| Gifts of the Cross | |||||||
| Easter Sunday | |||||||
| The Lord's Prayer | |||||||
| Old Testament Leaders |
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"Children of God" Delivered 4/26/09
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The following is a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation:
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"Children of God" Delivered 4/19/09 |
Prayer: Intro: Dear GOD, Of all the people who work for You I like Noah and David the best.—Rob Dear GOD, If You watch me in church on Sunday, I’ll show You my new shoes.—Mickey Dear GOD, We read Thomas Edison made light. But in Sunday school they said You did it. So I bet he stole your idea. — Donna
Dear GOD, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset
You made on Tuesday. That was cool.—Eugene See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God… Beloved, we are God’s children now (1 John 3:1-2)
Children: offspring, dependent, carry the name of… Offspring: descendents – created by – related to
Zach – S.A.R. relative of Johan Schmitt
– 8 generations up through Nettie’s Dad.
In faith we are SAR & DAR sons &
daughters of the Resurrection. Carry the Name of our Parents
Aiosa – Nicosia, Sicily – “Vincent” John Pounds:
Teen in Portsmouth, England – laborer
on docks See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God… Beloved, we are God’s children now (1 John 3:1-2) |
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"Resurrection Power" Delivered 4/12/09
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Prayer:
Intro:
A young boy stood outside an art store looking intently at a painting of Jesus on the cross. A man approached and asked, "Do you know who that is?" The boy answered, "Yes, sir, that is Jesus the Savior who died on the cross to save me. Those people around Him are the soldiers who killed Him. And that woman who is crying was His mother." The man patted the boy on the head and walked away. He had not gone far when he felt a tug on his sleeve. The same little fellow he had spoken to moments before said, "Please, sir, I forgot to tell you something else. Jesus is not on that cross anymore. He is alive because He rose again. He is in heaven today." He rose because He’s the Son of God He rose because of Resurrection Power. Power: ability to do work over period of time. Jesus’ death & resurrection has accomplished a great deal over a long period of time. Power of Love John 3:16 – “God so loved world, He gave Only Son so whoever believes will not perish, but have eternal life” Power of Forgiveness 70 x 7 times… Luke 23:34 – “Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.” Power of Sacrifice Isaiah 53:5 - But he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Power of Life over Death
Pastor George
Thomas, -smalltown New England Easter Morning: to the Church w/ a
rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em,"
he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em
fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
Pastor silent
for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
Boy sized up the pastor & said,
"$10?" In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor carried it to the end of the street & set them free.
Well, that explained the
empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this
story. "Oh, I'll kill 'em,"
"How much do you want
for them?" Jesus asked.
You don't want those
people!!"
How much? He asked
again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life." Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
That’s why Jesus has power over sin and death! Jesus is Risen! He’s paid the price, won the victory. Because of His love, we have Resurrection Power!
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The Lord's "Thine is Kingdom, Power, & Glory Forever" Delivered 4/5/09
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Prayer: Intro: Final installment of Series – Palm Sunday – Time to Connect the Dots Jesus makes the way for all our praises & requests in His death & resurrection Jesus fulfills the prophecy about Himself in His death & resurrection His entrance also gives clues to why the crowd would be so fickle… Let’s take a deeper look & see
Kingdom: What did crowd do when He entered? Gathered, parade, palms, cloaks – shouts of “Hosanna!” Repeated the way Solomon was anointed King: 1Kings 1:38-48 They were expecting the next King of Israel – the next “Son of David” Hosanna: “Save us Now” Psalm 118:25
What did Jesus say about The Kingdom of God? Like Good Samaritan, Lost Sheep, Prodigal, Seeds Sown When arrested & in front of Pilate: “My Kingdom is not of this world…” John 18:36
Does this sound like the crowd & Jesus on the same page?
Power: The crowd wanted Jesus to use His power to overthrow the Romans… Jesus would demonstrate His power of sin & death through his resurrection Does this sound like the crowd & Jesus on the same page?
Glory: The crowd was giving Jesus glory in expectation that He would use His power When? NOW – “Hosanna!” was a war cry. “Save us Now!” “Here He comes, the Healer, Miracle Worker, Feeder of 5000, Life Giver (Lazarus & Jairus daughter,) Calmer of the Seas. Now is the time for Him to call down the Angels & bring on the revolution!
Jesus only received 15 minutes of fame. Was this the kind of glory Jesus deserved? (crowd, parade, palms, cloaks, shouts) Oh the shouts – in a couple days they changed from “Hosanna!” to “Crucify!”
Does this sound like the crowd & Jesus on the same page?
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The Lord's "Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil" Delivered 3/29/09
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Prayer: Intro:
30 seconds… time to recite Lord’s
Prayer 5th in series: Lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Recap: Our Father – Abba Jose Rivera:
Bandit from Mexico –plundered small
towns in Texas – ran south of border to escape.
Temptation – face it every day NRSV & KJV: temptation, NIV: testing
1a. Experiment, attempt, trial, proving Enticement to sin…
Max talks about His athletic career. Lead us not into temptation…
“This prayer is for those who already
have:
Father & son walking down icy street. Prayer Path
In one region of Africa, the first Xn
converts were very diligent about praying |
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"Forgive Us Our Sins, as We Forgive Others" Delivered 3/22/09
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Prayer: Intro: Everyone in town knew they were feuding… Many people talked about it… I never found out what started it… These 2 farmers back home who lived on either side of our house. Both were always good to us. We’d bought part of our property from the farmer on the left. The teenagers who lived on the right took my sister & I horseback riding from time to time. We loved crossing the road & feeding the horses carrots & apples. Something happened & they feuded & feuded. I still don’t know why… Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matt 6:14-15) Do I need to say more? Lack of forgiveness affects relationships – causes distance It takes energy to keep a grudge – You know people who hold grudges… What do they look like, what do they act like? Do they think about anything else? Forgive – to let go A common expression – “Let it go…” The hospital was unusually quiet that bleak January evening, quiet and still like the air before a storm. I stood in the nurses’ station on the 7th floor and glanced at the clock. It was 9 p.m. I threw a stethoscope around my neck and headed for room 712, last room on the hall. Room 712 had a new patient. Mr. Williams. A man all alone. A man strangely silent about his family. As I entered the room, Mr. Williams looked up eagerly, but dropped his eyes when he saw it was only me, his nurse. There seemed little indication he had suffered a slight heart attack a few hours earlier. “Nurse, would you—” He hesitated, tears filling his eyes. “Would you call my daughter? Tell her I’ve had a heart attack. A slight one. You see, I live alone and she is the only family I have.” “Of course I’ll call her.” I said, studying his face. “Will you call her right away—as soon as you can?” He was breathing fast—too fast. “I’ll call her the very first thing,” I said, patting his shoulder. “Nurse,” he called, “could you get me a pencil and paper?” I dug a scrap of yellow paper and a pen from my pocket and set it on the bedside table. I walked back to the nurses’ station. Mr. Williams daughter was listed on his chart as the next of kin. I got her number from information and dialed. Her soft voice answered. “Janie, this is Sue Kidd, a registered nurse at the hospital. I’m calling about your father. He was admitted tonight with a slight heart attack and—” “No!” she screamed into the phone, startling me. “He’s not dying is he?” “His condition is stable at the moment,” I said, trying hard to sound convincing. Silence. I bit my lip. “You must not let him die!” she said. “But you don’t understand,” she pleaded. “My daddy and I haven’t spoken in almost a year. We had a terrible argument on my 21st birthday, over my boyfriend. I ran out of the house. I—I haven’t been back. All these months I’ve wanted to go to him for forgiveness. The last thing I said to him was, ‘I hate you.’”
“Please, God, let this daughter find
forgiveness.”
I hurried down the hall nearly in a run. I opened the door. Mr. Williams lay unmoving. I reached for his pulse. there was none. “Code 99. Room 712. Code 99. Stat.” The alert was shooting through the hospital within seconds after I called the switchboard through the intercom by the bed. “O God,” I prayed. “His daughter is coming. Don’t let it end this way.” The door burst open. Doctors and nurses poured into the room pushing emergency equipment. Nurses plunged syringes of medicine into the intravenous tubing. I connected the heart monitor. Nothing. Not a beat. My own heart pounded. “God, don’t let it end like this. Not in bitterness and hatred. His daughter is coming. Let her find peace.” “Stand back,” cried a doctor. I handed him the paddles for the electrical shock to the heart. He placed them on Mr. William’s chest. Over and over we tried. But nothing. No response. Mr. Williams was dead. How could this happen? How? I stood by his bed, stunned. How could I face his daughter' When I left the room, I saw her against the wall by a water fountain. A doctor who had been inside 712 only moments before, stood at her side, talking to her, gripping her elbow. Then he moved on, leaving her slumped against the wall. Such pathetic hurt reflected from her face. Such wounded eyes. She knew. The doctor had told her that her father was gone. “Janie, I’m so sorry,” I said. It was pitifully inadequate. “I never hated him, you know. I loved him,” she said. God, please help her, I thought. Suddenly she whirled toward me. “I want to see him.” My first thought was, Why put yourself through more pain? We walked slowly down the corridor to 712. She pushed open the door. We moved to the bed, huddled together, taking small steps in unison. Janie leaned over the bed and buried her face in the sheets. I tried not to look at her, at this sad, sad good-bye. I backed against the bedside table. My hand fell upon a scrap of yellow paper. I picked it up. It read: My dearest Janie, I forgive you. I pray you will also forgive me. I know that you love me. I love you too. Daddy The note was shaking in my hands as I thrust it toward Janie. She read it once. Then twice. Her tormented face grew radiant. Peace began to glisten in her eyes. She hugged the scrap of paper to her breast. “Thank You, God,” I whispered, looking up at the window. Life seemed as fragile as a snowflake on the window. But thank You, God, that relationships, sometimes fragile as snowflakes, can be mended together again—but there is not a moment to spare. -Guideposts Magazine, 1979 |
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The Lord's "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" Delivered 3/15/09 |
Prayer: Intro: 3 of 5 in series Lord’s Prayer
1: Father who is in
Heaven, Holy is Your Name Today: Give us this day, our Daily Bread Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God’s faithfulness. In his journal he wrote: Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning… He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all… Depend on it,
God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.
Bread is most common food in world. Every society has some form of bread Places w/o meat, only bread. (Ukraine) Prison: bread & water Bread: in 70’s bread meant $ (all we need, or the most important thing we need) Jesus: Bread of Life (He’s all we need or most important thing we need) (God has provided for our need) –salvation “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) ?: If Jesus is all we need, why do we keep looking for something else, or something more?
Scripture Setting: after feeding of
5,000. People saw connection to OT, Wilderness
People in Jesus’ time: Show us a sign,
then we’ll believe. “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.”
Did Israelites pass God’s test? What
happened? What happened on Sabbath?
Why did Israelites have to gather every
day? Why not once a week?
Just a Closer Walk with Thee #2158 |
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The Lord's Delivered 3/8/09
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Prayer: Intro:
Jesus said: “Kingdom of God is at
hand. Repent & believe Good News.”
Kingdom: a powerful word.
OT: David’s kingdom was in traditional
sense.
Where
does that leave us? In tension.
Greek:
basileia
Jesus
uses Kingdom of God in parables. Your Kingdom Come:
Make things the way they’re supposed to
be.
Make
it like the parables… Make my heart/life like parables: Your Will be done…
Let Your will be done in my life. Is
it a difficult prayer? What would this look like? What would be different in world? Would people kill each other, starve, die of curable diseases, send men & women to die in wars, bomb schools, take advantage of poor, hurt each other?
What would be different in our community? What would be different in our church? What would be different in your life? |
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The Lord's Delivered 3/1/09 |
Prayer: Intro:
Our Father GK: Pater Aramaic: Abba
Who is in Heaven:
Holy is Your Name
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Old Testament Leaders #4 King David
Delivered 2/8/2009
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David’s Accomplishments
as King
David & Bathsheba
God’s Redemptive Power
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Old Testament Leaders 3 David 1 Sam. 16:1-7, 9-13; 1 Sam. 16:14-23 1 Sam. 17:1-11; 48-50
Delivered 2/1/09
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Samuel Anoints David
David Becomes Saul’s Harpist
David & Goliath
Saul Grows Jealous of David
David Lives on the Run
Saul Finally Dies Battling the Philistines
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Old Testament Leaders 2 Saul 1 Sam. 9:1-6, 15-20; 1 Sam. 10:17-24
Delivered 1/25/09
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Samuel Meets Saul (by Chance?)
Saul Becomes King
Samuel Rebukes Saul
Saul Makes Another Mistake
**God spoke to Samuel & Saul through situations, by inspiring them with the Holy Spirit, and through the importance of following His commands.
**Saul showed what can happen when fear gets in the way of following God’s instruction. |
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Old Testament Leaders 1 Samuel 1 Sam. 1:9-20 & 1 Sam. 3:1-10
Delivered 1/18/09
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Hannah Longs for a Baby: Elkanah has 2 wives: Penninah has children, Hannah is barren. Penninah would tease her and make her cry about it. Elkanah loved Hannah & felt very sorry that she had no children of her own. Elkanah made yearly sacrifices at Temple in Shiloh Hannah’s vow one year in Shiloh: “O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”(1 sam. 1:11) Eli the Priest hears her prayer & weeping, she explains her situation & Eli blesses her: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” (1 Sam. 1:17) Hannah gets pregnant, has a son, names him Samuel which means: Named of God. Hannah keeps her promise to the Lord & brings Samuel to serve in the Temple.
God Calls Samuel: Samuel ministers under Eli the Priest. He’s going blind… (a Seer who can’t see?) In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. (1 Sam. 3:1) God calls to Samuel one night – Samuel thinks its Eli. Eli sends him back to bed. God calls to Samuel again – Samuel thinks its Eli. Eli sends him back to bed again. God calls to Samuel a third time – Samuel goes t Eli. Eli finally realizes its God calling. He sends Samuel back to bed & says: “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”(1 Sam. 3:9) God calls, Samuel answers God, God foretells to Samuel the destruction & punishment that is about to come to Eli & his sons for their sinfulness. Eli is eager to hear God’s Word to Samuel. Samuel is reluctant, but Eli presses him. Samuel tells Eli the prophecy of his destruction. Eli says: “He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes.” (1 Sam. 3:18) Samuel grows up & becomes strong Physically & Spiritually.
The Philistines Capture the Ark of the Covenant: The Israelites went out to fight the Philistines & are defeated. 3000 men die. They go and get the Ark so that God will be with them & wage battle again. They didn’t consult God about this. Eli’s sons bring the Ark to the battle. The Israelites cheer when the Ark arrives, the Philistines hear their battle cry. The Philistines attack, win the battle, capture the Ark, & Eli’s sons die in the battle. A man runs from the battle to tell Eli about the Ark & his sons. Eli is sitting at the entrance of the Temple, he hears the news, falls back in his chair & dies. The Philistines bring the Ark to their capital, Ashdod & place it in the temple near their god. The idol, Dagon, falls down in front of the Ark. Its head & hands had broken off. God punished the Philistines of Ashdod giving them tumors. Ashdod passes the Ark on to another city & the same thing happens. The Philistines finally give the Ark back to the Israelites.
Samuel subdues the Philistines & becomes Judge of the Israelites. The Ark remained in Kiriath Jearim in Israel, but not at the Temple for 20 years. Israel mourned & sought after the Lord Samuel calls the people to repentance. He says, “Put away your foreign gods, commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”(1 Sam. 7:3) Samuel calls all Israel to gather at Mizpah & prepare for battle. Samuel consults the Lord on Israel’s behalf & the people call him their leader. The Philistines try and attack while Samuel is still sacrificing to the Lord. The Lord sends thunder & terrifies the Philistines. Israel routs them & pushes them back out of the territory. There is peace in Israel all the rest of Samuel’s life because Samuel is true to the Lord.
Israel Asks for a King: The people of Israel see that other nations have a king & want one for themselves. Samuel is very upset, takes it as a rejection of him. The Lord tells Samuel Israel is not rejecting Samuel, they are rejecting Him. The Lord tells Samuel to go ahead and give Israel what they want even though it will lead to their ruin. Samuel anoints Saul as their first King. He will also anoint David as their next King after Saul loses favor in God’s eyes. |
Updated 2/3/09