Upcoming Programs:
Teaching Notes
HURRIED, WORRIED, BURIED (HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR, WORRY, AND ANXIETY)
Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to parade your acts of tzedakah in front of people in order to be seen by them! If you do, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So, when you do tzedakah, don’t announce it with trumpets to win people’s praise, like the hypocrites in the synagogues and on the streets. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already! 3 But you, when you do tzedakah, don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Then your tzedakah will be in secret; and your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites, who love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners, so that people can see them. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already! 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, don’t babble on and on like the pagans, who think God will hear them better if they talk a lot. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 You, therefore, pray like this:
‘Our Father in heaven!
May your Name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
11 Give us the food we need today.
12 Forgive us what we have done wrong,
as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us.
13 And do not lead us into hard testing,
but keep us safe from the Evil One.
[Matthew 6:13 The latter half of verse 13 is not found in the oldest manuscripts.]For kingship, power and glory are yours forever.
Amen.’
14 For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours.
16 “Now when you fast, don’t go around looking miserable, like the hypocrites. They make sour faces so that people will know they are fasting. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already! 17 But you, when you fast, wash your face and groom yourself, 18 so that no one will know you are fasting — except your Father, who is with you in secret. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves wealth here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and burglars break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up for yourselves wealth in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and burglars do not break in or steal. 21 For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also. 22 ‘The eye is the lamp of the body.’ So if you have a ‘good eye’ [that is, if you are generous] your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if you have an ‘evil eye’ [if you are stingy] your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No one can be slave to two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.
25 “Therefore, I tell you, don’t worry about your life — what you will eat or drink; or about your body — what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds flying about! They neither plant nor harvest, nor do they gather food into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they are? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?
28 “And why be anxious about clothing? Think about the fields of wild irises, and how they grow. They neither work nor spin thread, 29 yet I tell you that not even Shlomo in all his glory was clothed as beautifully as one of these. 30 If this is how God clothes grass in the field — which is here today and gone tomorrow, thrown in an oven — won’t he much more clothe you? What little trust you have!
31 “So don’t be anxious, asking, ‘What will we eat?,’ ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘How will we be clothed?’ 32 For it is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. 33 But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Don’t worry about tomorrow — tomorrow will worry about itself! Today has enough tsuris already!
There is a lot to worry about in our culture today, from the economy, diseases, and terrorists to our own personal worries about things like health and family. Life is just filled with so many worries; how do we overcome fear and worry, and what did Jesus have to say on this topic?
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. The believer should not worry. Jesus did not say, “Don’t think about things like clothes or food.” He did not say we should not think about them or plan for the future. But he did say we should not worry about them. Don’t have anxiety about the issues of life.
2. Worry will not make your life longer. You cannot lengthen your life. So why worry? Psalm 90:9, 12 says, “We spend our years as a tale that is told. Lord teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (NKJV).
3. Instead of worry, put God and His will first in your life. Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God, and all of these things shall be added to you” (ESV). What does that mean? The Greek translation for first means “first in the line of more than one option.” We must put God in the number one position.
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• When we seek God and His kingdom first, life will find its proper perspective.
• Your goal should be to honor God in everything that you do.
• Instead of channeling your energies into chasing nothing, chase after God instead. Seek Him and put Him first.
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
Your family is starting to unravel. You are having friction with your wife or husband. Kids are rebelling. Have you started praying about that? Have you been a godly man or woman? A godly husband? A godly wife? Put the Lord first and watch what happens. The same goes for your business, your finances, your single life, everything you do. Then watch how the Lord will bless you.
Monday, 10 August 2015Hurried, Worried, Buried (How to Overcome Fear, Worry & Anxiety) — II
Pastor Greg Laurie is concerned that many people spend their whole lives chasing after a dream they'll never reach. On their tombstone it could be written: "hurried, worried, buried." Today, he'll help us avoid that trap! It's a lesson on seeking God's Kingdom first,.
Teaching Notes
THE NONBELIEVER’S FAVORITE VERSE
Matthew 7:1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!
6 “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!
12 “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets.
13 “Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 “Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! 16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. 19 Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! 20 So you will recognize them by their fruit.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’[Matthew 7:23 Psalm 6:9(8)]
24 “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed — and its collapse was horrendous!”
28 When Yeshua had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at the way he taught, 29 for he was not instructing them like their Torah-teachers but as one who had authority himself.
The nonbeliever’s favorite verse—can you guess what it is? It is the first verse of Matthew 7: “Judge not lest you be judged.” And why do they choose it as their favorite verse? Because generally nonbelievers use it to stop you from calling attention to their sin. But, what does this verse mean? Are Christians to avoid making opinions or judgment calls? How do we apply this verse practically?
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. We should be discerning but not condemning. Being a Christian does not mean tolerating and accepting everything. When confrontation was necessary, Jesus would speak the truth to a person. And we must do the same. However, we need to do so lovingly. The better translation of this statement of Christ is: “Condemn not lest you be condemned.”
2. Our desire should always be to restore and not condemn a person who is living in sin. Paul says in Galatians 6:1–2, “Brothers, if someone is caught in sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (NIV). Speak the truth in love. Restore in gentleness. That is our goal.
3. I can’t see a speck in my brother’s eye if I have a telephone pole in mine. If we were to loosely paraphrase it, why are you worrying about the sawdust in your brother’s eye when you have got the 2 x 4 in yours? The words that Jesus used for the speck or the splinter and/or the log speak of the same material but in a smaller dimension. The reason sometimes I can spot certain sins in other people’s lives is because those are my sins. It is actually more about me than it is about them.
4. Some people just don’t want our help. We can only restore those who are open to restoration. Jesus illustrates this in Matthew 7:6. “Don’t give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” Pearls before swine is communicating the idea of giving something valuable to someone who does not care.
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• Don’t try to judge a person’s motives in the sense of passing final judgment on them. Yes, we should evaluate. No, we should not condemn. We are to judge for identification, not for condemnation.
• A believer should be discerning, thoughtful, should think biblically, and run everything through the grid of Scripture. A believer should make judgments this way.
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
The next time someone says to you, “Judge not lest you be judged,” say, “Hey man, that means condemn not, lest you be condemned, and I am not condemning you. That is for God to do or not to do. However, I love you enough to tell you the truth. Let’s help you get right with God.”
Tuesday, 11 August 2015The Nonbeliever's Favorite Verse — I
Matthew 7:1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!
6 “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!
12 “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets.
13 “Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 “Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! 16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. 19 Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! 20 So you will recognize them by their fruit.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’[Matthew 7:23 Psalm 6:9(8)]
24 “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed — and its collapse was horrendous!”
28 When Yeshua had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at the way he taught, 29 for he was not instructing them like their Torah-teachers but as one who had authority himself.
When we encounter a believer trapped in sin, we're to speak the truth in love. But some might say we should mind our own business. Pastor Greg Laurie addresses this sensitive issue. How can we respond biblically in these situations?Wednesday, 12 August 2015
The Nonbeliever's Favorite Verse — II
Matthew 7:1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!
6 “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps asking receives; he who keeps seeking finds; and to him who keeps knocking, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone here who, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 So if you, even though you are bad, know how to give your children gifts that are good, how much more will your Father in heaven keep giving good things to those who keep asking him!
12 “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that sums up the teaching of the Torah and the Prophets.
13 “Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; 14 but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 “Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! 16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. 19 Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! 20 So you will recognize them by their fruit.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’[Matthew 7:23 Psalm 6:9(8)]
24 “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed — and its collapse was horrendous!”
28 When Yeshua had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at the way he taught, 29 for he was not instructing them like their Torah-teachers but as one who had authority himself.
We can face hostility when we share the Gospel. And Pastor Greg Laurie says we can also face opposition when we express concern to a fellow believer trapped in sin. How can we navigate these choppy waters? Find out today. It's a lesson straight from the Sermon on Mount. Teaching Notes
THE THREE C’S OF LIFE
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’[Matthew 7:23 Psalm 6:9(8)]
24 “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed — and its collapse was horrendous!”
Life is filled with challenges, choices, and consequences. Sometimes challenges come as an opportunity or as a temptation. If I make the right choice, it will result in a blessing. If I make the wrong choice, that will result in consequences. The Bible is filled with stories of men and women that made right and wrong choices.
In today’s lesson, Christ illustrates with the parable of the wheat and the tares that whenever there is the real there is the false. There are real believers and fake believers. Whenever there is the true, the imitation is close by.
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. Just because you say “Lord, Lord,” it does not necessarily mean you are a true believer. These people seem to be deeply religious with more than a passing profession of faith. They call Him God, but they are not true believers. These people have passion, but they are not real believers. Their profession of faith is public. They didn’t hide their belief.
2. Miracles alone are not evidence of true faith. Surely they must be believers if miracles are being performed, right? Not necessarily. Did you know that the devil can imitate certain miracles? They are not real miracles. They are imitation miracles. There can be false miracles. In fact, the Bible even tells us, “When Antichrist comes he will be able to perform lying wonders.”
3. If you are a real Christian, you will show it in the way you live. There is a difference between someone who stumbles and sins and repents, and the person who willfully sins without any desire to change from that sinful lifestyle. Christ is talking about that person.
4. Real Christians will build their life on the right foundation. Jesus illustrates this. Two men build the same house. They have the same floorplan. They have the same landscaping. Here is the difference. One is built on a good foundation. The other is built on a bad foundation. The foundation can make all the difference in the world.
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• Build your foundation on Jesus Christ. He is the one who will sustain you. Don’t build your foundation on a pastor or on your marriage. Build your foundation on Christ because if you don’t you will not be sustained when tough times come.
• Sometimes when people go through hardship, they will turn away from God. When you go through hardship it will show what you are really made of. Character is not made in crisis—it is revealed.
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
Have you made bad choices? Have you done things you should have never done? Or have you wasted years of your life? Stop and think about the fact that God made the choice to send Jesus to be born, and Jesus made the choice to come to earth. Don’t forget that a decision was made in the counsels of eternity that Jesus die on the cross for the sin of the world. The Bible says, “He was slain from the foundation of the earth.” Way before we sinned Jesus already made preparation. He already decided He was going to do what needed to be done so we could be made right with God.
Thursday. 13 Ausgust 2015The Three Cs of Life — I
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’[Matthew 7:23 Psalm 6:9(8)]
24 “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed — and its collapse was horrendous!”
Just as a building needs a firm foundation for stability, we need a strong spiritual foundation for stability in our lives. Pastor Greg Laurie helps us learn what it means to build our lives on Christ, the Solid Rock.Friday, 14 August 2015
The Three Cs of Life — IIMatthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. 22 On that Day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’[Matthew 7:23 Psalm 6:9(8)]
24 “So, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the winds blew and beat against that house, but it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers flooded, the wind blew and beat against that house, and it collapsed — and its collapse was horrendous!”
Just as a building needs a firm foundation for stability, we need a strong spiritual foundation for stability in our lives. Pastor Greg Laurie helps us learn what it means to build our lives on Christ, the Solid Rock.Christians believe God means what He says and that there's only one way to heaven, through Jesus Christ. But nonbelievers often think that's narrow-minded. Today, Pastor Greg Laurie counters the "all roads lead to God" theory with the truth from Scripture. Be sure to listen for important insight.
Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie
P.O. Box 4000
iverside, California 92514-4000 United States
Phone: 1-800-821-3300
____________________________
Phone: 1-800-821-3300
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment