Fellowship Church - Prairieville, LA

Signs: See the Sign Right There

Matthew 16:1-12

A little off ends up lost.

We stop straying when we accept truth that changes wrong.

Signs of Straying

• Seeking signs instead of truth.
• Looking for desires instead of promises.
• Hearing what I want instead of what God said.
• Seeking what feels good instead of what is right.
• Controlling instead of changing.

Are my expectations built upon my Savior or is my Savior built upon my expectations?

Overcoming the Cycle of Defeat | Romans 5:1-11 Facing troubles through faith causes endurance. Facing troubles without faith causes bitterness. Enduring troubles through faith builds authentic character. Bitterness without faith causes hardness and deceitfulness. Authentic faith through troubles builds hope. Hardness without faith causes despair and darkness. Hope wins. Despair and darkness lose.

Romans 8:1-17

The Problems and Promises of IF

If you have the Spirit, you are in Christ because, if you are in Christ, you have the Spirit.

The Problems:

-Self-Minded

-Hostile to God

-By unrighteousness, cannot please God

-Bound to Sin

-Bound to Death

-Spirit of Slavery

-Spirit of Fear

-Heir of Flesh (Self)

-Powerless over sin and wrong

The Promises:

-Spirit-Minded

-Humble before God

-By Christ’s righteousness, pleasing to God

-No judgment

-Alive-Free

-Adopted: A Child of God-Heir of God and Co-heir with Christ

-Power to put to death sin and wrong

Stop taking up what Jesus took.Stop putting on what Jesus put off.

Put on victory. Take up power.

Put on identity.

Take up the promises.

The Spirit-Set Mind:

-Lives in conviction without condemnation.

-Seeks right freely without fear.

-Powerful over sin without sinful pride.

-Sees the pleasure of God without performance.

-Lives like a child, not a slave.

We Are Now Champions | Romans 8:31-39 Victory in Christ is… Personal Spiritual Purposeful What more could God do than what God has done? Suffering and struggle happen. Struggling is not losing; it is a part of winning. Victory is not about the obstacle; it is about the obedience. Live in the win.

We Have Been Championed! Romans 5:1-11 Now that we have been declared righteous, God will direct me towards righteousness, so that my life will display righteousness. A relationship of grace that provides peace and access. A relationship of hope that provides promise and purpose. Hope is certain because of: -the deposit of His Spirit. -the demonstration of His love. -the death of His Son.

Romans 6:1-11 Dominion belongs to the Champion. The victory is personal…and it is ours. We live in victory… Therefore we live from victory… Therefore we live for victory. How we consider ourselves is how we consider Christ.

Matthew 15:21-28

Truth is true. Let truth be true.

Love is love. Let love be love.

The Lord is the Lord. Let the Lord be Lord.

Great faith is a faith of confession – a faith that speaks up.

Great faith is a faith of action – a faith that stands tall.

Great faith is a faith of submission – a faith that kneels low.

Matthew 15:9-20

There is no substitute for INTIMACY with God

The two biggest barriers to intimacy are ISOLATION and PRIDE

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Where do I start?

Humbly CONFESS

Invite God to EXAMINE your HEART

Make the CHANGES

Tell someone who you TRUST

A Personal Touch Matthew 15:1-9 Root to Truth. Tie to Truth. Test to Truth. Am I actively becoming what I am not?

A Personal Touch | Matthew 14:34-36 / 15:29-31

A touch from Jesus will change everything, but everything will change with a touch of Jesus.

Am I fully trusting in Jesus or simply trusting from Jesus?

The relationship between faith and grace is real.

The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of reward, not return.

Faith costs; grace buys.

The currency of the Kingdom of God is grace, not faith.

The work of the Lord is not for sale.

Matthew 14:1-21/15:32-39 How do we experience the sweetness of God in the bitterness of life? Just. Just is enough. Injustice never justifies Weariness does not justify unfaithfulness. Just bring to Jesus just what you have. Start serving without seeing.

Hometown Reject Matthew 13:53-58; 14:1-12 Matthew 13:53-57a There’s a danger that comes with familiarity. It can lead to bitterness that leads to unbelief that leads to offense that leads to rejection. Matthew 13:57b How did Jesus handle rejection? He did nothing. Matthew 13:58 The way we perceive Jesus is how we will receive Jesus. Matthew 14:1-12 When you follow Jesus expect bad things & expect good things.

Deeper is simple and seen. God is in the small. Don’t begrudge the beginning. Be beneficial. Make the place you are planted different. Stay humble. Start here. Start now.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, 47-50 Deeper is simple and seen. Trust the King with His Kingdom. Quit controlling. Quit expecting perfection. Live with a healthy dissatisfaction. Limit out.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Deeper is simple and seen.

Never underestimate the generosity of God’s grace.

God is generous by grace, through grace, and with grace.

Salvation causes mission.

Mission causes multiplication.

Mission and multiplication exist because salvation causes transformation.

Luke 2:25-38; Ecclesiastes 3

How you see your time will be how you spend your time. Live patiently. Live expectantly. Live to seek. Live to speak. Live faithfully. Live accountably.

The Stress of Relationships Ecclesiastes 4 The greatest source of stress in our lives is sin. Choose people. Choosing people means preferring another above yourself. (Romans 12:10) Better Purpose – To be better, I need you. Better Production – To do better, I need you. Better Provision – To have better, I need you. Better Protection – To live better, I need you.

The Stress that Stole Christmas - Ecclesiastes 5 The greatest source of stress in our lives is sin. Guard the good. (Eccl. 5:1-7) Protect why you do good. Guard the gain. (Eccl. 5:8-17) Protect how you gain. Guard the gift. (Eccl. 5:18-20) Protect how you see your gifts. We give well when we remember that all gain and good are gifts from God.

Fight Ephesians 6:10-20 (18-20) We need to pray just to make it today. Pray Biblical. Big! Bold! Obedient! Pray Always. Consistent. Persistent. Pray Believing. Specific. Strong. Alert. STAND!

Stand! (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Ephesians 3:14-21

Person...Promises...Providence

Faith is trusting the Person, Promises, and Providence of God?

Salvation is the position of confidence, access, and boldness in Christ.

Faith is knowing what we believe and believing what we know. Faith is knowing who we believe and believing who we know.

Am I living in full access to the Person of Christ?
Am I acting in full confidence in the Promises of Christ? Am I believing in full boldness in the Providence of Christ?

Ephesians 6:10-20 & 5:1-20 Righteousness works. Righteousness works righteousness. Righteousness works righteousness for us. There is no salvation where there is no sacrifice. Righteousness is who we are before righteousness is what we do. Righteousness works righteousness in us. There is no salvation without sovereignty. Security is found in the Lord’s sovereignty. Righteousness works righteousness of us. When the Lord rules we live by the Lord’s rules. Righteousness works righteousness through us. Righteousness put on will be righteousness pressed out.

STAND! The dangers of duplicity: -double-minded -double-hearted -double-willed Ephesians 4:25-32 Be True: Integrity holds. Integrity is more than not lying. Integrity is intentionally telling the truth. The Battle for True: Fight the fake. Face the real. Think earned not deserved. Our sinfulness is our selfishness. Kill bitterness with kindness. (Resentment) Quench anger with tenderness. Prov. 15:1 Quit the Clamor… Stop Screaming Silence the Slander No one will ever speak the truth in love to you – if you don’t derail the dysfunction.

Ephesians 6:10-20 Ephesians 4:20-24 Live Ready! Being ready is a way of life – new life. We have to die if we want to live. Schemes we need to See: Duplicity: Live divided. Accusation: Stay accused. Insecurity: Feel unusable. Fear: Walk scared. Discouragement: Think defeat. Doubt: Believe denials.

Ephesians 6:10-20 - Stand! Ephesians 1:16-23 Wealth. Walk. War. Standup: We are in a fight we do not see but we do feel. If we are not wrestling, we are not winning. Stand on: We fight from victory not for victory. We are not taking ground, we are claiming ground Christ has already taken. Stand in: Are you in a posture, place, and position to be empowered with powerful might of God?

Matthew 12:33-37 Real confession is necessary for real salvation. We will all experience justification or condemnation – the difference is our life confession. Fruit issues are root issues. We cannot hide who we are, but God change who we are. What and how we speak reveals who we really are. Lord, may the fruit of my life match the faith of my mouth.

Matthew 12:22-32

Real life in Christ requires us to keep it real.

The fight is real.It is unreasonable to live based on reasoning that is not well reasoned (but we all do).

Living divided is deciding to live defeated.

We will never see what we are unwilling to see.

Neutrality is a deception.

The Lord can and will forgive any and all sins except the sin of rejecting the Lord who can and will forgive any and all sins.

Matthew 12:1-21 Living by faith means not living from fear. The right question is, “Is it right?” Know your faith. Know your faith better than your fear. Make no hindrance. When we make it about rules, we often make what is right wrong and what is wrong right. Desire what is greater. Mercy is greater. Do the good you know. Jesus is the Right. Jesus is our rightly won righteousness.

Matthew 25-30

The kingdom of God is a kingdom upside down.

Matthew 10:34

We do not sacrifice to earn God's approval, but faith does cost us something.

Matthew 10:16-33

Persecution is Personal

Potential is Personal

Matt 11:1-24
I should trust what is trustworthy
The question of messiah matters
Honest questions get honest answers
A distracted generation will miss the moment
Some are never satisfied and pride is a problem
Finding truth produces deep roots and glorious fruit Isaiah 61:3

Purpose is Personal

Matthew 9

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Matthew 7

Everyone is building something

Matthew 7: 21-23

Stop trying to work for grace, but never stop working from grace.

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Matthew 7:12-14

The action Jesus calls us to brings about the presence of good.