Sermon Notes 11-25-2018

Thanksgiving

What we all should be thankful for!

First, we should all give thanks for Jesus' death on the cross making a way for our salvation!

John 3:16–17 (NLT)

¹⁶ “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

¹⁷God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him."

·      Now that’s something to be thankful for! AMEN!

·      That God loved us so much that He gave His Son, His only son, to die in our place.

·      That Jesus took our place on the cross to bear our sins so that we might have eternal life with Him.

·      As Christians, we should all give thanks every day for this true, unconditional act of love.

Romans 5:8–9 (NLT)

⁸ But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 

⁹ And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

·     While we were still His enemy God loved us so much, He sent Jesus! WOW.

We can be thankful that God answers our prayers. 

Isaiah 65:24 (NLT)

²⁴ I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! 

·     Jesus hears you 

·     He listens to your needs

·     Before you even ask He knows what you need

·     He is so in tune with you and your needs, He keeps such close tabs on you that He knows what you need before you do.

·     That’s why it’s so important for us to build a close intimate relationship with Jesus

o   So, we know what He wants from us

o   So, we can hear His answer, where you just feel it in your gut

o   And you align your will with His 

We can be thankful for God's provision for our needs.

1 Timothy 4:4–5 (NLT)

⁴ Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. 

⁵ For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer. 

·      Everything God gives you is for your good

·      He provides what you need

·      Some of us don’t have much

·      Some of us have more than others 

·      But God knows your heart 

·      And is giving you all you need, to bring you closer to Him!

Matthew 6:25–27 (NLT)

²⁵ “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?

²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are?

²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

·     I know some of you worry about money

·     And debt

·     And life in general

·     Let the words sink in

·     The world has created the idea that we need the next greatest thing

·     So, during this time of year, we worry if we can get the right gifts

·     Or will our kids get what they want

·     Don’t worry, make memories, enjoy the people God puts in your life during this season 

·     When it’s supposed to be all about Jesus

·     Set an example for the world to see, that there is more to life than things!!

We can be thankful for God's blessings. 

1 Chronicles 16:34 (NLT)

³⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. 

·      God has blessed you so much

·      But we never look at the blessing, just the pain

·      Just the envy

·      Just the what we don’t have

·      During this season I encourage you to look around at all the blessings you have

·      Look at what God has provided you with 

·      And look forward to what awaits you in heaven!

Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. 

·     Thank Him

·     Praise Him

·     And your attitude will change and the world will begin to see Jesus through you!!

We can be thankful for God's character and amazing works. 

Psalm 7:17 (NLT)

¹⁷ I will thank the Lord because He is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. 

2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

·     Gods character is flawless

·     He never lies

·     Never goes back on His word

·     Never changes His mind

·     Always follows through

·     And will always be by your side 

·     And we need to be thankful to have such a loving Father

·     Who will never let us down

Revelation 11:16–17 (NLT)

¹⁶ The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped Him. 

¹⁷ And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. 

·      And one day we will all be in heaven

·      Praising Him

·      Worshiping Him

·      For His never failing, always perfect love

And I have saved the best for last!

We can be thankful for our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

1 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT)

⁴ I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. 

Ephesians 1:15–16 (NLT)

¹⁵ Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 

¹⁶ I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly.

Philippians 1:3–5 (NLT)

³ Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 

⁴ Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 

⁵ for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 

·     God has given us this family right here

·     He has blessed us with the opportunity to be on mission together

·     To walk through life together

·     To love together

·     To celebrate together

·     To mourn together

·     We are not alone in this world

·     We have people that will stand with us

·     Help us

·     And one day join us in Heaven

·     The only reason I am still here is this church family

·     The only reason I stay in ministry is this church family 

·     We should be so thankful for that!

Sermon Notes 11-18-2018

Matthew

When the boat is rocking, Call Jesus!

So back in Matthew! And we are seeing a double meaning in the verses we are looking at today! So we are going to look at the theological aspect of this and the very practical aspect! 

So, I say we just dive in and get after it!

The theological! Jesus’s Divinity

Matthew 8:23–27 (ESV)

²³And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.

·     They followed

·     This goes back to Vs 18 “he gave orders to go over to the other side”

·     Those soon to be 12 followed

·     This is the start of forming Jesus' ministry

·     Church always started with a few dedicated disciples - “followers”

·     And this church was no different

o   We have dedicated followers 

o   And lost seekers

²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.

·     Storm = Earthquake, that’s the word Matthew used

o   It must have been a bad one

·     Great = BIG

·     Swamped = Covered, to be covered up

·     Suffices to say, this was one heck of a storm!

·     He was asleep, it did not bother Him, it didn’t even wake Him. 

o   He slept without fear

²⁵ And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 

·     They address Him with the title of Lord

o   “save us”

o   They believed 

·     The plight was fatal

o   They fear they will die

²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

·     The divinity of Jesus!

·     He rebuked = spoke a word, told it to stop, 

·     The winds and the sea = mother nature, forces that are uncontrollable

·     Before Jesus had done things that others had done, but now He stepped up His game to a whole new level

·     And a great calm came 

o   It didn’t ramp down, the winds stopped, and the sea became like glass

²⁷ And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” 

·     Jesus stepped out and showed the men on the boat He was God, “Emmanuel with us”

·     The messiah they had all been waiting for 

Jesus 

·     Born of the Virgin Mary,

·     The chosen one 

·     The one the prophets spoke of 

·     Showed His hand

o   That He was more than another prophet

o   That He was both man

o   And God

·     And that He was one to be followed

This is a big deal in the theological world, it is a thread that was woven through the entire Bible that one day God Himself would walk this earth, to be among His people and bring them a way of reconciliation to Him and provide them an example to follow!!

The practical 

There are some very practical applications to be learned here. As believers, Jesus gives a glimpse into what it means to follow and what to expect. This is a continuation of the following verses and takes us deeper into what it means to TRULY FOLLOW!

  1. His disciples followed Him!

·     They followed Him 

o   It was not the easiest way to get where they were going

o   They could have met Him on the other side

o   But they followed Him

·     We will be asked to follow Him as well

o   Into rough sea

o   Into danger 

o   Into whatever He asks, we are to follow

But those that would rest with Christ hereafter must follow Him now wherever He leads them, into a ship or into a prison, as well as into a palace.^[1]

The most misused and misunderstood verse in the Bible

Luke 9:23 (ESV)

²³ And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

·     To follow means sacrifice

·     To follow means pain

·     And the way this verse is used does not do it justice

·     The cross was a very ugly thing and this verse talks about the cost of following

o   Think of an electric chair

o   Sometimes the cost is high to follow Christ

2. There arose a great storm!

·     Storms will come in the believer’s life

·     Some big, some small 

·     And some will feel like an earthquake

Storms do 2 things

·     Teach us

o   To have patience

o   To find joy in our suffering 

·     And draw us near

o   To bring us closer to our savior

o   To identify with His suffering 

o   So we can serve others through their storms

For Christ would show that they who are passing with Him over the ocean of this world to the other side, must expect storms by the way.^[2]

·     The only storm free place that awaits us is on the other side of heaven!

3. The boat was being swamped by the waves 

·     Some storms are just going to be too hard to handle

·     We are going to feel overwhelmed

·     Feel like we are drowning

·     We are going to feel overworked

·     Underpaid

·     And like life is suffocating us  

4. He was asleep

·     And it’s going to feel like God is nowhere to be found

·     Like He as asleep at the wheel

·     Like we are on our own and He doesn’t care 

Another aspect of this 

·     If your faith is in Jesus during the storms of life

·     Worry is not an issue

·     Fear is not an issue 

·     And we can rest comfortably in Him!

5.“Save us, Lord; we are perishing.”

·     And when things look the worse

·     That’s when we look up

·     That’s when we draw to Him

·     He uses storms in our life to bring us near to Him

·     To force us to look to Him 

·     Because there is no one else that can save us from this world and all its' evil

·     Most of us are here today because the storms got too bad and we just couldn’t do it on our own anymore

6.“Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

·     And when we Truly seek Him, we find Him

·     And I don’t think this is meant as a harsh statement at all

·     More like a father to his kids

o   Why are you afraid

o   You know I have always been here

o   I have never not been here

o   Be still, be calm, be comforted 

o   I am with you always!

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

¹⁰ fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

7. He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

·     When we turn things over to Jesus things begin to happen

·     Things start to change

·     Our lives

·     Our marriages

·     Our storms begin to go away

·     Or at least become manageable

·     And sometimes Jesus just completely removes them

And once Jesus gets involved there is a great calm!

·     The word used here is with a great degree of calm

·     That the wind not only stopped the sea went dead calm in an instant!

·     We can have that degree of calm in our lives in the middle of a worldly storm 

o   When Jesus is at the rudder of your life, he can produce a peace, a joy, a calmness in the worst of storms

o   We have to trust and follow him into the eye of it!

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^[1]Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume(p. 1651). Peabody: Hendrickson.

^[2]Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume(p. 1651). Peabody: Hendrickson.