Matthew 2:1-12
Wise men lived up to their names
Matthew 2:12
Can we decipher the right voice to listen to?
Do you know the Lord's voice when He speaks to you?
Two questions to decide if you are making the right choice:
Of the two choices you have in your mind, which one follows biblical guidelines?
Which of the two choices glorifies God more than you?
Don't wait until you're in a dilemma, prepare daily!
John 10:4b,5
2 Timothy 3:14-4:2
2 Timothy 3:16
Can’t share what you don’t have
2 Timothy 4:2
Preparation requires time and effort
Each of us make time for our priorities
SOAP model: Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer
If the Lord is a priority, He is worth the effort and time to prepare for whatever is in store!
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Psalm 80:3,7,19 begin with “Restore”
How can we obtain restoration? 1st and foremost, one must come to repentance.
Psalm 80:6
Psalm 80:3,7,19: "Make your face shine so that we can be saved!"
Matthew 1:23
Luke 1:39-55
Luke 1:39-45
Luke 1:37: "Nothing is impossible for God!"
Luke 1:46-55
Luke 1:47,48a
Luke 1:52
Luke 1:54,55
Jesus was born to live in you and me!
Isaiah 11:1-10
Isaiah 11:1-5
Jesus fulfilled this Old Testament prophecy
Isaiah 11:2
Isaiah 11:4d: "by the breath of His lips He will kill the wicked."
Isaiah 11:6-10
Let a little bit of heaven be on earth to people around us
Matthew 24:36-44
Matthew 24:36-44
Christ is our hope!
Jesus’s return will happen like a thief in the night
Jesus’s return hasn't happened yet, bu you better believe it will eventually!
3 promises in Scripture before leaving physically but constantly with us spiritually:
Hebrews 13;5b, 1 Peter 5:7, John 14:3
Psalm 100:1
3 questions to ponder:
-Do we make a "joyful noise" when we come to worship, or do we settle for sighs of boredom or the sharp sound of complaint?
-Do we worship the Lord with "gladness," or do we do so out of obligation or the mentality that I may be forced to be here but I’m going to make sure I don’t make the most of it?
-Do we come into His presence with singing, or are we largely silent?
Psalm 100:3
Psalm 100:4
Psalm 100:5
God is great!
Luke 8:26-39
Jesus gave Legion hope when he seemed to have no hope
How the Gerasene people reacted to the miracle
Luke 8:37
The healed man had a choice to make, just like us
Luke 8:39
It takes all kinds to reach all kinds!
Glorify our Lord where we are
Psalm 23:4-6
2 words in verse 4 that define the scripture-"though" and "through"
Psalm 23:4b:“Thou art with me”
The valley of the shadow is something one goes "through"
When facing the difficulty and pain of a valley experience, we mature spiritually
Accepting the Lord’s help means asking the Lord two questions: What is Your goal for this time, Lord? and How am I to respond to You, Lord?
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Paul stressed to Timothy and us we need to take the license to serve Him just as seriously as we do in obtaining any other license
2 Timothy 2:8
The importance of endurance
2 Timothy 8:14
Rightly explaining the word of truth
Judges 7:8-25
300 with God is much better than 32,000 without Him!
Encouragement in tough times
Judges 7:10,11
Judges 7:13,14
Joshua 1:9
Victory depends not on strength or numbers but on obedience and commitment to Him
The turning point for Gideon and us is to listen and follow the Lord’s leading
Soak in the encouragement from others as well as give it
Judges 7:1-7
Is less than 1% enough?
People can never be too small for God to use, but they can be too big in their own minds
God wants us to depend completely on Him
Are you trying to do it all alone?
Are you leaving God out of the equation in terms of the battles you’re facing?
Are you rallying troops around you to assure you of victory but not inviting the most important person in the battle-our Lord Jesus?
Matthew 25:31-40
Isaiah 58:7
How can I be more like Jesus to the “least of these” in Matthew 25?
Matthew 25:41-46
Which group will you be a part of-the sheep or the goats? Heaven or hell?
Keep Christ at the forefront of our lives
uke16:19-31
How are you treating your neighbor?
Luke 6:35-36
Who is it that God is wanting you to help?
There will be a time of judgment
Psalm 4:1
The physical “closing in” is not all that happens to people. Many people feel crowded emotionally and spiritually
Ways to keep from having that claustrophobic feeling from Psalm 4:
-We call out to God in prayer (v. 1),
-Trust God will answer (v. 5),
-At the end of the day we "lie down and sleep in peace" (v. 8)
Psalm 4:7a
We need to choose His way as our way!
1 Samuel 24:1-7
David gave an example of patience
1 Samuel 24:4
David chose to wait for God’s timing
1 Samuel 26:8-11
Attributes that allowed David to wait for the Lord’s timing:
-David had strong faith and believed that God would gain victory in the right time and with the right method
-David had the correct values: Killing a king would violate his conscience
-Discernment helped David realize that assassination would mean stepping out of God’s will
-Strength played a role in the decision
Isaiah 40:31
Jeremiah 18:1-6
Jeremiah’s lesson-1st the clay
Jeremiah’s lesson-2nd the wheel
Jeremiah’s lesson- 3rd the potter
Romans 9:20b-21
When the Lord is reshaping you, there will be what we call “growing pains.”
“God don’t make junk!”
Jeremiah 18:11-12
Romans 13:8-14
Romans 13:8a: "Owe no one anything"
Romans 13:8
Why is love for others called a debt in this scripture?
Colossians 3:14
Romans 13:12
Isaiah 6:1-4
Isaiah 6:1a: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord."
2 Chronicles 26:1-5
2 Chronicles 26:12,13
2 Chronicles 26:16-21
Wherever pride is, the Lord is not
Proverbs 16:18: "Pride goes before disaster, and arrogance before a fall."
My Uzziah's got to die!!!
Let GO and Let God have every part of you!
type “stumbling block” in search and look up different versions to see where those words are used in different places in the Bible
Matthew 16:22
Matthew 16:23
Matthew 16:24
Matthew 16:25
Matthew 16:23b: Jesus’ words to Peter: “for you are setting your mind not on divine things, but on human things.”
What is your stumbling block?
1 Corinthians 8:13
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you”
Matthew 7:12
Romans 14:13