JOY STORY 4

Break Up

Joy is a supernatural delight found:

In the person of God

In the purposes of God

In the people of God

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Relationship with God changes our perspective of our relationships with others.

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The co-existence of our will and God’s will is God’s ultimate desire.

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God would rather see His own son die than break a covenant!

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We can be as passionate as we like about relationships but we still may find that they slip through our grasp.

Isaiah 58 – highs and lows

What erodes?

What undermines?

Choices

Choices quickly and easily impact every aspect of our lives.

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Eve made choices.

Adam made choices.

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Are the choices you are making expressing the kind of covenant God has with you? Are the choices you are making expressing that covenant with your spouse, your family and your church?

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Every choice effects your covenants

You are not devoid of relational consequence

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Jesus had the capability of completely setting aside His will to do the will of the Father.

John 6:38 (NLT)

For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.

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He knew that He had completely surrendered to the Father because He could not plan a better outcome. He could not suppose a better consequences.

World seeking rights and free choice BUT…

The best consequences come from the choices of the Father not our own.

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Love right – loving like Jesus

Choose right – thinking like Jesus

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OUR RELATIONSHIP (COVENANT) WITH GOD IS ENHANCED THROUGH THE CHOICES WE MAKE

Break up with GOD and we break up with OTHERS

1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT

For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

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Making choices devoid of the Father we are directly undermining the possibility of joy in our relationships

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Jesus Made choices that aligned to His purpose (the will of the Father)

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When we have no purpose we drift and lose focus from the Word of God.

Joy – found is the PURPOSE of God

MAKE CHOICES 

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1. THAT PLACES PURPOSE OVER POPULARITY

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PURPOSE OVER POPULARITY

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LIVING FOR THE APPROVAL OF PEOPLE (commonality  of the masses) KEEPS YOU FROM THE PURPOSES OF GOD.

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Hebrews 11:24-26

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 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.

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THE POWER OF PURPOSE

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PURPOSE DIMINISHES DISTRACTIONS.

PURPOSE PUSHES YOU THROUGH THE PAIN.

PURPOSE EMPOWERS YOU TO PLEASE GOD.

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Acts 5:29

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

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2. DISCIPLINE OVER REGRET

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GOD HAS GIVEN US A SOUND MIND

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and sound mind (self-discipline).

CHOOSING the Pain of DISCIPLINE rather than living in the pain of REGRET and SHAME.

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DISCIPLINE IS CHOOSING BETWEEN WHAT YOU WANT NOW AND WHAT YOU WANT MOST.

Romans 7:15, 18b-19, 24-25 NLT

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate…

I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 

I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway…

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 

Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Choosing what I want most over what I want now!

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NLT

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

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WHAT DO YOU WANT MOST?

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CHOOSE NOW TO ACHIEVE WHAT YOU WANT MOST?

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1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT

So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. 

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3. CHOOSE SURRENDER OVER CONTROL

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

CONTROL GONE BAD

Genesis 16:1-4

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 

so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 

So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 

He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. 

NAME WHAT OR WHO YOU ARE TRYING TO CONTROL.

THREE QUESTIONS THAT WILL HELP YOU CHOOSE SURRENDER OVER CONTROL

IS IT WORTH MY CONCERN?

IS IT MINE TO CONTROL?

IS IT FOR GOD ALONE?

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

BREAKING UP WITH GOD IS HARD TO DO

Because of His Grace

BREAKING UP WITH OTHERS IS EASY

Because of our choices

Choices erode the evidence of Gods grace in our lives

How can we be more involved in our communities?

We need practice seeking out situations where we can help in ways we are able to., whether that is financially supporting a local ministry or simply being on a prayer team that focuses on prayer for specific people.

Zach Spiegle is the head of Bold As A Lion ministries and he was featured on the panel in tonight's discussion. As you listen, really open your heart to God and ask Him what YOU can do to be a worker for Christ!

Joy Story 2

Choosing to Love Right

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

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Joy is a supernatural delight found:

In the person of God

In the purposes of God

In the people of God

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Reltional Containers

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Relationship with God changes our perspective of our relationships with others.

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AT LAST!

Genesis 2:18-25

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.

He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

“At last!” the man exclaimed.“This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!

She will be called ‘woman,’because she was taken from ‘man.’”

This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

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Genesis 2:23 ESV

Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

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Genesis 2:23 NKJV

And Adam said: This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”

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Hebrew - the tapping of ones fingers while waiting in eager anticipation?

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If Adam anticipated Eve, he must have at very least desired not to be on his own. He must have had some kind of imaginations of the heart. He must have felt incomplete.

God made him perfect, his own imaginations made him feel he needed more. His perfection was the ability to have free will that could miraculously align to God’s will.

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Genesis 2:16-17

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 

But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 

except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

The completion of creation was manifest in mankind’s ability to desire more, dream of more, create more… within the incredible boundaries of God’s will.

When God saw man could choose and desire and dream with HIM, He called His creation VERY GOOD.

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The co-existence of our will and God’s will is God’s ultimate dream (Purpose and worship)

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OBEDIENCE

We have come to know this concept in a fallen broken world as obedience. But in relationship with God true obedience is freedom of exploring our dreams and desires within the wonder of God’s dreams and desires.

Relational obedience: Ideating, dreaming and desiring WITH God.  “AT LAST…”

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AT LAST - JOY

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Made in His image - He has a will - We have a will

The wonder of God’s Love is that he wants to accommodate our will. He wants to see us express it and meander with Him in eternal discovery always marveling at His abounding never ending will and dreams for us.   “AT LAST…”

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Ephesians 5:21

…submitting to one another in the fear of God.

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Love is discovering how our dreams and desires can co-exist with one another (just as He desired Adams to coexist with His) and then the ultimate expression of love is entwining our “free will” with His.

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Maximizing Our Relationship Potential

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Free Will Love is Complex

Free will love is deep and messy and crazy and confusing and peaceful and unsettling and warm and fuzzy all at the same time…

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Just like God has different names through scripture, so does love.

Provider - Jireh

Heals - Rapha…

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Love manifests in scripture according to the need. (Relational)

Not what we can get but what we can give…

Storge – empathy bond.

Philia – friend bond.

Eros – romantic love.

Agape – unconditional "God" love.

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JESUS WILL

God sends Jesus to demonstrate His will, His desire to entwine His will and ours…

Jesus then lives a life showing us HOW to present the right facet of love in the right moment. Love to others and love to God!

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LOVING RIGHT IS LOVING LIKE JESUS

Loving like Jesus stirs our desires and dreams, mingles them with others dreams and desires, all in the wonder of God’s Will (Love)

There’s so much pain and hurt in the world, sometimes it's hard to see anything else. But what if, when we looked around, all we saw was love

DIVINE OSMOSIS = GRACE

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1. FORGIVES SINNERS

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

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Luke 23:32-34

 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with [Jesus] to be executed.

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

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HOW DO YOU FORGIVE LIKE JESUS?

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PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HURT YOU.

Luke 6:28 NLT

Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

Matthew 5:43-44

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

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FORGIVE AS YOU’VE BEEN FORGIVEN.

Colossians 3:13

 …Forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

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2. SERVE ONE ANOTHER

John 13:1-2

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.

Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.

John 13:4-5

So [Jesus] got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13:1

…Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

Serve when we are feeling good, when those who hurt us are busy planning to hurt us again, when we are feeling anxious, when we are at our weak moments, serve whenever…

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3. SPEND TIME TOGETHER

Like marriage like church

Cool of the evening

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Luke 7:34

The Son of Man came eating and drinking…

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

All the believers were together and had everything in common.

They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

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SPEND TIME WITH…

Those who agree

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,

not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Friends, family, wife, husband - take them for granted

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Those who don’t agree…

Acts 2:46-47

…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Prosperity and growth in relationships comes from fellowship not from providing or material means.

Witness and testimony

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Personal Testimony

WHY ARE MANY LIVING A SPIRIT-LESS LIFE? 

·     SOME AREN’T AWARE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Acts 19:1-3

·     SOME RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT.

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Acts 7:51

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL 

·     COMFORT YOU.

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever… John 14:16 KJV

·     COUNSEL YOU.             

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. John 16:13

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21

·     CONVICT YOU.

8 When (the Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: John 16:8

 

 

THE ULTIMATE GIFT 

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 6:23

 

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us…

Romans 12:6 NIV

 

A SPIRITUAL GIFT IS A SUPERNATURAL ABILITY GIVEN TO ALL CHRISTIANS TO DO GOD’S WORK ON EARTH.  

1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant…4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 

1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-6 NIV

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT

SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE NOT 

1)   NATURAL TALENTS.

2)   GIVEN TO THE ELITE FEW.

3)   SIGN OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY. 

4)   FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT. 

5)   SOMETHING TO FEAR. 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS? 

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:6-8 NLT

7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NLT

HOW DO YOU DISCOVER YOUR GIFTS?

  

1)   STUDY WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT GIFTS.

2)   ASK GOD TO SHOW YOU YOUR GIFTS.

3)   EXAMINE WHAT YOU ENJOY AND DO WELL.

4)   TAKE A SPIRITUAL GIFT TEST.

5)   DO WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS YOU TO DO.

10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT

 

 

 

To identify your spiritual gifts, start by asking yourself these questions:

 

What do I ENJOY doing the most?

 

What do I do that seems to have the most IMPACT on other people?

 

What do I SECRETLY believe I can do, but I’ve just never tried?

 

What’s something other people tell me I’m GOOD at?

 

Get Your Assessment Here [1]

Share Your Gifts Here [2]

 

[1] https://brownwood.victorylife.media/spiritual-gifts/

[2] https://victorylifechurch.churchcenter.com/people/forms/216706

Joy Story

Relationships That Last

To Infinity and Beyond

When I feel loved I love others better!

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James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

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Joy is Supernatural

Joy is a supernatural delight found:

In the person of God

In the purposes of God

In the people of God

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IN THE PERSON OF GOD

Through Jesus

Colossians 1:15-16 (NLT)

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

Life is found in relationship with God

Jesus came to present us with God so we could have life

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IN THE PURPOSE OF GOD

Being in close relationship with God is a supernatural process:

Relationship with God gives us purpose.(FAITH)

Purpose Gives us Identity. (BELONGING)

Identity Gives us PEACE (in relationship, peace is a good thing)

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Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

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Faith is directly connected to your relationship with God because faith is directly connected to your purpose.

James 2:23 (NLT)

And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

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GOD IS LOOKING FOR A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU BECAUSE HE WANTS YOUR PURPOSE TO BE EVIDENT

HE KNOWS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM BRINGS PEACE TO YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

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John 4:23 (NLT)

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

Genesis 3:8-9 (NLT)

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.

Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

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RELATIONAL AUTHORITY

Because our relationships with others are based on our relationship with God, He has authority over our relationships.

He defined the nature of all relationships in such a way that they would maximize our expression of our relationship with Him.

Ephesians 5:23-24 (NLT)

For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.

As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

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Being in close relationship with God is a supernatural process

Being in close relationship with God has supernatural consequences on our relationships with others

Matthew 5:23-24 (NLT)

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,

Leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

You can not be expressing your relationship with the Father if you are not expressing your relationship as defined by the Father with others

James 3:9-10 (NLT)

We use our tongue to praise God our Father[a] and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image!

Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sister, this should never be!

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IN THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Relationship with God changes our perspective of our relationships with others.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Relationship with God changes our perspective of our relationships with others.

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Finding Joy in our relationship with God and others is a universe away than simply being happy in our relationships.

I dont want a happy marriage

I want a joyful one

Joy is a supernatural delight that is found in relationship with the Father and overflows into my relationships with others.

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When we have God as our primary relationship we don not fall into the trap of making an idol out of any human relationship.

The story of you and God and the story of you and others

LOVE STORY - That which makes ordinary relationships divine

I SAY YES - Covenants Commitments (you can’t speak about God behind His back because He never turns His back).

BREAK UP - What keeps us from divine relationships

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Rhythms of Endurance 4

SPIRIT

 

Now more than ever, we need to stand/endure.

Stand for what God truly is

Not just stand against human character deterioration.

More than just another human argument or reasoning

Stand for something that this world has never seen.

A church that can truly unite

 

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Faith = Trust and Obedience

Hope = God focussed imagination.

Love = You Have Been Loved from the Beginning!

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What must I add to my faith, hope, and love so that I can endure?

 

We have drifted so far from the source of these three that we have begun to believe that they are sourced from our strengths and imaginations…

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When we have “fo” faith, we experience plastic endurance.

When we conjure up hope based on our own imagination, we die because the fire is too hot.

When we fake love, we are divorced before our first wedding anniversary

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Basing it on counterfeit faith, hope, and love.

Self conjured qualities.

Trying to walk through life without the real thing.

 

When we build our endurance on our own strengths, we will do life in a constant state of exhaustion.(natural)

 

Love, faith, and hope received and shaped from a divine source lift us from the mundane to the supernatural.

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We try to define it instead of receiving it.

 

We write beautiful stories about love, make movies about hope, and build religions with various expressions of faith.

 

A life of faith, hope, and love constructed on our own understanding never lift us to the expansive dream of God; it never inspires us behind what we can imagine and will never see us conquer that which is our greatest fears. But when we are willing to receive in humility a portion and definition of divine faith, hope, and love, our lives transcended the natural, and we are able to walk in an atmosphere of the supernatural. 

 

Pride prevents us from enjoying the wonder of covenanting with a divine being we cannot see, let alone want to obey!

 

Our lack of supernatural surrender is caused by our inability to receive faith, hope, and love that we have not defined and can comprehend.

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LIFE IS FOUND IN THE PRESENCE OF AND IN RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR SUPERNATURAL GOD

 

A pathway that God lays out so we can transcend this human conjured quagmire.

 

John 14:16-17

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

 

“The born again experience results in a new heart and spirit that leads to a restored relation to God.” Joey Bishop

 

Ezekiel 36:26-27

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

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WHY ARE MANY LIVING A SPIRIT-LESS LIFE? 

 

SOME AREN’T AWARE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

 

 Acts 19:1-3

 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

 

 

SOME RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT.

 

 Acts 7:51

"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 

 

Pride

Blessings and Obedience.

Human society seems to be hell-bent on operating in an authority they have no right to take.

 

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 COUNSELOR HOLY SPIRIT

 

The Holy Spirit is here to help us get through (conqueror) but not just get through be victorious (more than conqueror). He does this by lifting our attention towards Jesus and pressing us to be obedient to the promises of God.

 

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

 

The Holy Spirit presses you towards the pattern of the Christ!

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 THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL…

 

COMFORT YOU.

 

 John 14:16

 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever…

 

COUNSEL YOU.

 

 John 16:13

 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.

 

Isaiah 30:21

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

 

CONVICT YOU.

John 16:8-9 When (the Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me

 

CONVICTS TO CONVERT

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THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Acts 1:4-5, 8

On one occasion, while (Jesus) was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 

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HOLY SPIRIT GIVES YOU THE POWER

 

1) TO SHARE CHRIST BOLDLY.

 

 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

 

2) WHEN YOU ARE WEAK.

 

 Romans 8:26

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

 

 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me... For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

3) TO HAVE HOPE IN A HOPELESS WORLD.

 

 Romans 15:13

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

4) TO EXPERIENCE ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD.

 

 Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

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Now more than ever, the world needs a supernatural response. You are that response! Supernatural faith, supernatural hope, and supernatural love.

 

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Take Out

Unfollow or leave a group on Facebook that keeps you in a state of exhaustion or argument.

What one thing are you seeking God for a supernatural answer?

Note one thing today where you felt you needed to be immediately obedient. Where you?

Pray earnestly to have an open heart each day for the Holy Spirit to guide you to supernatural faith, hope, and love.

Rhythms of Endurance – Love

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Faith, Hope, and Love

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Endurance: The fact of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way, the capacity of something to withstand wear and tear.

Pastor Craig: Faith is the ability to move imagination towards reality. Faith brings God’s dreams for us into focus despite our circumstances.

Pastor Frankie: Hope is a joyful expectation. A feeling of trust or being confident in God’s promise and faithfulness.

1 Corinthians 13:7-8a

(Love)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

1. Love BELIEVES! – It stirs up our faith, wakes it up, breaths life into it!

2. Love HOPES! – Love rekindles our imagination and helps us dream again.

3. Love ENDURES! It cannot be stopped!

You Have Been Loved from the Beginning!

Genesis 1,2

God demonstrated His love for mankind from the beginning. They were placed in a perfect world with a perfect God, lacking nothing.

Broken Relationship

Genesis 3:9-13

Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

So, he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded (John 14:15) you that you should not eat?”

Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Afraid – 1 John 4:18

They stopped allowing God to perfect them by His love.

1. Insecurities

2. God is mad at me

3. I don’t deserve, healing, forgiveness, blessings etc…

Don’t project your thoughts on God!

Commanded – John 14:15

Humanity did not obey the command.

1. Broken trust

2. Where’s the love?

Deceived – Colossians 2:8

Humanity believed the lies of the enemy

1. Lies we believe either about ourselves or God shift our focus off of His love.(desert)

2. Believing a lie as if it is true will affect you as if it is true.

The sin of humanity did not affect God’s love for us, but it did affect our love for Him and each other.

Romans 5:7-9 TPT

“Now, who of us would dare to die for the sake of a wicked person? We can all understand if someone was willing to die for a truly noble person. But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly! And there is still much more to say of his unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in my sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God.”

John 15:13 TPT

“For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends.”

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Psalm 136:26 NLT

“Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.”

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Psalm 139:17-18 NLT

“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

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Develop a rhythm of meditating on scriptures that declare God’s love for you.

Matthew 22:37-40

“Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.””

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Deuteronomy 6:4-9““Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 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. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

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Why were we commanded to love God and People?

(No heart change)

Ezekiel 36:26-27

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

(Jeremiah 31:33)

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The born again experience results in a new heart and spirit that leads to a restored relation to God.

Imitators of God!

Ephesians 5:1-2 TPT

Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as his beloved sons and daughters. 2 And continue to walk surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ, for he surrendered his life as a sacrifice for us. His great love for us was pleasing to God, like an aroma of adoration—a sweet healing fragrance.

We are to be….

1. Transformed by His love!

2. Reproduce after it! Multiply it!

3. Be made just like it!

We were designed from the beginning to be an expression and extension of God’s love.

Develop rhythms of expressing and extending God’s love to all you come in contact with.

Walk it out

1. Find one scripture that declares God’s love for you and meditate on it.

2. What is your favorite song about God’s love? Put it on repeat and share it with a friend or family member!

3. Call or text someone who showed you God’s love and tell them how much you appreciate them.

4. Perform one random act of kindness today. Snap a pic of the persons face and post it to Facebook.

Groups

1 Peter 4:7-10

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” (Rehoboth) Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Acts 2:46-47

So, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Groups

1. Serve our community

2. Serve our church

3. Study the word

4. Be lead by the Spirit

The Rhythms of Endurance – Hope

Recap

1. The Elements of Endurance

a. 1 Corinthians 13:13 – Until then, there are three things that remain: faith, HOPE and love.

2. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) Faith shows the reality of what we HOPE for: it is the evidence of thing’s we cannot see.

Hope and Faith are closely related. You cannot have one without the other!

Our hope is in the promise (what you can’t see) and faith activates the unseen to bring our hopes (the promise) into reality!

What Is Hope?

Hope is a joyful expectation. A feeling of trust or being confident in God’s promise and faithfulness.

Did you know that you could have hope for disaster? Imagining things going wrong. The ‘What if’s’ in life! When you are going through “troubles” do not pull back.

Romans 12:12 (TPT) – Let this HOPE burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Don’t give up in a time of trouble (be patient), but commune with God at all times!

You commune with God at all times so that your imagination doesn’t run wild!

Hope is the product of a healthy imagination!

Hope is the reason you can have joy in times of trouble!

Romans 5:3-5 (TPT) Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!

Putting your hope in the wrong things can steal your joy and ultimately rob you of your identity.

How can hope be stolen?

Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NLT) The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

Time and chance happen to everything and everyone. When you bet all your chips on those things and lose then what do you have left?

What you’ll find is that HOPE always points to who you are (your identity) and it’s all because of what Christ has accomplished! That’s what our HOPE must always remain in Him!

When you lose hope it’s because you forget who you are! You allow life, distractions and even lies of the enemy to steal hope from you!

Isaiah 61:1 (NLT) The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.

There are two types of bondage

1. Captive – You didn’t choose to be here

2. Prisoner – You deserve to be here

Romans 8:18-21 (TPT) 18 I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us. 19 The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! 20 For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, 21 all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children.

Even the universe that became a captive due to the decisions of man has HOPE!

The universe did not choose to be “here.” But it is waiting patiently and with great joy to be set free!

I do not know how you got “here.” But there is hope for you! Jesus said he came to bring freedom to both captives and prisoners!

How do you protect Hope?

1. Renew your mind -Romans 12:2

2. Commune with God – Romans 12:12

3. Walk in Love – Ephesians 5:1-2

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Walk It Out

1. Who is one person I can extend hope to. Give them a call, text or invite them out to lunch!

2. What is one song I listen to that gives me hope? Put it on repeat and share it with someone else!

3. Where do I need hope right now? Find a scripture and meditate on it!

4. I need to stop putting my hope in _______ and put my hope in Jesus!