Thrive.Church Weekly Message Thrive.Church

[Luke 18:9-10] Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: [10] "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.



Pride is nearly impossible to _________________________.



[Luke 18:11-14] The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! [12] I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.'



God doesn't count the _______________ of our prayers; He measures the _______________.



[Matthew 6:5-6] "When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. [6] But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.



God values ____________________________ in our prayers more than eloquence.



[Luke 18:13-14] "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' [14] I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."



True humility isn’t thinking _______________ of yourself; it’s thinking of __________________ less and God more.



True righteousness comes from a _______________ heart.



[Matthew 23:11-12] The greatest among you must be a servant. [12] But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.



God's _______________ is available to all regardless of their _______________.

We are to _______________ the authorities of the land.

[John 19:10-11] “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” [11] Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

[Romans 13:1-2] Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. [2] So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.

Submit (Greek: hypotassō): to put ____________ one's control. ____________ to someone's advice or authority.

Submission is an _______________ not an action.

[1 Kings 11:14, 23, 26] Then the Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite, a member of Edom’s royal family, to be Solomon’s adversary. [23] God also raised up Rezon son of Eliada as Solomon’s adversary. Rezon had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah, [26] Another rebel leader was Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s own officials.

We trust in a God who reigns even over ______________ people.

Submission starts with having a heart that says “_________” to God.

For a nation to be under God it starts with ____________ who are under God's authority.

The American dream is often _______________ of living a life under God.

[Titus 3:1] Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.

We will submit to the government but we put our ______________ in God.

Don't run from culture, _______________ it!

[Luke 12:13-15] Then someone called from the crowd, "Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father's estate with me." [14] Jesus replied, "Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?" [15] Then he said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own."



Greed isn't about having a ____________; it’s about wanting ____________.



[Luke 12:16-21] Then he told them a story: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. [17] He said to himself, 'What should I do? I don't have room for all my crops.' [18] Then he said, 'I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. [19] And I'll sit back and say to myself, "My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!"' [20] "But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?' [21] "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."



Don't prioritize material _________________ over spiritual _________________.



[Ecclesiastes 5:10] Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!







The measure of life isn't what we _________________ for but what we _________________ for.



[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.



Are we focused on _________________ treasure or on _________________ treasure?



The pursuit of wealth will make us _________________, but the pursuit of God brings _________________.

Judah's 100th Sermon at Thrive!
The people wanted a _____________, but Jesus came as a ___________________.

[Mark 10:42-45] So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. [43] But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. [45] For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Serve _______________.

[Philippians 2:3] Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

God _____________ the proud and gives ____________ to the humble.

Serve _______________.

[Psalm 100:2 NKJV] Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

Serve _______________.

Jesus encourages us not to only serve the important people but also the ________________.

[Matthew 18:5] And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.

[Matthew 10:42] And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

Things that Keep us from Serving Others:

___________________

[Matthew 6:1] “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.

___________________

We need to ruthlessly eliminate ______________ from our lives.

___________________

[Ecclesiastes 11:4] If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

God isn't looking for perfection as much as he is looking for ____________________.

[Colossians 3:17] And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

[Matthew 5:16] let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

[Luke 18:1-5] One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. [2] "There was a judge in a certain city," he said, "who neither feared God nor cared about people. [3] A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, 'Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.' [4] The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, 'I don't fear God or care about people, [5] but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!'"



You can’t ______________ God out with your prayers, but He wants you to ______________.



Jesus is telling us to pray ____________________ and ____________________.



[Luke 18:6-8] Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. [7] Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?"



[Hebrews 4:16] “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” 



[Hebrews 11:6] And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

You can ____________________ with the God of the ____________________. 



Prayer is not about what we can _______________ from God, but about the ____________________ we are building with God.



_________________ __________________ strengthens our relationship with God as much as it ____________________ the hand of God.



[1 John 5:14-15] And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. [15] And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.



[Psalms 55:17] Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice.

[John 17:20-24] “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. [21] I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. [22] “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. [23] I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

Our ________ causes people to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

[Titus 3:9-10] Do not get involved in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time. [10] If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them.

Disunity ______________ the mission

[Matthew 16:18b NIV] And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Ekklesia (Greek): a ________________ of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly or congregation.

_______ are the church.

[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.”

Mission of ThriveChurch: To make fully-devoted ______________ of Christ.

We should be known for what we are ___________ and not what we are against.

We pursue __________________ over excellence.

God cares about how much we love those who are extremely ____________________ from us.

[Psalm 133:1-2] How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! [2] For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.

[Colossians 3:13-14] Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. [14] Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Don't just come to church, be a ________________ of it.