Watch What You Say – the Power of Words

Summer @ GSC, July 25, 2021

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

A Call to Decision

• Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

The Power of the Tongue

The Genesis of Words

• Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

The Impartation of His Power

• John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

The Implementation of the Tongue

• Exodus 32:11-14 Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

• Ephesians 4:29-31 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  

• Ephesians 5:18-19 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. 

Summer @ GSC – The Great Commission

July 18, 2021

Mark 16:15  And he said to them, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.

This is what is popularly known as the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:16, Matthew 28:17, Matthew 28:18-19 

• You have to first be discipled in order to make disciples.

Make disciples of all nations (ethnos), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Eight Facts on the Great Commission:

1. It’s never called the Great Commission in the Bible. 

2. The Great Commission is given to a group; not an individual. It’s not a solo mission. 

3. It’s a call to “make disciples,” not to “go.” 

4. Disciples aren’t just followers. It isn’t just a matter of gathering people who want to hear about Jesus. 

5. The Great Commission flows from Jesus’ authority.

6. It’s the first time the Bible lists all three members of the Trinity. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

7. Baptism is the mark of becoming a disciple

8. It’s not just about conversion.

What did Paul Say?

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 

Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

• You preach what’s in your heart.

• The truth is a person.

Three Things to Fulfill the Great Commission:

Catch, Carry, Convey

• The fruit tree bears fruit that it doesn’t consume. 

Let’s fulfill the great commission together.

Summer @ GSC – Where Is the Wind & Fire? July 11, 2021

Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. (NAS)

It began as a promise.

• Acts 1:4-5, 8 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. (NAS)
• Matthew 3:11 As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (NAS)

What was the promise?

• Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. (NAS)
• John 14:12-14 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (NAS)

What triggered the receiving of the promise?

• Acts 1:4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised. (NAS)

Summer @ GSC – Deliverance and Freedom, July 4, 2021

2 Kings 18:28-29 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria. Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from my hand; nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” (NAS)

Tactics of the Enemy

• Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. (NAS)
• 2 Kings 18:29-30 Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from my hand; nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” (NAS)
• 2 Kings 18:31-32 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” (NAS)

God’s Deliverance 

1. Value of the House of God.

• 2 Kings 19:1 And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. (NAS)

2. Seek Godly counsel.

• 2 Kings 19:2-3 Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth and there is no strength to deliver. (NAS)

3. Engage in intimate prayer. 

• 2 Kings 19:14-16 Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. (NAS)
• 2 Kings 19:20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you.’ (NAS)

4. Trust in God’s prosperity.

• 2 Kings 19:29 ‘Then this shall be the sign for you: you will eat this year what grows of itself, in the second year what springs from the same, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. (NAS)

5. Observe God bring deliverance and freedom. 

• 2 Kings 19:32-35 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, “He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield or throw up a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he shall not come to this city,”’ declares the LORD. ‘For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’” Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. (NAS)

Summer @ GSC – Get After It, June 27, 2021

God would be the agent, but He must be the instrument.

Taking Back What the Devil Stole

We are ambassadors for Christ.

John 14:12-14

English Standard Version

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me[a] anything in my name, I will do it.

Summer @ GSC – When Emotions Overwhelm You, June 20, 2021

Psalms 55:4-8 My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. “Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. “I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest.” (NAS)

• Job 5:7 Man is born for trouble as the sparks fly upward. (NAS)

Getting Your Faith Back

Turn to God in prayer. 

• Psalms 55:16 As for me, I shall call upon God, and the LORD will save me. (NAS)

His peace will provide the victory.

• Psalms 55:18 He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me. (NAS)

Give your troubles to God. 

• Psalms 15:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (NAS)
• Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (ESV)

Place your confidence in His plan for your life. 

• Psalms 55:23b But I will trust in You. (NAS)
• Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. 

Summer @ GSC – Focus, June 13, 2021

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:15-18: For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

We want the glory, but we don’t want the suffering.

2 Chronicles 7:12-16: Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.

We want the answered prayer, but we don’t want the humility.

Luke 18:10-14: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Matthew 8:19-22: And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

We want the discipleship, but we don’t want the cost.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21: From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We want the righteousness, but we don’t want the change.

Matthew 9:17: Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.

Summer @ GSC – God vs Reason, June 6, 2021

A new study found that 43 percent of millennials “don’t know, don’t care, don’t believe God exists.” And LifeWay Research reported this week that for the year 2019, Protestant church closures outpaced church openings in the US. – The Denison Report

Foundation for Faith and Foundation for Reason

• Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. (NAS) 
• Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?   (NAS)
• Romans 1:28-31 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (ESV)
• Job 40:8 Will you even put me (God) in the wrong? Will you condemn me (God) that you may be in the right? (ESV)

The Danger of Reason

• Isaiah 43:13 Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?” (NAS)
• Job 38:4 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. (ESV)

The Importance of Spiritual Formation

“Going to Church is Like Exercise.” – Lindsay Hannah, May 30, 2021

The more we do it, the healthier we become. 

1. Attending Church is Biblical.
   1. Matthew 18:20 – “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 
   2. Hebrews 10:25 – “Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

2. Living the Way Jesus Wants
   1. Colossians 3:1-2 (NASB) – “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.^2 [a]Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.”
   2. Colossians 3:5-8 (The Message)
      “And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.”
   3. Colossians 3:12-13  – “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience;¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.”
3. The Faster the Change, the Harder the Resistance
   1.  Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

4. We bury the “old life,” and we rise to walk in a “new life.”
   1. Matthew 29:19 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Breaking Free – The End is Near, May 23, 2021

Exodus 12:40-41 Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. (NAS)

Warnings to Consider 

We are given a choice. 

• Deuteronomy 30:15-16 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. (NAS)

There are consequences for our choices. 

• Deuteronomy 30:17-20 But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” (NAS)
• Deuteronomy 32:51-52 Because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.” (NAS)

Staying free demands a commitment.

• Numbers 33:51-53,55 Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places; and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. (V 55) But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. (NAS)

Breaking free calls for courage. 

• Deuteronomy 31:7-8 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (NAS)

The Fulfillment of the Promise

• Joshua 5:9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach (bondage) of Egypt from you.” (NAS)
• Genesis 12:2-3 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (ESV)