Do Not be Afraid – 7

 Do Not be Afraid – 7

Subject – Leaving the Cave

By Rick Welborne

1 Samuel 22:1 (NIV) 

1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam...

–Key - You need to know that it is when we are in the cave that God does His best work in molding and shaping us. 

2 Corinthians 12:8‑10 (NLT) 

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 

9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 

10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

–Sermon tonight:

1. Courage to venture out.

–How is it possible for us to receive divine encouragement from God? I believe the first place to begin would be to honestly face and name our discouragement

–Last week we read where David did this:

Psalm 142:1‑3 (NLT) 

1 I cry out to the LORD; I plead for the LORD’s mercy. 

2 I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. 

3 When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me. 

–Silly question for most of us...are you able to complain? Some of you may have discovered that complaining is your spiritual gift.

–Old Testament scholars tells us that there are different kinds of psalms: Psalms of Thanksgiving, Enthronement Psalms about the King, psalms of wisdom.

–The single post popular category is called the psalm of lament. The most frequent psalm consists of someone complaining to God...Why the Book of Psalms is so popular!

–Amazingly, God is not put off by this. God allows people to do this...in fact, I believe He encourages it. This is what David does while he is in the cave.

Key - He gets quiet enough before the Lord to get to the bottom of his pain and discouragement...He finally gets transparent with God even though God sees all.

–So many people never have the courage to do this, instead they bury their discouragement deep down inside.  They put on the front...they force the smile.

–Failure in our day carries with it shame...the shame not just of having experienced failure, but of being a failure. Facing this is so hard for us humans to do. 

–William Shakespeare is buried in Strat-ford-upon-Avon at Holy Trinity Church and he is buried 18 feet deep so no one will try to dig him up. Isn’t that what we do with our hurts and failures?

–We attempt or desire so many things to happen in our lives and when those things do not happen or we fail when we try...we get so disappointed.

–Most of us are not real surprised that we fail at something...what we regret the most is that the pain of failure caused us to not own our failure and to learn from it.

–When you fell...own it...move on...and heal...don’t bury it...pray a prayer of lament.

–When we are honest about it and begin to explore beneath the surface, we discover that much of the pain of failure is not just that we did not achieve something...it is what others might think of us as failing.

2. Elijah found himself in a cave and he had to deal with his fear and failure.

–Obviously he had been a very successful prophet of God...took on 450 prophets of Baal, took on an evil king along with his wicked wife and predicted the weather like no one else...powerful.

–The opposition of one queen (Jezebel) triggered something in him...he became fearful and discouraged.

1 Kings 19:1‑4 (NKJV) 

1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 

2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time." 

3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 

4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" 

–Something amazing did not happen...God did take his life. God was not finished with Elijah yet and I suspect He is not finished with you either. God was very tender with Elijah.

1 Kings 19:5‑8 (NKJV) 

5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." 

6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 

7 And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you." 

8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. 

–The original angel food cake! God treated Elijah much like you would a cranky toddler...Have a snack, take a nap, and we will talk when you are more human...toddle another day.

1 Kings 19:9 (NKJV) 

9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 

–God tells Elijah that He is about to pass by...there was a great wind, an earth quake, and a fire but God was not in those...His sweet whisper. What are you doing here, Elijah?

–The best part of this question is that God did not say “What are you doing there?” God was in the cave with Elijah...What are you doing here in a cave with Me?

–I wonder if Elijah was surprised by this...we have no trouble believing God is with us when we are defeating false prophets or seeing fire fall from Heaven...or a widow’s child living.

–You see, the cave is the most wonderful place of all to find out that God loves you and that He is with you. If God can love me here...He really does love me.

–The great gift of the cave when you are there and you feel like a failure is that you are loved and valued by God. It was in the cave that David cried out and said:

Psalm 142:5 (NKJV) 

5 I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, "You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 

–As long as my sense of being valuable and significant is tied to my success, it will be a fragile thing.  

--But when I know in my heart of hearts that I am loved and valued by God even when I fall on my face...I am gripped by a love stronger than success or failure.

John Ortberg: You can risk being fully honest with God for a very important reason: God is never a God of discouragement. When you have a discouraging spirit or train of thought in your mind, you can be sure that it is not from God. Always, His guidance leads to motivation and life.

–Ortberg asked one of his spiritual mentors: How do you assess the wellbeing of your soul?  How do you gauge your spiritual condition?

–His friend said that the first question he asked himself was this: Am I growing more easily discouraged these days?  

--Because he said, if I’m walking closely with God, if I have a sense of God being with me, I find that problems lose their ability to damage my spirit.  

–Ever been there? Things pile up...pressure builds...you find yourself in a place where little things begin to bother you tremendously...what do we do?

3. Take action when you find yourself in a cave!

–When David was faced with the reality that his city was burned, his family was taken (everyone else’s also), and his men were speaking of stoning him...he took action!

1 Samuel 30:6‑8 (NLT) 

6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 

7 Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. 

8 Then David asked the LORD, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?” And the LORD told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!” 

–The ephod was a reminder of God’s presence. Usually for the priest. There are times you do not have time to call the preacher or a mentor.

1 Peter 2:9‑10 (NKJV) 

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 

10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 

–You are a royal priesthood...you can call upon God...why go thru man when you can go directly to God? In his pain and discouragement David was able to hear from God...Pursue and you will surely overtake them.  

David took action! The reason so many people get paralyzed by fear is because they fail to be honest and transparent about where the failure came from and they fail to take action to fix it.

–When you realize that you have failed in some area or that you are weighed down by discouragement the single most destructive thing you can do is nothing!

Psychologist David Burns: When I am faced with a challenge and I do nothing, it leads to distorted thoughts–that I am helpless, hopeless, and beyond change. These in turn lead to destructive emotions–loss of energy and motivation, damaged self-esteem, feeling over-whelmed. The end result is a self-defeating behavior–procrastination, avoidance, and escapism. These behaviors then reinforce negative thoughts, and the whole cycle spirals downward.

–The good news is that taking one single step of action can be extremely powerful in robbing failure of its power. When we take action...even if it is small steps...hope gets born and hope always triumphs. 

–Failure does not have to be fatal...failure can be the motivation to take action and make the changes that will lead to a new hope and a new life.

–This is your life. You can’t get out of it. So get into it. Take one step toward trusting God in an area where you feel you have failed. One small step of action is often worth more than a hundred internal pep talks.  

Ephesians 5:14‑18 (NKJV) 

14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." 

15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 

16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 

Normal or Supernatural – 7

Normal or Supernatural – 7

Subject – Supernatural Healing

By Rick Welborne

Acts 3:1-8 (NKJV)
¹  Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
²  And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;
³  who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
⁴  And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
⁵  So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
⁶  Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
⁷  And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
⁸  So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God. 

--Last week we discussed how, as we go from the normal to the supernatural, the laity of the church must be involved and they must be filled with Holy Spirit power. They are not exempt. 

--I hope and pray that you are seeking God with all your heart to be filled with Holy Spirit and that you are attempting to be extremely sensitive to what He wants to do. 

--Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother and Holy Spirit is another Counselor Who will be right there with you at all times. He is another just like Jesus.

John 14:16-18 (NIV)
¹⁶  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
¹⁷  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.
¹⁸  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

--I recently was sharing with our pastoral staff how much I love having Holy Spirit being with me everywhere I go, being able to hear when He speaks, and to follow as He leads. It’s amazing!

--Today we are continuing through the book of Acts (if you want to learn more about Holy Spirit, read this book over and over) and we will again see how God wants to take us from normal to supernatural. 

--In Acts 2 we see the disciples (120) have been filled with power (You shall receive power) and God is using them to be witnesses in Jerusalem and eventually all over.

--As we move on to Acts 3 we once again see that Jesus is wanting the disciples to be witnesses but in a different way. Lives are about to be transformed because someone’s body is about to be healed.

--As has been stated in this series already, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and He always has salvation on His mind. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.

--As this story continues in Acts 4 we find out that this man is over 40 years old. Can you imagine being born cripple and being laid at the church’s door daily to beg. 

--Church people passed him every day but no one had anything that could help him until now. Holy Spirit had not been poured out, but now, supernatural power has been given to the disciples.

--I always think it is so significant about naming children or naming churches. In this case a gate Beautiful!

--I am sure those who named the gate Beautiful years before had no real idea that Holy Spirit was about to be poured out and neither did they know there would be a miraculous healing. God knew!

--Obviously, I believe it is significant what we named our church. Life Church. Living in freedom every day! I believe God intended for us to have this name because He wanted people to find true life here.

John 10:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

--This nameless beggar sees Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asks for alms, and the text says that he looked at them expecting to receive something from them.

--I have never brought this out before, but do you just suppose this beggar could see something different about these men. I am sure their demeanor had changed because of Holy Spirit’s presence. 

--Peter and John have gone from fearful to bold, from timid to looking for opportunities to witness, and they have gone from normal to supernatural. 

--Peter tells the man “Look at us!” Silver and gold we do not have! They said we are Pentecostal preachers and we don’t have money. We have something greater for you than money.

--Don’t ever miss this, behind every cry from the lost in our communities and in our world, what they are asking for is not all they need. They need Jesus and they need the power of Holy Spirit which is in you.

--Protesters may be crying out for justice for George Floyd but what they also need is Jesus. People may ask for food but they need Jehovah Jireh. Don’t forget, people need Jesus.

--Behind people’s pain, behind their anger, behind their need, is a cry of a broken heart that says they need Jesus. Jesus came to heal their broken hearts.

Luke 4:18-19 (NKJV)
¹⁸  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
¹⁹  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 

--Today I want us to look at this miraculous healing and how it was again, “You shall receive power when Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be witnesses.” Let’s look at Peter’s words.

1. What I do have!

--What did Peter have? What do we have? When we are confronted with situations where supernatural power is needed, can we say like Peter, “What I do have.”

--Anyone who reads the gospels knows that Peter was not always in the same place he is in this story with this beggar. What I do have was not that much.

--What I am about to share with you about Peter has a two-fold purpose. First, to share how messed up we can be and second, the hope when we receive Holy Spirit power.

--Jesus has just questioned the disciples about who people are saying He is. Peter has the answer, “You are the Christ” and is commended by Jesus. Flesh and blood has not revealed this but My Father.

--What this shows me is that people who are not filled with Holy Spirit power can be used by God and even have wonderful revelations but they need more.

--Jesus continues and tells the disciples that He will go to Jerusalem, be arrested, and eventually will die. Peter rebukes Jesus (that’s funny) and tells Him that will never happen. This is the normal Simon Peter.

Matthew 16:23 (NKJV)
²³  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." 

--I have heard people who are much smarter than I am and people who have greater ministries than I do say that Jesus was not saying this to Peter but to Satan. Okay Jesus did address Satan but the verse says…

--He turned and said to Peter…I am no genius or great Bible scholar but if it says He said to Peter, I just take the Word for what it says. We all do this…Angel, you didn’t do your homework!

--I don’t want to belabor the point about how Peter was lacking in “What I do have” but he did sleep while Jesus was in the garden. He did desert Jesus and he did deny Him three times as predicted. 

--Even after Jesus had been raised from the dead and had already appeared to them twice, Peter still makes the decision to go back to the normal…fishing. What I do have is not much. 

--But now, something has changed, something has been transformed, someone has moved from the normal to the supernatural. He has just preached to thousands and watched three thousand be born again.

--There is a power, there is a holy confidence, there is a supernatural spirit (Holy Spirit) upon him and indwelling in his life. He has something with which to help this man.

--I am not sure why there has been what appears to me to be a concerted effort to purposely leave out or ignore the third person of the Trinity.

--Some churches, even some A/G churches, act like they are embarrassed to acknowledge Holy Spirit much less to invite Him into their services and lives. 

--I do acknowledge there have been abuses in churches where people do crazy things, act out in crazy ways, and then, attribute what is happening to the Spirit. It was a spirit but not Holy Spirit.

--Peter, after the baptism in Holy Spirit power, could look at a man who has been crippled for more than 40 years and declare to him…What I do have! Holy Spirit power!

2. I give you!

Acts 3:6 (NKJV)
⁶  Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 

--Maybe this is the key to why people ignore Holy Spirit…you become givers…I give you! We become witnesses, we become martyrs, we lay done our lives, our pride, to touch others.

--Holy Spirit was not given or poured out so the disciples could stay in Jerusalem and have exciting church services. Tongues and interpretations, prophecy. This is good but there is more…being witnesses. Giving!

--As I started thinking about the people in our church who are used in the vocal gifts of Holy Spirit, I asked myself the question, are these people witnesses in their communities and everywhere they go? Yes.

Mark 16:15-18 (NKJV)
¹⁵  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
¹⁶  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 

¹⁷  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
¹⁸  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

--The Great Commissions screams to the world…I give you! I give you the gospel! I give you freedom from demons! I give you power to pray! I give you protection! I give you healing! I give you Jesus!

--Holy Spirit power is not about kooky or cool but to make you a witness and a giver! What I do have, I give you!

--When you move from normal to supernatural you become a giver of the greatest kind. Peter and John didn’t have money but they had power to heal from Holy Spirit. The beggar was healed!

3. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!

--Holy Spirit is on you, Holy Spirit is in you, Holy Spirit power is available to you, but hear this, it is never nor should it ever be about you. It is about Jesus!

Acts 3:6 (NKJV)
⁶  Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 

--Another hurtful thing to the church and to Pentecostal believers is when we make what Holy Spirit is doing is about the person being used. The focus must be on Jesus always.

--This truth God dropped into my spirit during this study is that, yes, Holy Spirit is given so we can have power to see the sick healed, but nothing surpasses the power to be witnesses. 

--The healing was more than just a man being able to walk again. It was about the gospel being preached and souls being save. Because of his healing Peter got to preach again. The healing itself is a witness. 

Acts 4:4 (NKJV)
⁴  However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 

--This cripple experienced going from his normal (not being able to walk) to the supernatural (walking, leaping, and praising God!) Why? So Jesus would be lifted up and souls saved!

Abide in Christ

Abide In Christ

by Juan Rodriguez

John 15: 1- 8 (NIV)

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Introduction:

• On this stage, I have a box taped on the floor.
• Jesus says, “Abide in me, and you’ll bear much fruit.”
• To abide means to remain/wait/stay.
• What a fantastic deal given to us by Jesus.
• Abide here, and I will bless you.
• Wait here, and I will renew your strength.
• Remain here, and I will hear your prayers.
• What a bargain!
• To wait, stay, & remain, & He will produce fruit in us.
• Yet, this bargain carries a burden.
• It’s difficult to wait here when the world seems to be burning around you.
• It seems impossible to remain here when grief and anger have overtaken my soul.
• It’s tempting to walk away from Christ when culture questions & mocks my beliefs every single day.

Challenges – the enemy:

• Remaining in Christ is challenging.
• I’m thinking of when I wrestled in P.E. class.
• There is a circle on the floor, and one of the tasks is to get your opponent outside the ring.
• The goal of the enemy is to push you out of Christ.
• Now first, you have to identify the enemy.
• You need to know who you’re wrestling against.
• When we don’t know who we are fighting against, it’s like shooting a ball into your own basket.
• All your effort just led to a point for the other team.
• In wrestling terms, it’s easy for the enemy to push you out when you don’t see him coming. It’s easy for him to hit you when you don’t see him coming.
• Know your enemy.
• The Bible says we don’t wrestle with flesh and blood but principalities, powers, darkness in this evil world.
• We spend all our time fighting puppets while the puppet master goes unaffected.
• Your spouse is not the enemy, nor is a politician or a boss or a virus. Look at the bigger picture.
• Get the real enemy in your scope and pull the trigger.
• Dig your feet into the ground and see the schemes of the enemy so that he doesn’t push you out of Christ.
• Ignorance is not irreversible! Stay on alert for the enemy and determine to abide in Christ!
• We lose when we are pushed out of Christ.
• That’s the real fight. That’s the real enemy!

Challenges – ourselves:

• It’s bad enough that the enemy is trying to push me out of Christ, I’ve got things inside of me that try to pull me out of Christ as well.
• These ropes represent the things that are connected to me, the things that affect my heart and personality.
• This first rope is called feelings.
• My feelings easily pull me out of Christ.
• I get angry and I’m pulled out of Christ, into expressing myself in a way that’s not Christlike.
• Loneliness tugs me away from devotion to Christ and pulls me into toxic friendships.
• I get tired and give up entirely on godly standards.
• I’m insecure, depressed, impatient, and choose a solution that is outside of Jesus.
• Like a promiscuous spouse, we let our feelings dictate our faithfulness.
• Let me warn you: If your emotions are not under control, your emotions will control you.
• Our emotions will convince us that it is smarter, more comfortable, and even justifiable to abandon our devotion to Christ for the sake of our feelings.
• The challenge is to forsake feelings for the sake of Christ. To remain in Christ, despite my feelings.
• Here’s why: feelings are deceptive.
• I remember being younger, and there was a season of about two months where my bones were hurting from the knees down.
• For no reason. I wasn’t athletic. I wasn’t active.
• Some days I would cry because it hurt so bad.
• It wasn’t long after that, maybe a couple of months later, that I notice that I was taller than my siblings.
• Today, I am the youngest of 5, yet I’m the tallest in the family.
• You see, I felt pain, I felt sadness, I was crying, all the while I was growing!
• It wasn’t just pain, they were growth pains!
• If you are abiding in Christ and your emotions are flaring up. If you are abiding in Christ and you feel pain, just tell yourself:  these are just growing pains!
• Don’t let it pull you out. The fruit is about to sprout!

Challenges – labels:

• Another challenge are the labels we identify with.
• Political parties are a big one this year.
• Nationalism is another big one. Ethnicity is one.
• The issue is when we identify more with a political party than we do with Christ.
• Some of us are more American than we are children of God.
• Some of us would forsake the fruit of the Spirit if it came between us and our nationalism.
• We would look over sin as long as it’s “OUR” president doing it. We look over injustice as long as our party is looking over it too. 
• We ignore the facts as long as it fits with our narrative.
• Our clubs, clichés, and groups become demonic when we allow them to pull us outside of Christ.
• You’re a Republican, but what about the things the Bible says on being full of grace, mercy, and compassion? How does that affect issues like racism, immigration, and government assistance?
• You’re a Democrat, but what about what the Bible says about the sanctity of marriage and the value for life, even those unborn?
• I understand that you believe all lives matter, but what about considering others above yourself and listening more than you speak.
• I understand that you believe black lives matter, but what about the sons of God being peacemakers? 
• What about forgiving others as Christ forgives you, not holding their sins against them?
• These labels are a PART of who you are, but they shouldn’t DEFINE who you are; Christ defines you!
• I must remain in Christ at all times.
• Even if that means disassociating with some labels.
• Don’t be so broadly defined.
• It’s like when I’m talking to a car-lover.
• They show me a muscle car, and I go “nice car.”
• They are insulted! “Nice car? This isn’t just a nice car. This is a…” Then they recite the make, the model, the engine, the gadgets, and more.
• They recite the stats of this car by memory better than they recite the pledge of alliance.
• I’m like that with food.
• Pastor Juan likes peanut butter.
• No! Now, I’m insulted.
• I like honey roasted, crunchy peanut butter --- preferably the Peter Pan brand.
• I’ll fight you on the specifics!
• This is how we should be with our labels!
• I’m an independent. I’m a Hispanic. I’m a black man.
• No. I’m not JUST that.
• I’m in Christ! I’m a child of God. I’m an ambassador of Christ. I am part of a royal priesthood. I am a peacemaker.  I’m carrying the ministry of reconciliation. I am a part of the body of Christ. I am a new creation. I am the salt of the earth. I am a light on a hill. I’m a disciple of Christ.
• I’m not just an American --- I’m an American, in Christ.
• I’m not just a Hispanic --- I’m a Hispanic, in Christ.
• And I will fight for that distinction.
• I will defend that distinction.
• Above any other label, I’m in Christ!

Challenges – Greed:

• How about this rope called greed?
• How many of us have been pulled out of Christ by the famous words, “I need.”
• I’m trying to teach my son about the difference between need and want.
• He doesn’t NEED that piece of cake.
• He doesn’t NEED to stay up late watching Paw Patrol.
• He doesn’t NEED to hit his sister in the face.
• I’m having the same conversations with myself.
• We can be impulsive due to the things we think we need.
• Remember that the heart is deceptive.
• How do we identify between what we need and want?
• Let me explain it to you:
• If I truly need it, I can get it right here, in Christ!
• If it helps me bear fruit, I can get it right here.
• If it’s God's will for me, I don’t have to go outside of Christ to get it.
• I can remain here, wait here, and abide in Christ.
• If I can’t get it while being in Christ, then this thing is not “for my good,” it’s for my greed.
• Listen to me: God’s Word will never rob you from life; it will just save me from that which strips life away.
• The best of both worlds isn’t always applicable.
• There comes the point where you either get what you want or you get Christ.
• You get what you want and miss out on what God has for you. Our greed robs us from God’s provision.
• Our greed causes us to make demands to God, demanding Him to approve our preferences or else we’ll step out of Christ.
• “Approve my wants. Approve of my traditions.”
• Listen to me church: Our union, in Christ, is not a business deal; it’s a covenant!
• Try making demands in a marriage.
• You can’t force Christ in a corner.
• You can’t outsmart or manipulate Him.
• When you begin to see God as a “joy kill,” or an obstacle to your desires or a hindrance to your plans, you’re in danger of stepping outside of Christ.
• Like children who cause parents to take opposite sides, our greed separates us from God.
• I love my kids, but I know where they belong on the totem pole; below my wife! If it came between them or her, I’d pick her in a heartbeat.
• Isn’t this the devotion and loyalty Christ asks for?
• “If you don’t hate mother, father, sister, and brother for my sake, you aren’t worthy of me.”
• “Sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow me.”
• This seems radical for a religion. It’s reasonable for a relationship; for a covenant.

Belt of truth:

• There’s a reason why these ropes are tied to a belt.
• Our spiritual belt is the belt of truth.
• Whenever these things try to pull you out of Christ, pull yourself back in with the truth!
• There’s no greater truth than that which we find in the  Word of God.
• Jesus says, abide in Me by abiding in My Word.
• We have a deficiency in Bible reading and bible knowledge in the church.
• I am fully aware that it’s not about how many Scriptures you know; rather, it is how many Scriptures you live that truly matters.
• That being said, knowing the Bible is the beginning to living it.
• And living the Bible is the beginning of using it to defend yourself against the push and pulls of life.
• The Bible shows me what “in Christ” looks like.

Conclusion:

• Jesus gives us an amazing promise.
• If we abide in Him and His Word, we will bear fruit.
• Our world is experiencing a spiritual famine due to fruitless Christians.
• Don’t assume that you are in Christ.
• Look at the fruit in your life!

Jeremiah 7:3-11

³ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. ⁴ Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” ⁵ If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, ⁶ if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, ⁷ then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. ⁸ But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. ⁹ “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, ¹⁰ and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? ¹¹ Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

• “Pastor Juan, I’m all good. I’m in church.” 
• Yeah, but are you in Christ?
• If you don’t abide in His truth, in His Word, if you don’t walk in the light, you are not in Christ.
• Pastor Mark told me the illustration of an apple tree.
• There are apples on the ground, but they are rotten.
• Some have bruises. The best apples are on the tree!
• Yes, in Christ, you’ll have to raise the standard.
• You’ll have to climb higher. It’s harder. More energy.
• But don’t settle for things that lower your standards. 
• Don’t stray far from the vine! Don’t get pulled!
• The best fruit is on the vine. The best fruit is in Christ!
• Jesus is beckoning you… Forsake everything that lures you away and abide in Jesus and His teachings.
• The pushes and pulls of life are our enemy.
• We must determine to abide in Christ at all costs! 
• Prioritize abiding!
• When the world pushes, push back!
• When these things inside of you try to pull you away, pull yourself back!
• And you will bear much fruit.

Honey, It’s a CRAZY World – SO PRAY !

by Mark LoGuidice

Luke 10:25-27

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must 

I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

Title of the Message:

Honey, It’s a CRAZY World – SO PRAY !

Luke 10:27-37

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

 ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

 ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 

³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

 ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

• ^{• 36} “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

• ^{• 37} The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”   Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

LISTEN with LOVE

• o James 1:19 - My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

SHOW ENORMOUS COMPASSION

• • Eph. 4:32 - Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

FIGHT LIKE NEVER BEFORE

• o James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Ephesians 6

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 

¹¹ (HOW)Put on the full armor of God, (WHY)so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 

¹² (WHY)For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

¹³ Therefore (HOW) put on the full armor of God, (WHY) so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

 ¹⁸ And (HOW) pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

• o VIDEO: The Dream King