Prayer_sermon notes

Wow I just listened to a sermon from my church and it is amazing. I have never really heard a sermon quite like this one about the Lord's prayer. I know a lot of people and churches quote "The Lord's Prayer yet God uses it more as a guide or template to teach us how to prayer.

""This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.’""Matthew 6:9-11

1) It says "Our Father in heaven..."
We need to have a relationship with God. He is our Father, our Dad, our Abba (Daddy), We need to spend time with him, so we can get to know him like he knows us. When we pray we should be excited about praying, but not feel like it is an obligation. This is a time that we get to hang out with our father, our Abba.
We need to seek the face of God AND THEN we will see the hand of God move.
Cry out to God, pour your heart out to him.  (Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7)

2) We read that it says "Hallowed be your name."
Great is God's name. We need to remember and ponder on how great our God is. I think sometimes we forget about how magnificent he is. He made the earth, other planets, the galaxy, the bright sun, the twinkling stars, our human body, etc...and we belong to him.

We don't belong to the chaos and dysfunction around us; we belong to God.


3) The Bible also says: "your kingdom come, your will be done..." 
Lay down your agenda. Do God's agenda and His will. We might think we know what is best for us, but God always sees the bigger picture. We might have a vision, but God has a bigger vision; seek what he wants in our lives.  Breathe in his oxygen, his will, for you.
Ask God what is the next step for your life. Seek Him: His agenda, and His will.

Lean on God as our great Father, seek his face, do his will, his way, breath in his oxygen.

The actual sermon is very well spoken. Please listen to it by clicking on the link below:
https://youtu.be/tL-v6lp0KhM



(reference to Pastor Chris Norman's sermon, Citizen's church, on January 7, 2018)

all scripture quoted in this blog is from Biblegateway.com, the NIV translation.

"Search Party: Lost and Found" - Sermon Notes

Here are notes from the sermon my pastor, Chris Norman, preached on April 23, 2017

In church we need to stop focusing on what we can get from the church like potlucks and certain activities and start focusing on lost and hurting people. We need to do a search party and look for lost and hurting souls.
Jesus didn't focus on money and food throughout his ministry, he focused on finding lost souls and disciplining them. Teaching them.

-Get to the heart of Jesus.
*What am I known for? 

*How am I carrying the name of Jesus in my daily life?

-The Church is home. When people come home, their lives start changing.
-The Church is a changing agent.  God uses the church to change people's lives.

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”        Exodus 6:6-8(NIV)

1) I (the Lord) will bring you out of Egypt, bondage, and slavery.

2) I (the Lord) will deliver you out of bondage. He will take the bondage of Egypt out of you. {If you are always in bondage, you need to learn how to live without being in bondage}.

3) I (the Lord) will redeem you to bring you back to who you are intended to be.

4) I (the Lord) will take you as my people.

-Know God

-Grow in community and in Him (God).

-Discover your purpose. God put something in you that He intends to fulfill in you to give to the body of Christ. 

Do what God called you to do!!!

 Live out what Jesus called us to do that we would be a search party.

Search and see lives changed.

Click below to listen to Pastor Chris' sermon
Pastor Chris "Search Party: Lost and Found"
https://youtu.be/14MdrxXEgT4

A Promise is a Promise*

Sunday, I went to The Ark. Yes, it's true. I found Noah and we are traveling back in time. All those animals were pretty hungry, so Noah decided it was my job to feed them, uggh...not my cup of tea. The smell of the elephants and camels were too much for me to bear with my strong sense of smell. After I talked to God about it, he gave me one of those filtered masks to wear. It made it much easier for me to breathe. He told me to spend time with all of the animals, and not just the monkeys. Although I did like to look at the spider monkeys; they so fascinated me.

Even though God told me to spend time with ALL the animals, I would not go near anything that looked or smelled like a bug or reptile. I left that up to Noah. I had to draw the line somewhere. Well maybe that's why God didn't choose for me to be on the ark. I have way too many allergies and stubbornness. He probably thought, "Nope, I cannot picture Teensy (a.k.a. Tanya) on the Ark, she just wouldn't make it out alive”. Lol

Well actually my new church is called "The Ark." If you look up at the ceiling in the sanctuary, it may resemble of what Noah's ark might have looked like. I know the church just changed its name to the Ark so I am pretty sure the ceiling had nothing to do with it, but sometimes my imagination takes the best of me.

Okay, so I went to church Sunday and the pastor talked about covenants with God. He had mentioned about how God may make a promise with you personally, but you should wait on God’s timing for the promise to come to pass. He said don’t do like Abraham and Sarah did. Don’t try to make God’s promise come to pass in your own way.
   

I will start out with Genesis 12; God tells Abram that he will make him a great nation. But Abram’s probably thinking: I am 75 years old, childless, and how can I make a great nation without children or descendents. Sarai didn’t feel that God would make Abram a father through her so she tells her hubby, “hey I’m old and gray, and way, waaaay up there in years. God won’t let me have children, so here is my maidservant. Go marry her, and have a child like God said even though it’s not happening with me.” (Okay she probably said it a little differently).

Abram says "okay, if I must. I mean God said he would give me a son. Right? So I have to do my ‘duty.’ It’s not going to happen unless I do something about it.” (emphasis is mine, again.)  

Notice that he didn’t stop, and say: “I love you; I don’t want to “sleep” with anyone else.” He goes and marries the lovely Hagar. I am sorry, but with a name like Hagar, I am picturing an ugly witch with a wart on a long nose. Hagar doesn’t sound pretty to me. Lol Abram gets married, has a honeymoon with his new wife, than out pops a baby 9 months later.  Sarai is bitter, and hurting. I can almost understand her pain, of wanting a child so badly, yet seeing someone else with a baby. It is very hard. Although she did put it on herself when she told her hubby to go have a baby. But now she’s so bitter, that she is mistreating Hagar.

In Genesis 17, God tells Abram,

“As for me, this is my covenant with you; You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram, your name will be  Abraham. For I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful...As for you, you must keep my covenant... As for Sarai, your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai, her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations...” 

Here’s my favorite part.  Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “will a son be born to a man of 100 years old. Will Sarah bear a child at the age of 90?”

God told Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child. Well they weren't exactly at the childbearing age of 70, I mean 40 years or under. I mean Sarah may have been around 89 and Abraham about 99 years old. Can you imagine having a child at that age? I mean nowadays that's at your death bed, or umm...about to get your ticket to heaven, hopefully. If you know what I mean. Well they might have laughed, but maybe they were a little scared. Can you imagine a 90 yr old lady pregnant? She probably couldn't or didn’t want to think of it. I wonder if she still had the aches and pains of an older lady and dealing with pregnancy too! Was she having a hard time walking with a walker made out of rods and rocks? Being pregnant might have seemed like a big joke. Did they have C-section’s back then?  Probably not.

Genesis 21 it says that the Lord was gracious to Sarah and gave her what he promised. She became pregnant and bore a son to her hubby in his old age. He named him Isaac. I like what Sarah says: “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” So she finally gets her baby; she is 100 years old now, and breastfeeding. Yes, Sarah, we can laugh with you; it doesn’t seem possible, but what God promised, he had it come to pass.

So many times we try to do things on our own. When God promises us things, we do what we can to make it come to pass. It’s like when I bought an emergency window ladder the other day. I had priced some of them online for $100 -$200 dollars. Well I found one at the second hand store for $10.  Instead of saving my money and waiting to buy one, I saw what I thought was a great deal. Well I purchased this ladder. It only is for 2 story buildings. I live in a 3 story building. I figured, just maybe I can jump down the ladder one more story. It was actually a useless purchase for me and I wasted my money. There is no way I can use that ladder if there was a fire at my apartments. So instead of waiting and buying a better one, I am stuck with one that doesn’t do what I need it to do.
We need to wait on God’s promises. When God promises us something, He will do it. We just have to be patient, and not try to make the promise happen like Abraham and Sarah did by trying to have a baby through their maidservant or me trying to buy an emergency ladder that is one story too short.
Did God promise you something special? Something that is just for you? Or maybe did he promise something for your family? I know that God has personally promised me things in my own life that haven’t come to pass yet, but I have to do my best and wait and not try to make the promise happen on my own. We have to let them go, yet have faith and hope that they will come to pass, in God’s timing. Even if we have to wait until we are 100 years old for the promises to be fulfilled, it will be worth the wait, when God’s involved.  

God is the ROCK*

God welcomes the hurting.
God whispers your name, he knows your pain.
It's hard to see the plan of God when going through hard times and losses.

There are rocks in the road and disappointments. Have you lost hope?
Jesus wants to walk with us, through this road.
God wants to hold us in our life and say there is hope.

God IS the rock.
Find hope in Him.

He is God; what are you going to do about it!!!


some key points from sermon notes from April 12, 09

Getting Activated *

Remember I am significant and important to eternity.
What is it that God wants with me?
Read Exodus 1:1-14

1) God favors the oppressed We have a little bit of eternity in us. We are most like our Father God when we take care of the powerless. (We need to help others) 2) God incarnates His answers. (Exodus 2:1) God made Moses to help with the answers for that time. What you are going to do, has to do with what God has done to prepare you. For example: schooling, life experiences, skills you have had, etc... When you are activated by God, everything you do is easier. You can even do hard work and feel light about it on your feet. For example: setting up for church each week can get tiresome, but when God activates you, it will be enjoyable. There is joy in freedom- freedom in God Do what God made you to do and you'll have joy.






(sermon notes, April 26, 09)

So, What's your Story? *

So WHAT'S YOUR STORY?
1. Everyone has a past
Ephesians 2:1-2 says "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sin, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at on time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."

2. In Jesus, we have a present, a change from the past. (God gave us the present).
In Ephesians 2:4-5 it says that because of God's great love for us, he made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in sin...it's by grace you were saved.

In Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:12

HAVE YOU MET JESUS? "Knowing Jesus is different from meeting Jesus." What is your story? How did you meet Jesus?
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, but it is a GIFT OF GOD, not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

a. Everyone recognized that they needed Jesus, no one could do this whole life thing alone or on their own merit.
b. Jesus introduced himself to no one here personally. Someone introduced you to Christ...

3. Everyone has a future...introducing other people to Christ is part of our destiny.

Ephesians 2:6-10 " and God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Every trophy of God's grace in this room owes that introduction to someone else, someone who was not selfish with their faith.
So what's your story? What's your testimony?
(Pastor Jim had read different people's testimonies of how they met Jesus Christ. All of them had to do with someone inviting them either to church or to salvation.)

Here are reasons why we may not want to witness:
1. Fear of unworthiness (well, God says we are worthy to witness).
2. Fear of the worst thing could happen. (Everyone deserves God's presence).
Without people inviting us to church, none of us would be at Church.
If it wasn't for a parent, a teacher,Missionettes or Royal Ranger leader, youth leader, a prostitute's neighbor, a friend, a military worker, etc... none of us would be at church.
Someone took the time to be in an awkward situation of putting themselves on the line to invite you to church.

SO WHAT'S YOUR STORY...?
 sermon notes from aug 5 2007

What Happens When You Pray*

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PRAY...IN YOU

A*).PRAYER IS NOT: A magic wand (pray only to get what you want.-PRAYER IS NOT A VENDING MACHINE- you don't pop in a prayer and out comes whatever you want.
B*).PRAYER IS NOT: A first aid Kit (praying only when you have an emergency)
C*).PRAYER IS NOT: A Tug of War (fighting to get what you want- God is not going to give it to you when you are pulling and pushing your way to get what you want)
D*).PRAYER IS NOT: A Religious Duty (praying out of obligation or just because you think you ought to. It is not a duty; it's a priveledge)

1. YOU dedicate YOURSELF

{{*Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned... John 15:4-6 }}

(We need God's help. You have to be honest with God. If you cut a branch off of the tree, it will wither. It's like a Christian who cuts himself off from prayer. Without prayer you wither. Prayer is our source to God...

2. YOU connect WITH GOD 
{{*I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you... John 15:15}}
- I am a Friend of God. He chose me to be His friend. The people you love, you love to talk to. How much more will you love to talk to God, to connect with Him. Prayer is not a chore; it's NOT we HAVE TO pray. It's We "GET TO" pray. 

3. YOU activate HEAVEN
{{*If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ASK WHATEVER YOU WISH AND IT WILL BE GIVEN YOU. this is my father's glory; that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples... John 15:7-8 }}

Prayer activates Heaven. God will fulfill the desires of those who REVERANCE Him.
Ask that your joy may be full.

4. YOU cooperate WITH GOD
{{ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it... John 14:11-14 }}


Prayer is God's design. We are cooperating with God when we PRAY FOR OTHERS. Spend time DAILY with God in prayer. When we work, we work...when we pray, God works...

Have I been praying and doing what God wants me to do? I am doing what Jesus does? Lately, Have people been healed and raised from the dead or healed from an illness because I prayed for them and God healed them. 
We are not limited by physical boundaries, time or space WHEN WE PRAY...


(sermon notes "In You")

You've Got Mail *

James 1:19-27 ...Everyone should be QUICK TO LISTEN, SLOW TO SPEAK, AND SLOW TO BECOME ANGRY, for MAN'S ANGER DOES NOT BRING ABOUT THE RIGHTEOUS LIFE that GOD DESIRES. Therefore, GET RID of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly ACCEPT THE WORD PLANTED IN YOU, WHICH CAN SAVE YOU. Do NOT merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. DO WHAT IT SAYS. Anyone who listens to the word BUT does NOT do what it says is LIKE a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

BUT THE MAN WHO LOOKS INTENTLY into the PERFECT LAW (THE BIBLE) that gives freedom, and CONTINUES to DO this, NOT FORGETTING WHAT HE HAS HEARD, BUT DOING IT —HE WILL be BLESSED in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet DOES NOT KEEP A TIGHT REIN ON HIS TONGUE, HE DECEIVES HIMSELF and HIS religion is WORTHLESS.
***RELIGION that GOD our Father ACCEPTS AS PURE AND FAULTLESS is this: to LOOK after ORPHANS and WIDOWS in their DISTRESS and to KEEP ONESELF from BEING polluted by the WORLD.

1. Receive God's Word ("...accept the word Planted in you." Receive the right word with a great attitude.
A) Be Careful: Be quick to listen, slow to speak.)
B) Be Calm: Be slow to become angry.
C) Be Clean: Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent. (Filth is like the wax in your ear. You need to get rid of it to listen.)
D) Be Compliant: ...Humbly accept the Word planted in you. Be teachable.

2. Reflect on God's Word . (God's Word is like a mirror. A mirror is used as a self-evaluation tool. You look into the mirror and correct things: such as: if your hair is sticking up, you fix it. What good is looking in a mirror, if we don't do what we need to do to change? Reflect on God's Word-the Bible- read it, and change.)
A) Read God's Word: (A Glance doesn't give you what you need. Look for the details in the mirror of the Bible))
B) Review God's Word (Meditation as used in the Bible is to think seriously of something over and over)
C) Remember God's Word (Memorize Scripture)

3. Respond to God's Word: ("Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. DO WHAT IT SAYS." What good is looking in the mirror, if you don't do anything about it-if you don't let what you see-change YOU.

BONUS:
THE TEST OF MATURITY IS CHARACTER.
DO THE SCRIPTURE
DO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS. LET IT BE YOUR LIFE. LET THE BIBLE BE YOUR LIFE.
LIVE THE WORD OF GOD, LET IT CHANGE YOU.
TAKE THE WORD OF GOD AND DO IT
THE greatest literature (THE BIBLE) has SUPERNATURAL POWERS.
The BIBLE is the acting and living - WORD of God
SEE YOUR LIFE through GOD'S WORD.
What is it that God wants me to HEAR?

5/27/07, 8:00 PM

 Sermon Notes from May 20, 2007

Focusing On God*

1. Remember the God you serve (remember God's power and promises) Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-4
"...O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule overall the kingdom of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you..."

2. Take an eyes open look at your situation.
Look at your inability to fight the battle on your own and realize that you may have enemies.

3. Focus on God
"WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT OUR EYES ARE UPON YOU."
(2 Chronicles 20:12b)

4. He Waits (meaning "you wait before God")
Even the men of Judah...STOOD BEFORE THE LORD" 2 Chronicles 20:13

5. Watch for God's Plan by listening for His voice and leading with worship. (read 2 Chronicles 20:14-21)
**"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel-as he stood in the assembly...YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO FIGHT THIS BATTLE. Take up your positions; STAND FIRM AND SEE THE DELIVERANCE THE LORD WILL GIVE YOU, O Judah and Jerusalem. DO NOT BE AFRAID, DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED. GO OUT TO FACE THEM TOMORROW, AND THE LORD WILL BE WITH YOU."

"...Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful. After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER."

6. Enjoy God's victory. God's victories are bigger, better, and they last.
"...The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, FOR HIS GOD HAD GIVEN HIM REST ON EVERY SIDE."


REMEMBER -THE BATTLE- BELONGS TO GOD, NOT US...SO ALLOW GOD TO HELP YOU...

 Sermon Notes from April 22

What is Faith???*

"Without FAITH it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

1) Faith is Believing when I don't see it. 
In Hebrews 11:1, it says "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." 
IT'S ONLY A DREAM UNTIL YOU BELIEVE. FAITH TURNS DREAMS INTO REALITY.

2) Faith is Obeying when I don't understand it. 
(read Hebrews 11:7-8) 

3) Faith is Giving when I don't have it (read Hebrews 11:4 & 2 Corinthians 9:6,8)

4) Faith is Persisting when I don't feel like it.
(do things you don't feel like doing)...Read Hebrews 11:27

5) Faith is Thanking God before I receive it.
(KEEP YOUR EYES ON GOD)
"When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it and you will be given what you ask for." 
-Mark 11:24

6) Faith is Trusting even if I don't get it.
"They were all commended for their faith yet none of them received what had been promised. 
GOD HAD PLANNED SOMETHING BETTER" Hebrews 11:39-40

"FAITH COMES FROM HEARING THE WORD OF GOD" - ROMANS 10:17
(READ THE BIBLE TO GROW IN FAITH)

"These trials are only to test your faith...and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold...it will bring you much praise and honor on the day of his return" -1 Peter 1:7


from sermon notes on Feb. 25