Death by distraction

Speaker: Pastor Stephen Furtick

Title: Death by Distraction

Core verse: Matthew 13:1-23

Jesus had alot of focus

Everytime someone tries to distract Jesus, jesus will respond by putting worldly thinking behind and Gods plan in front.
John 10:10

The distractions are killing us.

1) Seeds that are Snatched

You will never know what it could have been because it was snatched.
We let the next how many times have out thoughts been snatched before it becomes helpful?
Dont let the bird, snatch the seed.

2) Seeds that are Scorched

People that are busy, but barren.
It has the appearence of life but it has no life.
Root represents commitment.
People with no root have no priority.

3) Seeds that are choked

The worries of this life.

Sometimes the things that distracts us the most, is what we think that will happen to us.

Choking on the thoughts of life.
It is when the wordly things satisfy us, thats when we start choking.
 
4) Seeds that are on good soil

These seeds can grow to its fullest potential, but there is an enemy.
An enemy that plants seeds of bitterness into our hearts. Seeds of distraction.

And only when we give our fullest attention to God, he will remove the weeds in our life for us.

 Sermon link:
http://subspla.sh/1k9doYR

Im better Under Pressure

Speaker: Pastor steven furtick

Titile: Im better under pressure

Core Verse: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

How do we handle under pressure?
we sometimes are focusing too much on what the pressure is, rather than, how do we handle when the pressure comes.

1) I've been here before
Its a powerful thing to preach to yourself.
Pressure can come in any form.
The phrase "God never gives us more than we can handle, is wrong"
Under pressure when there is totally no other way out, God makes a way.
Even if we are facing a different, bigger and worst situation, our God doesnt change.

2) Im not that important

2 corinthians 11:29
Yes we are valuable to God, but what you do, your job, your school whatever you do, if you dont do it, the world wont stop.
The world does not revolve around me.
Im Not that Important
Im better, under pressure
Some things can only be produce with pressure.
God saved Daniel IN the lions den.
Joseph was thrown in jail for a crime he did not commit, but God delivered him in jail.

Because God wants to show the world Christians are better Under Pressure.

The place where Jesus prayed, is named olive press.

Somethings are better under pressure, example : The more you squeeze the olive, the more oil you get.

You need a little bit of pressure, you need it,to trust God more, you need it to show more compassion.
Under pressure we can do more with God.

Pressure is defined as: A force from above or around an object.

We shouldnt think about where the pressure comes from, but what we do with the pressure.

The world shows us how to cope with pressure.
Only God shows us, how to convert the pressure, into something glorious.

Something that takes a day to cook, a pressure cooker can do it in 40 mins.
The next life squeezes you, and the pressure is crushing you, look up and say, i've been here before, and surely God will bring me through this again.
Praise him under pressure! Belive him under pressure!!!

Sermon Link:
http://subspla.sh/1gguOYB

"That Thing"

Speaker: Pastor Steven Furtick
Title: That Thing
Core Verse: Mark 9:14-29

Mark 2:2 the transfiguration
jesus on the mountain, and moses on the mountain(in Exodus) is linked.

Jesus and Moses both on the moutain waited 6 days.
Jesus and Moses both came down a mess.
Moses broke the two tablets, whilst Jesus raised a boy to life.
What the law was powerless to do, God could do.

Jesus in on the moutain, above my
situation.

Our eyes can look above towards Jesus, and he will come down the mountain to help.

God can show you transfiguration on the mountain, and God can show you Transformation in the valleys.

The Father of the boy had faith ever since the boy was afflicted.
The disciples were to relient on theirselves because they were sucessful, on previous events of casting out demons. And they could not cast out the demon from the boy.
Sometimes we think we surrender our problems, not to God but to church.
Sometimes we would say we pray about it, but we dont pray and just worry about it.

Sometimes we just ask the people around us about our problems, and if they can help us, we ASSUME God cant help us.

Bring that thing to Jesus.
Dont bring it to religion, dont bring it to situations.
Sometimes, in order for God to make things better in your life, he has to expose how bad The thing really is.
You cant just go to church for a "quick fix" (come to church for just a quick refresment then go back to your usual life)
U cant just make some healthy desicions, and expect everything to change.
Sometimes we trust to much in the ministry, and forget the power of God.
Relate to God not man.
We may not be possesed by a spirit now, but there may be things in our life, which are robbing us from the gifts from God.
The enemy always steals, kills and destroys.
The thing always seizes us. So what seizes us?
What guilt? What past event? What desire?
Whats our "thing" in our life?
We all have that thing.
And we pretend we dont, ESPECIALLY in Church.
The worst thing, is the things that cant be seen, and Jesus cant help UNTIL you bring that thing to Jesus.
God is BIGGER than our thing.
Jesus says, "BRING it to ME"
This thing, harms you and destroys your destiny.
We sometimes go to God, exhusted and and in desperation, we ask, "If u can do anything, have pity on us" .
The solution is, God can do ANYTHING.
"If you can do anything" thats pityful.
"I can do everything" Thats powerful!
Sometimes the thing, isnt really the thing, its our faith and trust we have in God.
The father came to Jesus asking for healing, but what he really needed was just that belief in God.

Sometimes the thing we pray for God to fix, is not the FIRST thing, because there is something more important.
Sometimes we focus too much on our thing, and not what God wants to
grow us in.

God wants to change our hearts first, before he helps us.

What is our thing, beneath our thing?

God wants to heal the generation of unbelivers.

Only until we really bring our thing to God, then all things are possible.

God needed to heal Neymens pride first.

Romans 8:28, 35

EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO BELIVES.
Bring that thing. To Jesus.
God wants to turn your thing, into a testimony.

Sermon link:
http://subspla.sh/1pMbDpV

The Fine Art of Friendship

Title: The fine art of friendship

Speaker: Pastor Clayton King

Core verse: John 15:9-27

The greatest way to show people to god, is to show love and be a true friend.
1) Faithful friendship flows from the father
You only can be a good friend when u remember that your love comes from God, God has to be the source.
You cannot love, unloveable people UNLESS your love flows from the father. We recieve it by God.
You can try your very best to achieve the love for others, but u will tire and wear out, but if you let the love of the father flow through you, you can love.
The good that we do, Flows from the Good that he did.

2) In Christ, we have a TRUE best friend.

When jesus does ANYTHING, He is automatically the BEST at it! So if he is your friend, he is the BEST friend that we will ever have!
Jesus gives us what we need, not what we want.
A good friend is honest, a good friend is true.
Jesus is not moody. Jesus is not insercure.
He doesnt need anything from us, he just wants a relationship with us.
Jesus is not petty.

3) As friends of God, we have the information and the inspiration to change the world.

What God tells us to fufill, he also equips us to fulfill. God invites and
God includes you in his plan.

4) A true friend, loves like Jesus, they serve, and they sacrifice.
Love each other.

If you have a friend who has a loss, u grieve with them. If you have a friend that is wounded, you help them. If you have a friend that is in joy, you celebrate with them.

The greatest defence of the gospel, is not our theology, is not our apologetics. Its our sacrificial love, the cant argue with sacrificial love.

"Friends are like elevators, they either lift you up, or bring you down."

We have to love, from a heart,from our God.

Sermon link:
http://subspla.sh/140dCLY