The Rock of KC

- God's heart for the orphan (Ps. 68:5-6, Prov. 31:8-9, Isa. 1:17, James 1:27) - greek for "fatherless" means "orphan" - the hebrew word for orphan appears over 40 times in the old testament where God gives numerous instructions concerning their care. - open your heart to orphans (Ps. 10:14,17-18) - caring about orphans is a way to define your faith (James 1:27) - recognize your responsibility (Jeremiah 7:6-7, Matt 10:8, Ps. 68:5) - prevent children from becoming orphans (Isa. 1:17) - help them in practical ways (Deut. 10:18) - relieve their hurts (Matt. 25:35-36) - defend their rights (Deut. 24:17-18) - provide long-term solutions - accept orphans into families (Ps. 68:5-6) - Eph. 1:4-6 - never forget the church - Every orphan needs three things: they need a family, a church, and resources (Prov. 24:12, James 4:17) - pray for them, speak up for them, provide for their needs, support those who support them, protect them from harm, visit them where they are, give sacrificially to them, adopt them into your family

- Matt. 28:18-20 - there is a huge gap between what I want to do or wish to do and what I actually do - the first mark of a disciple is obedience - a secision is not the same as an action - the goal of discipleship is to be like Jesus (Luke 6:40, Gal. 4:19) - qualifiers of being a disciple (Luke 14:16-33): 1. nothing before God 2. take up the cross where my will crosses God's will 3. forsake all I have for God - being fruit inspectors (Luke 6:43-49) - being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God's interests in other people - John 13:34-35 - the true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness - Col. 2:6 as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him - some people have a "profession" but not "Possession" - Matt 7:21, John 15:7-8

- Matt. 5:33-37, 25:14-30 - we can say many good things about the work fo the first two servants: they did their work promptly, with perseverance, with success, and they were ready to give an account to their master - promptness matters - perseverance is a little thing, but it matters - little successes matter - this shows that the master looked for goodness and faithfulness in His servants, not for a specific amount of money - faithfulness matters - "I can do very little; it will not make much difference if i do nothing: I shall not be missed; my tiny push is not needed to turn the scale." F.B. Meyer expressing the thinking of the third servant - we can say of the work of the third servant: he didn't think, didn't work, didn't even try, and made excuses - be faithful in your attitude - it's a little thing that makes a big difference (Phil. 2:1-7) - your attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference - be faithful in your money (Luke 16:10-15) - your attitude about money matters - the value of a penny in God's hands - sometimes it's hard to see how small choices can change your life but when compounded over time, the little things can make the biggest difference - seeing an opportunity and knowing the right choices to make is not enough. You have to act on it. Since the little things are easy to do, they are also easy not to do

- Eccl. 5:1-7, Matt. 33-37, James 5:12 (ESV) - we never know what's on the other side of our commitment - "If you don't make a total commitment to whatever you're doing, then you start looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking. It's tough enough getting that boat to shore with everybody rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts putting his life jacket on." Lou Holtz - "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'" Erma Bombeck - "If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live." Martin Luther King, Jr. - "If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna." Napoleon Bonaparte - "If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?" Joe Namath - "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality." Dante Alighieri - "When you have decided what you believe, what you feel must be done, have the courage to stand alone and be counted." Eleanor Roosevelt - "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." Margaret Thatcher - there's a difference between an interest and a commitment - some of God's people have made a decision about Jesus, but not made a commitment to Him - Rom. 12:1-2 - it is impossible to be "sort of committed." You are either committed or you are not committed. It is not possible to be a partial sacrifice - "There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results." Art Turock - "The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed." Martina Navratilova - be committed to less so you will be more committed - we judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions - right now, we're making time for what we're commited to

- do you think of time as something in your life that can be redemed? - Eph. 5:1-16 - redeeming the time - find out what the will of God is - time can be redeemed for God's glory - Moses is a good example of redeeming your time well. - 3 parts to Moses' life: - first part is privilege - second part is obscurity - third part is significance (Ex. 3:1-10) - how to redeem time for God's glory: 1. if you want to redeem time, you've got to see in new ways - whatever captures your attention, captures you and you can end up wasting your life if you're paying attention to the wrong things. - the people who redeem time the most are people who burn with something in their heart. - each day is an opportunity to encounter God 2. you redeem time when you embrace God's call for your life - stop waiting for something to happen to you and start showing up and live the life God made you to live - stop waiting for something to happen to you; something is waiting for you to happen to it - stop waiting, it's already in your heart - when you get in front of the burning bush, it's not just the bush that burns 3. you redeem time when you trade your past for God's future - don't let your past be a label that you wear for the rest of your life - if we are in Christ, we are new creatures, the old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17) 4. you redeem time when you see all of your life as something sacred - Ex 3:5 - holy ground - your home, vehicle, desk at work, wife, and kids should be seen as sacred space - just like you think of the church building - live your life in a sacred, fresh way

- Matt. 27:38-44 (ESV) - Numbers 21:4-9 - John 3:14-15 1. Complaining is draining - it will cause you to fail to see God's hand at work - a complaining spirit will blind you - it bolinds you to the miracle in process - we must pull on past vistories - past victories are your weapon to that complaining spirit 2. They looked and they lived (Rom. 8:3) - they had to stop looking at the wounds and start looking at the cure - Isa. 45:22 - in roder to save us eternally, Jesus refused to save Himself momentarily - Heb. 12:2 - what you lift up is what you look at; and what you look at, you will look like

- Acts 3:17-19 - Repent - to change one's mind; to change one's midn for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins - "Repentance involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness." F.F. Bruce - convertede: to turn - refreshing: a cooling, refreshing - one precedes the other. No repentance - no conversion - no refreshment - Matt. 3:1-2, 11:20-21, 12:38-41, Mark 6:7-12, Luke 13:1-5, 15:1-7, Acts 17:28-31 - to the church in Ephesus (Rev. 2:3-5) - to the church in Pergamum (Rev. 2:14-16) - to the church in Thyatira (Rev. 3:18-20) - Eph. 4:17-24 - repentance is taking in God's point of view; looking at it His way - the urgency of repentance - Isa. 55:6-7, Rom. 2:4, Acts 17:30, James 5:19-20, Rev. 3:3 - repentance is not "sorrow" 2 Cor. 7:9-10 shows that repentance is an outcome of sorrow; sorrow leads to repentance; sorrow itself is not repentance - repentance is not "a changed life" - some understand that repentance is a converted life but Acts 3:19 reveals that repentance and conversion are two separate things. First sorrow, then repentance, finally a changed life - worldly sorrow is a selfish kind of sorrow - sorry they got caught and looked bad - godly sorrow is drected toward God - sorry because their actions are sins against a Holy God (Ps. 51:4) - repent -> be converted -> refreshment comes

- Luke 10:27 (MSG) - passion comes from the core of who you are - taking hold of the heart for what God has for me - "I don't have time" really means "I don't have enough energy and passion" - it's passion and energy that will change things - muscle - how? volunteer labor, skills - love your neighbor with money, material, and muscle - intelligence - our mental capacity and focus "set your mind on things above" - who's the person I'm going to share Jesus with today? Or invite to church? - love your neighbor - Gal. 6:10 (AMP) - be mindful to be a blessing - without a vision, people are paralyzed; wtih a vision, people are energized. - Nothing creates more passion and energy, more prayer life and spiritual hunger, more willingness to serve and to volunteer, more generosity in advancing the Kingdom of God than a person who will chase their dream. - Often times people think, "I can't engage God at those levels. I can't dream like that. I'm too old now. I'm past age to do that." or "I regret it, but my time has passed." or "I'm too young, I'm not ready to engage God that way. I'm not ready to be used at this season of my life." - It's never too late to dream again. It's never too late to engage what God is doing now.

- 2 Cor. 4:7 (NKJV, NIV, NLT) - 2 Cor. 3:15-18 - where the Spirit is Lord - 2 Cor. 4:1-18 - We often lose heart because we do not consider how great a calling God has given us in Jesus. - The idea behind the Greek word for lose heart is the "faint-hearted coward." The Greek word has the idea of not only a lack of courage but of bad behavior and evil conduct. - Craftiness speaks of "a cunning readiness to adopt any device or trickery for the achievement of ends which are anything but altruistic." (Hughes) - There is a higher scrutiny than that of the human conscience: it is to God that every minister of the gospel is ultimately and eternally answerable." (Hughes) - "The blindness of unbelievers in no way detracts from the clearness of the gospel for the sun is no less resplendent because the blind do not perceive its light." (Calvin) - John 3:19 - "The god of this world is able only to blind the minds of the unbelieving … Refusal to believe is the secret and reason of the blindness that happens to men." (Morgan) - Acts 9:1-19, Ps. 44:3, 78:14

- 2 Chron. 7:1-3 - the temple in the new testament - John 2:18-21 - Jesus referring to His own body - Eph. 2:18-22 - the church is the temple - Acts 7:44-49 - God says He doesn't dwell in the things people make. Everything on earth is merely a foot stool to God - 1 Cor. 3:9 - my body is God's field and building. God speaks through family, friends, co-workers, and all who are in Christ - 1 Cor. 3:16 - God dwells in those who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior - Jesus taught more in the synagoge where people assembled than in the temple - we collectively are the temple of God - do you not know you are not your own, it's God's body, God's car, God's home, God's clothes, etc. - 5 ways to worship God in your body 1. a place of dedication - how dedicated to God are you? 2. a place of devotion - how devoted are you? How can I worship God with my body? 3. a place of duty - we need to understand our duty/responsibility 4. a place of death - a daily place of sacrifice - deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus 5. a place of display - where the glory of God is on display

- 2 Chron. 7:1-22 - Characteristics of the prayer that Solomon offered - prayer was one of humility (2 Chron. 6:12-13) - recognition of the faithfulness of God (2 Chron. 6:14-15) - desire for justice (2 Chron. 6:22-23) - forgiveness and repentance (2 Chron. 6:24-27) - desire to see the foreigner experience God's presence (2 Chron. 6:32-33) - prayer for the Lord's enduring presence in tehtemple (2 Chron. 6:40-42) - 1 Cor. 6:19-20 - the temple of God today - we are to be a present day people of God - change in our country begins with us individually - the temple was a place for people to encounter God and that's the same today with us

Hebrews 11:1 - faith is everything we are as Christians - projects are wonderful but it's all about people

- 1 Kings 19:19-21 (The Message) - in spide of how okay you think you are doing or how bad you might think you are doing, God has something more, something better, something greater for you so He can get greater glory through you - maybe you're not called to step out into something new but to step it up right where you currently are in life. DOn't settle for "regular" when you can have premium - John 14:12 - the Bible says anyone - not just the pastors, not just the worship team, not just the ones who have it all together, but anyone - that means you and I - God wants to bring you into great things right now "because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4 - He gives us power to "be" a witness - not "just" to witness (Acts 1:8) - greater things can start now becuase He is greater than any and all you will ever face or fear - sometimes "greater" means simply trusting Him, the greater one inside of you - Eph. 3:20 - His power, by His Spirit, is working inside of you - "greater" starts with deeper surrender - Elisha accepted God's invitation by burning everything that tied him to his life of "good enough" - you are not being called by Elijah today, but by someone much greater - the Bible says that the "steps of the righteous man are ordered of the Lord." You don't need every step, just the next one - your life will continue to be limited until you set fire to the things that you are still tethering to in your old life - as your surrender becomes deeper, your calling will become more clear

Romans 8:1-16, Eph. 5:1-21, Gal. 5:16-26, 6:7-10 - wrong responses that undermine the will of God in our lives: 1. resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51) - resist - to fall upon, run against, to be adverse, oppose, strive against 2. grieving the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30-31) - grieve - to make sorrowful, to affect with sadness, cause grief, to throw into sorrow, offend, to make one uneasy 3. quench the Holy Spirit - quench - to extinguish

- actively pursuing and walking with the Holy Spirit - having a strong relationship with Him involves walking in the Holy Spirit and producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit - walking in the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26 NLT) - sanctification is dinstinguished from justification (Gal. 2:15-16) - difference between justification and sanctification - justification - freed from the penalty of sin (just as if we had never sinned) - sanctification - freed fro mthe power of sin - justification - Christ for us - sanctification - Holy Spirit in us - justification - God declares that we are righteous - sanctification - we actually become righteous - justification - is a once for all event - sanctification - is an ongoing process - salvation includes justification and sanctification (Gal. 5:16) - as we are walking and doing life, Holy Spirit wants to lead us - the Bible regularly describes our life with God as a walk (Gen. 6:9,Ps. 23:4) - walking is by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16) - how does change happen? being led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:18), live in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25) - how do we fill ourselves up? negative. do not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) positive. practice spiritual disciplines - ways for us to allow the Holy Spirit to be present in our lives: reading the bible (John 14:15-16), praying, worship (Ps. 84:4), hearing God's voice (John 16:13), connecting with other Christians (Heb. 10:24-25) - producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit - fruit is needed to strengthen our inner life: love (John 15:13), joy (Rom. 14:17), peace (Rom. 15:13) - fruit is needed for our relationships with others: patience (James 1:3-4), kindness (Titus 3:1-7), goodness (Rom. 2:4-5) - fruit is needed for a truly successful life: faithfulness - dependability, trustworthiness (Deut. 4:40), gentleness (Gal. 6:1), self-control (Gal. 5:22-23) - common themes associated with the fruit of the Holy Spirit - fruit starts with God, is seen by Jesus and works through us by Holy Spirit - fruit is impossible in our own strength - it is developedd and grown by Holy Spirit fruit developed in us shows spiritual maturity - prayer of blessing - 2 Peter 1:2