Gratitude Week 2 // Life-Giving Gratitude
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable---if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---think about such things.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
“Life is not lost by dying it is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day in all the thousand small uncaring ways.” Stephen Vincent Bennett
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller
James 1:17 (NIV)
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
“We are perishing for want of wonder rather than want of wonders.” G K Chesterton
“Be happy in the moment. Each moment is all we need, not more.” Mother Theresa
James 3:6 (NIV)
“The tongue also is a fire… it sets the whole course of one’s life on fire.”
Ephesians 4:29 (KJV)
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying (building up), that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
Philippians 2:14-16 (ESV)
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.”
Philippians 2:15 (MSG)
“Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night.”
Maya Angelou, a well-known American writer and activist, once said, “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude about it - what you say matters.”
Seek Life, See Life and Be Life!!!
Live in Gratitude.
Gratitude Week 1
Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT)
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:3-5 (NLT)
“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.”
Philippians 1:17-18 (NLT)
“Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.”
Philippians 2:17-18 (NLT)
“But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.”
Philippians 3:1 (NLT)
“Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.”
Philippians 4:4 (NLT)
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT)
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)
“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Need - Thanks That You are Jehovah Jireh - Provider
Sickness - Thanks That You are Jehovah- Rophe - Healer
Need Guidance - Thanks That You are Jehovah-Rohi - Shepherd
Overwhelmed, Under Assault - Thanks That You are Jehovah-Sabaoth - Lord of Hosts
Vulnerable
Psalm 18:1-3 (NLT)
“I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise.”
Philippians 4:7 (NLT)
“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
The Heart Series Week 4
Living Out of the Restored or Renewed Heart
Lives That Are Salt and Light
Living Illustrations of Godlikeness and Godliness
Restored Hearts… Leading to Restored Lives… Leading to Restored Families… Leading to Restored Communities… Leading to Restored Nations…
Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NIV)
“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)
“As much as you have the opportunity, do good to all.”
1Peter 2:11-17 (NIV)
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”
John 10:10 (NIV)
“I have come that you might have life and have it to the full - abundantly!”
October 19th, 2025 // Pastor Tim Lovell
The Heart Series Week 3
Last couple of weeks…
God Who Knows the Human Heart
God Who Contends with the Human Heart
God Who Restores the Human Heart
Ezekiel 36:22-23 (MSG)
“Therefore, tell Israel, ‘Here is the Message of God, the Master: I’m not doing this for you, Israel. I’m
doing it for me, to save my character, my holy name, which you’ve blackened in every country where
you’ve gone. I’m going to put my great and holy name on display, the name that has been ruined in
so many countries, the name that you blackened wherever you went. Then the nations will realize
who I really am, that I am God, when I show my holiness through you so that they can see it with
their own eyes.”
Romans 7:14-25 (MSG)
“What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I
absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it
becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary: But I need something more! For if I know the
law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I
obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to
do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway: My decisions, such as
they are; don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of
me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is
there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins
in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried
everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for
me? Isn’t that the real question?” The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted
to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind,
but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.”
Ezekiel 36:24-28 (MSG)
“‘For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all
over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give
you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it
with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to
do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors.
You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!”Mark 7:21-23 (NIV)
“For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these
vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
”
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about
such things.”
Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where
Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things
of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who
is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”
Luke 6:45 (NKJV)
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil
treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Hebrews 3:12-15 (NIV)
“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from
the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may
be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the
confidence we had at first. As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your
hearts as you did in the rebellion."
Ephesians 1:17-19 (NKJV)
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may
know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working
of His mighty power.”
Hebrews 13:12 (NLT)
“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and
unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is
still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are
faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that
belongs to Christ. Remember what it says: Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”
The Heart Series Week 2
God Who Contends with the Human Heart
Jeremiah 17:9-10 (MSG)
“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”
Johari Window
Psalms 10:4 (NIV)
”In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”
Mark 7:6-8 (NIV)
“You hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.’"
God Wants to Work In The Whole of Our Hearts, and It Can Mean Facing Some Tough Things. He May Need to Challenge and Change Some Areas…
Where Can I Go from Your Presence?
Psalms 139:1-18 (NIV)
“You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.”
Luke 16:15 (NIV)
”You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight."
Psalms 26:2 (NIV)
“Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.”
Psalms 139:23-24 (BSB)
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.”
1 John 3:20 (BSB)
“Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.”
Prayer of Confession
“Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We have not walked in your ways
and have chosen what seems good and right in our own eyes
we are truly sorry, and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us.
That we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.”
The Heart Series Week 1
Often, the description associated with the heart describes a season we are in or a condition we are living in.
Look at some of These Words Associated with the Heart:
Kind Hearted
Open Hearted
Warm Hearted
Wholehearted
Heart Felt
Heart Sick
Heart Wrenching
Broken Hearted
Heavy Hearted
Hard Hearted
Cold Hearted
Disheartened
Faint Hearted
Wounded Heart
God Sees the Heart and Knows Us at the Center of Who We Are, or The Season We Are In.
He is Willing to Meet Us There and Let Us Know that We are Known.
He is Not Content that We Remain Hurting, Sick, Broken, Hidden, etc.
God Doesn’t Look at What We Look at; He Looks at the Heart.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 (MSG)
“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”
Exodus 34:6 (ESV)
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…”
He Walks with Us on this Journey So We Can Walk with Others.
He Doesn’t Want Us to Remain in Hiding. We Can Journey with Others into Freedom and Into the Light.
Seasons Don’t Have to Define Us
Experiences Don’t Have to Hold Us
Feelings Don’t Have to Hold Us Fast
God Knows
God Contends
God Restores
God is a God of Hope and a Future, Not Just Our Past.
No notes
Pillars and Practices // Celebrating and Remembering
Romans 12:15 (ESV)
“Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.”
To Do this Requires a Willingness to Enter Intimacy and Connectedness.
Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Celebrating and Remembering Go Hand in Hand
Psalm 103:1-18, 22 (NLT)
A Psalm of David
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
The Lord gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.
He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children
of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!
Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
Pillars and Practices // Connect and Engage
Here are two simple reasons to stop and think about our own connectedness within the church family:
1. Connecting to the Community Puts Us in a Place to Love and be Loved
1 Corinthians 12:31 (CSB)
“And I will show you an even better way.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 (CSB)
“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.”
Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV)
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
2. Connecting to the Body of Christ is Essential to Living. Scripture Reveals to Us that We are Better Together than if We Stay Disconnected.
1 Corinthians 12:12-18 (NLT)
“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with
the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
Steps to Connecting
Be Pleasant
Be Approachable
Find Common Interests
Be Willing to Learn
Be Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak and Slow to Become Angry
Practice Being Loving
Enemies of Connecting
Pride
Insecurity
Fear
Criticism
Divisiveness
Our Own Echo Chambers of Agreement that Pit Us Against Others Who Think Differently.
Jesus is Still Our Hope.
Pillars and Practices // Give and Serve
GIVING IS ABOUT AUTHORITY
Deuteronomy 8:18 (ESV)
“You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV)
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
GIVING IS ABOUT OBEDIENCE
Luke 6:38 (NIV)
“Give and it will be given to you.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NIV)
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
GIVING IS ABOUT PRIORITIES
Proverbs 11:24–25 (NIV)
“One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”
2 Corinthians 9:6–8 (ESV)
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
GIVING IS A VALUES ISSUE
Malachi 3:8–12 (NLT)
“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Our heart motive matters more than money. The story of The Widow’s Offering (Mark 12:41-44) illustrates God’s hope for our motivation toward generosity.
GIVING IS A TRUST ISSUE
Matthew 6:26-33 (ESV)
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Luke 6:38 (TLB)
“If you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give–large or small–will be used to measure what is given back to you.”
GIVING IS ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM ADVANCING
1 Corinthians 16:2 (ESV)
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.”
SERVING IS THE SAME IN MANY WAYS - Generosity with our Time and Talents
As we give of ourselves, we get our eyes off ourselves.
We become less aware of our own needs as we serve others.
Finding Personal Fulfillment in Giving
You are never more like Jesus than when you serve and give. Matthew 20:28 says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Will We Allow God to Have Authority?
Pillars and Practices // Praise, Worship, and Prayer
Both Praise and Worship are in Part:
Reverence (Awe)
Recognition (Awareness)
Revelation (Awakening)
Response (Action)
Hebrew Words
Yadah
Psalm 44:8 (NIV)
“In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise (yâdâh) your name forever.”
Towdah
Psalm 56:11-12 (NKJV)
“In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?...I will render praises (tôwdâh) to you.”
Zamar - To make music. To celebrate in song and music. To touch the strings.
Psalm 144:9 (NKJV)
“I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings, I will sing praises (zâmar) to You.”
Psalm 21:13 (KJV)
“Be exalted O Lord, in Thine own strength, so will we sing and praise (zâmar) thy power.”
Barak - To kneel. To bow down. To salute. To thank.
Psalm 103:1 (NIV)
“Praise (bârak) the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name.”
Shabach - To address in a loud tone. To shout. To commend, glory, and triumph.
Psalm 145:4 (NKJV)
“One generation shall praise (shâbach) your works to another.”
1 Samuel 4:5 (NLT)
“When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord coming into the camp, their shout of joy praise (shâbach) was so loud it made the ground shake!
Tehillah - Derived from the word halal and means "the singing of halals, to sing or to laud; perceived to involve music, especially singing; hymns of the Spirit or praise.
Psalm 22:3 (NASB)
“Yet you are holy, and you are enthroned upon the praises (tehillah) of Israel.”
Isaiah 61:3 (NASB)
“To grant to those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The garment of praise (tehillah) instead of the spirit of heaviness, So they shall be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Halal - Means "to be clear, to praise, to shine, to boast, show, to rave, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish."
Psalm 113:1-3 (NKJV)
“Praise (hallal) the Lord, praise (hallal) all you servants of the Lord, praise (hallal) the name of the Lord.”
Psalm 150:1 (AMP)
“Praise (hallal) the Lord! Praise (hallal) God in His sanctuary; Praise (hallal) Him in His mighty heavens.”
Psalm 149:3 (NKJV)
“Let them praise (hallal) His name in the dance: let them sing praises with the timbrel and harp.”
The Hebrew word most often translated as worship is Shachah - to bow down or to be prostrate; it’s used over 170 times in the Old Testament.
Exodus 34:8 (NIV)
“Moses bowed down and worshipped.”
The Greek word most often translated as worship is Proskuneo
Matthew 28:9 (NKJV)
“And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held him by the feet and worshiped him.”
John 4:24 (NKJV)
“God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Revelation 5:14 (NKJV)
“Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped him who lives forever and ever.”
These are Biblical, not just cultural or denominational, and they all have their place and time.
As much as a people of Praise and Worship, we need to be a People of Prayer.
Prayer as an Expression of Worship:
An Expression of Worth
Of Reverence
Of Gratitude
Of Dependence
Of Expectation
Lord Teaches Us How to Pray:
Our Father in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us what we need for today (our daily bread)
Forgive us as we also forgive others (submission to God’s work in me and through me)
Lead us not into temptation/testing (lead us from temptation)
But deliver us from the evil one
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
Types of Prayer:
In the moment - Nehemiah 2:4-5
Extended - Daniel 10 - 21 days
Prayer with fasting - focus and prioritizing
What about tongues?? Read 1 Cor 14:1-19
Prayer is Both Individual and Communal or Interpersonal:
When you pray, go into Private Space
Pray for One Another, Bear One Another’s Burdens
This Tuesday Night and every first Tuesday, Prayer Night - Cards Available
Pillars and Practices // Gather Together and Participate
Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
Galatians 5:20-21 (NIV)
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
What does it truly mean to love God the way He desires? In this powerful message, Pastor George Morrison, former lead pastor of Faith Church in Arvada, Colorado, unpacks three life-changing ways we are called to love God:
- Love God in Totality
- Love God as a Priority
- Love God Exclusively
Transformed By Love // “Love Is”
How can we, as a church and as individuals, live in our community in a way that reflects the grace and kindness of Jesus?
But What Is the Love of God?
Ephesians 3:14-19 (ESV)
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Agape - noun used 18x = benevolence, goodwill, flowing from God’s charter.
Agapáo - verb used 28x = The proof of love.
Love Is + Love Does
God is Love
What is the Love of God Like?
His Love Appears First
1 John 4:19 (ESV)
“We love because he first loved us.”
His Love Cannot be Earned
1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” - Timothy Keller
His Love is Proven by the Cross
Romans 5:6,8 (ESV)
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 3:16-17 (NIV)
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
His love is revealed by the Holy Spirit
Galatians 1:11-12 (ESV)
“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 3:14-19 (ESV)
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
“Holy Spirit, Give Me a Revelation of Your Love, I Need It!”
Finding Jesus in Unexpected Places //
The Woman Caught in Adultery
John 8:1-11 (NLT)
“Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus, ‘this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’ They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’”
Matthew 7:3-5 (NLT)
"And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye."
Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)
“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Colossians 3:12-17 (NLT)
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Finding Jesus in Unexpected Places // Women with the Blood Issue
Finding Jesus in Unexpected Places // Finding –
The Samaritan Woman at the Well
John 4:1-42 (NIV)
“Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he. Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.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. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
Deuteronomy 25:5 (NIV)
“If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.”
Mark 12:18-23 (NIV)
“Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
John 4:27 (NIV)
“Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
John 4:27 (MSG)
“Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe he was talking with that kind of a woman. No one said what they were all thinking, but their faces showed it.”
Jesus not only walked through cultural barriers, but he also walked through racial barriers.
Jesus not only walked through cultural barriers and racial barriers, but he also walked through religious/traditional barriers.
John 4:20-24 (NIV)
“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Jesus brings the focus from the practice to the purpose.
John 4:10-14 (NIV)
“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
Revelation 22:17 (NASB)
“Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”
Finding Jesus in Unexpected Places // Jesus the Winemaker
John 2:1-5 (ESV)
“On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus was also invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’”
John 2:6-12 (ESV)
“Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.”
John 21:25 (ESV)
“Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
Isaiah 25:6-9 (ESV)
“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
2 Corinthians 3:15-18 (ESV)
“Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Jesus’ Actions…
Honored Others
Announced His Kingdom
Provided Joy
Finding Jesus in Unexpected Places // At the Disciple’s Feet
Matthew 20:28 (NIV)
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
John 13:1-17 (NIV)
“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus answered, ‘Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.’ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’”
Mark 9:34-35 (NIV)
“But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Mark 10:45 (NIV)
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Luke 22:21-27 (NIV)
“But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.’”
Mark 4:9 (NIV), Matt 11:15 (NIV)
Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Some Keys to Servanthood:
1. Serving like Jesus means we move in humility, take action on behalf of others.
Phil 2:8 (NIV)
“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death.”
2. Serving like Jesus means we engage compassionately.
Matthew 9:36 (NIV)
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
3. Serving like Jesus means we must serve graciously.
Luke 6:35 (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.”
Galatians 5:13 (NIV)
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
4. Serving like Jesus, we must take time for people.
1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.”
Let your doing be done for the sake of the doing, not to be seen!