Austin Baptist Church

Mark 11:1-10

1. We should TRUST in King Jesus
2. We should FOLLOW King Jesus
3. We should SURRENDER to King Jesus
4. What do you need to lay down this week?

1. What do you do when God says “No”?
2. Three Likely Responses:
     -Become BITTER
     -Become JEALOUS
     -Become like JESUS
3. Not every GOOD idea is GOD’S idea for your life
 
Chuck Swindoll, “When God says ‘no’ it is not necessarily discipline or rejection.  It may simply be redirection.”

4. Be HELPFUL, not RESENTFUL, in God’s assignment
5. God’s “no” is a “yes” to the BEST plan
6. How must we respond to God’s “no”?
     -Sit at His feet
     -Humble yourself
     -Count your blessings

2 Samuel 6
 
1. God wants to speak into our decisions
2. Ignoring God In Our Decision-Making Leads To:
     -Powerless Pragmatism
     -Compromised Theology
     -Painful Consequences
3. True JOY comes through OBEDIENCE
4. The world will not UNDERSTAND our JOY
5. The world cannot STEAL our JOY

2 Samuel 5:1-15

1. The BEST path is rarely the FASTEST one
2. We can TRUST God at His word
3. PROSPERITY brings its own PERILS
     -Peril of Complacency
     -Peril of Worldliness
 
“The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity are excellent campaigning weather [for the devil]…Prosperity knits a man to the world.  He feels he is ‘finding his place in it,’ while really it is finding its place in him.  His increasing reputation, his widening circle of acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, build up in him a sense of really being at home in earth, which is just what we want.  You will note that the young are generally less unwilling to [spiritually] die than the middle aged and the old.” – CS Lewis, Screwtape

1 Samuel 28, 31
1. King Saul was INSECURE
2. King Saul was a HYPOCRITE
3. King Saul was SELFISH
4. King Saul’s life proved a new kingdom was needed
5. Do you need a leadership change in your life?
   -King Jesus will give you SECURITY
   -King Jesus will give you POWER
   -King Jesus will give you PURPOSE

1 Samuel 25:9-35

1. Despite our best efforts to work with them, sometimes people are just jerks.
2. When a person is wronged, it is natural and not sinful to feel anger.
3. Peacemakers go above and beyond to spare the most people.
4. Your first reaction doesn’t have to be your last reaction.

“ Never succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter. As you press on for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love. Let no man pull you so low as to hate him. Always avoid violence. If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in your struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.” Martin Luther King Jr.

1 Samuel 24:1-7
1. Focus on God
2. Be Patient
Quote - “David decided to wait on God. If David took matters into his own hands now, it would be at the expense of a thousand precious experiences of god’s care, provision, guidance and tenderness. No, reasoned David, even a throne at this price is too dear.”
3. Get to Work

1 Samuel 22:1-2
1. Why caves?
2. Caves force us to make a decision: will I run TO God, or FROM God?
3. Be honest with God
4. Be committed to God
5. How does God work through the caves in our lives?
   -Caves bring people together 
   -Caves prepare us for the future
   -Caves transform our hearts

 1 Samuel 20:1-11

1. A True Friend is SELFLESS
2. A True Friend is HONEST
3. A True Friend is PRESENT in time of need
4. True Friendships are FORMED, not FOUND

1 Samuel 18:1-11

1. The King is worthy of our surrender
2. Comparison will take you down a slippery slope
3. The 3 Dangers of Envy:
  -Envy will make you ANGRY
  -Envy will make you ANXIOUS
  -Envy will make you FOOLISH
4. Replace your WANTS with WORSHIP
5. Replace COMPARISON with CONTENTMENT