Amazing Facts – session 27

http://www.bibleuniversity.com/Video/CourseID2/NR27.asx

• God forgives all types of sin – except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
• Jesus is a better savior than you are a sinner
• Ask God to reveal your sins to you – and then confess and forsake (repent)
• When God calls you, drop everything and obey, because He may not call you again
• When His Spirit is in you, it’s time to listen – the Spirit may quiet
• By persistently ignoring God, you grieve away the Holy Spirit
• Don’t wait until the rain starts to enter the boat – the door will be closed
• When God leads you to salvation, don’t even look back
• Walk in the light and God will provide more light
• Walk in the light – don’t just look at the light
• The sin God will not forgive, is the sin that you will not repent for
• Adultery can begin with just a lingering look
• When you reject truth, you reject Christ
• How would you act if you knew that Jesus was returning next week?
• Sanctification is a process – Give us this day our daily bread (‘I am the bread of life’)
• When Satan knocks, let Jesus answer the door

Amazing Facts – session 26

http://www.bibleuniversity.com/Video/CourseID2/NR26.asx

• We love God because He first loves us
• You can’t obey God if you don’t love God.  You can’t love God if you don’t know God.
• All love relationships need commitment (loyalty) and trust
• Our sins separate us from God – we naturally run from God
• Sin pleasure is temporary
• The Holy Spirit represents tremendous power;  God gives it for obedience and a pure heart
• God’s principles are for our protection and for our enhanced happiness
• If you’re truly a Christian, there’s a transformation that has and is taking place.  The things you used to love, you may now hate, and the things you hated you may now love.
• Stay as far away from the world as you can – don’t tip-toe with it
• Why would you want to fool around with playing on the edge of the will of God, when you could be so close to "falling off the cliff" and back into the world
• Proverbs 23:7  –  As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
• You become what you worship
• Music that you’re attracted to isn’t necessarily right for you – would Jesus listen to it?  Are the words and the music godly?
• Dancing is not evil – as long as it’s the type that you can do with the same sex (man with a man, woman with a woman – or not sexually oriented)
• Do the movies you watch, music you listen to, the way you dance make someone question your spiritual commitment?
•  People should not notice what is on a Christian, they should notice what’s in a Christian – even jewelry is worldly.  The purpose for clothing is modesty, not display.  Does God want us to wear our money?
• You would not even enjoy Heaven unless your heart is pure
• Act in love for God – make choices because of your love for God

The Rock San Diego – 12/21/08

• God wants you to be on His ‘mighty men’ list – a list of go-to people in the game
• In the end, God wins this game – even though it may not look like that day to day
• Every one of us is in spiritual hand to hand combat each and every day – with the devil (not with flesh and blood)

1 – David’s mighty men were known for individual actions that inspired corporate achievement

• The most common way to inspire someone is to do something yourself
• If your spiritual gift were to be imagined as a color (blue), what Satan does is makes you feel guilty for NOT being another color ("you’re not a good red") – your response should be, "I’m not trying to be a red, because I need to be solid blue" – don’t try to be purple, and recognize if you’re sky blue and become navy blue
• When you do one thing really well, there’s a ripple effect – but when you try to please everybody, and be everything, you usually get nothing done

2 – David’s mighty men made their bodies their slaves

• Does your body control you, or do you control your body?
• Your body is not you – you are not your body – it is the covering of who you are
• You are to present your body as a sacrifice to God
• Your mouth, ears, eyes, etc are your slaves
• Is your body subjected to you, or are you subjected to your body
• Successful people are disciplined

3 – David’s mighty men placed themselves in the middle of the action

• Some people will play, and some people will never play
• Get in the game – don’t be a bench warmer
• If you see someone is having a bad day, ask if you can pray for them – "Dear God, I pray for Mary, I pray you encourage her today, and I pray that if there’s any way I can help her, she would let me know.  In Jesus’ name, amen."
• Look for someone to pray for.  If you don’t find someone, ask someone who’s doing ‘fine’ anyway
• We need the practice anyway
• Don’t live your life so you don’t hurt – bear someone else’s burden

Miracles

God would perform incredible miracles for us if we’d only allow it

Doug Batchelor

Every time you give, you are starving the selfishness of your nature

Amazing Facts – session 25

• All (100%) of our resources (time and money) belong to God (we are ‘holding’ God’s possessions – He has entrusted us with His resources).  He asks us to show that we believe that by asking for 10% of our money and one day per week.
• Purpose of the tithe is to support God’s work through ministry
• The more that God can trust you to give, the more He will provide for you to give
• Sea of Galilee – full of life, fresh, resources in and out
• Dead Sea – dead, stagnant, resources only flow in
• Christians are meant to be channels
• Every time you give, you are starving the selfishness of your nature
• 90% of your money that God blesses goes a lot farther than 100% that’s cursed
• Trust the Lord – He will provide
• There is a biblical difference between tithes and offerings
• Tithes are commanded at 10%
• Offerings are the resources above and beyond the 10%
• Give so that people enter the Kingdom
• How much is a soul worth?
• God does not give us money to make us ‘successful’.  He blesses us with resources to relieve suffering
• Christians should earn all they can, save all they can, and give all they can
• Giving must be of the right heart – cheerful – not out of necessity or grudgingly
• Give God your very best – sacrificially – not your leftovers – don’t tip God
• Possessions can be converted into souls
• Malachi 3:8 – Will a man rob God?
• For a person who makes $50k per year, it takes faith to tithe $5k.  However, it takes no faith at all for a person who makes $200k per year to tithe $5k.  The ‘wait until I have more to give’ holds no weight
• God would perform incredible miracles for us if we’d only allow it
• Seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, and He’ll take care of your needs
• Wherever your treasure is, is where your heart is.  Don’t sit on your heart (wallet)

Sent email to Pastor Doyle

Pastor Doyle,

I just wanted to affirm and say thank you for your sermon this morning. I’d like to offer you some feedback, and want to say that I offer it with love and in what I feel is obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading – I wouldn’t normally do this, but am trying to be much more sensitive and obedient to His leading.

I’m a relatively ‘young’ Christian, rededicated my life a couple years ago after many stray years. But, I am blessed to say that I am now solidly on a path of becoming centered on Christ (of His initiative). I have been attending SeaCoast Grace church (admittedly somewhat inconsistently) throughout 2008, as one of many influences I now learn from in my walk. To be honest though, I had consistently thought of many of your sermons as ‘soft’ or ‘comfortable’ (that’s not meant with offense) and not really one of my personal most important Christian influences. To me, attending the church was good for worship and for Christian influence for my wife, who would say she’s a Christian, but really is not Christ centered. I pray the Lord brings her closer to Him, and she seems to enjoy and be comfortable at SeaCoast (although the comfort is maybe not what she really needs). But today was different – the message was direct and bold, which I appreciated and respected greatly. Thank you. By the way, usually when I ask my wife what she thinks about a sermon, she says ‘it was good’, and doesn’t have anything more to offer about it. This week, she said ‘it really hit home’.

I also very much liked the ‘amen’ suggestion you’re making, and believe strongly that it should be consistently encouraged to the congregation in order to create engagement with believers and interest from and insight / understanding for invitees. One of my teachers is Miles McPherson of The Rock Church in San Diego (they stream videos of his sermons via internet), and I believe he uses this very effectively to create energy and engagement from his congregation (mostly college students). It becomes contagious.

I feel that the Holy Spirit is truly being revealed to and through me more and more as I choose to spend time with Him and obey Him. As an example of how I had felt the Holy Spirit leading me, I have been feeling lately that ‘amen’ has been mysteriously absent from SeaCoast, and had considered emailing you the suggestion. Then I saw you at Baja Fresh in December, but didn’t introduce myself. As I walked away, I actually felt that I was walking away from purpose, but regretfully did nothing about it. This story may sound strange for something you may or may not think is very important, but I suppose I just offer it as reinforcement to what it appears you’re already doing (and as obedience to how I feel I’m being led).

I’ll be back next week and look forward to this series. I am also planning on attending Next Steps 101 and 201 and being baptized on Feb 8.

In Christ,
Mike

Amazing Facts – session 27

• God forgives all types of sin – except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
• Jesus is a better savior than you are a sinner
• Ask God to reveal your sins to you – and then confess and forsake (repent)
• When God calls you, drop everything and obey, because He may not call you again
• When His Spirit is in you, it’s time to listen – the Spirit may quiet
• By persistently ignoring God, you grieve away the Holy Spirit
• Don’t wait until the rain starts to enter the boat – the door will be closed
• When God leads you to salvation, don’t even look back
• Walk in the light and God will provide more light
• Walk in the light – don’t just look at the light
• The sin God will not forgive, is the sin that you will not repent for
• Adultery can begin with just a lingering look
• When you reject truth, you reject Christ
• How would you act if you knew that Jesus was returning next week?
• Sanctification is a process – Give us this day our daily bread (‘I am the bread of life’)
• When Satan knocks, let Jesus answer the door

10 tests of a prophet

http://www.ellengwhitetruth.com/her-ministry/10-tests-of-a-prophet.aspx