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Growth

Brokenness

1/11/2019

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  • What does it mean to be broken?
    • To be broken is to have a distorted view of God, ourselves, and others, which leads to beliefs, emotions, and behaviors that are destructive to others, ourselves, and derails us from God's purpose in our lives
  • Why are we broken?
    • Our own self-inflicted sinfulness
      • We are depressed because we are doing things on our own and without God.
      • We are distancing ourselves from His presence.
      • Seeking joy in things other than God. Finding satisfaction in good gifts that were never meant to satisfy.
        • a good thing became a God thing
        • Screwdriver
    • The sins of others inflicted on us
      • Bully at school, parents who are being unfair, friends who betray us
      • Psalm 69:1-4
    • Living in a broken and fallen world
      • The world we live in is broken and in need of restoration
      • Psalm 109:1-15
      • "We now live in a fallen world, and all creation “groans” under the consequences of our sin (Romans 8:22)."
  • What to do about it?
    • "Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it"
      • -> "Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God"
    • Lament
      • Honestly acknowledge and express our emotions to God
        • "Emotions are the most honest window into our hearts"
        • You can't stay here, otherwise you are just doing self pity. Self pity is prideful because its only concern is one's self.
        • "I'm not going to help you unless you're willing to help yourself" - story about my cousin
      • Seek God's understanding and help
      • Trust in God's goodness despite our present circumstances
    • Surround yourself with godly people who can help you lament in a healthy way
      • go to someone who is more spiritually mature than you
      • don't turn to technology ("I don't need you, I have WiFi")
      • don't turn to people or friendships
      • don't turn to addictions
      • “We are all mere beggars showing other beggars where to find bread.” - Martin Luther
    • A lot of times people think brokenness and trials means that God doesn't exist, is far away, or doesn't care. But it could actually mean that God cares intensely
      • Hebrews 12:6-7 - discipline
      • Romans 5:3-5 - perseverance -> hope
      • Romans 8:28 - ATWT
  • Hope through Jesus Christ
    • "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." - Eph 2:11-22
    • "'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death'or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." - Revelations 21:1-8
    • "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." -Psalm 34:18
  • Maybe you had a broken year 2018.
  • Bibliography
    • https://www.winteroil.org/conference/sermons/?sermon_id=73
    • https://www.gotquestions.org/fallen-world.html
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End of year reflection

12/21/2018

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Short devotion - John 15:1-11
  • I want you guys to reflect on your year tonight.
  • Our lives can be very busy but we rarely have time to reflect.
  • Time to reflect is important, otherwise we could be busy doing things that don't even matter. We could also be doing things that aren't healthy for us.
    • “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.” - D.L. Moody
  • Have you ever stopped to think about what is the purpose of life?
    • Why do you want to do well in school?
    • Why do you want your friends to like you?
    • Why do you want to check your phone all the time? 
    • Side comment: If God does not exist, there is no purpose in life.
  • God does exist, and the reason why you live as though life matters is because God created you. He created you to know Him and to live through Him.
  • Some of you may be going through some difficult relationships.
    • No peace
  • Some of you have pretty good relationships but are struggling to keep them.
    • Pressure to please them
  • Some of you may be struggling with addictions.
  • The reason why you experience brokenness or struggle in your relationships is because you are lifting those relationships above your relationship with God. The reason why you are turning to those addictions is because you are trying to numb or distract yourself from the loneliness and brokenness you feel.
  • We are experiencing this brokenness because we are not living for the purpose we were created for. It is a result of sin, rebellion against God. Sometimes people say Christianity is just a bunch of rules and constrains our freedom, but Christianity has everything to do with freedom, freedom from sin and death. As we push Him away in our lives, we push away the only One who can sustain us and give us life.
  • Read John 15:1-11
  • God saw us headed for destruction. He made a way for us to have life and bear fruit: abiding in Christ.
  • We will have struggles in this life, but Christ has already conquered sin and death. With Him living through us, what is there to fear?
  • In Christ, we have life; in Christ, we have freedom. That's why I love the song in Christ alone.

2018 Year Reflection:
  • How has God been working in your life this year?
    • You can share about ways the truths of God's Word has helped you become a better person.
    • You can share about the difficult circumstances in your life where God has given you hope.
    • You can share about answered prayer requests.
  • What are some things that you think God has been telling you this year?
    • You can share about what God has been telling you through His Word.
    • You can share about what God has been telling you through your circumstances and what His Word says about them.
    • You can share about what God has been telling you through other fellow believers
  • How would you assess your relationship with God and Christ's presence in your life this past year?
  • How can you grow in your relationship with God and abide more in Christ in the coming year?
Short devotion - John 15:1-11
  • I want you guys to reflect on your year tonight.
  • Our lives can be very busy but we rarely have time to reflect.
  • Time to reflect is important, otherwise we could be busy doing things that don't even matter. We could also be doing things that aren't healthy for us.
    • “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.” - D.L. Moody
  • Have you ever stopped to think about what is the purpose of life?
    • Why do you want to do well in school?
    • Why do you want your friends to like you?
    • Why do you want to check your phone all the time? 
    • Side comment: If God does not exist, there is no purpose in life.
  • God does exist, and the reason why you live as though life matters is because God created you. He created you to know Him and to live through Him.
  • Some of you may be going through some difficult relationships.
    • No peace
  • Some of you have pretty good relationships but are struggling to keep them.
    • Pressure to please them
  • Some of you may be struggling with addictions.
  • The reason why you experience brokenness or struggle in your relationships is because you are lifting those relationships above your relationship with God. The reason why you are turning to those addictions is because you are trying to numb or distract yourself from the loneliness and brokenness you feel.
  • We are experiencing this brokenness because we are not living for the purpose we were created for. It is a result of sin, rebellion against God. Sometimes people say Christianity is just a bunch of rules and constrains our freedom, but Christianity has everything to do with freedom, freedom from sin and death. As we push Him away in our lives, we push away the only One who can sustain us and give us life.
  • Read John 15:1-11
  • God saw us headed for destruction. He made a way for us to have life and bear fruit: abiding in Christ.
  • We will have struggles in this life, but Christ has already conquered sin and death. With Him living through us, what is there to fear?
  • In Christ, we have life; in Christ, we have freedom. That's why I love the song in Christ alone.

2018 Year Reflection:
  • How has God been working in your life this year?
    • You can share about ways the truths of God's Word has helped you become a better person.
    • You can share about the difficult circumstances in your life where God has given you hope.
    • You can share about answered prayer requests.
  • What are some things that you think God has been telling you this year?
    • You can share about what God has been telling you through His Word.
    • You can share about what God has been telling you through your circumstances and what His Word says about them.
    • You can share about what God has been telling you through other fellow believers
  • How would you assess your relationship with God and Christ's presence in your life this past year?
  • How can you grow in your relationship with God and abide more in Christ in the coming year?
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Love Your Enemies (Luke 6:27-36)

8/20/2018

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  • Getting married and forming guest list
    • Feeling the need to invite someone after someone has been generous.
  • Jesus Christ teaches us to love in a different way than the world. (Luke 6:27-36)
    • Love people who we wouldn't naturally. (32-34)
      • Other people in youth group
      • Other people in church
      • Parents
        • Sad that I have to include this one
        • Giving parents attitude
      • The poor and the outcast
      • Is there anyone in your life that you can say, "If I wasn't a Christian, I wouldn't care to be friends with this person"?
    • Love without expecting anything in return (34-35)
    • Love sacrificially (35)
      • Sometimes we make excuses, then take baby steps of faith
      • What is sacrifice?
      • Are you loving people in a way that it hurts?
  • The power we draw from to love people. (35-36)
    • The news of the gospel. We were once God's enemies.
      • We can love people who we wouldn't love naturally because God loved us. You guys like to call it "reckless". He would leave the 99 to save the one.
      • We can love without expecting anything in return, because the One who has everything. gave up everything for us.
        • He has shown us what it means to give without expecting.
        • He is already filling us up
          • Imagine cups
      • We can love people sacrificially because God sacrificed His one and only son so that we can live.
        • Story of Firestorm in the Flash
    • This is the beauty of the gospel and there is no news that is more beautiful.
    • Airah's testimony, experiencing God's love and then wanting other people to experience God's love. In Airah's desire to want other people to experience God's love, it causes her exhibit the three characteristics.
    • Tita Gerrie, Tito Jojo, Tita Larra, Tita Charm, Tita Nelia, Tito Dave
      • Sometimes we expect people to "love" us because of how we are treated in school. But they're not getting paid.
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Assurance of Salvation

6/15/2018

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How confident are you that you will go to Heaven after you die? How confident are you that you will be with God after you die?
  • 0%...20%...50%...80%...100%
  • This is a common question and struggle that Christians deal with at some point in their Christian life
  • This is an important question.
    • We don't know when our time on earth is over
    • It will affect your spiritual growth
      • Dating illustration, "what are your intentions?"
Common reasoning for doubting whether or not you are saved (understandable)
  • Weak commitment to Christ
  • Lack of character growth
  • Lack of growth in relationship with God
  • Lack of intimate experience of God
Tonight, we will speak to these reasons, but think about this:
  • Could it be that the reason we have these issues is because of your doubt?
  • Dating illustration, "If two people, aren't clear on what kind of relationship they have, how can that relationship flourish and how can the benefits of that relationship be manifested?"
Doubt often comes from looking at yourself
  • There is an extent where you should analyze yourself, but you shouldn't stay there
  • If you're always looking at yourself, there is a possibility to doubt
  • Facts - Faith - Feeling
  • Lack of an intimate experience of God
  • Don't rely on your feelings too much, look at the facts
  • Danger of relying too much on feelings
4 Basic Principles
  • PRINCIPLE 1: God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
  • PRINCIPLE 2: Man is sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
  • PRINCIPLE 3: Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God’s love.
  • PRINCIPLE 4: We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.
Two Illustrations:
  • Peter walking on water
  • Person who does everything right vs person who does everything wrong
​Dating illustration, if you accept Jesus into your life, He has already defined your relationship.

Bibliography:
  • https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/beginning-with-god/personal-follow-up-your-new-life-reformatted.1.html
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Ephesians 2:1-10

6/1/2018

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Our condition
  • We were dead in the trespasses and sin
  • We were by nature children of wrath
God's condition
  • But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us
Our new condition
  • We are saved by grace. Grace is unmerited favor, undeserved favor.
  • We are His workmanship for good works which God prepared beforehand
Application
  • We are not saved by going to church, praying, reading our Bibles everyday.
  • Misunderstandings:
    • a system where we can mitigate our deserved punishment by our efforts
    • God in His grace may forgive us if we do the right things
  • God's grace that they care about their relationship with God
  • God's grace that they are raised in Christian home/church
  • God's grace that they want to grow
  • Pray for more grace. God will continue to show grace.
  • We are inadequate.
  • Why can't I stop sinning? Why doesn't God just take away this struggle?
    • when people ask that, it's a matter of not seeking God
    • it sounds like they're blaming God
Bibliography:
  • https://www.gotquestions.org/saved-by-grace.html
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