Thrive.Church Weekly Message

[John 2:1-3 ESV] On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. [2] Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. [3] When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."

Our __________________ is an opportunity for God's __________________.

[Philippians 4:19 ESV] And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

You can't have a miracle without a __________________.

Don't just run to Jesus when your __________________ run out.

[John 2:4-5 ESV] And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." [5] His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

God's miracles begin with our __________________.

[John 2:6-10 ESV] Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. [7] Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. [8] And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. [9] When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom [10] and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now."

We should keep __________________ God even when it seems like __________________ is happening.

[James 1:22 NIV] Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

God's __________________ is on the way!

[Genesis 1:1-4] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. [3] Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. [4] And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.

The first thing God ever gave us was ______________. It was also the first thing he gave us on ________________________.

[Exodus 13:21] The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.

[Psalm 27:1a] The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid?

____________________ of the Messiah:

[Isaiah 9:2] The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

The prophecy ____________________:

[John 1:1-12] In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He existed in the beginning with God. [3] God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. [4] The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. [6] God sent a man, John the Baptist, [7] to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. [8] John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. [9] The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. [10] He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. [11] He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. [12] But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

The same God that created light ___________________ light.

God used light to announce Jesus' birth to the _____________________ and the _____________________.

[Luke 2:8] That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,

[Matthew 2:9-10] After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

Jesus' birth wasn't announced to the religious but to the _____________ and _______________.

[John 8:12] Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

In order to follow someone you have to take a __________________.

[Ephesians 5:8-11] For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! [9] For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. [10] Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. [11] Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.

I choose to take a step and follow Jesus as my Lord? _________

[Proverbs 16:5 AMP] Everyone who is proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting and exceedingly offensive to the LORD; Be assured he will not go unpunished.

Pride is taking _________________ for what God has done.

[Daniel 5:1-4] King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. [2] While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. [3] So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. [4] While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

There is only _________________ true living God.

[Daniel 5:5-6] Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king's palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, [6] and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him.

We can turn to God in times of _________________!

God _________________ those who walk in _________________.

[Luke 14:11] For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

God will bring _________________ those who are full of _________________.

[Daniel 5:25-28] "This is the message that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. [26] This is what these words mean: [Mene] means 'numbered'--God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. [27] [Tekel] means 'weighed'--you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up. [28] [Parsin] means 'divided'--your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

God loves to work through the _______________________.

[Matthew 1:18-25] This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. [19] Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. [20] As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. [21] And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: [23] “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” [24] When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. [25] But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Something you have to _______________.

For God to change your ________ first he has to change your ________.

Hard to accept a change that you ____________ have a say in.

Something you have to _______________.

Is God calling me to obey something I don't ___________________?

What often seems like an interruption is an ___________________ to experience God in your life.

[Luke 1:28-31, 34-35] Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” [29] Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. [30] “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! [31] You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. [34] Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? [35] The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

Something you have to _______________.

It's time to ____________ and give birth to what God planted in you.

Something you have to _______________.

__________________ begins with something you believe.

It's easier to embrace the pain of change when you know the ___________________.

We can embrace the change life brings when you're _________________ in something that never will change.

[Hebrews 13:8] Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

[John 19:17] Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).

[John 20:6] Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there,

We can embrace the change by clinging to the _______________.

[2 Corinthians 5:17] This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

[Mark 14:1-9 ESV] It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, [2] for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people." [3] And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. [4] There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that? [5] For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her. [6] But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. [7] For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. [8] She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. [9] And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her."

Worship isn't about the ________________ we ________________, but the ________________ we bring.

[Romans 12:1] And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Most people won't _____________________ when you make a sacrifice for God.

We give _____________________ to the things we worship.

[John 12:1-3] Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus--the man he had raised from the dead. [2] A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. [3] Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.

Extravagant worship is ________________ God the ________________ of what we have.

Our worship should be ______________________.

[Revelation 4:11] "You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased."

Worship seems like a ________________ to the world.

[John 15:1-8] “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. [3] You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. [5] “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. [6] Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. [7] But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! [8] When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

When you find yourself in winter season it is often because God wants to ______________ you for something.

We won't always know _________, but we can ask ____________ God wants us to do.

A season of _________________ is often after a season that seems ___________________.

I don't get to choose the _______________ but I can choose my _______________.

Sometimes God will use my winter season to __________ something from me.

If you don't bear fruit you get _______________, if you do bear fruit you get _______________.

If I really want to be a disciple of Jesus I must _______________.

If I have to go through something hard I might as well get ____________________ out of it.

God uses winter season to ______ something through you.

God isn't putting you in winter to punish you or _______________ with you, it's to _______________ you.

[1 Peter 1:6-7] So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. [7] These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

When you allow God to prepare and prune you, He will _________ His glory through you and you'll ___________ much fruit.

[Psalm 23:4 KJV] 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.

There's ______________ for you!

[Luke 15:11-13] To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. [12] The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now before you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. [13] "A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.

You ______________ need to hit rock bottom to turn to Jesus.

[Luke 15:20-24] "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. [21] His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.' [22] "But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. [23] And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, [24] for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began.

We all have the opportunity to find forgiveness & _____________ in our Heavenly Father.

[Luke 15:1-3] Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. [2] This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people--even eating with them! [3] So Jesus told them this story:

This story was directed towards the _________________ people.

[Luke 15:25-28] "Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, [26] and he asked one of the servants what was going on. [27] 'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.' [28] "The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, 

It's easy to become ______________ of God's blessings to others.

[Luke 15:29-30] but he replied, 'All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. [30] Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!' 

We always ______________ the comparison game.

God doesn't ______________ us anything, but He gives each of us mercy and ______________.

[Luke 15:31-32] "His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. [32] We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"

[Galatians 6:4-5,7-10 MSG] Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. [7-8] Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. [9-10] So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

The days seem __________ but years always seem __________.

[Psalm 90:12] Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Two different types of time:

Chronos: space of ____________; interval.

Kairos: the ____________ time; opportune time.

[Romans 5:6] When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

We live in ______________ but God lives in ______________.

Long stretches darkness, invisibility & silence separate _________________ from _________________.

The harvest is inevitable but growth is ____________________.

Every moment has the __________________ to be a God moment if you want to find God in the moment.

[Matthew 7:7-8] “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

If you miss the _____________ you might miss a _____________.

[Ephesians 3:12] Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

When ____________________________ is in you, you don't need to wait for a “God moment.”

[Psalm 100:4] Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

[Ephesians 5:16 KJV] Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

We often miss _________________ because we despise the _________________.

Learn to _________________ the moment rather than letting the moments master you.

You can have a life-changing _______________ on the people you care about.

[Mark 2:1-4] 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. 

Don't _______________ ___________ so easily!

Don't underestimate the power of __________________ someone to Jesus.

[Mark 2:5-7] 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!"

Only God has the _______________ to _________________ sins.

[Mark 2:8-12] 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 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!"

Our ultimate need isn't to be free from our ______________ but to be made _______________ with God.

[Romans 3:21-24] But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. [22] We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. [23] For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. [24] Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

_______________ in Jesus unlocks ____________________ from Jesus.

[Ecclesiastes 3:1] For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

[Ecclesiastes 3:11a] Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

[Ephesians 1:10] And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.

God schedules every ________________________ in your life.

Stop trying to live in _____________________________ season

There's a ________________________ in every season

My season has a ________________________.

[Galatians 6:9] So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Every Season is shaped by ___________________________

We can prolong a hard season by _______________________.

[Psalm 69:30] I will sing praises to God's name! I will magnify him as I give him thanks!

We need to count our blessings and turn them into PRAISE.

Every Season has ______________________ You Can Seize

[Ephesians 5:20] And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[2 Corinthians 12:9-10] Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [10] That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

[Psalm 118:24] This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

[Philippians 1:6] And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.