WE WERE CREATED TO BE GENEROUS

Who is the most generous person you’ve ever known?

.

Because the most generous people aren’t necessarily the people who have the most. They’re the people who have learned to live with an open heart.

And here’s something else I’ve discovered…..Generous people are the kind of people you want to be around!

We admire generosity……We celebrate it when we see it…..And we love being on the receiving end of it!

But here’s the question:

If we admire generosity so much, why is it sometimes so difficult for us to be generous?

Generosity is not simply something we do with our possessions……..Generosity is a way of living.

John 3:16 “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.”

We learn to care about what He cares about……We learn to see people the way He sees people.

Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

A generous life is a blessed life, not because we get everything we want, but because we’re becoming more like the God who gave us everything we need in Jesus.

Generosity doesn’t begin in your wallet. It begins in your heart.

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Everything flows from the heart. Your priorities……Your relationships………Your decisions………Your generosity.

IT ALL STARTS WITH THE HEART.

Whatever captures your heart will eventually influence how you Spend (time, treasure) your Life.

Why? Because it’s something I enjoy. Something I value.

And isn’t that true about so many things in life?

When something has our heart, giving our time, attention, and resources to it doesn’t feel like an obligation.

If I can so easily give my time, attention, and resources to something as temporary as a game of golf, how much more should I want to give my first and best to the God who has given everything for me?

• Whatever has first place in your heart will eventually influence every other area of your life.
  + Click to add your own note

Proverbs 3:5–10 (NIV)

5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

• Before God asks us to honor Him with what we have, He teaches us to trust Him with who we are.
  + Click to add your own note
  s.

Our generosity becomes an expression of our trust in God.

9  “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.”

WHY DOES GOD ASK FOR THE FIRST?

Because giving the first required something.

Giving God the first is a declaration that we trust Him with what comes next.

That’s why the principle of firstfruits is so powerful

Jesus said something that brings all of this together.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV) “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Why is giving sometimes so difficult?

• We must deal with a SELFISH HEART.

Deuteronomy 15:7–8 (NKJV) “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.”

Now, I want you to notice something.

God connects two things…..A hardened heart and a closed hand.

Deuteronomy 15:9 (NKJV “Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you.”

 

God was teaching His people not to allow the fear of losing something to keep them from loving someone.

When fear becomes the controlling influence in our lives, generosity becomes the first thing we sacrifice.

• WE MUST DEAL WITH A GRIEVING HEART
  + Click to add your own note

Deuteronomy 15:10 (NKJV) “You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.”.

Notice what God says.

Not only should you give.

Your heart should not be grieved when you give.

And God says, “I want to do something in your heart so that you can give freely.”

We are not the owners of everything we have. We are stewards of what God has entrusted to us.

Psalm 24:1 (NIV) “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

We begin to ask: “God, how do You want me to manage what You’ve entrusted to me?”

OWNERSHIP VERSUS STEWARDSHIP

The tighter we hold on to possessions, the more power they can have over us.

But when we learn to hold them with open hands, we discover a new kind of freedom.

Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Generosity doesn’t just reveal where our hearts are. It can help redirect where our hearts go.

• WE MUST DEVELOP A GENEROUS HEART
  + Click to add your own note

Deuteronomy 15:12-14 (NKJV)

12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed;”You shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the LORD your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him.”

GENEROSITY LOOKS BEYOND OURSELVES

I think one of the greatest things that can happen in our spiritual lives is when we begin to see what we have as an opportunity to bless someone else.

You don’t have to be wealthy to be generous.

• Generosity is not about having more than everybody else. It’s about being willing to share what God has entrusted to you.
  + Click to add your own note

When we give, we get to participate in what God is doing in somebody else’s life.

Luke 6:35–36 (NIV) “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

God was generous toward us long before we ever became generous toward Him.

• WE MUST DEVELOP A GRATEFUL HEART

Deuteronomy 15:15 (NKJV) “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.”

I want you to notice one word.  REMEMBER.

Everything good in my life is evidence of God’s grace at work.

Because when you understand how much you’ve received, you begin to discover the joy of giving.

Gratitude remembers what grace has given, and generosity shares what love has received.

 

WHAT or Who HAS YOUR HEART?

 

 

 

Ripple Effect Sermon:  “One Drop Away”

Ripple: 

-One event triggering a continuous chain of secondary consequences

> EVERY RIPPLE STARTS WITH ONE SMALL MOVE/Drop

John 1:40–42

One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus… Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter

Philip Leads Nathanael 

John 1:44–46

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

• Personal invitations create immediate, personal turning points that multiply the number of witnesses.
  + Click to add your own note

2 Timothy 1:5

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

• Family discipleship creates a multigenerational ripple effect that impacts global Christianity centuries later.
  + Click to add your own note

1 Cor. 3:6

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God gave the growth.

> Obedience is on us, the outcome is on God.

2 Kings 5:1-6

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.  Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.  She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”  

> You don’t have to make the miracle, you just have to make the ripple

Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.  “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents[b] of silver, six thousand shekels[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

There is something in the ripple that gets you closer to the reward.

> We tend to classify people based on what we see… but God only has two classifications.

SAVED & LOST

v. 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

V 17 “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.

This story has not just started here, but rather it’s been culminating over time in ripples…

KH:  “Sometimes God will throw a stone in the middle of your decision bc He wants to move you in the direction so that you will go where He wants you”.

> Often times it is the difficult ripples that get us where we need to be.

Love is the motivator

2 Corinthians 5:14-20

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God

We are compelled by Christs’ love and no longer live unto ourselves.  We have been reconciled and now have been given the ministry of reconciliation.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes

> You make the ripple. God determines the reach.

> One drop can make a ripple that changes a generation

> You make the ripple. God determines the reach.

 

Acts 27–28

Sharing the Gospel isn’t a technique you turn on. It’s a way of life you carry.

You don’t have to know everything about Jesus to tell somebody what Jesus has done for you.

Paul’s story in Acts 27–28 reminds us that mission doesn’t only happen in the moments we plan for. Sometimes God uses us on the way somewhere else, in conversations we didn’t expect, with people we didn’t plan to meet.

1. DON’T LET YOUR PLAN MAKE YOU MISS HIS PURPOSE

Jesus told Paul he was going to Rome.

Acts 23:11
“…so you must testify also in Rome.”

Paul knew the destination. What he didn’t know was the route.

A storm came. The ship broke apart. And instead of arriving in Rome, Paul washed up on an island he didn’t even know.

Acts 28:1
“After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta.”

Paul knew where God was ultimately taking him.

He didn’t know everywhere God was going to use him along the way.

That’s why Proverbs 16:9 is so important:

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

Planning isn’t wrong but sometimes we become so attached to the way we thought something should happen that we miss what God is doing in the middle of it.

Paul’s mission didn’t begin when he arrived in Rome.

There was mission on the ship. There was mission in the storm. There was mission on Malta.

Malta wasn’t where Paul was going but it was where Paul was.

And sometimes the thing that feels like it is interrupting the mission may actually be where the mission is happening.

The interruption might be the mission.

THINK ABOUT IT

Where in your normal life might God already have people around you that you’ve never thought of as “ministry”?

Is there a place you keep trying to rush through where God may want you to become more available?

 

2. BE READY TO TELL YOUR STORY

When Paul stood in the middle of a ship where everyone had lost hope, he said:

Acts 27:23
“…the God to whom I belong and whom I worship…”

Paul wasn’t talking about a God he only knew information about. He was talking about a God he knew personally.

When the opportunity came, Paul didn’t have to invent something spiritual to say.

He already had a story. Later Paul described his own life this way:

1 Timothy 1:13
“…formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy…”

Paul knew who he had been. He knew what Jesus had done.

And he knew the difference Jesus had made.

Paul’s story was evidence of Jesus.

Jesus gave the same kind of instruction in Mark 5:19:

“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

That’s testimony. A testimony is putting words around how good God has been to you.

And your testimony isn’t only the story of the day you first met Jesus.

If you are walking with Him, you should be learning to recognize His goodness in your life now.

Sometimes God removes something completely. Sometimes He strengthens you while you are walking through it.

The struggle may still exist, but you are no longer the same person inside it.

The goal is to become familiar with the goodness of God in your own life.

So when somebody asks why you follow Jesus, you aren’t searching for an answer.

You can tell them what you know.

You can tell them what He has done.

A SIMPLE WAY TO TELL YOUR STORY

BEFORE: What was true before Jesus changed this part of your life?

JESUS: How did Jesus meet you there? What did He do?

NOW: What is actually different because of Him?

You don’t need to make your story dramatic.

Tell the truth about what Jesus has done.

TAKE A MINUTE

Think of one specific thing Jesus has done in your life.

How would you explain it to somebody in about sixty seconds?

3. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE ONE

Paul eventually meets Publius, one of the significant leaders on Malta. Publius’ father is sick. Paul prays for him, and he is healed.

Then Acts 28:9 says:

“And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.”

Paul walked into one house. One man was in front of him. But what happened in that room didn’t stay in that room.

One room opened an island.

That is the ripple. You know who you are talking to. You don’t know who they will talk to.

Sharing the Gospel can feel discouraging when somebody doesn’t immediately respond the way we hoped.

Paul gives us a healthier way to think about our part:

1 Corinthians 3:6
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

Sometimes you plant. Sometimes you water something somebody else planted years ago.

Sometimes you get to be there when everything finally comes together. But growth belongs to God.

Don’t confuse being used by God with doing what only God can do. You are not responsible for saving someone.

Jesus saves.

You are responsible for being faithful with the opportunity He gives you.

REMEMBER

The goal is 10. Your responsibility is faithfulness.

If someone is far from God and one conversation makes them more open, more curious, or more willing to take another step toward Jesus, that conversation mattered.

You may never see the whole ripple. Paul couldn’t either. Nearly two thousand years later, Malta still remembers the shipwreck that brought Paul to its shore. Paul could only see the person in front of him.

God could see much farther.

THIS WEEK

Don’t make sharing the Gospel complicated.

Start with your own story. Spend some time thinking through:

BEFORE → JESUS → NOW

Then pray: “Holy Spirit, give me an opportunity to tell somebody what You’ve done in my life.”

When the opportunity comes, don’t force it. Just be faithful.

Tell them what Jesus has done and trust God with what happens next.

Somebody’s faithfulness became part of your story. Maybe they invited you. Maybe they shared what Jesus had done in their life. Maybe they planted something they never got to see grow.

But God used them and now you get the privilege of being part of somebody else’s story.

Tell your story.
Be faithful with your part.
Trust God with the ripple.

WHAT ARE WE NOT SEEING?

Not with these eyes. But with our Heart

How is GOD Seeing PEOPLE AROUND ME THAT I’VE STOPPED SEEING?

“YOU’RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING, BUT YOU’RE MISSING SOMETHING.”

And here’s What I know about human nature…

• YOU DON’T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT YOU DON’T SEE.
  + Click to add your own note

THE RIPPLE EFFECT.

One life can touch another life, that touches another life…

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

“You may never know how far God can take one simple act of obedience.”

OPEN YOUR EYES

John 4: 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

Vs 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” ….

34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

JOHN 4:35 “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

• OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE WHAT GOD SEES

John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.

WHEN YOU BEGIN TO SEE PEOPLE THE WAY GOD SEES PEOPLE, YOU BEGIN TO FEEL ABOUT PEOPLE THE WAY GOD FEELS ABOUT PEOPLE.

LUKE 15:1–2 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”

• Jesus is focused on those who are lost.

LUKE 15: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

.

HE NOTICES WHO’S MISSING.

5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 19: 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

LUKE 15: 8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

THE COIN DOESN’T KNOW IT’S LOST.

She searches carefully. This means with care, with intentionality…

• The VALUE of something DETERMINES THE intensity of the SEARCH.
  + Click to add your own note

9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

LUKE 15: 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father’……… 20 So he got up and went to his father.  “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

GOD HAS EYES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE FAR FROM HIM.

2 Cor 5:14–16 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

CHRIST’S LOVE COMPELS US.

1 JOHN 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

2 Cor 5:14–16 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view……

Jesus gives you a different pair of glasses.

THE GOSPEL CHANGES MORE THAN WHAT I BELIEVE. IT CHANGES WHAT I SEE.

WHO SAW YOU?

THE RIPPLE REACHED YOU.

WHO IS WAITING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YOUR OBEDIENCE?

2 COR 5:18–20 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”

GOD MAKES HIS APPEAL THROUGH ORDINARY PEOPLE

There’s somebody in your life who may never come talk to me……But they’ll talk to you.

**BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE SOMETHING WITH THEM THAT I DON’T HAVE……RELATIONSHIP.

• YOU JUST NEED TO have eyes to see and BE AVAILABLE.
  + Click to add your own note

WHAT DO MY PRAYERS SAY ABOUT WHAT I SEE?

**IF GOD ANSWERED EVERY PRAYER YOU PRAYED LAST WEEK… WOULD IT CHANGE THE WORLD AROUND YOU…

OR WOULD IT MOSTLY CHANGE YOUR WORLD?

MATTHEW 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

That’s a big prayer.

God, don’t just do something for me. GOD, DO SOMETHING THROUGH ME.

Challenge: I JUST WANT YOU TO OPEN YOUR EYES.

I want you to identify five people already in your life who are far from God.

DON’T TRY TO FIX THEM — PRAY FOR THEM

For the next few weeks, I want you to pray over those five names every day.

“God, open my eyes.”…..Help me see them the way You see them……Help me love them the way You love them……Open their heart to You…….Give me an opportunity to encourage them.

“GOD, IF YOU WANT TO USE ME, I’M AVAILABLE.”

1 COR 3:6–7 “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

I love that because it takes the pressure off.

YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING ANYBODY.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THE RIPPLE.

FIVE NAMES — FIVE POSSIBILITIES

THE RIPPLE EFFECT.

GOD, OPEN OUR EYES TO THE PEOPLE YOU ALREADY PUT IN OUR PATH.

 

 

25 year Anniversary Service

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

And none of it happened because of one person.

It happened because ordinary people said yes to an extraordinary God.

And today we get to do two things.

We REMEMBER what God has done.

And then…

We DREAM about what God is going to do next.

STONES OF REMEMBRANCE

• Joshua 4:2–3 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
  + Click to add your own note

God basically says:

..DON’T FORGET WHO BROUGHT YOU ACROSS.

That’s what this 25th anniversary is for us.

We’re picking up some stones.

People are our stones.

LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!

The stones weren’t primarily for the people who crossed the river. They were for people who hadn’t even been born yet.

• Joshua 4:6–7 “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD… These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
  + Click to add your own note

God was already thinking about the next generation.

The stones turned yesterday’s miracle into tomorrow’s faith..

We remember what God did yesterday so we’ll have faith for what He wants to do tomorrow.

That’s why our vision still matters:

• KNOW GOD.

Because every person who meets Jesus becomes another stone.

• GROW HEALTHY.

Because every broken life God restores becomes another stone.

• DISCOVER PURPOSE.

Because every person who discovers God’s calling becomes another stone.

• MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
  + Click to add your own note

the God who has been faithful to Oasis for 25 years isn’t finished with us yet.

“WHO WILL BE SITTING HERE 25 YEARS FROM NOW BECAUSE OF WHAT WE DO TODAY?”

Those aren’t four church programs.

They describe the life Jesus came to give us.

Our Vision:

• KNOW GOD
• You were made to be connected to God.
  + Click to add your own note

John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Everything starts here. Not knowing about God—knowing God. Every service, every ministry, every invitation ultimately points people toward a relationship with Jesus.

• God wants you to LIVE LIFE ON AN Spiritual ADVENTURE

John 10:10“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Because the first step is knowing God but the second is just as important.

WE are called to

• GROW HEALTHY
• God doesn’t just want to save you. He wants to heal you.
• God wants you to LIVE LIFE WITH JOY AND PEACE
  + Click to add your own note

John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Psalm 147:3m “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

We believe your past can explain you without having to define you.

GOD DOESN’T WASTE YOUR WOUNDS.

• DISCOVER PURPOSE
• And God didn’t just save you FROM Something GOD SAVED YOU FOR SOMETHING.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

• God wants you to LIVE LIFE FULFILLED
  + Click to add your own note

Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Notice those words: path, life, joy, presence.

Fulfillment comes when the life I am living begins to align with the life God created me to live.

My life isn’t just about me.

“God put something inside me that somebody else needs.”

Because fulfillment isn’t found in getting more.

Fulfillment is found in becoming who God created you to be.

• MAKE A DIFFERENCE
• God didn’t give you a purpose just to fulfill you. He gave you a purpose to impact others.
• God wants you to LIVE LIFE ON MISSION
  + Click to add your own note

Matthew 5:14–16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Philippians 3:13–14 “ But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

We can become so sentimental about yesterday that we stop dreaming about tomorrow.

We should honor yesterday.

We should celebrate yesterday.

We should learn from yesterday.

But… THE ANCHOR OF YESTERDAY CAN HOLD BACK OUR TOMORROW.

Isaiah 43:18 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

I SEE A NEW THING.

I SEE MORE PEOPLE MEETING JESUS.

Ephesians 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…”

That’s why you received that keychain today.

But I want it to represent something enormous.

Someone’s eternity.

So put it on your keys.

And when God opens a door, use it.

Invite somebody.

Share your story.

Tell somebody what Jesus has done for you.

And God may use YOU to reach them.

WHO WILL BE SITTING HERE NEXT YEAR BECAUSE OF YOU?

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

Twenty-five years ago, we started building stones.

LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE.

LOOK WHAT THE LORD IS ABOUT TO DO.

Oasis…

Keep knowing God.

Keep growing healthy.

Keep discovering purpose.

Keep making a difference.

Keep inviting.

Keep serving.

Keep giving.

Keep believing.

Keep dreaming.

Because the God who was faithful yesterday…

is already waiting for us tomorrow.

And I believe with everything inside of me:

OUR GREATEST SERVICES HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.

OUR GREATEST SALVATIONS HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.

OUR GREATEST MIRACLES HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.

OUR GREATEST IMPACT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET.

Twenty-five years are behind us.

But eternity is in front of us.

 

 

 

The Joy of Sacrifice (oxymoron)

OT: Different types of sacrifices / offerings

They were to express thanks, worship, devotion, commitment to God, gratitude, thanksgiving, and atonement.

Ex. 20:24  “‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.

He’s not waiting for you to get something else to sacrifice he wants you to use what you have (until I get a million dollars I will give, vs 10 for 100)

…

Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship

*The altar isn’t a place we visit, it’s a place we live!

When do we build an altar?

> When I am reminded of the goodness of God (Praise)

PRAISE = The vocal and visual expression of the value of God for Who He is, what He as done, and what He will do.

*Whatever we give our time & attention to, that’s where our praise is going

*Praise creates a shift in the atmosphere of my soul

*Praise takes the focus off of me and my circumstances and puts the emphasis on God

*My definition of PRAISE = Praise is any action or heart intention that is given or done for the purpose of honoring God. — DC

I Build an Altar:

> When Obedience Costs Me My Preference. (Self-Denial)

Galatians 5:16; 19-25  16 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ……19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like  22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Colossians 3:2-3; 5; 17; 23  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God;  …..5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature… 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ….23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

HEBREWS 13:14-16 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Sacrifice Def: Willingly giving up something of value for the sake of something—or Someone—of greater value.

2 Samuel 24:21-24  21Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.” Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.” But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

*Pain gives you an understanding that knowledge never will

**Every altar in Scripture required a sacrifice. The only question was what would be placed on it.

Matthew 26:10  But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me.

Another way I build an altar:

> When I give myself for the good of someone or something else  (Service)

Isaiah 55:1-3  Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live…

Isaiah 47: 8  Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely who say in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me…

*What are you filling your life with that doesn’t allow room for God to bring more….

Luke 14:27 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Ephesians 4:11-15  11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love

Many hands make light work 

*A healthy church isn’t a few people doing everything. It’s every part doing something.

I build an altar:

> In the midst of offense  (Forgiveness)

Luke 17:1-4 He said to His disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one they come through! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him

The Greek word for offense is skandalon ((sigma kappa alpha ́ nu delta alpha lambda o nu)), which originally referred to the “trigger stick of an animal trap” where bait was placed. It is used throughout the New Testament, most notably in Matthew 18:7 and Luke 17:1, to describe temptations that lead to sin or spiritual entrapment.

The word skandalon is primarily defined in Greek lexicons (like Strong’s Concordance, G4625) as a stumbling block or trap, with the figurative imagery often described as:

• The trigger: The movable stick or mechanism of a trap.
• The lure: The place where the hunter attaches the bait to entice prey.
• The result: Taking the “bait” springs the trap, leading to captivity, bitterness, or spiritual stumbling

Aphiemi (Greek): Translates literally as “to cast away” or “let go.” It signifies releasing someone from a debt, obligation, or offense so they are free to go.

Matthew 6:12 (Lord’s Prayer) “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Luke 23:34

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

*Altars weren’t merely places where people gave something to God. Altars became places where people discovered something about God.

You won’t sacrifice anything to God that He won’t restore something better to you.

Do everything as unto the Lord

Jesus does not ask for partial surrender.

He asks for:

• All your heart
• All your trust
• All your life

He wants all of us.

“They brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.” — Luke 5:11

*All is what He requires. And all is what He deserves.

There is Gain on the Other side of what you are giving

Genesis 22:1-13   Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

John 8:56  Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

Hebrews 12:2  Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God

**Every altar in Scripture required a sacrifice. The only question was what would be placed on it.

TAnd under the New Covenant…

the sacrifice is me.

So the question isn’t,
“Lord, what are You going to give me?”

The question is:

“Lord, what part of me have I not yet given You?”

 

 

Spiritual Habit of Community.

We’re connected to everybody……….and somehow deeply known by almost nobody.

This has been termed “the anti-social century.”

And researchers are beginning to tell us this isn’t simply unfortunate. It’s unhealthy.

Psychologists call this problem the

• Friendship depth gap.

Harvard Study of Adult Development,

Several studies found that people’s level of satisfaction with their relationships at age 50 was a better predictor of physical health than their cholesterol levels were.

RELATIONSHIPS AREN’T JUST GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL……….THEY’RE GOOD FOR YOUR BODY.

 

Genesis 2:18 — “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

• You need God. But God also designed you to need people.
  + Click to add your own note
• “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

 

• GOD CHANGES US IN COMMUNITY IN WAYS WE WILL NEVER CHANGE IN ISOLATION
  + Click to add your own note

But there are other things God chooses to do in my life through people.

John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact..

Galatians 5:13 “Serve one another humbly in love.”

Romans 15:7 “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you,….

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other….

James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

YOU CANNOT PRACTICE THE “ONE ANOTHERS” OF SCRIPTURE BY YOURSELF.

JESUS DID LIFE IN COMMUNITY He didn’t do ministry alone.

He called twelve.

discipleship wasn’t simply: “Come hear Me preach.” It was: “COME FOLLOW ME.”  This is His pattern…

THE EARLY CHURCH DID THE SAME THING

Acts 2:40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

DEVOTED.

Acts 2:46  “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes…”

I want you to see the pattern. TEMPLE COURTS……….AND HOMES.

ROWS……….AND CIRCLES.

The early church understood: WE NEED BOTH.

Church is not a place it is the people of God doing life together on mission.

The New Testament word translated church is the Greek word ekklesia

It refers to an assembly……….a gathering……….a congregation of people called together.

Matthew 16:18: “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

• Sunday morning alone can’t provide the relational context you need to grow spiritually.
  + Click to add your own note

GOD USES COMMUNITY TO HELP US GROW HEALTHY……….FIND FREEDOM……….AND EXPERIENCE HEALING.

And one of the ways God brings that transformation is through healthy relationships.

James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

SOME THINGS GOD DOES IN ME WHEN I’M ALONE WITH HIM……….OTHER THINGS GOD DOES IN ME THROUGH HIS PEOPLE.

WHAT STAYS HIDDEN OFTEN STALLS GROWTH.

FREEDOM GROWS IN THE LIGHT.

1 John 1:7  “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

A SAFE PLACE TO BE KNOWN……….A SAFE PLACE TO GROW……….A SAFE PLACE TO HEAL.

WE CARRY EACH OTHER TOWARD FREEDOM

Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

We have moments when our faith gets weak……….when grief overwhelms us……….when temptation gets strong……….when life knocks us down.   “One can help the other up.”

That’s community. That’s the church I want us to be.

Not a church where everybody pretends they’ve got it together.

A church where people who are far from God can find him.

A church where broken people can encounter Jesus.

A church where hurting people can heal.

A church where people trapped in destructive patterns can find freedom.

A church where somebody can finally say, “I need help,” and discover that they’re surrounded by people who will walk with them.

Because our goal isn’t simply to fill a room on Sunday.

WE WANT PEOPLE TO GROW HEALTHY.

COMMUNITY DOESN’T JUST COMFORT ME. IT CHANGES ME

Why? Because when I get around other people as see Gods word at work in them….

IT CHALLENGES ME.

Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

Kingdom FRIENDS DON’T JUST TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR. THEY LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR.

Hebrews 10:24-25  “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together……….but encouraging one another.”

WE ALL NEED PEOPLE WHO LOVE US WHERE WE ARE……….BUT LOVE US TOO MUCH TO LEAVE US THERE.

That’s community.

COMMUNITY MAKES US STRONGER

Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one, ……….12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO BORROW SOMEBODY ELSE’S FAITH UNTIL YOURS GETS STRONG AGAIN.

 Mark 2  There was a paralyzed man who needed Jesus…..But he couldn’t get himself there.

SO HIS FRIENDS CARRIED HIM.

THAT’S THE CHURCH.

SO WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS?

I don’t want you just attending Oasis…..I WANT YOU CONNECTED.

I don’t want you simply sitting in a crowd……..I WANT YOU KNOWN.

Develop a SPIRITUAL HABIT OF COMMUNITY.

Prayer was never supposed to be something we simply do for God. Prayer is something that connects us to God.

• Prayer is connection, not obligation. 

Prayer flows from identity.  Who you believe God is determines your prayer life.  

• Jesus made connection a habit.

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

Luke 5:16 says: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

What Jesus did publicly was connected to what Jesus did privately.

Jesus Prayed at His Baptism Luke 3:21–22

THE LIST:

• Jesus Withdrew to Pray Mark 1:35 Luke 5:16 Jesus didn’t find time to pray. He made time to pray.
• Jesus Prayed Before Major Decisions Luke 6:12–13 Before choosing the twelve disciples:
• Jesus Prayed Before Miracles John 6:11 Before feeding the 5,000, Jesus gave thanks.
• John 11:41–42 Before raising Lazarus: Mark 7:34 Before healing the deaf man
• Jesus Prayed After Ministry Matthew 14:22–23 After feeding the 5,000: He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.” 
• Jesus Prayed Before Important Revelations Luke 9:18 Luke 9:28–29 At the Transfiguration. 
• Jesus Prayed With Thanksgiving Matthew 11:25–26 “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth…”
• Jesus Prayed for His Disciples Luke 22:31–32 “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”
• Jesus Prayed for Unity John 17:20–23
• Jesus Prayed for Protection John 17:11–15 “Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name…
• Jesus Prayed for Our Sanctification John 17:17
• Jesus Prayed in His Deepest Pain Matthew 26:36–44 Mark 14:32–39 Luke 22:39–46 Gethsemane. 
• Jesus Prayed for His Enemies Luke 23:34 While being crucified: “Father, forgive them…”
• Jesus Prayed From the Cross Matthew 27:46 / Mark 15:34 “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Luke 23:46 “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”

The pattern is hard to miss: Jesus prayed.

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

• Pray everyday about everything.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayer may not immediately change what is happening around you, but it changes what is happening in you. God’s peace can arrive before God’s answer does.

1 Thess 5:17  is so important  It says “pray continually”  Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Prayer is about staying connected to the right Person.

 

Rom 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

• The Spiritual habit of Transformation

Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

• The pathway to transformation is to renew the mind through Gods word.

James 1: 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ….. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, ……

The very salvation that you possess today is because someone spoke the words of God to you and your heart responded..

Rom 10:17:  17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

• You NEED TO GET INTO GOD’S WORD UNTIL GOD’S WORD GETS INTO You.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

The Word of God is not dead…….IT IS ALIVE.

And it is ACTIVE.

It penetrates……….It exposes……….It reveals……….It corrects……It encourages.

It confronts………It comforts………..It changes me.

• YOU DON’T JUST READ THE WORD, THE WORD READS YOU.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

• WHO OR WHAT HAS THE FINAL AUTHORITY IN MY LIFE?
  + Click to add your own note

And I don’t determine truth.

there is only one truth and It is the word of God.

THE WORD OF GOD IS OUR FINAL AUTHORITY.

The word of God has the power to transform you in the person you long to be.

The first sight of satan in scripture has one design.

The serpent’s strategy begins with a question:

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

• I don’t conform the Bible to my life. I CONFORM MY LIFE TO THE BIBLE.

2 Timothy 3:16  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

2 Tim 3: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. NLT

What happens when we receive the word of God in our heart!

Psalm 19:7-11 “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

• I’ve discovered that God’s Word meets me wherever life finds me.
  + Click to add your own note

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

THE WORD GIVES US DIRECTION

That’s why one of the first questions we should learn to ask when we’re facing a decision is:

• “WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?”

Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Matthew 4. Jesus is in the wilderness……Satan tempts Him………And what does Jesus do?

Three times:  “IT IS WRITTEN.”

THE WORD OF GOD  does not just live in you…IT flows out of you. To face the lies of the enemy….for the battle of your mind. What you believe…

Ephesians 6:17 Take….“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

 

IS THE WORD OF GOD GETTING INTO You?

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Matthew 7:24:  “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

 

HEARS MY WORDS……….PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE.

 

Build your life on My Word.

 

 

SPIRITUAL HABITS — WEEK 1

HABITS SHAPE OUR LIVES

“We think our lives are primarily shaped by the big decisions we make. But much of the person you are becoming is being shaped by the little decisions you no longer even think about.”

• “The person I become spiritually isn’t determined only by the big moment when I gave my life to Jesus……….but by what I repeatedly give my life to every day?”
  + Click to add your own note
• THE HABIT OF SURRENDER.

Mark 12:30: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

When I understand who He is……….when I understand what He’s done……….His grace……….His mercy……….His forgiveness……….His goodness……….my response becomes:

“God, You can have all of me.”

BUT WE HAVE A PROBLEM

• We drift.
  + Click to add your own note

1 Kings 18.  Israel had drifted.

1 Kings 18:21: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

The Hebrew idea behind the word translated “waver”:…….limping……….hobbling……….walking unevenly.

ONE OF THE GREATEST ENEMIES revival is not rebellion … PARTIAL SURRENDER.

1 Kings 18:30: “Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come here to me.’”

.

Matthew 11: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I kings 18:30 “They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which had been torn down.”

EVERYTHING GOD WANTS TO DO THROUGH US BEGINS WITH WHAT WE ARE WILLING TO SURRENDER TO HIM.

• God’s presence is experienced at surrender.
  + Click to add your own note

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down.

• HONESTY ABOUT THE BROKEN STATE OF OUR ALTAR IS THE BEGINNING OF RENEWAL.
  + Click to add your own note

• Power follows restoration.
  + Click to add your own note

God is saying,

• The cross of Christ is the Altar
  + Click to add your own note

Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper

WE DON’T SURRENDER TO EARN GOD’S LOVE.

WE SURRENDER BECAUSE WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED IT.

EVERY MORNING WE GET BACK ON THE ALTAR.

Luke 9:23: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

SURRENDER IS A HABIT.

Elijah invites the people to come, he repairs the altar, adds water for inspiration…..then prays

36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell

• God wills to pour the Fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Rom 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

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,

The Great Exchange

When we climb onto the altar of Gods grace…not for judgement, or payment, but heart of honor and service to the Lord.

God gives us what we never could have produced ourselves.

We surrender guilt………He gives forgiveness.

We surrender fear………He gives peace.

We surrender control……..He gives purpose.

We surrender our plans………He reveals His.

We surrender our weakness…….He fills us with His Spirit.

The altar is never where God diminishes us……It’s where He transforms us.

“Jesus, today I am Yours.”

My heart is Yours……….my mind is Yours……….my strength is Yours……….my schedule is Yours……….my resources are Yours……….my relationships are Yours……….my opportunities are Yours……….my interruptions are Yours……….my future is Yours.

Then ask:

God, what do You want me to do today?……….Who do You want me to serve today?……….What do You want me to give today?……….Where do You want me to trust You today?

EVENTUALLY SURRENDER BECOMES A LIFE

There is no waste at the altar