Saturday, December 31, 2016

A FRESH Start!


“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come! The old has gone, the new is here!”               

2 Cor. 5:17


“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” — John Pierpont Morgan


New Years is the PERFECT time to reflect on where you’ve been and resolve yourself to whatever it takes to bring CHANGE to your situation!


Mark 2: 1-5 Notice here how these men, as well as the afflicted man, were willing to do whatever it takes to get to the feet of Jesus... are we willing to do whatever it takes to experience our FRESH START?


Mark 5:25-34 A Woman is a place of distress. She has a NEED. She is stressed and needs the power of God.   1. She makes a choice to grab!   2. She experiences without doubt.   3. She admits her condition and knows the need to continue following!


To EXPERIENCE your FRESH Start...  A hard reality is that we have to LET GO and LET GOD!


2 Corinthians 12:9-10 We have to realize that HE is the “change agent” though... we have to have the Faith to move toward him, but HE has to be allowed to do the changing in us! It is by HIS Spirit that we see our world begin to change! Zachariah 4:6


Our faithfulness to move in His direction will bring about His touch and move in our direction. John 5:1-15 The story of a paralyzed man who is UNABLE to move toward the pool and felt helpless and hopeless in his condition. However, when Jesus approached him with the question...”do you want to be well?” His answer was YES! And look what a change he underwent!!!!


Do you want a FRESH START? Jesus holds your answers!

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Joy is a SINGABLE thing!


“May the God of Hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope!”


Romans 15:13


PEACE is the FORERUNNER of JOY!


Psalm 33: 20-22 – Our Heart REJOICES because we have HOPE
in what is to come!


The Angels appeared to Shepherds on a Hillside in the middle of the night proclaiming REJOICE!!! We bring you tidings of GREAT JOY!
Luke 2: 9-11


JOY is SUPERNATURAL! It doesn’t make any sense at times? Where does it come from? How do I get it?


Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.


You’ll find nothing in that definition about happy feelings, because, as we all know, happiness is fleeting and temporary!


Our lives are like “Train Tracks” running parallel to each other. One representing the GOOD experiences of life and the other… pain and sorrow. Every day of your life, wonderful, good things happen that bring pleasure and contentment and beauty to you. At the exact same time, painful things happen to you or those you love that disappoint you, hurt you, and fill you with sorrow.


If you look down train tracks into the brightness of the horizon, the tracks become one. You can’t distinguish them as two separate tracks. That’s how it will be for us, too. One day, our parallel tracks of joy and sorrow will merge into one. The day we meet Jesus Christ in person and see the brightness of who he is, it will all come together for us. Then it will all make complete sense.


JOY TO THE WORLD… THE LORD HAS COME!

Sunday, December 4, 2016

The Prince of Peace - Advent 2


“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:7

Luke 2:13-14 - the promise of peace.


RECLAIMING THE CHRISTMAS PEACE THAT BUSYNESS STEALS FROM US:
This is an exercise in doing less, so we’re going to talk about
4 things we need to quit.


1. Quit trying to please everyone. - Luke 5:15-16.
- so many wanting a piece of His time, yet He withdraws.
- at the end of the day, you can’t keep everybody and God happy.
- the many obligations during the Christmas season. Make “You/Us” time!


2. Quit trying to be the perfect host. - Luke 10:38-42.
- as we have guests over, we often drive ourselves crazy by our unnecessarily
   high standards. C’mon…be honest with yourself!
- would it really be that bad to let others bring stuff to your holiday party?
- would it really be that bad if the house wasn’t immaculate? (I know the ladies
  are going to accuse me of not understanding because I’m a man.)


3. Quit buying so much. - Luke 12:15.
- show of hands: how many of you regularly run into the problem of not being
  able to think of a single thing that someone on your list needs.
- instead of buying “stuff”… why not create or ”buy” an experience!


4. Quit running around and go sit down. - Luke 22:14.
- Jesus, facing the worst day of His life, chooses to spend His precious time with
  His friends.


- spend some time enjoying the company of those who mean the most to you
- do you spend more time of your holiday focusing on your presents for your
  family or your presence with your family?


Isaiah 9:6-7 – Jesus Is The Prince of Peace!