Reactions to Opposition

Luke 13:31–35 (NLT) 

A. Opposition From the enemy/Opposition to stop you:

31 At that time some Pharisees said to him,

“Get away from here if you want to live! Herod Antipas wants to kill you!”

1.Who gave him a warning?  What is strange here?

2. What was the warning?

3. What is the possible motive for the warning?

Faithful to Christ in Spite of Persecution

2 Thes.1:1-12  

3-4 Paul thanked God for the spiritual growth of his readers,

5-10 Encouraged them to persevere in their trials,

11-12 and Assured them of his prayers for them.

He did so to motivate them to continue to endure hardship and thereby develop in their faith.

2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul wished God's grace and peace for them to express his continuing good will toward his children in the faith.

Grace (God's unmerited favor and divine enablement) and

Peace (the cessation of hostility and the fullness of divine blessing)

The Narrow Door

Luke 13:22–30 (NIV)         

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages,

              teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.

23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

              He said to them,

Jesus was speaking to a crowd made up mostly of religious Jews. They believed in the one true God.

They were not agnostics or polytheists.They believed in the Hebrew Scriptures and lived in basic accordance with them.In giving His answer, Jesus was not addressing a pagan audience. He was talking to the “church” crowd, most of whom assumed that they would go to heaven because they were good Jews.

And He gives us church folks some important and practical lessons on the subject of salvation:

24-------Salvation requires our earnest effort,

25a------our urgent attention,

25b-29--and our careful self-examination.

A Gospel-Advancing Lifestyle

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

The Gospel had made an impact in the lives of the Thessalonian believers, in part, because of the way they faithfully received it (1:2-10).

Paul praised them for this;

But another thing that contributed to its success and spread, was the character and conduct of those who preached it to them - specifically Paul, Silvanus and Timothy.

In Titus 2:10, Paul urged Pastor Titus to exhort and teach the people under his care to live in such a way as to "make the teaching about God our Savior attractive." (Titus 2:10).

The success of the Gospel always depends ultimately upon Our sovereign God; but Paul's admonition to Titus reminds us that we can either live in such a way as to promote its advancement, or in such a way as to hinder its progress.

Parables of the Mustard Seed & the Yeast

Luke 13:18-21  

Sometimes it seems as if the other side is winning. Evil people abound and seem to prosper. Godly people are a minority and even some of them fall into serious sins. If we look at what we ourselves have accomplished for the Lord, it seems so insignificant in the face of the huge task of establishing God’s kingdom on this earth.

Luke 13:18 Then Jesus asked,

“What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?

19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden.

It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?

21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

New Year’s Resolution

Pray   

Col.4: 2-6

So how is your prayer life? Prayer can be easy or difficult depending on many factors. There are days when we seem to touch heaven with our prayers, and other days when our words seem to bounce off the ceiling.

Did you know that nearly 1,400 verses in the Bible speak about prayer?

Facts and Excuses About Prayer

Prayer makes a difference … we don’t know how … we just know it does.

Prayer brings wisdom.

Prayer provides strength for difficult times.

Prayer convicts us of areas in our life that need changing.

We know these things by heart. We know by experience that “prayer changes things.” We know that prayer changes us and it changes the world around us. We know that God gave prayer to us as a wonderful gift. If that is true (and it is), then why don’t we pray more than we do?

"In the Beginning . . . . God"

 Genesis 1:1

Some foundational truths of our faith & guidance for the New Year-2014

What the Bible teaches us about creation:

1. There was a Beginning

2. God is Eternal

3. God brings meaning out of Chaos

4. God is the Source of Creation

APPLICATIONS:

1. If God is at the Head of the Universe, He should be at the Head of Our lives. If God did indeed create the world, it means He is our superior. He is owed our devotion and respect. If He is the Designer, then He knows how things work the best and so His instructions are far superior to the opinions of men. This means we should use Him as our reference point. He is the one we should measure our lives by.

Many of us go into the New Year with goals for lots of things weight loss, exercise, finances, overcoming various vices ,business…But . . . what goals do we have for strengthening our spiritual life? How deliberate are we in building our spiritual life? You can work as hard as you want... and be as diligent as you want... but if you "don't sharpen your ax" you will drift away from God. It is surprising how many good and innocent things can impede our spiritual growth. It could be our love for reading, or gardening, the Internet, sports, our jobs and even our family.

In the beginning . . . . .God!  Put God first this year.

Mary’s Christmas: Mary, Mission & Miracle

Luke 1:26-38  

The Christmas Season is one of the most joyous times of the year.

However, it can also be one of the most stressful times of the year.

Mary’s  Background of the story:

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy,

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,

There’s a perfect timing, instruments & place for all of us.

The Most Important Decision of your life

Luke 12:49-59  

⁴⁹ “I have come to set the world on fire,

                   and I wish it were already burning!

 The reference to fire suggest judgment. Jesus’ coming is like a fire. You can ignore it and you will perish or You can get on the right side of it and it will purify the dross out of your life. You have to deal with it or it will consume you!

⁵⁰ I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me,

                   and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished.

Contentment

Phil.4:10-13                      

      

What is contentment?

Contentment is the belief that I have everything I need at this present moment.

It is also the confidence & certainty that when I need anything else, God will give it to me.

I almost certainly don’t have everything I want. And I probably don’t have everything I think I need. This part of the definition means that God has so ordered the universe that no matter where you are right now you have everything you truly need to be content. 

That’s an awesome statement—and I know it’s one thing to say that on Sunday morning, it’s something else to believe that when your husband or wife or child walks out on you or the doctor says, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing else we can do.”

How do we know this is true? We know it because God has said it is true. 

The Cry for Unity

 Ephesians 4:1-6

The Apostle Paul is answering in Ephesians 4 about the fundamental nature and purpose of the church, and its relationships to the world in which it must live. You will recognize these as pertinent questions of the present hour as well.

We are being told today that the church is irrelevant -a useless appendage to a society which has long outgrown the need for the church.

There are others who say that the church is very much needed in this hour, but it must change its approach if it is going to be meaningful in our generation.

The church does not have the right to chart its own course. Its goal has already been set;
its purpose has been determined by its Lord. Paul puts it this way,

Be Faithful Stewards

(Luke 12:35-48)

Perspective is crucial. A couple who saves prudently now for their children's future education or for their own retirement lives prospectively. That kind of perspective is harder, because it requires faith and counts on events that have not yet occurred. It is very different from living strictly according to present needs and gratification.

Believers know that Jesus is returning and that all will give an account for their stewardship. Jesus gives a series of three images to underline the importance of living prospectively.

1. The parable of being prepared (vv. 35-38),
2. The parable of waiting for the Son of Man (vv. 39-40)
3. The parable of the kinds of stewards (vv. 41-48)

Priesthood

Intro:

In the book of Old Testament, Leviticus, we are learning the great truth which time and again in the course of history seems to be lost and then recovered again

 -- this marvelous truth of the priesthood of every believer in Jesus Christ.

In Lev. Chapter 9,  we saw the results of priesthood.

 When everything was done "as the LORD commanded" the result was a manifestation of the presence of God, a remarkable shining forth of the glory of the Lord.

We concluded with a great scene of triumph.

The Shekinah glory, a radiant cloud of light, suddenly appeared in the midst of the people of Israel and consumed the rest of the sacrifice in a flash of flame. The people, awed and amazed, shouted and fell on their faces, crying out in triumph.

But the amazing thing is that we now move immediately from that scene of triumph into a scene of tragedy. On the very day that this tremendous breakthrough occurred in the camp of Israel,
tragedy strikes and a sudden and shocking manifestation of judgment occurs.

Does Jesus Live in Folsom?

Galatians 5:19-26

What if Jesus came to Folsom, Sacramento? What would he do? What would he say?

Today’s young people by the millions have asked the question through those cloth bracelets with four capital letters: WWJD. What would Jesus do? “Jesus Walks on This Place. Will you meet him this week?” Does he still walk the earth today? Do we think it impossible that Jesus would come to S?

Our passage is a backdoor to the question I am asking.

In Galatians 5:19-26 we are invited to consider two different ways of life. One is called the “acts of the sinful nature” or the “works of the flesh.” It describes what life looks like without God. Or to say it another way, what happens when you decide to go your own way all the time.

The Priestly Blessing

Numbers 6:22-27

22 Then the Lord said to Moses,

23 “Tell Aaron to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:

24 ‘May the Lord bless you and protect you.

25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.

26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’

27 Whenever Aaron bless the people of Israel  in my name, I myself will bless them.”

The context: Before this blessing is given, the children of Israel are assembled, getting ready to leave on a dangerous journey across the desert.  

What will the people of God doubt in the wilderness?

Many of them were going to die in the wilderness.

assaulted by enemies. face thirst and starvation.

 to face division and dissension.

What are you going to be doing in ETERNITY?

Luke 12:13-21     

What will you be doing 100 years from now ?

             

Everyone of us is going to being doing one of two things 100 years from now.       

Serving the Lord Jesus in all of eternal glory – or

                 Suffering in the tormenting flames of hell.

        For that reason alone – the question I ask is a serious question.

We would rather leave it light & uncertain because that keeps us from the responsibility of having to change & get serious about the here & now.

 But Jesus would say the opposite: We must think about and be concerned with and focus on ETERNITY.

13 someone called, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?”

Jesus has a way of getting to the root of problems/the heart of the matter.

100 years from now where would you be?

John 3: 11-17         

-How would you answer that question?

-Obviously we’ll say we’ll be 6 feet under,

-but are we really be dead…if we have a spirit? Where will our spirit go?

-Some people believe they’ll be reincarnated…into a colorful butterfly, a  magnificent eagle soaring up in the air or … a  crawling snake, or cockroaches w/c people dislike …depending on their karma or what they have done in this world….

-Some don’t believe in the afterlife…this life is all there is…and after that they’re gone, nil, nada, that’s it so they eat, drink, & get merry for tomorrow they die.

100 years from now where would you be?

Staying Confident Through Problematic Times

Encouragement in our Life’s Journey

INTRO: Sometimes we need a booster in Life’s Journey

Ex. Of Paul-  Here is a man who has been rejected, ridiculed, beaten down, battered, & criticized. 

2 Cor.11: 23 … I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.

24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked.Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.

26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.

27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.

Love God, Love Others

Deuteronomy 5:1-21

The reason most folks struggle with the Ten Commandments is that they have never established a personal relationship with the Author.

It was these commandments that would draw God's people

into conformity with his pure character and

draw other nations around them into his perfect plan of salvation.

1^st  v.7 You shall have no other gods before me.

 In light of that relationship of loyalty to God, we should not worship any created person or being, for that would come between his love for you and your love for him.

If you want to live a life, one that is filled with peace, joy, and wholesomeness, then worship the true Author of life, the one and only living God. Don't give your life over to nongods such as position, power, and possessions. Don't turn to family, friends, networking, psychics, self-help philosophies, new-age philosophies, health and wealth religions, etc.

Fear God not Man

This sermon was preached on July 21, 2013.

(Luke 12:1-12)

The pressure of the Pharisees' example, along with the rise of persecution,

prompts Jesus to warn his disciples about whose opinion they value.

Peer pressure is a given in any culture. The power of those who seek conformity is very strong.

Persecution methods can be strong, controlling and painful.

Economic pressure was also sometimes applied, along with social ostracism.

1. Fear God not man so you won’t live a double life.

Jesus had a very large following. Evidently its size kept increasing.

v.1  ..crowds grew until thousands …“Beware of the yeast…their hypocrisy.

Popularity can breed a desire to remain popular and thus to soften the hard truth of our sinfulness before God.