Prayer: Joining God

John 5:17, 19-20; 2 Kings 6:15-18

John 5:17 - "Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."

John 5:19-20 - "Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these."

***Have you learned to recognize the activity of God in your life?

***When you look at Jesus' life, He is always keenly aware of what His Father is doing

***If you don't pray, you will find yourself out of step with God and miss opportunities that might be right in front of you

***Prayer opens your eyes and hlpes you see what He is doing

2 Kings 6:15-18 -"When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike these people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked."

***There is a difference when you see things from God's perspective rather than man's. Our eyes can deceive us. When God speaks, He changes our circumstances

Ephesians 6:12 - "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

***There is a spiritual battle in our land

***Your perspective in life is greatly influenced by your prayer life

***God is at work. Are you prepared to join Him?

Prayer: Knowing You

John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26 -""My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

***You are a plant...Jesus is the living water

***Does your life look like a withered plant in need of restoration?

***Prayer is giving your life to God and receiving live from God

Luke 11:1 -"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

***Prayer is, first and foremost, a relationship with God as our Father

***If you don't know Him, how can you ask to receive from Him?

***The essence of prayer is knowing God

***"Prayer is the contact of a living soul with God." -- EM Bounds

***When Christ begins to pour Himself into you, you will know His joy

***Jehovah Shammah - 'the Lord is there.'

***You cannot know the joy of the Lord's presence until you know Him...and you cannot know Him until you learn to pray

***Jesus didn't teach his disciples to preach, but He did teach them how to pray

***Knowing how to speak to God is more important than knowing how to speak to man

John 7:38-18 - "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Prayer: Knowing You

Hebrews 11 - 12 -

Hebrews 11 - The roll call of the faithful - they released their life so God could work through them

***The same God that spoke everything into being is the same God that speaks to us

***When we make our lives available like the men in Hebrews 11, God's will WILL be accomplished

***When God announces what He's about to do, it's as good as done

***If you are self-centered when God speaks, you have missed the experience

***You are a child of God and that gives Him the right to express Himself in your life

***God doesn't use just anyone - He uses His own

Hebrews 12 -
Hebrews 21 - 'Therefore let us run the race set out before us...'

***How should you face 2009?

***Faith = confident expectation that God will do what He says

***The key to the future is what God will do when he finds one who believes and will follow Him

Hebrews 11:5 - 'By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.'

***Without faith in 2009, there is no way you can please God

***Hebrews 12 begins with 'Therefore...' We have a choice - the saints (ordinary people) in Hebrews 11 made their choice...we need to make ours.

***NOW is our choice to decide whether to follow God.

***Don't say, "I hope everyone else responds"...YOU respond!

***Facing 2009 is a heart choice

New Life

***God's love is eternal

***Why has God kept His hand on us?

John 20:21 - "Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.'"

***The Father had a purpose for sending Jesus to earth

***The coming of Christ was very costly

***The prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane shows us that Jesus' death was not His will, but the Father's will

***For Jesus to do the will of the Father meant sacrifice for everyone that was dear to Him

Philippians 2:5-11 - "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

***The Father sent Jesus...Jesus now sends us

Luke 18:18-30 - "A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!"
"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

***The cost of discipleship cannot compare to the reward of eternal life

***There are two words that can't be said together...'No Lord.'

Hebrews 12:1-3 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

***Have you taken account of your life this year? What do you sense that God may require of you as you head into the new year?

***Satan will try to bring discouragement by telling you the cost of obedience, but he will never tell you the cost of disobedience....(LOVED THIS!)

***Can people see eternity in your eyes?

***Are those watching your life convinced that eternity is real?

***Choose today to live your life for eternity.

The Promise of Christmas

This past Sunday morning (Dec 21), Pastor Mel preached what I believe was the best sermon on the Christmas story that I have ever heard. Following are the notes:

The Promise of Christmas
Matthew 1:18-25

Matthew 1:18-25 - "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel" which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. "
***God loves the impossible - That is when He does His best work!

***Verse 22 is talking about the prophet Isaiah: "Now all this took place that the prophecy (of Isaiah) would be fulfilled."

***The prophecy and its fulfillment are both from God - God spoke through Isaiah 700 years earlier.

***God always keeps His promises.

***God had a sovereign promise to fulfill through Mary.

Isaiah 6:1-8 - Isaiah's Commission - "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Isaiah 9:6-7 -

"For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace

there will be no end.

He will reign on David's throne

and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it

with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the LORD Almighty

will accomplish this."

Luke 1:34-38 - ""How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her."

***And Mary was amazed - She'd studied the scriptures and now realized Isaiah was talking about HER! (W - O - W!!!)

***Mary's assignment is not so different from ours because God has chosen each of us for an assignment.

***God knows your name and had a sovereign plan for your life. He is bringing about circumstances that you may hear and obey Him.

***Security does not mean isolation from all pain, but it means confidence in God's purpose and will.

***As long as you remain in His hands, God can do anything in your life. He is the same God to you as He was to Mary!

***No matter what your circumstances, choose to remain in the hands of God and trust Him.

***There may be times you feel ill-equipped and all alone, but God shows up and tells you not to worry...He has a plan.

***What has been written in heaven regarding your life?

This really was an excellent sermon to me. I absolutely LOVE the way Pastor Mel brings new eyes to things I've known in my mind for years, like this Christmas story. They are certainly very sobering thoughts! While I knew Mary realized what a miracle Jesus' birth was, I had never thought about the fact that Mary had studied the scriptures herself and what it must have been like for her to realize in the moment that the angel spoke to her that SHE would be the one all this would be fulfilled through. Can you imagine what a sobering realization that must have been for her? That thought has been on my mind all week. I really just can't even imagine!

Commandment # 10 - 'Finding Contentment'

Following are the notes on the 10th Commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#10 - FINDING CONTENTMENT
Exodus 20:17

Exodus 20:17 - "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

***Everything God promised is found in putting God first. Everything God promised can be destroyed by putting 'Me' first.

***The 10th Commandment is about finding contentment.

***Self-centeredness always leads to self-pity.

*** To be content in life is not to possess good self-confidence, but to have absolute confidence in God.

***When we say we are not content, we are saying that God is not enough.

1Timothy 6:6-10 - "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

Psalm 73:25 - "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you."

***The greatness of Christianity is not simply the blessings that come, but the relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

***The 10 Commandments are given under the premise that we want to belong and that we have made a committment to God and to one another.

***When you find Jesus Christ, you will find contentment in life.

Commandment # 9 - 'The Power of Words'

The week away at my mom's got me behind on my sermon notes. I've got the CD for hte 8th sermon, but haven't sat down to listen to it where I can take notes. I will do that very soon, but following are the notes from November 30's sermon regarding the ninth commandment, from the sermon series, "Living Life to the Power of Ten."

#9 - THE POWER OF WORDS
Exodus 20:16

Exodus 20:16 - "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

Pastor Mel started out by telling a story about a man named Alexander Papaderos. The story is too long to recount here, but I found it on the internet and if you are interested, you can go HERE to read it. It is a great answer to the question, 'What is the meaning of life?'
***Are you reflecting the light of Christ into the world in which you live?
***As we walk in this world, it sees the light of God reflected in our eyes.
***Don't give evidence that would injure the reputation of another person.
***The sin of silence is as powerful as the sin of lying lips.
***We need integrity in our words. We need to be speaking truth at all times.
***When people think of your life, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
***We build integrity by the way we live our life.
***God is truth and if we are to reflect Him to a watching world, we must be truthful in the way we live.
***Because God is truth, we can stand on His word with confidence.
***Our lives will be vindicated when we trust in God's word.
***As a Christian, our integrity is a powerful tool to a watching world.
***Our words have the power to build up or tear down.
***God is watching the way we regard others...do we build them up?
Proverbs 4:24 - "Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips."
Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful and above all things beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
***Sin has damaged our heart and we have a self-centered nature that wants to build ourselves up and tear others down.
***To obey this commandment, we need to control our tongue.
***If you are walking with God, you won't be shaken by hurtful words. We know the truth and keep silent knowing we will be vindicated.
***Knowing the power of words, are you willing to let someone else hold you accountable for them?
***Ask the Holy Spirit to help you hold your tongue.
***Obey the Holy Spirit even if this means awkward silence.
***Ask the Holy Spirit to take away your anger and fill you with joy.
***Ask the Holy Spirit to help you encourage others. Speak words they need to hear.
***If you allow the world to taint you, how in the world will God use you to be a light to others?
***Your life can be of such upstanding nature that God can use you to speak truth to set others free!
This was a great sermon and I took 2.5 pages of notes! WOW! Such wisdom.