Just Remember

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

“What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer. ”

Key Point: If you want faith for what’s ahead, look backwards. Look for patterns.

Hebrews 11:1-2, ESV

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you

will find; knock and the door will be opened

to you. For everyone who asks receives; the

one who seeks finds; and to the one who

knocks, the door will be opened.

Key Point: What you pay attention to reveals what you worship.

All In

Romans 7:15-23

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.                                                     

Luke 6:46-49

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”    

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.                                

“Willful blindness is the refusal to know something that could be known.”

                    - Jordan Peterson

The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called sons of God.     

Peacekeeping: Do what’s needed to immediately calm the situation.

Peacemakers: Pursue sustained, long-term peace at any cost.

Psalm 139:23-24

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Big Dreams and Other Disasters

Week 4: Lies and truth

But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. - Genesis 12:17-20

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Key Point: Lies compromise and weaken you. Weak people prefer lies to truth.

Big Dreams and Other Disasters

Week 3

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him and Lot went with him.

Key Point: Set your default to YES.

Unless, it specifically conflicts with the vision God has given you for your future.

Then say NO.

Genesis 18:1-3

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

The Law of Entropy: All things eventually fall into disorder. If you ignore a problem, it will not go away. It will get bigger.

Key Point: You can pay now or pay later, but it’s always cheaper to pay now.

Genesis 12

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”                     

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

Failures of Abraham:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going…And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Title: THE POWER OF A REMINDER:

WAKE UP SLEEPER … LET ME REMIND YOU…

Eph. 5:14 says, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you

BUYING WINE BEFORE SPRITE IS NEVER RIGHT;

BUT BUYING SPRITE BEFORE WINE, WILL BE JUST FINE

WE ALL HAVE A TENDENCY TO FORGET THE THINGS WE NEED TO REMEMBER;

AND REMEMBER THE THINGS WE NEED TO FORGET

Matthew 8:18 At the sight of large crowds gathering around him, Jesus gave orders to his disciples to get ready to sail back over to the other side of the lake. Just then, a religious scholar approached him and said, “Teacher, I’ll follow you wherever you go!”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no true home in this world.”

Then another man spoke up and said, “Lord, I’ll follow you, but first I must take care of my aged father and bury him when he dies.” But Jesus said to him, “Now is the time to follow me, and let those who are dead bury their own dead.”

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “WAKE UP SLEEPER, “Why are you afraid, Have faith in God!” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.

REMINDER #1:

JESUS LEADS, DISCIPLES FOLLOW

And suddenly a great tempest (a shaking; earthquake) arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.

REMINDER #2:

FOLLOWING JESUS does not exempt us from OPPOSITION.

IT MATTERS NOT HOW HARD THE WAVES HIT THE BOAT; WHAT MATTERS IS WHO’S IN THE BOAT WITH YOU.

But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

REMINDER #3:

EVERY STORM HAS ITS OWN CHALLENGES (be led;)

Jesus can Sleep because HE PUT HIS TRUST In The ONE WHO NEVER SLEEPS OR NEVER SLUMBERS…

Psalms 121:1-4 1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

But He said to them, “WAKE UP SLEEPER, “Why are you afraid, Have faith in God!” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

REMINDER #4:

Jesus is more concerned with BUILDING YOUR FAITH than DEMONSTRATING HIS POWER.

Jesus – Lk 10:19 - …Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

(MSG) 1 Pet. 1:7 When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?

Reminder #5:

Life is lived FORWARD but UNDERSTOOD looking backward

JESUS IS PERSONAL

Psalm 34:2-3 “Let all who are discouraged take heart. Come, let us talk about God’s goodness.”

HEB 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

On a regular basis, we should go back over the major victories in our life.

David - "If it had not been for the goodness of God, where would I be"?

Psalm 129 says, "From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me but they have never been able to finish me off".

HE STILL RAISES DEAD THINGS TO LIFE

HE STILL RESUSCITATES DORMANT DREAMS

HE’S STILL OUR TRUE REST

HE’S STILL IS REMINDING US OF HIS FAITHFULNESS