First Alliance Church ATL

01-21-18 Kevin Goins Learning from Need

“Learning From Need”   John 6:1-15

Hurricane Harvey so devastated Houston and the surrounding area that many Americans decided they wanted to do something to help those who had been hurt.  Sadly, however, not all the help people gave was really helpful.  That is because we human beings are often at a loss when it comes to dealing with need.  Fortunately, our text today helps us to know how to face need.  What does it teach us? 

I First, you n_______ know when a significant need will a__________.

II Second, people who are sensitive to the needs ___ others, will see the need ___ others.

III Third, sometimes a need is present in our life to remind us that we have l_______ we are not yet aware of – limits that have not yet been t_________.

12-03-17 Kevin Goins - The Forgotten Characters of Christmas

“The Forgotten Characters of Christmas”  Matthew 2:1-20

Every year at this time we Christians focus our attention on the Christmas story and we spotlight the well-known characters of Christmas: the holy family, the shepherds, and the wisemen. But there are some supporting characters who often get overlooked. That is why for this Advent we are going to look at the people who are not pictured on Christmas cards and who are not sung about in Christmas carols. We are going to look at these forgotten characters because they have something to tell us about the birth of Jesus.

I The first overlooked character was not only mentioned in the Bible; he was the inspiration for one of the most well-known non-biblical
Christmas stories of all time: H____ ___ G________ S__________ C___________.
A. The Grinch’s words, “I must find some way to s_______ Christmas from coming,” is what connects this fictional character with a r_____ person from the Christmas story.
B. This real historical figure is ___________, the ________ of the ___.
C. The one who stood behind Herod, filling him with hate for the Messiah, was the one who inspires all hate: the _________.

II But why was Herod disturbed by the birth of Jesus? Two reasons:
A. First, the wisemen let Herod know that he was not the o_____ King of the Jews – he had c_____________.
B. Second, Herod was upset because the wisemen came to w_________ the newborn King of the Jews.

III What is significant about all this is that both the story of the real
person, Herod, and the story of the fictional character, the Grinch, teach the same truth: that there are p______ and f_______ who want to k______ Christmas from c_______.
A. Every year we Christians are amazed at how determined some are to make Christmas about a_________ and e___________ other than Christ.
B. What we are seeing is the G____________________ of American culture – the effort to keep the r_____ Christmas from coming.
C. But, no matter what we call it, what should we do about it?
1. First, r___________.
2. Second, l_________ and o________.
3. Third, d_____ w__________.

11-26-17 Kevin Goins - The Parable of the Lost at Church, part 2

“The Parable of the Lost at Church”   Luke 15:11-32

Three Sundays ago we looked at the first of three parables in Luke chapter fifteen. That first parable makes clear that our God is one who is delighted when the lost come home to him. But before we get the idea that the lost are always out there somewhere, far beyond the walls of the church, Jesus ends Luke chapter fifteen with a parable to remind us that there are lost people at church. If this parable is about the lost at church, what does it tell us about them?

I First, it tells us that the lost at church do not l______ l______ .
II The second thing this parable teaches us is that despite their i_______ appearance, the lost at church have a real p________: they are _____.
-Three evidences that the elder brother was lost:
   A. The first evidence that the older brother was lost is that he did not have a r______________ with the Father.
   B. The second evidence that the older brother was lost: he knew absolutely nothing about g________.
      1. There were t____ things that bugged the elder brother:
          a. His brother didn’t do anything that d_________ a fattened-calf celebration.
          b. He h____ d________ something which deserved a fattened-calf celebration.
      2. That, in a nutshell, is the elder brother’s theology: if you want the Father to give you a reward, you better w______ h_____ for it.
      3. But, not only does this poison our t_________, it also poisons our r__________ with God.
      4. And, not only does this performance mentality poison our relationship with God, it also poisons the way we t______ about o_______.
   C. The third evidence that the older brother was lost: he h______ his b________. -How do we know he hated his brother?
      1. He refers to his brother as “t______ s____ of y______.”
      2. He s_______ him.
      3. He makes no effort to r___________ with his brother.
III The third thing this parable teaches us is that the father is just as
concerned to find the lost at c________ as he is to find the lost in the w_________ (15:31-32).

11-05-17 Abel Irvin: Finding Peace

10-22-17 Kevin Goins - What makes God happy?

“What Makes God Happy?”  Luke 15:1-7

Recently a great deal of research has been done to determine what it takes to make people happy.  For Christians, however, there is something far more important that knowing what makes people happy, and that is knowing what makes God happy.  To know what makes God happy is to know God better and this knowledge will also help us prioritize our lives.  Of course, if we love God we will want to make him happy, which makes it necessary for us to learn how we can do that.  What is it that makes God happy?  What does this parable teach us?

I  What makes God ________ makes some people very u____________ (15:1-3).

There was one thing about Jesus which the Pharisees just could not tolerate: Jesus not only spent t____ with, but actually a____ with tax-collectors and sinners.

Why did the Pharisees believe they had to a_______ sinners?

They thought the way to be ____ is to stay away from what is obviously ____.

They thought shunning sinners would s________ them into w_______ to be good.

II  What makes God happy may seem i______________ to some (15:4-6)

Whether the shepherd left the 99 alone, and in danger, is not the issue; the issue is that the shepherd had to m______ a c______.

The fact that God loves the _____ does not keep him from loving and seeking the _____.

III Lastly, what makes God happy is for h____ happiness to become o____ happiness (15:7).

10-15-17 Kevin Goins - Making the Most of God's Word Conclusion

“Making the Most of God’s Word” (conclusion) Mark 5:21-42
We have talked over the last few weeks about what we can do to make the most of God’s Word. Today we are going to put it into action. We are going to take a passage from God’s Word and see how to get all we can out of it.

I The first thing to do with a Scripture text is to ________ it.
-Here is a helpful hint: don’t always read the s______ version, even if it is your f_________.

II Second, we need to ________ the text.
-There are ________ tools that can help us in studying a book including the Bible:
A. First, we should look at the s­­­­­­___________.
B. Second, we should focus on the m____________. Since we use ______ to create meaning, that means we focus on the words.
C. Last, to study a text we must e___________ what the author says.

III Third, we need to a_________ the text.
-Donald Whitney gave us six questions we can use to apply the text to our life:
1. Does the text reveal something I should b_______ about God?
2. Does the text reveal something for which I should p______ or t_______ God?
3. Does this text reveal something I should p_______ about for myself or others?
4. Does this text reveal something I should have a new a_________ about?
5. Does this text reveal something that I should make a d__________ about?
6. Does the text reveal something I should d__ for the sake of Christ, others, or myself?

IV Last, we need to m_____________ on the text.

10-08-17 Making the Most of God's Word - part 5

“Making the Most of God’s Word” (pt. 5)   Ezra 7:10

We have seen that making the most of God’s Word requires that we work to study and observe God’s Word in our life. Last Sunday we saw that an important part of observing God’s Word is meditation and we asked, “What is meditation?” and “What can meditation do for us?” Today we want to ask four more questions:

I Third, if meditation is so great, why aren’t a___ the Christians I know t_______ about it?
-A major reason is because meditation has been c___________ by the world.

A. First, the fact that people have counterfeited meditation ___ ____, in itself, a reason to s______ meditation.

B. Second, the practice of meditation did not originate with c______ and f_____ r_________; it originated with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

C. Third, the practice of Christian meditation is r________ d_________ from all other forms of mediation.

II Four, what part does the i____________ play?
-There are two kinds of Christian meditation:

A. We can use our mind to meditate on a________ i________ taught in Scripture.
B. We can use our i__________to experience what a text describes as if we were there.

III Fifth, what makes it hard for us to meditate?

A. An unwillingness to s____ d_____, f________, and p___ a__________

B. S_________ i_________.

C. F_______ of actually h_________ God s________.

IV Last, h____ do we meditate?
A. First, set aside a t_____ to be unhurried and find a p______ to be restful.
B. Second, choose a text you have a________ s__________.
C. Third, make y________ the focus of the text.
D. Fourth, read, not as a s___________, but as a p__________.
E. Fifth, allow all your s_________ to be involved.
F. Last, let _______ be the one to speak to you.

10-01-17 Kevin Goins - Making the Most of God's Word part 4

“Making the Most of God’s Word” (pt. 4) Ezra 7:10
We have seen that making the most of God’s Word requires that we work, study, and observe God’s Word in our life. Last Sunday we looked at the first two dimensions of observing God’s Word: Application and Memorization. The third component of observing God’s Word is Meditation. Today we need to answer two questions about meditating on Scripture.

I First, what is meditation?
   A. Meditation takes place when we s_____ d_______ and spend enough time with God’s Word so         that instead of t_________ about the text, we e___________ the text.
   B. Meditation is not about r_________ or s_________; it is about s__________.
       Meditating on Scripture is about w_________ it h_________ as if we were standing there; not         reading w_______, but observing l_______.
II Second, what can meditation do for us?
   A. First, meditation makes God’s Word more r______ to us, because it gives us a m______-     ________ experience.
   B. Second, meditation helps us to k______ God’s Word better, and, by knowing God’s Word better, we can g_______ in our relationship with God.
   C. Third, meditation increases the i________ of God’s t_______ in our life.
   D. Fourth, meditation gives us a sense of s________, s__________, and s____________.
   E. Fifth, meditation helps us to _______ God.
   F. Lastly, meditation makes it possible for us to interact with the Jesus who is a________ t________.

09-24-17 Kevin Goins - Making the Most of God's Word pt.3

The recording was corrupted - our apologies! Here are the notes...

“Making the Most of God’s Word” (pt. 3)   Ezra 7:10
We have seen that making the most of God’s Word requires work and study. Today we see that making the most of God’s Word requires that we observe it. How do we observe God’s Word?
I First, we apply it.
   A. What is application? Application is putting God’s Word, not into our heads, but putting it into action.
   B. Why should we apply God’s Word?
     1. We should apply God’s Word because it helps our understanding.
     2. We should apply God’s Word because that is how we get blessed.
     3. We should apply God’s Word because it keeps us from being deceived.
   C. How do we apply God’s Word?
     1. We need to expect something.
     2. We need to do something; we need to ask questions of the text.
        a. Does this text reveal something I should believe about God?
        b. Does this text reveal something for which I should praise or thank God?
        c. Does this text reveal something I should pray about for myself or others?
        d. Does this text reveal something I should have a new attitude about?
        e. Does this text reveal something I should make a decision about?
        f. Does this text reveal something I should do for the sake of Christ, others, or myself?
II Second, another way to observe God’s Word is to memorize it. -Why should we memorize Scripture?
   A. Memorizing Scripture helps us face the demands of each day.
   B. Memorizing Scripture helps us battle doubt.
   C. Memorizing Scripture helps us share our faith.
   D. Memorizing Scripture helps us find our way.

09-17-17 Kevin Goins - Making the Most of God's Word pt.2

“Making the Most of God’s Word” (pt. 2)   Ezra 7:10

Last time we saw that making the most of God’s Word requires work. Today we see that making the most of God’s Word requires study. But, what is Bible study? I want to make five points about Bible study:
I First, there is a major difference between r_________ the Bible and s___________ the Bible.

II Second, not only does Bible study enrich our own spiritual life, Bible study prepares us for m__________.

III Third, Bible study takes __________.

IV Fourth, every believer in Jesus has a n_______-e__________ need to study God’s Word.

V Fifth, many believers in Jesus have ____ ________ how to study God’s Word.
-What do we do to study the Bible?
A. Adler gives us three steps which focus on the book itself:
1. Think about the s_____________.
2. Think about the m____________.
3. Think about whether you a_________.
B. Adler gives us three steps which focus on ourselves:
1. Think about our e_____________.
2. Think about o_______ b________.
3. Think about our d____________ with o________.