Showing posts with label Missions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Missions. Show all posts

Sunday, April 03, 2005

ISAIAH - Seed Archive

Isaiah 9:6-7
TOPIC: Christmas; Emmanuel, hope, promise

TITLE: GOD'S LITTLE WORD - A Child With Us!
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given ... .”
TRUTH CLAIM: God has revealed His plan for the ages! In a world gone nuts with hate (terrorists), evil (killing of the innocent unborn), deception (false religions), war (Israel), corruption (politics), and much, much more, it's good to know God has a plan!

God told us not to be downtrodden but rather to rejoice in everything ... for GOD IS WITH US! If God is for us, who then can be against us?

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How does this passage apply to me?
I. It Provides Me a Greater Joy!
II. It Provides Me a Greater Light!
III. It Provides Me a Greater Victory!
IV. It Provides Me a Greater King!
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Dear friends, if the first half of Isaiah's prophecy has been fulfilled ... that is, if it is true that God "sent His only begotten Son," that His Son was "born of a virgin," that His Son "suffered and died for our sins," and that "God raised Him from the dead on the third day" … then we ought to believe the second half as well!

That is, Christ is coming again ... to bring a greater joy, to bring a greater light for those who dwell in darkness, to bring final victory, and to bring a government greater in every way than David's! Oh what a day of rejoicing that will be!

Isaiah 49:6
"I will also make You as a light to the Nations, so that You, My Salvation, may reach the ends of the earth."
TOPIC: Missions [Calling; Evangelism, Missionaries]

TITLE: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!

TRUTH CLAIM: God has a plan, salvation to "all the nations" through His Son; theSon has a plan, salvation "all the nations" through you and me!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is our role in foreign missions?
I. Our Role is Direct Involvement!
A. Through Submission!
B. Through Promotion!
II. Our Role is Indirect Involvement!
A. Intellectually!
B. Prayerfully!
C. Financially!
III. But Our Role is Never Uninvolvement!
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Our world view affects every thought we have and everyaction we take concerning missions. God is challenging all of us to remember: nomatter how many of us there are and no matter how great our problems seem to be,there are still billions more lost people than we have problems.

Isaiah 49:8-9
TOPIC: Covenant; faithfulness (of God), promises (of God)

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What then are some of His possessions which are now yours?
I. The Power of Christ is ours!
II. The Love of Christ is ours!
III. The Justice of Christ is ours!
IV. The Acceptance of Christ is ours!
V. The Righteousness of Christ is ours!
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all these great and glorious attributes are altogether yours?

Our blessed Lord, as perfect man, is our substitute, our blood atonement. Does it not give you hope and peace to know that He did these things for you and that they are altogether yours?

Christ Himself is our peace and Christ is our the covenant, but you must be in Him to be a part of the agreement.

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

EXODUS - Seed Archive

Exodus 3:10 [Matthew 28:19-20]
TOPIC: Calling; missions
TITLE: EVERY MAN A MOSES: Called To Bring God’s People Out!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How is the call to Moses similar to the Great Commission's call to the saint of today?
I. In that both call us to God!
II. In that both send us out from God!
III. In both we bring the enslaved to God!
APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: The world, like Israel, is in bondage. Each of us has been called to come to God, that He might send us out, that we might bring them out.

Every non-believer in the world today has his own Egypt, his own Pharaoh, and his own savior … what they lack is a Moses. For centuries priests stood between man and their God, now our apathy does!

18:18
TOPIC: Leadership; Organization, Planning

TITLE: REPRESENTATIVE AND REPRESENTED - How and why God wants us organized!
TEXT: EXODUS 18:18
“Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself."
TRUTH CLAIM: If left untaught and undiscussed, the people will let their leaders do all the work on their own.

Everywhere in Scripture we see the Lord encouraging and endorsing organization. Not to elevate one individual over another, but rather to show His people how to work together with one mind toward one goal, to show the leaders how they ought to organize the people for the work!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three questions help us understand God's organizational plan?
CONCISE OUTLINE:
I. HOW HE WANTS US ORGANIZED?
II. WHY HE WANTS US ORGANIZED?
III. WHAT HE EXPECTS OF THE ORGANIZATION?
APPLICATION: Moses was so close to the trees, he couldn't see the forest; it took someone from outside to present better way to him. To Moses' credit he saw clearly the wisdom of his father-in-law's suggestion.

God has only one way to organize, yet he allows many variations of His way. It's not so important who has what method, rather it's whether we
  1. operate within the context of God's way
  2. work toward God's goal, and
  3. cooperate with one another to accomplish it
Our church has no exemption from God's plan; if we expect to be a part of achieving His objective, we must organize and cooperate His way!

CHALLENGE: We must challenge ourselves to remember it is not our work or our goal, but God's work and God's goal. If He prefers one way over another, we must organize His way and cooperate in His work!

Look around the church today and try to understand that we are following a biblical model. Try to learn how it operates, then find a way to get involved ... with a cooperative attitude.

19-20:1-2, 18-26
TOPIC: Priesthood; Types (OT)

TITLE: A SPECIAL TREASURE - A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation!
TRUTH: The words of our title equally apply to the Church in 1 Peter 2:9. So the promises given to Israel are also given to the Church, "if [we] will indeed obey [His] voice and keep [His] covenant" [v.5].

It would do us well to make note of the similarities and differences between the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant in Christ's blood.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How does Israel before God at Mt. Sinai compare to the Church before God today?
CONCISE OUTLINE
I. WE BOTH -
A. MUST COME BEFORE HIM!
B. MUST BE PREPARED TO COME!
C. CAN EXPECT TO HEAR HIS VOICE!
D. MUST OBEY HIS VOICE!
E. MUST KEEP HIS COVENANT!
II. BUT THE CHURCH -
A. NEEDS NO HUMAN INTERCESSOR!
B. HAS ONLY ONE LAW - THE ROYAL LAW!
C. MAY COME BOLDLY INTO HIS PRESENCE!
APPLICATION: O what joy floods my soul; O what freedom I enjoy! The Lord, while I was yet a sinner, died for me! I'm not just free, but free indeed!

In other words, it's impossible to keep the law: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." [James 2:10]

In fact, it was never God's intent that the law be kept: "The law was our tuto, to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." [Galatians 3:24]

It was always God's plan to redeem the world through His Son: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" [John 1:29]

CHALLENGE: There are five or six covenants in the Old Testament. The believer, who truly appreciates what the Lord has done, will endeavor to understand the purpose of these covenants relative to the New Covenant in Christ's blood. The reason?

Most of what we know as New Testament light has reflected off those covenants. You'll be surprised when your eyes are opened to this truth.
 
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