DAN GOULD

FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Author: dgould77

  • Sunday AM Remix – 7.24.11

    Have you ever done the right thing even when it felt wrong?  Or better yet, have you ever had expectations and then saw God answer them in a different way? Naaman did.  This is a powerful story of one mans pride and Gods healing!  It’s a picture of ourselves and our battle with sin.  Here are my notes from todays message.

    HEROES
    Naaman: When the right thing seems so wrong
    2 Kings 5:1-15

    QUESTION: Would you pray more if you saw immediate answers?

    * The answer is probably yes! However, God would become like a genie & he would become our instrument instead of us being His.

    * We must realize that God will do things His way, in His time and many times it will not make sense to you and I!

    * If you have a God who is limited to your understanding, you’re in trouble, and you have a God that’s only as big a you are.

    “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

    * God is saying His perspective on or with our life is far more extensive than what you and I can understand.

    * Our life can be described with a puzzle. We see one puzzle piece at a time when God sees the whole masterpiece.  Sadly, many times we try to make decisions on our life based on the puzzle piece we see at the time instead of the masterpiece God sees.

    * TRUTH: God sees our life from beginning to end!

    “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

    * The over arching theme of this series has been the fact that – We have limited knowledge but God has all the knowledge.

    WHEN YOUR LIFE SEEMS TO BE TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN WHAT DO YOU DO? 

    “The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.” v. 1 (NLT)

    * Naaman was a mighty man, a man of valor, who has it all, BUT he has leprosy. Leprosy doesn’t care how popular you are … it’s still going to kill you!

    * Naaman has a death sentence.

    * TRUTH: Death brings life into clarity.

    * God uses Naaman’s leprosy to give him a sense of urgency.

    “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV)

    * REALITY: Death brings clarity to what’s important.

    “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36-37 (NKJV)

    * FAST FACT: Leprosy in the bible represents sin.

    * Leprosy and Sin are both fatal, incurable, and causes isolation.

    “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” 1 John 1:9-10 (NLT)

    * Naaman’s only hope is God!

    * All of us are like Naaman because of our sin disease and our only hope is Christ!

    “At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.” v. 2-3 (NLT)

    * God loves to take the weak and humiliate the strength of the strong.

    “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NLT)

    * God uses this insignificant little girl to help Naaman in his greatest time of need.

    * This little girl, did the right thing even when it seemed so wrong. She could have easily with held this info and resented Naaman!

    * BIG IDEA — *God can use anyone at any time if they are willing.

    “So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said.” v. 4 (NLT)

    * 6 months earlier Naaman would have never listened to this little Girl.

    * God is orchestrating the hearts of others to be ready to hear what we have to share … we just have to be obedient … We share, God saves.

    “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”

     7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.” v. 5-7 (NLT)

    * In todays lingo Naaman took anywhere between 1-4 million dollars with him.

    * The king sent Naaman to another King to be fixed.

    * TRUTH: God always brings us to a point where we can’t do it on our own.

    * By doing this God is inviting us to step down from our kingdom and enter into Gods kingdom.

    * God always brings us to a point of being powerless. The problem is that many of us don’t want to step down from our Kingdom to experience His Kingdom

    “But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”

     9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” v. 8-10 (NLT)

    * Elisha hears that the King has his panties in a wad and tells the king to send Naaman to him so he can prove there is a Living God.

    “Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 (NLT)

    * Naaman shows up in all his pride expecting to buy his healing

    * REALITY: there are people today who are trying to buy their salvation instead of receiving it freely.

    * TRUTH: If you get the privilege 2 go 2 Heaven it has 2 be done Gods way – Jesus!  You can go 2  Hell anyway you want!

    * Elisha sent a message to Naaman 2 go wash 7 times in the river.

    “But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.” v. 11-12 (NLT)

    * Because of his pride, Naaman gets mad that Elisha sent a messenger to him instead of coming out himself.

    * Naaman almost missed the whole thing because God’s expression was not his expectation.  Our expectation isn’t always gods expression.

    * If we limit God to doing things that only we can understand we are toast and have a small God.

    * God can do, and does, things we don’t expect!!!

    * Naaman’s mad because he doesn’t only want to be healed, he wants to be honored. (pride)

    * God will not honor you until you humble yourself.

    * God has to humble us before he will Heal us.

    * THOUGHT: Maybe God is revealing himself in ways we may not be expecting.

    * TRUTH: Naaman was either going to die in his pride or to his pride

    * REALITY: Many times it’s our pride that keeps us from the Lord.

    “But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” v. 13 (NLT)

    * Naaman listens to the soldier and does what the prophet said he should do.

    * With each dip Naaman humbled himself.

    * What seemed foolish and easy to Naaman is what Healed him.

    * TRUTH: Salvation seems foolish and too easy for some people. They aren’t healed because of their pride.

    “So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!

     15 Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” v. 14-15 (NLT)

    * Half obedience is full disobedience.

    * FAST FACT: The word Jordan means decision or judgement. Naaman was told to go to the Jordan to dip 7 times. Throughout the Bible we see this true of the Jordan River

    * Naaman says, after humbling himself and obeying,  Now I know that there is a God! Even though God shows up in a way he never thought possible and even a little foolish!

    There is a lot we can learn from the life and story of Naaman.  The major question we have to wrestle with is this: What area is God wanting to heal in my life? What decision do you need to step out in faith, humility, and obedience in today?

    If you missed this weeks message, I encourage you to get it here.  While you are there, browse around our website … we think you will like it and find it to be a great tool in inviting friends to FBC Harvester.

    As always, I hope you make plans to join us at FBC Harvester next weekend! If distance is a problem, you are always welcome to listen to any of the teachings from our worship service from our website. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here. We would love the privilege of helping where we can and seeing God do amazing things in our lives together.

  • Sunday AM Remix – 7.17.11

    Have you ever felt like you were up against something that you couldn’t defeat? Maybe you have tried, but somehow have failed. Maybe you feel like there is something you are supposed to do, but the comments of others is keeping you trapped from doing what you know you are supposed to do.  We all have Giants! Today, by looking at the story of David and Goliath, we are going to talk about how we can take a stand against the giants we face so we can begin to see the victory we so eagerly desire!

    HEREOS
    “David:  When You Face a Giant”
    1 Samuel 17

    * God tends to use the least, the last, and the lost, the most! Why? Because HE gets the Glory & Praise because everyone understands that there is no-way they could have done that on their own!
    * No-One is too small for God to use!
    * The story of David and Goliath is the John 3:16 of the Old Testament because many people have heard it!

    TO DEFEAT A GIANT IN YOUR LIFE …

    1. Identify Your GIANT.

    “The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield. Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. ‘Why are you all coming out to fight?’ he called. ‘I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!’ When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.” 1 Samuel 17:1-11 (NLT)

    * Your Giant might not be named Goliath, it may be named … lying, cheating, gambling, busyness, over-eating, laziness, pornography, smoking, sniffing, shooting, drinking, … and the list goes on!
    * Your Giant may not flaunt itself in the valley but in, the bedroom, in the work place, at the gym, in the refrigerator … and the list goes on!      You know where you are tempted most!!!
    * Your Giant will keep you hostage!
    * You must identify the giant, because you can’t kill a ghost!

    2. Ignore The NAY-SAYERS.

    “One day Jesse said to David, ‘Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.’ David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. ‘Have you seen the giant?’ the men asked. ‘He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!’ David asked the soldiers standing nearby, ‘What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?’ And these men gave David the same reply. They said, ‘Yes, that is the reward for killing him.’ But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. ‘What are you doing around here anyway?’ he demanded. ‘What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!’ ‘What have I done now?’ David replied. ‘I was only asking a question!’ He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer.” 1 Samuel 17:17-30 (NLT)

    * Man looks at the outward appearance but man looks at the heart!
    * When was the last time you put yourself in a situation where God had to rescue you?
    * There is a difference in looking like a Christian and being a Christian!
    * We will always have critics who say we cant do it!
    * We have a Goliath to go after, but many times we spend our energy in what others say we can’t do!
    * A Leader who keeps his ear toe the ground leaves his rear open for attach.

    3. Refuse To PROCRASTINATE.

    “Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. ‘Don’t worry about this Philistine,’ David told Saul. ‘I’ll go fight him!’ 1 Samuel 17:31-32 (NLT)

    * David asked several people why they were not stepping up to fight!
    * This was Saul’s fight not Davids, but Saul missed his opportunity see God use him in a powerful way.
    * Procrastination is the assignation of motivation.
    * David didn’t wait around, if he had, he probably would have become like everyone else!
    * Many times we want God to adjust to us instead of us making the needed adjustments God has led us to.

    4. Stay With Your STRENGTHS.

    “‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Saul replied. ‘There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.’ But David persisted. ‘I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,’ he said. ‘When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!’ Saul finally consented. ‘All right, go ahead,’ he said. ‘And may the Lord be with you!’ Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. ‘I can’t go in these,’ he protested to Saul. ‘I’m not used to them.’ So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:33-40 (NLT)

    * You are the only one that can be you and get it right!
    * He took 5 stones to kill Goliath because Goliath had 4 brothers and he was going to kill them all!
    * You can’t fight your battles with someone else’s strength or stuff!

    5. Trust Only IN THE LORD.

    “Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. ‘Am I a dog,’ he roared at David, ‘that you come at me with a stick?’ And he cursed David by the names of his gods. ‘Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!’ Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and He will give you to us!’” 1 Samuel 17:41-47 (NLT)

    * You never know how great God is until you have been rescued by Him.
    * Faith is believing and repeating what God has already said.
    * The size of your Giant is determined by the size of your God. Big giant, small God. Big God, small giant!

    6. Move Toward The GIANT.

    “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.” 1 Samuel 17:48-49 (NLT)

    * The longer you look at, analyze, and strategize, the more difficult it is to defeat your giant!

    “I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands.” Psalm 119:60

    7. Finish The JOB.

    “So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.” 1 Samuel 17:50-51 (NLT)

    * Many times we fight against the giant but never finish the job! YOU MUST KILL THE GIANT!
    * Whatever battle you face today it’s not about you, it’s all about God.

    “The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His Temple. For He will conceal me there when troubles come; He will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.” Psalm 27:1-5 (NLT)

    * God wants you to triumph so you can tell others about Him and what He has done!
    * What Giant are you facing?

    The greatest Giant we all face is the giant of being lost. The only way I can defeat this Giant is by trusting Jesus, inviting Him into my life, and living with Him as Lord. When I do this, He defeats the giant of lostness and return, gives me salvation through the cross and the resurrected Christ. If you would like more info on this, please click here!

    If you missed this weeks message, I encourage you to get it here.  While you are there, browse around our new website … we think you will like it and find it to be a great tool in inviting friends to FBC Harvester.

    As always, I hope you make plans soon to join us at FBC Harvester  next weekend! If distance is a problem, you are always welcome to listen to any of the teachings from our worship service from our website. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here. We would love the privilege of helping where we can.

  • Bible Challenge – Genesis 18

    “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” v.14 (NLT)

    What a great question! The obvious answer is, “Of course not!!!!” Because we have other verses that answer this for us. Here are two examples,

    “For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37 (NLT)

    “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NLT)

    However, sometimes we don’t take things to GOD that really need to be taken to Him.  In fact, we should take everything to Him because He delights in hearing from us!

    This question reveals much about God. Make it a habit to insert your specific needs into the question.  Example, “Is this problem in my life too hard for the Lord?” “Is this habit that I am trying to break or trying to develop, too hard for the Lord?” “Is the communication problem I am having too hard for Him?” “Are my feeling and sometimes lack of confidence too hard for Him to sort out and build up?”

    Asking the question this way reminds us that we need to talk to God more often.  It also reminds us that God is personally involved in our life and has the power to help in any situation we find ourselves facing … we just have to include Him in the situation, and trust Him with the details and results.

    Today, what are you facing that seems to big for you to handle? Have you asked God help?

  • Sunday AM Remix – 7.10.11

    Another strong day as we continued in our series titled Heroes. In this series, we are revisiting many of the Bible Stories we’ve heard and even learned from a young age, to find that these were ordinary people that God did extraordinary things through and with. This week we looked at the life of Samson a HE-MAN with a SHE-WEAKNESS! Here are my notes from yesterdays time together.

     

    HEROES
    “Samson:  When You Have a Bad Hair Day”
    Judges 13-16

    * God made each of us differently! There are no cookie cutter Christians or cookie cutter experiences.

    * The story of Samson, is different from the other stories we have looked at so far.  The others, God took someone weak and made them look strong through His strength.  With Samson, God takes someone strong and makes them weak to accomplish His greatest work.

    * We must understand that it is not about our ability, it’s about our availability.

    * If you are a child of God and prostitute Gods blessings, consequences will follow!

    THREE BIG THINGS WE NEED TO SEE IN SAMSON’S LIFE

    1.  Samson’s  SUPER START.

     “Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.   In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, ‘Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food.  You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.’”             Judges 13:1-5 (NLT)

    * Your giftedness doesn’t trump your need for Godliness.

    * Many times God can’t use our strength because Satan is using our weakness.

    * Reality: 1 out of 3 American couples deal with infertility.

    – He had a divine PRONOUNCEMENT.

    * Only 4 people in the Bible had a Public pronouncement of their birth.

    – Jesus, Isaac, John the Baptist, & Samson

    – He had dynamic PARENTS.

    * It’s possible to have Godly Parents & have Godless Children.

     – He had a definite PURPOSE.

     * There were three things to a Nazarite Vow

    – No razor could touch their hair.

    – No touching of anything dead.

    – No eating/drinking of anything made from grapes

    2.  Samson’s MASSIVE MISTAKES.

    – 3 Major Flaws of Samson:

      • SELF-INDULGENT

    * Lack of self-control and discipline

    “One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. When he returned home, he told his father and mother, ‘A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.’   His father and mother objected. ‘Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?’ they asked. ‘Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?’   But Samson told his father, ‘Get her for me! She looks good to me.’ His father and mother didn’t realize the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.   As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he didn’t tell his father or mother about it. When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her.   Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass. He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn’t tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.” Judges 14:1-9 (NLT)

    “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”  Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

    * Samson’s name = Sun Light/Sunshine

    * Even though his name meant Sunshine he lived like darkness.

    * In every sin the DNA is pain.

      • HOT-TEMPERED

     * Anger, Resentment, Revenge.

    “As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men. When the bride’s parentssaw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions.

    Samson said to them, ‘Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing. But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.’  ‘All right,’ they agreed, ‘let’s hear your riddle.’   So he said: ‘Out of the one who eats came something to eat;out of the strong came something sweet.’   Three days later they were still trying to figure it out. On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, ‘Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us, or we will burn down your father’s house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?’   So Samson’s wife came to him in tears and said, ‘You don’t love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.’  ‘I haven’t even given the answer to my father or mother,’ he replied. ‘Why should I tell you?’ So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. Then she explained the riddle to the young men.   So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer:’ What is sweeter than honey?   What is stronger than a lion?’   Samson replied, ‘If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have solved my riddle!’  Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had solved his riddle. But Samson was furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother. So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson’s best man at the wedding.” Judges 14:10-20 (NLT)

    * The Devil likes to put something sweet into something disgusting.

    * There is always something sweet in the sin of the moment.

    * Truly strong people can control/restrain their anger!

    “Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”  Proverbs 16:32 (NLT)

    “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.”  Proverbs 14:29 (NLT)

      • CARELESS 

    “One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute. Word soon spread that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together and waited all night at the town gates. They kept quiet during the night, saying to themselves, ‘When the light of morning comes, we will kill him.’   But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors of the town gate, including the two posts, and lifted them up, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them all the way to the top of the hill across from Hebron… Samson replied, ‘If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.’. . Afterward Delilah said to him, ‘You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely.’   Samson replied, ‘If I were tied up with brand-new ropes that had never been used, I would become as weak as anyone else.’. . .

    Then Delilah said, ‘You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.’ . . .

    Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. ‘My hair has never been cut,’ he confessed, ‘for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.’. . .

    So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison.”  Judges 16:1-3, 7, 10-11, 13, 17, 21 (NLT)

    * Samson became so careless & comfortable that he didn’t realize God had left him.

    * He Looked, Lusted, and fell in Love – this proves that you can fall in love with anyone, that’s why it’s so important to guard your heart.

    “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

    * When you allow temptation to wear you down to will power, you are in trouble – sin is blinding, binding, and grinding

    3.  SAMSON’S SECOND CHANCE.

    “But before long, his hair began to grow back.”  Judges 16:22 (NLT)

    “Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.’  Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, he prayed, ‘Let me die with the Philistines.’ And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.”  Judges 16:28-30 (NLT)

    * This is the first time we see Samson humble and repentant.

    *Samson stood between to pillars with outstretched hands pushing against them. Very similar to the picture we see of Jesus on the cross with outstretched hands to be nailed for our sin.

    * Samson died with his enemies! However, God did more through Samson’s weakness than Samson was able to do his whole life on his and in his own strength.

    “How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.”  Hebrews 11:32 (NLT)

    * Your failures do not have to define you, God is a God of second chances.

    If you missed this weeks message, I encourage you to get it here.  While you are there, browse around our new website … we think you will like it and find it to be a great tool in inviting friends to FBC Harvester.

    As always, I hope you make plans soon to join us at FBC Harvester  next weekend! If distance is a problem, you are always welcome to listen to any of the teachings from our worship service from our website. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here. We would love the privilege of helping where we can.

  • Bible Challenge – Genesis 17

    “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.’” v.1-2 (NLT)

    This wasn’t the first time God and Abram have ever chatted. But this time God doesn’t just make a promise, he makes a covenant with him. A covenant and promise are very similar but also very different. A promise is God simply saying that He will do something. A covenant is God saying He will do something but also demands something from us. When God appears to Abram, he ask’s him to “Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.” The call is the same for us today. God asks us to serve Him faithfully and to live a blameless life. Lets look at these two a little closer.

    Serving Faithfully can simply be defined by our obedience and disciplines. However, these are outward expressions of having a relationship with Christ. It’s not just doing something for the Lord, its being who the Lord wants us to be. The only way we can do both, is simply spending time with Him on a regular basis through worship, prayer, Bible Reading. It’s hard to know someone you don’t spend much time with.

    Living Blamelessly is a matter of purity. Purity encompasses our thoughts, actions, motives, heart and much much more. Many times when we think of purity we simply think of purity from sexual things. But purity actually involves every aspect of your life.

    Today, Would OTHERS describe you as a person who is Serving God faithfully and living a blameless life? Would YOU describe you as a person who is Serving God faithfully and living a blameless life? Most importantly, would GOD describe you as a person who is Serving Him faithfully and living a blameless life?

  • Bible Challenge – Genesis 16

    “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. 3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan” v 1-3 (NLT)

    Sarai took matters into her own hands by giving Hagar to Abram. Like Abram, she had trouble believing God’s promise that was apparently directed specifically toward Abram and Sarai. Out of his lack of faith came a series of problems. This invariably happens when we take over for God, trying to make His promise come true through efforts that are not in line with his specific directions.  In this case, time was the greatest test of Abram and Sarai’s willingness to let God work in their lives. Sometimes we too must simply wait. When we ask God for something and have to wait, we can be tempted to take matters into our own hands and interfere with God’s plans.

    Today, how have you responded to the Lord? Have you trusted Him, ignored Him, or tried to make something happen that He may have even promised in your own timing?

  • Bible Challenge – Genesis 15

    “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” v.6 (NLT)

    Have you ever felt like you were going through the motions, jumping through the right hoops, but still feeling empty? There is a reason for that.  The enemy tries to keep us busy so we feel like we are doing the right things, but only God can can stir our hearts in a way that causes us to feel connected, driven, and effective.  God gives us the why behind the work and the passion behind the perseverance.  But it all starts with a little word called faith!

    When we look at Abrams life it’s easy to see that he had been demonstrating his faith through his actions.  However, it was his faith in the Lord, not his actions, that made Abram right with the Lord.  We, too, can have a right relationship with God simply by trusting Him.  Our outward actions: church attendance, prayer, good deeds, service, will not by themselves make us right with God. (yes you read that right) A right relationship with God is based on faith! Faith is the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who He says He is and does what He says He will do. Right actions will follow naturally as a by products to our faith in Christ.

    “Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

     4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. ” Romans 4:1-5 (NLT)

    Today, Are you driven by faith, or by feelings? Both can cause us to do good things, but only one will make us righteous in the eyes of God.

  • Sunday AM Remix – 7.03.11

    Have you ever felt like God was asking you to do the impossible?  I mean look at you!!! Just Kidding!  Many times that is exactly what we do, we look at ourselves and our own resources, instead of looking to God, and trusting Him to do what we thought to be  impossible or a mistake.  Gideon is a great example of a person who would give excuse after excuse but in the end would trust God and see Him do something that seemed impossible.

    HEROES
    “Gideon:  What God Can Do With a Few”
    Judges 6-7

    * God doesn’t use extraordinary people!  Why? Because there are none! – Romans 3

    * God loves taking a zero to a hero, a looser to a leader, the ordinary to extraordinary.

    “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare. So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.”  Judges 6:1-6 (NLT)

     * Throughout  scripture we see the people of God going through these stages – Rebellion – Retribution – Repentance – Restoration

    THREE BIG THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM GIDEON

    1.  In his CIRCUMSTANCES– Gideon was SHATTERED.

    “Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.”  Judges 6:11 (NLT)

    * You don’t have to have all of your life together for God to show up.  He’s not dependent on you at all!

    2.  By his SURPRISE – Gideon was SELECTED.

    “The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!’  ‘Sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, “The Lord brought us up out of Egypt?” But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.’   Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!’  ‘But Lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!’   The Lord said to him, ‘I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.’”  Judges 6:12-16 (NLT)

    * If, Why, Where, But – The four big words of excuses!

    • Remember:  God sees you not only AS YOU ARE but also as you will ONE DAY BE.

     * Apple Illustration – How many seeds are in this apple?  Lesson – We may be able to count how many seeds are in an apple, but there is no way for us to count how many apples are in each seed! God sees the future potential, not just the present reality!

    3.  For his GROWTH – Gideon was STRETCHED.

    “That night the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.’”  Judges 6:25-26 (NLT)

    * We have to be rescued from ourselves first, before we can begin to be used to rescue others.

    Gideon was stretched in these three areas

    • SPIRITUALLY
    • EMOTIONALLY
    • PHYSICALLY

     4.  Through his GOD – Gideon was SUCCESSFUL.

    • Command #1:  Excuse the COWARDS.

    ‘Therefore, tell the people, “Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountainand go home.”’ So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.’  Judges 7:3 (NLT)

    “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

     * God doesn’t make public heroes of private cowards!

    * Sometimes the Church doesn’t need to get bigger, it needs to get better!

    •  Command #2:  Exclude the Careless.

     “But the Lord told Gideon, ‘There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.’ When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, ‘Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.’ Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.” Judges 7:4-6 (NLT)

    * One + God = A Majority

    * Note: Worship and cracked pots is all they had – points to the New Testament.

    • Command #3:  Enlist the COMMITTED

    “The Lord told Gideon, ‘With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.’  Judges 7:7 (NLT)

    “He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.   Then he said to them, ‘Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon!”’ It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’   Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.”  Judges 7:16-22 (NLT)

    If you missed this weeks message, I encourage you to get it here.  While you are there, browse around our new website … we think you will like it and find it to be a great tool in inviting friends to FBC Harvester.

    As always, I hope you make plans soon to join us at FBC Harvester  next weekend! If distance is a problem, you are always welcome to listen to any of the teachings from our worship service from our website. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here. We would love the privilege of helping where we can.

  • Bible Challenge – Genesis 14

    “When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan. 15There he divided his men and attacked during the night. Kedorlaomer’s army fled, but Abram chased them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.”  v.14-16 (NLT)

    Would you describe yourself as a prepared person?  Let me ask that a different way, would you describe yourself as a proactive person or a reactive person? A proactive person prepares for things while a reactive person simply responds to events.  This is just one of the many things that reveal your character. This passage reveals a couple of things about Abram’s Character that are important for us to note and challenges us to live by.

    First, Abram had courage to face the powerful King and rescue lot.  This courage came from the Lord which Abram knew personally.  Because of our relationship with God, we can have courage to face our enemies. Our enemies are those obstacles that we face in everyday life. They come in the forms of difficult people, but mainly they come in the form of thoughts and desires.  It’s part of the sinful nature that we have to learn to resist.

    Second, Abram was prepared! Not only was he prepared, he had taken the time to train others for a potential conflict. The Bible says that we should be ready for anything.  We never know what might be thrown our way, but we can be prepared for anything with a little discipline.  We need to be disciplined in these five areas, Spiritually, Physically, Emotionally, Mentally, Socially. Here are some follow-up questions to address when thinking about each of these five areas:

    • Am I growing in likeness to Christ?
    • What I am I doing to prepare/protect myself in this area
    • How are others influencing me in this area of life.
    • How is my lack of discipline affecting in this area affecting me and potentially others.

    Those are just four quick questions to ask yourself when you begin to think about becoming prepared and proactive.

    Today, what needs to change in your life so you can be ready for any challenge that may arise?

  • Bible Challenge – Genesis 13

    “So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. 13But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.” v 12-13 (NLT)

    Have you ever done something that you thought was going to be better than it actually was?  Have you ever put yourself in a situation that where you thought, “that would never happen to me.”  How did it turn out for you?  Lot did the same thing, he picked a place that looked good and seemed to have a lot of promise, but in the end it caused havoc and heartache because of the location and the surrounding influences of the people in the area.

    For Lot, the good pasture and available water seemed like a wise choice at first. But Lot failed to recognize that the wicked Sodom could provide temptations strong enough to destroy his family.  It leaves me with a question for all of us to think about today: Have you/I chosen to live, play, work in ‘Sodom’?

    Now I understand what you are saying to yourself right now, but if someone doesn’t go and share Christ with them, how will they ever hear the message of Christ?  Great question, but notice, Lot didn’t pick the land based on the opportunity to share the Gospel, he picked it based on the opportunity he saw in it for himself. So before you ask that question check your motives as to why you are putting yourself in the environment. Yes, God does command us to reach people in the ‘Sodom’ near us, however, we must be careful not to become like the very people we are trying to reach.  If the only difference between you and them is church attendance, then why would they need Jesus?

    Today, Are you being wise and intentional with where you spend your time? It will have an impact on you in ways you never thought possible!