Church Together Church Together

Speaker: Pastor Andy Searles

Series: Forever Young

Scripture Focus & Sermon Notes

Matthew 18:1-6 (HCSB)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then He called a child to Him and had him stand  among them. “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the  greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.

“But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!

Spiritual Benjamin Buttons

Stay Young by Turning & Becoming (1-3)

• Competition causes people to start counting accomplishments, comparing achievements & condemning others.
  • The entry way to heaven is way too small for ego to get through.

Stay Young by Pursuing Humility (4-5)

• Humility means avoiding two extremes – thinking  less of yourself than you should and thinking more of yourself than you  should.
  • The call of the world is to be a celebrity. The call of Jesus is to be a servant.

Stay Young by Protecting Innocence (6)

• The sin of sins is to teach another to sin.

Speaker: Pastor Andy Searles

Scripture Focus: James 5:13-20

Sermon notes are as follows:

Lift Up Your Voices (13-15)

• The promise of God is not that He will take us out of difficulty, but that he will take us through difficulties.

• Suffering is often the gym for our spiritual growth.

• Being mature in faith doesn’t necessarily mean that we know what God is going to do, but that we know that God is going to do what He’s going to do!

• It is not fervency or frequency of prayer that renders it effective – it’s the faith in and behind it!

Open Up Vulnerably (16-18)

• Confession is a vital practice of a vulnerable life.

• The God who acted then also acts now!

Help Up The Wanderer (19-20)

• Our knowledge of a wanderer comes with a responsibility to help the wanderer return.

• We must combine the right belief with the right practice.

Pastor Andy continues our "Nuts & Bolts" series with a scripture focus from James 4:1-12. Sermon notes are as follows:

Adjust & Align Expectations (1-3)

 •   Don’t use prayer for selfish pleasures, but instead for Godly purposes.

Don’t Dance With the Devil (4-5)

 •   The desire for pleasures of the world always threaten our spiritual lives.

 •   It gets hard to dedicate yourself to God when you continually dedicate yourself to material things.

Receive Grace With Humility (6-10)

 •   When the heart is humble, there is more room for the things of God.

 •   Nearness brings likeness. The nearer we are to God, the more like him we become.

Improve Your Attitude (11-12)

 •   Time we spend judging people is time we waste when we could be loving people.

Pastor Andy continues our "Nuts & Bolts" sermon series with a scripture focus from James 3:1-12. Sermon notes are as follows:

A slender portion of flesh contains the whole word of iniquity. – Calvin 

Words Shape People (1-3)

   • Your words shape people – they can build or destroy, they can point in the right way or the wrong way, they can bless or curse.

   • Abstention from anything is never a complete substitute for control of something. We must, as God, tame our tongue.

Words Ignite Situations (4-6)

   • Are you going to use your words to ignite good things that build, or bad things that destroy?

   • Speak less that you know and have more than you show. - Shakespeare

Words Reveal Inconsistency (7-11)

   • We should not use any word that reduces anyone to anything less than full stature as God’s created beings.

   • When it comes to words, what comes out reflects what’s inside of you.

Pastor Andy continues our "Nuts & Bolts" series with a scripture focus from James 2:1-13. Sermon notes are as follows:

Immature people talk about their beliefs. Mature people live out their faith.

Lift Up All Faces (1-4)

 •   How we behave towards people indicates what we believe about God.

Affirm Your New Identity (5-6)

•   The beauty of the Gospel is that God values what the world regards as valueless.

•   When we decide to follow Jesus was a re-invoking of His name over our identity.

Distribute Love & Mercy (7-13)

•   We only believe as much of Bible as we practice.

•   To slander the poor is to slander God.

•   People can tangibly see God’s mercy when they see us living mercifully.

Pastor Andy continues our "Nuts & Bolts" series with a scripture focus from James 1:2-18. Sermon notes are as follows:

Rise With Wisdom (5-8)

   • When we need wisdom, we get to go to the source of it!

Climb by Humility (9-11)

Escalate with Endurance (12-15)

   • Don’t let testing on the outside become a temptation on the inside. 

Cling Tightly to Grace (16-18)

   • There are no shadows within the Father of Light.