Nov 3, 2019
Don’t Share a Restrictive Religion 11-3-19 Sermon
Don’t Share with YOUR ONE a Ritualistic, Restrictive Religion Top of Form Do you have restrictive religion or a redemptive relationship? Hebrews 9:1-10 Bottom of Form   Hebrews 9:1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. DON’T DEPEND ON OR PRESENT A “GOSPEL”, WHICH LIMITS YOU BY ITS PROCEDURES. When the rules you follow keep you from loving God and from loving others, its time to change the rules. DON’T DEPEND ON OR PRESENT A “GOSPEL”, WHICH LIMITS YOU BY ITS PLACE. Hebrews 9:2-5 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Richard Halverson, former chaplain of the United States Senate, used a benediction at the end of each service. Wherever you go, God is sending you. Wherever you are, God has put you there. God has a purpose in your being right where you are. Christ, who indwells you by the power of his Spirit, wants to do something in and through you. Believe this and go in his grace, his love, his power. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. DON’T DEPEND ON OR PRESENT A “GOSPEL”, WHICH IS LIMITED TO CERTAIN PEOPLE. Only the High Priest could meet with God and only once a year! Hebrews 9:6-9a These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). DON’T DEPEND ON OR PRESENT A “GOSPEL”, WHICH IS LIMITED IN ITS PURIFYING POWER. Hebrews 9:9b-10 According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. (ESV) Religious ceremonies cannot clean you up on the inside. They can only make you look clean on the outside. Numbers 15 says, “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering… But the person who does anything with a high hand (i.e., defiantly or willfully)… that person shall be cut off from among his people” (Numbers 15:27, 30)
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  • Nov 3, 2019Don’t Share a Restrictive Religion 11-3-19 Sermon
    Nov 3, 2019
    Don’t Share a Restrictive Religion 11-3-19 Sermon
    Don’t Share with YOUR ONE a Ritualistic, Restrictive Religion Top of Form Do you have restrictive religion or a redemptive relationship? Hebrews 9:1-10 Bottom of Form   Hebrews 9:1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. DON’T DEPEND ON OR PRESENT A “GOSPEL”, WHICH LIMITS YOU BY ITS PROCEDURES. When the rules you follow keep you from loving God and from loving others, its time to change the rules. DON’T DEPEND ON OR PRESENT A “GOSPEL”, WHICH LIMITS YOU BY ITS PLACE. Hebrews 9:2-5 For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. Richard Halverson, former chaplain of the United States Senate, used a benediction at the end of each service. Wherever you go, God is sending you. Wherever you are, God has put you there. God has a purpose in your being right where you are. Christ, who indwells you by the power of his Spirit, wants to do something in and through you. Believe this and go in his grace, his love, his power. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. DON’T DEPEND ON OR PRESENT A “GOSPEL”, WHICH IS LIMITED TO CERTAIN PEOPLE. Only the High Priest could meet with God and only once a year! Hebrews 9:6-9a These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). DON’T DEPEND ON OR PRESENT A “GOSPEL”, WHICH IS LIMITED IN ITS PURIFYING POWER. Hebrews 9:9b-10 According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. (ESV) Religious ceremonies cannot clean you up on the inside. They can only make you look clean on the outside. Numbers 15 says, “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering… But the person who does anything with a high hand (i.e., defiantly or willfully)… that person shall be cut off from among his people” (Numbers 15:27, 30)
  • Oct 27, 2019One Really Matters Sermon 10-27-19
    Oct 27, 2019
    One Really Matters Sermon 10-27-19
    ONE REALLY MATTERS   John 1:40-43 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter[a]).43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”   When we talk about our faith in Jesus Christ, someone will inevitably remind us that what we believe is fine for us but not for them. All this leads us to ask, “What does it take to bring people to Jesus?” The answer is what it has always been: God’s truth shared in love and friendship, illustrated daily in the life of the one sharing the Gospel.   Peter’s brother, Andrew, is the least known of the four disciples in the inner circle. Andrew ordinarily is left very much in the background. We will learn, too, he was used by our Lord to touch one who touched thousands, Peter.   Take this church for example, there are many people who never get in the spotlight. There ministry is in the background often out of sight. But its people like that with a heart for the gospel who can reach the Peters of the world. Those who will go on to reach many people for the Lord.   How did Andrew go about sharing the gospel?   He Saw the Value Of Individual People   Andrew appreciated the value of a single soul. He was known for bringing individuals, not crowds, to Jesus. Almost every time we see him in the gospel accounts, he is bringing someone to Jesus.   He brought Peter to Jesus: ……..Just one He brought the boy with his lunch to Jesus: ……..Just one     Often times people will hear many sermons, perhaps hear many people worship in spirit and truth and yet still not respond to the gospel in that environment.   They come to Christ because of the influence of an individual.   Andrew brought one—Peter. Peter then brought thousands. All the fruit of Peter’s ministry is ultimately also the fruit of Andrew’s faithful individual witness.   “Few have ever heard of Edward Kimball. He was a Sunday School teacher who led D.L. Moody to Christ. Edward went to a Boston shoe store where the 18-year-old Moody was working, cornered him in the stockroom, and introduced him to Christ. Kimball was anything but bold. He was a timid, soft-spoken man. He went to that shoe store frightened, trembling and unaware of whether he had the courage to confront this young man with the gospel. Moody, on the other hand, was crude and obviously illiterate, and Kimball trembled in his boots as he recalled the incident. Moody had begun to attend his Sunday School class. Moody was totally untaught and ignorant about the Bible. Kimball said, ‘I decided to speak to Moody about Christ and about his soul. I started downtown to Holton’s shoe store. When I was nearly there, I began to wonder whether I ought to go just then during business hours. And I thought maybe my mission might embarrass the boy, that when I went away the other clerks might ask who I was, and when they learned might taunt Moody and ask if I was trying to make a good boy out of him. While I was pondering over it all, I passed the store without noticing it. Then, when I found I had gone by the door I determined to make a dash for it and have it over at once.’   Kimball found Moody in the stockroom and spoke to him with ‘limping words.’ Later, he said, ‘I never could remember what I said, ‘something about Christ and His love, that was all.’ He admitted it was a ‘weak appeal.’ But Moody,then and there, gave his heart to Christ.”   If you have every studied the Bible in-depth you probably have read some of Moody’s work.   I’m sure that there are many in this room who could relate to Edward Kimball. You know that people need the gospel, and you are even compelled to go, and in your head begins the battle of your inadequacy and what if’s.   Andrew saw the value in ONE and the value in individual people. You build that relationship with your one, all the while praying…. And just like Kimball you will question yourself, your wisdom, your articulation, your motives, but what you need to know is Christ is simply looking for obedience. With your obedience, Christ’s grace and mercy flows through the Spirit to give new life.   He Saw the Value Of Insignificant Gifts   I have often heard this statement, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How about this one, one man’s junk is …… you got it, is another man’s treasure.   Many people that I meet and talk to in the church feel and think that they don’t matter and that their gifts are not important. Some even feel as if there story of how Christ came in is not worthy enough to share with others. I often find God finds great value in things that we seem to throw by the wayside.   In the feeding of the 5,000 story, Philip’s vision was overwhelmed by the size of the need. “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish —but what are they for so many?” (John 6:8-9, CSB)   I can see most of us now…. Bro. Matt all these people need to be fed and what are we going to do? Me…. Tell them to go home…… Tommy… Maybe we could give them some water or something…. Phil…. Tell them to go home….   Then comes Hallie…. Hey dad I have a few things left in my lunch box that we might can use……   Let’s stop right there. There isn’t a lunch box big enough to hold the food we would need to feed 5000 people. What we often forget is that God will do more with your offer than you can ever imagine.   The FIVE barley loaves and the TWO fish were all that Jesus needed.   What we sense as being insignificant, God sees the unending possibilities. No gift is insignificant in the hands of Jesus.   He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:1-4, CSB).   God’s ability to use a gift is in no way hindered or enhanced by the size of that gift. It is the sacrificial faithfulness of the giver, not the size of the gift, that is the true measure of the gift’s significance.   It’s not the greatness of the gift that counts, but rather the greatness of the God to whom it is given. The miracle of feeding the 5,000 illustrates the way God works. He takes the sacrificial and often seemingly insignificant gifts of people who give faithfully, and He multiplies them to accomplish monumental things.   When you think of your contribution as being insignificant, then your input could give momentum to something that becomes monumental.   He Saw the Value Of Inconspicuous Service   Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart (Ephesians 6:6, CSB).   One thing that we have going in this series is that we have hung a logo in the hall right outside the worship center. This is something where every time that you have a gospel conversation with someone you simply color in a square to represent that conversation. No one knows who, when, or what the conversation consisted of. Simply being obedient to the word by telling your story of how Jesus has made a difference in your life.   Andrew was not the front man, but the work that Andrew did for the Lord is still having an impact on us today. Often times you may feel as if your contributions to the Lord go unnoticed, but praise God that the One who matters sees all and it’s a Big deal to Him.   1 Corinthians 1:27-29 Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, so that no one may boast in his presence.   One really does matter…. You matter….. Your Story matters…. Your Conversations matter… God will use you.   Just know the first step to being used by God is to surrender everything to Him and trust that he in return will give you more that you could have ever come up with on your own. The disciples gave up everything, but what they got was truly out of this world.
  • Oct 20, 2019Before Sharing With Your One Sermon 10-20-19
    Oct 20, 2019
    Before Sharing With Your One Sermon 10-20-19
    Before Sharing with Your ONE,   Are You Offering/Living by Rules or a Relationship?   Colossians 2:20-23  
    1. In Alabama it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.
     
    1. In Florida you cannot chain your alligator to a fire hydrant.
       
    1. In Minnesota it is illegal to tease a skunk.
     
    1. In Louisiana biting someone with your natural teeth is “simple assault,” while biting someone with your false teeth is “aggravated assault.”
       
    1. In Tennessee dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
     
    1. In Oklahoma whale hunting is strictly forbidden.
       
    1. In Texas, if two trains going in opposite directions on the same track meet each other, one can’t move until the other does.
     
    1. In Texas it is legal for a blind person to go hunting unless long as they have someone with them who isn’t blind.
       
    1. An old Texas law states you can be legally married by publicly introducing a person as your husband or wife 3 times. (Be careful guys!)
     
    1. In Houston, beer may not be purchased after midnight on a Sunday, but it may be purchased on Monday.
        Colossians 2:14. “God forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations,   that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”   Colossians 2:20-23: “Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it,   do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!?’   These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.   Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship,   their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”    
    1. THE MISERABLE FRUSTRATION OF LEGALISM
     
    • Legalism gives a sense of accomplishment, but you can never do enough
     
    • Legalism enslaves you to performance-based religion
       
    • Legalism displeases the Lord
      Matthew 23 Jesus said to legalists:     “You hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.” (vs. 13)     “You make him [a convert] twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (vs. 15)     “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (vs. 24)   “You are like whitewashed tombs” (vs. 27)     “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” (vs. 33)    
    1. THE WONDERFUL LIBERATION OF GRACE
      “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!…   It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 2:21; 5:1)    
    • Grace removes the pressure to perform
      “At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)    
    • Grace frees you to enjoy your relationship with God
      “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)   A legalist often says, “The Christian life is HARD!” I disagree.   The Bible says, “The way of the transgressor is hard!” (Proverbs 13:15)
  • Oct 13, 2019I Hope So 10_13_19 Sermon
    Oct 13, 2019
    I Hope So 10_13_19 Sermon
    “I Hope So” Know That You Know 1 John 2:3-11 Top of Form Bottom of Form
    1. How long did the Hundred Years War last?
    2. Which country makes Panama hats?
    3. From which animal do we get catgut?
    4. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
    5. What is a camel's hairbrush made of?
    6. The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
    7. What was King George VI's first name?
    8. What color is a purple finch?
    9. Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
    10. How long did the Thirty Years War last?
    Here are the answers:
    1. The Hundred Years War lasted 116 years, from 1337 to 1453.
    2. Ecuador is the country that makes Panama Hats.
    3. Catgut comes from sheep and horses.
    4. The Russians celebrate the October Revolution in November. Their calendar was 13 days behind ours at the time.
    5. A camel’s hairbrush is made of squirrel fur.
    6. The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after a dog. The Latin name was Insularia Canaria: Island of the Dogs.
    7. King Georges VI’s first name was Albert. When he came to the throne in 1936, he respected the wish of Queen Victoria that no future king should ever be called Albert.
    8. The purple finch is distinctively crimson.
    9. Chinese gooseberries come from New Zealand.
    10. The Thirty Years War lasted thirty years, of course, from 1618 to 1648
    “There are four kinds of people: There are those who don’t know that they don’t know (these are the most dangerous); There are those who know that they don’t know (it’s a sad state in which to be, but at least they’re teachable); There are those who don’t know that they know (they have the knowledge, but they don’t realize it, so they don’t do anything at all); There are those who know that they know – these are the true experts, who are a true help in a time of need. 1 John 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. LISTEN TO HIM. 1 John 2:4-5a Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.   LIVE LIKE THE LORD.   1 John 2:5b-6 By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. LOVE LIKE THE LORD.   1 John 2:7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40). 1 John 2:8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. He had no servants, yet they called Him Master. He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. He had no medicine, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today (unknown). 1 John 2:9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. You are ignorant if you are living in hate. 1 John 2:10-11 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. https://youtu.be/WwJWW6UKnIc
  • Sep 29, 2019A Story of Hell 9-29-19 Sermon
    Sep 29, 2019
    A Story of Hell 9-29-19 Sermon
    A Story of Hell Luke 16:19-31 INTRODUCTION: If you want to create an awkward conversation quickly, there are a few sure-fire topics to bring up. Politics, for example, is sure to do it. Religion often does the trick as well, particularly when someone suggests that there is a singular way to God through Jesus Christ and that all those who do not have faith in Jesus will spend eternity in hell. Conversation over. MAIN TEXT: “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate. He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’ “‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’ “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—because I have five brothers —to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’ “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’
“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead’” (Luke 16:19-31, CSB). HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: The Bible records an account of a rich man and poor man who both die. The poor man goes to heaven and is embraced by Abra- ham. The rich man dies and suffers in hell, looks across the great divide in heaven and asks for mercy, water and for someone to warn his family to avoid this place of torment. God does not send anyone to hell; we go of our own volition as we reject Christ. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17, CSB). Richard Baxter (Puritan pastor) lived his life from the perspective of both heaven and hell. He directed his church members on “How to Spend the Day with God.” “Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows. Familiarize yourself so consistently to this that your conscience may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude. Think of the mercy of a night’s rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonizing pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives. Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul PASSAGE OUTLINE:
    1. HELL IS ETERNAL. 

    2. HELL IS A PLACE OF PAIN. 

    • HELL IS A PLACE OF FEAR. 

    1. HELL IS A PLACE OF SADNESS. 
Dante’s Divine Comedy describes the fictional journey of the author through hell and ultimately to heaven.
In the “Inferno” section, he describes the sign above the portal of hell. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”
    2. HELL IS A PLACE OF ISOLATION. 

    3. HELL IS A PLACE OF SEPARATION. 

    A FEW GOOD THINGS IN HELL:
    1. GOOD PEOPLE ARE IN HELL. 
The rich man in this story is moral and caring.
    2. GOOD VISION IS IN HELL. 
And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side (Luke 16:23, CSB).
    • GOOD PRAYERS ARE IN HELL. 
‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’ (Luke 16:24, CSB)
    1. GOOD MEMORY IS IN HELL. 
‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony’ (Luke 16:25, CSB).
    2. GOOD THEOLOGY IS IN HELL. 
“... every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11, CSB).
    3. GOOD PRIORITIES ARE IN HELL. 
‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—because I have five brothers —to warn them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment’ (Luke 16:27-28, CSB). “testify to them”: witness “lest”: warn them
    • GOOD INTENTIONS ARE IN HELL. 
One can reject Christ through outright rebellion, but rejection of the Lord does not have to be active. One can deny and refuse Christ also through apathy, indifference, procrastination and even ignorance. Some people fully intend to follow the Lord, and one day they plan to do so.
    CONCLUSION: Hell was not prepared for you! Jesus has prepared a place for you. “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going.” “Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:1-7, CSB).
  • Sep 22, 2019Who’s your One?
    Sep 22, 2019
    Who’s your One?
    Who’s Your One? Luke 5.27-32 Luke 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Are we connecting with people who are not like us? Do you have someone you need to invite not just to church but to talk and meet with you about what Jesus has done for you? Can you even have a conversation like that? Luke 5.27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. Jesus says, Follow Me. In other words, “How are you, Let’s go eat.” ---Jesus came to change our mind about God Jesus wants a relationship with everyone. ---Stay Close not Far Luke 5.29-30, 29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” We are to be the influencer not the “influencee”. He did not approach him with his past…but offered him a better future. ---Say start, not stop. 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” We don’t fix them. Jesus will 1 Corinthians 15.10, But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Jesus did well with Levi, HIS ONE. Grace is enough for anyone. Jesus already knows who our ONE is.
  • Sep 15, 2019Dig Another Well Sermon
    Sep 15, 2019
    Dig Another Well Sermon
    Series: GROW
    Dig Another Well Genesis 26:12-33 Top of Form Bottom of Form Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us” So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. Genesis 26:19  Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there Genesis 26:20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek (which means contention or dispute), because they disputed with him. Genesis 26:21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Genesis 26:22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth (which means room), saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” BY FAITH PERSEVERE. REMEMBER GOD’S PROMISES. Genesis 26:23-24 From there he went up to Beersheba. That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” Genesis 26:25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. EXPERIENCE THE BLESSING OF GOD. “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” They answered, “We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. Genesis 26:30-33 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” He called it Shibah (which means "oath"), and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba (or "well of the oath"). Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.”    
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