Paul

Love Song (new one, Lindy)
The Time Has Come (Lindy)
Mighty To Save
Your Love Never Fails
I Receive

Jon

1 John 1:5-2:8
“5 Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.
1 (My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One,
2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.
3 Now by this we know that we have come to know God: if we keep his commandments.
4 The one who says “I have come to know God” and yet does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in such a person.
5 But whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him.
6 The one who says he resides in God ought himself to walk just as Jesus walked.
7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have already heard.
8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.”
Integrity from the Greek integer meaning whole
God doesn’t contradict Himself
Not one person in private and one person in public
Consistency
God is the basis for ALL truth
Wholeness vs fractured or a fraction of your life
Our dishonesty is rooted in this thought that God can’t be trusted
Focus on that issue tonight
Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were perfect
Satan tempts by going after truth
Satan knows that he can control humanity by making them distrust God
First sin was to believe that God can’t be trusted
Start to live dishonest lives
Sin is rooted in the notion that God can’t be trusted
Born to worship the things we’re excited about
Parents, friends, society gives you bulletins – you need this in order to give you ultimate satisfaction other than God
Why are some of us terrified of being rejected by others? Why is that our worth system?
Bring liked is a human necessity, but when you get obsessed with it…
Success is it for some – unless you get X amount of money, you are dirt
What did I ever do to deserve this? You’ve done everything to deserve this
I’m alive today but by the mercy and grace of God / I deserve better than this
Believing that is the lie
To believe God is an act of faith
Abraham didn’t stagger at the promises of God – he just said ok
I believe God at His spoken word, His truth
People who feel sorry for themselves
Worry is the opposite of peace
Worry and anxiety = fractured
The little record says I can do better than God – for my life, not the universe
At the root of it is distrust in God
Being consistent in all things
Psalm 15
1 LORD, who may be a guest in your home? Who may live on your holy hill?
2 Whoever lives a blameless life, does what is right, and speaks honestly.
3 He does not slander, or do harm to others, or insult his neighbor.
4 He despises a reprobate, but honors the LORD’s loyal followers. He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise.
5 He does not charge interest when he lends his money. He does not take bribes to testify against the innocent. The one who lives like this will never be upended.
William Gernall – Sincerity is marke by newness, plainness, and sameness
Newness
Real hypocrites have no idea that they’re hypocrites
Plainness – open with yourself, others, God
I have sinned against you God
Openness means you can take criticism from others
Maybe what that person is saying is thy I need to change
Real sincerity comes from integrity
Lord search my heart – show me what is not of you
Allowing mentors and friends to help you means you’re open
Trifold openness – self, friends, God – all interconnected
Immediate response isn’t negative
Sameness – same in all areas of your life
How do you cultivate it?
1. Honesty with self, led by self-repentance, return to who you are
We have nothing to hide because we know God can see everything
God already sees everything
Something is going to come out of your heart that may shock you
“I didn’t even know I was capable of that”
God knows it’s coming and He already gave us an advocate
You can’t hide anything from Him
Collossians – life is hidden in Christ
Verdict’s already in
Embrace a lifestyle of goodness and faithfulness

Paul

Lead Me To Your Heart

Jon

Ryan painted a bridge because it has integrity and consistency
In Him there is consistency and dependability
It’s a process, not overnight
He won’t leave us as orphans
Watch for the things He wants us to change

Paul

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Angels We Have Heard On High
Majesty
Here I Am
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
12th century, oldest song of our faith
Means “God With Us”

1 John 3:16-20
16 We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians.
17 But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person?
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.
19 And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence,
20 that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things.

Matthew 6:19-23
19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Jon

Kindness translates loving deeds
Not about feelings, a loving response
One of the marks of a real Christian is manifested in kindness
Kindness comes out to those in need
Definition – being practically generous
Not these feelings of satisfaction
Put your time, money and services where your heart is
Home repair you don’t think about spending a lot of money – car stereo you do
Human beings more valuable than anything on Earth
Treasures in heaven – cultural idiom that means help other people
Something that manifests in our heart
Opposite is stingy
Single eye – sees the needs of others and does something about it
What is the job of a Christian? Salvation of others? That’s part of the job description…
How did Jesus go before us?
1. Spiritual alienation (inner)
2. Pyschological breakdowns with relationships (inner)
3. Social issues, judgement (outer)
4 Physical problems, deaths and decay (outer)
He healed and touched people,
Ephesians 4, Rimans 12 – Word gifts and deed gifts
Word – counseling, …
Deed – helps, mercy, service
Inner circle needs hard to see
They may not know or understand the lack of God inside them, but they understand hunger
William Wilburforce (Ended slavery in England)
William Pitt (city of Pittsburg) invited to a rockin’ sermon by Wilburforce
Pitt didn’t understand a word of it
Unless the Holy Spirit opens up your heart to those inner circle needs, you can’t see them
Both word AND deed gifts
Luke 24:19 man of word and deed
Healed, built relationships, talked about social problems
Kindness
Matthew 25 – unnerving, division between real and false Christians
I was hungry and you fed me
Whatever you do unto humanity, the least of these, the little ones, you do unto yourself
Not saved by good works, but by grace
Deeds of kindness reveals in us faith
Is it growing in out hearts?
To let other’s burdens slide onto your back
Balance between inner and outer circle
Julian the emperor wanted to destroy Christianity
The stronger I oppress it, the stronger it becomes
All poor were wlecomed, not just other Christians
Julian the empeor and the Greeks didn’t get it
Two things made them different
1. they didn’t have sex outside of marriage
2. charity and generosity for everyone ???
To be a people that not only talk, but do
Counterfeit – being sentimental
I care about them but I can’t afford it – which means you are unwilling to share a person’s burden
Gotta let some of it slide onto us
What is a poor person
Poverty is choices
Don’t wait for destitution before you help people
Bear the burden by helping our
If you are helping people to the tune where you number of choices have not been diminished at all, then you’re not helping people enough
Are we supposed to empty our wallet everytime we see a homeless person?
Act, don’t react
We talked about lots of opportunities to deed and not just word
Where am I going to put my resources. Are my time and money benefiting?
Robert Murray McShane
Dear Christians, pray branch of new vine, rich and became poor, objection, Christ may have said my blood is my own, thousands would trample on His blood, I want you happiness Jesus says

Paul

More Like Jesus

Paul

All Creatures Of Our God And King
Holy One (half time/full time Lindy)
O Come All Ye Faithful
Desert Song
segue to What Can I Say
The Solid Rock

Jon

Week 5 of fruit of the spirit
Week 1 – Galatians 5, fruits of the spirit, fight against the flesh, communicable aspects of God (the fruits), walking in the Spirit
Week 2 – 1 Corinthians, love is patient and kind, Corinth had many attributes except love, opposite is fear, meeting the needs of others, counterfeit is loving someone because you need something from them
Week 3 – joy and sorrow can coexist, in suffering and trials you…, opposite is hopelessness, counterfeit is blessings
Week 4 – peace is confidence in God’s control of our lives, counterfeit is someone who just doesn’t care, opposite is anxiety and worry, can’t be peaceful with so much to do and being so scattered
Today – Patience
James 5:7-16
7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s return. Think of how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient for it until it receives the early and late rains.
8 You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates!
10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name.
11 Think of how we regard as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 And above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises.
14 Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.
v 7 patience in Greek – macrothumos – large, emotional glaze/flare-up
Moving through life in the principle of delayed gratification
People, long lines, traffic
Impatience with God, impatience with life
Palestinian farmer needed two rains
1. autumn or early rains – softened the hard rocks and prepared the soil
2. late rains caused the grain to swell and fill out, bountiful, plentiful
Temptation to say the rains aren’t coming – can’t just sit back and wait
Cut our loses and make it happen yourself
Wind up with depleted fraction of bountiful harvest
Be patient until the coming of the Lord
What if He doesn’t come through?
What if we get bored?
A lot of us are in the same circumstances
Hebrews 12 – trials and tribulations are delayed gratification, yield peaceful righteousness
Have to learn to wait for the training wheels to be removed
If you stay and don’t have an emotional blaise (glaze?) …
If we were honest, we might say, “God your timetable sucks”
He likes to make us wait and learn patience
The result is beautiful things grown in your heart
Patience is going to grow in your heart just like the other fruits
In order for these things to grow in our hearts, there need to be trials, there need to be training wheels
Maybe if I read my Bible more the rains will come
Temptation to run ahead of God and say, “You’re taking too long”
Why so downcast, put your heart in God
Even when God’s schedule sucks (He’s never tricked by our flattery)
To say God can’t be trusted is impatiece
Blessings come for the heart that waits
James focuses on the heart because it is the source of it all
God’s heart for all of us is a reflection of holiness
The fruit of the spirit = holiness
Push holiness through a prism and get the fruits
Your impatience with God is the real problem
Symptoms of impatient heart – full of scorn (that person’s not worthy of my time, put downs, cutting humor, complaints)
Steadfast, unwavering heart = blessed – total and complete fulfillment that comes from an intimate relationship with God
Not gossiping or cutting people down
God makes a beeline for patient hearts
That’s where I want to live
Truly expressive of His desires
I want to look upon and work on your heart
Impatient heart disrupts our relationship with God
An impatient heart treats God like a puppy (come here!)
I want to develop patience in your life
Stir up your heart
Do we want depleted blessings?
The Lord is always directed to image of saving/rescuing God
Are you catching that aspect of God?
Be patient because He’s coming for you
Counterfeit: patient but blank, they don’t give a rip, they’re indifferent
Phlagmatic personality
Lethargic personality
You look patient, but you’re indifferent and hateful
Opposite: revenge
If you love someone you can get really angry, but not indifferent
I love you too much to let you do this to your heart
Desire to confront them to change
Change because I love you
Is my rebuke coming from patience or impatiece?
What is motivating my action here? Is it revenge or love?
How can you know?
1. Am I being courteous? Respectable tone?
2. No rhetorical questions with goal of humiliation – Why did you do this?!? What’s the matter with you?
Asking questions that are going to seek change
What is motivating your question?
Make them look bad and myself look better – humiliation
1. Do we tax God’s patience every 5 minutes?
Jesus took it all on the cross in patience for us
2. Remember the majesty of God
I’m just glad that you’re able to see me
Are you willing to wait for me to come for you?
Next time you wait, God’s making you wait
He needs those training wheels rolling

Paul

Does anybody remember the patience song by the turtle from Music Machine?
Hungry

Jon

To wait means to bind your heart
A patient heart can wait with God
Slow to anger, quick to listen
Wrap it around the heart of Christ and remember how patient He’s been with you