Seven Mile Road Houston

Stay the Course! | 2 Timothy 3:1-17

Big Idea: “Beware the Self-Love path! Godly disciple-makers and biblical teaching pave a better road!”

Beware the Self Love Path. All the distress and heartache of the spirit of the age erupts from love of self. Here are some of the marks to know if you are on the path of self love: This path is NOT the one to be pursued. If you realize you are moving down this road, BEWARE! This path is POWERLESS, to be AVOIDED, and is a DEAD END ROAD.

Godly Disciple-Makers and Biblical Teaching Pave a Better Road. Godly Disciple-Makers -- Here we have the Disciple-Maker’s play book. 1 part formal, 8 parts informal. Enduring suffering and sharing the whole of life while your disciples watch. Biblical Teaching – The sacred writings are powerful. God’s very breath. Like the warm honey breath of Aslan, making us brave, reminding us of what is truth.

A better road – self love is a dead end. This road paved by faithful disciple makers leads to salvation and to completion. Ultimately, this is not a one and done issue. We determine each morning, noon and night which road we are going to move down. A faithful disciple maker and an open bible remind us of the gospel. We remember that our “self” is riddled with sin and needs to be crucified. We lay down our love of self in humility and brokenness. Then we experience love and renewal through the welcoming and forgiving love of Jesus. This breaks us of our destructive self-love path and sets us free to drive the highway that leads to salvation and fruitfulness.

6 Discipleship Minimums

- Disciple-Making must be gospel-centered.
- Disciple-Making is ALL about multiplication.
- Disciple-Making requires GRIT.
- Disciple-Makers rest on his perfect faithfulness, not theirs.
- Disciple-Makers focus on his Word, not theirs.
- Disciple-Makers are serious about holiness.

The Bridge Builder. Isaiah 9:1-7

Big Idea: Our journey from (tumultuous) despair to (bright) wholeness requires trust in the Promised Child.

- We live in a world filled with tumultuous despair.

- At the other end of the bridge is glory, light, joy, peace, and justice.

- God has given us Jesus as the bridge. He promised child brings us peace.

Advent Week 3: Magi and Kings. Matthew 2:1-12.

God’s global mission demands we build bridges across cultural barriers.

-God’s Global Mission
- Bridge Building requires courage
- Bridge Building requires humility
- Bridge Building is Transformative

We are created as equal and distinct genders that build bridges to one another by offering God our unreserved “Yes”.

Thru the Angels coming to the Shepherds we learn that everybody is valuable, everybody is broken, and the gospel is for everybody.

1. A Pharisee striving for a hero’s welcome.

2. A Tax Collector deeply aware of his need.

3. A Hero brought low that we might be brought home.

1. Stop trying to outrun death’s shadow… It will leave you dissatisfied and restless to deny your mortality.

2. Learn from Death’s Shadow.

3. The outcome when we learn these lessons.