First General Baptist

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 11:45-54

Vs 46 – Bible is full of “Good News” and is meant to lift us up, not weigh us down.

Religion – Rules – Relationship

Vs 47-51 – Most of us will not be guilty of killing God’s prophets, but how can we be guilty of killing the things of God?

Vs 52 – Standing in the way.

The difference between being an offense or a blessing is sometimes just a manner of speaking.

David Larsen, "There are three kinds of people; the constructive, the obstructive and the destructive."

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 11:37-44

Vs 39-41, Caring more about what people see than what they can’t see.

Vs 42, organizational/relational; measurable/immeasurable; impersonal/personal; distant/close; Easy to write a check/harder to hold a hand, say a prayer…

Vs 43-44, you love how others see you, but they aren’t seeing the real you.

Real change can only start in private, never in public. Changing the real you:

~Two people always see you?

~Honest when no one is watching

~Holy when no one is watching

~Always the same everywhere

A.W. Tozer, "If you can find what I think about when I am free to think about whatever I will, you will find the real me."

~A generation’s opportunity.

Judgment according to opportunity. Generations respond differently to the gospel.

~A generation’s potential.

Why do you think God made you?

Whatever it is you are doing, is it what God made you for?

Do you think there is more potential in you than what you are seeing right now?

What do you think God could do with you if you really opened your life to Him and let Him have His way?

This is time sensitive, whatever you’re going to do you must do it before your generation ends.

Winston Churchill on becoming Prime Minister, "At last I had authority to give directions over the whole scene.I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial."

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 11:24-26

Ephesians 5:18

“…be filled with the Spirit.”

The disciplines of:

Worship

The Word

Prayer

Prayer:

The devil loves empty.

Jesus loves full.

The devil loves to look back.

Jesus loves to look ahead

Romans 8:26 We learn to pray by praying. A big part of prayer is God doing for us what we can’t do.

Tom Elliff, "The needs of our lives today are part of God's plan to keep us praying."

Therese of Liseux, "Prayer arises, if at all, from incompetence, otherwise there is no need for it."

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 11:24-26

Ephesians 5:18 “…be filled with the Spirit.”

The disciplines of:

Worship

The Word

Prayer

The Word:

2 Timothy 3:16

Romans 15:1-5 There is an Author behind the author.

Hebrews 11, “By faith ______...”

John Stott, "We must never divorce what God has married, namely His Word and His Spirit. The Word of God is the Spirit's sword. The Spirit without the Word is weaponless; the Word without the Spirit is powerless…Christians who neglect the Bible simply do not mature."

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 11:24-26

We want to be master of ourselves and we may deceive ourselves that it is possible, but it is not. The fastest growing religion in the world is religion-less…none.

Removal is not reformation.

Rehabilitation is not regeneration.

A million “I don’ts” won’t make one “I do.” We’re still empty inside.

Ephesians 5:18 “…be filled with the Spirit.” The disciplines of:

Worship

The Word

Prayer

Worship: I see who Jesus is. I see who I am. And I see the difference.

It is about giving; adoration; praise…

We come intending to give and we then receive in the worship process. We give to Jesus and we give to each other.

Crying Stones, Luke 19:37-40

Two reasons to not worship: 1) You’re ashamed 2) You have forgotten what Jesus has done for you. You no longer see it. Others do, but you don’t.

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 11:13-23

Jesus did not conquer Satan by dividing his house, Colossians 2:13-15. Dividing-opposite of unity-is a trick Satan has to play to gain anything.

Ephesians 6:12

The problem with all my relationships is always __________.

The problem with all my relationships is always __________.

“The Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 11:5-13

A parable of contrasts. The comparison is in the contrast.

Contrast the person:

~It’s never midnight for God, there is no bad time because for Him there is no time.

~God is never troubled by you.

~He is never too busy with other people and other things.

~So God never needs to change His mind about answering you.

Contrast the request:

Stone/bread; serpent/fish; scorpion/egg

Thank God He gives what we need, not just what we ask for!

What we really need in this world to have real life is the Holy Spirit!

Message: The gospel according to Luke

Text: Luke 11:1-4

Spirituality is contagious  (but almost everything is)

Jesus’ shortened version of The Lord’s Prayer recorded by Luke:

Praise

Need for today

Forgive me & help me to forgive

Help with my tendency to sin

Practice teaches you how to pray.

Need teaches you to pray.

One of our greatest needs is to see our need.

Oswald Chambers, "Be yourself before God and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits' end over.  As long as you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything."

 Dr. Ole Hallesby, "Only he who is helpless can truly pray."

Eugene H. Peterson, "A religion without miracles has only marginal worth; why bother with religion if you can do it all yourself anyway?"