Episodes
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
07-12-20 Kevin Goins, Church's Ministry of Healing John 9:18-23
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
Sunday Jul 12, 2020
“Anatomy of an Illness: The Church’s Ministry of Healing”
John 9:18-23
I First, sickness gets our attention and it gets the attention of Jesus (9:1).
II Second, sickness makes us uncomfortable (9:2).
III Third, sickness is caused by alienation (9:2).
IV Fourth, oftentimes our best theological or commonsense explanations for sickness are not good enough (9:3a).
V Fifth, sometimes sickness happens for a good reason, so that God can be glorified in our life (9:3b).
VI Sixth, all believers in Jesus are called to help sick people find health (9:4).
VII Seventh, sickness is a work of the kingdom of darkness; healing is a work of the Kingdom of light (9:5).
VIII Eighth, the how of healing is very important (9:6).
IX Ninth, sickness can be overcome by divine healing, but healing does not happen without some action on our part (9:7).
X Tenth, divine healing will always arouse doubt (9:8-9).
XI Eleventh, the response to the healing of sickness is often questions (9:10-12)
XII Twelfth, healing is not only a debated topic, it is also a very divisive issue.
XIII Thirteenth, people who are healed enter into some kind of relationship with the Healer.
XIV Fourteenth, both sickness and healing take place within the context of _____________.
A. The first point we need to make is that both sickness and healing are a f______________ a__________________.
1. Before we turn to the parents, we need to see that the Pharisees only reached out to them because of their ____________________.
a. In other words, they did not believe that a _______________ had been done.
b. We should be a_________________ to people disbelieving God’s work in our life.
c. We should not be _________________ when we give Jesus glory for what he has done and some respond with unbelief.
2. Our daily experience continually reminds us h_____ m__________ sickness and disease are family matters.
a. The recent Lifeway poll revealed that ______% of our prayers are focused on family and friends.
b. To Heal a man born blind would require a s_________________ relationship with God. That is why the Pharisees first try to deny the miracle, and to do that they drag in the man’s parents hoping they will say their son was _________ born blind.
c. Both in times of sickness, and in those times when we celebrate healing, family is ______________ stage.
d. What sustains us during times of sickness, and what we celebrate when we experience healing, is r_______________________.
B. Second, families know the ______________ about our experience of sickness and healing.
1. The Pharisees have _______ goals here: the first is to __________ the miracle altogether, to show that it never happened.
2. The Pharisees perspective is also clear from the second question they ask: “You __________ your son was born blind, well then, how is it that he can now see?”
3. The Pharisees thought their l___________ and their s_____________ would force the parents to admit that it was all a s______________.
a. The reason that does not happen is because the parents were _____________ witnesses.
b. The only r_______________ source of information about this man was his parents.
4. The Pharisees, however, did not ask, “How is it he can now see?” only to prove that their son was _____ born blind. They asked that question because, even if there was a miracle, they might still be able to find a way to d__________________ Jesus.
5. If the Pharisees got more than ________ explanation for the healing, they could use that to create doubt about _____ or ________ was really responsible for the miracle.
C. Third, families with sick people know that their answer is a “____________,” not a “___________.”
1. Without a doubt, when circumstances are dire, families know the name of their loved one’s ___________________.
2. At other times, however, depending on the family, you will hear another name which is spoken in that hospital room, and that name is the name “_______________.”
3. Real hope is always based on a person who can _________ something.
D. Finally, families know there is a ____________ they will have to pay, either to deal with their loved one’s sickness, or to celebrate their loved one’s healing.
1. Sickness today represents a great _________________ burden for families.
2. We all know that when someone gets sick there is a monetary cost, but there is also a _________________ cost.
a. The Pharisees passed the buck to their son because they did not want to upset the r_________________ l______________.
b. To be kicked out of the Synagogue meant that no one would __________ you, or use your _______________, or even want to be _________ with you.
3. You and I still face that same _________________ today. We fear telling people who are not believers, “Yes, I have been diagnosed with an illness, but my ____________ is in Jesus.”
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
02-16-20 Kevin Goins - the Discipline of Fasting, Conclusion
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
“The Discipline of Fasting” (Conclusion) Matthew 6:16-18
For the past month we have been looking at how we can grow in our relationship with God by using the spiritual discipline of fasting. In Matthew 6 Jesus first emphasizes the negatives of fasting and then he focuses our attention on the positives of fasting:
I First, fasting allows us to reach up to God as whole persons.
II Second, fasting gives us a concrete way to express repentance.
III Third, fasting provides a way to share in the sufferings of Christ.
IV Fourth, fasting helps our prayer.
V Fifth, fasting helps us overcome __________________.
A. Practicing the discipline needed to say “No” to our appetite for _______ gives us practice in saying “No” to __________ appetites.
B. If we cannot say “No” to our appetite for food, what makes us think we can say “No” to _______ other appetite?
VI Sixth, fasting helps us express our _____________.
____________ of the first _________ times fasting is mentioned in the Bible, it is an expression of grief for someone’s death.
What do we typically do when someone is grieving? We bring them ___________.
VII Seventh, fasting provides a way to respond to the ________ of others.
A. Since fasting is a blessing that comes from God, we can expect that it will benefit more than just _________________.
B. The early church practiced fasting in the light of __________ ____.
VIII Lastly, fasting provides a means to experience God in a ______ ______.
A. If our appetite for physical food, comfort, or pleasure is not under control, it will _______________ our spiritual appetite.
B. Occasional fasting from ___________ can enable us to hear _______ things from God.
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
02-09-20 The Discipline of Fasting, Part 3
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
“The Discipline of Fasting” (Pt. 3) Matthew 6:16-18
This January we are focusing on how we can grow in our relationship with God by using the spiritual discipline of fasting. In Matthew 6 Jesus first emphasizes the negatives of fasting [see message on 1/19] and then he
focuses our attention on the positives of fasting:
I First, fasting allows us to reach up to God as whole persons.
II Second, fasting gives us a concrete way to express repentance.
III Third, fasting provides a way to share in the sufferings of Christ.
IV Fourth, fasting helps our ______________.
A. This is why we emphasize fasting at the beginning of the New Year, because we need to pray for God’s d______________ and p_____________ for 2020.
B. How can fasting assist our prayers?
1. First, we need to talk about how it _____________ help our prayers: It cannot help our prayers by _____________ God to answer us.
2. How then, does fasting help our prayers?
a. First, fasting _____________ us to pray.
b. Second, fasting removes ___________________.
c. Third, fasting shows us when our ___________ is really in our prayer.
C. What kind of prayer calls for fasting?
1. First we ought to fast when we pray for our _______________.
2. Second, we ought to fast when we pray for the ____________.
a. The Bible describes sickness as ________________.
b. By fasting we can pray for the sick, not as s______________, but as i______________.
3. Third, we ought to fast as we pray for ____________________.
4. Lastly, we ought to fast as we pray for the _______ of God to be done in this _______________.
Tuesday Jan 28, 2020
01-26-20 Kevin Goins - The Discipline of Fasting
Tuesday Jan 28, 2020
Tuesday Jan 28, 2020
“The Discipline of Fasting” Matthew 6:16-18
This January we are focusing on how we can grow in our relationship with God by using the spiritual discipline of fasting. Fasting has many advantages, but one advantage which is often overlooked is that this discipline can open our eyes to who we really are better than just about anything else we can do. In our text today Jesus emphasizes the positives of fasting, but he first begins with three potential negatives.
I The first negative of fasting is the NO A__________ e_____________ have said to fasting (6:16a).
A. One reason evangelicals have said no to fasting is because our culture has led us to the unbiblical view that the __________ is the enemy of the ___________.
B. But there are other reasons why we American evangelicals have a bias against fasting:
1. First, we associate fasting with what __________ _____________ do.
2. Second, we see it as a __________.
3. Third, fasting contradicts our _______________ mind-set.
II The second negative of fasting is the No __________ says to the ___________ of fasting (6:16).
A. The Pharisees took fasting, which was given by God, and used it as a way to _______________ themselves.
B. Jesus says people who fast to get noticed will be noticed, but that is all the _______________ they will get.
C. And we not only see this abuse of fasting in the Pharisees, we also see it throughout ___________ ___________.
III The third negative of fasting is the No our ___________ __________ sometimes say to fasting.
A. There are times when fasting is not advised, such as fasting during an _______________.
B. Some ____________ conditions make fasting dangerous.
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
11-10-19 Paul Gieschen - Living Water vs. Broken Cisterns
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Truths from Jeremiah, Chapter 2
“Living Water vs. Broken Cisterns”
Chapter one of Jeremiah describes his call as an individual to serve the Lord. Then, in chapter 2, we see a clear call to repentance of a people, the people of Israel. It is a touching chapter of God’s love, and the consequences of the self-centeredness of a people. It is also a profound check list of warnings that we must take to heart as individuals, as the church, and as a nation.
In verses 1-3, God is talking about our first l_____ .
Verses 5-8 tells us they became s_________ and found f____ with God.
The crux of the whole chapter and even most of the book of Jeremiah, is in verse 13. “My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of l , and have dug their own c_________, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
God, as the H_______ S__________, is the Living Water.
Sins, decisions to do what we want in the way we want instead of God’s way, are like a h__________ that breaks the cistern.
Hosea 9:10b says we become v________ as the things we love. I______ are the things we love more than God. What is it that we l_________ ?
With relatively few exceptions, problems and their consequences are o____ f_________ .
Here is a check list for how well we are doing in keeping our cisterns full and flowing with the living water.
1. Are you still in awe of God?
2. Are you still fully yoked with Jesus?
3. Are you honest with God or making excuses for your actions?
4. Are you forgetting or ignoring the lessons God has taught through past punishments or consequences?
5. Do you feel free to roam, to dabble, to sample the world’s offerings?
What is your choice today?
Sunday Mar 10, 2019
03-10-19 Kevin Goins - The Attitude of Prayer
Sunday Mar 10, 2019
Sunday Mar 10, 2019
“The Attitude of Prayer” Luke 18:9-14
We have talked about the “How” of prayer and the “Wow” of prayer, but there is something that is often overlooked and that is the attitude we bring to our prayer. Jesus tells a parable in Luke chapter eighteen which shows us the kind of attitude we need to have when we pray.
I Luke chapter 18 is about __________ and it begins with two parables.
A. The first parable is about how d___________ we should be when we pray. The second parable is about the a___________ we should have when we pray.
B. The parable is composed of _____ parts:
1. We hear a p________ r___________ man talk to God.
2. We hear a tax-collector talk to God in a very d__________ way.
3. We hear Jesus, who knows more about God than anyone, tell us w________ prayer makes it to the throne of God.
II The usual approach to this parable is to do a h_________ job on the Pharisee and his prayer.
A. The crowd who first heard this parable did not have a b______ against the Pharisees like we do.
B. In Jesus’ day there were _______ major religious groups in Judaism:
1. First, there were the E___________.
2. Second, there were the S___________.
3. Third, there were the P_____________.
C. The Pharisees were respected by the people, so when Jesus mentions the Pharisee the crowd would assume he is the _______ example.
III To hear this parable the way the first audience heard it, we must see the Pharisees as they did, as h_________. But then Jesus shocks us by showing us _______ problems this Pharisee had in his relationship with God:
A. First, the Pharisee had a problem with c____________ - his confidence was in __________ (18:11a).
B. Second, the Pharisee had a problem with _____________ - he was _____ of it (18:11b).
C. Third, the Pharisee had a problem with ___________ - there wasn’t _______ in his life (18:12).
Tuesday Mar 05, 2019
03-03-19 Kevin Goins - The Desire to Pray, conclusion
Tuesday Mar 05, 2019
Tuesday Mar 05, 2019
“The Desire to Pray” (conclusion)
Matthew 6:5-13
It takes more to pray than simply knowing how to do it. Something else is required and what is required is desire. Why should we desire to pray? Our text tells us. We should love to pray:
I ... because prayer grows our relationship with God (6:5-6).
II ...because it’s is the most natural thing we can do (6:7-8).
III ... because prayer reminds us of our true significance (6:9)
IV ... because prayer puts us in touch with the power than can bring
honor to God’s name (6:9b).
V ... because prayer advances God’s Kingdom (6:10a).
VI ... because real prayer has a terrific safety mechanism (6:10b).
VII We should love to pray because prayer puts us in touch with the one who can meet all our p__________ needs (6:11).
We don’t think in terms of daily needs because we are so wealthy we do not have to live from _____ to _____.
B. Jesus emphasized “daily bread” because he got his
understanding of prayer from the _____ __________.
1. First, there is the teaching of P_________ ____.
Second, there is the teaching of E__________ ___.
C. Money ____ provide security and money ____ buy
happiness and that is the p___________.
VIII We should love to pray because prayer puts us in touch with the one who can meet all our r_______________ needs (6:12).
Before Adam sinned, Eve was his wife, but after he sinned, she
became “t_____ w_________.”
B. Sin doesn’t just separate us from ______, it hurts _____ our
relationships.
IX We should love to pray because prayer puts us in touch with the one who can meet all our s____________ needs (6:13).
A. This request is not about temptation, it’s about the ________ of temptation and how we can a________ that place.
B. Prayer brings us to the best place we can possible be when it comes to temptation, and that is in ________ _____________.
Tuesday Feb 26, 2019
02-24-19 Jennifer Bliss-Criswell The Desire to Pray - corporately
Tuesday Feb 26, 2019
Tuesday Feb 26, 2019
The Desire to Pray - The “wow” of corporate prayer
Acts 4:23-31 and Matthew 6:9-13
When we pray together we pray as f______
A. O___ F_________
B. Peter and John went to their o___ p________
C. H___________ F _______ = H___________ F _______
When we pray together God’s name is s_________
A. M_______ is louder than o_____
B. They r________ their voices t_____________
When we pray together God’s w____ is c__________
A. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that we can k____ God’s will
B. We can find God’s will in s__________
C. There is s___________ for every s____________
4. When we pray together there is a______________
A. Many v________, one p________
B. Agreement requires u__________
Matthew 18:19-20
C. Unity requires f______________.
When we pray together there is p_________.
A. Deliver us from evil by m____________ us s____________ than the evil one
B. God showed up: M____________ P_____________
C. Their prayer was a_____________.
Tuesday Oct 30, 2018
10-28-18 Kevin Goins - 6 Steps to Peace, conclusion
Tuesday Oct 30, 2018
Tuesday Oct 30, 2018
“Six Steps to Peace” (Conclusion) Proverbs 3:11-12
In Proverbs 3:1-12 Solomon tells us about the six dimensions of life for which God has a special and unique kind of peace for us. Verses 1-2 focused our attention on Spiritual Shalom, or peace with God. Verses 3-4 were about Community Shalom, or peace with people. Verses 5-6 directed our attention to decision-making shalom. Verses 7-8 were focused on physical shalom, or peace in our body, and verses 9-10 were about financial shalom. Today we conclude with verses 11-12 and corrective shalom.
I What makes verses 11-12 so interesting is that we can easily see the l_____ s___________ out of which these words came to be written.
A. According to Prov 13:24, the parent who allows a child to do as she or he pleases actually h________ his child.
B. Refusing to follow God will not s______ you from God’s discipline.
II Living our life knowing that there is an almighty and absolutely holy God w_________ us, and knowing that our willful disobedience of his commands could bring his discipline, can make us very u____________. But we can have ________ if we’re willing to following his instructions:
A. Solomon says, verse 11, “My son, do not d__________ the Lord’s d____________.”
1. The question Solomon asks is this: when we mess up and when God brings discipline (correction) into our life, how will we ________?
2. When we despise God for his discipline, we are r________ what he is working to do in our life.
3. When we despise God’s discipline we not only reject God, we miss out on what his discipline could a___________ in our life.
B. Then Solomon says, “and do not r________ his r_________.”
Rebuke means to use words to convince someone they have done wrong, not to s_______ them, but to call them to r__________.
2. When we resent rebuke, we are actually getting angry at _____. We resent the fact that he allowed someone to
confront us with his _________.
III As with the other five kinds of shalom, to obey the c_________ of verse eleven, entitles us to the r_________ of verse twelve.
A. The first reward is __________ ___ ______ __________.
B. The second reward is knowing that God does his work of discipline so that he can take d___________ in us.