Luke 1:5-7
Luke 1:8-10
Luke 1:11-16
Luke 1:18-20
Luke 17:11-19
God longs for our love and thanksgiving for who He is and all He has done for us.
Giving thanks acknowledges that all we are and have comes from God.
Giving thanks deepens our trust in God and Develops our ability to walk by faith.
Give thanks for the small and the ordinary.
Focus on giving thanks for blessings received more than asking for more blessings.
Invest time to think in order to properly thank.
Matthew 28:16-20
Ephesians 4:11-16
Colossians 3:12-17
Mark 5:21-24
Mark 5:35-43
John 3:17
1 Corinthians 12:24-27
Isaiah 9:6
Matthew 21:33-44
This One-Sure Cornerstone is Living & Secure; but today, it can also be Rejected.
Many times Jesus is seen by us as the “Add-On,” instead of the “Cornerstone.”
Just like the DNA in every human cell, the common DNA of every church must be to Lift Up Jesus.
The Cross is the ultimate symbol of rejection but also the only hope for every person’s Soul.
The rejection of the Savior this wonderful in not only silly but has serious ramifications.
We need not wait until Jesus is all we have to realize that Jesus is all need.
John 20:19-20
a. Shows them that death has been changed forever.
1 Corinthians 15:19-21
i. Death does not have the final say for the believer. It’s simply a step into eternal life.
ii. Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? (I Cor. 15:5-57)
John 20:21-23
b. Sends them into the world with a new sense of purpose.
God takes the disasters in your life and makes them tools of redemption. He takes your failures and employs it as a tool of grace. He uses the “death” of the fallen world to motivate you to reach out for life. The hardest things in your life become the sweetest tools of grace in his wise and loving hands. Be careful how you make sense of your life. What looks like a disaster may in fact be grace. What looks like the end may be the beginning. What looks hopeless may be God’s instrument to give you real and lasting hope. Your Father is committed to taking what seems so bad and turning it into something that is very, very good. – Paul Tripp
John 20:24-25
a. What is the “unless” in your life that keeps you from considering the claims of Jesus?
b. Jesus’ invitation: personal and full of love.
c. Thomas’ confession: recognizes Jesus as His master and God.
John 20:26-29
A. Why this story?
i. Shows that Jesus is always aligned with the Father’s plan. He models obedience.
Zechariah 9:9
Symbol of humility not a show of power.
ii. Shows that we can trust him when he calls us to do something.
Life of the follower of Jesus is a string of opportunities to trust God by listening to the Holy Spirit for direction and drawing on God’s grace for strength.
B) What are Jesus’ commands like?
i. Command is specific.
Prayer Stories from 40 Days: pastor@taylorsfbc.org
ii. Command has been prepared for in advance
iii. Command allows us to be used for the glory of Jesus to be seen by others.
What are the expectations of this crowd. When we go to God we go to God because we need something. Virtually everyone heads out towards God because they need something. We go to God and say “you need to give me exactly what I need from you.” What did these people thing they needed from God? To bring judgment down on the people they thought were ruining the world (the Romans). What they really needed was someone to come down to bear the judgment for them because they were ruining the world because everybody in the human race was part of that. What they really needed was pardon and reconciliation so that God can come back to earth to end evil without ending you and me. – Tim Keller
Sometimes we shape Jesus into what we want him to be not who he really is.
Matthew 6:25-34
The idea here is that we should not fret over temporary things, but focus on the everlasting things.
Often our struggle with anxiety is due to striving so very hard for the earthly treasures we think will make us happy.
Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’: aim at Earth and you will get neither. – C. S. Lewis
Psalm 90:9-17
Moses understands the urgency of using time wisely because there is something great at stake: finishing the mission God has given us.
Being gospel-centered isn’t just getting the gospel RIGHT, it’s getting the gospel OUT. – Gospel-Centered Teaching
2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Ungodly attitude: look at it through the eyes of control
Godly attitude: look at through the eyes of contentment
Total Amount: $1.5 million
A. Renovations | 55%, $825,000 – an investment in people through the stewardship of our facilities
B. Debt | 30%, $450,000 – an investment in order to free up future ministry resources
C. Missions | 15%, $225,000 – an investment in getting the gospel to people beyond this campus
Timing – a several week period beginning in August leading to final pledge or giving day on October 5 / You can give through end of year
Step of Faith: meet budget and meeting offering goal.
A. Maturity as follower of Jesus.
B. Grace given to others.
