John 1:16-18 (NLT) 16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
Jesus came to show us what the Father is like.
John 14:1-5 (NLT) 1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
“Where we are going….”
Misconceptions about heaven….
“Heaven is more than a place in the cosmos, it’s a place in the family.”
“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons
of God.” ― C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“Home is not a place we go to it is a people we belong to!”
Ephesians 2:19 (NIV) You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.
John 14:6-11 (NLT) 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
John 14: 6 “I am the way, the truth, and life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
“The way to the Father”
“Jesus provide the way to the Father so that we can learn the the truth of the Father, and experience the life of the Father.
What do we learn of the Father?
v 9.“You have seen me you have seen the Father”
If Jesus is the way to the father and Jesus reveals the Father. Then the way to the Father is also the way of the father….
1. We see his ways.
1 Corinthians 2:7-12 (NIV)"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”(Isa 64:4):— 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
1 John 4:8 (NIV)…God is love.
How is love revealed?
-He is Good
Psalm 119:68 (NLT) You are good and do only good.
Romans 2:4 (NLT) 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
-He is Gracious
Romans 5:8 (NLT) But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
He is Giving
John 3:16-17 (NIV) 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
He gave us this G-O-S-P-E-L
2. We know His Truth
“If your truth doesn’t line up with the truth then you have a lie.”
John 5:37-40 (NLT) 37 And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, 38 and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you. 39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
“We have the Holy Spirit who is revealing and confirming the Truth about God.”
John 16:13 (NIV) But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
3. We experience His life.
John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
If the devils mission is to steal, kill, and destroy then life is found when Jesus Restores, Resurrects, and Rebuilds.
Luke 7:36-50 (NLT) 36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. 41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. 47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” 50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The peace governed life.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV) 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Postures that stifle gratitude.
“Negativity comes out of those who have not nurtured an internal culture of gratefulness.”
1. Entitlement
“What you are entitled to is so much less than what God promises you!”
2. Victimhood
3. Poverty Mindset
4. Greed/Materialism
“Money promises what only God can provide!”
5. Offense/ unforgiveness
“Offense is the posture of those in bondage.”
Practicing the posture of gratitude.
“The economy of our heart is revealed in the posture of our gratitude”
Colossians 3:15-17(NIV) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1. Absorb: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly!
What does he say about you?
2. Adore: Giving praise & thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:18(NIV) Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Find the melody in the moment.
3. Apply: The attitude of Gratitude.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Acts 16:16-26(NLT) 16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” 18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. 19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.” 22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. 25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!
You can’t cage the freedom we have!
“We rejoice in God’s worth and goodness not how good and worthy our situation is.”
“A Christian may find more true joy in a prison, than the monarch on his throne.” -Albert Barnes(Theologian & commentator)
Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT) 16 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. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
The Spirit of Praise…
1. Praise brings us in….Engages us
Psalm 100:4-5 (NLT) 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
2. Praise brings Him in…. Engages him
Psalm 22:3 (NKJV) You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
“When we set our Attention, Affection and our Appreciation on Jesus it sets us at an Advantage.”
Psalm 24:3-8 (NIV) 3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
3. We are clothed with Praise
Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV) 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Garments of Praise:
You can't put heaviness off until you put praise on!
“We don’t just express praise we are possessed by it!”
Communion & Ministry
John 16 20-22 (NLT) 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. 21 It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. 22 So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) 16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Luke 17:11-19 (NLT) 11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
Lepers-
Jesus-
-Connects with the outcast.
-Extends mercy.
-Troubled by ungratefulness.
Verse 17 “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?
Why are people Ungrateful?
1. They feel entitled
“The entitled demand an experience but the grateful are driven to expressions of gratitude.”
“God has far more for you than you can ever earn or deserve.”
If it deserved it its not called grace.
2. They are situationally minded
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
3. They forget
Leprosy is symbolic of sin.
Have you forgotten that…
1- All have sinned(Rom 3:23)
2- The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23)
Colossians 1:21 (NLT) … You who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions…
3- Jesus paid the wage
Colossians 1:22 (NLT) Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault
4- Jesus has more for us.
Jesus had more for the other nine but they were satisfied with just getting their momentary fix.
“There will be some things you will never receive because you are ungrateful what what you have.”
Verse 19 “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
“Gratefulness increases our faith because we set because we keep the one we trust before us.”
SOZO- Complete wholeness in Jesus.
3 Things ways to start the gratitude journey..
1. Say it
2. Write it
3. Reflect on it
Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV) 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." 27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
…..
Ephesians 1:3-7 (NLT) 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
v 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Preparing a table
Prepares: to arrange & set in order(ordain) paying fine attention to detail
“ God doesn't feed us according to earthly need but by heavenly provisions.”
Psalm 34:10(NLT) Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.
Song of Songs 2:4(NLT) He escorts me to the banquet hall; it’s obvious how much he loves me.
“Just because you don’t prefer the flavor, doesn’t mean it’s not his provision.”
In the presence of my enemies
“Because we have such a capable shepherd we are able to FEAST WHEN OUR ENEMIES ARE PRESENT.
“We are dying to our flesh, Jesus defeated the enemy, and we are overcoming the world.”
Romans 8:17(NLT) Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
2 Timothy 3:12(NLT) Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Freedom is eating while the battle is raging.
You anoint my head with oil….
1. The Oil is for healing
Acts 10:38 (NLT) God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
1 Peter 2:24 (NIV) …By his wounds you have been healed.
2. The Oil is for De-bugging(Part 2)
3. The Oil establishes purpose
Luke 4:18(NLT) “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”
1 John 2:27 (NIV) As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you.
4. The Oil is fragrant
2 Corinthians 2:15 (NKJV) For we are to God the fragrance of Christ.
My cup overflows….
“Oil don’t fall it flows.”
“When we start letting the oil flow the mundane becomes ministry.”
“The anointing is not simply to enhance our experience but to maximize our effectiveness!”