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March 22, 2026, Sunday AM

Text: Ephesians 4:25-32(NKJ)
     
*  Let me start, this morning by saying, we’re going to talk about something today that every single
         one of us has wrestled with at some level.
               -  It is not just people out in the wider world . . . I’m talking about us . . . Me included.
               -  And if we’re not careful, this issue can quietly shape our attitudes, affect our relationships,
                  and even hinder what God wants to do in us and through us.
      *  But here’s the good news . . . God never exposes something to shame us, He reveals things so
         He can heal us.
      *  I want talk about something that is so very easy to get caught up in and not even understand the
         damage we are doing.
               -  There are habits we allow in our lives that the enemy has convinced us we are doing right.
               -  At times, these habits even feel like a kind of therapy . . . Something we lean on to cope
                  when we’re struggling.
               -  They can give us the illusion that we’re growing, that we’re making progress.
               -  But in reality we are grieving the Holy Spirit!! . . . Let's look our text . . .

Read Text: Ephesians 4:25-32(NKJ)

Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
     
*  Paul is writing to believers . . . Spirit-filled, born-again people . . . And he’s calling them to live in
         alignment with their new nature in Christ.
               -  He says in verse 30 . . . Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
                  for the day of redemption.
               -  It is one of the most sobering verses in the New Testament.
               -  That statement alone tells us something profound . . .
            -  The Holy Spirit is not merely a force or influence . . . He is a person.
               -  He can be welcomed . . . Or He can also be grieved.
               -  He is deeply affected by how we treat one another.
      *  The word grieve carries the idea of causing sorrow or distress to someone you love.
             -  Think about that for a moment . . . The Spirit of God lives within us.
            -  He is the One who convicts, comforts, empowers, and leads us.
         -  Yet our attitudes and habits can either create an atmosphere where He moves freely, or one
                  where His presence is hindered.
      *  Paul places that warning in the middle of a passage about everyday behavior . . .
               -  How we speak, how we treat one another, and how we live our lives in the body of Christ.
               -  This means grieving the Spirit is not about dramatic rebellion . . .
               -  It is about daily habits of the heart.
      *  So, this morning we are going to look at three habits that grieve the Holy Spirit and can hinder
         your life and the life of the church.

1. The Habit of Being Judgmental.

      *  I want to begin with the habit of being judgmental.
               -  Paul begins in verse 25 . . . Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak
                  truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.”
               -  At first glance, this seems to be about honesty . . . But it goes deeper.
               -  Speaking truth here isn’t just about avoiding lies . . . It’s about walking in relational integrity
                  and humility.
               -  Judging others often disguises itself as “discernment” or “just being honest.”
               -  But Jesus warned in Matthew 7:1–5 that judgment flows from a heart that has not first dealt
                  with its own condition.      
Matt 7:1-5(NKJ)  Judge  not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will        be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you
      look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or
      how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a
      plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then
      you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
      *  In this passage Jesus uses a powerful illustration.
               -  Imagine someone trying to remove a tiny speck from another person’s eye while ignoring a
                  large plank sticking out of their own.
               -  The image is almost humorous . . . But the point is deeply serious.
      *  Jesus is exposing the human tendency to magnify the faults of others while minimizing our own.
               -  The judging spirit assumes we know someone else’s motives.
               -  It assumes our perspective is the correct one.
               -  It quietly places us in the seat of authority over another believer’s life.
      *  Paul reinforces this truth in Romans 14:1-4(NKJ) . . .
               Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one
               believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him
               who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him
               who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his
               own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make
               him stand.
      *  Do get lost or limited by the imagery what people eat . . .The point is judging what is not our to
         judge . . . What is being confront here in both our text and Romans is a judgmental spirit.
               -  A judgmental spirit assumes superiority.
               -  It assumes we understand another person’s motives.
               -  It elevates our own righteousness while magnifying someone else’s faults.
               -  Jesus says before you correct someone else, examine your own heart first.
      *  Listen to what Paul says again in Rom 14:4(NKJ) Who are you to judge another’s servant? To
         his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to
         make him stand.
               -  In other words, every believer ultimately answers to the Lord.
               -  When we take on the role of judge over others, we are stepping into a position that belongs
                  to God alone.
      *  A powerful biblical example of this habit appears in John 8.
               -  The Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery before Jesus.
               -  They were ready to stone her according to the law . . . And the law was on their side.
               -  But Jesus did something unexpected . . . John 8:7(NKJ) the Bible says . . . So when they
                  continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin
                  among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
               -  And one by one this women accusers walked away . . . Why?
               -  Because judging others is easy until the light of God shines on our own hearts.
               -  Jesus did not excuse the woman’s sin . . . He approached her with mercy and restoration
                  rather than condemnation.
      *  The problem is this habit often shows up in the church in subtle ways.
               -  Someone may say . . . “Why does that person worship like that?”
               -  “Why are they always late?” . . . “Why don’t they serve more?” . . .“Why do they dress like that?”
               -  But we rarely know the full story.
               -  We don’t know what battle someone fought just to make it to church that morning.
               -  We don’t know the struggles they are carrying.
               -  We don’t know the work the Holy Spirit is doing in their life.
               -  Judging creates distance instead of compassion.
      *  A judging spirit damages the very thing the Holy Spirit came to build . . . The unity of the body.
               -  Eph 4:1-3(NKJ) Says . . . I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk
                  worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness,
                  with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of
                  the Spirit in the bond of peace.
               -  Notice that phrase . . . The unity of the Spirit.
               -  Unity is something the Holy Spirit produces.
               -  But when believers constantly measure, compare, and condemn one another, that unity is
                  fractured and divided.
      *  Judging also feeds pride . . . James 4:6(NKJ) God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
               -  A judging spirit often reveals a heart that has forgotten how much grace it has received.
      *  Instead of judging others the Bible calls us to practice humble self-examination.
               -  Paul writes in 1 Cor 11:31(NKJ) For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
               -  Healthy believers regularly examine their own hearts before God.
               -  David prayed this way in Psalm 139:23-24(NKJ) Search me, O God, and know my heart;
                  Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me
                  in the way everlasting . . . That is a Spirit-led habit!
               -  Instead of magnifying another person’s faults, we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal our own.
      *  Another way of overcoming a judgmental spirit is showing mercy.
               -  James 2:13(NKJ) says . . . For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no
                  mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
               -  The church should be the place where grace flows freely, because we all need grace.
               -  When we remember that we were forgiven, restored, and lifted by God’s mercy, it changes
                   how we look at others . . . Instead of judging them, we begin to pray for them.

2. The Habit of Being Critical.

      *  The second habit that grieves the Holy Spirit is being critical.
               -  Judging and criticizing often travel together, but they are not exactly the same.
               -  Judging deals with the attitude of the heart . . . Criticizing shows up in the words of our mouth!
               -  Our text says in Eph 4:29(NKJ) Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what
                  is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
               -  James 4:11-12(NKJ) Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a
                  brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you
                  judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is
                  able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
               -  James marries the ideas of "speaking evil" of someone and judgement.
               -  The phrase “speak evil” means to slander, tear down, or speak against someone.
      *  Notice the contrast in these two passages . . . Corrupt speech tears down.
               -  Spirit-led speech builds up.
      *  Criticism often disguises itself as concern, discernment, or even honesty.
               -  But the fruit of criticism is rarely helpful . . . It leaves people discouraged, wounded, and
                  defensive.
      *  What we must come to understand is the Holy Spirit is a builder of the church.
               -  You and I are the material which He uses to build His church.
               -  1 Peter 2:4-5(NKJ) says . . .  Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men,
                  but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a
                  spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
                  through Jesus Christ.
               -  This phrase . . . "Lively stones" is a biblical metaphor describing you and I as living, active,
                  and vibrant components being built into a spiritual temple by God.
               -  But constant criticism weakens the body . . . It discourages those who serve.
               -  It creates an atmosphere where people feel unsafe to grow.
      *  A church filled with criticism becomes heavy and tense.
               -  But a church filled with encouragement becomes alive with faith.
               -  The Holy Spirit moves where faith, love, and encouragement are present.
      *  We see a power example of this in the book of Numbers chapter 12
               -  Miriam and Aaron are criticizing Moses
               -  The surface issue was Moses’ wife, but beneath that complaint was jealousy over leadership.
               -  Num 12:2(NKJ)  So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has
                  He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.
               -  Go heard their criticism . . . God defended Moses and judged Miriam with leprosy until she
                  repented.
               -  This story reveals something important . . . Criticism against God’s servants and His work
                   grieves the heart of the Holy Spirit.
      *  Here is the problem criticism often spreads quietly through conversations . . . Someone says . . .
               -  “I didn’t like the worship today.” . . . “The sermon was too long.”
               -  “They should have done it differently.”
               -  Now, constructive feedback has its place . . . It done in love, grace, and humility.
               -  But criticism really is pride masquerading as concern . . . It never builds anything good.
               -  Instead it discourages those who serve.
      *  Imagine a volunteer who practiced all week to lead worship.
               -  Then afterward they overhear someone criticizing their effort.
               -  Instead of feeling strengthened, they feel wounded.
               -  Words can either fuel ministry or drain the life out of it.
      *  The antidote to criticism is intentional encouragement.
               -  Hebrews 10:24–25(NKJ) says . . . And let us consider one another in order to stir up
                  love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the
                  manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
                  approaching.
               -  Encouragement multiplies strength in the body of Christ.
               -  And when the atmosphere becomes filled with encouragement, the Holy Spirit moves freely.

3. The Habit of Complaining.

      *  The third habit that grieves the Holy Spirit is complaining.
               -  The habit of complaining is a habit that can quietly take root in our lives . . . One that feels
                  small, even justified at times . . . But carries deep spiritual consequences.
               -  The bible speaks directly to this in Phil 2:14-15(NLT) Do everything without complaining
                  and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of
                  God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
               -  That means complaining isn’t just a personality trait . . . It’s a spiritual issue.
               -  It affects how we represent Christ in a dark world.
      *  We’ve all encountered people who seem to live in the “complaint department.”
               -  Nothing satisfies them . . . Nothing brings lasting joy.
               -  But if we’re honest, this isn’t just about “them” . . . It’s something we all must guard against.
      *  Complaining often begins quietly, deep in the heart . . . It starts with discontentment.
               -  A thought creeps in . . . “This isn’t what I wanted.”
               -  That thought becomes words . . . “This isn’t right.”
               -  Those words become a pattern . . . “Nothing is ever right.”
               -  And before long, it becomes a habit that shapes our perspective.
      *  The Bible shows us this clearly in the story of Israel.
               -  After God delivered them from Egypt, they complained again and again, over 25 times.
               -  They saw miracles, the Red Sea part, manna fall from heaven, water flow from a rock, yet
                  they still complained . . . Why? Because complaining blinded them to God’s goodness.
               -  1 Corinthians 10:10 warns us . . . And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were
                  destroyed by the angel of death.
               -  Their issue wasn’t just their circumstances . . . It was their perspective.
               -  Complaining is ultimately a gratitude problem.
               -  It magnifies the past, distorts the present, and ignores God’s faithfulness.
               -  When we become ungrateful we start to believe that what God has done is not enough and
                  what He is doing is not good . . . And that’s dangerous.
      *  Complaining robs us of joy . . . Complaining destroys peace . . . Complaining hinders progress.
               -  Complaining undermines faith . . . Faith says, “God is able.”
               -  Complaining says, “This will never work.”
               -  And the Holy Spirit will not move in an atmosphere of unbelief.
      *  So how do we overcome this? . . . The answer is not pretending life is perfect.
               -  The answer is cultivating gratitude and trust.
               -  1 Thess 5:18 says . . . In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God.
               -  Notice, it doesn’t say for everything, but in everything.
               -  That means even in difficulty, we can choose to remember who God is and be thankful.
      *  And when gratitude and trust rise, something powerful happens.
               -  Complaining turns into worship . . . Frustration turns into faith . . . The atmosphere shifts.
               -  Instead of draining the room, we begin to lift it.
               -  And that kind of environment invites the Holy Spirit to move.

Conclusion   

      *  The Holy Spirit loves an atmosphere where He is welcome.
               -  He moves where there is humility instead of judgment.
               -  He moves where there is encouragement instead of criticism.
               -  He moves where there is gratitude instead of complaining.
      *  When those healthy habits fill a church, the spiritual atmosphere changes.
               -  Unity grows . . . Faith increases . . . And the presence of God becomes tangible.

Text: Isaiah 40:28–31(NKJ)
*  This morning I want to a few minutes and think about a simple but important question . . .
-  How do we keep going when we feel like we have nothing left to give?
*  Every person in this room has experienced this at some point.
-  It is those moments in life when we feel drained, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
-  And sometimes the biggest problem is . . . It seems like it will never change.
-  But here is the truth we need to hold on to . . . God understands those moments!
-  And God has provided strength for those who are tired and weary!
*  Listen to these words from Isa 41:10(NKJ) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I
  am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous
  right hand.
-  Let that sink in and minister to your heart . . . Our Father in Heaven promises He will . . .
-  Strengthen us . . . Help us . . . And hold us up with His righteous right hand!!
*  Every Christian eventually faces moments when the weight of life presses so heavily on them   that strength seems to disappear.
-  There are seasons when faith feels tired, prayers feel weak, and the burdens of life feel
  overwhelming . . . Some of you, right now, know exactly what that feels like!
*  You’ve prayed . . . You’ve believed . . . You’ve tried to stand strong.
-  But somewhere along the journey, the trial has lingered longer than expected . . .
-  And now you find yourself asking quietly in your heart . . . Lord, I don’t know if I have the
  strength to keep going.
*  The good news of the gospel is that God never required you to have strength in yourself.
-  The Bible consistently shows us, God does His greatest work when our strength runs out.
-  The apostle Paul says in 2 Cor 12:9(NKJ) And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for
  you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
-  When our strength fails . . . God’s strength begins to rise.
Let’s take a moment and look at our text . . . Isaiah 40:28–31(NKJ)  
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of
the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He
gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength. Even the
youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on
the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall
run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
*  This passage is one of the most comforting and powerful promises in all of the Bible.
-  It speaks directly to those seasons when we feel exhausted, discouraged, and spiritually
  worn down.
-  In these verses, God reveals His desire to renew the strength of those who depend on Him.
*  So, this morning I want to talk about how God gets us through seasons of exhaustion and how He
  renews our strength when we feel like we have nothing left to give.
*  Our text comes at the end of chapter 40 in Isaiah . . . I think it would help to understand why God
  put these words here.
-  Isaiah 40 begins a major shift in the book of Isaiah.
-  The earlier chapters warned Judah about judgment and exile because of their sin.
-  But beginning in chapter 40, the message changes from warning to comfort and restoration.
-  Isaiah 40:1(NKJ) begins the chapter by saying Comfort, yes, comfort My people! Says
  your God.
*  What this chapter emphasizes God’s greatness, His sovereignty, and His power, and it contrasts
  that power with human weakness.
-  In verses 1 & 2 we see God's promise for comfort and restoration.
-  In verses 3-11 we a call to prepare for coming revelation . . . Jesus!
-  In verses 6-8 we see human frailty vs. the power of God's eternal Word.
-  In verses 12-27 we see the greatness of God.
-  In verses 28-31 we see God's desire to strengthen and renew the weary and discouraged.
-  This is great news for those who feel . . . Like life has drained the strength out of you!
*  One of the greatest lies the enemy tells us when we are overwhelmed is . . .
-  If you were really spiritual, you wouldn’t feel this way.
-  But the Bible shows us something very different.
-  David write in Psalm 61:1-4(NKJ)  Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the
  end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock
  that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the
  enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
*  Even the greatest men and women of God experienced moments where their strength failed.
-  Elijah . . . After experiencing one of the most powerful spiritual victories in the Bible
  suddenly found himself running for his life from Jezebel.
-  Exhausted and discouraged, he sat under a broom tree and the Bible says . . .
-  1 Kings 19:4(NKJ)  But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came
  and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is
  enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
-  Here is a prophet who had just called fire down from heaven yet he feels completely drained.
*  What did God do? . . . He didn’t rebuke Elijah . . .He restored him.
-  God allowed Elijah to rest, fed him, strengthened him, and then spoke gently to him in a still
  small voice.
-  This shows us something powerful . . . Weakness does not disqualify you.
-  Psalm 34:19(NKJ) reminds us . . . Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
  delivers him out of them all . . . Trials are not evidence that God has abandoned you.
-  Sometimes they are the very place where God begins His deepest work in your life.
*  Throughout the Bible we are shown that God always moves toward those who are weak and tired.
-  In verse 29 of our text the Bible says . . . He gives power to the weak, and to those who
  have no might He increases strength.
-  I want you to notice something important about that verse . . .
-  God does not give strength to those who already have it . . . He gives strength to those
  who have no strength left.
-  When human resources run out, divine resources become available!
-  Psalm 73:26(NKJ) says . . . My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my
  heart and my portion forever.
*  Sometimes the Lord allows our own strength to fail so we will learn to lean on His!
-  Paul understood this truth deeply . . . It is something we cannot afford to overlook . . .
-  2 Cor 1:8–9(NLT) We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the
  trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed
  beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact,
  we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to
  rely only on God, who raises the dead.
-  Trials teach us to trust in the resurrection power of God!!!!
*  Listen to me this morning . . . The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now strengthens
  us through the Holy Spirit.
-  Rom 8:11(NKJ) says . . . But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells
  in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
  through His Spirit who dwells in you.
*  One of the most comforting truths in the Bible is this . . . God walks with us through the trial!!
-  Isaiah 43:2(NKJ) says . . . When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And
  through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you
  shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
-  Sometimes the greatest miracle is not the removal of the trial . . . It is the presence of God in
  the middle of it.
-  Psalm 23:4(NKJ) says . . . Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
  I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
-  Notice the Bible says walk through . . . The valley is not your destination . . . It is the door to
       His strength.
*  All these verses and promises must become more than words on a page or fodder for us
  to say amen to . . . These words must be the bedrock we stand on in spite of circumstance.  
You may be saying to yourself right now . . .
This is all good and well and I believe every word you have said . . .
But in the moment when I am the weakest what do I do?
*  It is simple but profound . . . Strength Comes Through Waiting on the Lord!
-  Before we dive into this let me say . . .  Waiting on the Lord is not doing nothing, it doing
  the right thing.
*  Our text in verse 31 says . . . But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
-  Waiting on the Lord is positioning your heart in dependence upon Him!
-  The Hebrew word for wait carries the idea of binding together, like twisting strands into a rope.
-  When we wait on the Lord, our weakness becomes intertwined with God’s strength.
-  And our weakness becomes His strength.
*  Waiting involves three spiritual disciplines.
1.  We Wait on the Lord Through Prayer . . .
*  We Wait on the Lord Through Prayer . . .
-  When trials overwhelm us, when we feel like we have no strength left . . . Prayer reconnects
  our hearts to God’s presence.
-  Now, this may be the most difficult thing to overcome is apathy . . .
-  When we are struggling and tried many times we descend into apathy . . . I just don't care.
-  I’m too tired to care . . . I don't have any fight left in me . . . Now you want me to pray . . . Yes!!
*  The truth is there is more in you than you believe . . . The devil often exploits or weariness and
  sows lies, tempting us to believe there is nothing left . . . It is simply not true.
*  We must learn that through prayer God shows Himself strong on our behalf.
-  Phil 4:6-7(NKJ) tells us . . . Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
  supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the
  peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
  through Christ Jesus.
-  Prayer does not always remove the trial immediately, but it restores peace and strength with.
2.  We Wait on the Lord Through Worship . . .
*  We Wait on the Lord Through Worship . . .
-  Worship shifts our focus from the problem to the greatness of God.
-  When Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned, they began singing hymns at midnight.
-  Acts 16:25-26(NKJ) says . . . But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing
  hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great
  earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the
  doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
-  Worship releases the atmosphere of heaven into the darkest situations.    ( Expound )
3.  We Wait on the Lord Through the Word . . .
*  We Wait on the Lord Through the Word . . .
-  Psalm 119:28 says . . . My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to
  Your word.
-  This verse shows us that when our hearts feel crushed by life’s pressures, God renews our
  strength through His promises and truth found in the Bible.
-  When the David asks God to strengthen him according to Your word, he is acknowledging
  that God’s strength comes through the truth He has already spoken.
-  The Bible reveals God’s character . . . His faithfulness, mercy, and power . . . And when we   remembers those promises, it brings renewed courage and stability.
-  As we meditate on and trust what God has said, His Word lifts the soul out of despair and
  restores spiritual endurance.
-  In this way, we see that real strength does not come merely from relief of circumstances . . .
-  But from letting the truth of God Word reshape the heart and sustain the spirit in the middle
  of heaviness.
 
Conclusion . . . ( Call up Worship Team )
*  Maybe today you feel like your strength is gone . . . Maybe the trial has lasted longer than you
  expected . . . Maybe you’ve prayed and wondered if God hears.
-  Let this truth settle into your heart . . . God has not forgotten you.
-  He says . . . I will never leave you nor forsake you.
-  Remember Isaiah 41:10(NKJ) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am
  your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My
  righteous right hand.
*  When your strength fails, God’s strength remains.
-  When your hope feels weak, His promises remain.
-  And when you feel like you cannot take another step, the Holy Spirit gives you strength to
  stand again.
*  Remember the promise in our text . . . They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and
  not faint.
-  Even when you feel weak . . . God is working.
-  Even when you feel empty . . . God is sustaining.
-  And even when you feel like you cannot go on . . . His grace will carry you forward.
*  If you’re walking through a season where your strength feels gone, this is a moment to bring that
  burden to the Lord.
-  Jesus said . . . Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
-  The invitation is simple . . . Come to Him . . . Lay the burden down.
-  And allow the Spirit of God to renew your strength today.

Making a Difference in This World
Text: Isaiah 6:1–8(NKJ)
* I read a quote the other day that captured my thinking.
- Someone once said . . . “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” - As I thought about this, I realized . . . We are called not just to expose darkness,
but to be
March 8, 2026, Sunday AM
   the light that transforms it . . . That thought is simple, but it is deeply biblical.
- Anybody can talk about what is wrong with the world.
- Anybody can point at sin, confusion, brokenness, and pain pouring into this
 world.
* No doubt we are living in an hour of deep darkness, but darkness has never intimidated
- But the people of God were never called just to complain about darkness. - We were called to walk in victory over it.
 God!!
* Sin may abound, confusion may spread, the world may look like it is drifting farther from
truth . . .
- But this is not the time for the Church to shrink back in fear or waste its voice in
complaining. - This is the hour for the people of God to rise up and pour out of our own lives the power of
God that can deliver this world and set it free.
* Jesus said in Matt 5:14-16(NKJ) You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand,
and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that
they
may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
- When the fire of God rests on His people, light breaks into darkness, hope rises in broken places, and lives are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
- We were not called just to observe the condition of the world . . . We were called to
carry the
power of God into it.
* You know, I have told you this before, I have been troubled, grieved, for a while . . .
- All that is happening in the church . . . Judgment with no grace, criticism with no appreciation.
- Problems that seem to have no answer, addiction that have no recovery, sickness and disease with no healing . . . And that is in the church.
- This ought not to be . . . We serve a God with power, who paid the price, who
generously
* The church needs to rise to it call and once again push back the powers of darkness and see God move.
                pours all that He has on us . . . Yet we are stuck, stymied, hindered, sidelined. - It is not supposed to be this way!!!! . . .
   - Here is the good news . . .

- God is still raising up men and women who will not just curse the darkness . . .
- But who will be so filled with His presence that they become a flame of fire in the middle of it.
* Listen we are not in the earth by accident . . . We are here on assignment.
- We are not just waiting for heaven.
- We are here to make a difference in this world for the glory of Jesus Christ.
* Let me say it clearly . . . We cannot make that kind of difference in our own strength.
     -
- from heaven. -
Ghost.
- in His power.
We cannot do it with clever words, religious activity, or fleshly effort.
We need the Holy Spirit . . . We need the presence of God . . . We need fresh fire
- We need clean hearts, clear vision, and surrendered lives.
The world does not need another opinion . . . It needs a church full of the Holy
It needs believers who know God, walk with God, hear His voice, and move
     Read Text: Isaiah 6:1–8(NKJ)
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and
the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes
have
seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his
hand
with
it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your
sin
purged.” Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go
for
Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
* Our text shows us how God prepares a person to make a difference in a difficult
time.
- Isaiah lived in troubled times . . . Israel was spiritually compromised.
- The future was uncertain . . . Judgment was looming.
- But in the middle of that darkness, God raised up a man . . . A man filled with
God's presence.
- That's how God works . . . In dark times, He raises anointed men and women
of God.
* What we see is God prepared Isaiah to make a difference by revealing Himself to
Him, cleansing
him, setting Him apart, and commissioning him.
a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth

- So, this morning I want to take a few moments and walk through this passage and see what
it means for us today.
I If We are Going to Make a Difference, We Must See God Correctly.
Isaiah 6:1(NKJ) says . . . In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, sitting on a throne,
high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
* That fact that King Uzziah died matters . . . Uzziah’s death marked the close of a long and powerful reign in Judah . . . A season had ended . . . The nation was facing uncertainty.
- What had felt established and secure was suddenly shaken.
- But it was in that very moment that Isaiah said, “I saw the Lord.”
- When an earthly throne was affected, heaven’s throne was not.
- When the kingdom around him was shifting, the kingdom above him was
unshaken.
* God had not moved . . . God had not weakened . . . God had not lost control.
- The Lord was still high and lifted up, still glorious, still holy, still reigning over all.
* That is what made the difference for Isaiah . . . He did not just see the crisis of his times; he
saw
the God who was above it.
- He did not just see what had ended on earth; he saw the One who never ends.
* Whenever God’s people lose sight of the God, fear grows, discouragement settles in, and
spiritual vision becomes clouded.
- But when we get a fresh revelation of the Lord’s majesty, everything begins to come
back
       into proper focus.
* We are not living in Isaiah’s exact moment, but we are living in times that feel shaken.
- We have watched things change . . . We have seen confidence in human strength fail. - We have felt the weight of uncertainty in our world, our communities, our families, and
even
* I believe that is where the Spirit is calling the church in this day and age.
in the church.
- But the answer for the people of God is not panic . . . It is revelation.
- It is to get our eyes lifted again until we see the Lord . . . High and lifted up.
  to
God.
and a
- In a time of shaking, God is summoning His people back to the place of vision, back
the place of awe, back to the place of fresh surrender.
- Before Isaiah was commissioned, he had to encounter the Lord.
- Before he could speak to the nation, he had to be revived in the presence of a holy
- And in the same way, the church needs revival . . .
- We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a fresh vision of the Lord’s glory,
fresh fire on the altar of our hearts.
- We do not overcome a troubled hour by leaning on flesh.
- We overcome it by seeing the Lord, hearing His voice, and being filled again with His

Spirit. - The God who sat on the throne in Isaiah 6 is still reigning now, and He is still able to
awaken
His people, cleanse His servants, and send His church in power.
* Listen, if we are going to make a difference in this world, we need a fresh vision of God.

• -  Not a small God . . . Not a distant God . . . Not a God we only talk about on Sundays.
• -  We need to see Him as He is . . . High and lifted up!!!

* Isaiah did not see a weak God . . . He did not see a nervous God . . . He did not see a
defeated
God . . . He saw God enthroned.
- And the seraphim cried out in Isaiah 6:3(NKJ) Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the
whole earth is full of His glory!
* That tells us something important . . . Before Isaiah could speak for God, he had to see God.
- Before he could influence men, he had to encounter the Lord.
- That is still true today . . . We will never change the world by being fascinated with the world.
- We make a difference when we become captivated by the glory of God.
- This is where Spirit-filled life begins . . . It begins with an encounter.
- It begins when God becomes more than a concept and more than a doctrine. - It begins when the Holy Spirit makes Jesus real to us.
Pray: Oh God, I pray that you become real to us today, show us who you really are.
* Some people know about God, but they do not know Him intimately.
- Some have what I like to call . . . Church familiarity, but not spiritual reality.
- Some people cannot see God because they do not really know God, or because
they are
spiritually shallow, spiritually lazy, or hindered by sin . . . That is why we need revival!!
- We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes again.
* Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:15-20(NLT) Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in
the
Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking
God
for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your
knowledge
of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called, his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of
God’s
power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the
              dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

* We need that in this hour. We need to see that our God is still mighty.
- He still heals . . . He still saves . . . He still delivers . . . He still speaks . . . He
still moves.
- If we are going to make a difference, we need more than talent. - We need more than personality . . . We need more than strategy. - We need the power of the Holy Spirit.
II If We are Going to Make a Difference, We Must Let the Holiness of God Change Us.
* When Isaiah saw the Lord, the next thing he saw was himself.
- Isaiah 6:5(NKJ) says . . . So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I
am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes
have
hide.
impressive.
- He cried out, Woe is me . . . That is one of the marks of a genuine encounter
with God.
- It produces humility . . . Spirit-filled believers must never lose this.
- We believe in power . . . We believe in miracles . . . We believe in the gifts of
the Spirit.
- We believe in boldness . . . But we also believe in holiness.
- We believe the Holy Spirit convicts, purifies, and sanctifies.
- The Spirit who fills is also the Spirit who searches, convicts us, and changes
us.
* Sin can keep hinder our fellowship with God and from seeing Him at work in our
lives.

• -  Hidden sin will always hinder spiritual clarity . . . Pride will cloud our vision.
• -  Bitterness will poison our prayers . . . Compromise will weaken our witness.
• -  And as we talk about last week . . . Thank God, when the Holy Spirit convicts,
  He is not
  trying to destroy us . . . He is drawing us back to the altar.
  * We cannot make a difference while protecting what God is trying to purge.

• -  We cannot carry holy fire with unrepented sin in our hearts.
• -  We cannot ask God to use us publicly while resisting Him privately.
• -  The Lord is still looking for yielded vessels.
• -  He is still looking for men and women who will say, Search me, cleanse me,
  change me,
  and use me.
  * Isaiah 6:6-7(NKJ) says . . . Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live

seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

• -  That is what happens in the presence of God.
• -  His light exposes everything . . . His holiness reveals what our flesh wants to

- His glory unmasks pride, self-reliance, compromise, bitterness, and secret sin. * Isaiah did not respond by saying . . . I am ready . . . I am qualified . . . I am

coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it,
and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin
purged.
effort.
from you.
- - - -
- * Here
-
What Isaiah could not do for himself, God did for him.
Isaiah confessed his uncleanness, but heaven supplied the cleansing.
That is grace . . . That is the mercy of God.
For us, it points us to the cross of Jesus Christ . . . We are not cleansed by self-
We are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
is the key to this outrageous gift of Grace . . . Maintaining the victory. James 4:7-8(NKJ) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
* This is where it all begins . . . With personal submission to God.
- Without submission to God, the Holy Spirit can not lead us into a life of holiness. - It is the strategy of the enemy to undermine holiness in our lives . . .
- Every chance he gets, he will move us from holiness to carnality.
- James tells us that if we are going to effectively resist the devil and see him flee,
we must come to a place of humility and submit ourselves to God.
1 Pet 5:6-7(NKJ) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that
He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
- In other words, we refuse to be prideful and arrogant, but now we choose to become obedient and conform our behavior to God.
* The word submit portrays an individual who willfully places themselves under the authority of
God.
- Rather than go their own way, they place themselves under command.
- There is nothing accidental or haphazard about it.
* Submission to God is really a discipline of abstinence because it's about denying
ourselves the power or privilege of what we want.
- In submission, we’re choosing not to make things happen for ourselves, not to
control people or situations even if we can.
- But instead to come under the Lord’s authority, wisdom, and power.
* Resist the devil and he will flee from you . . . Fight to keep what you have gained. * Draw near to God and He will draw near to you . . . Let Jesus in!!!

“SAFE THINKING”

Intro.  One of our biggest areas of conflict is in our minds.

All of us are subject to various attacks in our minds that can have very serious consequences

1.  One of the greatest blessings of Christianity is a return 
     to sanity
a.  The Bible tells us we can be sane! 

Mark 5:15 (NKJV) 
Then they came to Jesus and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

Ephesians 4:23 (NKJV)
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. 

Mark 5:15 uses the phrase “right mind” / 2 Timothy 1:7 talks about having a “sound mind” / and Ephesians 4:23 says we have a “renewed mind”

b.  I think all of us want to be in our right minds, have a 
     sound mind, and a renewed mind

When 2 Timothy 1:7 uses the phrase, “sound mind,” it could literally be translated, “safe thinking.” 
Tonight, we’re going to look at how to put a stop to some of the mind hassles we face

2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV)  
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 
I.  IT MATTERS WHAT WE THINK

A.  WE ARE WHAT WE THINK

Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)  
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.      

1.  Some of us really don’t get this, I don’t know that I 
     ALWAYS consider this
a.  If we did get this, we would be a lot more careful to 
     guard the kind of thoughts we dwell on

We are what we think

quote:  Psychologist Archibald Hart writes, “Research has shown that one’s thought life influences every aspect of one’s being.” 

Whether we are filled with confidence or fear, depends on the kind of thoughts that occupy our mind on a regular basis

illus.Over the last 30 years or so, the most dominant movement in 
American psychology has been what is known as cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology is built around the truth that the 
way we think determines so much about us.

2.  The way we think creates attitudes, it shapes our 
     emotions, and governs our behavior
a.  The way we think, even effects our immune system and 
     our vulnerability to illness

It matters what we think!
Everything about us flows out of the way we think 

3.  The way we think, determines how we feel, and the 
     way we feel, determines how we act 

ex.Job experienced this…

Job 21:6 (NCV)    
When I think about this, I am terribly afraid and my body shakes.
Jobs thoughts were so troubling they made his whole body tremble

a.  All of us know from experience that our thoughts 
    influence how we act (our behavior)

When we think angry thoughts, we can work ourselves into a rage. (It can be over something as stupid as a place in line at the grocery store.)
Or, if we start thinking depressing thoughts, “Nobody cares, I’m all alone, it will never get any better, I can’t do anything right, etc.” We can think ourselves into a state of absolute misery!

B.  GENERALLY SPEAKING, OUR NEGATIVE THOUGHTS COME 
     FROM 3 AREAS
1.  What we think is influenced by the world 
a.  Societal influences: family, friends, people we work 
     with, the media, etc.
Who we listen to, what we watch on TV, the things we read, the sites we go to on the internet, are all shaping our minds and will determine the kind of people we become

2.  Our thoughts come from the flesh
a.  Our thoughts come from us!
b.  Some of our thoughts are out of our own carnality

Matthew 15:19-20 (NLT) 
19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.  
20 These are what defile you…

3.  Some of our thoughts come from the devil 

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV)
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.


a.  The word minds that’s used here is the Greek word,
     noema, and it’s the same Greek word that’s used for 
     thoughts

2 Cor 11:3 could read just as accurately, “…just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your thoughts may somehow be led astray…”

b.  Satan tries to plant thoughts of fear, doubt, uncertainty, 
     anger, hatred, impurity, and on and on and on…

Whatever the origin, the world, the flesh, or the devil, we’ve got to learn to control our thoughts


II.HOW TO HAVE A SOUND MIND

A.  IT REQUIRES A REACTION

2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) 
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God…

When we catch ourselves thinking the wrong way, we can’t just let it go
We’ve got to react, do something about it
Our wrong thinking requires a reaction
Casting down imaginations

1.  This isn’t just warning us about having an overactive 
     imagination
a.  When 2 Corinthians says, casting down 
     imaginations, it isn’t just talking about overactive 
     imaginations
b.  The word imaginations that’s used here actually 
     means reasoning 

2.  We’re to react and cast down reasoning that is against 
     or contrary to the knowledge of God

This happens to us all the time
We all have thoughts that bombard us that are against the knowledge of God (or what’s true of God and His will)

ex.  “God’s not there, or if He is there He’s not listening, or if He is 
listening He must not care!”
Or, “I’ll never change, stuff in my life won’t get any better…”

We have to cast down those thoughts
They are contrary to what’s true of God 

3.  Notice the wording in 2 Corinthians 10:5, casting down
a.  It means to demolish, pull down, destroy
b.  We’ve got to react against those thoughts

We can’t just let those thoughts go
It’s incredible what we sometimes allow ourselves to think about

ex.Sinful thoughts, self accusing thoughts, God accusing thoughts.
We may think it doesn’t really matter because they’re only thoughts. 
They do matter. Our thoughts shape our lives.

Cast down, demolish, destroy…react!

ex.“I’m not going to let this go. I refuse to think this way.”

Wrong thinking requires a reaction
We can’t just let it go

B.  IF WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A SOUND MIND IT REQUIRES A 
     DELIBERATE ACTION

2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV)  
…and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

1.  What he’s saying is we’ve got to become more God-
     minded


Colossians 3:2 (NKJV)   
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

a.  This isn’t talking about being spacey, head in the clouds, 
     hyper-spirituality, where we never see the hard realities 
     of life; of an economy in trouble, or when we’re facing a 
      health issue, or our kids have problems

Setting our minds on things above means we are determined to have and keep God’s perspective in the midst of the hard realities in life

If the economy tanks, we set our minds on things above, 
“My God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory.” Phil. 4:19

If the doctor gives us a negative report, we set our minds, “by His stripes I am healed.” Isa.53:5

If our kids are in trouble, we set our minds, “God is faithful to keep what I’ve committed to Him.”  2Tim. 1:12

2.  This isn’t always easy
a.  I think that’s why the Bible says we have to bring our 
     thoughts captive
b.  Because our thoughts will try to run away toward fear, 
     despair, and hopelessness

3.  We’ve got to act and capture our thoughts to the 
     obedience of Christ

We need to demand something of our thoughts. “I demand that my thoughts line up with the truth of God’s word!”

quote: Francis Frangipane,  “Every battle we face in life is over the Word and whether or not we can build our lives upon the faithfulness and integrity of God.”

4.  We must capture our thoughts with the truth


John 14:6 (NKJV)   
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…

a.  Jesus is the truth

Romans 3:4 (NKJV)    
…let God be true but every man a liar.
 
Our thoughts will lie to us, “You’ll never amount to anything, you’ll never measure up as a Christian, you’re all alone…”

“Let God be true but every man a liar.”
We can trust Him to be true to His word
We should be quick to brand the lies we hear! 

ex.  “You’ll never amount to anything,” (“That’s a lie!”), “you’ll never measure up as a Christian,” (“That’s a lie!”),  you’re all alone…” (“That’s a lie!”),

If we’re going to have sound minds, we’ve got to capture our thoughts with truth

Here’s some truth we’re going to close with…

Psalm 46:1-2 & 10-11 (NKJV)
1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 
10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah (Think about it!)



PRAYER AND CONFESSION:  Thank You Jesus, for giving me the ability to think safely, to have a sound mind. I ask You to help me think right thoughts. Help me to react to wrong thoughts and cast them down. Help me to capture my thoughts with the truth of Your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 Responding to Conviction
March 1, 2026, Sunday AM
Text: 2 Samuel 12:1–13(NKJ)
*  This morning I want to talk about concept in our relationship with God that is absolutely
    necessary . . . "Responding to Conviction." 
-  When we first start walking with Jesus, one of the most important things we learn is how to
   recognize His voice in our hearts. 
-  Sometimes it comes as comfort, and sometimes it comes as conviction. 
-  Conviction is not God trying to push you away . . . It is God lovingly pulling you closer. 
-  The Holy Spirit convicts us because we belong to Him and He wants us to grow.
*  These moments are moments when the Holy Spirit doesn’t shout . . . He presses into us.
-  Not with condemnation, but with conviction. 
-  Not to crush us, but to call us into a place of healing, forgiveness, and freedom. 
-  Jesus said in John 16:8 the Spirit would come and convict the world of sin, and of
   righteousness, and of judgment.
-  That means conviction is not a sign God has abandoned you, it’s evidence God is still
   pursuing you.
Read Text:  2 Samuel 12:1–13(NKJ)
Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and
herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and
nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and
drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 
A traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own
herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s
lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
So, David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord
lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb,
because he did this thing and because he had no pity.” 
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed
you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s
house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and
Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 
Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have
killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have
killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never
depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah
the Hittite to be your wife.’ 
Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and
I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with
your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all
Israel, before the sun.’ ”So, David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
*  This is such a powerful story because it does not just show conviction happening, it shows us 
    how a person should respond when conviction comes.
-  When Nathan told David the story about the rich man stealing the poor man’s lamb, David
   became angry at the injustice. 
-  The moment Nathan said, “You are the man!” it exposed David’s sin. 
-  What makes this such a helpful sermon text is that David did not argue, deflect, blame-shift,
   or harden his heart. 
-  He responded with the simple and broken words, “I have sinned against the Lord”.
-  That is the right response to conviction.
*  Conviction it such a powerful thing in our lives if we understand it and respond correctly to it.

• Conviction exposes what we have tried to hide.
• Conviction is God mercy at work in us.
• Conviction is God refusing to let us stay where sin is destroying us.
• Real conviction leads to confession which lead us to repentance, not just regret.
• When we respond rightly to conviction, God brings cleansing and restoration.
• David faced consequences, but he also found mercy. 
• Conviction is not God pushing us away, it is God calling us back.
• The right response to conviction is honesty, not excuses.

*  Rom 2:4(NASB)  Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and
   patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 
-  Conviction is God’s kindness in action . . . Conviction is Heaven’s mercy alarm. 
-  It’s the kindness of God refusing to let you stay comfortable in what’s killing your soul. 
*  But here’s the question: what do we do when we feel it? 
-  Because every time conviction comes, we have a choice. 
-  We can respond with surrender, or we can resist and harden. 
-  We can let conviction become repentance, or we can let it become shame. 
-  And the enemy would love nothing more than to twist conviction into condemnation so you
  run from God instead of to Him.
*  So this morning, let’s talk about Responding to Conviction . . . How to recognize it, how to handle
    it, and how to let it produce freedom, healing, and even revival in our lives.
I  Conviction vs. Condemnation. 
*  Let’s start right here and look at the difference between conviction and condemnation.
-  Because many believers confuse conviction with condemnation.
-  Condemnation says . . . You’re horrible . . . You’re a failure . . . God is done with you.
-  Conviction says . . . Come closer . . . Let Me help you . . . Let Me change you.
-  Romans 8:1-4(NKJ) says . . . There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are
   in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 
    For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin
   and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God
   did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He
   condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be
   fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
-  That doesn’t mean there’s no correction. 
-  It means God doesn’t deal with His children through shame and final sentencing. 
-  Jesus delt with sin and its effects, removing its power, nullifying its effects in Him.
-  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin
   and death . . . But the requirement is that we walk in the Spirit not the flesh.
-  When we stumble . . . The Holy Spirit convicts and shows us the way of correction.
*  On the other hand . . . The accuser condemns. 
-  Revelation calls Satan . . . The accuser of our brethren . . . He accuses to paralyze you. 
-  The Spirit convicts to purify you.
-  When the Spirit convicts, He is not trying to embarrass you . . . He is inviting you into freedom.
-  Jesus said in John 8:32(NKJ) And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
   you free . . . Conviction is truth pressing on your heart so freedom can enter your life.
*  The good news is . . . If you feel conviction, you are not hopeless, you are being helped. 
-  Dead hearts don’t feel anything . . . But a living heart still hears the Shepherd’s voice.
-  Jesus described the Holy Spirit as our Helper.
-  Conviction is part of His help . . . It's like a spiritual warning light on the dashboard. 
-  The warning light isn’t the problem . . . It’s the mercy that keeps the engine from blowing up.
*  So, your first response to conviction should be gratitude, not fear or discouragement.
-  Hebrews 12:6(NKJ) teaches that discipline is proof of sonship . . . For whom the Lord loves
   He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.
-  If God didn’t care, He’d let you drift . . . But He cares, so He convicts.
II   Respond Quickly to Conviction.
*  When we are convicted, we are to respond quickly because delayed obedience turns conviction
    into hardness.
-  Conviction is a moment, sometimes a narrow window . . . And how we respond matters.
-  Heb 3:15(NKJ) says . . . It is said: Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your
   hearts as in the rebellion . . . Conviction invites immediate surrender . . . 
-  The longer you resist, the more your heart hardens. 
-  The longer you postpone, the quieter conviction becomes, not because God stopped
   speaking, but because your soul learned to ignore His voice.
-  Paul told Timothy in 1 Tim 1:19(NLT)   Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your
   conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a
   result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
*  That’s a strong image . . . How does a shipwreck happen? 
-  Usually not in one dramatic moment . . . Often it’s conviction and corrections ignored . . .
-  Warnings dismissed . . .  And God voice resisted.
*  The Holy Spirit will tell you, “Don’t talk like that.” “Stop clicking that.” “Make that right.” 
-  “Go apologize.” “Cut that off.” “Put boundaries there.” “ “Tell the truth.” 
-  And we’re tempted to say, “Later.”
-  When God convicts you, don’t negotiate . . . Surrender. 
-  Saul lost a kingdom because he negotiated obedience. 
-  David gives us the right posture . . . Psalm 139:23-24(NKJ)  Search me, O God, and know
   my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me,
   And lead me in the way everlasting.
-  That’s surrender . . . That’s a heart that says, “If You show me, I’m ready.”
-  Conviction ignored becomes compromise normalized.
-  But conviction obeyed becomes transformation released.
III   Get Honest about Your Life.
*  We need to learn to get honest . . . With God and ourselves.
-  Real confession turns the light on and breaks the power of hidden sin.
-  A lot of believers respond to conviction by hiding. 
-  Adam and Eve sinned, and the first thing they did was sew leaves and run into the trees -  That’s what sin does . . . It makes you want to cover and conceal.
-  But the Jesus invites us to come into the light.
*  1 John 1:7-9(NKJ) says . . . But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have
   fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all
   sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
   confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
   unrighteousness.
-  Notice the order . . . Walk in the light . . . Confess our sin . . . Then cleansing flows.
-  Confession isn’t God extracting information . . . He already knows. 
-  Confession is you agreeing with God about what needs to change.
*  Conviction is often the Spirit putting His finger on something and saying, “That right there.” 
-  The flesh wants to excuse it, rename it, minimize it. 
-  We call bitterness discernment . . .  We call lust a struggle . . . We call pride standards.
-  We call gossip concern . . . But conviction calls it what it is so it can be healed.
-  Proverbs 28:13(NKJ) says . . . He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever
   confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
-  Did you catch that? . . . Mercy isn’t found in hiding . . . Mercy is found in confession and
   forsaking.
IV   Move Beyond Regret.
*  Another thing we learn to do while responding to conviction . . . 
-  Is move beyond regret . . . Repentance is discouragement . . . It turning around.
*  This is where many people get stuck. 
-  They feel conviction, they feel sorrow, they cry, they feel awful, and then they go right back.
-  That’s not repentance . . . That’s regret.
-  2 Cor 7:10(NKJ) says . . . For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation,
   not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
-  Godly sorrow moves you toward change; worldly sorrow makes you sad you got caught.
-  John the Baptist told the Pharisees to  . . . Bear fruits worthy of repentance 
-  In other words, if repentance is real, it shows up in your decisions, habits, and relationships.
-  Not perfection overnight . . . But real turning . . . A real change.
V   Depend On the Holy Spirit to Empower You.  
*  Conviction is not just about stopping sin . . . It’s about being filled with power to live new.
-  Galatians 5:16(NKJ) says . . . Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
-  Notice it doesn’t say . . . Fight harder and maybe you’ll win.
-  It says . . . Walk in the Spirit . . . The Spirit doesn’t only convict . . . He empowers.
-  Repentance is not you white-knuckling your way to holiness. 
-  It’s you yielding to the Spirit and letting Him produce fruit in you.
-  Romans 8:13(NKJ)says . . .  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by
   the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
*  The Holy Spirit is not just a about a feeling we get in a service . . .
-  He is the power of our sanctification in our daily life.
-  The Holy Spirit through conviction calls us back to surrender, and surrender sets us free.
VI   What To Do When Conviction Comes.
*  Let’s make it simple and real . . . When you feel conviction respond this way . . .

1.  Stop and listen.  
2.  Agree with God.
3.  Turn immediately. 
4.  Cut off the access. 
5.  Replace with the Spirit.
6.  Seek help if needed. 
7.  Worship from surrender. 

DYNAMIC DEVOTIONS  
LESSON #2  “GOD’S WORD”
 
 
Intro.  Last week we talked about the importance of developing a consistent, meaningful prayer life.
 
Tonight, we’re focusing on having a consistent, meaningful devotion to God’s Word. 
 
Most of us have probably had challenges reading God’s word.
 
I understand if you have difficulty reading. Start where you are. If it’s reading one chapter a day in the Bible at first that’s great. If you don’t read well and that’s too much of a challenge for you there are numerous ways for you to listen to God’s word and if you need help finding them talk to me after class.
 

• Before giving some suggestions in how to effectively read the Bible I wanted to first stress the importance of this devotion

 
I.  GIVING PRIORITY TO GOD’S WORD
A study by a Christian organization Lifeway Research recently found that approximately 31% of believers read the Bible every day, 30% a few times a week, 14 percent read once a week, 11% a few times a month, 5% once a month. About 9% say they rarely or never read their Bible.
A significant study conducted by the Centre for Bible Engagement involved over 40,000 participants aged 8 to 80. The research aimed tounderstand how biblical interaction influences behavior and 
revealed profound insights:
 
Minimal Impact: Reading the Bible once or twice a week showed little to no effect on individuals' lives.
 
Slight Improvement: Engaging with Scripture three times a week resulted inonly minor improvements in behavior and mindset.
 
Significant Changes: When individuals read the Bible four or more times a 
week, the results were striking:
Loneliness decreased by 30%
Anger issues reduced by 32%
Bitterness in relationships dropped by 40%
Alcoholism declined by 57%
Spiritual stagnation reduced by 60%
Exposure to pornography fell by 61%
Sharing one's faith increased by 200%
Formation of disciples grew by 230%
Retention of God's Word improved by 407%. 
 
         A.  WHY GOD’S WORD IS SO IMPORTANT
 
                  1.  God’s word is a light in a dark world
Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
 
                           a.  Without God’s word we’ll stumble through life
 

• We need the word of God to direct us

 
                  2.  God’s word is the key for prospering
 
Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
 
Psalm 1:2–3 (NLT)
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
 
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for “prosperity” means “peace, wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken.” 
 
                  3.  When we know God’s word we’ll have more peace
 
One of our greatest needs is to live with the peace of God.
John 16:33 (NKJV)
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
 
                  4.  God’s word will accomplish things in us 
 
Isa 55:10-11 (NKJV)
10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
a.  The word is like rain causing things to grow
 
God never intended our lives to be dry and crusty!
 
His gave us His word to “water” us and accomplish things! 
Isa 55:11 (NKJV)
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
                           b.  God has sent His Word to accomplish things in every
area of our life, our family, our health, our money,    
even dating advice
 

• We need the word of God for personal growth and development

Luke 4:4 (NKJV)
"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."
I Pet.2:2 (NKJV)
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."
c.  The word of God is said to be like bread and milk, food
     for growth
The problem some of us face reading the word of God is we wonder, "Am I getting anything out of this?”
 
Isa 55:11 (NKJV)
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
John 6:63 (NKJV)
"The words I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life."
5. We need the word of God for spiritual warfare
a.  Jesus used the word for victory in the wilderness
     temptation (Matt.4) "It is written"

• Some believers get beat up by fighting a silent spiritual battle

b.  The way to win in spiritual warfare is by the word of
     God
c.  The only way to know the word of God is through
     hearing and reading
Eph 6:17 (NKJV) 
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 
Heb 4:12 (NKJV) 
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

• We have to know how vital the word of God is to us if we’re going to devote quality time to it

 
2 Timothy is one of the last letters Paul wrote before his death.
 
 
 
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
 
The word "study" he uses here means, "to use speed, be prompt, earnest, diligent."
 
Earlier Paul had written similar advice in I Timothy. 
 
I Timothy 4:13 (NKJV)
"Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."
 
Paul knew the importance of reading the word of God.
 
2 Timothy 4:13 (NKJV)
Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.
 
The Parchments were Old Testament scriptures written down.
 
Imagine this old apostle sitting in a cold prison. He asks Timothy to bring a coat, some books, but he places a priority on the Scriptures on parchments.
 
Here is a man who had met Jesus face to face, he had written much of the New Testament, meaning he had revelation from the Holy Spirit, but he still knew he needed to continue reading the Bible.
 
He could have thought, “Well, I already know everything I need to know.”
 
But he wanted to keep reading the word of God.
 
No matter how much we have read our Bibles there’s always something fresh and alive that the Holy Spirit will bring to us when we read.
 
 
II.  A SYSTEM OF READING
 
“Hit-and-run Bible study can often become hit and miss.”
 
“The devil isn’t afraid of the Bible that has dust on it.”
 
How we read the Bible will vary.
 
I have been told by numerous people over the years that when they got saved they just started at the beginning of the Bible and worked their way through.
 
I understand the sentiment. “You start at the beginning.”
 
There’s nothing wrong with that, but the Old Testament was God’s old way of dealing with people. I’m not diminishing its importance because it’s the word of God. We should get to know what it says but it’s probably better for new believers to begin in the New Testament.
 
The New Testament is God’s way of dealing with us through Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins.
 
If you have recently given your life to Christ I would suggest reading the New Testament first. 
 
Just as how we may differ in the way we spend our time in prayer we have to find what works best for us in reading and studying God’s word.
 
I am providing several reading plans that will be available after the class along with a list of study resources Pastor Pool has created attached at the end of the lesson.
 
I use what is called the SOAP method and I’m including it as well. 
 
I have kind of adapted it to my own preference and I thought I’d include what I do for your reference. 
 
I also want to mention that if you are just beginning to read the Bible start with a chapter or two and take some time to think over what you’ve read.
 
The following is the SOAP method I use and I’ll provide and sample after a brief explanation.
 
 
 
 
 
S. O. A. P. Method of Study Bible
Daily read one chapter in the Old Testament beginning with Genesis 1, a Psalm beginning with Psalm 1 and when finished with the Psalms go to Proverbs and read a chapter daily. One chapter from the New Testament beginning with Matthew 1.
            Scripture
*  When reading the Bible pay attention to those verses that catch your   attention.
                                    -  Write it down giving chapter and verse
            Observation
                        *  Spend time meditation on the verse or passage
                                    -  Write down what you observe in it or how it speaks to you
            Application
                        *  Consider how it can be applied to your everyday life
                                    -  Write down how you intend to apply what you observed
            Prayer
*  Write out a prayer that will express your need for help in apply the   observation of the scripture that caught your attention
 
 
A sample from my recent reading…
 
2/16/26
                                    
                                                               S.O.A.P. JOURNAL
 
2 Samuel 8   /   Psalm 61   /    Ephesians 3   /    Acts 10   Amplified
                                                 “Far Beyond What We Can Imagine”
 
S.  Ephesians 3:16-20 NKJV
“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”
 
O.  When we get a revelation of the love of God then we discover He is able to do far above all we could ever imagine in and through us.
 
A.  I am strengthened with might today by His Spirit in my inner man and Jesus dwells in my heart through faith.
 
P.  Thank You, Jesus, for doing exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think according to the power that works in me.
PRAYER AND CONFESSION:  Thank You Jesus, for giving me Your word. I will devote more of my time to reading and meditating on the word of God. I will look for direction and guidance, Your peace, and believe for it to accomplish what You intend it to in my life. Your word will be my weapon in spiritual warfare. Thank You for everything Your word is to me, in Your name, Jesus, Amen. 
STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD 
Pastor John Pool
2 Timothy 2:15
Amplified Bible (AMP)
15 Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.
Bible versions: (there are many more than this) 
NASB         New American Standard Bible: one of the closest to original language         
ESV            English Standard Bible: close to original and widely used                                          
KJV            King James version: traditional including thee’s and thou’s                                                      NKJV     New King James version: traditional without thee’s and thou’s
NIV            New International version: popular, smooth reading modern version                     NLT               New Living Translation: clear, readable, modern (my favorite)
AMP           Amplified: use to enhance understanding. Can be cumbersome to read at length                                                  
 
Bible study tools:
Study Bible:          Lots of helps, cross references, and tools to help understand and interpret the Bible. (Often have maps, too.)
Concordance:        Alphabetical list of words and phrases with original language words and definitions. Strong’s Exhaustive is the most popular.
Lexicon:               Definitions and meanings of Biblical words. Partners well with concordances.       
Bible Dictionary:   Definitions and proper names for Biblical words. Help with analyzing scripture. Vine’s Expository Dictionary is popular.     
Encyclopedia:       Historic information: geography, customs, language, literature, and characters.
Cultural books:     Helps designed to target specifics and give more detail, such as customs or temple details. Alfred Edersheim is a popular author of these.
Commentary:        Interpretation by respected theologians. Help with understanding meaning of passage. Matthew Henry, Scofield, Tyndale, and Charles Spurgeon, are popular ones. Use with caution as these are mankind’s comments, not God’s words.
Online study tools:
biblegateway.com           passage lookup, keyword search, reading plans& more (my favorite)
biblehub.com                 great helps like Strong’s concordance and lexicons (my favorite)
gospel.com                    partner with biblegateway.com (great resource)
crosswalk.com               passage lookup, keyword search, devotionals & more (Jeff’s favorite)
biblestudytools.com        partner with crosswalk.com (great resource)
blueletterbible.com         search, bible studies, maps, commentaries& more
biblica.com                    read, study, search & more. Favor New International Version (NIV)
youversion.com              free online bible and devotions. (I use this for my    devotions)
studylight.org                 tools, teachings, devotionals, study plans
mywsb.com                   Lifeway’s online search engine (Southern Baptist)
dailybibleonline.com      tools, teachings, and some unique resources

DYNAMIC DEVOTIONS  
LESSON #1 “PRAYER”
 
 
Intro.  One of the most important decisions we will make as believers is to develop a consistent devotional life.
 
Tonight we’re going to talk about our life of prayer and next week about how to effectively read God’s word.
 
My purpose isn’t to guilt you into devotions but encourage you in how much richer your life with God will be with consistency.
 
A devotional life will help build our sense of confidence and security in God. 
 
It will help us sense His presence more.
 
We know that Jesus has promised never to leave or forsake us, that He will be with us always until the end.
But this promise will become more real to us the more we pray and dig into God’s word. 
I.  CULTIVATING A MEANINGFUL PRAYER LIFE
 
I use the word “meaningful” intentionally. Prayer was never meant to me a dull, dry, “meaning-less,” duty.
We are meant to enjoy our relationship with God and much of that comes through our prayer life.
 
I believe God wants us to experience Him and sense His presence more!
 
Luke 11:1 (NKJV)
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
 
Our life with God and prayer will grow over time. Jesus will teach us and help us to pray as He did with His first disciples.
 
A.  IF WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A CONSISTENT PRAYER LIFE    
     IT NEEDS TO BECOME MORE MEANINGFUL (FULL OF 
     MEANING) TO US 
 
We shouldn’t base a successful prayer life around feelings but more around the promise of God.
 
Jeremiah 29:11–13 (NKJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
 
         B.  THESE VERSES GIVE US INSIGHT INTO HAVING A 
     MEANINGFUL PRAYER LIFE
 
         1.  We need to know God is interested in us!
 
I used this portion of scripture in our last series on expectation and hope and include it again because it tells us about God’s thoughts and plans for us.
 
God really is interested in us! 
 
Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
 
This is one of the most important factors in us being more interested in Him!
 
If we are going to have a meaningful prayer life we have to know that God is really interested in us!
Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV)
The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
 
God is interested in us and wants to meet with us and allow us to get to know Him better. 
 
again, Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NKJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
12 Then (When? After or when we know His thoughts about us are of peace and not of evil, to give us a future and a hope.) Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
 
Our motivation for cultivating and developing a meaningful prayer life comes from our truly believing that God likes us, loves us, wants to spend time with us, and wants us to get to know Him intimately.
 
I’ve been thinking about David and his relationship with God. The words he pours out about everything in his life in the Psalms.
 
From, “How long will you forget me, O Lord, forever?” To, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
 
I’ve been reading through the Psalms in my devotion time and David talked to God about everything in his life, his doubts, fears, enemies, and the intensity of his longing and love for God.
 
That’s what we need to know about prayer. We can talk to Him about everything. He is concerned about the big and little things in our lives!
 
 
II.  SUGGESTIONS TO HELP US PRAY WITH MORE 
      MEANING
 
I wrestle with this because I know that as individuals we all have a unique relationship with God. How we pray, the time we spend, the method we use, and many other things factor into our prayer life.
         A.  OUR POSTURE IN PRAYER
 
                  1.  Our posture in prayer has a LOT of flexibility 
 
The following are examples of the variety of postures in prayer through the Word of God.
 
• kneeling (I Kings 8:54; Ezra 9:5; Daniel 6:10; Acts 20:36)
• standing (Jeremiah 18:20)
• sitting (2 Samuel 7:18)
• lying prostrate (Ezekiel 11:13)
• in bed (Psalm 63:6)
• in private (Matthew 6:6; Mark 1:35)
• with others (Psalm 35:18)
• anywhere (l Timothy 2:8)
• silently (1 Samuel 1:13)
• loudly (Acts 16:25)
• for everything (Genesis 24:12-14; Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1-2) • at all times (Luke 18:l)
B.  A MEANINGFUL PRAYER LIFE IS MORE ABOUT AN 
     ATTITUDE OF HEART
 
Luke 18:9–14 (NKJV)
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
 
                  1.  The key here is humility
 
I’m not suggesting that we need to beat our chest and cry out, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” We asked for His forgiveness when we got saved and we are forgiven!
 
But our attitude of humility is important.
 
It isn’t, “I’m no good and worthless!”
 
Humility is simply recognizing our need of God. That we can’t do life on our own.
 
“God, I need You!
 
Psalm 42:1–2 (NKJV)
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
 
         B.  TIME SPENT IN PRAYER
How much time we spend in prayer isn’t as important as quality time is.
 
If you haven’t spent much time in prayer before I’d suggest starting with 10-15 minutes of focused prayer. 
 
                  1.  A “set time”
 
I think it’s important to have a time set aside for prayer. It may not work for everyone to pray in the morning but for me it helps start my day right.
 
 
Psalm 5:3 (NKJV)
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
 
         C.  A TEMPLATE FOR PRAYER  
Over the years I’ve used the Lord’s Prayer as my guide. I’m careful not to let my prayer life become a ritual without meaning. Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern for praying. Our prayer time should be personal and meaningful.
 
Matthew 6:9–13 (NKJV)
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
 
                  1.  I begin my prayer time with praise and 
     recognizing God’s presence

• “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” 

 
I spend some time thanking God for saving me. Then I recognize Who He is. “There is no one like You…” 
 
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
 
2.  Using the Lord’s Prayer helps me focus on Him 
     and then the needs I’m praying for
 

• Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. 

 
I spend time praying God’s will over my life and family, over needs of people in the church, the nation, etc.
 
I take some time to thank Him for His provision, “daily bread.”
I thank Him for meeting our needs and then for His word to me.
 
The first thing I do in the morning is read the Bible. I’ll talk about this next week but I will thank Him for His word to me that day. “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God.” I thank Him for His word to me. (daily bread) 
 
                  3.  I thank Him for His forgiveness and if I think of 
     some one I need to forgive, I call them out and 
     pray blessing on them

• “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

 4.  I pray His protection over my life and then praise 
      Him
 

• “And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
•  

Again, this is just my way of focusing my time in prayer and it’s not “the right way to pray.” Also, sometimes I change it up and may have times that I don’t use the Lord’s Prayer for my pattern. 
 
Every one of us needs to find what works best for us.
 
At the end of my prayer time, I try to take a few minutes to wait on Him. I want to listen for anything He wants to speak to me in my heart. 
 
Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)
Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
 
The Hebrew word for wait is qavah. The root word of qavah is rope. Waiting on God means to entwine our hearts with His.
 
Notes from the Passion Bible. “The Hebrew concept of waiting on the Lord is never a passive thing but an active one, full of hope and expectation.”
 
This connects us with what I finished in the last series, “Expectation and Hope.” 
 
I want to encourage you in your expectation in prayer. We should expect to meet with God and Him with us!
PRAYER AND CONFESSION:  Thank You Father, for loving me and for Your desire for me. It’s incredible that You wanted me and sent Jesus to reveal all that You are and have for me. Help me to grow in my prayer life. You are worthy of my time and I will set aside some of my day to pray and wait on You. Thank you for helping me grow in knowing You, in Jesus’ name, Amen. 
 

February 22, 2026, Sunday AM
Text: Hebrews 4:12(NKJ)  & John 1:1,14(NKJ)
*  This morning, I want to share a word that will serve as a warning, a challenge, and an encouragement.
-  We’re living in a day when the Word of God is constantly being reinterpreted, misinterpreted,
           deconstructed, and marginalized. 
-  For many, the Bible is no longer the standard for life and living. 
-  Opinions and assumptions have replaced the authority of Scripture. 
-  Some consider it optional . . . Others argue that it isn’t infallible . . . And out of touch.
*  Here's what’s happening . . . Truth is being treated like clay! 
-  It’s shaped, reshaped, and rebranded until it feels comfortable. 
-  The world wants to make the Word of God negotiable . . . Something you treat like optional
    advice . . . Instead of something you live by as your final authority.
*  Let me say it plainly . . . Anyone who treats the Word as optional will find their foundation unstable.
-  Jesus didn’t say storms might come . . . He said they will come. 
-  The only real question is this: when the storm hits, will your life be built on something that can
   keep you from collapsing?
*  Jesus prayed in John 17:16-19(NKJ) They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
   Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have
   sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be
   sanctified by the truth.
-  Notice what He didn’t say . . . He didn’t say, Your word is a truth . . . He said, Your word is 
   truth . . . 
-  That means we don’t edit the Bible to fit our lives; we surrender our lives to fit the Bible.
*  So, this morning, I want to preach a message that’s been heavy on my heart . . . 
“Preserving the Unshakable Word of God!”
*  Because we need to come back to the Word of God and fully surrender to its power and authority.

• We need to walk again in the light that the Bible gives us.
• We need to stand firm on the promises the Word guarantees.
• We need to draw on its strength when the enemy comes against our souls.
• And we need the Word of God to take its rightful place again at the top of our everyday living.

Read Text: Hebrews 4:12(NKJ)  & John 1:1,14(NKJ)
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even
to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
John 1:1,14(NKJ) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
*  In my opinion, the greatest gift we as Christians have received is the Word of God. 
-  Our text reminds us that the “Word” isn’t just a message . . . It is a Person. 
-  In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God.
-  Then John says something that is breathtaking . . . The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
-  God didn’t shout instructions from heaven; He stepped into our world and transformed our lives.-  He came close enough to be seen, touched, and known. 
-  Everything we need we can find in the Word of God. 
*  The Bible is more than a collection of words on a page . . . The Bible is God-Breathed!!
-  God’s authority and power are present in every Word.
-  It can penetrate into the deepest parts of our lives . . . It can separate truth from fantasy.
-  God describes His Word as a seed that will bring life . . . It is a sword that will protect in battle.
-  A hammer that will judge right from wrong . . . A fire that will cleanse any that is surrendered to it.
-  Multitudes from kings to peasants had had their lives radically changed by the Word.
*  Psalm 119:89(NKJ) declares, Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.
-  That means God’s Word is not up for renegotiation. 
-  Heaven isn’t holding a committee meeting to decide if righteousness is still righteousness. 
-  The Word is already settled in God's Kingdom, and if it’s settled in heaven, it must be settled in
   our hearts.
*  We are watching people treat Scripture like a buffet, taking only what they like and leaving the rest.
-  But you can’t crown Jesus as Lord and then demote His Word to optional. 
-  Jesus ties love and obedience . . . He said in John 14:15(NASB) If you love Me, you will keep
   My commandments.
-  Not, if you love Me, keep the commandments you agree with.
*  The Word isn’t weak or outdated . . . Hebrews 4:12 says it’s "living and powerful." 
-  That means the Word still convicts, still corrects, still comforts, still moves us because it’s alive. 
-  It has a pulse . . . It has fire in it. 
-  Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 20:9(NKJ) Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak
   anymore in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my
   bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.( Expound )
*  When people say, “Well, I just don’t think the Bible applies anymore,” I want to remind them what
    Peter said in 1 Peter 1:23-25(NLT) For you have been born again, but not to a life that will
    quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of
    God. As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field.
    The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that
    word is the Good News that was preached to you. 
*  Listen to me this morning . . . Culture changes . . . Trends shift . . . Empires rise and fall. 
-  But the Word stands when everything else collapses!!!
*  So, here’s the first point . . . Stop treating the Word like an accessory . . . Treat it like oxygen. 
-  Jesus said in Matt 4:4(NKJ) Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
   proceeds from the mouth of God.
-  And Job said in Job 23:12(NKJ)  I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I
   have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.
-  That means you don’t just visit the Word . . . You live by it!!!
*  Here is a difficult truth . . . If you don’t protect the Word in your life, Something Else Will Replace It!!!
-  We all live by a standard . . . If it’s not the Bible, it will be something else . . . 
-  Feelings, trauma, ideology, popular opinion, bitterness, offense, or just the loudest voice in the
   room . . . But none of those voices can save you.
*  Proverbs 14:12(NKJ) warns us There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way
   of death.
 -  Seems right . . . Is the language of self-rule . . . But the Kingdom is built on surrender. 
-  When we reject God’s Word as our authority, we don’t become free . . . We become vulnerable.
-  This is why the enemy fights us concerning the Bible. 
-  He’ll fight your attention . . . He’ll fight your consistency . . . He’ll fight your hunger. 
-  And now he is creating enormous confusion.
-  Because he knows . . . A Word-filled believer is a dangerous believer!!
*  Psalm 119:11(NKJ) says, Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
-  If the Word isn’t hidden in you, temptation will find a home in you. 
-  But when the Word is stored up . . . When it’s treasured . . . When it’s internalized . . . When we
   make it our guide, the final authority, submitting to its message . . . 
-  Something happens:

• The Word becomes a filter for what you watch.
• A boundary for what you tolerate.
• A compass for what you choose.
• A sword for what attacks you.

-  When you’re filled with the Word, it will protect you, guide you, transform you, you will be come
   all it promises you.
*  Here is the key to this whole thing . . . Wholehearted Surrender absolutely necessary!!!
-  James 1:21-25(NKJ) Says Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and    receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers
   of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the
   word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he
   observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he
   who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer
   but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
*  The picture here is the Word being planted deep inside you, not just heard with your ears.
-  That Word is “able to save your souls” . . . Meaning it has power to rescue, renew, and keep
   transforming your inner life as you yield to it.
-  The warning is don’t stop at hearing . . . If you only listen but don’t obey, you’re not just
    immature, you’re self-deceived. 
-  You start thinking exposure to truth is the same thing as living in truth.          ( Expound )
-  God’s Word is called a “law of liberty” because obedience doesn’t imprison you, it frees you from
   sin’s control and from the bondage of the old life. 
-  And the promise is clear: the doer “will be blessed in what he does” . . . 
-  Not because obedience earns salvation, but because living aligned with God’s truth positions you
   to walk in His favor and fruitfulness.
*  Here is the problem . . . You can sit under preaching for years and still be self-deceived if you treat
   the Word like information instead of instruction.
-  Jesus said it like this . . . John 8:31-32(NKJ)  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed
   Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth,
   and the truth shall make you free.”
-  Freedom is on the other side of abiding . . . You don’t get freedom by arguing with the Word, you
   get freedom by abiding in it.
-  Rom12:2(NKJ) says, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
   renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
   will of God.
-  How does the mind get renewed? . . . By the Word. 
-  When the Word becomes your daily bread, it breaks old mindsets and building new patterns.
-  So let me make it practical: wholehearted surrender means the Word gets to disagree with you,
   and still remain the authority . . . 

• When the Word corrects my attitude . . . I yield.
• When the Word confronts my bitterness . . . I release it.
• When the Word calls me to purity . . . I obey.
• When the Word tells me to forgive . . . I forgive.
• When the Word says love . . . I love even if it's a sacrifice.
• When the Word says “seek first the Kingdom” . . . I change my priorities.

-  Because partial surrender is delayed obedience. 
-  And delayed obedience is just disobedience wearing a nicer outfit.
In Closing . . . Call up worship team
*  As we close this morning . . . Some of you are thinking, “But pastor, I’ve failed. I’ve drifted. I’ve
   been inconsistent.” 
-  Let me encourage you . . . God is not looking for perfection; He’s looking for surrender.
-  The Word doesn’t just correct you; it restores you. 
-  The same Word that calls you higher is the Word that lifts you when you fall. 
-  And the Holy Spirit is not standing off to the side saying, “Good luck.” He is the Helper. 
-  He reminds you of what the Word says . . . He empowers you to obey. 
-  He strengthens you to over come. 
-  Remember what Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” 
-  Not barely . . . Not occasionally . . . Richly. 
-  When the Word is rich in you, your worship changes . . . Your thinking changes. 
-  Your relationships change. Your reactions change. And yes, your spiritual authority changes.
*  Because when the Word is honored, Jesus is honored. 
-  And when Jesus is honored, heaven backs the life that’s surrendered.
*  I feel this strong: for many believers, the issue isn’t that you don't like the Bible. 
-  It’s that the Bible has been slowly moved from the throne to the shelf.
-  We need to put the Word back where it belongs.
-  So, here’s the call: wholehearted surrender. 
-  Not part-time obedience . . . Not selective agreement . . . Real surrender!!

Next Week we are going to talk about how the Word is marginalized is our lives.

Text: Luke 4:18-19(NKJ)
 *  This morning, I want to help you and remind you that we serve a God of restoration.
      -  This is such an important message because so many are being ripped off by the devil.
      -  Not a day goes by that I am not working with people who are desperate for God's intervention.
      -  But there is such good news . . . Jesus was sent for this very purpose!!
*  From the very beginning of the Bible . . . God reveals His heart toward broken people.
      -  When sin entered the world, God didn’t step back . . . He stepped in . . . He had a plan.
      -  His plan calling us to himself . . . Not to condemn you, but to draw you close so He can make you
         whole . . . God is not distant from our pain.
      -  Psalm 147:3(NKJ) says, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
*  And when Jesus showed up, He didn’t just talk about the Kingdom . . . He demonstrated it.
      -  The crowds came with diseases, torment, oppression, and despair, and over and over, the Bible
         says He was moved with compassion.
      -  That compassion isn’t just simple pity . . . It is what moves Him.
      -  His compassion reaches out . . . His compassion restores . . . His compassion heals.
      -  Look at our text . . .
Read Text: Luke 4:18-19(NKJ)
      The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me, to preach the gospel to the
      poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and
      recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the
      acceptable year of the Lord.
*  This is one of the clearest “mission statements” Jesus ever preached.
      -  He stands up in the synagogue, opens the scroll of Isaiah, and reads what He has come to do.
      -  This is a Spirit-filled announcement: Heaven has invaded earth, and the Spirit is empowering
         Jesus to set captives free.
      -  And here’s the amazing part . . . Jesus doesn’t just read it.
      -  In Luke 4:20-21(NKJ) the Bible says . . . Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the
         attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
         And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
*  That means healing isn’t a side ministry of Jesus . . . It’s part of His assignment.
      -  Deliverance isn’t a rare exception . . . It’s the freedom He proclaimed.
      -  Restoration isn’t a maybe . . . It’s the work of the Redeemer.
*  Some of us grew up thinking God is willing to save us but reluctant to help us.
      -  Willing to forgive, but hesitant to heal . . . But that’s not the God of the Bible.
      -  In Ex 15:26, the Bible reveals Him as “the LORD who heals you.”
      -  Jesus never turned away a hurting soul who came believing . . .
      -  He said in Mark 9:23, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
      -  Not because faith is magic . . . Because God is good.
      -  He wants to heal those who are hurting, deliver those who are bound, and restore those who
         have been robbed. . . Because that’s who He is.
*  And if you’re thinking, but you don’t know what I’ve been through . . . You’re right, I don’t.
      -  But He does . . . And He’s the One who says, “I am the LORD, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)          -  If He healed then, He heals now . . . If He delivered then, He delivers now.
      -  If He restored then, He restores now.
*  When Jesus opens His mouth in Luke 4:18 and says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because
   He has anointed Me.”
      -  He’s not giving us a religious slogan . . . He’s announcing heaven’s intervention plan.
      -  That opening phrase is the doorway into everything else in the verse.
      -  It’s the “why” behind the “what.”
1.  “ The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me.”
      *  This is first about presence . . . God’s presence resting on Jesus for a purpose.
               -  In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come “upon” leaders, prophets, and kings to empower
                  them for a specific assignment.
               -  Now Jesus is declaring something greater: the Spirit is upon Him as the Messiah, the One
                  sent by the Father to rescue people who are stuck, bound, bruised, and broken.
               -  God is stepping into human pain, not from a distance but from inside the story.
               -  That’s why this verse is so precious for us.
               -  It tells us that God’s answer to our problems isn’t just a concept . . . It’s His presence and
                  power at work.
               -  That is how God moves in our lives . . . By bringing impartation . . . His Spirit resting on us,
                  strengthening us, helping us, changing what we could never change on our own.
               -  God’s intervention often looks like the Holy Spirit coming upon a person with strength,
                  clarity, courage, and authority they didn’t have before.
2.  “ Because He has anointed Me.”
      *  Now Jesus explains the reason the Spirit is upon Him: anointing.
               -  In Scripture, anointing isn’t hype . . . It’s God’s authorization and empowerment.
               -  You could say it like this . . . The Spirit “upon” Jesus speaks of God’s presence.
               -  The “anointing” speaks of God’s purpose and power flowing through that presence.
               -  This matters because deliverance isn’t simply willpower or positive thinking . . . It’s God’s
                  power applied to real human conditions.
      *  God’s intervention in our lives is not random . . . It’s not God occasionally throwing us a lifeline.                      -  It’s the ongoing overflow of Jesus’ anointing as savior . . . And by the Holy Spirit, our
                  deliverance becomes personal, present, and practical.
               -  Everything that follows in Luke 4:18 is the fruit of that anointing.
               -  Look at the lists of specific outcomes through real-life deliverance in real-life places . . .
3.  “ To preach the gospel to the poor.”
      *  The “poor” aren’t only those lacking money . . . This includes anyone who is empty, broken,
         marginalized, or without resources.
               -  The gospel is God’s intervention for people who have reached the end of themselves. I
               -  It’s not just good advice, it’s good news . . . Jesus came to save, restore, and bring you into
                  His Kingdom.
               -  Matt 5:3(NKJ) Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4.  “ He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted.”
      *  Notice the phrase . . .“He has sent me.” . . . This phrase speaks of mission.
               -  Jesus is not self-appointed . . . He is sent . . . Demonstrating the intentionality of God for us.
               -  To be sent means you are under authority and carrying a message.
               -  Jesus often said He did not come to do His own will but the will of the One who sent Him.
               -  That means His ministry is anchored in the Father’s heart . . . For us, this is where we stand.
               -  This is our confidence in His desire to help us and strengthen us . . . He was sent.
               -  Jesus is always moving toward the broken, the excluded, the outcast, the overlooked.
      *  Now we step into the tenderness of Jesus’ ministry . . . Healing the brokenhearted.
               -  “Brokenhearted” isn’t a small thing.
               -  It’s the person who has been shattered by grief, betrayal, trauma, shame, disappointment,
                  long-term pressure.
               -  The Bible doesn’t mock that pain . . . In fac the Bible says in Psalms 34:18(NLT) . . . The
                  Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
               -  Psalm 147:3-4(NKJ) He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts
                  the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
               -  Jesus doesn’t just forgive sins; He heals souls.
      *  Some of us were taught to act like emotions don’t matter . . . “Just have faith.”
               -  But biblical faith doesn’t deny pain; it invites God into it.
      *  So, How does Jesus heal the brokenhearted?
He tells the truth that sets you free: “You are loved. You are not abandoned.”
He replaces lies with identity: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17).
He gives peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7).
He restores what grief and sin tried to steal.
      *  Sometimes this healing is instantaneous . . . Sometimes it’s progressive . . . But it is always real.                    -  The Holy Spirit is not only for power in public . . . He is also for healing in private.
               -  If you’re hurting, troubled, discouraged . . . Jesus didn’t come to manage you.
               -  He came to heal you.
5.  “ To proclaim liberty to the captives.”
      *  Now Jesus gets confrontational with the chains . . . Bringing liberty to captives.
               -  Captivity can look like . . . Addiction, patterns of sin, tormenting fear, bitterness,
               -  Bondage in the mind, demonic harassment, generational cycles, and shame that keeps you
                  hiding.
               -  Jesus is not intimidated by bondage . . . He is the Deliverer.
               -  When Jesus proclaims liberty, it’s more than a motivational speech.
               -  It’s a Kingdom decree backed by authority.                       
               -  Jesus is saying . . . He was sent with an anointing to announce and enforce freedom.
               -  That word “proclaim” matters . . . It’s a legal announcement.
               -  In the Kingdom of God, deliverance often begins when heaven’s decree is spoken over what
                  hell has tried to claim.
               -  Demon work hard to hold areas off your life captive . . . By building strongholds . . .
               -  But we have been given power . . . 2 Cor 10:3-6(NKJ)  For though we walk in the flesh,
                  we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
                  but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every
                  high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
                  captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when
                  your obedience is fulfilled.
6.  “ Recovery of sight to the blind.”
      *  No doubt Jesus healed physical blindness . . . But He also opens spiritual eyes helping people
         see God rightly, see themselves rightly, and see the enemy’s lies for what they are.
               -  God’s intervention often looks like illumination and revelation . . .
               -  Suddenly you can see what you couldn’t see, understand what you couldn’t grasp, discern
                  what was confusing.
               -  The Holy Spirit still brings that kind of sight.
7.  “ To set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
      *  Oppression is the feeling of being pressed down, weighed on, harassed, restricted.
               -  Jesus includes this because some people aren’t exactly “captives” in chains, but
                  they’re crushed under a spiritual or emotional weight.
               -  The anointing is not only for comforting the oppressed . . . It is for setting them at liberty.
               -  Isa 10:27(KJV)  And it shall come to pass in that day, That his burden shall be taken
                  away from off thy shoulder, And his yoke from off thy neck, And the yoke shall be
                  destroyed because of the anointing.
               -  That’s intervention . . . That’s deliverance.
               -  That’s God stepping in to lift what you couldn’t lift and break what you couldn’t break.
8.  “ To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
      *  This points to the idea of Jubilee . . . Release, restoration, debts canceled, inheritance restored.
               -  It is Jesus saying: “In Me, God is turning the page.” . . . Some of us need to hear that . . .
               -  God’s deliverance isn’t only about getting you out of something it’s about bringing you into
                  something.
               -  A new season . . . A new identity . . . A new hope.
*  Here is the good news this morning . . . God does not intervene empty-handed.
      -  He intervenes with the Spirit . . . He intervenes with anointing . . . He intervenes with purpose.
      -  And because Jesus is still the Anointed One, His ministry didn’t end in Luke 4 it continues
      -  through the Holy Spirit working in and among His people.
*  If you’re brokenhearted, the anointing is for healing . . . God can restore what’s broken.
      -  If you’re captive, the anointing is for freedom . . . God can break the chains of the enemy.
      -  If you’re blind or confused, He will give you sight . . . God can bring clarity and truth.
      -  If you’re oppressed, the anointing is for release . . . God can lift the weight and silence the torment.
Conclusion   (  Bring up Worship Team )
      *  Here is the secret to it all . . . Surrender!!!
               -  Healing, deliverance, freedom begins at the point of surrender.
               -  I Peter 5:7 tells us to Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for us.
               -  Some of us have been carrying what Jesus never asked us to haul alone.
      *  This morning we’re not denying the pain, we’re just deciding who holds it.
               -  Matthew 11:28 says . . . Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
                  give you rest.
               -  So, let’s lay it down . . . Every fear, every unanswered question, every wound, every habit,
                  every diagnosis, every broken place.
               -  And as we surrender, we make room for the Holy Spirit to do what we cannot.
      *  If you’re ready to surrender your problems to Him for healing, step out and come . . .
               -  Let’s believe, and let’s watch God meet you right here at the altar.

“EXPECTATION AND HOPE” PT.II


Intro.  This is part 2 of “Expectation and Hope!”
Next week we will begin another two-part series called “Dynamic Devotions.”

•Every born-again believer should live with extreme expectation and hope!

2 Peter 1:3–4 (NKJV)
3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

•When we ask Jesus to come into our lives, He moves in with lots of extras!

ex.Forgiveness, provision, healing, etc.

•One of the greatest benefits we receive is hope
 
As believers, we should never feel hopeless.
We may have felt it at times, but we shouldn't.

There's always hope with God.

Romans 5:5 (NKJV)
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We shouldn't ever allow feelings of hopelessness to dominate our lives.

Paul linked hope with the phrase “earnest expectation” in Philippians 1:20 “according to my earnest expectation and hope.”

•“earnest expectation” means literally, “to watch with intense anticipation”
•Hope is a confident expectation of good from God!


I.  OUR HOPE IS BORN FROM AND REVOLVES AROUND THE
     RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD

1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.¬

Our hope is linked to and revolves around Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. If He can pull that off, He can do anything. (Hope comes from this.)

ex.After Jesus rose from the dead, He met two guys on the road to Emmaus who were really bummed out because they didn’t know He had risen. They didn’t recognize him.

Jesus had died and been put in the tomb.

Their hopes died along with Jesus. They’re devastated! He died a brutal death and they saw it.

He had told them He was going to rise again, they heard others even saying they had seen Him alive, but they’re so messed up in their thinking they left town anyway and are walking home dejected.

And then this stranger walks up, “Why are you so sad?”

They tell Him about Himself…

Luke 24:21 (NKJV)
But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

Jesus goes to their house; breaks bread and prays and suddenly, their eyes are opened, “Hey, it’s Him!” And poof, He’s gone!

Our hopes can be restored even if they seem dead!

Jesus’ resurrection proves that our hopes can live again!
He’s alive and will never die again! He’s eternal and so is His hope.

So, when the Bible says we have a “living hope” it means a living, undying, eternal hope!

Hebrews 10:35 (NKJV)
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.

•Hope is so vital; so important!

•It affects our whole outlook on life; how we enjoy life, our health, our future, everything is affected by having hope!

A. HOPE IS WHAT MAKES FAITH WORK!

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

1.Faith is the substance or “faith is made up of things hoped for!”
 
If we want our faith to work better, we need to hope higher!

We’re going to look at 4 ways to help us increase hope.

II.  HOW TO HAVE HIGHER HOPE

God wants us to experience higher hopes and expectations!

After all, the Bible says in Romans 15:13 He is “the God of hope”

•Four things that will cause us to hope higher

A.  OUR PAST EXPERIENCE

ex.David was facing a giant of a problem called Goliath.

He was just a young shepherd.

And now he was going to challenge a giant that made all the hardened warriors of Israel shake in their boots.

When asked how he thought he would be able to go against this giant David called upon God’s intervention in his past.

He told them about times when he was shepherding, and a lion and bear came and attacked the sheep. David said, “I grabbed it by its beard and stuck and killed it!”

1 Samuel 17:37 (NKJV)
Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."

David’s expectation and hope was that God would take care of Goliath just like He did the lion and the bear!

1.  Everything that God has done in our past should cause
     us to expect and hope that He will continue to help us
     in our now and our future

He’s done a lot for us! Saved us, forgiven us from every sin, healed lots of us, provided for us, etc.

2.  Our past experience with God should cause us to hope

I mentioned earlier, “Faith is substance of things hoped for.” In other words, faith is made up of things hoped for. This is why we need to guard our hopes and dare to hope higher!
 
Everything God has done for us in the past should cause us to hope for what He will continue to do!

B.  THE SECOND THING THAT WILL CAUSE US TO HOPE IS
     GOD’S WORD

Psalm 119:49 (NKJV)
Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope.

1.  We need to let God’s word go beyond the surface and
     get deep inside us so that we don’t give up on it if it
     doesn't happen immediately

ex.Like Joseph. He got a word from God in a dream that he was going to rule over his father’s house.

He was so excited he told his brothers all about it. They weren't excited; sold him into slavery. Joseph got tossed into prison.

We read it in several chapters in Genesis. But for Joseph, he waited 13 years.

We don't hear him complaining. He had a word from God that he held onto.

The word He had from God came to pass!

Daniel 9:1–3 (NKJV)
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—
2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

Daniel saw God’s word promised that Israel would be captive in Babylon for 70 years. After 70 years he began to pray believing. And God released them to their homeland.

2.We need to practice this more, find what God’s word
has promised and let the promise build hope and faith

In the parable of sower, Jesus used a guy planting seed to make a point.

He said the word of God is like seed sown in hearts.

As soon as the word seed is sown in our hearts, Satan tries to come and steal it.

•When we hear or read the word, we need to let it get down deep inside us and not let go!

•That word will give us hope!

•No word, no hope!

•But if we know the word, we’ll know hope!

Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV)
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

•Our hope will be built up if we’ll read, think about, and remind ourselves about what God’s word has promised

2 Peter 1:4–5 (NKJV)
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

C.  THIRDLY, THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL HELP US HOPE

Romans 15:13 (AMP)
May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.

1.  One of the Holy Spirit’s main works in us is to fill us
     with hope              

“May the God of your hope so fill you…that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.”

We shouldn’t settle for a flat life. We need more bubbly!

Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV)
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.
So why aren’t we “bubblier” with hope from the Holy Spirit?

I think sometimes we quench Him…

1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 (NKJV)
18  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19  Do not quench the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is always at work to build our hopes and sometimes we may work against Him. He’s in us, encouraging, strengthening, bringing the Word to our minds and hearts and we can be like, “Yeah, right!” “All things work together for good to those who love God…”  “Yeah, but…”

We’ve got to stop quenching Him and the words of encouragement He brings to us.

We can get more familiar with His voice. Let Him speak. Quench not the Spirit.

“In everything give thanks...quench not the Spirit.”

ex.  “Thank You Holy Spirit for giving me hope. I’ve got a feeling everything’s going to be all right! I thank You for giving me an intense anticipation and a confident expectation of good from God!”

D.  WE HAVE THE HOPE OF HIS COMING

Titus 2:13 (NKJV)
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

We are meant to live with a continual expectation and hope that Jesus could come at any time.

The last words He spoke in the Bible are in Revelation 22

Revelation 22:20 (NKJV) 

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 



1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV)
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.


PRAYER AND CONFESSION:  Thank You Jesus, for being my hope. Everything You have done in my past builds my hope for what You will continue to do. My hope comes from Your Word and all Your promises to help me, provide for me, heal me, and protect me. Now, may the God of hope fill me with all joy and peace in believing by the power of the Holy Spirit Who lives in me, in Your name, Jesus, Amen.

Intro.  Tonight and next week I’m going to teach on something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the last several years about expectation and hope.

So, I’m calling this series, “Expectation and Hope!”

My prayer for this series is that our expectation and hope will be raised higher!

We are living in a time when the devil is doing his utmost to steal believer’s hope in life and toward the future.

Even though “the times” may be uncertain our hopes are not or should not be in “the times” or what is happening around us.

Our hope is or should be in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ!  He rules over everything and has the final say over everything!

Paul linked hope with the phrase “earnest expectation” in 
Philippians 1:20.

Philippians 1:20 (NKJV)
according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

Paul’s expectation and hope was that Jesus would be magnified or made bigger to others through Him.

We should be constantly expectant and hopeful of something from God, of Him doing something for us or doing something through us!

ex. Healing in our body, intervening in our family, using us to reach someone else for Jesus or praying for someone else’s need of healing or some other need in their life.

God wants to continually be doing things in and through us and it’s important for us to live in expectation and hope of His intervention.
Luke 11:9–10 (NKJV)
9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 
10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

• This is talking about a keen expectation and hope of receiving!

Matthew 7:11 (NKJV)
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Jesus said our earthly fathers are “evil” compared with how good God the Father is! 

I understand many had dads that were neglectful or worse.

But we all have a heavenly Father that knows how to give good things to us who ask Him!

• My goal tonight is to “hopefully” cause us all to expect and anticipate more from God in and through our lives!
• Next week we’re going to look at four specific ways of how we can increase our expectation and hope

As mentioned earlier, Paul linked hope with the phrase “earnest expectation” in Philippians 1:20

• “earnest expectation” means literally, “to watch with intense anticipation”
• This is why hope is so important
• It has to do with what we’re watching for, looking for, or in other words our outlook!

I.  OUR OUTLOOK

A.  OUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE WILL DETERMINE OUR QUALITY OF 
     LIFE

1.  Our outlook will affect everything
a.  It will affect our enjoyment of life

ex.If we have a negative and bleak outlook towards life then our life is going to be negative and bleak!

On the other hand, if our outlook is positive and bright towards life, our life will be positive and bright!

b.  Our outlook will affect our health

If we lean towards the negative it affects our health. Even psychologists and sociologists will tell you this.

We’ll be healthier and feel better with a hopeful outlook.

c.  A hopeful outlook will affect our future

Jeremiah 29:11–13 (NKJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 
12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Our thoughts need to be aligned with God’s thoughts.

“…thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

The purpose of this series is to cause us to HOPE HIGHER!

If we’re not careful our outlook for the future can be tentative and cautious. “Well, we’ll see,” or worse, “everything is going down the tubes!”

As believers in Jesus Christ our outlook should be hope-full, filled with hope!

I believe we are living in the last days and that means things will be challenging.

Luke 21:25–28 (NKJV)
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 
26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 
27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

B.  THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT RESPONSES MENTIONED TO 
     THE LAST DAYS HERE

1.  For the unbeliever it may be frightening 
a.  Jesus said so much so that hearts will fail from fear 
      and expectation of what’s coming
b.  This is a time of real opportunity for us as believers to 
     share Jesus with others
c.  Whether they express it outwardly or not many feel 
     anxious, uncertain, and some even desperate about 
     their lives and their future
d.  We offer hope to those who feel hopeless

2.  The second response alluded to in Jesus’ statement of 
     the last days is the believer’s sense of expectation and 
     hope

Luke 21:28 (NKJV)
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

We are to be hopeful in the last days that Jesus is coming! 

And before He comes there are promises throughout the word of God of His pouring out His Spirit in an unprecedented way!

B.  HOPE AS IT IS USED IN THE BIBLE MEANS “A CONFIDENT 
     EXPECTATION OF GOOD FROM GOD!” 

1.  We should be hope-full!

“God is about to do something incredible in and through my life!”  

2.  When Paul writes in Philippians 1:20, “according to 
     my earnest expectation and hope,” he was in the 
     worst of circumstances
a.  He is in a dark, bleak, prison cell
b.  And yet he has a sense of expectation and hope

Paul’s wording is specific, “my earnest expectation and hope!”
He owned it!  “my earnest expectation and hope.” (And he wrote it from a prison cell!)

If he can have that kind of outlook in those surroundings surely we can by the grace of God have that sense of intense anticipation and hope toward our lives and the future!

• Everything will be affected by our outlook, what we are watching and looking for 
• I want to urge us all toward an “earnest expectation” an “intense anticipation towards what God is going to do; in our lives, our health, our future, our nation, EVERYTHING!

3.  We need to own it!
a.  Remember, “earnest expectation” means, “intense 
     anticipation”

ex.Our finances may be tight now, but we can anticipate God helping us!

1 Kings 17:2–4 (NKJV)
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 
“3 Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 
4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

In 1Kings 17 Elijah was in a time of drought and God sent him to the Brook Cherith and had the ravens bring him bread and meat for breakfast and dinner. 

But then the brook dried up! This was what God had used to meet his need and then the brook dried up. 

It didn’t mean God had stopped providing. He was just going to provide a different way. He sent him to a widow woman.

1 Kings 17:8–9 (NKJV)
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

This widow only had a little cooking oil and cornmeal. (I guess it was cornmeal. It only says, “meal.”)

But God had a plan and He provided for Elijah, the widow, and her son.

This is my point. Even when it looks like things seem to have dried up in our lives or we don’t have enough to meet the need, God always has a plan to provide for us.

• There’s always hope with God!
• But we need to cultivate an intense anticipation that He is going to come through; it’s called faith!

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

• “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for...

• Faith and hope are in the NOW for what God is going to do THEN!

• WE NEED IT NOW! (It affects our whole life; our outlook, faith, hope, expectation in the NOW!)

• What we believe for and hope for now will affect what happens later

Romans 15:13 (NKJV)
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

This was a prayer Paul was praying.

• Hope is a confident expectation of good from God!

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Our outlook must be higher than the things we can see in the natural.
Our outlook must be on a God who isn’t limited by the things we can see happening around us!

• We need to have an “earnest expectation and hope!”

B.  WE CAN AFFORD TO HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK; AN 
     INTENSE ANTICIPATION AND HOPE FOR OUR LIVES!

1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

We don’t have a mediocre or hope so kind of hope. It’s not passive. It’s powerful. 
It’s a living hope! An alive kind of hope! It’s a, resurrected from the dead and never dying again, kind of hope!

Our hope is linked to and revolves around Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. If He can pull that off, He can do anything. (Our hope comes from this.)

PRAYER AND CONFESSION:  Thank You Jesus, for Your resurrection power. You can and do resurrect my hope. My outlook for the future is hope-full. You give me an intense anticipation for what’s ahead. You are the God of hope. You fill me with all joy and peace in believing. I abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit in me, in Your name Jesus, Amen.

LOVE THAT DOESN’T QUIT

January 25, 2025 Sunday AM

Text: 1 John 3:1(NKJ)
* If there’s one thing I know about life, it’s this . . . People will fail you.
- Friends will walk away . . . Family will misunderstand you . . . Jobs will replace you.
- Feelings will change . . . Seasons will shift.
* But there is one thing that will never change even when everything else is shaking . . .
- The love of God . . . Because the Love of God is a Love that doesn't quit.
- When I talk about the love of God I am not talking about a love that is weak.
- I am not talking about a love that’s fickle . . . Or only there when you’re doing good.
- I’m not talking about a love that disappears when you mess up.
* I’m talking about a love that can reach into the darkest places of your soul and still say, “You’re
Mine.”
- A love that can break chains, heal wounds, restore identities, and empower ordinary people
to live supernatural lives.
- Rom 5:5(NKJ) says, Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been
poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
- That means the love of God is not just a doctrine to be believed . . . It’s a reality to be
experienced . . . And it’s not something we manufacture.
- It’s something the Holy Spirit pours into us like a flood.
* This morning, I want to preach on this simple truth to you . . . It may seem like a no bainer . . .
- But . . . So often we either miss it or forget it . . .
- God’s love is powerful . . . And it changes everything.
- It's not a pie in the sky, eternal, reality, we will experience on day . . . It for here and now!!!
- So, let’s talk about the power of God’s love in our lives!!!
Read Text: I John 3:1(NKJ)
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called
children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
* Every now and again there are scriptures that just seem to jump out at you.
- Our text is one of those verses that seemed to leap out at me and caught my attention.
* The first thing that jump out at me was this word . . . Behold . . .
- It’s more than a poetic term . . . God is telling us something important here.
- The word Behold in the Greek literally means to discover, to pay attention to, to inspect, to
examine, to experience, Take notice with wonder and astonishment.
- Think about that . . . When it comes to the love of God, God wants us to pay attention.
- To often we make a passing glance as if we were simply window shopping.
- The end result of this casual glance is we never really see the quality of love that God has
bestowed on us.
- That word bestowed . . . Means to lavish . . . To give far more than necessary.

* The dictionary defines the word lavished like this . . . Characterized by extravagant, ostentatious
magnificence, given to or marked by unrestrained abundance.
- That is the Love of our God . . . That is what He wants us to see . . .
- In all of Christianity I don't think there is anything quite like the Love of God.
* Let's take a few minutes an consider this . . .
1. God's Love Is Unconditional.
- God was not obligate to love us . . . He wanted to love us . . . He chose to love us!!
- Rom 5:6-8(NIV) You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ
died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a
good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- The supreme act of love in all of history was God's gift of His Son.
- He chose to die and His Father chose to send Him to die because He loved us.
2. God's Love Is Without Measure.
- Eph 3:17-19(NLT) And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your
hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's
marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people
should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you
experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand
it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
- God’s Love is not one dimensional but it is multifaceted.
- So often in life the love we experience most is linear, one dimensional, conditional . . .
I’ll love you if you love me.
- God’s Love is not so . . . It has Depth, Length, Height, and Width and can't be measured.
- When you think you have come to the limits of God’s love you find you have only found
another dimension to it.
3. God's Love Is Without End.
- All of us have been on the receiving end of temporary love.
- A close friend turns his back on us . . . A coworker betrays us in order to ahead . . .
- Even a family member can tells us, "I don't love you anymore." . . . It's devastating.
- Rom 8:37-39(NKJ) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through
Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor
depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Nothing can separate you from the Love of God.
- There is no problem, there is no dysfunction, there is no failure . . .
- There is no demon in Hell that can separate you from the Love of God.
- The only thing that can separate you from God’s Love is you, By simply not receiving it.
- It will always be available to you.

* God's love is unconditional . . . God's love is without measure . . . God's love is without end.

- That is not the best part . . . The best part is . . . It comes for us when we couldn’t come to him.
- One of the greatest lies the enemy tries to sell people is that God’s love has to be earned.
- God didn’t love you because you were perfect . . . He loved you while you were still broken . . .
- That is a love that moves first . . . That’s a love that doesn’t wait on you to improve.
- That is a love that doesn’t pause until you behave.
- God’s love is not a reward for good people . . . It’s a rescue for broken people.
* Now listen . . . This is where it becomes personal.
- God didn’t love “the world” as a concept and forget you as a person.
- He loves the world, but He also loves the one.
- He leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one.
- He sees the crowd, but He calls Zacchaeus by name.
- He feels the touch of the woman with the issue of blood when everybody else is pressing Him.
- That is the love of God . . . It singles you out.
* And when God’s love saves you, it doesn’t just cover the surface.
- It doesn’t just adjust your habits . . . It transforms your identity.
- That means your status has changed . . . You’re not just forgiven . . . You’re adopted.
- You’re not just rescued . . . You’re reborn . . . You’re not just spared . . . You’re chosen.
- The power of God’s love is that it can save a sinner and turn them into a son.
* Now I want to slow down right here, because some people have received forgiveness through
the love of God, but they still carry wounds.
- Many are saved, but they still struggle with shame.
- You love Jesus, but you still feel unworthy . . .You’re going to heaven, but you don’t feel free.
- And the reason is simple . . . We don’t just need pardon . . . We need healing.
- God’s love doesn’t just save you from sin . . . It heals you from damage.
- Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
- Notice what it says . . . Brokenhearted . . . That’s emotional pain . . . That’s inner trauma.
* Look at Luke 4:18-19(NKJ) The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim
liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are
oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
- Here brokenhearted means crushed in spirit.
- God’s love is not scared of your pain.
- If God’s love is powerful enough to save you, it’s powerful enough to heal what hurt you.
- Let me say it plainly . . . God doesn’t just want you forgiven . . . He wants you whole.
* The love of God is not weak . . . The love of God is a spiritual force . . . It’s a kingdom weapon.
- God’s love doesn’t just comfort . . . It confronts . . . It breaks bondages . . . It sets free.
- The love of God doesn’t just make you feel better . . . It transforms you.
- When the devil whispers, “You’re done,” the love of God answers, “You’re Mine.”
- When hell says, “It’s over,” the love of God says, “I’m not finished.”
- You may have to fight battles, but you’ll fight them from a place of love not fear.

* Here’s the truth . . . We become like what we behold.
- If you spend your life staring at rejection, you become guarded.
- If you spend your life staring at failure, you become insecure.
- If you spend your life staring at shame, you become withdrawn.
- If you behold the love of God . . . You will be transformed.
- 2 Cor 3:18(NKJ) says But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory
of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by
the Spirit of the Lord.
* Consider this . . . What is the clearest picture of God’s glory? . . . It’s His love revealed in Jesus.
- 1 John 4:9-10(NKJ) says, In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God
has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this
is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins.
- God’s love isn’t vague . . . It’s manifested . . . It showed up in flesh.
- And when you receive that love, it starts working on you . . . It transforms your attitude.
- It softens your heart . . . It purifies your motives . . . It heals your reactions.
- Because love is not just what God does . . . It’s who He is.
* Now I want to take it one step further.
- God never intended His love to be something you only receive . . . He intended His love to
be something you release.
- John 13:35(NKJ) says, By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love
for one another.
* The world is not just looking for a powerful church . . . They’re looking for a loving church.
- Because there are people who’ve been judged everywhere they go.
- People who have been rejected . . . People who have been told they don’t belong.
- And then they walk into a Spirit-filled church, and they should encounter not just noise and
music . . . but the love of Jesus.
* And here’s what makes it supernatural . . .You can’t produce this love in your flesh.
- That’s why Romans 5:5(NKJ) says Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of
God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
- Real Spirit-filled living produces Spirit-empowered love . . . Love that forgives when it hurts.
- Love that stays when it’s easier to leave . . . Love that serves when nobody is looking.
- Love that prays for enemies . . . Love that gives generously.
* God’s love is one of the greatest evangelistic tools we have.
- Because people can argue with doctrine, but they can’t argue with transformed lives.
- They can ignore a sermon, but they can’t ignore a person who was broken and now is
whole . . . Because love restored them.
* Let me get real practical before we close.
- God’s love gives you confidence in prayer . . . God’s love helps you forgive.
- God’s love breaks performance-based Christianity . . . God’s love strengthens you to endure.

Conclusion . . . Call up worship team.
* I feel this strong in my spirit today . . . There are people here who love God, but they don’t feel
loved by God.
- You believe in His power . . . You believe in His Word.
- But deep down, you still think you’re barely holding on.
- But the Lord wants you to know . . . You’re not barely holding on . . . He’s holding you.
* And maybe you walked in today tired . . . Maybe you walked in discouraged.
- Maybe you walked in feeling like you don’t measure up.
- I hear the Holy Spirit saying, “Let Me pour My love into you again.”
* If that is you this morning . . . Our Father in Heaven wants to pour His love in Again.