12-27-2015

The end of another year!

So where do we go from here??

So the big question is where do we go from here in 2016??

I ask my self this question all the time, where do we go from here? What should we do next? What needs fixed, tweaked, done away with, started up. But as a church congregation, and individuals in that congregation, what do those questions look like to each one of us?

After careful thought and prayer, I have some things for you to think about in the coming year, things to consider. And the best place to start is in Acts 2. After Peter delivered a big sermon, and the church grew quickly, the way the church responded might give us a peak in to what we should do next!

Let me set this set of verses up

·      Peter had just preached a sermon of a life time

·      Proclaiming the Gospel boldly

·      And all of a sudden a church off a 100 became a church of 3000

·      And they didn’t sit back and say “look at us” or “we don’t want this many people”

·      They dug in and kept doing the lords work!

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)

⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

⁴³And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

⁴⁴And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

⁴⁵And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

⁴⁶And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

1^st thing we need to do, is make our church healthier!

⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

⁴³And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

·      I like to call this tightening up the four walls!

·      We have to evaluate if we have the right classes

·      Enough bible studies

·      Things for every maturity level

·      Enough room for our kids

·      Events that our church can attend

·      Good solid expository preaching

·      Get the building finished

·      And basically getting ready to welcome more people in and expecting God to send us more every week

2^nd we have to come together, and start working together to get ready for our guest!

⁴⁴And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

·      How do we come together?

·      How do we get one common goal?

·      We do that by making sure all our spiritual needs are meet

How do we do that you ask?

We look at the different segments of growth we all walk through spiritually and make sure we are fitting the needs of all segments!

There are four segments

Exploring Christ: The people in this segment have a basic belief in God, but they are unsure about Christ and his role in their lives.

·      They need activities

·      They need fun

·      They need fellowship

·      They need this to start building trust and relationships

·      Salvation is not about a prayer its about a relationship with Jesus and his people

Growing in Christ: The people in this segment have a personal relationship with Christ. They’ve made a commitment to trust him with their souls’ salvation and for eternity, but they are just beginning to learn what it means and what it takes to develop a relationship with him.

·      This is new believers and represents most of our church congregation

·      They need small groups

·      They need bible studies

·      And they need a place to serve

·      If your in this segment get plugged in and get involved

Close to Christ: The people in this segment depend on Christ every day. They see Christ as someone who assists them in life. On a daily basis, they turn to him for help and guidance for the issues they face.

·      These folks have a solid growing relationship in Christ

·      Instead of being fed they need to be feeding others

·      If you’re in this segment step up and lead a small group or bible study

·      You should be a member of the church and on a consensus team somewhere

Christ-Centered: The people in this segment would identify their relationship with Christ as the most important relationship in their entire lives. They see their lives as fully surrendered to Jesus and his agenda, subordinating everything to his will and his desires.

·      These people should be leading the direction of the church

·      Looking at the churches needs not there own

More questions?

·      What segment are you??

·      What od you need to be doing to help your self grow?

·      Show up on Wednesday for a class?

·      Get plugged in to a small group?

·      Lead a small group?

·      Get on a team?

·      Become a member?

3^rd We have to support the church and those in it!

⁴⁵And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

·      There is no reason where there is body of committed believers that the church should struggle

o   It shouldn’t struggle to support the pastor

o   It shouldn’t struggle to support the mission of the church

o   It just should never happen

·      In the state of the church address you will here more but here are a few of the facts

o   20 families supported approximately 85% of the financial burden of this church

o   our budget is that of a traditional church of less that 100

·      if you are a regular attender of this church you should support your church

o   regularly

o   specifically, when needed

o   sacrificially

o   joyfully

o   if you cant support your church and its mission, why are you here???

4^th we have to build relationships in the local church, we need a local church and we need to belong to it!

⁴⁶And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

What does it mean to be a member of a church?

·      Publicly

o   We acknowledge we are a member of the church publicly

o   Through baptism

o   Regular attendance

o   And participating in the business on the church

·      Socially

o   We form our relationships in the church

o   Are social calendar revolves around the church

·      Affectionately

o   Our close relationships come from the church

o   The people we call family is in the church

o   We lovingly help and hold accountable the people in the church

·      Financially

o   We support the mission and needs of the church

·      Ethically

o   We live a life that will not bring shame to our church

o   We strive to hold other members to that standard

·      Spiritually

o   Our spiritual growth comes from the church

·      SUBMITTING TO UGLINESS

o   We are about the ugly business of living our ugly lives together

o   And helping others with there ugly lives

Sermon Notes Christmas Eve 2015 (12-24-2015)

"And to us a child is born!"

Hello church! Wow what a day this our 3rd Christmas Eve service! We have come a Long way since 2010! Amen!

I have seen some amazing things in this church this Christmas season!

·      We have fed the needy of our church

·      We have fed the homeless

·      We have clothed the homeless

·      We have taken care of families in need in our church

·      Our youth went and spent time with the folks the elderly

·      We have given gifts to our kids

·      We have fellowshipped with each other

And the amazing thing it was all done by the teams of this church! Cowboy church at its core! WOW!

And today like every day it's all about who?.................That's right it's all about Jesus!

The great Theologian Ricky Bobby on prayer!

A prayer to baby Jesus I would like to quote Ricky from his prayer at the supper table from Talladega Nights

·  Dear Lord Baby Jesus, or as our brothers to the south call you, Jesús,

·  Dear Lord Baby Jesus, we also thank you for my wife’s father, Chip.

·  Dear tiny Jesus, in your golden-fleece diapers, with your tiny, little, fat, balled-up fists….

·  Dear 8 pound, 6 ounce newborn infant Jesus, don’t even know a word yet, just a little infant and so cuddly, but still omnipotent

But here is the clincher, when he try’s to explain why he prays the way he prays!

Ricky: Well, I like the Christmas Jesus best and I’m saying grace. When you say grace you can say it to grownup Jesus, or teenage Jesus, or bearded Jesus or whoever you want.

·  As funny and ridiculous as this is, its true, how many of us, all we know about is the Christmas or Easter Jesus,

o   we claim to be Christians but we don't really know what that means,

o    or we are saved (born again) but we don't follow Jesus we are simply a fan of Jesus.

o   Either way you have never taken the time to know who He is, what He is about, or why He came to earth!

·  Did you know, Jesus birth was predicated throughout the Old Testament?

·  Did you know Jesus clearly and emphatically proclaimed to be God among us?

·  Did you know Jesus is the savior of the world, sent to provide away for you to have a personal relationship with God!   

·  Did you know the whole bible was written about the coming, death, resurrection, and return of the one true king, who is that person church?

700 years before His birth Gods people were talking about Jesus!

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (God is with us)

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor,  (he will never give you bad advice)

Mighty God, (the bible say “who could bring a charge against you, your mine”)

Everlasting Father,(he is a Dad the loves you, care about you,@ never leaves)

Prince of Peace. (True Joy can never be found outside of Jesus)

He heals the sick, he comforts the hurting, he rules over all, he sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us!

They're all talking about the birth of Jesus, the whole book, the entire bible is about Jesus from Genesis to Revelations its all about Jesus!

John says that Jesus was there in the beginning!

John 1:10–12 (NLT)

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. ¹² But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Mark Driscoll writes this:

Unless Jesus is the central message of the Scriptures, many errors abound.

·  The most common is moralizing.

·  Moralizing is reading the Bible not to learn about Jesus but only to learn principles for how to live life as a good person by following the good examples of some people and avoiding the bad examples of others.

·  That kind of approach to the Scriptures is not Christian, because it treats the Bible like any other book with moral lessons that are utterly disconnected from faith in and salvation from Jesus.

The birth of Jesus, God coming in to human history is all about saving us from ourselves! Its about giving sinners a choice to turn form sin and trust Jesus, its about walking in and having faith in Jesus and turning from the world and its ways or die and go to hell, but God loved us so much he sent his one and only son to live a life we should have lived, and die a death we should have died, so we could have a choice. So today we celebrate the birth of a savior, Emmanuel (God is with us)!!

Jesus is the great “I AM”!

Exodus 3:13–14 (ESV)

¹³ Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

In the book of John, Jesus uses the “I AM” statement 7 times to refer to himself revealing who he really is!

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

·  That big whole you keep trying to fill, with stuff, with money, with addiction only Jesus can fill it!

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

·  That guilt you cant get rid of, Jesus says bring it to me and I will deal with it

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9).

·  Jesus is the door to fixing your life, he will feed your soul when you need it and keep your heart safe!

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

·  Jesus will provide and protect you form the evils the world, Jesus as the good shepherd died to protect his flock!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25).

·  You want to live a life filled with true joy, Jesus is the answer! Jesus is the key to unlocking true life now and for ever!

 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1)

·  Jesus is the only life giver, the only way we can mature, and with out Him, we will be pruned off the vine of eternal life!

Who is Jesus? He is the Bread to feed upon, the Light to follow, the Door to enter, the Shepherd to guide, the Resurrection upon which to wait, the Way of salvation to trust, and the Vine in which to abide.

In Johns account of the life of Jesus he makes it even clearer by recording the time the Jews tried to kill Jesus for claiming to be the I AM of the Old Testament scriptures

(John 8:52-59). In the story the Jews asked Jesus, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus answered them in a way that they could not miss, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

·  The Jews reaction was to try to stone Jesus because he claimed to be equal to God.

We only have one of four options when confronted with the gospel of Jesus.

Option one, the stories in the Bible are all legend. Jesus never really existed and all the stories in the Bible are fables.

Option two, Jesus was a liar. Jesus willfully and maliciously spun lie after lie. He laid claim to a title and a position to which He had no right. He promised to people things He knew He could never deliver.

Option three, Jesus was a lunatic. Jesus, deranged and deluded, told stories and taught things about Himself which revealed insanity, not inspiration; delusion not divinity.

Option four, the correct conclusion, Jesus is Lord. Jesus’ promises and claims may be relied upon. He is God in the flesh. He is the God-Man and the Savior of the world.

Quotes

I love what S. C. Lewis’ says on this: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with a man who said he was a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with some sick nonsense about Him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to”.

A preacher friend said it this way, “He came as He was to be what He was; He came as He did to do what He did.” Come to Jesus Christ now and you’ll never regret it; however, reject Jesus Christ and you’ll never cease regretting it. The hell of hell will be the opportunity you had to be saved, but, instead, you spit in Jesus Christ’s divine face.

The greatest “I AM” Statement!

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

·  Jesus is the only way to heaven,

·  Buddha can't do it,

·  Allah can't do it,

·  only JESUS can do it!!!!!

Who is Jesus Christ? This is JESUS!

Jesus is the maker of heaven and earth.

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus is the God-man.

Jesus is our humble servant.

Jesus is the good shepherd.

Jesus is the prince of peace.

Jesus is the wonderful counselor.

Jesus is the sinless savior.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Jesus is the sinner’s friend.

Jesus is the great high priest.

Jesus is the King of kings.

Jesus is the Lord of lords.

And Jesus is the way, the truth, the life! No one comes to the Father but by him

His love is glorious.

His love is marvelous.

His love is generous.

His love is gracious.

His love is matchless.

And his love is priceless.

He came as a humble servant. He’s coming again as the King of kings and the Lord of lords to judge the living and the dead.

This is the most important moment in your entire life.

Jesus while on the earth asked this question, “Who do you say that I am?”

That is Jesus’ question for you today. Who do you say that he is?

This is the moment where you make a decision.

Will you leave here as a Christian or a non-Christian? Will you resist the grace of God? Will you reject the love of Jesus? Or will you be redeemed by turning from sin and trusting in him?

We are here today because we love you.

We are here because Jesus loves you.

We are here because you are in the path of the wrath of God.

There is a hell, people are going there, and it lasts forever. And Jesus alone saves from sin. Jesus alone saves from death. Jesus alone saves from hell.