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When Are the Last Days? (Acts 2)

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Last Days Message Introduction

Today we begin a new message series entitled “Understanding the End Times.” We live in perilous and dangerous times. Two thirds of voters in the US think our country is headed in the wrong direction. The last few weeks, we’ve seen headlines about the deadly virus Ebola and continued reports of the Islamic ISIS barbaric practices. The Middle East seems to be perpetually in the news, with conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Iran and other players. We are concerned about terrorism coming to our shores by the hand of Islamic violence.

In our own country, we are confronted with increasing acceptance of sinful practices such as abortion, homosexual marriage, gambling, pornography, divorce, adultery, violence and racial issues. Just in the last few weeks, pastors in Houston were ordered to hand over their sermons to the lesbian mayor’s office to see if they made any negative reference to homosexuality. In Idaho, a pastor was being threatened with jail for refusing to marry a homosexual couple. Right here in St Louis, threats of rioting are being made depending on the outcome of the grand jury deliberations on the Ferguson shooting.

Is this just more of the same? Or is something unusual going on in our world? If you’re over 30, you have been around long enough to realize that our country is in a downward spiral. Does God’s Word speak to the times that we are living in? …

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Defeating Worry (Luke 12)

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Defeating Worry Introduction

Today, we’re concluding our message series “Need Direction?” In this series, we’ve been talking about how to get God’s guidance for our lives. We need God’s guidance in order to make right decisions and stay on track with God’s plan for our lives.

Today, our message is entitled “Defeating Worry.” We’re going to be talking about worry in the context of making decisions. First last answer the question “What is worry?” Worry is anxiety, concern or even fear of something bad happening in the future. We don’t worry about the past or the present, we worry about what may happen in the future.

So, people may worry before making a decision. Will I make the right decision? If I don’t make the right decision, what will happen in the future? People may worry after making a decision. Will this decision work out in the future? You can even make a decision based on worry. Since I am worried about X, I will make a decision to minimize my worry about X.

Worry is the polar opposite of faith. Faith looks to the future with hope and anticipation of good things happening. Worry, on the other hand, looks to the future with fear and anxiety of bad things happening. What does the Bible say regarding worry? The Bible tells us as believers, as people of faith, that we should not worry, but have faith.

Philippians 4:6 (NLT)  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

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Wrong Decisions (Genesis 15-17)

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Wrong Decisions Introduction

In our message series Need Direction? we’ve been talking about how to make decisions. When we make a decision, we can make a right decision or a wrong decision. Sometimes, people are so afraid of making a wrong decision, that they fail to make any decision at all. Most of the time, not making a decision is often the same as making a wrong decision. God places us in situations where we must get His guidance and act to make the right decision. God wants to guide us by the voice of His Spirit to make the right decisions.

Psalm 32:8-9 (NIV) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

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The Holy Spirit’s Whisper (John 14)

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The Holy Spirit’s Whisper Introduction

Today, we’re continuing in our message series Need Direction? In this series, we’re learning how to receive guidance and direction from God for our lives. Let’s review some of the key means of guidance that God has provided for us.

  1. The first and most important means of guidance is God’s Word, the Bible. God’s Word provides us with the principles and examples that should inform every decision that we make in life.
  2. The second means of guidance is the Holy Spirit and prayer. Oftentimes we think of prayer as asking God for something. Yet, prayer is meant to be two-way communication. The way that God communicates with us in prayer is through the Holy Spirit. Last Sunday, we talked about the importance of prayer in guidance. Today, we’re going to talk about the Holy Spirit.
  3. The third means of guidance is godly counsel and we’ve had a message on that several weeks back. Getting good counsel from other believers is essential.
  4. Finally, the last means of guidance is simply the circumstances of the situation. This is the least authoritative form of guidance, as God often leads His children to do things that seem to defy natural logic.

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Patient Prayer (Luke 11)

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Patient Prayer Introduction

Making wise decisions is one of the most important things in life. The decisions you make in life determine the course of your life and your eternal destiny. In our message series Need Direction? we’ve been looking at how to get God’s direction in making decisions. Several weeks ago, we look at the importance of God’s Word to give us principles on which to base our decisions. Last week, we looked at the need for good counsel from other godly people at input for our decisions.

This week, we’re going to be looking at how to get guidance from God Himself, in our message entitled “Patient Prayer.” Patient prayer brings supernatural guidance into our lives. You see, even if you had all the data of everything that has happened in the past, you still couldn’t make wise decisions without taking the future into account. God, however, knows the future. God understands and moves in the spiritual realm that we cannot see with our physical eyes. Patient prayer opens up the unseen spiritual realm to us as we seek guidance from God. …

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Getting Good Counsel (2 Timothy 3)

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Getting Good Counsel Introduction

Today, we continue in our message series “Need Direction?” Life is a journey. Life begins at birth and continues until our time on earth is finished. On the journey of life, we must decide what paths to take in life. What path we take in life will determine what we accomplish in this life and where we’ll end up in the next. On the journey of life, there are a lot of forks in the road. Places where we must decide whether to turn to the right or the left.

Sometimes, we know that we are at a big decision point in life. At other times, a series of seemingly small decisions can lead to a huge life change. The decisions we make in life can have eternal consequences, both for us and for others around us. In this series, we want to learn how to make the decisions that God wants us to make.

How do people make decisions? Oftentimes, people make decisions based on their feelings and emotions. They make decisions based on what they want to do. At other times, people make decisions based on what other people are doing. Following the crowd seems like a safe way to make decisions. Sometimes, people make decisions based on what an influential person has said or written. However, these ways of making decisions will often lead you astray, because emotions, the crowd or an influential person may not help you choose the right path.

Today, my message is entitled “Getting Good Counsel.” If you look at my title, you will realize that if there is good counsel, there also must be bad counsel. In today’s world, there is a lot more bad counsel readily available than good counsel. Everything you see on television or read on the internet is not true or good counsel.

Proverbs 15:22 (NIV) Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

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