemental forces of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? All these [regulations] refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. Although these have a reputation of wisdom by promoting ascetic practices, humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value against fleshly indulgence.
Colossians 2:20-23 (CSB)
For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Colossians 2:9-10 (CSB)
2. I Am New
You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ.
Colossians 2:11 (CSB)
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26 (CSB)
3. I Am Alive
…when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.
Colossians 2:12-13 (CSB)
4. I Am Free
He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.
Colossians 2:14-15 (CSB)
5. I Am Victorious
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.
Colossians 2:15 (CSB)
I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ. In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
Colossians 2:2-3 (CSB)
2.AccessYour Spiritual Treasure
So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him…
Colossians 2:6 (CSB)
3.Guard Your Spiritual Treasure
Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (CSB)
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body, that is, the church.
Colossians 1:24 (CSB)
Three Reasons to Rejoice in Suffering
A. WHEN YOU SUFFER, JESUS SUFFERS.
As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Acts 9:3-4 (CSB)
B. WHEN YOU SUFFER THERE IS A PURPOSE
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Acts 9:15-16 (CSB)
C. WHEN YOU SUFFER YOU MATURE SPIRITUALLY
…so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Colossians 1:28 (CSB)
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:10 (CSB)
2) I CAN STAY PURPOSEFUL WHEN I’M STRUGGLING
I have become its minister, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known…
Colossians 1:25 (CSB)
The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:26-27 (CSB)
We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Colossians 1:28 (CSB)
3) I CAN STAY STRONG WHEN I’M AGONIZING
To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Colossians 1:29 (NIV)
1) Liberator – He sets me free
2) Reflector – He helps me see the heart of God
3) Creator – He made me with purpose
4) Sustainer – He holds me together
Jesus is my…
5) Leader – He guides me
He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
Colossians 1:18 (CSB)
6) Filler – He fills me
For God was pleased [to have] all His fullness dwell in Him…
Colossians 1:19 (CSB)
For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen” to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 1:20 (CSB)
7) Reconciler – He reconnects me
…and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 1:20 (CSB)
So What…
But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.
Colossians 1:23 (NLT)
In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:14 (CSB)
2.Reflector – He helps me see the heart of God.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Colossians 1:15 (CSB)
3.Creator – He designed me for a specific purpose.
…the firstborn over all creation.
Colossians 1:15 (CSB)
For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:16 (CSB)
4.Sustainer – He holds me together.
He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17 (CSB)
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.
Colossians 1:3-5 (CSB)
2. I Should Be Grateful for the Growth of the Gospel
You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.
Colossians 1:5-6 (CSB)
3. I Should be grateful for Godly leadership
You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.
Colossians 1:7-8 (CSB)
For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Colossians 1:9 (CSB)
Eight Aspirations of Spiritual Knowledge
1) Live a Worthy Life
…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10 (CSB)
2) Please the Lord
…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10 (CSB)
3) Bear Fruit
…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10 (CSB)
4) Grow in Knowledge
…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10 (CSB)
5) Surge in Strength
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully.
Colossians 1:11 (CSB)
6) Develop Endurance
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully.
Colossians 1:11 (CSB)
7) Increase in Patience
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully.
Colossians 1:11 (CSB)
8) Give Thanks
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you[a] to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.
Colossians 1:11-12 (CSB)
Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
Acts 18:8 (CSB)
2. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF BAPTISM?
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
Colossians 2:12 (NLT)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
3. WHEN SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED
Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
Acts 18:8 (CSB)
4. WHERE SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Acts 2:41 (NLT)
5. HOW SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?
After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water…
Matthew 3:16 (NLT)
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV)
One tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.
Leviticus 27:30 (NLT)
2. Allows God to Bless Me
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 3:5-10 (ESV)
Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:24-25 (NLT)
3. Protects Me from Becoming Selfish
The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.
Proverbs 11:24 (Mess)
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)
4. Makes Me Trust God
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 3:5-10 (ESV)
5. Teaches Me Discipline
We should make plans—counting on God to direct us.
Proverbs 16: 9 (LB)
The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5 (NKJV)
6. Brings Me Joy
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Genesis 4:3-5 (NIV)
It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
Hebrews 11:4 (NLT)
2 Heart Check Questions…
1. Am I giving when God wants me to give?
2. Am I giving what God wants me to give?
A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
Leviticus 27:30 (NIV)
For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Romans 11:16 (NKJV)
Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (NIV)
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV)
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.
Genesis 4:8-12 (NIV)
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV)
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts…”
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 (CSB)
2. Teach Momma Teach
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (CSB)
3. Focus Momma Focus
Fear the Lord your God, worship him, and take your oaths in his name.14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you…
Deuteronomy 6:13-14 (CSB)
4. Answer Momma Answer
When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. Before our eyes the Lord inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household, but he brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that he swore to our fathers. The Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the Lord our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’
Deuteronomy 6:20-25 (CSB)
Edge Church Mission Statement: People helping people, find and follow Christ.
1. What are the core values of Edge Church?
a) Life Transformation
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:47 (NIV)
b) Levels of Excellence
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men… Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
c) Loyalty
Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
Hebrews 13:17 (NLT)
And I told them of the hand of my God which had been upon me for good, and also of the words which the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Nehemiah 2:18 (RSV)
2. How can I “rise up” and to fulfill the vision of Edge Church?
a) What is a tithe?
A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy. Leviticus 27:30 (TLB)
b) Why should I tithe?
Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship… Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 14:23 (NLT)
c) How do I tithe?
On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.
1 Corinthians 16:2 (CSB)
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly. So that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (NIV)
Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me… Genesis 32:11 (NIV)
2. Engage in Restoration
He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau. Genesis 32:13 (NIV)
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV)
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:18 (NIV)
He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my Lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”
Genesis 32:17-18 (NIV)
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Luke 19:8 (NIV)
3. Express Humility
He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
Genesis 33:3 (NIV)
4. Expect Positive Results
But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And the wept.
Genesis 33:4 (NIV)
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Romans 3:23 (NIV)
TRUTH – ADMIT I NEED JESUS
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 (NLT)
For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus…
1 Timothy 2:5 (CSB)
ENTRUST – MY LIFE AND FUTURE TO JESUS
But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Acts 2:21 (NIV)
PEACE – MAKE MY PEACE WITH GOD
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace[a] with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Romans 5:1 (NLT)
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him…because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:1-5 (CSB)
2. Loving Others
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him. This is how we know that we love God’s children…
1 John 5:1-2 (CSB)
3. Obeying God’s Commands
This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden.
1 John 5:2-3 (CSB)
The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:8-10 (CSB)
…I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.
Jeremiah 31:3 (CSB)
2. God’s Love Flows Through Me
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7 (CSB)
Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:11-12 (CSB)
We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.
1 John 3:14 (CSB)
For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
1 John 3:11-13 (CSB)
2. Moves Me To Live Like Christ
This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:16 (CSB)
3. Compels Me To Powerful Actions
If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer[i] in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.
1 John 3:17-18 (CSB)
4. Draws Me Closer To God
This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows all things.21 Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight. 23 Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.
1 John 3:19-24 (CSB)
When I have an UNCONDEMING HEART I have…
A. ANSWERED PRAYERS
Dear friends, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight.
1 John 3:21-22 (CSB)
Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
John 16:23-24 (CSB)
B. EMPOWERMENT OF THE SPIRIT
The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in him. And the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit he has given us.
1 John 3:24 (CSB)
46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.
1 John 1:5 (CSB)
2. We Walk in Darkness
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.
1 John 1:6 (CSB)
3. Christ Enables Dark People to Walk in the Light
If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:7-10 (CSB)
My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
1 John 2:1-2 (CSB)
2. God’s Love is Revealing
The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1 John 2:4 (CSB)
3. God’s Love is Refining
But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him…
1 John 2:5 (CSB)
4. God’s Love is Rewarding
The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked.
1 John 2:6 (CSB)
Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because your strength [comes from] rejoicing in the Lord.”
Nehemiah 8:10 (CSB)
1. WHAT IS JOY?
And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
1 John 1:4 (ESV)
I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
John 15:11 (CSB)
…for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17 (CSB)
2. WHERE DOES JOY COME FROM?
“… Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
John 15:4; 11 (NLT)
3. HOW CAN I LIVE JOYFULLY?
A. Overcome Courageously
Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various
trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:2-4 (CSB)
B. Give Generously
God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (CSB)
C. Devour Enthusiastically
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty.
Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV)
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not
burdensome…
1 John 5:3 (NIV)
D. Overflow Spiritually
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (NIV)
And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:52 (CSB)
Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the Lord’s temple before the new courtyard. He said: Lord, God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, and no one can stand against you. Are you not our God who drove out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and who gave it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?…Now here are the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir. You did not let Israel invade them when Israel came out of the land of Egypt, but Israel turned away from them and did not destroy them. Look how they repay us by coming to drive us out of your possession that you gave us as an inheritance. Our God, will you not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you. 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 (CSB)
2. PATIENT PERSISTENT WAITING
And he said, “Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. He is with you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow, go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.’” 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 (CSB)
3. ENTHUSIASTIC ENERGETIC PRAISE
Then Jehoshaphat knelt low with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord to worship him. Then the Levites from the sons of the Kohathites and the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel shouting loudly…Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the Lord and some to praise the splendor of his holiness. When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing: Give thanks to the Lord, for his faithful love endures forever. The moment they began their shouts and praises, the Lord set an ambush against the Ammonites, Moabites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir who came to fight against Judah, and they were defeated. 2 Chronicles 20:18-22 (CSB)
Time went by until twenty years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel longed for the Lord. Samuel told them, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, get rid of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths that are among you, dedicate yourselves to the Lord, and worship only him. Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths and only worshiped the Lord. 1 Samuel 7:2-4 (CSB)
2. Expect
When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. The Israelites said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, so that he will save us from the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7:7-8 (CSB)
Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines approached to fight against Israel. The Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they were defeated by Israel. Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.
1 Samuel 7:10-11(CSB)
3. Celebrate
Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israel’s territory again. The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life.
1 Samuel 7:12-13 (CSB)
