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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,

ROMANS 1:16

SIT DOWN. BE HUMBLE.

• This reveals Paul’s heart. In a sophisticated city like Rome, some might be embarrassed by a gospel centered on a crucified Jewish Savior and embraced by the lowest classes of people – but Paul is not ashamed. - GUZIK

• SIMPLE IS POWERFUL.

1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. 2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be[a] the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.[b] He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege[c] and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

ROMANS 1:1-5

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

JOHN 3:16

•  “The gospel is not advice to people, suggesting that they lift themselves. It is power. It lifts them up. Paul does not say that the gospel brings power, but that it is power, and God’s power at that.”  - MORRIS

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

ROMANS 3:23

Jesus showed us what it really means to be HUMAN.

“I’m not a sinner because I sin, I sin because I’m a sinner.”

“If missing the mark is the fruit of sin, then the root sin is PRIDE.”

5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for

“God opposes the proud
     but gives grace to the humble.”[a]

6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 

1 PETER 5:-7

The fix to our sin problem is not trying to SIN LESS, its receiving grace from Jesus to be SINLESS.

The Fix Is God’s Ferrari Grace

“God opposes the proud
     but gives grace to the humble.”

1 PETER 5:5

The Key To God’s Ferrari Grace Is Humility

What is our Purpose?

Purpose Over Popularity

SLIDE #4:: 

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 

Shake Them Haters Off

Nehemiah 4:3

3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”

Nehemiah 6:3

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?”

No Pain, No Gain

Power to Please

Acts 4:16

16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it.

Acts 5:29

29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

Hebrews 11:26

26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-21

THE BEST SQUAD IS AN AVAILABLE SQUAD. 

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

WORLDLY CULTURE: YOUR ROLE IS TIED TO ABILITY

GOD’S NOT LOOKING FOR ABILITY. HE’S LOOKING FOR AVAILABILITY.

And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

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

There is so much to the idea of being ambassadors! An ambassador does not speak to please his audience, but the King who sent him. An ambassador does not speak on his own authority; his own opinions or demands mean little. He simply says what he has been commissioned to say. But an ambassador is more than a messenger; he is also a representative, and the honor and reputation of his country are in his hands. - GUZIK

2 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man[a] has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”

MARK 2:1-12

IT’S OUR JOB TO BRING PEOPLE TO GOD

WE NEED TO BE PERSISTENT

• Persistent: continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

ACTS 4:29-31

- STAYING FILLED KEEPS YOU AVAILABLE. 

IT’S GOD’S JOB TO DO THE HEALING

The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

DREAM TEAM.

YOU DON’T GO AS FAR AS YOUR DREAM. YOU GO AS FAR AS YOUR TEAM.

• YOU ARE CALLED TO WIN. 

• “I DON’T JUST NEED FRIENDS TO HANG WITH, I NEED A SQUAD TO BUILD WITH.”

The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

PROVERBS 12:26

• THE BOOK OF GALATIANS MAIN GOAL IS THIS: JESUS ALONE IS ENOUGH TO SAVE. 

6 And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) 7 Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. 8 For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

9 In fact, James, Peter,[c] and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. 

They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. 10 Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.

SQUADS THAT WIN:

ARE SUBMITTED TO THE SAME DREAM

11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.

12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

GALATIANS 2:6-14

SQUADS THAT WIN:

PUSH ONE ANOTHER TOWARDS THE DREAM

Iron sharpens iron,

    and one man sharpens another.[d]

PROVERBS 27:17

Two people are better than one because together they have a good reward for their hard work. If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is all alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up.

ECCLESIASTES 4:9-10 

LUKE 19:1-10 

I’LL GO FIRST. 

Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.

PROVERBS 13:20 

MYTH #1: FRIENDS ARE MEANT TO MEET MY NEEDS.

18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

PHILIPPIANS 4:18-19

MYTH #2: FRIENDS ARE THE REASON WHY I AM THE WAY I AM.

1. This is a powerless mindset

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

GENESIS 3:11-12

1. It takes away the ability to be used by God to change others

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

MATTHEW 28:19-20

He walked in a level of maturity that understood I have the power to choose God’s best and I want you to know that too.

FRIENDS ARE YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends

JOHN 15:12-13

• Hall of Fame: A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or animals, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their fame in their field.

13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

HEBREWS 11:13-16 

“THIS COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.”

• Encounters are catalysts. 

• Catalysts: a substance that enables a chemical reaction to proceed at a usually faster rate or under different conditions (as at a lower temperature) than otherwise possible

• ENCOUNTERS INTRODUCE CHANGE. 

6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. 7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. 8 I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’”

EXODUS 6:6-8

• ENCOUNTERS DON’T SUSTAIN CHANGE.

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin,[a] between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.[b] 2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

EXODUS 16:1-3

9 So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.

EXODUS 6:9

• FAITH SUSTAINS CHANGE.

• “WE DON’T LIVE FOR ENCOUNTERS, WE LIVE FROM THEM.”

15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

HEBREWS 11:15-16

12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

HEBREWS 4:12

• “TALK TO YOURSELF”

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. (I feel you, Jesus. I become very hungry when I skip breakfast)

3 During that time the devil[a] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

‘People do not live by bread alone,

    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.

And they will hold you up with their hands

    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[c]”

7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[d]”

8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God

    and serve only him.’[e]”

11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

MATTHEW 4:1-11

2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

3 During that time the devil[a] came…

YOU HAVE A REAL ENEMY.

THE ENEMY (DEVIL) DON’T PLAY NICE.

WE FIGHT WITH THE WORD

WE WIN THE BATTLE WHEN WE DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.

KNOW THE WORD.

“People do not live by bread alone,

    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

UNDERSTAND THE WORD.

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.

And they will hold you up with their hands

    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[c]”

7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[d]”

BELIEVE THE WORD.

17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 

ROMANS 10:17

4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.[a] 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

DUETERONOMY 6:4-9

LUKE 8:4-8 

“GUARDING SOIL

LUKE 8:9-10

Assumptions block connection. 

If you don’t understand the key to the parable, you don’t understand it at all. We can imagine what different people in Jesus’ audience might have thought when He taught this parable with no explanation. The farmer thought, “He’s telling me that I have to be more careful in the way I cast my seed. I guess I have wasted an awful lot.” The politician thought, “He’s telling me that I need to begin a farm education program to help farmers more efficiently cast their seed. This will be a big boost in my reelection campaign.” The newspaper reporter thought, “He’s telling me that there is a big story here about the bird problem and how it affects the farming community. That’s a great idea for a series in the newspaper.” The salesman thought, “He’s encouraging me in my fertilizer sales. Why, I could help that farmer more than he knows if he only used my product.” But none of them could understand the spiritual meaning until Jesus explained the key to them. If you miss the key, you miss the whole parable. If you think the seed represent money, you miss the parable. If you think the seed represents love, you miss the parable. If you think the seed represents hard work, you miss the parable. You can only understand it by understanding the key

WE ROB OURSELVES FROM A CONNECTION WITH GOD WHEN WE ASSUME THE MEANING OF HIS WORD.

‘When they look, they won’t really see.
     When they hear, they won’t understand.”

“Every moment in God’s word is an opportunity to connect” Do you see God’s word in that way or do you see it as a chore or a mystery that you have to figure out on your own. The motivation of our heart towards God’s word is important because Jesus literally tells us it’s the posture of our heart that opens the door to understanding God’s word. Amen?

LUKE 8:11-15 

Every single seed has the ability to produce a huge harvest. 

THE ISSUE IS NOT WITH THE SEED; IT’S WITH THE SOIL. 

THE FOOTPATH

GOD’S WORD + HARD HEART = NO UNDERSTANDING 

THE ROCK

“There was something that they did not have in connection with the spirit of God, who waters the word. When we speak of spiritual dew, we refer to the operation of the Holy Spirit. When we talk of the river of the water of life, we mean those sacred things which come streaming down to us from the throne of God through the working of the Spirit of God.”

GOD’S WORD + STRIVING HEART = NO POWER

THE THORNS

GOD’S WORD + DISTRACTED HEART = STUNTED GROWTH

THE GOOD GROUND

GOD’S WORD + PURE HEART = GROWTH 

GOD’S WORD GROWS IN GUARDED HEART

PROVERBS 4:23 

Check-Heart Status

• Is my heart hard or soft? (Do I really want to understand?) 

• Is my heart dry? (Am I relying on the Holy Spirit’s help or my own?)

• Is my heart choked out? (Am I distracted?) 

• Is my heart pure? (Am I willing to hear, trust, obey, and be patient?)