When God Says No - 8am

Pericope: Judges 6:36- 40 36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Sermon Text:  Judges 6:39 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.”

Sermon Title:  When God Says No 8am

Point 1: God has something different for you to do. Judges 6:11… Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

​

 Psalm 24:1-3 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? The way God came at your problem and you are going to be different. 

DEUT. 29:29 “There are some things the Lord our God has kept secret,but there are some things he has let us know.” (NCV). 

Hebrews 4:13 “He knows about everyone everywhere.  Everything about us is bare and wide open to the All-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from Him…”

Point 2: God has something more difficult. Vs 4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men.

Matthew 7:14 ESV 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:14 MSG 13-14 “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

Judges 7: 3… ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

- 4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. 

- 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

​ 1 PET. 1:7 “The purpose of these troubles is to testyour faith as fire tests how genuine gold is.  Your faith is more precious than gold…” 2 COR. 4:17-18“These present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they will produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!  So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”

Point 3: God has something for you to do to bring you into your destiny.  Vs 15-17 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” 17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. “Don’t even go into the village.” Vs 12...“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

​

PR. 2:8 “God GUARDS the course of the just and PROTECTS the way of His faithful ones.”   

Conclusion: Gods word is always yes and amen. 2 Corinthians 1:20 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

They are yes and amen when assigned by Christ Jesus I can do all things. Philippians 4:13 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I am more than a conqueror. Romans 8:37 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

When God says No - 10am

Pericope: 2 Cor 1: 20

Sermon Text: 2 Cor 1: 20 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

Sermon Title:  When God Says No – 10am

Point 1: God has a greater purpose.  PS. 57:2 “I cry out to God Most High, who fulfills his purpose for me.”

1 PET. 1:7 “The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is.  Your faith is more precious than gold…”

2 COR. 4:17-18“These present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they will produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!  So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”

DEUT. 29:29  “There are some things the Lord our God has kept secret, but there are some things he has let us know.”  (NCV)

ECCL. 11:5 “Just as you'll never understand how the mystery of life forms in a pregnant woman, so you'll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does.” (Mes)

Point 2: God has a bigger perspective. Hebrews 4:13 “He knows about everyone everywhere.  Everything about us is bare and wide open to the All-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from Him…”

Sometimes God says “no” to protect you from unforeseen problems!  PR. 2:8 “God GUARDS the course of the just and PROTECTS the way of His faithful ones.”  

Point 3: God has a better plan. ISA.55:8-9 God: “This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are My thoughts the same as yours! For My WAYS are higher than yours.”   

Many are the plans of men but it is the Lords purpose that will prevail.  Prov. 19:21

HEB.11:39-40 “These were commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.  God had planned something better...”

                       

Pray: Directions for Deliverance/Breakthrough

Sermon Text:  Exodus 16:20 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

Sermon Title:  Pray: Directions for Deliverance

Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your brow

    you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

    since from it you were taken;

for dust you are

    and to dust you will return.”

Point 1: You have to be Devoted. Exodus 16:4 4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.

Notice how Jesus put it. 

·       John 8:11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”      

·       Isaiah 1:16 16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.

·       Luke 17:14 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

·       John 5:8 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

Point 2: You have to be disciplined. Exodus 16:27 27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.

Point 3: You have to deny yourself. Exodus 16:19 19 Then

He wants you to deny yourself.

·       Luke 12:15 (NLT) 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

·       Matthew 6:19 (NLT)  “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.

·       Matthew 16:26 (NLT) And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Permanent Prayers - Permanent Blessings

Pericope:  Exodus 3:7-10 - 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Sermon Text: Exodus 3:9 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

Sermon Title: Permanent Prayers; Permanent Blessings

Job 14:5 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,    

Point 1:  Prayers are generational. Vs 6 Then he said I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob…

Point 2: Prayers are answered through a process. Vs. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians…

a)  Pray

b)  Pray and add thanksgiving

c)  Pray, add the word, add thanksgiving

d)  Prayer add the word, add thanksgiving, get an attitude

e)  Prayer add the word, thanksgiving, get an attitude, add praise

Point 3: Walk in the Permanent Blessings from prayers. Exodus 3: 8b A land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  God said he was going to bless a thousand generations.  Exodus 20:6 NLT But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 

Numbers 23:20 Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it! 

Point 4: Pray it forward. Exodus 5:11 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’”

Who Do You Think You are Talking To?

Sermon Title:  Who Do You Think You Are Talking To?

Sermon Text:  “The Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation.” Psalm 100:5 (LB)

Introduction:  

Names of God:

YHWH (i.e. Jehovah)

El.

Elohim.

Adonai.

Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh.

Shaddai.

Sabaoth.

Your understanding of what God is really like shapes everything else in your life, including how you pray. BECAUSE GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD . . . this will drive how you come to God in prayer. 

1.  God's plans for my life will always be good

 “‘I know what I’ve planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you! My plans will give you hope and a good future. And when you call to me and pray to me, I will listen to you!”     Jeremiah 29:11 (NCV)

  

“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”       Romans 8:28 (NLT)

Joseph: “Your plan was to hurt me, but God turned your evil plan into a GOOD plan to save the lives of many people!”       Genesis 50:20

“So, we can rejoice when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are GOOD for us – they help us learn patient endurance.” Rom. 5:3 (NLT)

2.  God always gives me what I need, not what I deserve.

    “He has not treated us as we deserve for our sins or paid us back for our wrongs . . . (In his goodness), he has taken our sins away and removed them as far as the east is from the west!”     Psalm 103:10, 12

Romans 5:6-8 (ESV) 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

“Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close . . . my enemies are waiting for me to fall . . . Yet I remain confident that I’ll see the goodness of the Lord while I’m living here in the world.” Ps. 27:10-13 (NLT)

“(Jesus) understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly with confidence to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find the grace to help us when we need it.”   Hebrews 4:15-16 (NLT)

3.   God puts my good above his own good.

    “I am the GOOD shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me . . .   And I will sacrifice my life for my sheep.”                John 10:14-15

    “Jesus died for our sins and rose again to make us right with God, filling us with God's goodness.”                       Romans 4:25 (LB)

    “Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave Christ up for us all, won’t he now also give us everything else we need?” Romans 8:32 (NLT)

4.         He does not say yes to every request…delay is not denied

“You fathers – if your children asked for a fish to eat, would you give them a snake instead? Or if they asked for an egg, would you give them a scorpion?  Of course not! So if you, as sinful people, know how to give GOOD gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”              Luke 11:11-13 (NLT)

Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you are asking for!”   Matthew 20:22 (NLT)

God says, “My thoughts are completely different from yours, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”                                       Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

PRAY THIS WEEK

    “Lord, keep me from paying attention to what is worthless. (Instead) let me      live by your Word . . . I want to obey your principles. Please renew my life with your goodness!”   Psalm 119:37, 39-40

    Revive My Heart . . . My LifeGroup . . . Our Church Family

    “Bring us back to you, God; we’re ready to come back. Give us a fresh     start.”      Lam. 5:21 (The Message)

Prayer Answers Guaranteed Pt 2: Passwords for Prayer

Pericope:  Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'

Sermon Title:  Prayer Answers Guaranteed Pt 2: Passwords to Prayer

1. Username set up:  God wired human beings for prayer! Ecclesiastes 3:11, it says, "God has planted eternity in the human heart."

2. Username set up:  We're not very good at prayer Romans 8:26 We don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray.

Luke 11:1. One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'

3. Username set up: Our frustrations with prayer are caused by our misconceptions about prayer.

1.    Prayer is not a magic wand!

2.    Prayer is not a fire extinguisher!

3.    Prayer is not a ritual to relieve guilt Matthew 6:7 When you pray, do not use meaningless repetition…

Password 1: God loves for me to talk to him.

He wants you to talk to him about it for three reasons.

a)   Number one, he loves you.

b)    He gave you those interests. 

c)    The third reason he's interested in whatever you're interested in is he enjoys talking with his children. 

Psalm 103:13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who reverence him.

John 5:14-15 We can be confident approaching God, knowing that he listens to us whenever we ask him for anything according to his will. And since we know that he hears us when we make our requests, then we can be sure that he will answer us.

a)   Prayer is a conversation, not a ceremony.

b)   Prayer is a relationship, not a ritual.

Password 2: God listens to prayers  Matthew 6:5-8 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Hebrews 10:22. "Let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith."

Password 3: God likes to show his grace by answering prayer  Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me, and I will answer you. I will show you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own."

Matthew 7:11, "If you, being imperfect and sinful parents, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?"

James 4:2 "You do not have, because you do not ask."

Password 4: God longs to be close to me. Isaiah 30:18 "The Lord waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion."

Hosea 6:6"I don't want your sacrifices – I want your love! I don't want your offerings, I want you to know me!"

John 15:15,  "I don't call you servants... I call you my friends."

Life Application:

How do you get closer to God?

Psalm 25:14, "Friendship with God "Friendship with God is reserved,"

James 4:8 Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you."

Prayer Answers Guaranteed Level Two - Pt 1 6 Prerequisites to Prayer

Sermon Text:  Eph 4:14 - We are not meant to remain as children at the mercy of every chance wind of teaching . . .  Instead we are meant to hold firmly to the truth in love, and to grow up in every way into Christ .

Sermon Title:  Prayer Answers Guaranteed Level Two: Pt 1: Six Prerequisites for Prayer

Ephesians Chapter 4, there on your outline at the top, verse 14 says this, "We're not meant to remain as children at the mercy of every wind of teaching…"

Matthew 4:4, Jesus says this, "People need more than bread for their life…" That's what God wants you to do to feed on it a little bit every day. We want to help you develop that habit, whether it's five, 10, 15 minutes a day. In Acts, chapter 20:32 the Bible says this, Paul says, "The Word of grace" that's the Bible, "The Word of grace is able to build you up and give you all…" notice this, "all the blessings that God has for his people."

Point 2:     We grow when we learn in different ways. Luke 3:18 "In many different ways, John preached the good news to the people."

Notice in Luke chapter 3:18, it says about John the Baptist, "In many different ways, John preached the good news to the people."

. In Job 33:14 he says, "God speaks in different ways, and we don't always recognize his voice."

Point 3: We grow when we develop spiritual habits.  John 13:17, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you…" what? Circle that. "Practice them!"

John chapter 13:17, Jesus says this, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you…" what? Circle that. "Practice them!" If you do them. You practice them.

The Bible says this is 1 Corinthians 9:25. "All good athletes train hard and practice to get better. They do it to win a prize that won't last. But we practice to win a prize that will last forever!" in eternity. The habits you build in your spiritual life are going to pay off forever and ever and ever and ever in eternity.

Here's how they organized themselves:

“They praised God and the whole community…” this isn't talking about the church, it's talking about the community around the church, the whole community “liked what they saw in these people. As a result, the Lord added to their groups daily as their neighbors were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47)  

Point 4:     We grow when we help each other grow.  Romans chapter 1:12, Paul says, "I want us to help each other with the faith that we have. Your faith will help me and my faith will help you."

Point 5:     We grow when we expect to grow. Matthew 9:29, "According to your faith it will be done to you."

Point 6:  We grow when we commit to grow.