“You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” v.7 (NLT)
How do you react when someone suggest you have done something wrong? Do you move to correct the mistake of deny that you need to correct it? After Cain’s gift was rejected, God gave him the chance to right his wrong and try again. God even encouraged him to do this! But Cain refused, and the rest of his life is a startling example of what happens to those who refuse to admit their mistakes. The next time someone suggest you are wrong, take an honest look at yourself and choose God’s way instead of Cain’s.
Understand that sin is waiting to attack and destroy us. Like Cain, we will be victims to sin if we do not master it. But we cannot master sin in our own strength. Instead, we must turn to God to receive faith for ourselves and turn to other believers to receive encouragement and strength. The Holy Spirit will help us master sin. This will be a lifelong battle that will not be over until we are face to face with Christ.
Today, what sin have you let hang around to long without being mastered? Have others pointed out symptoms of this sin that you have ignored? Why not be done with it by confession it to God and then resisting it when the temptation come though the power of the Holy Spirit!
Today we started a brand new series called Heroes! We are unpacking the proof that God can use anybody. During the series we’ll look at Old Testament examples of real people who did extraordinary things because of their faith. Today, we looked at the life of Noah!
* The story of the flood is not a nice little story about animals and a rainbow; It’s a story about sin and judgement.
* We will only obey God in the storm to the degree we trust God before the storm comes.
* The storm doesn’t always grow our faith, but it does reveal our faith!
3 KINDS OF FAITH:
➢ FAIR WEATHER faith.
* The idea that as long as things are going good, you and God are tight! But when things start going bad, your out.
* Fair Weather Faith people say, “God as long as you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours.”
➢ FOUL WEATHER faith.
* Rushing to God when all else fails.
* Praying, “God if you do this …. I will …”
* Seeks God only in Crisis
➢ ALL-WEATHER faith.
* Obeying God regardless!
* Being faithful in easy and difficult times.
TO OBEY GOD IN THE STORM LIKE NOAH:
1. We must DARE TO BE DIFFERENT.
* Noah is like a donut at a weight watchers convention! – he stood out!
* We live in a world that is afraid of standing out and being different.
“This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9 (NKJV)
* The word perfect here does not mean sinless but blameless. Noah was blameless when compared to others.
“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark . . .” Matthew 24:37-38 (NKJV)
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV)
* The majority isn’t always right! God + 1 = a majority
* Conformity is often the enemy of Christianity!
– Does my life look more much different from everyone else?
– Remember, the fear of man is a trap.
* When everyone was walking away from God, Noah walked with God!
2. We must TRUST GOD COMPLETELY.
* We obey based on how much we trust God.
* Noah was 500 miles from the Mediterranean Sea when he built the Ark by faith
➢ Jesus and the Ark: INSIDE is the Only SAFE Place.
* We can see the Gospel even in the story of Noah
– Everything IN the Ark was safe!
– Everything is Christ will be saved!
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6 (NKJV)
* We can see the Gospel even in the story of Noah
– There was only one way into the Ark.
– Jesus is the only way to God.
➢ Jesus and the Ark: Both absorbed God’s JUDGEMENT.
* We can see the Gospel even in the story of Noah
– The Flood was the picture of Gods Judgement & the Ark absorbed it.
– The Cross was the picture of Gods Judgement & the Cross absorbed it.
“Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.’” Genesis 7:1 (NKJV)
‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.’ Genesis 8:16 (NKJV)
3. We must REFUSE TO GIVE UP.
* It took Noah between 98-120 years to build the Ark! That’s a long time to want to give up!
PROBLEMS → PRESSURES → PEOPLE Will Tempt You to Give Up.
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4 (NKJV)
4. We must BE READY FOR ANOTHER ATTACK.
* Satan will not leave you alone because you do one thing right, or persevere through one storm.
“And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.” Genesis 9:20-21 (NKJV)
* Satan is relentless in his attack on us.
– We may avoid one attack, but be warned, there is another one coming.
* Looking at the end of Noahs life we see that the last 1/3 of his life was spent coasting and doing nothing for God.
– The challenge is to serve the Lord all the days of our life!
– If you Coast you’re toast!
ONE LAST THOUGHT
We all have Ark moments; the question is will you be ready for yours?
This is going to be another great series. If you missed any of the talks from our Parent Trapped series, make sure you check them out here. If you missed today, or want to just watch it again, you can do so by clicking here.
I hope you make plans soon to join us at FBC Harvester! If distance is a problem, you are always welcome to listen to any of the teaching. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here we would love the privilege of helping where we can.
Lastly, here are the songs we sang during our time together.
“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” v.1 (NLT)
Have you ever doubted something? Doubt causes us to question what we believe to be true and sometimes question what we know to be right. Satan, uses doubt to cause us to question the things of God. For the person who doesn’t know God, he uses doubt to cause you to question the existence of God and the character of God. As a believer, he will use things from you past, to try to keep you from living in the new life that is found in Christ. He does this so you doubt God’s power and your witness.
Doubt is crippling and if we are not careful, we can fall victim to it very easily! Satan wants nothing more than to lead us astray and keep us unsure of the things of God. Here are five ways things Satan uses against us to keep us from experiencing God in the way He desires us to know Him.
Doubt – Makes me question God’s Word and His goodness
Discouragement – Makes me look at my problems rather that at God
Diversion – Makes the wrong things seem attractive so that I will want them more than the right things
Defeat – Makes me feel like a failure so that I don’t even try
Delay – Makes me put off doing something so that it never gets done
Have you experienced any of these? Where we tend to focus is what we tend to go toward. If you are feeling or experiencing any of these things, ask God for wisdom and help. He’s closer than you think and desires to hear from you and help.
Today, have you let Satan lead you away from God. It usually start’s small with a simple question, “Did God Really …?” Satan will attack us in these ways. The only way to stand against it is to seek the Truth and ask God for clarity, understanding, wisdom, and deliverance.
“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” v.7 (NLT)
There is a lot of talk about where we came from. Many try to deny that man is a created being by a creative God. Evolutionist say that we evolved. The Bible says that we were made from the dust of the ground formed from the hands of God. There is nothing special about dust and dirt. In fact, as a kid I would make stick figures as I played with play-do or clay. But my clay figure never came to life. Many times we over look the most important part of our creation and that is the fact that God breathed the breath of life into our nostrils so we could become a living person. Without the breath of life, our bodies would simply be like the play-do figures we made as children. Without the breath of life, our bodies once again return to dust and dirt.
The breath of life is different for each person. Some will live long lives on this earth while others will only be here for a short while. Some will be influential, while others will be influenced. Some will desire to know God, while others will reject God. Some will put their faith in Christ, while others will deny Him. Some will believe in Heaven and Hell, while others will say this is all there is. Some will believe there are many ways to Heaven, while others will believe there is only one way to Heaven. Some will seek religion, while others will seek a personal relationship with God. The fact that you are breathing and have the breath of life is a gift from God; how you use this gift is up to you. I don’t know about you, but I want to make everyday count, because I never know when today, may be my last day!
Today, how will you take advantage of the breath of life that God has given you?
A couple of years ago I had the privilege of leading my oldest son to Christ. It’s a night I’ll never forget!!!! Thankfully I was an active blogger and captured the story. Here is a recap of how the night went:
Josiah and I have been reading the Bible together before he goes to bed each night for quite sometime now. We have made it through the Old Testament and just started the New Testament. The last couple of nights have been on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Tonight, the passage was from Acts 1 when Jesus ascends to Heaven. As Josiah and I talked about the lesson, we talked about Heaven and who gets to go to Heaven. We talked about what keeps people from heaven. He knows that sin keeps people from Heaven (We’ve talked about sin for awhile and he knows what sin is). So when I told him that sin keeps us from God and if we don’t have Jesus in our heart we can’t go to Heaven, He understood it. He asked if I (me) died would I go to Heaven and I said yes because I have asked Jesus into my heart and He forgave me of my sin. And because I have done that, when I die, I get to go to Heaven. After I said this, I asked him, “What happens to people that don’t ask Jesus into their heart?” He said with a gulp, “they go to Hell.” I asked, “Why do they go to Hell?” He said, “Because Jesus hasn’t taken away their sins.”
At this point my heart began to race. I asked Josiah, “Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins? He said, “I want too but I don’t know how!” So innocent. I said, “All you have to do is pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and to forgive you of your sins. If I pray with you, do you want to pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins?” He said, “Yes!” So needless to say, we called Stephanie into the room, of coarse Jackson followed, and as a family we prayed together and Josiah asked Jesus to come into his heart and forgive him for his sins. As a dad, this is the moment you pray for and as a pastor/dad you try not to rush, but tonight, I am proud to proclaim we have one more for Jesus in the Gould Family! Josiah asked Jesus into his heart!
But the story doesn’t end there. This last weekend I had the privilege of Baptizing Josiah. What a special day is he publicly professed Christ. Another moment that will forever be etched in my heart as a dad! Here is Josiah’s profession of faith in Christ and Baptism.
Many of you have asked about Joplin and how you can get involved. We are currently collecting supplies that are being sent as people and teams go to the area. Feel free to pick up these supplies and drop off items in the Fellowship Hall here at FBC Harvester. Here is a list of the supplies we are collecting and sending:
cases of bottled water
socks and underwear
diapers and formula
bottled water
personal hygiene items
blankets
pillows
cots
work gloves and boots
first aid supplies
paper products
chain saw oil
hand sanitizer
manual can openers, etc.
If you would like to make a donation please make your check payable to “FBCH” and write “Joplin Relief” on the envelope. You can donate through the offering, the church office, at the Information Center on Sunday, or by mailing.
We are in contact with Red Cross and College Heights Christian Church in Joplin and are working on details for a volunteer trip in the next couple of weeks as volunteers become more needed.
For the latest info, make sure to follow FBC Harvester on Twitter @fbcharvester We will also be updating the website as we get more information. Please continue to be in prayer for those affected by the tornado and how God can use each of us to help in this great time of need.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” v.1 (NLT)
I am excited to be reading through Genesis. So much of scripture comes back to theses first 5 books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch. I encourage you to read with me. Today, I posting one of the notes from my NLT Life Application Study Bible. This is the Bible I read from, and highlight in on regular basis. One day I hope to pass it on to my family so they can be challenged in changed by it as much as I have.
When we read Genesis 1, we see where all this stuff that we know as life begins. Some choose to believe while others choose to reject theses thing. What you choose to believe will impact how you live, and what you teach your children. This has never been more important to me than it is right now with my boys getting older. I don’t want to answer their questions with, it’s in the Bible. I want to be able to show them where and begin a dialogue with them so they can begin to wrestle with the basic and deeper things of God as they grow to know Him. Here’s what’s important to understand about verse 1.
“This simple statement that God created the heavens and the earth is one of the most challenging concepts confronting the modern mind. The vast galaxy we live in is spinning at the incredible speed of 490,00 miles an hour. But even at this breakneck speed, our galaxy still needs 200 million years to make one rotation. And there are over one billion other galaxies just like ours in the universe.
Some scientist say that the number of starts in creation is equal to all the grains of all the sands on all the beaches of the world. Yet this complex sea of spinning stars functions with remarkable order and efficiency. To say that the universe ‘just happened’ or ‘evolved’ requires more faith than to believe that God is behind these amazing statistics. God truly did create a wonderful universe.
God did not need to create the universe; he chose to create it. Why? Because God is love, and love is best expressed toward something or someone else – so God created the world and people as an expression of his love. We should avoid reducing Gods creation to merely scientific terms. Remember that God created the universe because he loves us.”
Today, look for evidences of God the Creator and then thank him for all the things He has made and blessed you with.
What a great day at FBC Harvester. We honored our Veterans, wrapped up a great series on parenting, and I had the privilege to baptize my oldest son!!!! With that being said, this series has been so good for Steph and I an I know its been good for our church. I’ve laughed, I’ve thought, I’ve been encouraged, and I’ve also been convicted. It has caused me to really look at how I am parenting, and I hope it has done the same for you.
Here are my notes from week 5 as we wrap up this series with the topic “Dealing with Discipline.”
PARENT TRAPPED “Dealing with Discipline”
* The reason kids are out of control at school is because they have too much control at home! – Wow so true!
“Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives.” Proverbs 19:18 (NLT)
* 2 things to notice from this verse about discipline
1. Start Early while kids are small! – you can always excuse immediate consequences, but you set your child up for failure in the future by doing so.
2. How you discipline your child affects the quality of the rest of their life! – Discipline is like potty training, its miserable going thru it, but it marvelous when its done. Remember The end product is worth the process!!!
Note: notice who’s at fault if your child is undisciplined.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11(NIV)
WHEN DISCIPLINING YOUR CHILD . . .
1. FOLLOW GOD’S EXAMPLE.
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten . . . “ Revelation 3:19 (NKJV)
• For IDENTIFICATION.
“For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as his child.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really His children at all.” Hebrews 12:6-8 (NLT)
* When you discipline your child, you are saying that you belong to me!
• For PREVENTION.
“If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”
2 Corinthians 12:6-7 (NLT)
* When you discipline, you tell your child that you love them too much to put them in that situation to deal with that temptation.
* This is preventative discipline.
• For EDUCATION.
“I use to wander off until You disciplined me; but now I closely follow Your Word . . . The suffering You sent was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to Your principles. . . I know, O Lord, that Your decisions are fair; You disciplined me because I needed it.” Psalm 119:67, 71, 75
* Sometimes we have to be broken down because we have the tendency to run off!
2. BELIEVE GOD’S WORD.
➢ God Says Discipline Will . . .
• Lead To KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM.
“To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.” Proverbs 12:1 (NLT)
“A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline; a mocker refuses to listen to correction” Proverbs 13:1 (NLT)
* If you never point out whats wrong, how will they ever get it right?
• Save You SOME HEARTACHE.
“To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.” Proverbs 29:15 (NLT)
• Root Out REBELLION.
“A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away.” Proverbs 22:15 (NLT)
“The rod and rebuke give wisdom. . .” Proverbs 29:15a (NKJV)
* God has given a spanking spot for each child! It’s located right at the lower back and just above the legs!
* Spanking is the last option, rebuking always comes first!
• Steers Toward SALVATION.
* Use Discipline to guide them to salvation and the right direction they are supposed to go!
* They need Firm Direction!!!!
“Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.” Proverbs 23:13-14 (NKJV)
* Know when to pat high (on back) and when to pat low (on butt)!
3. DELIVER IT GOD’S WAY.
➢ LOVINGLY.
“Man’s anger does not bring the righteous life God desires.” James 1:20
* Discipline is not revenge for action, its goal is always driven by repentance.
*Punishment focuses on the outward action, where discipline focuses on the inward attitude.
* Discipline in calm ways!
➢ FIRMLY.
➢ SPARINGLY.
“Fathers, don’t scold your children so much that they become discouraged and quit trying.” Colossians 3:21 (LB)
It has been a great series. If you missed today or any other week in this series, I highly encourage you to watch the message on-line by clicking here. Next week we start a new series so make plans now to join us next week at FBC Harvester. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here!
I hope the Parent Trapped series has been helpful and challenged you to think about the way you parent! My prayer is that all of us would strive to raise our kids in the type of Home they really need. One that will set biblical principles and point them into a relationship with Christ!
Here is the outline from week 4 of our series called Parent Trapped. Sadly, yet excitedly I was unable to be here for the message because my wife and I were closing on our house in Texas to finalize our move to Texas. When things get settled here (aka boxes unpacked and honey-do-lists comp …. well thats an endless list so lets not wait on that), the both of us will sit down and watch the message together and I’ll update this post then.
PARENT TRAPPED “What Children Wish Their Parents Knew”
“The proverbs of Solomon: A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.” Proverbs 10:1 (NLT)
“Foolish children bring grief to their father and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.” Proverbs 17:25 (NLT)
CHILDREN WOULD LOVE TO SAY TO THEIR PARENTS . . .
1. “SOMETIMES JUST LISTEN TO ME WITHOUT JUDGING ME OR TRYING TO FIX ME.”
“. . . Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. . .” James 1:19b (NIV)
“The first duty of love is to listen.” Paul Tillich
• 4 Parent Traps of Communication:
➢ Exaggeration
➢ Martyr Complex
➢ Comparison
➢ Prophesy
2. “I’M NOT YOU, SO HELP ME BE ME.”
“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established. . .” Proverbs 24:3 (NIV)
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)
“Whoever is patient has great understanding. . .” Proverbs 14:29a (NIV)
3. “I RESPOND BETTER TO PRAISE THAN TO CRITICISM.”
“Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs 16:24 (NLT)
“Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.” Colossians 3:21 (NLT)
4. WHEN YOU DISRESPECT MY FRIENDS, I HEAR YOU CRITICIZING ME.
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV)
‘Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.’ 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)
“Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.” Proverbs 28:7 (NLT)
5. “I MAY ACT LIKE I DON’T LIKE RULES, BUT I NEED SOME LIMITS.”
“To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.” Proverbs 10:17
➢ BE CLEAR.
➢ BE CONSISTENT.
➢ BE UNIFIED.
If you missed today, I highly encourage you to watch this weeks message by clicking here and then make plans to join us next week at FBC Harvester. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here!
We are really excited about this series and cant wait to see what God will do next as we learn to survive and thrive as Parents and raise our kids in the type of Home they really need!
Our first team is on the ground working with the Red Cross. At this point they need supplies desperately. Food seems to be arriving okay, still needed:
Water
Work boots
Clothes, esp socks & underwear
Paper products: plates, cups, etc
Packing boxes and tape
Kids’ toys & stuffed animals & games
Toiletries including diapers & feminine products
These items can be dropped off at First Baptist Church Harvester in the Fellowship Hall back by the sound booth and we will send them down as we have space and transportation. We are also collecting money for rental equipment when they allow us to start helping with cleanup.
Dan Gould 