Take back control of your boat!

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 2:1-4  

“Drift away” is a nautical/mariner term—a boat slowing drifting away, almost unnoticeable.  

What is the ultimate goal of your life? Where is your life leading you, where are you going?  

“Neglecting” is not rejecting, it is indifference. It’s the point where you no longer care that you don’t care.  

C.S. Lewis, “And as a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away.?”  

Take back control of your boat!                             

“More earnest heed” (More close attention) Not less, not the same, but more.

Between the cross and resurrection

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Message: Between the cross and resurrection  

Text: Luke 24:19-27  

Interruptions: Our problem is we can only see the interruption, not the whole plan. It is intentionally withheld from us, God has reserved that for Himself. So, we must live and walk by faith. We don’t know, so we trust that God knows.  

1 Corinthians 15:12-20 We may see death as the last interruption, but God sees it as part of His plan.  

Billy Graham, "All the tomorrows of our lives have to pass Him before they get to us!"  

Eugene Peterson, "With God, we are always coming in on something that is already going on."  

Philip Yancey, "From God's point of view, the future has already been determined, and the prophets spell out the future state in glowing detail:  swords beaten into plowshares, a lamb recumbent beside a lion, a banquet feast.  That is what God wants for this earth and that is what God will accomplish on this earth.  The end is settled.  What remains is whether we will live believing it."  

A.W. Tozer, "To the child of God, there is no such thing as an accident. He travels and appointed way…Accidents may indeed appear to befall him and misfortune stalk his way; but these evils will be so in appearance only and will seem evils only because we cannot read the secret script of God's hidden providence."

All In

Message: The Letter to the Hebrews

Text: Hebrews 2:5-9

The curse and the cure of sin—death

Genesis 2:16-17, Romans 6:23

The only way Jesus could suffer death is to be made like us, who are under the curse of death, because of our sin.

The application first…

Your life is the most you have. No one can give more than their life, or their death. Life and death is the ultimate. The death of Jesus takes away the lesser options.

Reconsider casual Christianity

Justice + Mercy = Grace.

Justice was poured out on Jesus. Grace is poured out on us. Grace isn’t fair…that’s the point.

Jesus is always reaching down, waiting for you to reach up.

Jesus is better than...

Message: The Epistle to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 1:1-14  

Jesus is better than…  

Jesus is: 1) By inheritance, the owner of everything. Everything is His. 2) The creator of everything.        3) The very image of what God is. 4) The sustainer of everything (it’s one thing to create it, it’s more to keep it going once created) 5) The savior of everyone who will receive Him 6) His saving work was finished on the cross.  

Jesus is better than…the angels.  

The best is not always replaced by the worst, but more gradually, by the good.  

So, Jesus is better than ________? 

Seeing Red

Message: The Epistle to the Hebrews  

Text: Hebrews 1:1-2  

This letter was written—and probably spoken—to a group of Hebrew Christians who had never seen Jesus. Because of persecution they were being tempted to go back to Judaism, this letter encourages them to go forward with Jesus, not back.  

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”  

Jesus is God’s final Word to man. He has spoken!  

The Word is God breathed—it’s what God thinks, it’s who He is. Nothing can change the Word…ever!  

God has spoken to us through Jesus Christ, what did He say? Seeing Red 

Look around you.

Message: The Lord’s Supper

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:17-33

11:17-26, 33 Look around you…

“The character of a society can be measured by how they treat the weakest among them.”

The fast wait for the slow, the strong wait for the weak.

Did you come today to get or to give?

Who is the slowest person here today?

Who is the weakest person here today?

11:27-32 Look within you…

One day that slowest…weakest person may be you.

Ridding yourself of self.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”

Jesus came for you!

Message: The gospel according to Luke  

Text: Recap  

Luke 8:40-56 (48, 50)  

Hope! / Not sure of hope / Hope! / No hope / Hope!  

“He is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27)  

Luke 8 Jairus’ daughter  

Luke 7 Widow’s son  

John 11 Lazarus  

Jesus came for you!  

Luke 2:10-11  

Luke 15 Lost sheep / Lost coin / Lost son  

Luke 19:10

Enjoy Him Forever

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 24:50-53 The End (And The Beginning)

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Question: What is the chief end of man?

Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

(106 more questions)

For every generation worship is a work in progress…every generation learns again what it means to worship and praise.

Worship: When you see yourself for who you really are and you see Jesus for who He really is and you see the difference.

It’s hard to worship If: you are haughty, proud, self centered, self satisfied.

It’s hard to worship if: you are bitter, vengeful, angry, disappointed in Jesus.

Timing

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 24:46-49 (Acts 1:4-8)

Repentance/remission of sins—Witnesses—Waiting on the Holy Spirit

Witnesses: (Timing)

Courtroom term.

Why does a lawyer in court call a witness? Why doesn’t the lawyer just say what the witness will say? Why not just read a written testimony of the facts?

Waiting on the Holy Spirit: (Timing)

Wait on direction then wait on timing.

The Holy Spirit is waiting on you to wait.

Freedom

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 24:46-49

Repentance/remission of sins—Witnesses—Waiting on the Holy Spirit

Repentance/remission of sins:

Remission (46-47)—“Forgiveness, freedom”

The Message, “Total life change thru forgiveness.”

What do you think would make the top 2 prayer requests?

What do you think would make the top 3 spiritual/Biblical questions people have?

I am only a beggar telling other beggars where to find bread.

The only difference between a lost person and myself is Jesus.

I'm not Moses...

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 24:44-46

I’m not Moses, so I read what Moses wrote.

Isaiah 30:8

Jeremiah 36:1-2

We’re not waiting on God to speak as much as He is waiting on us to listen. He has spoken!

Listening to the Word—turning points

God has, is, and will speak thru The Word, which will always lead us to Jesus. John 1:1, Colossians 1:16

Harriet Beecher Stowe, (Uncle Tom's Cabin) "Having learned late in life, Tom was but a slow reader, and passed on laboriously from verse to verse. Fortunate for him was that the book (Bible) he was intent on was one which slow reading cannot injure, nay, one whose words, like gold, seem often to need to be weighed separately, that the mind may take in their priceless value."

Get a grip!...or not.

Message: The gospel according to Luke  

Text: Luke 24:36-43  

1 John 3:2, “…we shall be like Him…”  

Keep comparing Jesus’ resurrection and yours to everything else you have to deal with.  

We’re going somewhere else, so keep reminding yourself that everything here is temporary, transitory.  

Get a grip!...or not.  

Billy Graham,  "Too many Christians let themselves get bogged down  by the cares and routines of daily living.  Don't let that happen to you.  Ask God to help you live each day with eternity in view…How easily the events of the moment crowd out the promise of eternity!"  

David Roper, "We'll never be home free until we get Home!"  

C.S. Lewis,"God gives us many resting places on our journey home, but He never allows us to mistake them for home."

He's standing right there!

Message: The gospel according to Luke  

Text: Luke 24:33-37  

And: Mark 16:9-14  

He’s standing right there…and they don’t recognize Him!  

(Hebrews 13:2, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”)  

The resurrected Jesus appears:  

Mary  

Misses Peter and John  

Some of the women with Mary  

Two Emmaus disciples—Cleopas and a friend  

Eleven apostles with a few other disciples  

Paul mentions 500 at one time  

God parts the Red Sea and people walk across it on dry ground. The next week they are complaining because they ran out of watermelons and onions.  

Jesus brings Lazarus back to life after being dead for four days, the next week people are plotting to kill Jesus.

Jesus, teach us to pray. Part 2

Message: The gospel according to Luke  

Text: Luke 24:21, 25-35  

Jesus, teach us to pray, Part 2   

The two parts of God’s revelation…What is God’s will?  

1. Jeremiah 29:13 Your part “God won’t help you quote a verse you haven’t read.”

2. Luke 24:31-32 Jesus’ part

It takes Two to peel an onion.  

The Emmaus disciples are telling Jesus how defeated they feel and He listens already knowing His victory.  

Jesus, teach us to Pray.

Message: The gospel according to Luke  

Text: Luke 24:12-27  

Vs 16, compared to Mark 16:12…appeared in another form.  

What does this encounter Jesus has with 2 of His disciples remind you of? Something that a lot of us do everyday?  

Vs 19, Jesus joins up with you and takes part in what you’re already talking about, what you’re already thinking about. Jesus got them to say what He already knew.  

Vs 21, They were hoping for something that wasn’t in God’s Word or God’s will.  

Vs 25-26, “foolish, slow of heart to believe.”  

Amplifed Version, “Sluggish in mind, dull of perception…find it so hard.”  

Believing what we want to believe just because we want to believe it.  

Jesus, teach us to pray.  

"...You are with me."

Message: ”…You are with me.”

Text: Ruth 1:1-7, 22:2:1, 4:13-17 Luke 2:1-7

Micah 5:2, Isaiah 11:1, 10

(Ruth was written about 1000 BC, Isaiah was written about 700 BC)

Matthew 1:22-23 (Isaiah 7:14)God with us!

Psalm 23:4“…You are with me.”

Philip Yancey, "In Jesus, God came close."

Henri Nouwen, "There is no journey to God outside of the journey that Jesus made."

Henry Blackaby, "When you are struggling to believe, that is not the time to avoid Christ or to be ashamed of your struggle. You will never increase your faith by not going to Jesus!"

Remember how He spoke to you?

Message: The gospel according to Luke  

Text: Luke 24:1-12  

Remember how He spoke to you?  

Faith is a Word issue. Romans 10:17, John 20:31 The only reason to read/hear it is to believe it.  

Read the stories… Study the Word… so you can hear/remember what He spoke to you, and then believe what He spoke to you.  

When God is at work—Matthew 28:8, Mark 10:32  

Is this just me or is this from God?—  Matthew 14:28  

Love—1 John 4:19  

Oswald Chambers, "The danger with us is that we want to water down the things that Jesus says and make them mean something in accordance with common sense; if it were only common sense, it was not worthwhile for Him to say it."

The Family of God

Message: The Family of God  

Text: John 6:47-51, 14:20, 23  

The temple veil was torn in two, top to bottom…Jesus to you, Jesus for you, Jesus in you.  

The sign of the cross, vertical then horizontal.  

Communion is about Jesus in you and you in the family of God.  

Who is your greatest obstacle?                                     

Ephesians 6:12  

Our enemy is not each other.  

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "In a word, live together in the forgiveness of your sins, for without it no human fellowship, least of all a marriage, can survive. Don't insist on your rights, don't blame each other, don't judge or condemn each other, don't find fault with each other, but accept each other as you are, and forgive each other every day from the bottom of your hearts."

That Stone... Is a Problem

Message: The gospel according to Luke  

Text: Luke 23:52-24:2  

That stone…is a problem  

The stone: Why do you need the stone moved? If you’re doing it for yourself, you need to stop. If you’re doing it for Jesus, you need to not stop.  

2 Corinthians 5:7 Continuing to take forward steps of faith.  

This is a turning point in discipleship. You are now depending on God to the point that He has to come thru some way.  

The guards: There are more problems than you can see. Fortunately you don’t see them.  

Beth Moore, "The stand of faith is so much easier than the walk of faith.  Those who stick to a stand rather than move in a walk of faith may adhere to certain doctrines but never experience the adventure--or the vulnerability--of a vital relationship with God.  Those who stand can afford to be smug.  They never have to question their beliefs because they've never risked enough to take them.  They believe God for little because they don't want to be disappointed or feel stupid" 

Harvest Day

We welcome Mark Powell-our International Missions Director-as our speaker today.