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Psalm 112:5-6  //  Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; 6 a righteous man will be remembered forever.

Legacy: Where my life lives on.

What will you do that will outlive you?

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. - William Shakespeare

Nehemiah 1:2-4  //

2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven

DREAMERS imagine what could be.

VISIONARIES picture what should be.

Frustration is actually a gift from God.

PRAY as if it depends on God. WORK as if it depends on you.

WAITING time isn’t wasted time when WAITING on God.

Nehemiah 1:11  //

Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer to the king.

You dummy.

Nehemiah 6:1-3  // 

When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates— 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; 3 so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

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Know God.

Find Freedom.

Discover Purpose.

Make a Difference.

Psalm 112:5-6  //  Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; 6 a righteous man will be remembered forever.

Legacy: Where my life lives on.

What will you do that will outlive you?

Giving to something that will outlive me.

Giving to something that will outlive me.

Living so my life outlives me.

Romans 14:10-12  //

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

What did you do with Jesus?

Revelation 20:11-12  //

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Matthew 7:21-23  //

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The right answer:

I knew Him personally.

What did you do with what God gave you?

2 Corinthians 5:10  //

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Matthew 16:27  //

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

The right answer:

I gave my life away.

Ecclesiastes 3:11  //

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart.

1. I will intentionally give what I have.

2 Corinthians 9:11  //

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Become a Percentage Giver.

2. I will intentionally serve others.

Matthew 20:26-28  //

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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3. I will intentionally share Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT  //

We are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us.

Luke 14:23 LB  //

Go out into the country...and urge anyone you find to come in, so that My house will be full.

Mark 16:15 NCV  //

Jesus said to His followers, “Go everywhere in the world, and tell the Good News to everyone.”

Why?

1 Timothy 6:17-19  //

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

There is more to this life than this life.

What will you do that will outlive you?

Who is the me I want to be 10 years from now?

Courage comes from integrity. We grow in courage by developing integrity.

Courage comes from integrity. Integrity is rooted in humility.

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the absence of self.

Christmas Offering

Luke 17:1 NKJV //  Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come,

Offense is an EVENT.

Offended is a CHOICE.

Holding on to an offense never hurts your OFFENDER. It lets them keep hurting YOU.

Isaiah 1:18 NLT  // “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only OBEY me...”

The truth about forgiveness

• It’s not MINIMIZING the seriousness of

  the offense.

The truth about forgiveness

• It’s not RECONCILIATION.

The truth about forgiveness

• It’s not FORGETTING what happened.

The truth about forgiveness

• We don’t think it’s FAIR.

Matthew 18:21-35  //  Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

The truth about forgiveness

• We don’t think we CAN DO IT.

Philippians 4:13  // I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

1. PRAY for them.

Matthew 5:43-44  //  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

2. BLESS them.

Luke 6:27-28  //  But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Romans 12:14  //  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

3. Do GOOD to them.

Romans 12:17-21  //  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Identity: The truest thing about you.

In Christ

140  //  35   //  11

Identity determines behavior.

Who you are determines what you do.

Ephesians 1-3 is Identity

Ephesians 4-6 is Works

Behavior flows from identity.

The Early Information Factor.

The Often Information Factor.

We find identity in our successes and failures.

Ephesians 2:1-9  //  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Failures: You are not who you were.

Successes: You are not what you do.

In Christ, your identity is given, not earned.

Philippians 3:3-8 NLT  //  We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.

When we miss this and put our identity in what we do, it leads to:

Pressure to perform

Fear of failure

Constant comparisons

Wrecked relationships

Fatigue and frustration

Ephesians 2:13  //  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

2 Timothy 1:7 // God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

A heightened sense of vulnerability

+ Diminished sense of power

= Fear & Anxiety

How do we respond to fear?

1. Stop trying to control what you can’t control.

Psalm 46:1 //

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:10  //

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Be Still = Cease Striving

We don’t cease striving because we know how it will all work out, but because we know the God who will work it out.

Better than knowing the outcome is knowing God.

2. Look Back

2 Chronicles 20:3 (NLT)  //  Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance.

Celebrate God’s faithfulness in your PAST or you won’t trust him with your FUTURE.

3. Pray about everything

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)  //

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:7  //

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Cast it. You weren’t meant to carry it.

Matthew 11:28  //

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Get Rid Of Worry And Hurry

Matthew 6:34 - Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Meris

Worry is the failure to be here.

James 4:13-15  //  Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Exodus 24:12  //  The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

HAYAH - To Be, To Exist

“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.” - Dallas Willard