Faith Troy Sermons

“People, the LORD has shown you what is GOOD, and this is what He REQUIRES of you: To do what is JUST, to love MERCY and to walk HUMBLY with your God.” - Micah 6:8 NLT

All of us have a RESPONSIBILITY in this world.

But it’s so easy to just sit back and COMPLAIN and do NOTHING.

As followers of Jesus our response to suffering in our world has been PRESCRIBED to us and MODELED for us.

Jesus was constantly meeting the IMMEDIATE needs of people.

Jesus did not PERMANENTLY solve any of society’s problems.

“For out of the HEART comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander.” - Matthew 15:19

Wouldn’t the world be BETTER if everybody embraced Jesus’ ETHIC?

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved YOU, so YOU must love ONE ANOTHER. By this everyone will know that you are MY disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35

John 13:1-17 (pg. 1,673)

v14"4: “Now, that I your Lord and teacher have washed YOUR feet, you also should wash ONE ANOTHER’S feet.”

v.15: “I have set for you and EXAMPLE, that YOU should DO as I have done for you.”

v.34: “As I have loved YOU, so you are to love ONE ANOTHER.”

Commanding them to wash one another’s feet ensured their NEEDS would not DIVIDE them.

Hearts were CHANGED.

CULTURE began to change.

We believe EVERYBODY matters to God, whether God matters to them or not.

Everybody in America thinks something, when they hear the word CHURCH.

Often, we equate LIFE with GOD.

God is Life. But life, is not GOD.

Luke 23:32-39 (pg. 1,641)

v.33: “When they came to the place called the Skull, they CRUCIFIED Him there, along with the criminals; one on His RIGHT the other on His LEFT.”

v.34: “Jesus said, Father FORGIVE them, for they do not KNOW what they are doing.”

v.40: “But the other criminal REBUKED him.

Don’t you FEAR God, he said, since you are under the SAME sentence?”

v.41: “We are punished JUSTLY, for we are getting what our DEEDS deserve. But this man has done NOTHING wrong.”

v.42: “Jesus, remember me, when You come into Your KINGDOM.”

If Jesus can maintain FAITH in a GOOD God in the midst of these CIRCUMSTANCES, then perhaps there is a good and just God, after all.

v.43: “Jesus answered him, Truly I tell you, today YOU will be with ME in paradise.”

Jesus says, My THOUGHTS about YOU are NOT reflected in what’s HAPPENING to you.

Jesus is not, and GOD is NOT your personal EXPERIENCE of life in this world.

v.46: “Jesus called out in a loud voice, FATHER, into YOUR hands I commit My SPIRIT.”

Have you confused LIFE with GOD?

GOD is NOT what you have EXPERIENCED in life.

GOD can be TRUSTED in spite of your life experience.

LIFE is not GOD. God sent JESUS to bring YOU to LIFE.

JESUS experienced life the way WE experience life.

Life happens AND God can be TRUSTED.

The most important question you can ask if you’re considering or reconsidering faith in Jesus: Is Matthew, Mark, Luke OR John a RELIABLE account of ACTUAL events?

Luke is documenting Jesus’ paradigm-shifting, culturally offensive, liberating, dignifying, hope-giving, TEACHING and MIRACLES.

Luke 15:1-31 (pg. 1,623)

v.1: “Now the TAX COLLECTORS and SINNERS were all GATHERING around to HEAR Jesus.”

v.2: “But the PHARISEES and the TEACHERS of the law muttered, this man WELCOMES sinners and EATS with them.”

Both groups are CONFUSED about what GOD is like.

v.4: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and LOSES one of them.”

v.8: “Or suppose a WOMAN has ten silver coins and LOSES one.”

v.11: “There was a man who had TWO SONS.”

v.12: “The younger one said to his father, Father, GIVE ME MY SHARE of the estate. So he DIVIDED his property between them.”

v.17: “When he came to his SENSES he said, How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!”

Jesus is about to explain:

WHAT God the Father is like.

WHO God the Father, likes.

v.18: “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have SINNED against HEAVEN and against YOU.”

This is WHY Jesus came.

Not so that we would have ANSWERS to all our QUESTIONS about God.

So we could KNOW enough to have a RELATIONSHIP with the living God.

v.24: “For this son of mine was DEAD and is ALIVE again; he was LOST and is FOUND.”

Jesus INVITES us to PARTICIPATE in His Kingdom Work.

Jesus sends us to find PEOPLE OF PEACE.

Jesus WARNS the people who should have KNOWN BETTER.

God BLESSES us in our OBEDIENCE.

God BLESSES us by His GRACE.

God’s WORD is the way to LIFE.

The lawyer wants to JUSTIFY himself.

Our ENEMY is our EXAMPLE. Jesus SAVES and gives LIFE.

Do you want to PARTICIPATE in God’s kingdom work?

Verses Referenced: Luke 4:43; Luke 10:1-42; 1 John 4:4; Galatians 2:16; Mark 6:34; Matthew 9:36-38; Romans 5:10; Hosea 6:6; Romans 13:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Peter 3:15

How HEALTHY is your IMAGINATION? IMAGINATION is a GIFT from God.

Faith is often presented as the OPPOSED to reason, but that’s really not how Jesus operates.

Before anyone leaves anything behind, Jesus IGNITES their imagination for what’s possible if God’s promises started being fulfilled in real time.

What was in the report about Jesus? GOOD NEWS.

Jesus is inviting people to imagine He is the FULFILLMENT of God’s promises.

Jesus is good for people’s PRESENT lives and their ETERNAL lives.

What was in the report about Jesus? GOOD NEWS.

Can you imagine a PERSON who is more powerful than disease, demons, and death?

Jesus makes sure we don't miss why He's here: to preach the GOOD NEWS of the kingdom of God.

FOLLOWING Jesus is the BEGINNING.

__________ has INTERRUPTED my imagination.

Jesus invites us to IMAGINE immeasurably more GOOD NEWS in our world and to be part of making it a reality.

We’re asking the question “Who is Jesus?” at Alpha this Wednesday at 6:30pm. Signup at faithtroy.org/alpha and join us.

Verses referenced: Ephesians 4:22-24; Luke 3:22; Luke 4:1-2, 13; Hebrews 4:15; Luke 4:14-43; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Luke 5:1-11; 1 Peter 2:23-24; Luke 9:46-48; Matthew 18:3; Ephesians 3:20-21.

Luke’s account was included in the Bible because:

Luke is documenting someone’s LIFE.

Luke 3:1-20 (pg. 1,593)

v.2: “...the word of God came to JOHN, son of ZECHARIAH in the wilderness.”

John the BAPTIZER

v.3: “John went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of REPENTANCE for the FORGIVENESS of SINS.”

v.7: “You brood of VIPERS! Who warned you to FLEE from the coming WRATH?”

v.8: “Produce FRUIT, in keeping with REPENTANCE, and do not begin to say to yourself, We have ABRAHAM as our FATHER. For I tell you, out of these STONES God can raise up CHILDREN of Abraham.”

Out of these STONES God can raise up CHRISTIANS.’

WHAT comes to mind, when YOU come to mind?

‘Produce FRUIT in keeping with WHAT you say you believe and WHO you claim to believe in.’

v.10: “What should we DO, then? The crowd asked.

v.11: “John answered, Anyone who has TWO shirts should share with then one who has NONE. And the one who has FOOD should do the SAME.”

Repentance is only REAL when it becomes VISIBLE.

When it reaches your RELATIONSHIPS, your MONEY and your WORK.

Heavenly Father, What do YOU want me to DO?

When it comes to KNOWING God, does it really just come down to:

The BIBLE tells us so.

Is Matthew, Mark Luke OR John a RELIABLE account of ACTUAL events?

Luke became a follower of Jesus by hearing about the TESTIMONY of Jesus through other people.

Luke 1:1-4 (pg. 1,587)

v.1: “For as much as MANY have undertaken to draw up an ACCOUNT of the THINGS that have been FULFILLED, among US.”

v.2: “JUST AS they were handed down to us by those who from the first, were EYE WITNESSES and servants of the word.”

Something extraordinarily GOOD had happened.

v.3: “With this in mind, since I myself have CAREFULLY INVESTIGATED everything from the BEGINNING. I too decided to write an orderly account for YOU, most excellent Theophilus so you may know the CERTAINTY of the things you have been TAUGHT.”

Luke’s account was included in the Bible because:

One of history’s greatest ironies: The empire that crucified Jesus, FINANCED the ASSEMBLY of the very first Bibles.

Have you ever WON an argument at home?

What exactly did you WIN? What was the PRIZE?

When it comes to relationships, the WIN is always the RELATIONSHIP.

Romans 12:10 (pg. 1,764)

v.10: “Be DEVOTED to one another in LOVE.”

v.10: “Be devoted to one another in love. HONOR one another ABOVE yourselves.”

Implicit in this statement is a CHOICE.

Philippians 2:3-7 (pg. 1,827)

v.3: “Do NOTHING out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in humility VALUE others ABOVE yourself.”

v.5: “Have this ATTITUDE in yourselves which was ALSO in King Jesus.”

v.6: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider EQUALITY with God something to be used to HIS own ADVANTAGE.”

v.7: “He made Himself, NOTHING by taking the very NATURE of a SERVANT.”

True HONOR isn’t contingent upon the behavior or the person RECEIVING the honor.

True HONOR is contingent upon the person SHOWING the honor.

Honor is a GIFT we give OTHERS. We give it:

With the WORDS that we choose.

In our ACTIONS, putting others first.

Our REACTIONS.

“In your RELATIONSHIPS with one another, have the same MINDSET as KING Jesus” - Philippians 2:5

All of us take our relationship cues from SOMEBODY.

Often, we just realize WHO it is.

MUTUAL Submission

Ephesians 5:21 (pg. 1,823)

v.21: “SUBMIT to ONE ANOTHER out of reverence for Christ.”

The message of mutual submission is, ‘I’m here for YOU.’

What can I do to HELP?

We’re AFRAID that if we ask this question someone’s going to take ADVANTAGE of us, aren’t we?

v.21: “Submit to one anotherout of REVERENCE for CHRIST.”

You don’t get happy in a relationship by CONTROLLING the people around you.

You get happy in a relationship by LOANING yourself to the people around you.

This has nothing to do with AUTHORITY.

This has everything to do with how we USE our authority.

v. 3: “Jesus KNEW that the Father had put ALL THINGS under His POWER, and that He had come from God, and was returning to God.”

v.4: “So, He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing and wrapped a TOWEL around His waist.”

v.14: “Now that I, your LORD and TEACHER, have washed your feet, you also should wash ONE ANOTHER’S feet. I have set you an EXAMPLE that you should do as I have done for you.”

How does it feel to RECEIVE forgiveness?

God doesn’t put REQUIREMENTS on our confession to RECEIVE His forgiveness.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean we let people continue to hurt themselves or others.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean everything is the same as it was before.

How does it feel to OFFER forgiveness?

If you want your relationships to be life-giving, then you must FORGIVE others like your Heavenly Father has FORGIVEN you.

God’s forgiveness for you EMPOWERS your ability to forgive others.

Forgiving others is the EVIDENCE God has forgiven you and is living in you.

Forgiving others is for their good and our benefit.

Verses Referenced: Philippians 2:5; Leviticus 16; John 1:29; Hebrews 9 and 10; 1 John 1:9; Matthew 18:21-35; Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Galatians 2:20; Romans 12:9-21