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A Hard Generation

1/17/2021

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 16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17 “‘We played the pipe for you,
    and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
    and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” Matthew 11:16-19

Jesus compares the people He is talking to to spoiled children. John was one extreme. Jesus the other. Neither one of them affected them. The people just called them names and dismissed them both.

They were hardened by pride. They didn't want to change. They were quick to explain away the miracles. They were quick to condemn anyone who challenged them with a new way of life. They were incredibly blessed. They had everything, but they hardened their hearts!


20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.[a] For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 11:20-24

Chorazin and Bethsaida had been blessed with generations of teaching -- God's holy teaching. They knew the prophecies. They knew scripture. 

Tyre and Sidon -- pagan cities, godless. 

The former had it. They were given much but gave nothing.

Ninevah and Jonah -- Ninevah was the capital of the Assyrian Empire! Totally so far from God. But Ninevah repented when faced with the truth. 

Capernaum -- so blessed! It was:
-- Jesus' home during His ministry.
-- Had the Oldest synagogue (so worship of God had been going on a long time there).
-- Largest city in the area, located on the Roman road which led to Damascus.
-- A lot of trade, prosperous.
-- Where Peter, Andrew and Matthew were called by Jesus.
-- Where several miracles occurred:
         healing of the centurion's servant
         Peter's mother-in-law healing
         Paralyzed man healed
         Girl raised from the dead
         Woman with the bleeding issue.

Everyone in the town would have known about these miracles. The crowd followed Jesus to see what He would do -- for entertainment, but not to be His followers.Not to accept His message.

These towns were blessed towns. And they were falling into judgment. They were economically successful; had all the teaching and prophecy; Jesus' presence; and great communication. And judgment was coming because they had it all but never believed.

When there is a large group of people (think a big urban area):
-- communication increases and we start thinking highly of ourselves. We begin to get hardened to God. We get arrogant. 

Does this all sound familiar?
Look at our country. We have incredible access to knowledge. We have everything we need here in the USA. We have peace. We've never been invaded by a foreign country. We have been blessed by God from the beginning. 

The more comfortable we are, the harder our hearts get (if we don't examine them). 

How can we not fall under the same judgment Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida did?

We're asking for the judgment! We have had every possible blessing and we have turned away. This is not just a historical story but it is an example of what will happen to us. God is speaking to us all. We serve a Risen Savior. He won't be mocked.

It's all about the heart!
The only thing I can give God is my heart, my life.


3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants." Matthew 13:3-7

Put this parable into context of us, the church. 

Sometimes we might be the path -- a well-beaten path, established routine of religious practices, no room for growth. This path can be a church ritual that means nothing. You must commit to Him. Where is the church?

The Rocky Soil: Shallow, no real depth, surface knowledge. Do we fall under this category? There's no discipleship for these people; no commitment. You take what Jesus did, but not what He says. 

He didn't come to heal the blind, raise the dead. He did it out of compassion. His main mission was and is our salvation. He told us what we needed to know. They had the knowledge and tried to stifle it. They don't want God. They just want their life the way they want their life. We have hardened our hearts to the truth and reality of Jesus Christ.

Thorns -- distractions, personal idols, baggage that we won't set down; white noise. We love our distractions. We love our entertainment and politics and fashion and whatever else we hold up as an idol in God's place. We are meant to bring the kingdom of God here. We are meant to be the solution (not part of the problem). 

The path, the rocky soil and the thorns are choices. We can be different than that. We can be Good Soil. Instead, are we choosing to reject Jesus and His way?

Where am I personally?
Be honest. Be vulnerable. Judge yourself objectively. Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. Figure out where you and get right with Jesus.

The hope that is Jesus:


25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do." Matthew 11:25-26

Jesus came quietly, humbly, simply. Jesus came as a common man. Nothing remarkable except for what He said and did.

Love and Redemption are available to the uncomfortable and the pride-less.

27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:27-30


If you know you need Him, You can have Him. Find your worth in Jesus and nothing else. 

God wanted to keep it simple. He opened the way. Just step onto the right path.

Are you tired of what's going on in the world? Are you burdened? Are you weary? Exhausted? Go to Jesus. Go to Jesus now. 

8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:8-9

Can Jesus' love root take hold in you? Whoever has ears let them hear....

Spiritual ears -- ask for spiritual ears to hear Him. 

There is no place in my life Jesus shouldn't be present.


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Faith Over Fear

6/28/2020

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No notes for you this week (except the main scriptures were Hebrews 11:1-3 and Hebrews 12:1-2....I can post that part), but we now have the Facebook Live video up on Youtube. So, if you like you can watch Shannon deliver this message today rather than just listen!
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." Hebrews 11:1-3

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

If you do watch the Youtube Video please subscribe to the channel. We can go live on Youtube once we have enough subscribers. Thank you.

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Optimism in the Face of Fear

3/15/2020

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"So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

We live in a fallen world. This hasn't changed.
We serve a Risen Savior. This too hasn't changed.

#1 God is in Control!

"God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46:1-3

Nothing happens on this earth without God aware of it. He's not worried.


Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
"“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”
 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”" Hebrews 13:5-6

Early Church -- began and flourished in Roman Empire which was not known for its tolerance. it too had tons of sexual immorality, abortion and infanticide. The church still flourished. We can rest in Him.

2. We have a God Who is Listening to us!

"I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them." Psalm 34:1-7

He wants to hear from us!! So, Pray! -- we have the power of prayer!

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16

Pray for each other. 


"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15

God will always have our back.

#3. We can stand on His promises!


He says, "I will." "Let there be" "I Am"

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

Know this. Claim it. God is working on you. He pays attention to you. He sees every sparrow (and bird and bug and animal) fall.


“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

We will have trouble, but Jesus has overcome it all.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." 2 Peter 1:3-4

Amen! We can get above the world. Fully God. Fully Man. The world didn't drag Jesus down. Jesus pulls us up. It doesn't have to drag us down either. We can escape the corruption of the world.

"For no matter how many promises
 God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God." 2 Corinthians 1:20

Amen=Let it be!=yes!

#4 We will outlive the world

"The world and its desires pass away,
 but whoever does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:17

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Fix your eyes on Jesus. Praise Him first.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
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Insurance vs Assurance

11/17/2019

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"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." 1 John 3:1-3

Insurance -- we have insurance for everything. We get to just in case something happens. 

Assurance -- God paid the "policy."

We are called the children of God. We didn't earn this. What that means is we have no worries. Faith in Father. When you're a child it's natural to have faith in your parents. We need to hve this same kind of child-like faith (or even greater) in our Father.

It's not about you or me. God loves you.

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law." 1 Corinthians 9:19-20

So often we feel worthyless -- the world reinforces this feeling. This is a lie! I am valuable to God. You are valuable to God.

No matter what you think He says you're worth it.

"Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.
 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings." 1 Corinthians 7:21-23

God freed us to be more than who we are. God will correct us because He loves us. Celebrate His love for us.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

The Example of Gideon: Gideon was not a man of strength or wisdom or vision or anything. He was the weakest member of the weakest clan.

"When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.'" Judges 6:12

Gideon recognized the Israelites abandoned God.

"The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?'" Judges 6:14

I want you to go! I'm sending you. It isn't aobut your abilities. It is about Me (says God) and your willingness to go.

Gideon's faith and approval -- 32,000 down to 300 men -- this was God's plan (and of course it worked).

Gideon doesn't do it all super confidently -- he does what God tells him to do in the middle of the night so no one sees him....but he still does it.

And Gideon, in faith uses the 300 and the enemy is destroyed. Israel is freed!! He believed in the One who can change things. He used his own history to remember God is faithful.

Where's your faith coming from?

"For we live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

Our faith must be deeper than the surface. God doesn't bargain with us.

"know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,
 but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[a] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified." Galatians 2:16

All God asks is that we believe in Him.

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." Romans 8:31-34

Our Assurance.

God doesn't want us to try and work things out without Him. What are we to do?

Draw Near to Him! That is assurance.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:7-8

"let us draw near to God
 with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."
Hebrews 10:22

"Let us then approach
 God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

"I, in my Savior, are blessed." 

Insurance is doubt. Assurance is faith.

We are at war with the world. Jesus says rest in Me. The world wants to deny it all. Jesus is our battle standard. If you keep your eyes on Jesus....It's God's battle. Not ours. Draw near to Him.

"Filled with His goodness. Lost in His love." 

"This is My story!"

Each of us has a story, unique and precious. God has a story being written in my life, in your life. Common thread -- Jesus!

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—" John 1:12

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." John 15:15

Read the story God is writing in your life rather than trying to write it yourself.
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The Beginning of Wisdom

11/3/2019

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"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

We have a tendency to panic and fear. This doesn't need to be how we react. God gives us a better way.

Why should we fear God?

3 kinds of Biblical fear:
Terror: fear of the power of God
Respect: as a servant servicing a master.
Reverence: Understanding who He is and who we are.

Reverence is a deep, deep respect. Knowing who God is, who we are -- what God is capable of.

The benefits of fearing God (as in the reverence kind):
1. Hate Evil.

"To fear the Lord is to hate evil;

    I hate pride and arrogance,
    evil behavior and perverse speech." Proverbs 8:13

The world has a problem of saying something is evil -- like sin. We need to look at the world through God's view. We get understanding when we look with God's perspective.

2. Live a "Long" Life (abundant, full life)

"The fear of the Lord adds length to life,

    but the years of the wicked are cut short." Proverbs 10:27

When God disciplines us He is loving us.

 "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all." Hebrews 12:7-8

"Because He said so" is somehting we should accept from God.

Healthy vs. unhealthy fear:

Healthy fear: "Good judgment wins favor,

    but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction." Proverbs 13:15

Unhealthy fear: 
"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”" Genesis 3:8-10

Unhealthy fear can be based in shame or blame or condemnation.

We continue to hide in sin. You can't hide anything from God. 

Godly sorrow vs Worldly Sorrow:


"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." 2 Corinthians 7:10

Choose Him or don't choose Him. Admitting sin is uncomfortable. We have a choice on what or who we fear. We can fear God or fear people. If I hide the good news from other people, if I don't share the "Cure" to fallenness, I am a coward, a selfish coward (those are Jane's words speaking to herself). 


“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33

Those verses should scare us!

When we fear God we don't need to fear anything or anyone else. If we fear the world more than we fear God we distance ourselves from Jesus.

Jesus came to bring us home.


 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." Matthew 12:30

Am I gathering or scattering?

It's not multiple choice. It's true or false. Is there something stopping us from living for God?

The fear of God leads to a life of fearlessness! Halleluia!!

"The fear of the Lord leads to life;

    then one rests content, untouched by trouble." Proverbs 19:23

If we find contentment in God everything will be provided. We serve a living God who is here right now.


"For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
 As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;" Psalm 103:11-13

"For those who fear Him" has to be part of the equation. It's okay to "rock the boat." It's okay to "stand alone." If you fear God, He'll take care of everything. We need not to have any fear of Satan or the future:


"We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them." 1 John 5:18

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

God is a jealous God. He won't let anyone take you from HIm.

#1. Everything we do is seen by God.
#2. If I repent God will take care of me.
#3 We have to choose to fear God and not people. God or people. That's it.

Who do you choose to fear?

"But if serving the 
Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
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Breaking the Chains

8/4/2019

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We are all bound in some ways, but we don't need to be.

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,
    and broke away their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
    and cuts through bars of iron." Psalm 107:13-16

We all are meant to be free!


"See what great love
 the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him." 1 John 3:1

This love is a strange, foreign love to anyone who doesn't know Jesus. We have no way to comprehend it without the Spirit.

5 Steps to Breaking the Chains:

1. Remember who you are. You don't have to give in.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

2. Rely on God's strength, not your own.

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

3. Fight the lies. Focus on the Truth. Don't deceive yourself. Don't justify sin.


"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

4. Be willing to be set free.


Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethsaida: "Are you willing to be healed?"

Do you want to lose your chains?

5. Leave the chains at the altar. Don't pick them up again.


"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin." Romans 6:6-7

If we grab that sin willingly that is disobedience. Don't let sin become your normal. The norms of the world aren't the norms of God's way of life.


God handles it for me. Walk away from the chains.

If you have a habit that is sin, you need to lose it.

God wants us to be free.

Take your chains to God.
Pray often.
Pray specifically.
Pray for others.

You don't have to do anything alone.  Bring sin to the light. Then, it will lose its power.

"So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists." Acts 12:5-7

God is the same always! What He did for Peter He can do for you, for me. 

God wants us to come to Him, pray and believe.


"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

There is no problem, no chain that God can't overcome for you.
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Stressed out? Refill your cup

12/30/2018

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"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." Psalm 23:1

We forget all that we have when we're stressed.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Ephesians 1:3

    "He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake." Psalm 23:2-3

There are two different kinds of green grass in the Middle East: goat grass and lush green grass. Goat grass will kill a sheep within 24 hours after a sheep eats it. The shepherd makes sure we are being nourished rather than poisoned.


"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.'" Psalm 46:10

Sheep won't drink out of running water. They fear drowning. So sometimes the shepherd would alter the water so the sheep would drink from it (like create a small dam to make a pool). 


"On the last and greatest day of the festival,
 Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." John 7:37

"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.'" John 4:14

"he refreshes my soul." Psalm 23:3a

He has given us the Holy Spirit. Refreshment will come through the Spirit. 

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever" John 14:16

The Holy Spirit is our Advocate (another word for Lawyer).


"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." John 16:7

 "he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me." Psalm 23:3-4

Sheep are scared of everything.Sheep won't take care of themselves.


"I lie down and sleep;

    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
    assail me on every side." Psalm 3:5-6

"Those who know your name trust in you,

    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7

We cannot overcome anything on our own!


"You prepare a table before me

    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows." Psalm 23:5

God takes care of it in the midst of anything!

Nothing is more secure than trusting God has your back. He does!

When we're stressed out we forget all the blessings we have. Light always wins over darkness.


"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;
 do not be discouraged,for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

"my cup overflows." Psalm 23:5c

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peaceas you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13


 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3
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A Mighty Fortress

8/5/2018

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"God is our refuge and strength,
[]A very present help in [c]trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the [d]sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. [e]Selah.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her [f]when morning dawns.
6 The [g]nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He [h]raised His voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
[i]Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
10 “[j]Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the [k]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah." Psalm 46:1-11

Fear comes from Satan.

A military stronghold, especially a fortified town fit for a large garrison.

God is our fortress.


"The Lord is my [a]rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psam 18:2

If you have the fortress you have the upper hand.

Saved by grace alone!

Martin Luther wrote 37 hymns.

"A Mighty Fortress is Our God" was the battle cry of the Reformation.

4 "So Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord. 5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord before the new court, 6 and he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You." 2 Chronicles 20:4-6

Acknowledging who God is!

God's response:


14 "Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; 15 and he said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s." 2 Chronicles 20:14-15

The Battle is God's!

These things are written down for a purpose.

We know it's going to get worse before the end (when God wins).

God takes care of everything.

50,000 people martyred in the Netherlands during the Protestant Reformation.

Luther believed there was power in muic. He wrote the hymn in 1529. 

God has this!

There's no equal to the devil's cruelty on this earth. But God's still got this.

Get covered.

God says, "Get behind me. I'll take care of it."  God's our safety.

"God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;" Martin Luther

God wins the war.


31"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who isagainst us?" Romans 8:31

"I've got that too." God

Your future is based on who you follow.

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Radical Encounter at the Well

7/1/2018

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Jesus had a way of dealing with people groups -- radical!  Sometimes we're afraid of crossing lines. Jesus never is.

GASP! Jesus went to Samaria.

5 "So He *came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6 and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about [a]the sixth hour." John 4:5-6

He goes through and stops in the middle of the day.

7 There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman *said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 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.” 11 She *said to Him, “[a]Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 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?” John 4:7-12

She falls back on tradition.


13"Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 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.”
15 The woman *said to Him, “[a]Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” John 4:13-15

Water was a big deal.  Her shame was relived every day as she walked to the well.


16 He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19 The woman *said to Him, “[a]Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet." John 4:16-19

God knows all our sin. He knows all our dark spots. He knows it all but He still offers His living water.

She brings up a religious argument. Her question goes back to religion.

20 "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”
 21 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 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. 24 God is [a]spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:20-24

True worshippers worship in Spirit and Truth.

Being filled with the Spirit.

Think of the disciples like us. 


27"At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” 28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and *said to the men, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not [a]the Christ, is it?” 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anythingto eat, did he?” John 4:27-33

Disciples uncomfortable with Jesus's actions but didn't confront him on them.

Woman took this encounter with Jesus and ran with it. Allowed it to change her! She goes to the ones who shun her and told them the Good News!

Jesus has just fulfilled His purpose with this woman. He was full. He gave. She accepted.


34"Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.” John 4:34-38

He stayed two days. The Harvest was in process!


39"From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I havedone.”
 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of His word;" John 4:39-41

Live water= running water

Do you have a stock pond or a river in reference to your faith? Is your faith a stock pond (stagnate) or a river (deep and flowing)?


Live water is overflowing, pressurized, bursting out. Spirit will overwhelm us.

37"Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “[a]If anyone is thirsty, [b]let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From [c]his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." John 7:37-39

#1 You gotta be thirsty.
#2 Come to Jesus.
#3 Drink!

What's keeping us from drinking from the well?

What's separating us from the living water?

What fears keep you from commitment?

Whose rules are limiting your witness?

What is stopping your harvest?

We're missing the harvest. God's harvest will happen, but are you giving away the opportunity to take part in that harvest?

Have you encountered Jesus in this radical way?

Have you asked for the living water?

Have you received the living water?

"Then he showed me a river of the water of life, [a]clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of [b]the Lamb,
 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve [c]kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they [d]will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever." Revelation 22:1-5

Take it now!


10"And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near."
Revelation 22:10

The time is near!

12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man [a]according to what he has done.
 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:12-13

He is coming soon!

He doesn't want us to be fans. He wants us to be followers.


What have you done for the kingdom of God?

Take them to the well!

Let the river flow!
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Are you battle ready?

9/17/2017

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You must prepare daily.

"But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have." 1 Peter 3:15

"Control yourselves and be careful! The devil is your enemy, and he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack and eat." 1 Peter 5:8

Satan is actively working. We have to actively defend.

Lions are the top of the food chain. Satan is making lots of noise and commotion all around us. 

Be a lion.

"The wicked are afraid of everything, but those who live right are as brave as lions." Proverbs 28:1

If you want peace, prepare for war.

Don't be afraid. Fear makes you a target.

Be active and prepared all the time. 

Every single person prepared.

Daily work on preparation.

You don't ask for the battles. You just prepare for them

 “When a strong man with many weapons guards his own house, the things in his house are safe." Luke 11:21

Satan is looking for the hole in your defenses where he can attack you. Don't leave him one.

Keep watch is our job.

“So always be ready. You don’t know the day your Lord will come.
43 What would a homeowner do if he knew when a thief was coming? You know he would be ready and not let the thief break in. 44 So you also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him." Matthew 24:42-44

Are you ready to face God?

Did you do what He asked you to do?

Constantly working with weapons.

 "To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power.
 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:10-12

Put on the armor. If we don't put it on, it's our fault. God gave us all the tools we need to be victorious.

Stand your ground

Shield of faith has to be strong enough to withstand attacks.. sword of Spirit -- make it sharp! Word of God is your offensive tool.

God's got our back.  We need to know God is our fortress. Do you know your way around the fortress?  Don't be a spectator. 

T"he Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety.

    He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection.
He is my shield; by his power I am saved.[a]
    He is my hiding place high in the hills." Psalm 18:2

If God's got my back what am I worried about?

God sees the entire battle. He knows what we're up against.

He knows all the traps and snares Satan will use.  He will back us up.

Be ready and engaged.

​We have a role to play. He wants us to be active. Get out there and do it. Gotta train together. Pray together.



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    Shannon Hinrichs

    Dupree Baptist Church Pastor

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