Sunday, October 30, 2011

Spacious Place...Don't Get it Twisted 10/30 Outline

Pericope: Luke 16: 19 – 31
Sermon Text: Luke 16: 23, 28 The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man died and was buried. For I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.
Sermon Title: Living in the Spacious Place: Don’t Get it Twisted!
Context: Luke 26: 10 – 14. 10“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
13“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

Point 1: Spacious Place ‘n’ Time (vs. 19) There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.
Point 2: Spacious Place ‘n’ Eternity (vs. 23) In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.”
One: The wealth he had didn’t belong to him it belongs to God.
Two: When you forget that you then serve the wealth and don’t let the wealth serve you and kingdom agenda.
Three: the man should have stored up treasures in heaven. Matt 6: 19 – 21. 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Prov 19: 17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done. The Spacious Living is for time
Point 3: Whose living ‘n’ Your Spacious Place (vs. 28) for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ e and eternity.
1. Are you ready for eternity? Yes or No
2. No not yet is still a decision for eternity some where
a. Name and number if you want follow up

3. Are you helping others with what you have?
4. Will you begin now?

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Spacious Place - Series Review 102611

Living in the Spacious Place – Series Recap

Definition: 2 Samuel 22: 20a He brought me out into a spacious place… It is a place that is worry free, not care free. It is like the place of the 23rd Psalms.

Sermon #1
 David said God lifts us up out of terrible situations. 2 Sam 22:17, 18, 20- 17 He reached down from on high and took hold of; he drew me out of deep waters. 19 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me…
 David said you must live according to God’s word. 2 Sam. 22:22-24 - 22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God. 23 All his laws are before me I have turned away from his decrees. 24 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
 David said then you will live in the spacious place God has prepared for you. 2 Sam 22:25, 20 - The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. 20 He brought me to a spacious place…

Sermon #2
 David said God equips you to live in the spacious place. 2 Sam 22:33-36 - 33 – 36 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great.
 David said God energizes you to live in the spacious place. 2 Sam 22:3-40, 43 - 37 – 40, 43 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not turn. I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them completely and they could not rise they fell beneath my feet. I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.
 David said God embraces you with grace and favor as you praise him in the spacious place. 2 Sam 22:47, 50-51 - The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior. 50 Therefore I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. 51 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”

Sermon #3
 Moses said God will deal with you and I differently in the spacious place of Goshen. Ex. 8:22 22 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. …
 Moses said God will make a distinction between us and unbelievers; citizens of Goshen vs. citizens of Egypt. Ex. 8:23 -3 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’”
 Moses said God will do exactly what he said he would do…quicker than we think. Ex. 8:24 - and the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.

Sermon #4
 Abraham chose to trust God so God gave him more, even though he had a lot. Gen. 13:2, 15 - Vs 2, 15 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring…
 Living in the Spacious Place is a choice. Gen. 13:8-9 - vs. 8, 9 So Abram said to Lot, Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
 When you choose to put God in the center of your choice, God blows you up. That’s what Abraham did. Gen. 13:14-15 - 14, 15 The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and couth, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring…

Sermon #5
 Jesus is the master chef at my natural table when I am famished. Matt 15:32 32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I have compassion for these people they have already been with me three days and have nothing eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.
 Jesus makes a meal for me no matter my status. Matt 15:34 - vs. 34 How many loaves do you have? Jesus asked.
 Jesus turns my sharing and participation into a miracle. Matt 15:35 35, 36 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.

Sermon #6
 Isaac replanted during a famine and God turned scarcity into a spacious place of hundred-fold. Gen. 26:1, 12 - (vs. 1, 12) Now there was a famine in the land—besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.
 Isaac had to remove himself from haters once the Lord blessed him. Gen. 26:16 - 16) Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”
 Isaac had to redig and reclaim God’s blessings – Gen. 26:18 - 18) Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham…
 Isaac had to rename and reframe his wells – Gen. 26:20 - 20, 21, 22) Isaac servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water 20 but the herdsman quarreled over it…
 Isaac made it to Rehoboth – his spacious place. – Gen 26:22- He named it Rehoboth saying God has made room for me and will make the land fruitful.

Sermon #7
 Isaac did not doubt when it was dry. Gen. 26:1, 12 - (vs. 1, 12) Now there was a famine in the land—besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.
 Isaac made sure he had right relationships after he arrived to his spacious place. Gen. 26:16 - 16) Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”
 Isaac had three Ds – determination, destination and destiny. Gen. 26:18b, 20-22 18) Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham… 20, 21, 22) Isaac servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water 20 but the herdsman quarreled over it…Then they dug another well…He moved on from there and dug another well and no quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth saying God has made room for me and will make the land fruitful.
 Write in your spacious place/Rehoboth. Gen. 26:22 He named it Rehoboth saying God has made room for me and will make the land fruitful.

Sunday – October 30th Sermon
Living in the Spacious Place: Don’t Get it Twisted – Luke 16:19-31

Living in a Spacious Place: Rehoboth Pt. 2

Wednesday October 19, 2011
Periscope: Genesis 26: 1–4,12–15
Sermon Text: Genesis 26:13

Sermon Title: Living in a Spacious Place: Rehoboth Pt. 2

Point 1: Don’t doubt when it is dry (vs. 1, 12)
It’s easy to believe God when you see miracles happening, but what happens when you are praying to God and nothing happens? This is an easy time to doubt God. Doubt will penetrate your mind and cause you to stop and cause you to stop planting prayer, faith, tithes, and good things into the lives of others.
It was during this time that Isaac said he was going to plant. When you feel like retreating and drying up do something. The moment you move, you cause your faith to sprout. Faith without words is dead.
(Ecclesiastes 11:4) It is your responsibility to plant. You should not be trying to figure out when it is going to rain. Quit waiting for perfect timing to obey God.

Point 2: Right relationships (vs. 16)
When you plant during a dry season expect for haters to awaken. Pray for discernment so you can maintain right relationships. Every relationship will run its course, you must:
• Recognize: Sometimes relationships will run their course during the initial stage. As the relationship matures, people will reveal themselves. When they show you who they are, believe them.
• Release: God told them to stay in the land for a “little while”. God knows how long a little while is. Stop trying to figure it out.
• Run: The moment you recognize this relationship is in the way of my relationship with God you should run. Be careful because sometimes a delay in what you have asked God for will cause you try and make something work. This is the very reason you must run.

Point 3: Reframe & reclaim (vs. 18)
Isaac renamed the wells because it helped him reframe the situation. You, too, should reframe some things.

Point 4: Rehoboth 3D (vs. 18b, 20, 21, 22)
Isaac kept pressing and digging. He got to Rehoboth because of:
• Dissatisfaction: You must be dissatisfied with the status quo. Isaac knew God had more for him.
• Determination: Isaac did not give up, he kept digging.
• Destination: Isaac knew God had a destination for him. God also has a place he is taking you to. Haters will call you all kinds of names simply because you are striving for more. Choose to be an occupant, not a resident of your current situation… until you get to the spacious place.

Conclusion: My story…what’s your story
When God moves you to the spacious place you will have a story to tell.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Path to Rehoboth...A Devotional

The Path to Rehoboth
A Devotional by Bro. Christopher Anderson
(edited by Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley, Sr. D.Min.)

Genesis 26:1-5
1 Now there was a famine in the land--besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time--and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws."

Among the many challenges present when God moves us into a Spacious Place, one of the biggest obstacles are our own choices. Like Isaac, we will have times of famine in our lives. In those times we face crossroads when we have to choose which path we’re going to follow. For many of us, the initial reaction is to “flow with it.”

Like water, which flows to the path of least resistance, we often choose paths that will take us to our desired destination with the least amount of drama and minimal effort. For some of us, that path of least resistance is getting a second or third job rather than tithing and trusting the Lord of our needs. For others it’s finding self-esteem and self-worth in others that were never meant to be our husbands or wives. For others still, it’s selling drugs on the street instead of praying for the boss that causes so much stress. Unfortunately, as humans, we’re really good at making bad decisions at the worst possible time! In times of famine, it’s more important than ever for us to know the voice of God and heed His call.

The blessing God has for us is for us! The Lord isn’t Santa Claus and He doesn’t check us off as naughty or nice. The Lord knows each and every one of us by name and His blessings for us are tailor made. The promises of God are individually crafted for our present needs as well as those of our future. The promises of God go far beyond sufficiency and enter into abundance. While plan He has for each of us will lead us to a place where we can be instrumental in building His Kingdom and uplift his people, we become insufficient as instruments when we fail to follow His plan.

The spacious place isn’t a place that we’ve seen before a map. There aren’t going to be road signs that tell us which exit to take. The Lord alone will lead us to the Spacious Place. If we follow His plans, He will lead us into a place of peace, rest, and provision unlike anything we could have found on our own or created for ourselves. God desires to take us down a path that we’ve never seen before to bring us to a place He alone knows. It’s up to us to abandon our old ways and walk the path before us faithfully. God knows what’s before us and He will not only prepare a place for us, He’ll also prepare a path that to His promises that will bless us through the famines we’re facing today as well as the famines we’ll face tomorrow. Choose His path!

Mountainside - Spacious Place...10/14/2011

Mountainside – Spacious Place
Devotional by Sis. Tonya Ward (edited by Bishop Dudley)
October 14, 2011

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”(Gen 15:29)

Jesus had been ministering on the mountainside with the Gentiles for 3 days. He had healed the lame, blind and sick. (Gen 15:29-38) This caused the people who were not followers of Christ to Praise the God of Israel (Gen 15:29). 4000 people of all races, situations, needs, attitudes, and financial levels were present. They had been there waiting, trusting God would be able to meet their spiritual and physical needs in spite of the multitude.

Compassion compelled Jesus to meet their natural needs as well as their spiritual needs. (Luke 12:28) If…God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today…tomorrow, is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you…!). Wow, three days in the heat, dusty plains neck and neck with 3999 others. Some may smell of liquor, not bathed or acting outright vulgar. But the word says (Isa 40:31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall be…).

As we go to the Spacious Place, let us not hold on to the lack but let us embrace the fullness of God. For as we see He has More than enough, no need to push, step on or quarrel there is plenty cattle on the hill for everyone.

Lord, increase my faith, and forgive my unbelief, teach me to live in your spacious place where there is fullness of joy, for all things for this life and to come. Help me to be obedient, prudent, kind and a good steward with your provisions you have given me knowing that Jehovah-Jireh, you Lord will provide! In Jesus name, Amen!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Spacious Place...REHOBOTH!! Part 2 Outline

Pericope: Genesis 26: 1 – 4, 12 – 15
Sermon Text: Genesis 26: 13
Sermon Title: Living in a Spacious Place: Rehoboth Pt. 2
Point 1: Don’t doubt when it is dry (vs. 1, 12)

Point 2: Right relationships…(vs. 16)

Point 3: Reframe & reclaim (vs. 18)
Point 4: Rehoboth 3D (vs. 18b, 20, 21, 22)
D…
D…
D…
Conclusion: My story…what’s your story...

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Spacious Place...REHOBOTH!!

Pericope: Genesis 26: 1 – 4, 12 – 15
Sermon Text: Genesis 26: 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy
Sermon Title: Living in the Spacious Place: Rehoboth

Point 1: Isaac replanted during a famine (vs. 1, 12) Now there was a famine in the land—besides the earlier famine of Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar 12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. In the text the writer wants to make a few things explicitly clear from the outset.

Gen 26: 3 Stay in this land for awhile [famine land] and I will be with you and will bless you. Paul puts it this way in Galatians 6: 7, 9 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in well doing, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Let me give you three parallels for planting:
(a) Social drought Keep planting honest relationships
(b) Family drought Keep planting commitment
(c) Financial drought Keep planting tithes

Point 2: Isaac removed himself from haters vs. 16 Then Abimelech said “move away from us you have become too powerful for us.” When Isaac begin to be blessed just as God promised haters begin to appear.
(a)
(b)

Point 3: Isaac redig his father’s wells vs. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham…
Isaac begin to reclaim his father’s property
(a)
(b)

Point 4: Isaac renamed the wells (vs. 18b, 20, 21) he gave them the same names his father had given them. So he named the well Esek…he named the well Sitnah

Although the text said Isaac named the wells the same name his father named them it appears there names was renamed after the haters came.

Conclusion: My Story…What will your story be?

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Spacious Place...Happy Meal

Pericope: Matt 15: 29 – 38
Sermon Text: Matt 15: 32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I have compassion for these people they have already been with me three days and have nothing eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.
Sermon Title: Happy Meal—Supersized
Point 1: The Master vs. 32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I have compassion for these people they have already been with me three days and have nothing eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.
(A) Jesus is concerned about my physical needs as well as my spiritual needs.
(B) Jesus was willing to break the rules for the people. 31 they all praised the God of Israel.
Point 2: The Meal vs. 34 How many loaves do you have? Jesus asked. Now there is a lot of problems with the disciples going on in this verse that escape the naked eye.
(A) Proximity has nothing to do with Jesus is abilities to do something. (A) Ps 139:11, 12 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
(B) Provisions. Notice the disciples only mention they had bread. The disciples don’t mention fish until Jesus asked them how much food they had.
Point 3: The Miracle vss. 35, 36 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.
(A) Prerequisites In vs. 35 Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. There were some practical reasons Jesus told them to sit down like crowd control…4,000 hungry people all of sudden seeing food could cause a stampede.
(B) Participation Then Jesus required everyone to participate. He broke the bread and prayed over it and then he gave it to the disciples to share.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Living in the Spacious Place: got-ta-get-to Goshen

Sermon Notes
September 28, 2011

Sermon:Living in the Spacious Place: Got-ta-get-to-Goshen
Sermon Text: Exodus 8:21-23 NKJV

21 “Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. 23 I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.”

In this text, God is in an argument with Pharaoh but doesn’t allow his people to be affected by it. God is up to something in our economy (or shall we say, he’s in an argument with America) but he still wants you to live in the spacious place/Goshen.

Goshen: place of obedience, peace of mind, place where God’s people live and will not be affected, and being worry free, not care free.

You may be asking: “God, what about me? How do I live in a spacious place?”

Point 1: God will deal differently with me (vs 22)
God was making a point that Goshen will not be affected. The Hebrew theology of this text suggests that God is actually in the land of Egypt and making his presence known in tangible ways. As we speak in today’s time, we could be wondering: how can God be present in both the bad economy and in good times? Do you ever wonder: “How can I be doing the right thing in one area of my life, but in another area, I’m still struggling?” We must understand that God can do one thing in the midst of one situation, and work in other ways for other situations. We must learn to trust him for different things and know that he is in the same place at the same time. When things get tough, its not the time to start doubting God, but instead we should be trusting God. The moment you live by God’s word, you force him to deal with you differently.

Deuteronomy 28:1-“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
Deuteronomy 28:15-“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.


Point 2: God will make a distinction (vs 23)
The Hebrew definition of distinguish means to redeem or to put a price on something. In this text, we see that God has already determined the price he would pay for them. God distinguishes you from everyone else.

God is saying that despite this economy, you cost too much for him to destroy. When times get tough, God puts you in the “safe deposit” box because you are too valuable!

Point 3: God will do it (vs 24)
God is good on his word and if he said it, he’s going to do it.

Psalm 139:13-“For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.:
Isaiah 49:16- “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.”
Romans 8:32-“He who did not spare His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
Numbers 23:19-“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do?” Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Romans 8:31-“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Isaiah 45:23-“I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return. That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.”


Some of us are living in the wrong “neighborhood”: having disbelief, being disobedient, and deliberately avoiding God.

Getting to Goshen:
A.) Pack-leave all the negative baggage behind
B.) Move/Stop Procrastinating-know the problem and correct it. Procrastinating means “stopping creation”. Stop saying that you will change something tomorrow, but change it TODAY.
C.) Stay Put When You Get There- after he gets you to a certain place, don’t get upset about something and then risk missing what he has in store for you.

From start to end, God always works it so that you can find a spacious place to live in.

Virtual Family Sunday Questions

What ways can we create community as a family? How has our viewership/church attendance enhanced or diminished our family covenant? What way...