Selected Texts

John10:27
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”-

Galatians 5:22, 23 says;
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:

It’s very true that you will “hear” God speak when you are in a relationship with Him.

If you’re praying for God to do something in your life then you must be prepared to obey because obedience is the key that unlocks the clarity you’re seeking.

Genesis 22:1
“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.”

Hineni is a way of expressing total readiness to give oneself to God-it’s an offer of total availability!

How will you respond when your hineni moment comes?

I. Relinquish Control

The Christian life is to be a life of complete and continual surrender.

I Corinthians 6:19, 20
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

II. Resist Complacency

III. Respond Unconditionally

The main problem most Christians have when it comes to serving Christ is that it is very inconvenient, often costly and gets in the way of our comfort.

IV. Resolve To Follow Christ

God is still calling people, the question is how will you reply?

Text: Colossians 3

*The circumstances of life will change, but if you are a believer one thing that will never change is your union with Christ!

Colossians 3:1-4
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

I. You must focus your heart on Christ

The first step on finding out what it means to love God is looking at how God loves us.

II. You must forsake sin.

You can’t love sinning and love Jesus at the same time

A. You are dead to sin
B. Sin disrupts fellowship with God

It is not God who refuses to be in the presence of us and our sin, it is we who refuse to be with God when we sin.

III. You have found new life in Christ.

Galatians 2:20
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

We often try to attain Christ by good works or attain joy by sinful pleasures. Once you are saved, Jesus Christ has already given Himself to you and He is the source of joy.

Surrendering often has the result of you simply being faithful where you are at.

The true measure of success in the Christian life is faithfulness and obedience to the Lord.

TEXT: Selected Texts

Romans 14:17
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

Colossians 2:16
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

I Corinthians 11:23-26
“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”

I. A POINTED REMINDER

The Lords Table is not another holiday meal we simply consume, it’s a holy meal designed to remind us of Christ’s sacrifice.

II. A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

A. Inner relationship with Christ
B. Interpersonal relationship with others

I Corinthians 10:17
“For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”

III. A PRACTICAL RESPONSE

I Corinthians 11:28
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”

The purpose of examination is participation!

A. Share

Quote:
I have asked the Lord to take from me the super sensitivity that robs the soul of joy and peace and causes fellowship to cease.

B. Serve

Your level of humility will determine the depths of your happiness.

Text: Luke 2

I. RECEIVE THE GLORY OF CHRISTMAS

The message of Christmas is not one of condemnation but reconciliation. It is a message of celebration for salvation has come!

II. GIVE THE GRACE OF CHRISTMAS

Titus 2:11-13
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

We who have been redeemed by the grace of God should reach out with grace to others!

III. SHARE THE GOOD NEWS OF CHRISTMAS

Jesus, the prince of peace, offers permanent and perfect peace to all who will come to him.

Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Quote:
“In short, Jesus is the divine light of the world because he brings a new life to replace our spiritual deadness, because he shows us the truth that heals our spiritual blindness, and because he is the beauty that breaks our addictions to money, sex, and power. He is the Light for us when all other lights go out.” Tim Keller

II Corinthians 4:4-6
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

TEXT: Psalm 98

What brings us together in cooperate worship is Jesus and what He has done, continues to do and has promised to do!

Christmas is a time to not only rejoice in what Christ has already done but to remember that there is far more to come!

I. PREPARE TO WELCOME THE KING

The true fulfillment of Christmas doesn’t happen on Christmas day, we have something much bigger and better to look forward to; the baby points to the coming King!

Jesus came the first time as a lamb slain for the sins of the world but he is coming the second time as a lion to judge and rule the world!

II. A NEW SONG FOR A BROKEN WORLD

The world needs to hear the sound and songs of hope from people who have peace and joy in world that is hurting and hopeless!

Unbelief
Bitterness
Bondage
People who have been set free, SING!

III. GOD IS WORKING ALL THINGS FOR HIS GLORY

Romans 8:22, 23
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Romans 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Habakkuk 2:14
“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

Proverbs 16:25
“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Psalm 7:9
“Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.”

All the ways of man are going to be proven wrong!

IV. EXPERIENCE THE WONDER OF GOD’S LOVE

I John 3:1
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:”

The wonder of Christmas is that the love of the Father can be experienced right now!

Joy to the world the Lord has come and joy to the world He is coming again!