I am speaking this sermon at my dad's church tonight!
Dream On
Vision #2
Intro
§ Prov 29:18 KJV 18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.
Obj
Gen 37:19-20 NLT
19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
§ You have got to be able to dream dreams in order to receive vision.
Premise
§ Other people will always be there to criticize the vision because they can’t see God using you that way. Or you don’t qualify in their eyes.
§ “We’ll see what becomes of his dreams”.
Vision
§ Vision is a picture of the future
§ A reason for existence, & gives timeless unchanging core values
§ A vision is simply an aspiration or a description of a desirable world that exists within the imagination that can inspire people, bring meaning to their work, mobilize them to action, and help them decide what to do and what not to do in the course of their work.
§ An effective vision strikes a chord in people, motivates them by tapping their competitive drive, arouses desire for greatness or interest in doing the right thing, tantalizes them with personal gain, or appeals to their need to make a difference in the world.
§ A vision is an idealized picture of the future and it expresses a reason for existence.
§ Visions grab people and then bring them into the fold.
When a leader's vision is effective and strong, people get caught up in what they are doing, absorb the vision, and commit themselves to the goals and the values of the leaders.
How do you create a vision?
Dream Big
§ Dreaming is the first step.
§ Go ahead and dare to dream about what you can do and what is possible to accomplish.
§ Don't be afraid to dream big.
§ You can always scale down to meet the realities of the situation, but dreaming big allows you to think about ideas that may not seem likely, yet are in fact possible.
§ Thinking big also forces you to think about the long term, always a useful thing to do.
§ You have nothing to lose; it doesn't cost a nickel.
§ Can you recall a time when you got a wild idea in your head and your heart started beating fast and you wondered what it would be like if you could make that idea happen?
§ Ex: I would dream about what it would be like to be a husband, father, now all my dreams have come true.
§ Maybe you think, "Oh that's impossible.
§ How can I be so foolish as to think that!"
§ However, often the ideas that feel foolish, may have the most potential.
§ They are often ideas that are new to the world.
§ Learn to value and trust your God given dreams
§ If you get an idea that makes your heart sing, chances are good that others will come to sing along with you.
Joseph’s story Gen 37-50.
Gen 37:2-5 NLT
This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.
3 Jacob[a] loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.[b] 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever
Joseph’s Dreams
1. Tying Bundles of grain, my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine.
2. The sun, moon and 11 stars bowed low before me.
§ What kind of dream is that? Will your mother and I bow before you? His father wondered what the dreams meant.
The pit-thrown in by jealous brothers, sold into slavery by his brothers to the Ishmaelites. 30 day journey through the desert chained on foot all the way to Egypt.
Potiphar’s house- purchased by Potiphar, Egyptian officer, captain of the guard for Pharaoh, King of Egypt.
The prison-Joseph worked on first floor while family occupied upper stories, wrongfully convicted for raping Potiphar’s wife, 2 years in prison.
The palace- interprets some dreams, released out of prison for interpreting dreams for Pharaoh himself, giving him a 14 year survival plan to see Egypt get through famine.
§ Pharaoh makes Joseph 2nd in command in all Egypt and all his family, Father and sons bow before Joseph because of his dreams.
§ There were 7 years of famine, but there was grain in all Egypt.
§ God used Joseph’s dreams, to preserve his family inspite of his family.
§ Joseph’s dreams were fulfilled for his family, but that is where he found the initial resistance
§ Joseph was 17 when sold into slavery, now 30 years old when he became the ruler over Egypt
§ He spent 13 years as an Egyptian slave and as a prisoner.
Conclusion
§ He was betrayed by his family, deserted, exposed to sexual temptation, punished for doing the right thing, endured long imprisonment, and forgotten by those he helped.
§ His positive response transformed each setback into a step forward.
§ He didn’t spend much time asking why
§ His approach was “what shall I do now?”
§ Those around Joseph new that wherever he went and whatever he did, God was with him.
§ When you are facing a setback, a Joseph like attitude is to acknowledge that God is with you
§ Nothing like the presence of God to shed new light on a dark situation.
Gen 50:20-21
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
§ All because Joseph had a dream, dream on.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Update!!!
I will be speaking this Wednesday 6-17-08, at Joy Community Church, 35531 Utica Rd, Clinton Twp, MI 48035 @ 7pm, www.joycommunity.net This is a great church of believers that really love God. It is also my dad's church. I will post the sermon after Wednesday for those that will want that. It is always a great time when I go to JCC. If you would like to join us, make the time, you will be glad you did!!!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Seeker of Truth
Jesus was The Truth! Check out this attachment. It is our sermon for our small group for Horizons tonight. You get it before they hear it! We are going through the book of Matthew. Tonight is chapter 1, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Matthew is one of Jesus disciples. Once he was a despised tax collector, but his life was changed by Christ. Matthew wrote this letter to his fellow Jews to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and to explain God’s Kingdom.
Matthews gospel opens with a genealogy to prove that Jesus is a descendant of both King David, and Abraham just as the OT predicted. Shepherds and wise men came to worship him. The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah, the Savior to appear. However when He was born they didn’t recognize Him because they were looking for a different kind of king.
Phil 2:5-11
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God,[a] he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges[b]; he took the humble position of a slave[c] and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,[d] 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Divine priveleges given up-omnipotence all power, omniscience ability know everything, omnipresence ability to be everywhere at the same time.
Mat 1:18-25
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[a] quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[b] for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,[c] which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
The Virgin Birth is important to the Christian faith for 4 reasons.
1. Jesus, God’s son had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all other human beings by Adam. When we were born, we were born into sin, with a sinful nature. When Christ was born, he was born into a sinful world, but did not have the sinful nature, because he retained His divinity or divine attributes through God who did not allow Joseph to be with Mary until Jesus was born.
2. Jesus was supernaturally born of a woman who remained a virgin until He was born
3. Jesus was a sinless human being
4. Jesus was fully divine, or God in the flesh
We all face difficulty in life, and Joseph faced the same with his wife being pregnant. She should have been stoned but God encouraged Joseph through some dreams.
Angels were sent to help declare these occurrences. Being that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, this reveals that Jesus was fully human and fully God. The Infinite God took on the limitations of humanity so He could live and die for the salvation of all who would believe in Him.
Jesus means the Lord Saves. We couldn’t save ourselves from sin and its consequences.
No matter how good we are, we can’t eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us. Jesus is the only one that can do that. He didn’t come so we could save ourselves, but came to be our Savior from the power and penalty of sin.
Your new life in Christ came from the moment you accepted Christ’s death and resurrection, and you asked Him to take control.
Prophesied in Isa 7:14 the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin[a] will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Incarnation- embodied in mortal form, give bodily form
God gave Jesus bodily form through the incarnation of the Virgin Birth
Luke 1:26-37
26, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you![a]”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[b] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.[c]”
John 1:1, 14
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh, or human and lived among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.
Heb 10:5 you prepared a body for me.
Jesus has this miraculous entrance into humanity
The reason why Joseph had nothing to do with Jesus entrance is very important. Mat 1:25 he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. Here’s why that is important.
Jesus would not of been able to claim the legal rights to the throne of David. Jer 22:28-30, there could be no king in Israel who was a descendant of King Jehoiachin, Mat 1:12 relates that Joseph was from the line of Jehoiachin. Jesus would have been from a cursed lineage.
Objections to the Virgin Birth
1. Miraculous, but if you believe that Jesus fed the 5,000, walked on water, and healed many people, the virgin birth may not be so far out there. If an all powerful God who spoke all creation into existence does exist, than the Virgin Birth may not be beyond His capability
2. Biological impossibility-Virgin Birth contrary to the course of nature
3. Some thought they could trace it to Greek or Babylonian mythology except for the fact that there is no hero in pagan mythology for which a virgin birth is claimed, plus it is unthinkable to the Jewish mind to construct a story from mythology. Deities in mythology were born unusually, but remember, they never actually existed!
There were some objections to the virgin birth, but it doesn’t change the fact that Jesus still came, and came to save us from our sins.
How do we enter the Kingdom of God?
Jn 3:3,5 must be born again to see the Kingdom of God
How is Jesus different from Mohammed, Buddha, and Confucius?
Jesus Christ claimed to be God, and allowed himself to be worshipped as God. Rms 1 declared to be the Son of God with Power! The power of that claim was validated by the resurrection of Christ.
Mohammed believed himself to be a prophet, Buddha-seeker of truth, Confucius never claimed to be anything other than a wise teacher. Jesus alone claimed to be God.
Jn 9:35-38 it is He that is talking to you.
Why does Christ make all these claims?
He loves the people in the world, and Mat 1:21 and wants to save the people from their sins.
Was Jesus Christ always a man? No. He became man at the time of The Incarnation.
Jesus, the son of God, while retaining his divine nature, took upon himself the nature of man. Jn 1:14
Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, God Himself was. No holy seed either, but a body God gave Jesus. The womb of Mary was the place where Jesus physically grew. But had nothing to do with the inception of Christ.
Example: our house is a place where the boys will grow up, eat, sleep, but the house itself had nothing to do with their initial conception. That was me!
That is what makes the Virgin Birth so supernatural. There wasn't any intervention from Mary’s normal reproductive cycle.
2 natures united in Christ- the divine and the human isa 9:6, mat 28:18, col 2:9, 1 john 1:7
Jesus put a face on God-Jn 14:9 you have seen me you have seen the Father
Jesus emptied himself of his eternal majesty and splendor to come to earth, but did empty himself of his divinity, love, kindness, compassion. His divine nature was undiminished in the incarnation.
It was necessary for him to become man to take our place under the law, and so He might die in our place. Gal 4:4-5, Heb 2:14
It was necessary for Him to be fully God to save us from our sins, and the penalty of sin, overcome death and the devil, and fulfill the law
Jn 1:17 Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ
Matthew is one of Jesus disciples. Once he was a despised tax collector, but his life was changed by Christ. Matthew wrote this letter to his fellow Jews to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and to explain God’s Kingdom.
Matthews gospel opens with a genealogy to prove that Jesus is a descendant of both King David, and Abraham just as the OT predicted. Shepherds and wise men came to worship him. The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah, the Savior to appear. However when He was born they didn’t recognize Him because they were looking for a different kind of king.
Phil 2:5-11
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God,[a] he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges[b]; he took the humble position of a slave[c] and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,[d] 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Divine priveleges given up-omnipotence all power, omniscience ability know everything, omnipresence ability to be everywhere at the same time.
Mat 1:18-25
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[a] quietly.
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[b] for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,[c] which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
The Virgin Birth is important to the Christian faith for 4 reasons.
1. Jesus, God’s son had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all other human beings by Adam. When we were born, we were born into sin, with a sinful nature. When Christ was born, he was born into a sinful world, but did not have the sinful nature, because he retained His divinity or divine attributes through God who did not allow Joseph to be with Mary until Jesus was born.
2. Jesus was supernaturally born of a woman who remained a virgin until He was born
3. Jesus was a sinless human being
4. Jesus was fully divine, or God in the flesh
We all face difficulty in life, and Joseph faced the same with his wife being pregnant. She should have been stoned but God encouraged Joseph through some dreams.
Angels were sent to help declare these occurrences. Being that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, this reveals that Jesus was fully human and fully God. The Infinite God took on the limitations of humanity so He could live and die for the salvation of all who would believe in Him.
Jesus means the Lord Saves. We couldn’t save ourselves from sin and its consequences.
No matter how good we are, we can’t eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us. Jesus is the only one that can do that. He didn’t come so we could save ourselves, but came to be our Savior from the power and penalty of sin.
Your new life in Christ came from the moment you accepted Christ’s death and resurrection, and you asked Him to take control.
Prophesied in Isa 7:14 the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin[a] will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Incarnation- embodied in mortal form, give bodily form
God gave Jesus bodily form through the incarnation of the Virgin Birth
Luke 1:26-37
26, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you![a]”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[b] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.[c]”
John 1:1, 14
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh, or human and lived among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.
Heb 10:5 you prepared a body for me.
Jesus has this miraculous entrance into humanity
The reason why Joseph had nothing to do with Jesus entrance is very important. Mat 1:25 he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. Here’s why that is important.
Jesus would not of been able to claim the legal rights to the throne of David. Jer 22:28-30, there could be no king in Israel who was a descendant of King Jehoiachin, Mat 1:12 relates that Joseph was from the line of Jehoiachin. Jesus would have been from a cursed lineage.
Objections to the Virgin Birth
1. Miraculous, but if you believe that Jesus fed the 5,000, walked on water, and healed many people, the virgin birth may not be so far out there. If an all powerful God who spoke all creation into existence does exist, than the Virgin Birth may not be beyond His capability
2. Biological impossibility-Virgin Birth contrary to the course of nature
3. Some thought they could trace it to Greek or Babylonian mythology except for the fact that there is no hero in pagan mythology for which a virgin birth is claimed, plus it is unthinkable to the Jewish mind to construct a story from mythology. Deities in mythology were born unusually, but remember, they never actually existed!
There were some objections to the virgin birth, but it doesn’t change the fact that Jesus still came, and came to save us from our sins.
How do we enter the Kingdom of God?
Jn 3:3,5 must be born again to see the Kingdom of God
How is Jesus different from Mohammed, Buddha, and Confucius?
Jesus Christ claimed to be God, and allowed himself to be worshipped as God. Rms 1 declared to be the Son of God with Power! The power of that claim was validated by the resurrection of Christ.
Mohammed believed himself to be a prophet, Buddha-seeker of truth, Confucius never claimed to be anything other than a wise teacher. Jesus alone claimed to be God.
Jn 9:35-38 it is He that is talking to you.
Why does Christ make all these claims?
He loves the people in the world, and Mat 1:21 and wants to save the people from their sins.
Was Jesus Christ always a man? No. He became man at the time of The Incarnation.
Jesus, the son of God, while retaining his divine nature, took upon himself the nature of man. Jn 1:14
Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, God Himself was. No holy seed either, but a body God gave Jesus. The womb of Mary was the place where Jesus physically grew. But had nothing to do with the inception of Christ.
Example: our house is a place where the boys will grow up, eat, sleep, but the house itself had nothing to do with their initial conception. That was me!
That is what makes the Virgin Birth so supernatural. There wasn't any intervention from Mary’s normal reproductive cycle.
2 natures united in Christ- the divine and the human isa 9:6, mat 28:18, col 2:9, 1 john 1:7
Jesus put a face on God-Jn 14:9 you have seen me you have seen the Father
Jesus emptied himself of his eternal majesty and splendor to come to earth, but did empty himself of his divinity, love, kindness, compassion. His divine nature was undiminished in the incarnation.
It was necessary for him to become man to take our place under the law, and so He might die in our place. Gal 4:4-5, Heb 2:14
It was necessary for Him to be fully God to save us from our sins, and the penalty of sin, overcome death and the devil, and fulfill the law
Jn 1:17 Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Everything is Possible
Mark 9:23- Everything is possible to him who believes.
Possibilities exist if you can believe for it.
Are there things that exist that you can't believe for?
Anything you won't believe for?
Remember faith is the substance of "things" hoped for the evidence of "things" not seen, Hebrews 11:1
If you can't see it, you can believe for it.
If you can see it, enjoy it!
But know that everything is possible.
There are no limitations with God. He believes. He has faith. (Mark 11:22-24).
He believes in you!
Everything is possible in your life, because God believes in you!
Possibilities exist if you can believe for it.
Are there things that exist that you can't believe for?
Anything you won't believe for?
Remember faith is the substance of "things" hoped for the evidence of "things" not seen, Hebrews 11:1
If you can't see it, you can believe for it.
If you can see it, enjoy it!
But know that everything is possible.
There are no limitations with God. He believes. He has faith. (Mark 11:22-24).
He believes in you!
Everything is possible in your life, because God believes in you!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Taking Inventory
1 Timothy 4:16: "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."
I have been hearing a lot about this lately. It is important to take inventory of our spiritual lives, and what we are communicating to others about their spiritual lives.
As leaders we must know the Bible. But know it in such a way that can be practically lived out.
I would like to see more Bible happening in our churches, then even being preached!
Many don't need to hear another sermon, but put into practice what we already know.
Either way persist in these things. Yourself, your teaching, and others.
1 Timothy 4:16.
I have been hearing a lot about this lately. It is important to take inventory of our spiritual lives, and what we are communicating to others about their spiritual lives.
As leaders we must know the Bible. But know it in such a way that can be practically lived out.
I would like to see more Bible happening in our churches, then even being preached!
Many don't need to hear another sermon, but put into practice what we already know.
Either way persist in these things. Yourself, your teaching, and others.
1 Timothy 4:16.
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