Coming Soon Part 1

Sermons

So many are looking around at all that has been happening in the world and saying is this the beginning of the end?  In a word, in my opinion, this is not the end times but the Bible tells us before the end, there will be many labor pains that …

Moving Forward

“MOVING FORWARD”

 

 

 INTRODUCTION:

 

     Opening statements/Example of Pastor Tim

 

One of Pastor Tim’s greatest gifts to the Body of Christ & the Kingdom of God is having the disposition of constantly “moving forward” in all aspects of his life.

 

     Questions:Are you moving forward in your life right now?

      You might ask, in what way (s) are you asking am I moving

       forward? In any identifiable way! 

 

       I have a saying that most of you have probably heard me

      verbalize at one time or another, and its not always easy to

      put into practice (baseball analogy): “I don’t allow the

      curveballs of life or the screwballs of life to take me off the

      field of play and out of the game.” 

 

       There are plenty of curveballs thrown at us in life, aren’t

       there? There are plenty of screwballs thrown at us in life,

      aren’t there?  YES!

 

 

***WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO OVERCOME ALL THE CURVEBALLS AND SCREWBALLS OF LIFE? KEEP MOVING FORWARD NO MATTER WHAT.

 

    Scriptures

 

Proverbs 24:16“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”

 

Psalms 37:23-25“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old: yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.”

 

***WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO WHENEVER WE HAVE FALLEN AWAY, OR FALLEN DOWN, OR BACKSLIDDEN, OR LOST IT AND WALKED AWAY?  KEEP ON MOVING FORWARD NO MATTER WHAT!!

 

    Famous Quotes

 

  1. Famous theologian, Rocky Balboa, “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
  2. Zig Ziglar: “Getting knocked down in life is a given…getting up and moving forward is a choice.”
  3. Henry Ford: “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
  4. Babe Ruth: “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
  5. Walt Disney: “Around here, we don’t look backwards for very long…We keep moving forward opening up new doors and doing new things…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

 

     WHAT ABOUT OUR PAST?

 

Key ingredient for a successful life: having a proper perspective regarding our past

 

  1. One of the key ingredients for having a successful life is having the proper perspective regarding our past. We cannot allow our past to keep us from moving forward. 

 

  1. We cannot allow ourselves to live “frozen in time.” Past traumatic events, past hurts, past sins must not be allowed to linger inside of us for too long a period of time. 

 

  1. We need to face our traumas.We need to deal with those events. We need to reconcile with those events and people in appropriate ways and throughout varying periods of time, but the best disposition to maintain in getting out from under the effects of those events and people is to what, to keep moving forward. 

 

  1. What do you need to doright nowto move away from your past? To start moving forward? (Open-ended)

 

  1. Who do you need to forgiveto move forward? Yourself? A mate?  Brother or sister in Christ?  A boss?  Mother? Father?  Sibling?

 

  1. Who is, or, What is keeping you from moving forward?

 

          I Love This Saying: “Don’t give God excuses, give God

 excellence!”

 

          Some More Questions:Pastor Don will ask them…

 

 Some More Scriptures:

Philippians 3:13-14 King James Version (KJV)

13 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgettingthose things which are behind, and reaching forthunto those things which are before,

14 I press towardthe mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:13-14 The Message (MSG)

Focused on the Goal

12-14 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

 

Philippians 3:13-14 Living Bible (TLB)

13 No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.

        Some more great quotes

 

1.MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

 

“If you can’t fly, then run.

If you can’t run, then walk.

If you can’t walk, then crawl.  But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

 

2.QUOTE:(picture a tortoise)

 

“Your speed doesn’t matter.  Forward is forward.”

 

3.QUOTE:

 

“Don’t look back, you aren’t going that way.”

 

The Greatest Example of A Person Always Moving Forward:

JESUS

 

Jesus: If we want to evaluate whether or not we are moving forward in our lives we just need to take a look at some of the reasons Jesus came to earth:

 

  1. To serve ( 20:28)
    1. “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
  2. To be a ransom for many ( 20:28)
    1. “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
  3. To savethe world (John 3:17; Luke 19:10)
    1. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”…“to seek and save the lost”
  4. To preach the good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43)
    1. “But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
  5. To bring division (Luke 12:51)
    1. “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.”
  6. To do the will of the Father (John 6:38)
    1. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
  7. To testify to the truth (John 18:37)
    1. “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.   Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king.  In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
  8. To die and destroy Satan’s power ( 2:14)
    1. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil.”
  9. To destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)
    1. “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
  • To give life (John 10:10,28)
    1. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full . . . I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
  • To proclaim freedom for believers (Luke 4:18)
    1. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.”
  • To call sinners (Mark 2:17)
    1. “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'”

 

     Conclusion

 

       Let’s not be like Lot’s wife(Genesis 19:15-26)

 

        Let’s be more like:

 

  1. Abraham– failed God miserably, but he refused to

 constantly look back at his sins and shortcomings…He   constantly moved forward.

 

  1. David– failed God miserably, but he refused to constantly look back at his sins and shortcomings…He constantly moved forward

 

  1. Paul– failed God miserably, but he refused to constantly look back at his sins and shortcomings…He constantly moved forward

 

  1. Peter– failed God miserably, but he refused to constantly look back at his sins and shortcomings…He constantly moved forward

 

    PRAYER

 

Joshua Life with a Joseph dream

We are in a season where God is stirring up dreams and ideas that will change our world and the world of all of those around us.

 

Joseph dream saved a nation and in order to fulfill the promises of God to Abraham it took a Joshua to believe in the dream and then make it happen

 

Our dreams will not be fulfilled just but sitting and watching life go by, we must push into the Holy Spirit ask the questions, build the relationship and plan to move forward

 

Joshua 2:1-21

 

Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.

2 But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”

 

Before we go any further let’s se how this story played out

 

SKIT

 

Joshua was given a dream, a vision, a plan from God, a clear instruction to go into Canaan and take the country

 

  • It is OK to plan when God gives you a dream

 

Joshua 2:1

 

Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.

 

 

2) In the planning of a dream the Holy Spirit will lead us.

 

Now you may not have a dream but you have something ahead of you that you need guidance.

 

The Holy Spirit will do that, lead you and guide you just as he did the two spies

 

If we have been given a directive by the Lord, or have a dream of the Lord’s leading we always will do better if we seek Him for his directive

 

Spend time in prayer, the word, and fellowship with other believer’s

 

It makes it so much easier to fulfill God’s design for your life if these disciplines are part of your daily life.

 

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (ESV)

 

The Message

 

We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.

 

Everything in life is a “next move” if we just randomly allow life to happen then we have chaos. If we trust that the Holy Spirit does have a plan, and we have built that relationship with him, we will be effective, safe, and accomplish everything we need to.

 

The Holy Spirit enabled them to know what to do, when to do it, and whom to trust. Here is a quick example of how the Holy Spirit can lead us and guide us like this

 

Proverbs 15:1,2

 

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.

 

How many times has your anger or frustration only caused more problems for you?I always ask people in dealing with conflict with others to ask themselves what is the outcome I want from this conversation? You can win and argument and lose the whole concept or a friend…it is not that you compromise your convictions you simply through wisdom choose what is the real outcome that you want

 

it doesn’t need to be just the big plans that He will guide us it can also be in the day-to-day reactions

 

James 1:19,20

 

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

 

 

The Holy Spirit can remind us of wisdom and/or insight we need to accomplish something at work or at home with someone.

 

The Holy Spirit will give you success in all you do as you learn to wait on and trust His work in and through you. It does take time to learn but if you are open and patient you will learn to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide, which can have a far greater impact than you could ever imagine…we’ll see in a bit

 

 

 

4 Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” 6 (Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.) 7 So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut

 

Just as a little cultural thing, the King’s men would have never entered the home of another person without their permission. So as long as they followed protocol the spies were safe from the guards

 

  • What God is doing in you now will go ahead of you and open or close doors

 

Joshua 2:8-11

 

8 Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. 9 “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. 10 For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. 11 No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

 

When we trust the Lord, have that connection with him on a daily basis we can’t help but reflect Him in everything we do

 

Our reputation will go ahead of us as a person of integrity

 

God and man will give us favor because our reputation has gone ahead of us.

 

As we continue to walk with integrity following the Lord’s principles because we are in the Word, prayer, and fellowship our impact grows greater and people will be concerned about failing if they don’t listen to us because we have a proven track record

 

God gives us more wisdom, the Holy Spirit’s guidance causes us to shine as lights in the darkness and we gain more favor

 

Proverbs 22:1

 

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

 

Colossians 1:3,4

 

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,

 

When we act like Jesus because we know His word, are steady in prayer, have spent time with other believers in regular fellowship people hear about who we are and they are looking for what we have

 

Our faith grows which ends up blessing us because we worry less, overcome more and see the accomplishment of all God has for us in greater ways

 

 

 

 

12 “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that 13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”

14 “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.”

15 Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window. 16 “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.”

17 Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions. 18 When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house. 19 If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death. 20 If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”

21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.

 

4) This is prophetic of the Lord’s plan of redemption.This story shows the process of the price paid for us…The spies made a promise to Rahab and her entire household, if you will follow our specific instructions then you and your household will be saved but if not it is on your own head…The scarlet chord was the object of this promise

 

When Adam and eve sinned the blood of animals (scarlet thread) was shed to cover their nakedness

 

When Cain and Able made offerings the cost of life and blood that Able offered was the scarlet thread to offer and pure gift to the Lord

 

The Passover lamb and example of Christ was the scarlet thread to tie in the redemption (purchasing price) for the children of Israel

 

The scarlet thread (rope) that Rehab offered was the promise of the spies to redeem Rahab and her whole family from the culture of Jericho. It was also a sign to the nation of Israel that the Land of Canaan had been purchased for them already

 

Jesus shed blood on the cross was predicted through each of these acts as he was the scarlet thread that purchase us from the bondage, ignorance and wickedness of this world.

 

Side NOTE>>>>why did the spies go to Jericho? They didn’t get any new intel, everything was the same but we are introduced to Rahab and her family….for sometime now Rahab most likely was searching for the God of heaven and earth and God knew it…he sent the spies just to answer Rahab’s hearts cry…..how far will God go for you?

 

 

– Once again, If you don’t have a dream or idea for your future God wants you to have one, because He already has one for you! Come and allow us to pray for you

 

– If you know the dream, vision or plan God has for you but need insight into what the plan is, allow someone to pray for you and see what the Lord has to say

 

– If you are struggling with, “God is anything I am doing now, really matter to you?” Come and allow us to pray for you that we might be able pray and the Lord will show you what you are doing that matters or what you can do where you are that matters.

 

– Last but most certainly not least…we all need the scarlet thread of redemption in our lives, we all need to have our sins covered and eliminated by what Christ did for us on the cross, if you have never asked the Lord to forgive you and cover your sins then please come and allow someone to pray with you about that