Sermon Notes

According to Dr. Hermann Ebbinghaus, we forget 40% of the information that we receive within 20 minutes. 50% of the information that we receive is lost after one hour, and 65% of the information that we receive is lost after one day. The only way to retain newly learned information is to write and rehearse.  

Please take advantage of the sermon notes section and rehearse the content throughout the week. 

It's GOD Time (8/26/2018 - Youth/Back to School Sunday)

• Solomon was known for his wisdom and is believed to have written Ecclesiastes toward the end of his life.
• Two main points are established in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
  1. Life is defined by duality. There cannot be good times without bad times, happy times without sad times, life without death.
     • Just because you are born, you will certainly die but you must choose to live.
  2. Time cannot exist by itself.
     • Time is an illusion created by man as an attempt to establish control over life.
     • Agreement must occur in order for time to exist and act as a constraint and guide.
     • If service is supposed to start at 11:00am and no one shows up then the issue is agreement.
• God's time can and does exist by itself; however, God's time is not quantifiable by man and does not depend on agreement.
  • We always want to know "when"
  • Service starts and ends when God says so, whether we say service starts at 11:00am or not. 
• Ruth went from widow to Great Grand Mother of the king (David).
  • Imagine if she didn't go with Naomi?
  • Ruth was from Moab but became part of the direct genealogy of Judah and Jesus!
  • Ruth looked ahead despite the times of her current situation and was faithful to God.
• We must be like Ruth and not concern ourselves with what is happening on "our" time.
  • Remember the old adage, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."
• A child with no name became a blessed man with a great name because of God Time!

Write - rehearse - remember (8/19/2018)

• The Passover happened BEFORE the delivery. You must be ready to go and believe that you are going.

• You have to apply the blood of the lamb! Even though we know Jesus, have we applied HIM to our lives?

• Jesus is the door and all that enter through HIM will be saved. (John 10:9)

• We still need GOD after being delivered

• 40% of what we learn is gone after 20 minutes so we must rehearse!

• Write it down – pale ink is better than a sharp memory

• Practice what you write until you can’t get it wrong!

• GOD told Moses to write in a book and rehearse in the ears of Joshua (Exodus 17:14)

• "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" was a daily affirmation of faith made by Joshua, not a one time or future claim, despite the simple future tense.

The foundation of the House of the LORD (7/29/2018)

Ezra 3:11 (NLT) With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord:

“He is so good!
    His faithful love for Israel endures forever!”

Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been laid.

• This was the second foundation and the first was built on the LORD; however, disobedience prompted the destruction. 
• Concrete is actually not very strong by itself when certain tensile forces are applied.
• Concrete is often poured over "rebar" (reinforcing bar) to increase the strength.
• Jesus is our "concrete" and the Word is our "rebar"!

From shepherd to Commander (7/22/2018)

1 Samuel 18:5 (NLT) Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike.

• Don’t be a one hit wonder – keep inquiring of GOD.
• In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy path – don’t get distracted and take too many pit stops.
• Finding success everywhere you set your foot is contingent upon setting your foot where GOD’s say to walk.
• Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected that turned into the chief cornerstone; the shepherd turned commander!