Living a Blessed Life

Numbers 6: 22-27 - The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

 the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you    

 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’

“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

1.  Blessing is God's desire
     You're never more certain to get what you ask for than when God tells you to ask for something

2.  Blessings are to be spoken
     Have you ever been guilty of an unspoken blessing?
     Every time you open your mouth, you can be a blessing or a curse
     Don't say something in the heat of the moment that could ruin a relationship forever, when the actions won't be remembered two weeks later
     Verbalize the blessings now -> in a month it will be too late

3.  Blessings come when God shines His face upon us
     God will not smile or shine His face on a life of rebellion
     When God is pleased with us, we will have everything we need
     What you do with your face determines what God does with His
     If you humble your face, God's face will shine on you
     If you are prideful and turn your face from Him, God will turn His face from you.
     If you want God to hear your prayers, make sure your heart, conscience and hands are clean
     Have you thanked God for the things he protects you from?

     Are you experiencing the smile of God in your life, or do you love your sin more than you love God?

4.  Blessings come with family
     With God's name comes responsibility

The Remarkable Power of Wisdom

Daniel 2


Knowledge speaks - Wisdom listens

1.  Difficult times are a common experience
     Human wisdom will always be limited by incomplete human knowledge

2.  Difficult times require prudence and discretion (wisdom & tact)
     God gives wisdom according to His all-knowing and ever-present reality

3.  Difficult times call for courageous action
     Life's circumstances don't reflect reality

Godly wisdom gives courage to act with confidence.

Walking Worthy of His Call

Ephesians 4:1-3 - 'As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.'

1.  Christian living always begins with a transformed heart
         addressing our relationship with other people
         church = people in relationship with God & God's people

     Difficult people create an opportunity for you to display the love of God and prove you are His
         child

     "Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude." ~ MLK, Jr


2.  Chrisian living always builds up the Body of Christ


To walk worthy of His calling is to walk together, not only for what you receive, but what you give to others.

Surprising and Supernatural

Mark 4:26-34

***If your vision is something YOU can attain, it probably is not God's will

***What appears impossible in the kingdom of God - isn't!  

              God works in mysterious, yet predictable, ways.

***What appears small and insignificant in the Kingdom of God - isn't!

              Spiritual growth happens through steadfast, faithful, consistent obedience

***The Kingdom of God gives strength for today and hope for tomorrow

Take your eyes off of the trials of today and put them on the prize of tomorrow.

Many Servants - One Lord

Colossians 4:7 - 15 - "Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 1Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house."

***Effective ministry requires teamwork
Unity included diversity
Interdependence is God's design

***Effective ministry requires encouragement
Encouragement keeps you in the race
Encouragement is focused on God's grace
The quality of your encouragement is directly related to God's work in your life

***Effective ministry requires humble sacrifice
Phillipians 2:2 - 4 - "...then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
Sacrifice requires putting others first
Sacrifice is the key to teamwork

***Effective ministry invests in the future
Pass on your faith - Paul passed his life on to his companions
Pass on your ministry

***Every believer is significant in the plan of God

***In the kingdom of God, there are many servants, but one Lord

Every Believer a Witness in Christ

Pastor Mel started this sermon talking about Alfred Nobel. His brother, Ludvig died in 1888, and the obituary accidently reported that it was Alfred who had died, labeling him the 'merchant of death.' He invented dynamite, and an article can be found on him here. Not wanting to be remembered in such a terrible way, he is who the Nobel Prize is named after.

Colossians 4:5 - 6 - "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

***There can be a great difference in what you think you are and how others see you

***Walk the walk (v 5)
1 Thessalonians 1:5 - "...because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake." - You become the testimony others can see

(a) Live in the wisdom of Christ - "Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you in all wisdom."
Christ is looking more for our devotion to Him than for our service to Him. There is a difference in trying to live right and having a relationship with Christ.

(b) Live in the opportunities given by Christ - Obedience to Christ is found in the timing of our response

***Talk the talk (v 6)
(a) Our speech shold be gracious - your mouth is a reflection of your heart (Matt 15:18 - "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'")

(b) Our speech should be salty - it should make a difference - a simple word of truth can set a person free

(c) Our speech should be ready - be ready to speak a word to people that need - God's word and a spirit filled life are a powerful combination

***Is there anything in me that would obscure the vision of Christ to a watching world?

***No matter what has happened in your past, you can determine today how you will live the rest of your life

***God expects every believer to be a witness for Him

***To be in Christ will impact the way you live, what you say, and people will be drawn to you

A Call to Prayer in Christ

Colossians 4:2 - 4 - "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should."

***How important is prayer in your life? Could you say that you are earnestly praying? Is it a priority or is it something you do if you have time?

***Prayer does not fit us for the greater work - Prayer IS the greater work (Oswald Chambers)

***God does not need us, but for some reason, He has chosen to work through His people

***Prayer is the fruit of Christ in you - to be like Christ is to be a person of prayer

***Prayer is intentional and consistent - it is a decision to invest your life in eternal things

***Prayer is from a heart of gratitude - do it with thanksgiving - do it with a grateful heart that recognizes God's work in your life

***We are called to pray with and for our spiritual leaders
Ephesians 6:18 - 20 - "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

***Leaders live in a spiritual battlefield - Satan would love to see a leader fall

***Leaders proclaim an eternal message

***Leaders are one among many members in the body of Christ

***Is Christ in you producing the fruit of prayer?

***He is calling you to pray today because He knows your tomorrow

***God is calling you to pray because He is conforming you to the image of His son

***Without prayer, a church is like a body without a spirit - it is a dead, inanimate thing. A church with prayer has God in it. Prayer is the one distinguishing mark of the house of God.