Audio Messages

• Walk in God's will
• God speaks by His Spirit  - through His Word, prayer, circumstances, and wise council - His will
• How we know it is the Holy Spirit speaking - The peace He gives
• What are we looking for to know God's answer? PEACE

• The purpose of worship -  "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly"
  • "let" indicates that its up to me whether I get something out of worship
• The practice of worship
  • Teaching - "as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom"
    • It must be biblical
    • It must be passionate
    • It must be applicable
  • Singing - "as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs"
    • The importance of participation
    • The importance of "pulling out the stops"
    • The importance of songs being biblical
• The person we worship - "with gratitude in our hearts to God"
  • Our worship should be joyful
    • Joy comes from putting Jesus first, others second, and myself third

• Do everything for Christ's glory
• First ask God - "What do I need to do?"
  • Going about our daily tasks in this way will give us a sense of purpose and significance.

• God's Word is truth Commitment requires agreeing in your mind. Paul appeals to our will - make a choice in the way you live for God. Believe the Word is truth and act on it.
• God's Word is Life One thing that is constant - God's Word.
• God's Word is Power Romans 10:14,15, Hebrews 4:12

• In You You are a work in progress. You are being changed into His image from glory to glory. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, it is our reasonable service." God's work in you is a spiritual work, but it begins in the mind. You can accept or refuse it.
• In the Church Proverbs 3:9-10 First fruits refer to your tithe. Everything else is offering above and beyond the tithe.
• In the World God is working in the world convicting people of their need for a Savior. God opens doors for you and empowers you.

• Knowing that God is Merciful
• Knowing that God is Just
• Knowing that God's Will is Perfect

On Memorial Day we mourn the loss, remember the lives, and are thankful for the sacrifice. As we prepare to remember those who died for our country, it is important to remember the One who died to set us free from our sins.Jesus fought the armies of Hell so that we might have liberty in His name.

So first, as we mourn the loss of Christ, we realize that we are the guilty ones. If there was only one sinner who was lost, He still would have died. His love is that great.

Next, we remember the lives. On the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, the disciples were remembering Jesus. Part of our emotional healing in the process of grief is to remember the lives of the loves ones who have passed. What must we remember about Jesus? He set an example of how to live and love. Our life should reflect that love.

Finally, we are thankful for the sacrifice. We take communion to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us. His body was broken and his blood shed for each one of us. As Americans, we have the luxuries of this country because men and women gave their lives for it. Similarly, the price Jesus paid afforded us salvation. We have the promise of salvation and we did nothing to afford this luxury. For this we must be thankful.
 

• We can retreat
• We can hide
• We can fight back with words or physical force
• We can do what the early church did - pray

1. Importance of Prayer
2. Connection to Other Believers

1. Our Sins are Forgiven - Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins and accomplished what God had planned. "It is finished." There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
2. Our Lives Have Purpose - Our faith is alive and vital to abundant life. God had a plan for our lives all along. We are His workmanship prepared for good works. We are God's masterpiece, a work of art. We are all different and that's okay. God's purpose is for us is to bring the "Good News" to those around us. How? Through the power of Jesus Christ in us. He gives us the power to change what we cannot.Through the promises of Christ. All the promises of God are yes and amen.
3. Our Future Is Secure - One day we are all going to die. Only a fool would go through life and not prepare for something we is going to happen. Sincerity, good works, giving up stuff, rituals, heritage, and comparison will not get us to heaven. It's only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There's only one way. It's not about what we know, it's about who we know.

1. Be specific - "I appreciate you because_____" or "Thank you for __________." Big compliments can be great when they speak to the heart of who we are, but small compliments let us know people appreciate the little things we do.
2. Be sincere -
3. Look at Spiritual Things - Encouragement is rare, but encouragements about spiritual things is even rarer. What would this look life? Look for the spiritual heart beneath the action.

• Speak the truth. Lying is destructive behavior. Jesus Christ said, "I am the truth." As Christians we are to be the truth of Christ personified. Lying is sin.
• Misuse and abuse of our mouths. Proverbs warns against gossip. Don't grieve the Holy Spirit. Get rid of gossip, backstabbing, foul language, and verbal abuse.
• Let's use our mouths for righteous purposes. Build each other up with encouraging words. Be kind and compassionate. Forgive one another.

• Contribute to the community. Use your hands for something useful to benefit those in need.
• Laziness, procrastination, and consumer Christianity are all subtle sins.
• Giving is a lifestyle.
• Use your hands for holy and righteous purposes - for construction and not destruction.

• Two Areas - Anger and Love
• Anger - a self-centered emotion. It's a choice. Anger must not take up residence. Anger is not a sin as such, but can become a foothold for the devil. Do not hold on to your anger.
• Love - the most challenging to repair. God says, "Be holy, becuase I am holy." Love following the example of Jesus. Jesus promised to be with us as we seek to reach that goal. The sacrifice of Jesus is pleasing to God because: Jesus was obedient and it restores people into relationship with Himself. Our response to this passage requires obedience.