Sermon #2 "God's Presence and Blessing"

Why should we be happy in following Jesus?

Big Idea: God promises to be with and bless the followers of Jesus.

 I.       Why should we be happy in following Jesus?

A.    God promises to be with us (vv. 1-3).

“Now there was a famine in the land. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you’” (vv. 1-2).

“’Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you…and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham you father’” (v. 3).

Genesis 3:15, 12:2-3

B.     The Gospel  (v. 4).

“’In your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed’” (v. 4).

Hebrews 4:13, 13:5; Luke 3:23-24;Galatians 3:16; Matthew 1:23, 28:20

C.    God promises to bless us (vv. 3, 12,  23-25)

“’Sojourn in this land…and will bless you’”

“The Lord blessed him” (v. 12).

“From there he went up to Beersheba” (v. 23).

“And the Lord appeared to him and said…’Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you’” (v. 24).

“So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there” (v.25).

Numbers 6:24; Psalm 127:1; Ephesians 1:3

    II.      Conclusion

Big Idea: God promises to be with and bless the followers of Jesus.

New Series-Sermon 1 "Is God Really Involved in My Life"

Is God really involved in my life?

Big Idea: Honor and welcome God’s sovereign involvement in your life.

 I.       Honor and welcome God’s sovereign involvement in your life (vv. 19-23).

A.    The Problem and Prayer (vv. 21-22).

“And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived” (v. 21).

Genesis 22:17; Psalm 127:3; Matthew 10:29; Luke 12:7

B.     The Prophecy  (v. 23).

“And the LORD said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two people from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger’” (v. 23).

Genesis 3:15, 22:18

C.    The Gospel

Romans 8:31-32

II.       Don’t dishonor God’s sovereign involvement in your life (vv. 24-34).

A.    The birth (vv. 24-28)

B.     Playing God, Despising God (vv. 29-34)

“Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!’ Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright now.’” (vv. 29-31).

Deuteronomy 21:17

“Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’” (v. 32).

“Jacob said, ‘Swear to me now.’ So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright” (vv. 33-34).

Hebrews 12:16-17; 1 Peter 5:6

C.    Review

Big Idea: Honor and welcome God’s sovereign involvement in your life.

"The Worship God Wants"

How should we worship?

Big Idea: Our worship should be joyful, God-centered, and knowledgeable.

 I.       How should we worship?

A.    Joyful, not joyless (vv. 1-2, 4).

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!” (v. 1).

“Serve the LORD with gladness! Come before his presence with singing!” (v. 2).

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (v. 4).

B.     Actively God-centered not self-centered (vv. 1-2, 4).

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!” (v. 1).

“Serve the LORD with gladness! Come before his presence with singing!” (v. 2).

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (v. 4).

Revelation 21:27; Hebrews 10:19-20

C.    Knowledgeable, not shallow (vv. 3, 5)

“Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (v. 3).

“For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations (v. 5).

II.       Conclusion.

A.    Review.

Big Idea: Our worship should be joyful, God-centered, and knowledgeable.

Sermon #20 "God's Loving Warnings"

How does God help us in our daily battle with sin?

Big Idea: God warns the unrepentant and dwells within us. Thank God that he battles our sin!

 I.       How does God help us in our daily battle with sin?

A.    By warning the unrepentant (vv. 1-4).

Introduction.

“This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (v. 1).

Paul warns.

“I warned those who sinned before and the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them” (v. 2).

1 Corinthians 5:2; 2 Corinthians 12:20-21

Jesus is powerful.

“Since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you” (v. 3).

Gospel.

“For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God” (v. 4).

1 John 2:2

B.     By dwelling within us (vv. 5-10).

The test of Jesus within.

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (v. 5).

Restoring and building up.

“For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for” (v. 9).

“For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down” (v. 10).

C.    What is God’s command for us?

II.       Conclusion.

A.    Review.

Big Idea: God warns the unrepentant and dwells within us. Thank God that he battles our sin!

Sermon #19 "Why We Need the Church"

Why do we need the church?

Big Idea: God gives the church so we can love and speak truth to one another.

 I.       God gives the church so we can love and speak truth to one another.

A.    Love one another (12:14-19).

“For I seek not what is yours but you” (v. 14).

“I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more?” (v. 15).

“It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved” (v. 19).

1 Timothy 1:13

B.     Speak truth to one another (12:20-21).

“For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish-that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder” (v. 20).

“I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced” (v. 21)

C.    What is God’s command for us?

D.    Why is it so difficult to obey (idols)?

II.       Jesus loved and spoke truth to you.

A.    What Jesus has done.

2 Corinthians 12:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21

B.     Review

Big Idea: God gives the church so we can love and speak truth to one another.

Sermon # 18 "God's Gift of Thorns"

Why Does God allow the thorns in our lives?

Big Idea: God allows thorns in our lives to reveal his strength.

 I.       God allows thorns to reveal his strength.

A.    God allows thorns.

Paul’s vision (vv. 1-6).

Paul’s thorn (vv. 7-8).

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a message of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited” (v. 7).

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me” (v. 8).

B.     To reveal his strength

Jesus’ grace and power

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ ” (v. 9a).

Paul’s boast and contentment

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (v. 9b)

“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (v. 10).

C.    Why is it so difficult to believe and obey?

II.       Jesus bore thorns for you.

A.    What Jesus has done.

Matthew 27:29; Isaiah 53:5

B.     Review

Big Idea: God allows thorns in our lives to reveal his strength.

Sermon # 17 "Why Christians Suffer"

Why do we suffer?

Big Idea: Trust in the God who redeems our suffering.

Romans 8:18; Matthew 5:11-12; John 16:33; Romans 8:17;          2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 4:12

 I.       Why do we as Christians suffer?

A.    Do we suffer because we are not spiritual enough?

“Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one-I am talking like a madman-with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death” (v. 23).

Suffering of persecution (vv. 24-25).

“Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one” (v. 24).

“Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.” (v. 25).

Acts 16:22; Acts 14:19

Suffering of ministry travel (vv. 25-27).

Suffering of ministry pressures (vv. 28-29).

“And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?” (vv.28-29).

Acts 9:15-16

B.     Do we suffer because of weakness? (v. 30)

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (v. 30).

C.    Do we suffer because God is cruel? (v. 31)

“The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who blessed forever, knows that I am not lying” (v. 31).

Job 1:20-21

II.       How Jesus suffers for us.

A.    What Jesus has done.

1 Peter 2:23, 21,3:18

B.     Review

Big Idea: Trust in the God who redeems our suffering.

Sermon #16 "Devotion and Discernment"

How does God help us not be led astray?

Big Idea: God helps us stay devoted to Jesus and discerning.

 I.       God helps us to stay devoted to Jesus and discerning.

A.    Devoted (vv. 2-4)

“For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you a pure virgin to Christ” (v. 2).

Exodus 20:3

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts well be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (v. 3).

Genesis 3

“For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough” (v. 4).

James 4:5

What is God’s command for us?

Why is it so difficult to obey this?

James 4:4

B.     Decerning (vv. 13-15)

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (v. 13).

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (vv. 14-15).

What is God’s command for us?

Why is it so difficult to obey this?

II.       Only through Jesus.

A.    What Jesus has done.

Romans 5:8

The Gospel

B.     Review

Big Idea: God helps us to stay devoted to Jesus and discerning.

Sermon #15 "Conflicts, Competitors, and Comparisons"

How does God help us when we are attacked by others?

Big Idea: When we are attacked, God helps us make him our priority, not ourselves.

 I.       When we are attacked, God helps us make him our priority.

A.    The Conflict (vv. 3-5)

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh” (v. 3).

2 Corinthians 4:7

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (v. 4).

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (v. 5).

Romans 1:16-17

What is God’s command for us?

Why is it so difficult to obey this?

B.     The Comparisons, Commending (vv. 12, 17-18)

“Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding” (v. 12).

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (v. 17).

Jeremiah 9:23-24

“For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (v. 18).

What is God’s command for us?

Why is it so difficult to obey this?

II.       God helps us through Jesus.

A.    What Jesus has done.

John 8:29; Peter 3:18

The Gospel

B.     Review

Big Idea: When we are attacked, God helps us make him our priority, not ourselves.