11-27-2016
"The Happiness Trap"
1 John 2.15-3.1

THE HAPPINESS TRAP 1 John 2. 15 – 3.1 I.  WE ALL LONG FOR A FAIRY TALE ENDING- “________ EVER AFTER.” II.  THREE HAPPINESS TRAPS ARE MENTIONED HERE: A.  1st Happiness Trap is: The _____ of the flesh- ___________ B.  2nd Happiness Trap is: The lust of the ______-  Possessions C.  3rd Happiness Trap: The ______ of life- ­­­­­­­­­­­__________ III.  MESSAGE TODAY HAS 2 GOALS: A.  A ________-  beware of the deadly traps.  B.   A word of _____________ IV.  SO HOW DOES A PERSON PURSUE ETERNAL “HAPPY EVER AFTER A.   (V. 24) - “See that what you have heard from the beginning _______ in you…”   * Q- What is  heard from the beginning?  *  A- The truth about Jesus Christ, and the gift of eternal life He offers  B.  (v. 27) - “The anointing you received from him remains in you…remain in him.” *  Q- What is the anointing?  *  A- The Holy Spirit, The Comforter…the One who lives in us continually. *  Q- How does one “remain in him? *  A- Stay ______– continue to worship and pray and trust. C.  (V. 28) - And now, dear children, _________ in him… *  We must hold strongly to the truth we know…even when the voices of pleasure, and possessions, and prestige call very loudly. *  We must continue to put Jesus first. He must be Lord over everything V.  JOHN REMINDS OF GOD’S PROMISES:  A.  “This is what he promised us- even __________ life.”  (v.25) B.  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called _________ of God! And that is what we are!  (I John 3.1) C.  Walking with the Lord, and remaining in Him has marvelous benefits *  A genuine happiness *  Peace *  A powerful amazing realization of the Father’s love

11-20-2016
"An Empty Chair at the Thanksgiving Celebration:
Luke 15. 25-32

AN EMPTY CHAIR AT THE THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION Luke 15. 25-32 Question: Doesn’t it seem ironic that those who have so much are often the most ungrateful, while those who suffer trials, and losses seem to be the most thankful? 1. The Scripture Lesson-                    A.  The ________ son:  faithful, dependable, and obedient                   B.  Didn’t leave home; didn’t spend inheritance on foolish living                   C.  But neither does he have his _________  loving heart 1   2. THE Eldest Son Has Taken ______ For Granted:                   A.  His inheritance…he assumes the rest is rightfully his                   B.  He shows no _________ to his father for all he has already received                   C.  True, there was no celebration with his friends, but there is an _______                   D.  All that he has, has been given to him by his loving father 3. How Are WE _____ the Older Son?                   A.  Like him, many of us live in a land of __________.                    B.  Like him, we may feel entitled to much of what we have received                   C.  We may become jealous, or hurt, when others are noticed and we are                                    _______                   D.  Like Older Brother, we may not have our Loving Father’s _______ 4. SOME WHO HAVE SUFFERED THE MOST SEEM MOST                       GRATEFUL!                   A.  That person in the wheelchair or that person who has been through                                       times of hardship                   B.  Both the grateful & ungrateful receive grace, so what causes some to be                                    _________, while others become jealous or easily offended?                   C.  Question- Which way do you tend to be:  grateful, and appreciative or                                    jealous of others’ blessings? 5. The Point of the Parable is the Loving ______ of the                   Main Character- the __________.                     A.  He loves both sons-                   B.  He realizes that both sons have taken him for granted                   C.  He wants both to enter into the joyous celebration! 6. He also wants Us to Know His compassion; and HE                   INVITES US TO enter the joyful _________________                   celebration:

11-13-2016
"Keeping Our Focus"
Philippians 3. 7-14

Keeping Our Focus Philippians 3.7-14;  1 John 2. 15-17 I.  _______ Is it Important to Keep Our Focus? A.  We Get Distracted- B. We Get ___________ -  Jesus warned us, ”you         cannot serve 2 masters.”  *When we lose our Spiritual Focus IT AFFECTS OUR SOUL!  C.  We Get ________________ - we lose the race, we crash and burn. *There are Spiritual crashes looming ahead for many people.  *They are not focused on the goal II.  _______ Can We Keep Our Focus? A.  Make sure you are running towards a goal that’s ______   ____! *Jesus’ advice-  Seek 1st- The Kingdom of God…(Matt 6.33) *Paul’s goal: “I want to know Christ” (Phil 3. 10)” *WHAT’S THE MAIN GOAL FOR YOU?  B.  Let ______ Of Some things: *“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” *WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LET GO OF? C.  Put some _________ into the journey you are on. *“straining towards what is ahead, I press on” *What effort are you putting into YOUR spiritual race? *What do you do daily to run a good race for Jesus?  What do you do weekly to Press-on?  III.  The Results of Keeping Our Focus in our Life’s Journey: A.  We _______Well- there will be some joy in the journey, and sense of doing something significant. B.  We  _______ Well- there is a sense of having some your best at something worthwhile.  C.  We will hear: “Well _______!”

11-6-2016
"Why God?"
Job 1. 13-22; 2 Corinthians 12. 7-10

WHY GOD? Job 1. 13-22;  2 Corinthians 12- 7-10 I.  HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE _________? A.  Losses abound…Heartaches seem to come in waves B.  The response of unbelievers- pain is ______ there is no God.  II.  MANY OF US DO NOT SEE PAIN AS PROOF OF NO GOD, BUT STILL WE WONDER _______? A.  Job did not lose his integrity- did not curse God- Still wanted to know why.  B.  Pain destroys some of our grandest ___________, and causes us to face some realities. III.  FOR EXAMPLE:  Many Live Under the Illusion that  ALL IS ______ A.  We can coast along in life feeling strong, and secure and in control of life B.  _______ shatters the illusion that “all is well.”     IV.  2nd GRAND ILLUSION: I Have All I ______(I can do it on my own). A.  I am strong enough to get through this…it will be ____ B.  But when our “enough” does not include God we will eventually discover that what we have in neither enough, nor how we thought it would be. V.  WE KNOW THAT GOD’S DESIGN FOR OUR LIVES INCLUDES A ____________ SEASON HERE ON EARTH.   A.  God has better, more blessed for us…but in order to have His better we must surrender our will, and our way to God’s ways. B.  So if pain is the only way, God can get us to let go of our will, and our pride, and surrender our will to His… Then is it cruel- OR IS IT _______? VI.  THINGS I AM LEARNING ABOUT PAIN: A.  God does not save us FROM pain, but __________ pain. B.  If tribulation and suffering is necessary…I must anticipate that it will _______ CEASE- until Jesus redeems or judges the world. C.  Though Pain may result in good, as a Christian I am still called to seek to care for those in pain, and to help alleviate human suffering. D.Although God withholds the “utopia” that I desire to have here on earth- he does still provide some blessings. VII.  A PURPOSE FOR OUR SUFFERINGS A.  He will see us through B.  There are abundant blessings just ahead, on the other side. C.  His purpose for us through the heartaches and trials is our ___________