Sermon Summaries

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Welcome to Sermon Summaries. These short devotions are taken from the sermons delivered on the date presented. It is my hope that they will serve to inspire and comfort. Please know that you are welcome at the worship services at First Baptist.
Yours In Christ, Malcom Hester, Pastor

(The webservent apologizes for the gap between these and the current summaries. They were due to a dealth in the family.)

Date/Service	7/13/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Scripture	John 10: 7-11
Summary	The Declaration of Independence of the United States was written by Thomas Jefferson. He said the central principle was the sentence which states that the Creator gave the rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness to mankind. Our search today is to find the Biblical support for that position. Life is God´s gift to mankind. In Genesis we read of the creation of all life on this planet. God is also the giver of individual life as he creates a new soul for each person conceived. God´s commandments shows how important the gift of life is as God directs us to not murder and to punish those who do. Jesus came to give eternal life which is the most important gift of all. God also gave liberty. We see in the freeing of the slaves in Exodus that people need to be free in order to worship God. Romans 6: 16-17 teaches us that we were slaves to sin but now we can have freedom in Jesus. God also wants us to have happiness. Some people misunderstand the role of God in this matter because they misunderstand the nature of true happiness. God may prohibit some actions what He knows are harmful because he wants us to have an abundant life.

Date/Service	7/13/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	The Holy Spirit
Scripture	John 14: 8-17; 26
Summary	Who is the Holy Spirit? The background for this teaching about the Holy Spirit is found in the fact that God and the Son are one. The Holy Spirit is also one with the Father and the Son. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to believers as the inner dwelling member of the trinity. He lives in each believer and is the Spirit of Jesus and the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is given to all believers according to Romans 8: 1-16. Paul makes a contrast between those living in the power of sin and those living in the power of the Spirit. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit or they are not saved. What does it mean to be "full of the Spirit?" Every believer has the Holy Spirit when they are saved and you cannot get "more"of Him. You can allow him to have more of you. We must not grieve the Holy Spirit by disobeying him. We are commanded in Ephesians 5: 18 to the filled with the Spirit and we can be if we will obey His voice and allow him to work through us.

Date/Service	7/6/2003 - Morning Service (Bro. Eric)
Topic	Spiritual Gifts
Scripture	1 Corinthians 12
Summary	Paul wrote this first letter to the Corinthian church to correct some specific problems within the church and to answer some questions they had asked him. Chapter 12 is part of a section discussing unity and teaches us in-depth about spiritual gifts. From this chapter, we learn that spiritual gifts are special abilities or ministry emphases that are APPOINTED by God to EVERY believer for use WITHIN the church just as HE determines. Many examples of these gifts are found in 1 Corinthians 12 as well as in Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. However, spiritual gifts are not limited to these listed because none of these lists claim to be exhaustive – only examples. Spiritual gifts must be "eagerly desired" meaning that we should strive to discover our spiritual gifts and develop them. The fact that the word "appointed" is used in 12:28 shows us that by God giving us a spiritual gift, he has given us an assignment to use that gift. A gift left unexercised is a sin. (Remember the parable of the talents that Jesus told?) So what do spiritual gifts have to do with unity? The Corinthian church was giving special preference to some gifts versus others. They were exalting some for their special talents but ignoring others. This is still a problem today. Many act as if preaching is the most admired gift because it is so visible – we structure our worship times around it. But the church is a body, as Paul observes, the body of Christ. Not all of the parts are to be the same. Christ´s work in this world cannot be accomplished except by His body functioning with each part having its own, unique, assignment. Literally dozens of people work together to produce our weekly worship service though most of them go unrecognized because they don´t take the pulpit Sunday morning. Are you a Christian but you still haven´t kicked that feeling that there is something more to life? What is your gift? Do you exercise it? If you don´t know or just don´t use your gift you are like a part of the body left totally unused – unable to contribute and soon to wither with atrophy. Don´t let this be you! Find out what your spiritual gift is by 1. Praying to ask your creator about what He has given you. 2. Reading God´s word – He reveals much to us through His Word. 3. Look for upcoming activities at FBC that will help you discover your role in the body of Christ.

Date/Service	7/6/2003 - Evening Service (Bro. Eric)
Topic	The Doctrine of Jesus Christ: His return and His expectations.
Scripture	Luke 12
Summary	When reading scripture, we should always be careful to read the entire book, or at least the entire chapter. The context of the chapter and book is critical to understanding each verse. Luke 12 is a good example. As part of understanding Jesus Christ, it is essential that we understand that He will return. Many people spend countless sermons and pages of books discussing HOW and WHEN he will return. People argue about the order of events, what is symbolic, what is not symbolic, what the end times will be like. But what does JESUS want us to know about His return? Luke 12 gives the answer. Here it is in three parts: He WILL return. We WILL NOT know the hour when He will return. We must be ready like a servant waiting at the door for his master. Everything else is secondary. Luke 12 shows us that he will come when we won´t expect it – like the master returning from the wedding banquet. Wedding banquets in those days could last anywhere from 1 to 7 days so servants did not know when the master would return. He goes on to say that the servants should even be ready in the middle of the night – this in a time when people DID NOT travel at night. He even uses the illustration of a thief breaking into your house – most unexpected. So how do we stay ready? The majority of the chapter is devoted to this. Jesus lists common "distractions" that may take us away from our post – our patient waiting. Verses 1-2: hypocrisy. Verses 4-5: fear of persecution. Verses 11-12: fear of earthly authorities. Verses 15-21: Materialism. Verses 22-31: Worries about necessities. Verses 52-53: even divisions in the family. All these are probably familiar teachings but these are all taught for one purpose: To help us avoid those things that will make us "fall asleep on the watch." So the lesson: Enter each day with the attitude that Christ could return at any moment. When He returns, how important will our worries seem? How will He find us? Will we be ready and waiting, performing our job as expected or will He find us tangled up in the worry, distractions and strife of this life? The choice is ours to make every day.

Date/Service	6/29/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	God´s Restoration Project
Scripture	Galatians 6:1-5
Summary	Some people are into doing restorations. Perhaps of cars or furniture or other objects. There are at least three stages to a project- deconstruction- restoration- glorification. We will examine these three stages. 1. Deconstruction is the time of taking the object apart. It is a difficult time but is necessary. In our human restoration project it is the time of recognition of sin on our lives. It can be a painful time as we see the many difficulties we face. 2. Restoration is the actual work. Every problem has to be addressed and dealt with. Sometimes there are set-backs and difficulties. That is to be expected. 3. Glorification for the restored car is when you can take it to a car show. Then it is admired by all who see it. Glorification for the person is found in heaven when we will be like Jesus.

Date/Service	6/29/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	Jesus; God and Man
Scripture	Hebrews Chapter 1
Summary	Orthodox Christianity affirms that Jesus is "fully God and fully man." Last week Brother Eric led us into a study of the idea of the divinity of Jesus. Tonight we are to explore the humanity of Jesus. We always start with the divinity of Jesus because that is where the New Testament starts. We are told many times that Jesus was the Son of God. He and the Father are one we read in John. As we turn to the humanity of Jesus we need to realize that this doctrine is sometimes forgotten or perverted in Christian circles. There are several things that the Bible tells us about the humanity of Jesus. First, Jesus had to grow both physically and mentally. Luke tells us this. We also learn in Mark that Jesus had limited knowledge fro he said he did not know the time of the second coming. We also see that Jesus was hungry, had pain and finally could die on a cross. Jesus accepted the limitations of humanity in order to provide the necessary sacrifice for our sins. It was necessary for a human to pay the debt of sin for humanity. That sacrifice had to be perfect. Jesus was tempted in all matters like we are but he did not sin. He resisted the temptation in the same way you or I have to resist.

Date/Service	6/22/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	My Brother´s Keeper
Scripture	Genesis 4: 1-16
Summary	When confronted by God, Cain asked a classic question that represents the secular mindset of our times. Cain asked, "Am I my brother´s keeper?" God indicates that we are our brother´s keeper Cain´s question is seen in the unscrupulous businessman who says, "Let the buyer beware." It is seen in the politician who votes for the biggest donor instead of what is right. We can even find this attitude in the church. Peter wanted to know how many times he had to forgive and James and John wanted special places in the kingdom. God is concerned with the down and out rather than the up and in. We are to be concerned for our family, our neighbor and our enemy. God expects us to follow his will in this matter. The only way to be able to do this is to allow God to live through us. We cannot forget the hate and pain others have caused us. In Jesus we can win over our emotions and love our brother, our neighbor and our enemy.

Date/Service	6/22/2003 - Evening Service (Bro. Eric)
Topic	The Doctrine of Jesus Christ
Scripture	John 1:1-18
Summary	John chapter 1 gives us an introduction to Jesus Christ, "the Word." Here we find out that He was not only with God in the beginning but that He IS God – all things were made through Him. Then, He came to be with us for a while in the flesh. So we have Jesus Christ, fully God, and fully man. Reading further, we find his mission. Through Moses we were given the law but the law only showed us that we were unable to live worthy of God´s presence. Now comes Jesus Christ with Grace and Truth. His mission: to give to those who believe in His name the right to become children of God. So what does this mean to us? To those who have not yet experienced belief in Jesus Christ, it means this: That the infinitely powerful, almighty, creator God desires a relationship with you. He intends to forgive your sins if you would only believe in Him. It means that there is nothing that can stop Him from doing so except you – He allows a choice. No matter what your past is, how horrible a sinner you may have been, it´s not too much for God to forgive. Take your biggest problem, mistake, sin or setback and lay it down at the feet of the creator of the universe who came here to give His life for you. Now look how small it is! To the Christian: Take your problems to the cross. Any reason, excuse, stumbling block or barrier to following God´s will should also be laid down at His feet. Realize that Jesus Christ has given His spirit to you to enable you to spread the good news. His spirit cannot be overcome, it can only be ignored by us when we don´t realize how much bigger God is than our obstacles. Go out there and perform God´s will and when you doubt yourself, believe in Him!

Date/Service	6/15/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	The Perversion of Fatherhood
Scripture	Genesis 18: 17-19; I Timothy 3: 2-5
Summary	The biblical picture of the family reveals a role of leadership for the father. The nomadic life of Abraham required a strong leader for the family to survive. The same pattern is seen in the New Testament and is required for those who would be leaders in the church. We find that this biblical pattern is under attack today as some "modern" women reject the biblical model. The claim is that the Old Testament way is no longer needed and is actually a form of slavery. Our modern times have seen some perversions of the role of the father that are not good pictures of family life. Today we have the "Archie Bunker" model. This perversion orders the wife and children around like slaves. One great problem is that some Christians think this is the biblical way. These men need to read Ephesians 5: 25-29. We also have the "Barak" perversion. The story of Barak is found in Judges 4: 4-8. Barak was the leader of the army but he refused to go unless Deborah the prophetess went with him. In many families it is the mother who must take the lead, especially in spiritual matters. That is the Barak perversion. Then there is the "Blondie" perversion. In a Blondie and Dagwood cartoon a caller on the phone asked to speak to "the head of the house." Blondie and Dagwood get into an argument over who should talk to the caller. Finally one of the children takes the phone and says, "Maybe you should call back, this could take a long time." Leadership is a responsibility and many men avoid accepting their God called place in the family. The leader takes the blame for failure but he also has the joy of leading in success.

Date/Service	6/15/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	The Fatherhood of God
Scripture	Galatians 4: 1-7
Summary	We hear the phrase "The Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man." Many feel that God is the father of all people. This is a misunderstanding of the teaching of the Bible. While God is the creator of all men and does have a relationship with all people because he is their creator, the idea of God as Father is reserved for those who have been adopted into His eternal family. That is only possible through accepting Jesus as savior and lord. The wonderful news is that everyone can become a child of God. Jesus came to provide the opportunity to join the family. When we have accepted Jesus, we move from a relationship of servants to that of "kinfolk" according to John 15: 14-15. If we are sons then we are joint-heirs with Jesus. What a contrast with this physical life where there is often family fights over who gets what when dividing up the estate. With God´s eternal family there is enough to go around.

Date/Service	6/8/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	To Be a Man
Scripture	Joshua 1: 1-9
Summary	We hear many different ideas these days about how to be a man. Some think physical strength is the key while others say wealth. For many it is courage. We can look at the life of Joshua to learn a lesson on this important subject. Joshua had a purpose from God. He was to lead a nation into their new home. Fathers have a similar call from God to lead their families. Fathers today can know that God will be with them just as God promised to be with Joshua. The man who is doing God´s will has a special relationship with God. This is shown in the event reported in Joshua 10: 9-14. Joshua needed more time to defeat the enemy and God stopped the sun in the sky when Joshua prayed. A man stands his ground even if alone. In Joshua 24: 14-15 we see Joshua´s challenge to the people. Sometimes a man has to make firm decisions and stand up for what is right. Joshua was willing to make the right choice even if he was alone. Modern men need to have the courage of conviction to stand for the right.

Date/Service	5/25/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	When You walk by the Way
Scripture	Deuteronomy 6: 1-9
Summary	A child has some basic rights and one of them is to have a secure loving home. In the home the child learns to live and they should learn the commands of God. Godly homes produce godly citizens which produces a godly nation and all may live long and have a good happy life. Children learn by example and parents should remember that their actions speak louder than their words. Parents who cheat on their taxes or lie to the policeman should not be surprised to find their child lying to them. What are parents to teach? Love God with all our being. Jesus added that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. These lessons will lead to a long happy life. Matthew 18: 5-6 speaks of those who hinder children As parents and as a church who must make children a top priority. God will judge us by how we treat children.

Date/Service	5/25/2003 - Evening Service (Bro. Eric)
Topic	By grace...through faith.
Scripture	Ephesians 2:8-9; Joshua 24:14-15; Hebrews 3:7-4:2;
Summary	Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast." What does "by grace...through faith," mean? In short it means that by God´s grace we are saved through our faith. Grace and faith are both required to enter into a relationship with God. He has provided the grace, will you act in faith? In Joshua 24, God´s grace is described in all the incredible things He did for the Israelites in saving them from captivity and giving them the Promised Land. A land flowing with milk and honey that they did not earn. Grace is to give something that is undeserved. It´s a perfect word to describe both what God did for Israel in giving them the Promised Land and what God offers to each and every one of us - not a Promised Land but eternal life, abundant life starting right now! However, the first time God prepared His grace for Israel, they failed to enter the Promised Land. Their failure is summed up in Hebrews 3:7 to 4:2. Hebrews 3:19 says "So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief." Their crime was unbelief, a lack of faith. They saw God send plagues on their oppressors, part the Red Sea and provide food and water for them in the desert yet they failed to see that the same God would help them conquer the Promised Land. Christian, do you ever feel like you are missing the "peace that transcends all understanding"? Why don´t you feel the peace the power and the presence of God now that you have claimed Jesus Christ as your savior? UNBELIEF, Lack of faith! The Israelites had to LITERALLY get their feet wet in the Jordan River before God stopped the water and enabled them to enter the Promised Land. They followed God´s seemingly nonsensical instruction for defeating Jericho. Reread Exodus and Joshua and take note: At every step, while it was always God who worked the victory, the Israelites only moved forward when they followed God through their faith in Him. So, take the leap of faith. Try the ministry that you think He wants you to. Share Christ with the friend you have been thinking about. If you haven´t yet - BELIEVE that Christ died on the cross in order to have a relationship with YOU. By your faith, you will experience His grace. Stop waiting for God to show you a sign - He has already shown you one on a cross. Now, show Him one through acting in faith.

Date/Service	5/18/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	A Marriage Made in Heaven
Scripture	Genesis 24
Summary	We can learn some valuable lessons from this story about a search for a spouse. 1. Search for the right spouse. Marriage is too important to be left to chance. Many modern people think love just "happens" or is the result of fate. Christians need to intentionally search for the right person. 2. Look in the right place. Don´t go to a bar to find a good man or woman. My wife went to a college that trained ministers and then took a class that was full of preachers. 3. Trust in God to help. God cares for you and cares who you marry. 4. There is personal decision. Rebekah had to choose to marry Isaac. You have a choice also.

Date/Service	5/18/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	The Word of God
Scripture	II Timothy 3: 12-17
Summary	Baptists are known as "people of the book" because we follow the Bible. The word "inspiration" here literally means "God breathed." God spoke to those who wrote down the words and the result is the Bible. Some attack the Bible and say it has errors in it but time and again the criticisms have been answered. Some have tried to stop the Bible but they have all failed. The Bible is good for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness.

Date/Service	5/11/2003 - Morning Service (Mother´s Day)
Topic	Love the Children
Scripture	Titus 2: 3-5
Summary	Older women should teach the younger women to have a serious mind about life, love their husbands, love their children, be self-controlled and pure and keep the home. Many of the ideas and actions taught in this passage are rejected by modern American women who are influenced by the feminist movement. Our modern idea of love is very different from the biblical concept of self sacrifice for the good of another. It is strange to think that we need to teach women to love their children but 44 million aborted babies had mothers who did not know that lesson. An animal will fight to protect its young but a human mother will stand by while her child is abused. This is the result of sin and our fallen human condition. The biblical way is for mothers to stay home and provide the stable home for their children. When she works outside, the job should be structured to allow her time for her children.

Date/Service	5/11/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	The Priesthood of all Believers
Scripture	I Peter 2: 1-10
Summary	The doctrine of the priesthood of the believer is based on solid biblical evidence. At creation, God made us in his image which means we are a spiritual being with the ability to communicate with God. God´s command also support this concept for we are commanded to obey him. Salvation is a personal experience needing a personal decision. There are practical implications for this doctrine. The concept of the separation of church and state is a basic principle held by the Baptists. Faith cannot be forced on anyone and each person should have the right to decide his own religious position. In our churches we follow the congregational form of church government because of our acceptance of the priesthood of all believers.

Date/Service	5/4/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	Meeting God
Scripture	Exodus 3
Summary	All people have an inborn desire to know God. We can see this in the fact that all people have a religion. Moses met God in front of a burning bush. Several things stand out about this meeting. It was on holy ground. Anytime we meet God it is on holy ground and that ground can be in some mighty strange places. People have met God on battlefields, in hospitals, in jails and of course in church. When we meet God we worship him. Moses showed reverence for God by removing his shoes and hiding his face. When we meet God we learn something about him. Moses learned the name of God. The name I AM means God exists without any help from any other. When we meet God we are challenged to live a greater life than ever before.

Date/Service	4/27/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	The Way
Scripture	John 14: 1-14
Summary	There are many who claim to know the way to live. Some say that pleasure is the way while others think it is power or fame. Different philosophies and different programs say they know the way to happiness. Jesus did not claim to know the way- he said he was the way. The way is a person and the way to happiness is a relationship with that person. When we know Jesus we know God and that is the WAY.

Date/Service	4/27/2003 - Evening Service by Eric Newcomer, Associate Pastor
Topic	Being imitators of God
Scripture	Ephesians 5:1-6
Summary	Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross that we may have a relationship with the living God. This is an immeasurably precious gift – totally undeserved, completely unearned and nearly impossible to understand. Once we believe and we have received this gift, how do we respond? How can we possibly express our gratitude? What does God expect from us? In Paul´s letter to the Ephesians, the answer is summed up in chapter 5, verse 1, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children." The rest of Paul´s exhortations in the letter to the Ephesians fit into this broad category. We are commanded to love God and others as Christ loved us – yes, even to the point of sacrifice. Our actions are not to gain any merit with God – the debt we owe for our salvation is too great to be repaid. Rather, the imitation of God is the proper response for the immeasurable gift we have received. If you have not yet received this gift and do not understand the sacrifice that god has made, read The Gospel of John, chapter 3.

Date/Service	4/20/2003 - Easter Sunrise Service
Topic	In the Garden
Scripture	John 20: 1-18
Summary	Some followers of Jesus went to the garden tomb early on Sunday morning to complete the task of burial. When they discovered that the tomb was open they were concerned that someone had moved the body. Mary Magdalene remained in the garden after the others returned home and she was the first to talk to the risen Lord. Lessons from the garden include the fact that sin cannot stop the savior and that the savior knows and cares for his own.

Date/Service	4/20/2003 - Morning Worship (Easter)
Topic	Resurrection
Scripture	I Corinthians 15: 12-19
Summary	The resurrection is the most important event in the history of the world. It is the center of the Christian faith. The resurrection proves the relationship of Jesus to the Father and thus able to forgive sin. Jesus claimed to be God´s Son who could forgive sin. If he is still dead in Israel the entire Christian faith is useless. Paul offers the evidence that Jesus appeared to many believers after the resurrection. They were trustworthy witnesses who could testify to what they had seen. Jesus is alive!

Date/Service	4/13/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference
Scripture	John 18:1 - 19:42
Summary	The cross made the difference in many ways. It made a difference to the Father who gave his son to die on the cross. It made a difference to Satan who thought he had won when he really was defeated. The question for today is if the cross made a difference to you. You can have the advantage gained by the cross if you will trust Jesus to forgive your sins.

Date/Service	4/13/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	Does God See?
Scripture	Ezekiel 8: 1-12
Summary	The prophet had a vision in which he saw terrible acts committed in God´s temple. Many thought God had left Israel and did not see their sins. People today also act as if God does not see their sinful lifestyles. Do we act as if God does not see us at work, at home, at play? Christians recognize that God sees them everywhere and act accordingly.

Date/Service	4/6/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	The Lord´s Supper as Passover
Scripture	Mark 14: 12-26
Summary	The Lord´s Supper is the Christian Passover. In Exodus 12 God instructed the Jews to kill a lamb and place blood over their doors in order to be protected during the visit of God´s angel to Egypt. In a like manner the Lord´s Supper shows the protection of the body and blood of Christ for the modern believer. The bread is a symbol of the body of Christ and the juice is a symbol of the blood. When we are behind the blood, we will not be punished for our sin but our sin is covered.

Date/Service	4/6/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	Denying Christ
Scripture	Matthew 26: 31-35; 69-75
Summary	During the supper in the upper room, Jesus warned Peter that he would deny the Lord three times. Peter was certain that he would remain true. However the prophecy of Jesus was true and Peter denied the Lord three times just as predicted. Later, after the resurrection, Jesus reinstated Peter and Peter became a mighty leader in the church. Just as Peter was sincere in his promises to be true to Jesus, we also make sincere promises to the Lord. But we also fail and in moments of weakness, deny the Lord by our actions or words. We may deny the Lord by keeping quiet when we should speak up. Like Peter, we need to repent and find the forgiveness from Jesus. Then we can have peace with him and be useful in the kingdom.

Date/Service	3/30/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	The High Cost of a Free Gift
Scripture	Ephesians 2: 8-9
Summary	In an attempt to win as many people to salvation as possible we often speak of the free gift of salvation. While it is free to us, it cost a great price to someone. It cost the Father as he offered his son as a sacrifice for sin. It cost the Son a terrible death on the cross. It also costs the believer for we are expected to place God first in our lives and give him our all. It is worth it but it does cost.

Date/Service	3/23/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	Life Made Over Again
Scripture	Jeremiah 18: 1-6
Summary	In this story of the potter working with the clay we see a picture of God working with his creation. Just as the potter has a plan for the clay, God has a plan for the world including you and me. When we fail because of internal weakness, God does not give up on us and throw us away but remakes us into a useful article.

Date/Service	3/16/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	The Work at Hand
Scripture	John 9: 1-7, 35-41
Summary	A sense of direction is necessary if a person is to move forward. Jesus demonstrated the work of God in his actions. He cared for the physical needs and the spiritual needs of the people he met. As God´s representatives in the world, we must have an urgency in our life. We must be bold in reaching people for Jesus because the time is short. Accept Jesus before it is too late and tell others about him before it is too late for them.

Date/Service	3/9/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	Joining the Firm
Scripture	John 15: 1-20
Summary	It is a common thing for a son or daughter to move into the family business. We are able to join our heavenly father´s business as a member of the family. It is an old, established firm and it does very important work. The product we are to produce is new Christians. Like a fruit tree will produce like fruit, we are to bring forth new believers. We can expect problems because our CEO had problems but we know we will be successful is we are faithful.

Date/Service	3/2/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	All You Are
Scripture	Luke 10: 25-28
Summary	The way to success in any area is to "Give it all you have." When asked how to have eternal life, Jesus replied that we should love God with all we are. This means all our heart (seat of emotions), soul (total of our human life), strength (our physical life) and mind. It is impossible to do this in our human ability. The only way to succeed is to give ourselves completely to the control of Jesus who can live through us and please the Father.

Date/Service	3/2/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	Lord, Stay With Us
Scripture	Luke 4:31-44
Summary	Jesus was well received in Capernaum and the people wanted him to stay. It is human nature to want to keep good things for ourselves and our loved ones. We tend to act like those people. We have received something good in Jesus and we tend to want to keep it to ourselves. Missions is God´s way of telling us to share with everyone the good news of Jesus.

Date/Service	2/26/2003 Morning Service
Topic	Go Home and Tell
Scripture	Luke 8: 26-40
Summary	Like the man with many demons, we cannot break the hold of sin over our lives. Jesus has the power to break that hold and set us free. Those who have been freed of their sin are called to become home missionaries to those in their family and among their friends.

Date/Service	2/26/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	When Little Becomes Much
Scripture	Luke 16: 10-13
Summary	Little things are important. Some little things can do great good or great harm. We make distinctions between little and big sins but all are harmful. "Small" sins lead to big trouble. This principle works the other way as well. Small acts of faith are important in God´s eyes. We are reminded to be faithful in small things so God will reward us in great ways.

Date/Service	2/19/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	The Great Unseen Host
Scripture	2 Kings 6: 8-22
Summary	Troubles are a part of life with natural disasters and man-made problems. Every person will face troubles like illness, death of loved ones, financial problems and many other situations that are beyond our control. The servant of the prophet in the scripture for today reacted just like us when faced with a great problem. We need to look up and realize that God is still in control and "…those that are for us are greater than those against us."

Date/Service	2/19/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	The Result of Sin
Scripture	Genesis 16: 17-20
Summary	Abram and Sarai sinned by taking matters into their own hands and trying to do things "their way." The result was the birth of Ishmael and the struggle that remains to this day between Israel and the Palestinians. We must react out of love and the example of God in dealing with Hagar and Ishmael. God acted with love and mercy. Jesus taught us to pray for our enemies while also teaching us to prepare for defense

Date/Service	2/12/2003 - Morning Service
Topic	Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."
Scripture	John 14:15
Summary	There is a lot of talk about love during the valentine season. We are encouraged to show our love by giving a gift or sending a card. Many of the promises of love are empty words - to husbands or wives, parents or children or even to the Lord. We show our love by actions. Jesus challenges us to put "feet" to our words by keeping his commandments. This is the true way to show our love for Jesus.

Date/Service	2/12/2003 - Evening Service
Topic	A Living Sacrifice
Scripture	Romans 12: 1-2
Summary	We are asked to make a voluntary sacrifice of our living selves to the Lord Jesus. We want to do this because he first gave himself for us. It is difficult to be a living sacrifice because it means placing Christ at the center of our lives. A few people who were sold out to Jesus could turn the world around.

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