Andy Stanley One Prayer Week 4 “God is in Control”
*Message 1 ‘Nothing New’ from Andy’s “He’s Still* Got the Whole World in His Hands” Series
The Upper Room – Disciples celebrate Passover with Jesus. Passover was a remembrance meal where the Jews would remember what happened years ago when the Israelites were in Egyptian slavery and were having their last meal before the next morning when they all would walk out of Egypt. All they had known for over 400 years was slavery. After 400 years worth of prayer, God sent them Moses who said “tomorrow we are leaving.” The Angel of Death passed over Egypt and killed the first born from every family who did not have the blood of a lamb on their door post. The Israelites took Moses’ words true and did what he said and they were delivered, left Egypt and headed for the Promised Land. So, 1400 years later (things were not going well), Jesus and The Disciples gathered for the Passover (Last Supper): Mark 14:17-30: 17When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me." 19They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?" 20"It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." 22While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." 23Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. 25"I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." 26When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written:
" 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. 28But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." 29Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." 30"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times."
Can you trust God and can you maintain faith in Him, when there is absolutely now evidence of His activity in your life? Our answer to that question will determine our response to the continuing uncertainty in our lives.
If you could ask the Disciples when the darkest moment was when they followed Jesus. Answer probably would be at the Last Supper. All 12 ended up betraying Him, one of them 3 times, and then they watched Jesus be tried and killed. But, those very same hours, when it seemed as if God was inactive and doing the least, in those darkest hours God was actually doing the most. The darkest hours were the epicenter of the salvation of mankind. In the moment it looked like a lost cause, but in reality it was the time that people now look back on to see God’s goodness and grace.
God seems to take broken things, and do amazing work.
God seems to wait until the last moment to do His amazing work.
God shows up in His timing, not the way we choose.
The most amazing works of God are often times launched during time of personal or national brokenness.
Will we maintain faith when we cannot see His hand?
Now more than ever, The Bible is the place to go.
It was birthed during times of extraordinary darkness and extraordinary uncertainty.
It allows us to embrace uncertainty with the certainty of knowing that God is still in control.
Although life is uncertain, God is not uncertain. He still has the world in His hands.
YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE STORY HE TELLS AT THE END OF THE MESSAGE. IT GIVES ME CHILLS……..
“and we know, that in all things God works to the benefit of those who love him” ……but sometimes it takes Him a while.
LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE NOW!
HERE: http://tiny.cc/Y1GTC
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
ONE PRAYER Week 3 God Is Here by Perry Noble
ONE PRAYER WEEK 3 Perry Noble “God is Here”
If we could wrap our minds around this concept (Matthew 28:20) then the enemy wouldn’t be allowed to steal our joy as much as he steals our joy and we would walk in the victory that Jesus provided.
The last words that Jesus said: Matthew 28:20 “And surely I am with you always till the very end of the age”
God is here, He is not somewhere out there.
God is as real as the person sitting next to you.
3 ways to wrap our minds around the concept that God is always with us:
1. The Life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).
Jesus came here! He was here for 33 years. He is a model for us of how we should be living life. Jesus lived a supernatural life (the virgin birth, Jesus lived a perfect sinless life, Jesus did miracles, Jesus came back from the dead). Jesus said in John 5:30: “By myself I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself, but Him who sent me.” The key to a supernatural life is to try to stop doing it by yourself, listen to God, do what He says, and go all out to live a life that pleases Him. That’s what Jesus modeled. If we make it our goal to live a life that completely pleases Jesus, it is incredibly hard to forget the fact that He is with us when we are putting our eyes on Him everyday. If we forget He is with us, it’s because we have taken our eyes off of Him. Jesus wants us to repeat His words, because the world needs more of Jesus. We need to be obsessed with learning to repeat Him. Just do what God tells you to do. The life of Jesus is a reminder that He is always with us!
2. The Death of Jesus
If we ever think that God has forgotten us, we just need to remember the death of Jesus. When God is separated from us, it breaks His heart. Our sinfulness and God’s holiness could not co-exist. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” We get obsessed with who we used to be instead of who God created us to be. The death of Jesus is a reminder that He is with us and He is not obsessed with who we used to be. If you are a child of God, he has cleaned up your mess and doesn’t even think about it anymore. He has removed it as far as the east is from the west. If you ever doubt that God is with you, all you have to do is look at the cross.
3. The Victory of Jesus
RUN UP THE SCORE ON THE ENEMY! As followers of Jesus, we win! 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We have been given victory through Jesus! Sometimes we have to experience pain to understand His provision. Sometimes we have to go through the valley of the shadow of death to fully understand that He is the author of life. Your circumstances don’t rein over you, God, Jesus in you, actually reigns over your circumstances. 2000 years ago on a Friday afternoon, it all seemed to be falling part. When it seemed like God was the most out of control, He arranged those very circumstances to prove to the world that He was and is in control. We can’t have a resurrection without a crucifixion. And the crucifixion led to the resurrection. Some of us may feel like we are being crucified right now but the reason you are going through that is because on the other end God is going to achieve maximum glory out of your pain. It may feel like Friday, but Sunday’s coming. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 “7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” The victory of Jesus is there because He won on the cross! The Holy Spirit lives in us, the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead! RUN UP THE SCORE!
“I’ve never seen the devil but I’m willing to bet that if we could see him we would not fear him as much because I bet that Jesus put a cross on his forehead to prove to the world that he messed with the wrong person. If the one who put a cross on the Devil’s forehead lives in us, then we can conquer and overcome anything that the enemy throws at us. We have the victory of Jesus inside of us and if we walk in victory rather than think we are fighting for victory we will understand that He is with us because He is in us and we win”
*Listen to Perry Noble’s message: http://tinyurl.com/bv3dfb
Perry’s website: http://www.perrynoble.com/
http://www.newspring.cc/
The End
If we could wrap our minds around this concept (Matthew 28:20) then the enemy wouldn’t be allowed to steal our joy as much as he steals our joy and we would walk in the victory that Jesus provided.
The last words that Jesus said: Matthew 28:20 “And surely I am with you always till the very end of the age”
God is here, He is not somewhere out there.
God is as real as the person sitting next to you.
3 ways to wrap our minds around the concept that God is always with us:
1. The Life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).
Jesus came here! He was here for 33 years. He is a model for us of how we should be living life. Jesus lived a supernatural life (the virgin birth, Jesus lived a perfect sinless life, Jesus did miracles, Jesus came back from the dead). Jesus said in John 5:30: “By myself I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself, but Him who sent me.” The key to a supernatural life is to try to stop doing it by yourself, listen to God, do what He says, and go all out to live a life that pleases Him. That’s what Jesus modeled. If we make it our goal to live a life that completely pleases Jesus, it is incredibly hard to forget the fact that He is with us when we are putting our eyes on Him everyday. If we forget He is with us, it’s because we have taken our eyes off of Him. Jesus wants us to repeat His words, because the world needs more of Jesus. We need to be obsessed with learning to repeat Him. Just do what God tells you to do. The life of Jesus is a reminder that He is always with us!
2. The Death of Jesus
If we ever think that God has forgotten us, we just need to remember the death of Jesus. When God is separated from us, it breaks His heart. Our sinfulness and God’s holiness could not co-exist. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” We get obsessed with who we used to be instead of who God created us to be. The death of Jesus is a reminder that He is with us and He is not obsessed with who we used to be. If you are a child of God, he has cleaned up your mess and doesn’t even think about it anymore. He has removed it as far as the east is from the west. If you ever doubt that God is with you, all you have to do is look at the cross.
3. The Victory of Jesus
RUN UP THE SCORE ON THE ENEMY! As followers of Jesus, we win! 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We have been given victory through Jesus! Sometimes we have to experience pain to understand His provision. Sometimes we have to go through the valley of the shadow of death to fully understand that He is the author of life. Your circumstances don’t rein over you, God, Jesus in you, actually reigns over your circumstances. 2000 years ago on a Friday afternoon, it all seemed to be falling part. When it seemed like God was the most out of control, He arranged those very circumstances to prove to the world that He was and is in control. We can’t have a resurrection without a crucifixion. And the crucifixion led to the resurrection. Some of us may feel like we are being crucified right now but the reason you are going through that is because on the other end God is going to achieve maximum glory out of your pain. It may feel like Friday, but Sunday’s coming. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10 “7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” The victory of Jesus is there because He won on the cross! The Holy Spirit lives in us, the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead! RUN UP THE SCORE!
“I’ve never seen the devil but I’m willing to bet that if we could see him we would not fear him as much because I bet that Jesus put a cross on his forehead to prove to the world that he messed with the wrong person. If the one who put a cross on the Devil’s forehead lives in us, then we can conquer and overcome anything that the enemy throws at us. We have the victory of Jesus inside of us and if we walk in victory rather than think we are fighting for victory we will understand that He is with us because He is in us and we win”
*Listen to Perry Noble’s message: http://tinyurl.com/bv3dfb
Perry’s website: http://www.perrynoble.com/
http://www.newspring.cc/
The End
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
God is Great
Most of what we need to know about God we already know, we just have to remember it.
God is great, God is good.
Psalm 62:11-12
“One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard. That you o God are strong and that you o Lord are loving.”
If God only had all the power but bad intentions, we should be terrified of Him.
If God is great, but not good, we should fear for our lives.
God is not only powerful, He has great intentions.
Our God is so great that when Moses asked Him in Exodus 14, what should I call you, he said “I am who I am” or “I am that I am” or “Whatever you need, that’s what I am”
God is….whatever you need Him to be!
He is a provider, rescuer, healer, and guider.
Some of the things that freak us out cause us to doubt our God
How big is your problem compared to how big your God is?
Our God is a great big God!
Eph. 3:20
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”
God has been really good to us.
Sometimes our present struggles seem to overwhelm our perspective of God’s past faithfulness.
God has been good to you. You are alive and breathing
Lamentations 3:21-23
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
God has good intentions toward His children.
Our God is so good, He wants better for us than we want for ourselves.
God doesn’t take things away from us, He is making room for bigger and better things for us.
God saved us, forgave us of our sins…..God has been good to us.
The Cross settled his goodness once and for all!
Thank God for his goodness in the middle of our struggles.
When waves of doubt swell up in us, we need to go back and rehearse the past faithfulness of God so we will have complete confidence in His future ability.
God has been with us in the past and He will be in the future.
Listen to this message right now! Click on this link: http://tiny.cc/Gopdr
Visit the pastors website: http://www.stevenfurtick.com/
God is great, God is good.
Psalm 62:11-12
“One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard. That you o God are strong and that you o Lord are loving.”
If God only had all the power but bad intentions, we should be terrified of Him.
If God is great, but not good, we should fear for our lives.
God is not only powerful, He has great intentions.
Our God is so great that when Moses asked Him in Exodus 14, what should I call you, he said “I am who I am” or “I am that I am” or “Whatever you need, that’s what I am”
God is….whatever you need Him to be!
He is a provider, rescuer, healer, and guider.
Some of the things that freak us out cause us to doubt our God
How big is your problem compared to how big your God is?
Our God is a great big God!
Eph. 3:20
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”
God has been really good to us.
Sometimes our present struggles seem to overwhelm our perspective of God’s past faithfulness.
God has been good to you. You are alive and breathing
Lamentations 3:21-23
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
God has good intentions toward His children.
Our God is so good, He wants better for us than we want for ourselves.
God doesn’t take things away from us, He is making room for bigger and better things for us.
God saved us, forgave us of our sins…..God has been good to us.
The Cross settled his goodness once and for all!
Thank God for his goodness in the middle of our struggles.
When waves of doubt swell up in us, we need to go back and rehearse the past faithfulness of God so we will have complete confidence in His future ability.
God has been with us in the past and He will be in the future.
Listen to this message right now! Click on this link: http://tiny.cc/Gopdr
Visit the pastors website: http://www.stevenfurtick.com/
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
ONE PRAYER: GOD IS LOVE
ONE PRAYER http://2009.oneprayer.com/
• The Epic Journey (http://twitter.com/TheEpicJourney) joined along with 1,790 other churches around the world to reach the world with the power of God’s love.
• On Sunday, Craig Groeschel started the month long series off with a message entitled “God is Love.”
• Listen to the message right here: http://tinyurl.com/mngla6
God Loves You! It is easy for me to see how God could love you, but as bad as I am, it is hard for me to see that God loves me.
2 Questions:
1. Why would God love someone as bad as me?
• Job 42: 5-6 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
• 1 Corinthians 15:9 9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
2. Why would God love someone so insignificant?
• Exodus 3:11 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
• 1 Chronicles 29:14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
*Love is not just something that God does; love is something that God is.*
**************************GOD IS LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*********************
*God’s Love covers your sins!
• 1 Peter 4:8 - Love covers a multitude of sins.
• Titus 3: 4-5 - 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit
• When you start to feel insignificant, remember God’s love is what makes us significant. It is His love that makes you who He wants you to be.
• Jeremiah 31:3 - 3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
• How could God care about me, there are so many of us?
• 2 stories from Luke 15
o Women with 10 coins loses one
o Man with 2 sons loses one
o Man with 100 sheep loses one
o Despite having more coins, another son, and 99 other sheep, these people did everything they could to find the other ONE.
• Even though there are 6 billion people in the world, maybe YOU are the ONE.
• GOD IS LOVE, AND MAYBE YOU ARE THE ONE HE IS PERSUING
• John 3:16 - 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
My Take
Wow, this guy is intense. I love his emotion and command. What a great speaker. If you are just reading this and have not listened to it, you have to listen to it. Just click on this link: http://tinyurl.com/mngla6 . The discussion about his 6 kids at the end is very powerful. I love the way he relates it to God’s love for us. It makes us see how God can love you and love me both on a very personal level. As a teacher to be, I have had teaching experiences that show this type of love. You get to know your students and you just end up loving them. And you don’t love some more than others, you have a deep love and care for each one in a different, but uniquely similar way. God has so many children and sometimes I think God has more important things to take care of than to worry about my little problems. I have it really good. Some of God’s children don’t have it so good. I think, I should not even ask God for these things when he has already given me so much compared to what some of His other children have. But, his love covers us all. He can and does love all of us equally at the same time. God is love and His love is for all of us who choose to accept it.
The story about the little girl at the end is a great way to wrap the message up. Good Stuff! Maybe we aren’t listening close enough!
• The Epic Journey (http://twitter.com/TheEpicJourney) joined along with 1,790 other churches around the world to reach the world with the power of God’s love.
• On Sunday, Craig Groeschel started the month long series off with a message entitled “God is Love.”
• Listen to the message right here: http://tinyurl.com/mngla6
God Loves You! It is easy for me to see how God could love you, but as bad as I am, it is hard for me to see that God loves me.
2 Questions:
1. Why would God love someone as bad as me?
• Job 42: 5-6 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
• 1 Corinthians 15:9 9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
2. Why would God love someone so insignificant?
• Exodus 3:11 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
• 1 Chronicles 29:14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
*Love is not just something that God does; love is something that God is.*
**************************GOD IS LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*********************
*God’s Love covers your sins!
• 1 Peter 4:8 - Love covers a multitude of sins.
• Titus 3: 4-5 - 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit
• When you start to feel insignificant, remember God’s love is what makes us significant. It is His love that makes you who He wants you to be.
• Jeremiah 31:3 - 3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
• How could God care about me, there are so many of us?
• 2 stories from Luke 15
o Women with 10 coins loses one
o Man with 2 sons loses one
o Man with 100 sheep loses one
o Despite having more coins, another son, and 99 other sheep, these people did everything they could to find the other ONE.
• Even though there are 6 billion people in the world, maybe YOU are the ONE.
• GOD IS LOVE, AND MAYBE YOU ARE THE ONE HE IS PERSUING
• John 3:16 - 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
My Take
Wow, this guy is intense. I love his emotion and command. What a great speaker. If you are just reading this and have not listened to it, you have to listen to it. Just click on this link: http://tinyurl.com/mngla6 . The discussion about his 6 kids at the end is very powerful. I love the way he relates it to God’s love for us. It makes us see how God can love you and love me both on a very personal level. As a teacher to be, I have had teaching experiences that show this type of love. You get to know your students and you just end up loving them. And you don’t love some more than others, you have a deep love and care for each one in a different, but uniquely similar way. God has so many children and sometimes I think God has more important things to take care of than to worry about my little problems. I have it really good. Some of God’s children don’t have it so good. I think, I should not even ask God for these things when he has already given me so much compared to what some of His other children have. But, his love covers us all. He can and does love all of us equally at the same time. God is love and His love is for all of us who choose to accept it.
The story about the little girl at the end is a great way to wrap the message up. Good Stuff! Maybe we aren’t listening close enough!
Friday, June 5, 2009
This week(end) in sports!
Well, we have a big sports weekend ahead of us. I for one am looking forward to it! Let's start with the Belmont.
*While we are not looking at a triple crown possibility, this is a compelling race because Mine That Bird won the Derby, finished 2nd in the Preakness, and now is the favorite for this race. Jockey Calvin Borel has guaranteed a win in this race. He rode MTB to the KY Derby victory, rode Rachel Alexandra to victory in Maryland, and now is back on MTB at Belmont. MTB should win this race, but you never know. That's what makes the Belmont worth watching this year. Borel goes for his own personal triple crown, and MTB tries to take 2 out of the 3 jewels, while finishing second in the other one. MTB could go from a horse who some think shouldn't have even been in the Derby (before the actual race) to a legendary horse who took 2 of the 3 crowned jewels. I think this horse is for real and will win on Saturday. If only the Belmont would have just been a little longer of a race, we could be looking at a triple crown winner, but that's why it is racing. It's tough to win. That's why no horse has won the triple crown in over 30 years. It's racing and anything can and will happen. Watch and see if Mine That Bird can win the Belmont on ABC 5/4 est on Saturday afternoon.
*Now on to the Memphis scandal. Apparently Derrick Rose, and now Robert Dozier both had stand-ins to take their SAT for them. The question I have is will this come back on Coach Cal at Kentucky. The Wildcats are looking at a very promising season, but this could throw things for a loop.
*How about the French Open. This is history people. Roger Federer is trying to tie Pete Sampras with 14 career Grand Slam titles. He won today in dramatic fashion, and now he has to face the man who took Nadal down, Soderling. Will he finally be able to win at the French, or will this Nadal killer take him down? I say go Roger, I hope you do it!
*The NBA Finals got underway last night, and the Lakers blew the Magic out. Is there any hope for the Magic in this series? I think there is. They figure to lose the first two in L.A. and then they have to get down to business in Orlando for games 3 and 4. I think L.A. will win, but I think Orlando will bounce back and make it a 6 or 7 game series.
*The Stanley Cup Final got a little more interesting last night when Pittsburgh tied the series at 2. I would love to see the Pens get the Cup, but I still think it will be Detroit in 6. I hope I am wrong.
*Now, on to NASCAR. Double-file restarts begin this weekend in Pocono. I think this should help with the boring races we have been having lately. Sure, Dover last week was great with Johnson and Stewart battling it out in the end, but the majority of the races have a boredom factor to them. This 2-file restart will help with that. No more of the lap down cars starting on the inside. The lapers will be where they belong, behind the leaders. This will be interesting. Just look at the All-Star race a few weeks ago. That double-file last 10 laps was great. The rest of the race was a bore. That's why this 2-file restart is so important. It will make the races less boring! We will see what happens Sunday at Pocono. Pocono is generally a very boring race so this is a great place to implement the double file restarts, and should help improve the race!
Great weekend in sports! I hope you tune in!
*While we are not looking at a triple crown possibility, this is a compelling race because Mine That Bird won the Derby, finished 2nd in the Preakness, and now is the favorite for this race. Jockey Calvin Borel has guaranteed a win in this race. He rode MTB to the KY Derby victory, rode Rachel Alexandra to victory in Maryland, and now is back on MTB at Belmont. MTB should win this race, but you never know. That's what makes the Belmont worth watching this year. Borel goes for his own personal triple crown, and MTB tries to take 2 out of the 3 jewels, while finishing second in the other one. MTB could go from a horse who some think shouldn't have even been in the Derby (before the actual race) to a legendary horse who took 2 of the 3 crowned jewels. I think this horse is for real and will win on Saturday. If only the Belmont would have just been a little longer of a race, we could be looking at a triple crown winner, but that's why it is racing. It's tough to win. That's why no horse has won the triple crown in over 30 years. It's racing and anything can and will happen. Watch and see if Mine That Bird can win the Belmont on ABC 5/4 est on Saturday afternoon.
*Now on to the Memphis scandal. Apparently Derrick Rose, and now Robert Dozier both had stand-ins to take their SAT for them. The question I have is will this come back on Coach Cal at Kentucky. The Wildcats are looking at a very promising season, but this could throw things for a loop.
*How about the French Open. This is history people. Roger Federer is trying to tie Pete Sampras with 14 career Grand Slam titles. He won today in dramatic fashion, and now he has to face the man who took Nadal down, Soderling. Will he finally be able to win at the French, or will this Nadal killer take him down? I say go Roger, I hope you do it!
*The NBA Finals got underway last night, and the Lakers blew the Magic out. Is there any hope for the Magic in this series? I think there is. They figure to lose the first two in L.A. and then they have to get down to business in Orlando for games 3 and 4. I think L.A. will win, but I think Orlando will bounce back and make it a 6 or 7 game series.
*The Stanley Cup Final got a little more interesting last night when Pittsburgh tied the series at 2. I would love to see the Pens get the Cup, but I still think it will be Detroit in 6. I hope I am wrong.
*Now, on to NASCAR. Double-file restarts begin this weekend in Pocono. I think this should help with the boring races we have been having lately. Sure, Dover last week was great with Johnson and Stewart battling it out in the end, but the majority of the races have a boredom factor to them. This 2-file restart will help with that. No more of the lap down cars starting on the inside. The lapers will be where they belong, behind the leaders. This will be interesting. Just look at the All-Star race a few weeks ago. That double-file last 10 laps was great. The rest of the race was a bore. That's why this 2-file restart is so important. It will make the races less boring! We will see what happens Sunday at Pocono. Pocono is generally a very boring race so this is a great place to implement the double file restarts, and should help improve the race!
Great weekend in sports! I hope you tune in!
Monday, June 1, 2009
SAVE THE SUMMER
SAVE THE SUMMER - 5.31.09
• Matt spoke on the topic of being a good Samaritan over the summer.
• This is a one part sermon, the last one for Matt until July.
• He has the month of June off as vacation time.
• Does he deserve a whole month off? Let me know what you think! I vote yes.
• Anyway, here is a sermon outline and at the end, my take.
What do you plan on doing this summer?
• Vacations, projects, fun stuff, relaxing, events, weddings
• Cash in on our extra time and money
We look forward to summer because we have a lot of extra!
• Time, money, vacation
There is nothing wrong with that. We can use some of that extra time and money for us. But, everything revolves around us. We think the summer is ours. Our time to have fun. What if we just take a portion of the extra time and money we have this summer to help someone else have a great summer. Make not only memories this summer, but make a mark!
How can we make a lasting difference in the lives of others this summer?
For us to be able to take the next 2-3 months to serve other people, that will not require us to change a lot of our plans and time (some but not a lot), but it will require us to change our perspective.
The Good Samaritan
• Some religious folks who didn’t care a lot for Jesus hired a lawyer to follow Jesus around to try to catch Jesus saying something that they could use to discredit Him.
Luke 10:25-37 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
• The lawyer thinks that he has heard Jesus say something that they can use to bring Him down.
• A lawyer never asks a question he doesn’t already know the answer to.
• Jesus turns it around on him.
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
• Jesus knows the expert in the law already knows the answer.
• The lawyer quotes back to Jesus what Jesus had already replied in the past
27He 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'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
• The lawyer quoted this out of Deuteronomy and Leviticus
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
• Jesus is like OK you got it. So Jesus is ready to go back to what he was previously doing before the lawyer spoke to Him, but…..
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
• The lawyer thought he had Jesus with this one. He thought he would get Jesus to give a narrow answer that would narrow down specific people, or a group of people. But Jesus replies with a story instead of directly answering his question.
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
• A priest was at the top of the food chain in that culture.
• A priest was powerful, wealthy, and educated.
• A very religious guy who, if anyone, should know what it means to love God and love people.
• Closer to God than anyone, but when he sees the man, he walks to the other side and goes on.
• The priest found a way in his mind to convince himself and justify to himself that he didn’t need to stop and help this guy.
• He came up with excuses in his head.
32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
• A Levite was right next to the priest: educated, religious
• He did the same thing as the priest: justified and convinced himself not to stop.
• The priest and the Levite were good guys who figured out how to play the mental games that that was not a need that they needed to meet. It was better for someone else to do it. This is kind of what we do.
33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
• The Jewish people Jesus was talking to hated Samaritans. They couldn’t stand them; they wouldn’t talk to them, interact with them, or even be with them.
• The Samaritan put himself in that man’s shoes and helped him.
34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
• This was dangerous for the Samaritan to do.
• It was expensive. Oil and wine weren’t cheap.
35The next day he took out two silver coins 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.'
• The Samaritan went to great lengths, spend a lot of money, and put himself at risk to help this poor, beaten man.
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
• Quit talking about it, just go love God and love people. When there is a need that needs met, meet it. Don’t worry about the formalities of who is my neighbor, just help and meet needs that need met.
• We are masters at being like the priest and the Levite. We see situations like this and do the exact thing. We make excuses and justifications in our heads to not help.
• Just be a good neighbor. Don’t worry about expectations. If there is a need, just be a good neighbor. The Samaritan didn’t worry that since he was giving money to take care of the beaten man, that the man would later come back and want more money from him. He just met the need, no questions asked.
• Just helping one person will make a big difference for that person.
• As we are having our fun this summer, we are going to have a lot of opportunities to meet the needs of others.
• Say “I am going to take some of what God has blessed me with and use it to serve others.” Just a little slice of our time and money to not only make memories but make a mark in the lives of others.
• Challenge to the church: Don’t spend the entire summer focused on us, but to spend this summer focused on other people. Don’t just chase after fun but to save this summer by serving somebody.
• What does that look like: Take some money and give it to a friend who needs it more than you do. Put it in their mailbox. Do it week after week. Use your time to volunteer in the community. Help some mom with her kids a couple times a week. Help with the church.
• GIVE, GIVE, GIVE instead of TAKE, TAKE, TAKE.
• Quit being selfish with your time and money and give some of it to meet others needs.
• Invite a friend to church!
• So, are we going to be the Levite/priest or the Samaritan this summer?
• Don’t just chase fun, SAVE THIS SUMMER BY SERVING SOMEONE!
Listen to the sermon:
http://tinyurl.com/m9purr
My Take:
Well, this reminds me so much of seeing a guy broke down on the road and just driving on by. We say “oh, someone else will stop. I probably couldn’t help anyway. What if it is a setup. I could get hurt or killed. I don’t have time. If I stop, this will mess up my schedule.” What we are doing is the exact thing that the priest and Levite did. We are justifying and convincing ourselves that we don’t need to stop. I did it just the other day. Drove right by a guy with his hood up. I’m no mechanic, but I could have at least stopped and offered him a phone call, a ride, a few bucks. I could have met a need instead of meeting my own needs and passing on by and going on with my day. I never thought to put myself in his shoes. What if I was broke down. I can barely change a flat tire, let alone fix anything. What if I forgot my cell phone that day. What if I ran out of gas. I would love for a ‘good Samaritan’ to stop by and help. Don’t over analyze the situation. Stop and serve and meet a need and the Lord will take care of the rest.
• Matt spoke on the topic of being a good Samaritan over the summer.
• This is a one part sermon, the last one for Matt until July.
• He has the month of June off as vacation time.
• Does he deserve a whole month off? Let me know what you think! I vote yes.
• Anyway, here is a sermon outline and at the end, my take.
What do you plan on doing this summer?
• Vacations, projects, fun stuff, relaxing, events, weddings
• Cash in on our extra time and money
We look forward to summer because we have a lot of extra!
• Time, money, vacation
There is nothing wrong with that. We can use some of that extra time and money for us. But, everything revolves around us. We think the summer is ours. Our time to have fun. What if we just take a portion of the extra time and money we have this summer to help someone else have a great summer. Make not only memories this summer, but make a mark!
How can we make a lasting difference in the lives of others this summer?
For us to be able to take the next 2-3 months to serve other people, that will not require us to change a lot of our plans and time (some but not a lot), but it will require us to change our perspective.
The Good Samaritan
• Some religious folks who didn’t care a lot for Jesus hired a lawyer to follow Jesus around to try to catch Jesus saying something that they could use to discredit Him.
Luke 10:25-37 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
• The lawyer thinks that he has heard Jesus say something that they can use to bring Him down.
• A lawyer never asks a question he doesn’t already know the answer to.
• Jesus turns it around on him.
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
• Jesus knows the expert in the law already knows the answer.
• The lawyer quotes back to Jesus what Jesus had already replied in the past
27He 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'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
• The lawyer quoted this out of Deuteronomy and Leviticus
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
• Jesus is like OK you got it. So Jesus is ready to go back to what he was previously doing before the lawyer spoke to Him, but…..
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
• The lawyer thought he had Jesus with this one. He thought he would get Jesus to give a narrow answer that would narrow down specific people, or a group of people. But Jesus replies with a story instead of directly answering his question.
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
• A priest was at the top of the food chain in that culture.
• A priest was powerful, wealthy, and educated.
• A very religious guy who, if anyone, should know what it means to love God and love people.
• Closer to God than anyone, but when he sees the man, he walks to the other side and goes on.
• The priest found a way in his mind to convince himself and justify to himself that he didn’t need to stop and help this guy.
• He came up with excuses in his head.
32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
• A Levite was right next to the priest: educated, religious
• He did the same thing as the priest: justified and convinced himself not to stop.
• The priest and the Levite were good guys who figured out how to play the mental games that that was not a need that they needed to meet. It was better for someone else to do it. This is kind of what we do.
33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
• The Jewish people Jesus was talking to hated Samaritans. They couldn’t stand them; they wouldn’t talk to them, interact with them, or even be with them.
• The Samaritan put himself in that man’s shoes and helped him.
34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
• This was dangerous for the Samaritan to do.
• It was expensive. Oil and wine weren’t cheap.
35The next day he took out two silver coins 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.'
• The Samaritan went to great lengths, spend a lot of money, and put himself at risk to help this poor, beaten man.
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
• Quit talking about it, just go love God and love people. When there is a need that needs met, meet it. Don’t worry about the formalities of who is my neighbor, just help and meet needs that need met.
• We are masters at being like the priest and the Levite. We see situations like this and do the exact thing. We make excuses and justifications in our heads to not help.
• Just be a good neighbor. Don’t worry about expectations. If there is a need, just be a good neighbor. The Samaritan didn’t worry that since he was giving money to take care of the beaten man, that the man would later come back and want more money from him. He just met the need, no questions asked.
• Just helping one person will make a big difference for that person.
• As we are having our fun this summer, we are going to have a lot of opportunities to meet the needs of others.
• Say “I am going to take some of what God has blessed me with and use it to serve others.” Just a little slice of our time and money to not only make memories but make a mark in the lives of others.
• Challenge to the church: Don’t spend the entire summer focused on us, but to spend this summer focused on other people. Don’t just chase after fun but to save this summer by serving somebody.
• What does that look like: Take some money and give it to a friend who needs it more than you do. Put it in their mailbox. Do it week after week. Use your time to volunteer in the community. Help some mom with her kids a couple times a week. Help with the church.
• GIVE, GIVE, GIVE instead of TAKE, TAKE, TAKE.
• Quit being selfish with your time and money and give some of it to meet others needs.
• Invite a friend to church!
• So, are we going to be the Levite/priest or the Samaritan this summer?
• Don’t just chase fun, SAVE THIS SUMMER BY SERVING SOMEONE!
Listen to the sermon:
http://tinyurl.com/m9purr
My Take:
Well, this reminds me so much of seeing a guy broke down on the road and just driving on by. We say “oh, someone else will stop. I probably couldn’t help anyway. What if it is a setup. I could get hurt or killed. I don’t have time. If I stop, this will mess up my schedule.” What we are doing is the exact thing that the priest and Levite did. We are justifying and convincing ourselves that we don’t need to stop. I did it just the other day. Drove right by a guy with his hood up. I’m no mechanic, but I could have at least stopped and offered him a phone call, a ride, a few bucks. I could have met a need instead of meeting my own needs and passing on by and going on with my day. I never thought to put myself in his shoes. What if I was broke down. I can barely change a flat tire, let alone fix anything. What if I forgot my cell phone that day. What if I ran out of gas. I would love for a ‘good Samaritan’ to stop by and help. Don’t over analyze the situation. Stop and serve and meet a need and the Lord will take care of the rest.
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