DR. LARRY LAMB

 

Have you ever covered your life in prayer about ?

• “Father in heaven, will You show me clearly what my life should be for You?”
• What should I do with the only life God has given me?
• How can I know the Will of God?
• Reference to the book, Slave, by John MacArthur (Click here to buy the book)

“It is not that I merely want to be called a Christian, but actually be one. Yes, If I prove to be one by being faithful to the end, then I can have the name…come fire, cross, battling with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of my whole body, cruel tortures of the devil – only let me get to Jesus Christ.”
–Ignatius, Disciple of the Apostle John

• God is asking us to be ALL IN… ALL HIS. For the days we have in life, be in the of His will.
• How can I know the will of God for me?
   1. God’s Word – Wisdom
   2. God’s People – Guidance
   3. God’s Sovereignty – Timing
   4. God’s Stirring – Passion
   5. God’s Peace – Confidence

• Philippians 1:27-30 27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

1. THE FOCUS OF OUR CALLING
(“Above all.” Verse 27).

• Despite all the Apostle Paul’s distractions, he would write later in his letter:
• Philippians 3:12-14 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

 

2. THE COMMAND OF OUR CALLING
(“You must live.” Verse 27)

 

3. THE ORIGIN OF OUR CALLING
(“As citizens of heaven.” Verse 27)

• John 17:14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

 

4. THE GOAL OF OUR CALLING
(“Conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” Verse 27)

 

5. THE UNITY OF OUR CALLING
(“standing together ” Verse 27)

Unity is displayed in:
– One spirit
– One purpose
– One struggle (fighting together)
– One goal (THE faith): the mission has not changed; methods have.

 

6. THE DISTRACTIONS OF OUR CALLING
(“Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies.” Verse 28)

 

7. THE STEWARDSHIP OF OUR CALLING
(“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” Verse 29)

• 2 Corinthians 12:10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
• John 15:18 If (since) the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.

 

8. THE STRAIN OF OUR CALLING
(“We are in this struggle together.” Verse 30).

 

9. THE ONGOING NATURE OF OUR CALLING
(“You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.” Verse 30)

1. Our calling is from God, so hold it loosely and do the work well.
2. Our calling is from another world, but it is for this world, so trust it entirely and leave the outcome to the Father.
3. Our calling is filled with impossible challenges, so believe it by faith that the Lord has the final say.
4. Our calling is eternal for the Shepherd of our souls, so live it out until our last day.

 

Would you be willing to be willing to pray this:
“Father in heaven, will You show me clearly what my life should be for You?”

 

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.

 

 

• Salvation is God’s plan to give people .
• Salvation is the work of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
• Salvation is God’s way, never man’s way.
• Salvation is God’s initiative (John 6:44).

 

• Salvation – Deliverance from danger or suffering.
• God’s Salvation – Concerns a person’s eternal and spiritual deliverance.

 

• Everyone is a sinner – Romans 3:23 “Everyone has sinned.” (See also: Ephesians 2:1)
• Sin must be punished – Romans 6:23 “The wages (payment) of sin is death.”
• Consequences of sin – Romans 5:9 “And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation (Wrath).”
• John 3:36 (NKJV) “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
• The consequences of sin are physical death and spiritual destruction in hell (Matthew 8:12, Matthew 13:41-42, Matthew 5:22).

 

• Hebrews 9:22 “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”
• See also Leviticus 17:11
• For this very reason, God established the sacrificial system for the people of Israel.
• Substitutionary sacrifice – The death of on our behalf.
• Imputation of sin – God attributes a person’s sin to the substitutionary sacrifice.
• Justification – Legal term that means a person is legally declared just or righteous, in this case, before God (Placed in a right relationship with God).

 

Only by God’s grace, through faith alone (not works), in Christ alone.

• ONLY GRACE – Grace is God’s favor, blessing, or kindness.
  – Ephesians 2:8-10 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
• THROUGH FAITH ALONE – A person’s is to with faith and believe. Faith and repentance go hand in hand. Repentance is essential and results in a change of behavior.
  – Galatians 2:16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ.
• IN CHRIST ALONE – Faith (believe) only in Jesus Christ and no one else.
  – 1 John 5:11-12 11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
  – John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
  – Acts 4:12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

I feel a duty to bear my solemn testimony against the spirit of the day you are living in, to warn you against its infection. It is not atheism I fear so much in the present times as pantheism. It is not the system which says nothing is true, so much as the system which says everything is true. It is not the system which says there is no Savior, so much as the system which says there are many saviors, and many ways to peace. It is the system which seems ready to honor others as well as our Lord Jesus Christ, class them altogether, and hope well for all. JC Ryle

 

• The reason why is because Jesus is substitutionary sacrifice.
• He died in our place, and His sacrifice is enough for the whole world because he is fully God and fully man.
  – Romans 8:3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
• Jesus suffered a very real physical death.
• Through one man, Adam, entered sin and death. Yet, sin and death would be conquered by the death of the God-man Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 5:15-17).
• As Jesus carried the sin of humanity upon himself, he himself became sin, and the Father executed judgment upon Jesus instead of individual sinners.
  – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
  – 1 Peter 2:24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.
• Jesus’ righteousness was imputed (attributed) to us when we believed.

The only way to be declared righteous before God is by imputation (attributing to another). God attributed our guilt to Jesus and, at the same time, attributed Jesus’ righteousness to us. As sinners, we receive justification through faith when we believe in Christ. The righteousness we receive is not ours but the righteousness of Jesus.    John MacArthur

 

• Forgiveness
• New birth
• Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
• Sanctification by the Holy Spirit to be used for God’s service.
• Regeneration by the Holy Spirit
• Justification / Righteousness
• Reconciliation with God (Romans 5:10)
• Oneness with God
• Brought into the family of God
• Future glorification, which is the completion of our salvation in end times through the resurrection of the dead and the receiving of a new body to have eternal fellowship with God.

 

IN GOD’S PLAN FOR OUR SALVATION:
1. The Father sends Jesus, the Son, to the world (John. 3:16-17).
2. The Son as mediator dies and resurrects, becoming victorious over sin and death (1 Tim. 2:5-6).
3. The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners (Titus 3:5) and gives new life in Christ (Rom. 8:9-11).

• • Salvation is centered on the death of Christ on the cross on our behalf.
  • God can forgive us only because his Son Jesus died in our place on the cross.
  • If God’s spirit is moving you, nudging you to place your faith in Jesus, do not ignore it. Today is the day for your Salvation.

 

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.

PASTOR CHARLIE ARELLANO

 

• Last week’s challenge –  Really look within at how we love. Love, not like the unbelieving world demonstrates love but instead looking at God’s perfect and unselfish of love.
• We serve a loving, patient and forbearing God who tells us that it is never too late in this life to come to Him earnestly and realize that we may have been playing the part but not living out the true nature of God.
• Our Mission Statement: “Inviting the lost and broken into our Christ-centered journey from empty religion to generational life change.”
• It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, or how far gone you feel your life might be. We are all an unfinished work on this side of eternity (Philippians 1:6).

ABIDING IN CHRIST

• “Abiding in Christ” is a biblical phrase that means to live in or remain in a relationship with Christ. Abiding in Christ is:

– A position of all true believers
– A picture of an intimate relationship
– A connection to God
– A resting and remaining in Christ
– A belonging to God

 

• 1 John 4:13-21 13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So, we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

 

• 1 John 4:13–16 lists three tangible proofs that a person has truly come to faith in Christ. In each case, there is a reference to the believers abiding in God and God abiding in the believer.
• “Christ love” refers to the , unconditional love exemplified by Jesus Christ, often seen as a selfless act of giving oneself for the benefit of others, while “philanthropist love” describes a broader love for humanity, expressed through charitable acts and actively working to improve the lives of others, which can be motivated by compassion or a desire to make a positive impact, but not necessarily driven by a faith-based belief in divine sacrifice like Christ’s love.
• This “Abiding in God” and “Perfected Love” only comes when we surrender our ways and take on His ways. It is called conversion into His likeness (2 Corinthians 5:17).
• In our scripture for today we are exposed to three Evidences of Conversion. The old has left us and the new has invaded our lives.

1. Having Received the Spirit (1 John 4:13)
2. Confessing that Jesus Is the Son of God (1 John 4:14–15)
3. Abiding in Love (1 John 4:16)

• 1 John 3:24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit, he gave us lives in us.

 

• We will only come to know and realize this full expression of love when we surrender to Jesus Christ and then take on His and attributes.
• 1 John 4:17 – When we surrender to the Master, then we can live out this verse.

“Joy is love exalted; peace is love in repose; long-suffering is love enduring; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in school; and temperance is love in training.” D.L. Moody

• 1 John 4:18-19 These verses are often confusing to some because they address both love and fear (For example: Deuteronomy 6:1–5).
• God’s complete love provides us a beautiful assurance that we face no condemnation and should have no fear of our future. We are His, and He is ours!
• There is an assurance that regardless of the shortcomings, our love is not based on performance but instead on true, unmitigated love because of how Christ loves us. NO FEAR! “Love begins with God, not with us.
• 1 John 4:20-21 This love for God must result in love for other believers. To claim to love God while refusing to love his people makes one a “liar.”
• Romans 12:9-10 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

God is love. That’s His nature. That’s the essence of His person. That’s one of His attributes, His characteristics. When you are in God and God is in you, then the same life in God pours out through you. You’re like a string on His instrument, a sound from His trumpet, a photograph from His camera. His love flows out through you and that love of God is revealed.

—Charles R. Swindoll

• Get in the habit of asking ourselves daily:
  – God, Do I Reflect Your Character?
  – Where are we in the real expression of God’s love in our lives?
• Have you been harboring unforgiveness towards someone in your life? Is it time to put all the ill feelings and vengeance down and instead time to pick up the phone or pay a visit to someone you have been withholding your love from? Don’t put it off any longer and fool yourself into saying I will do it tomorrow, for tomorrow might never come! Reference: Romans 5:8
• Church family, I would say that it is time.
  • Time to Love the way Christ designed us to love.
  • Time to Put away past Hurt and Our pride, move forward!
  • Time to Look Like Christ.
• The world is Looking at Us! The world is Looking to Us!
• As the church- God’s people – “Our problem is not that we are being ignored, it is that we are being observed!”
• God, Do I Reflect Your Character to a watching and waiting world?

 

“God, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I deserve the consequences of my sin. However, I am trusting in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I believe that His death and resurrection provided for my forgiveness. I trust in Jesus and Jesus alone as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord, for saving me and forgiving me! Amen!”

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.

 

PASTOR CHARLIE ARELLANO

• Love is a word that gets thrown around a lot.
• Conversely, many people never use the word love because they have never had love demonstrated to them; they have had negative experiences with the term, so the word is held back and seldom used, if ever.
• 1 John 4:7-12 (NLT) 7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
• Reference: 1 Timothy 6:20, 2 Timothy 4:3

 

1 John 4:7-8 | JOHN TELLS US THAT TRUE CHRISTIAN LOVE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE.

In verse 7, John uses language that identifies his audience and who the message is directed to. “Dear friends” is used in the NLT, and ” Beloved” is used in other Bible translations. This is important because John is talking to the . This means that this message is for those of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ today.

In verses 7 and 8, we see these two truths regarding love, which is non-negotiable for a Christ follower.

• First, love originates from , so we, His people, should be by it.
  – Love is fundamental to God’s character, so we, as His children, must bear that family resemblance.
  – John wrote about this very thing in John 13:35.
  – We should not look like the rest of the unbelieving world, being divisive, argumentative, and downright unfriendly. This is not the behavior of a Christ follower. That type of behavior is totally contradictory to the person of Christ (John 3:16).

• Second, Love is evidenced by being “ of God” and “knowing God.”
  – Verse 8 tells us this: “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love”.
  – God is loving in all that He does.
  – The love that He shows to men and us as believers is a revelation of His own inner being.

 

1 John 4:9-10 | JOHN REMINDS US THAT THE SUPREME EXAMPLE OF LOVE IS FOUND IN THE CROSS.

The “sending” of the Son envisions the full of Christ – the incarnation, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. This was the culmination of God’s great love.

• This is why his work demonstrates love – and it came at the greatest . God’s most prized possession on the cross.
• The two components are self-sacrifice and an action done for the benefit of others.
• There is no way we can be the example of true Christ-like love without the cross and Christ living in us.

 

1 John 4:11-12 | JOHN GIVES US INSTRUCTION ON HOW WE CAN PRACTICE LOVE AND SEE ITS RESULT.

John once again reminds us of who he is addressing, and it serves as a reminder to the believer. He reminds us that God’s great love is on the cross. Then he reminds us that if we are truly recipients of Jesus’ persevering, sacrificial love, how can we not do anything other than demonstrate this to one another and a watching world?

• John doesn’t mince words. If we can’t love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not know God. Our adoration of God must lead to .
• While it is true that we cannot see God, we must believe that he lives in us. And it is because of this that we as Christians must show Him to a watching world by loving each other.
• When we love each other
  • It demonstrates that God abides in us and the world can see Him through us.
  • God’s love is being brought to completion in us because His love is our salvation.
  • God dwells in the midst of others as we live among them.

“As we draw near to God through Christ, we come to know Him and to love as He loves – and that love is a testimony to the watching world around us.” – Chuck Swindoll

Contemplate and meditate on how much God demonstrated His love for all of us. Then, we can evaluate our behavior and make the changes necessary to better represent Jesus to a world that needs to see Him, now more than ever.

• He loved us first. He did not wait for us to make the first move. Our love should be an initiating love.
• He loved those who hated Him. We cannot excuse ourselves from love because people are difficult. If the sinless God can love sinful people, then sinful people can surely love other sinful people.
• We are commanded to love all people even when they are different than we are. Our love must not be limited to those who are like us.
• His love continued when it was not convenient.
• His love perseveres even though we sin and offend Him.
• His love came at an extreme cost.

 

“God, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I deserve the consequences of my sin. However, I am trusting in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I believe that His death and resurrection provided for my forgiveness. I trust in Jesus and Jesus alone as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord, for saving me and forgiving me! Amen!”

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.

 

DR. LARRY LAMB

 

Do you have a plan to keep growing?

• Philippians 4:10-14 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
• Reading this short part of one of Paul’s letters, we can easily see his growth pattern.
• People do not mature in Christ by accident.
• People who grow in Christ move toward a plan to grow.

 

1. PRIVATE DISCIPLINES

• 1 Corinthians 9:26 So, I run with purpose in every step.
• Four Private Disciplines
  – Absorbing God’s Word for daily food. (Biblical truth alive in love) – value 1
  – Practical praying to confess, ask, listen, and focus. (Power of prayer) – value 2
  – Giving to help. (Life-Changing generosity) – value 3
  – Serving to add value to others.
• John 13:4-5  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

 

2. WISE RELATIONSHIPS

– Do the people closest to you stretch you?
– Do the people closest to you inspire you?
– Do the people closest to you tell you the truth?
– Do the people closest to you point you to Christ?
– Are the people closest to you mature in their speech?
– Are the people closest to you pure in their lives?
– Are the people closest to you living in God’s grace?
– Are the people closest to you living for eternity?

• Colossians 3:1-2 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

 

3. BOOKS THAT DEEPEN LIFE

• 2 Timothy 4:9-13 Timothy, please come as soon as you can. 10 Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers.
• What’s your plan to grow up in Christ? Do you have a Bible reading plan?
• Build your life on the solid rock of Jesus.
• Matthew 7:24-25 Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.
• May this be our most significant year ever, doing what God wants us to do, becoming who God wants us to become, and helping others along their faith journey.

“I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me.” – Oswald Chambers

The Clock
“The clock of life is wound but once, and no person has the power to tell just when the hands will stop at a late or early hour. To lose one’s wealth is sad; indeed, to lose one’s health is sadder. To lose one’s soul is such a loss that no one can restore.”

 

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.

 

Dr. LARRY LAMB

 

“Had my Savior been God only, I might perhaps have trusted Him, but I never could have come near to Him without fear. Had my Savior been man only, I might have loved Him, but I never could have felt sure that He was able to take away my sins. But, blessed be God, my Savior is God as well as man, and man as well as God – God and so able to deliver me – Man, and so able to feel me.” –JC Ryle

• Isaiah 53:3 “…a man of sorrows…”
• The celebrated sinless Christ-child, born in Bethlehem as predicted, grew up as a man, suffered, and died for the sins of all people.

 

• It’s like God says to people through Jesus, “I know about you. I am not distant.

1. Immanuel in life’s perplexities.
2. Immanuel when we have needs.
Matthew 8:20 Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.
3. Immanuel when we feel alone.
4. Immanuel when tempted (Matthew 4:1-10).
5. Immanuel, when there is great agony
Matthew 27:46 “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

 

• The deity of Jesus is the Christmas story. It’s the story of THE GIFT.
  – Whatever is heavy in your life tonight – God with you.
  – Whatever is joyful in your life tonight – God with you.
• God’s gift to all people…a birth, a baby, a Savior.

 

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.

DR. LARRY LAMB

 

 

DR. LARRY LAMB

• One day Jesus an invitation that is joyous at Christmas and every day of the year.
• Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
• The greatest friend anyone could ever have, the closest friend anyone could have, and best friend offers an invitation – COME TO ME.
• How NOT to come to Jesus:
  – With pride
  – With self-sufficiency
  – With an agenda
  – With works (To be loved I must do)
  
• How to come to Jesus:
  – With simplicity
  – With humility
  – With frequency
  – With His grace (not self-effort)

“God was not bound to provide us a Savior, nor open to us a door of hope, nor call us to repent and turn once we had cast ourselves away by sin, but he hath freely done it to magnify His mercy.”  Richard Baxter

– As His loved friend

Description of people who are in these two places:
1. People who weary/exhausted (What we bring on ourselves).
2. People who heavy burdens (Implying the acts of others).

“Lord, today, help me not to say or do anything that would add to anyone’s burden.” –Chuck Swindoll

 

• When the weary and burdened person comes to Jesus, the gift is . Resting in His security. It is not my rest but Jesus’ rest. It’s not an intellectual rest but a practical trust.
• The rest that Jesus gives is an inward . There is a storm, but there is also peace. There is upheaval, and yet there is peace. The storm has been extended, but there is peace.

R – recall the faithfulness of God.

E – everything is under the providential care of God.

S – speak words of victory to yourself from God’s Word.

T – trust the timing of God.

• Matthew 6:26-30 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?  27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,  29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

 

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.

BY: DR. LARRY LAMB

 

• Entropy is a lack of or predictability, a decline into disorder.
• Everything that involves people means entropy is in play. Things drift, vision leaks, people get off the mission, and momentum diminishes.
• Why discuss mission and values? Because entropy and mission drift come naturally.
• 2 Peter 1:12-13 Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. 13 And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.
• OUR MISSION AT CIELO VISTA CHURCH: Inviting the lost and broken into our Christ-centered journey from empty religion to generational life change.
• We grow in Christ from:
  – The attitude of daily surrender.
  – The grafting of God’s Word into life (Get a Bible reading plan)
  – Investing time with people who are . (Don’t compare).
  – Deleting adversarial competitors that distract your heart. (sights, sounds, situations).

• Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

 

1. BIBLICAL TRUTH ALIVE IN LOVE

• The Navigator.
• 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

 

2. POWER OF PRAYER

• The Visionary (Elmer Towns’ Book on prayer)
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Never stop praying.

 

3. LIFE CHANGING GENEROSITY

• The Investor
• John 3:16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
• Matthew 6:19-21 Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

 

4. UNITY IN DIVERSITY

• The Bridge Builder
• We coalesce around the Living Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 

 

5. BEFORE YOU’RE READY

• The Pioneer
• Ecclesiastes 11:4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
• How many people of God are tired and about to give up, quit, remain discouraged, or say, “What’s the use?” because they cannot see progress? They took their eyes off the Savior.
• Our mission statement and are designed to help the people of God keep serving with the land in sight. To keep working because of the ONE who called us to HIS mission.

“I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up asking God to do His work through me.” –Hudson Taylor

 

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I know that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I can’t do anything about my situation. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sin and trust in You as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with the living God. I desire to be Your child. I desire to live as Your child. In Your name. Amen.

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.

 

BY: DR. LARRY LAMB

An invitation can change people’s eternal destiny and unfold God-ordained possibilities.

• Where there are people in the world, there will be the lost and broken, and it’s wise for churches never to forget Jesus’ global attitude toward people.
• Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
• The actual language is: “As you are going.” Churches and Believers are not to be passive but to be on a .
• • GO = Go to people
  • Make disciples = Train people
  • Teach these new disciples = Grow people
• The danger is that a church slowly drifts off its mission when it forgets that “Inviting the lost and broken” is close to Jesus’ heart.

 

According to God’s Word, every person is lost before Christ.

• The only way to remove our sin is through Jesus’ substitutionary on the Cross, which is the Gospel (meaning, THE GOOD NEWS).
• Romans 3:23-24 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
  • Sinfulness is the life of person.
  • God has a , and we’re incapable of meeting it.
  • is receiving what we do not deserve. It is the kindness of God. Grace is love that seeks us out when we have nothing to give in return.
  • How? He did this through Christ Jesus when he us from the penalty for our sins.
  • What’s the penalty of sin? .

• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Sin causes physical death, but sin also causes death in relationships.
• Sin has the allurement of attractiveness, but it can only usher in death, regret, separation, and heartache.
• It’s a perfect day when a sinner recognizes their separation from God’s holiness, acknowledges their sin, stops their futile rationalization, comes before God in , and calls out to Jesus in faith for salvation.

 

• One primary reason people remain lost before God is .
• Idolatry is anything or anyone before the Lord Jesus.
  • I’ll live any way I want to…
  • I’ll submit to no one…
  • I’ll make up my truth…
  • I’ll die in my sin, separated from God forever, because I the gospel.

• Titus 3:3-7 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

 

Everyone gets broken. That’s because problems, sin, struggles, and a variety of difficult seasons are .

• Brokenness can occur for three reasons:

1. We live each day in a fallen and broken world.
2. We make decisions that are based on idolatry and not the gospel (1 Peter 4:15; Proverbs 26:17).
3. Others think, say, and do sinful and destructive things that cause us to be broken.

• Luke 15:18-19 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
• Our mission is more than just a statement. We want to live it. “INVITING THE LOST AND BROKEN…”

1. To the Lost – The only hope you have is in the person of .
2. To the Broken – Would you be willing to look at the suffering ? Look at His suffering on the Cross as the infinite suffering for you, for me.

When a church full of people grasps this, they go on mission and make an eternal difference for the lost and broken, people whom God loves.

 

Dear God, I know that I am on the wrong path. I admit I am a sinner on the road headed away from You. I want to turn around and journey with You on the road to eternal life. I know that I cannot do that by myself. I know You sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. Right now, I trust in Jesus as the only One who can provide true life, the life found in You. I trust in Jesus as the One who did for me that I cannot do for myself. I trust Jesus as the only One who can place me in an eternal relationship with You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you have made a decision for Christ today please let us know by clicking this link and filling out the form.