Upper Room - Ohio

Worship in Heaven

"Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this." And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come." Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, "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.""

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭4:1-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

http://bible.com/116/rev.4.1-11.nlt

No miracles or healings are happening in Heaven, yet they can't quit exclaiming "Holy, holy, holy"

Every second God reveals something to the angels. When we worship, He will reveal something new EVERY time!!!! Worship is worshiping because of WHO He is, praise is thanking him for what He has done!!!

This is the year of breakTHROUGH!!!

God is to be the center of EVERY thing

II Chronicles 7:14...an atmosphere of worship heals the land

When we lean in to Him, through the blessings and sufferings, we come through

We have to imagine and dream and ask (partner with Him)

This is a kairos moment-opportunity knocks....Go for it!!!

We are glinting to go into the year expecting Victory!!!!

We will give him our first fruits in 2018.

Can you imagine Gideon as the angel told him "You are going to win this battle"?

Let's give him the first three months in our church, house and work!!!

Some promises need stewarded.

"They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.""

‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

http://bible.com/111/act.16.31.niv

"How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation."

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭4:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

http://bible.com/111/dan.4.3.niv

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.""

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

http://bible.com/111/jos.24.15.niv

Joshua was making a declaration because there is power in the spoken word. An allegiance to the One Living God!!!

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

http://bible.com/111/2ch.7.14.niv

"Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction."

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭29:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

http://bible.com/111/pro.29.18.niv

Joshua declared this is the way we are going.

Habakkuk 2:2...write down your declarations

He is the God of the impossible

Ephesians 3:20-21

Christmas Eve Service 2017 by Upper Room - Ohio

This is the third week of advent!!!! Such an exciting time of expectancy.

The song "Wreckless Love" Jesus left the 99 to go after the 1. He didn't leave us alone, we have each other.

This time of the year, How can we not look up and say, "What's next, Jesus?".

"With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught."

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

bible.com/111/luk.1.3-4.niv

Elizabeth was barren but, was considered righteous. Zachariah in vs. 2 was startled!!!!

"In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God."

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:5-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

bible.com/111/luk.1.5-16.niv

Petition is a request or supplication, supplication carries more weight than a simple request!!!

"Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.""

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

bible.com/111/luk.1.18.niv

The highlight above describes the amazing things that was foretold of their son.

"Your a momma eagle not a momma chicken. Your job is to teach them to fly!!!"

Did Mary and Elizabeth really know what was going to happen to their little boys??? The grace needed to know and forgive what happened truly happened, to know the true plan of God that their lives had to go through!!!

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6:17-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

bible.com/111/1ti.6.17-19.niv

Paul was content with or without. Can you go through 25 days of contentment???!

May we never lose our wonder!!! Who will you bless this week!!!!

"All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper ), and to prayer.

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved."

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭2:42, 44-47‬ ‭NLT‬‬

bible.com/116/act.2.42,44-47.nlt

We come here to gather around for the love for another that we find in God, not to gather around theology!!!!!

Pastor Aaron's job is not to prove anyone wrong, but to prove what he has found and is living as an example.

Joseph's View:

"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. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. 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. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet: "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.'" When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus."

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1:18-25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

bible.com/116/mat.1.18-25.nlt

Verses: Luke 1:5-24

Matthew 3:7-12

Galatians 5:22-23

Phil 4:8

Notes:

-Every environmental will perpetuate itself

-Every House is incubating something

-Zacharias & Elisabeth had a home ripe for a blessing (son)

-John the Baptist was going after changing homes, preparing the way for Jesus to affect EVERY home

-we need to change our hearts on the inside, not just outside

-We must start with changing our own house first!

-Goal: Get fire burning at home and KEEP it burning!!

-A healthy house has these things:

1. Unconditional love

2. Freedom with responsibility

3. Disagreeing without being disagreeable

4. Expectation to be powerful

5. Selflessly living for others while stating your own needs

6. Fun!

*What is your home ripe for? How will you cultivate it? How do you respond to disaster/blessing?

*What unhealthy ecosystem is in your home? What need does this meet for you? Repent. Ask God to exchange it for something!

Verses: Psalms 23

John 3:16-17

John 17:21

Matthew 18:15-20

2 Samuel

I Kings 10:1-13, 11:1-43

Notes:

-We are family, but choose to be friends

-There is a place for everyone at the table

-There are only believers & pre-believers

-The Table is a place for friendship, unity and honor

-The Table is a place to reconcile our differences

-we come together simply because we believe (let small stuff go)

-The culture of honor creates a heart connection and unity, especially through difficulty

-In conflict, go directly to the person; then with witnesses if needed, then to the church if not resolved

-David always honored Saul, and gave Saul's grandson a seat at his table out of honor

-Solomon asked for 1 thing: wisdom

-The dinner table is an invitation to creativity, innovation, and blessing

Verses: Leviticus 24

Exodus 25,35

Revelation 3:20

Acts 2:42-47

John 6:35-40

Notes:

*every Table is an opportunity

*intimacy starts at a dinner table, with a heart connection

*when you aren’t at the table, something is missing

*8 tables in tabernacle

*8 represents resurrection, regeneration, new beginnings

*Every new season =a new beginning, but with honor and reflection of the past

*We must sacrifice at the Altar BEFORE we can go into His presence

*He’s inviting us to commune with Him

*offer yourself as a living sacrifice

*people met regularly in the Acts Church, and had UNITY

* there’s a place for everyone at the table!

Theme: Veterans (Matt)

Verses: John 15:13

I Samuel 18:1-4

II Samuel 9:7-8

Notes:

*We are volunteers in the Lord’s Army

*Jesus volunteered to sacrifice his life for us

*We can all serve with purpose

*There is always a higher calling

*Loyalty is so important

*Don’t be a deserter...don’t give up

*Jonathan had such love for David

*Jonathan had David’s back

*If not for Jonathan, where would we be?...Jesus came from the lineage of David

*Don’t pick and choose where and what you do...do all you can!!

*When you serve, you serve God

* Find a way to serve

Protestant Reformation 500th Anniversary Celebration - Steve Justice - November 5th, 2017

Verses: Romans 1:16-17

Romans 3:21-25

Ephesians 2:8-9

Romans 11:36

Notes:

-Martin Luther saw the Word as inconsistent with teachings from the Catholic Church

-He went from hating righteousness to loving it

-He believed scripture was ABOVE ALL

-He was labeled a heretic

-He challenged the Catholic Church on their beliefs,teachings, etc and was kicked out

-He began preaching the Word of God(He preached over 6,000 sermons in 24 yrs)

-Reformed churches became places where people came to hear the Word of God preached; it changed their lives

-5 themes from Luther:

1)scripture alone (is our Authority)

2)grace alone (by God)

3)faith alone (from God)

4)Christ alone (only way)

5)Glory of God (It’s ALL about Him)