You are sinners . . . Yet, you are washed, justified, sanctified. It’s because of what God did FOR you. You don’t have to keep the list! God is looking for broken-hearted people . . . people that are excited to do whatever He asks. Romans 8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. God set you free! From the law of sin and death. Is this sin? Can I go this far? That’s the minimum righteous question! Instead ask, does this help me run? Let us lay aside every weight and every sin which doth easily beset us and let us run!

We DO LIFE together! Believers should not go to the ‘unrighteous’ to solve conflict . . . resolve conflict one on one. If that isn’t possible, bring in an elder. Better to accept wrong than to go the ‘unrighteous’ for judgement.

God is FOR you! If you’ve repented, taken your sins to the cross . . . You Are Free! God’s word is here for you, be obedient and do them. Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee Isaiah 54:10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed Malachi 3:10 prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Matthew 6:31-33 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

It shouldn’t be ‘how far away can we get’? But how close to Jesus can we get? Don’t judge me! Outside the church, we shouldn’t be judging . . . inside the church, we need to judge. Mostly ourselves, but also others if we have the love to help them. Judging without condemnation. A big picture of this is the Jewish tradition of searching the house for leaven, and getting rid of it! The leaven represents sin. God says He can change our lives, by changing the way we think!

Roger Owen preaches from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Ezekiel describes some of the glory that Lucifer had before he fell. In Isaiah 14, we see some of the ‘I Will’ statements from Lucifer. 1. I will ascend into heaven. 2. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. 3. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. 4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. 5. I will be like the Most High. What we see here is that ‘I will’ is in opposition to God’s will. Look at your decisions . . . see if it really is God’s will, or if it’s your will. Ask God to open your eyes – to show you His will.

Chris Martin teaches on how to honor God and live in a busy world. What do you do with your imperfections? Do internalize them? Or do you allow them out . . . so others can help? Invite wise counsel! It is a really good thing to have people around you that you can go to, at any time for counsel and for wisdom!

Roger Owen takes us through Isaiah 13 showing us how God is in control of all the events that happen. The God of the Bible is the big and powerful God. He does what He pleases.

Margins - The distance between our sin nature and our Christianity. The goal is to get you separated from your sin . . . if you are a Christian, you have all that you need to accomplish this. Lower vs higher righteousness question - 1. Is this a sin? vs. 2. Does this draw me closer to Christ? Take every thought captive. Why? Because you are free! You are FREE! You're clean! So, if you are going to sin . . . you have to CHOOSE to!

Isaiah is talking about how we will worship God in the future. God was ANGRY with His people! God poured out all that anger on His Son! It’s over, It’s done. God is our salvation! Will you trust God for your salvation? Will you trust God in the hard times? When you do not trust God – you mis-represent Him.

What does it take to STAND? What does it take to RUN? Willingness, resolve, endurance, faith, trust. Faith: The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses Rahab, Gideon, Barak Samson, Jepthah . . . these all believed in something that they couldn’t see. Out of weakness they were made strong! Don’t look for a “problem-free” life! Flatline means dead . . . James 1:2 Count it all joy when you fall into various trials . . . testing . . . It’s easier to stand when you have a wall of people praying for you, a wall of armor! Find some people to be your wall! Don’t stand alone!