THOUGHTS! Sermon Notes                                                                                                      Pastor Brad Myers

I’m Thinking                                                                                                                                         March 9, 2025

 

2025: We Launched the of Year of IMPACT

·      21-Days of Prayer & Fasting

·      Vision Sunday:A God-given vision inspires action and gives direction.

·      IMPACT Series: 2 Weeks

o   God Positions you to make a difference!

o   You have Influence in your circle to be impactful!

·      Second-Hand Faith Series:Knowledge or First-hand Experience?

o   Are we living on Inherited, Borrowed & Imitated Faith?

o   From Echoes to Transformation

o   We are transformed to transform

·      Zack Fortunato: Taught us Obedience & Hope! Missions impact for 2025

 

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Series Thoughts: IMPACT requires a change in our thoughts.

Wright Brothers: Before airplanes were invented, people thought flight was impossible. The Wright brothers changed history because they thought differently.

Just as human flight required a shift in thinking, so does spiritual transformation and impact!

Science Illustrations

1.     Neuroplasticity: Our brain changes based on repeated thoughts and behaviors.

Well look here

 

Romans 12:2 (NLT)

·      BONUS:Now you know how to find God’s Will for your life!

 

2.     Placebo Effect

·      Studies show that if people believe a sugar pill is real medicine, they often experience real healing. This shows how powerful our thoughts can be.

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Psychology

 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – A leading psychological method teaches that negative thought patterns lead to anxiety and depression.

 

Apostle Paul was ahead of it’s time!

 

Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

Art & Music

 

Handel’s Messiah – Handel composed it in just 24 days. HOW? His thoughts were consumed by Scripture, especially the line “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.”

 

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Literature & Movies

 

The Lion King – When Simba runs from his past, he forgets who he is. Rafiki reminds him: “You are more than what you have become.” Our thoughts about our identity affect our destiny.

“The battle for your soul is won or lost in your mind.” C.S. Lewis

Thinking highlights the dynamic nature of thought, it’s an ongoing process where ideas are formed, evaluated, and sometimes revised before being expressed.

 

Q)Who is doing all this thought processing? WE ARE!

 

Q)   Are we doing this alone?THAT DEPENDS!

 

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Today: I’m Thinking!

 

Considering Something

·      “I’m giving it some thought.”

·      “Let me think it over.”

 

Delaying a Decision

·      “Let me sleep on it.”

·      “I’ll get back to you on that.”

·      “I need some time to process that.”

 

Uncertainty

·      “I haven’t made up my mind.”

·      “I’m still considering.”

·      “I’m still on the fence.”

 

Expressing Ongoing Thought

·      “It’s on my mind.”

·      “I’m brainstorming some ideas.”

·      “I’m running through the possibilities.

 

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)

·      Man Thinks???

·      Solomon’s 30 wise sayings, “the words of the wise.” 

·      We think this means a man’s inner thoughts dictate his outward actions.

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Bible Scholars are divided:

 

1.     Warning against eating with a stingy person envious person.

Proverbs 23:6 (ESV)

 

2.     Some think it means be cautious about whom you fellowship with.

 

What’s Your Thoughts on Repentance?

·      Grew up: taught bad thing!!

·      Always shamefulness of me and you!

·      You better repent!!!!

 

Dictionary: Repent meansto feel sorry for past conduct; regret for actions, severe remorse!

·      Gotta be right; right???

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Look what Paul writes…

 

Romans 2:4 (NKJV)

·      Is it me being bad or God being good?

 

Do you think we push ourselves to God because we know how bad we are; or do you think we’re drawn to God because we experience how good He is?

 

Without God’s goodness there’s nothing to be drawn too!

 

Jesus: 40 days fasting in the wilderness

·      overcoming Satan’s temptations

·      He begins His public ministry.

·      First recorded words of Jesus’ preaching come from

Matthew 4:17 (NIV)

 

The first thing Jesus preached wasn’t about miracles, blessings, or prosperity—it was about a change in the way you are thinking!

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“Repent”

 

True repentance means turning away from human ways of thinking and aligning with God’s way of thinking.

“For the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Jesus was announcing a new way of life—God’s kingdom had arrived, and people needed to think differently to enter it.

 

Q) I Am Thinking; But Am I Thinking Like God?

 

Q)How does God think?

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Jesus walking on water

·      We remember because it’s where Peter walks on water.

·      Jesus feeds 5000: 5 loaves 2 fish

·      Matthew 14:22-33 – Only place where Peter walks on water.

·      John 6:16-21 

·      Mark 6:47-51

 

Matthew 14:22 (NIV)

·      Jesus’ thinking: “I’ll meet you on the other side.”

 

Mark 6:47-51 (ESV) – Jesus Walks on Water

 

We think:“It’s too late; I’m too tired; I can’t make it.”

God thinks: “I am with you, even in your darkest moments.”

 

We think in panic: “I’ve been struggling for so long—where is God?”

God thinks in timing:“I will show up exactly when you need Me.”

 

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Matthew 9:9-13: Jesus Calls Matthew

·      Matthew’s thinking: “Why would a holy teacher call me, a tax collector?”

·      Jesus’ thinking: “I came for everyone”

 

Mark 10:35-45:James and John asked to sit at Jesus’ right hand.

·      Their thinking: “We want positions of greatness in Jesus’ Kingdom.”

·      Jesus’ thinking:  Greatness comes through servanthood.

Our natural way of thinking is not how God thinks. We think selfish, fearful, or limited but God thinks sacrificially, faithful, and sufficient.

Isaiah 55:8 (NIV)

The way we think affects the way we live. If our thinking is off, our lives are off.

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Three specific ways our thoughts differ from God’s

1.     We Think Short-Term, God Thinks Long-Term

·      We focus on the immediate, while God sees the bigger picture.

Genesis 16-18: Abraham and Sarah

·      Short-Term:“We’re too old to have kids! Let’s take matters into our own hands.”

·      God’s Long-Term:“I will make you a great nation.”

Don’t ask,“How can I fix this now?” ask, “What could God be doing down the road?

Thought: We think Comfort, Desires, and Success while God thinks, Love, Service, and Sacrifice.

 

Remember Mark 10:35-45: James & John’s Request?

 

Mark 10:35-37 (NIV)

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Jesus’ thinking differently: Sacrificially

 

Mark 10:43-45 (NLT)

Don’t Ask, “What’s in it for me?” ask, “How can I serve others like Jesus?”