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First Alliance Church Weekly Sermons
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Sunday Jan 29, 2017
Sunday Jan 29, 2017
“The Discipline of Fasting” (Part two) Matthew 6:16-18
One of the great joys of life is eating good food. That explains why, of all the spiritual disciplines, fasting is probably one of the least popular. But the discipline of fasting is something which can greatly enrich our spiritual lives. In fact, Jesus says fasting can be very rewarding. What are the rewards of fasting?
I Fasting allows us to reach up to God as w___________ p___________.
II Fasting gives us a concrete way to express r_____________________.
III Fasting provides a way to share in the s_________________ of ____________.
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
“The Discipline of Fasting” Matthew 6:16-18
For the past few weeks we have been looking at the Spiritual Disciplines. These disciplines are patterns of behavior which can help us grow spiritually. But while they can strengthen our
relationship with God, they cannot do everything. They are not magic. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gives us his evaluation of the discipline of fasting by looking first at the negatives and then at the positives. Today we are going to look at the negatives of fasting. There are three “NO’s” of fasting:
I The first “NO” of fasting is the No many e__________ C_____________ have said to fasting (Matthew 6:16a).
Why have many Christians said “NO” to fasting?
1. It is because the forces of our culture have led us to the unbiblical view that our physical body is the e_________ of the ________.
2. We have often associated fasting with what C____________ do.
3. Some evangelicals are critical of fasting because they see it as a w__________.
4. The major reason we have a bias against fasting has nothing to do with the things of the Spirit – it has to do with our c____________ m_____-s_____.
II The second “NO” of fasting is the No Jesus says to the a___________ of fasting (6:16-18).
III The third “No” of fasting is the No our p____________ b__________ sometimes say to fasting.
Monday Jan 16, 2017
Monday Jan 16, 2017
“The Discipline of Giving” Matthew 6:21
Of all the spiritual disciplines, there is none as attractive, or as demanding, as giving. On the one hand, giving gives us the opportunity to join God in his Kingdom work or to meet the needs of others, but, on the other hand, giving imposes a cost. When we give, we lose control of something that at one point belonged to us. That is why giving must be motivated by the heart. Jesus talked about this in Matthew 6:21, when he said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” What does Jesus mean by this? There are three things we need to understand about this statement:
I First, it is significant that Jesus does not say, “Where your m_________ is, there will your heart be also” (6:21).
There are three basic categories when it comes to things of value:
A. First, there is _____________.
B. Second, there is __________.
C. Third, there are _________ and ____________.
II Second, we all have a p_________ where we p_____ our treasure (6:19-20).
III Finally, Jesus says there is a _____________ between our treasure and our heart (6:21).
Why does Jesus put treasure first? Why didn’t he says, “Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also?” – Two reasons:
A. First, because we often do not ________ where our heart is.
B. Second, because our __________ has power over our ___________.
Tuesday Jan 10, 2017
Tuesday Jan 10, 2017
“Growing Spiritually in 2017” Matthew 11:29-30
In our text today we hear Jesus ask us to take his yoke upon ourselves, which is a very picturesque way of asking us to do his work in this world. January is a good month to evaluate how well we have obeyed his command. But instead of criticizing ourselves for our inadequacies, it would be more profitable to ask ourselves the question: How can we do better in this new year? Our text makes four suggestions:
I First, we need to realize it is not i______________ (11:28).
II Second, we need a b____________ b____________ t_____________ (11:29a).
III Third, we need a m______________ p_______________ (11:29b).
IV Finally, we need to recognize that the Christian life is not all s_____________ – it includes the b________ as well (11:30).
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
Tuesday Dec 27, 2016
“The Light That Transforms” Luke 1:26-38, 46-55
In this season of Advent we have been looking at the light that came into the world when the Messiah was born. We have seen how that light inspired the prophets, how it encouraged the
shepherds, and how it led the wisemen. Today we are looking at how this light has the power to transform us and our focus is going to be on Mary and Joseph. What does their story teach us about the transformation which Advent brought to this world?
1. First, the transforming power of Advent came at just the r_______ t________ (1:26-28).
2. Second, this transformation was designed for ______________ (1:29-30).
3. Third, this transformation came at a _________ (1:31-38).
IV Finally, this transformation c____________ _____________ (1:46-55).
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
Tuesday Dec 13, 2016
“The Light that Leads the Wise” Matthew 2:1-12
God has created us with the inability to be truly satisfied with anything less than the life that only he can give. This explains the natural human tendency to yearn for something better. God has given each of us the desire to know him and to find our satisfaction only in him. But how do we find what our hearts are truly seeking? The light of Advent led the Wisemen to find what they were seeking, but how can we be led by that light? What do the Wisemen teach us?
I First, the Wisemen teach us that you cannot find what you are looking for by w__________ on a s__________ (2:1-2).
II Second, the Wisemen teach us that you cannot find what you are looking for by relying only on n______________ and h________________ sources (2:3-10).
III Third, the Wisemen teach us that you cannot find what you are looking for until you are willing to be d____________ to what it is you s_________ (2:11).
IV Finally, the Wisemen teach us that you cannot find what are looking for unless you are willing to c____________ d_______________ (2:12).
Tuesday Dec 06, 2016
Tuesday Dec 06, 2016
“The Light That Encourages” Luke 2:8-16
Everyone is susceptible to discouragement, to that feeling that whatever is currently troubling us is hopeless. People even feel discouraged at Christmas time. But that makes no sense. Christmas, or Advent is the good news which ought to drive out discouragement. It certainly did that for the Shepherds. The Shepherds had good reason to be discouraged, but they found even better reason to be encouraged. Today we are looking at how the light of Advent encouraged the Shepherds.
I The Shepherds had good reason to be discouraged:
A. First there was the discouragement of their p___________ (2:8a).
B. Second, there was the discouragement of their r__________ l_____ (2:8b).
II But, the Shepherds found encouragement in three ways:
A. First, they were encouraged to know that God had not r____________ them (2:9).
B. Second, they were encouraged to know that God was s__________ them a S________________ (2:10-11).
C. Third, there were encouraged to know that they had been invited to a p_______________ e___________________ with the Savior (2:12-16).
Friday Dec 02, 2016
Friday Dec 02, 2016
“The Light That Inspired the Prophets” Isaiah 11:1-10
The Prophet Isaiah lived 750 years before the birth of Jesus. It was a time of great prosperity, but also a time of social evil and spiritual deadness. It was in this time of darkness that God inspired Isaiah with the light of inspiration, a light that enabled him to see the coming of the Messiah. The message that God gave Isaiah had three highlights:
I First, God inspired Isaiah with a message of h________ (11:1-3).
-In verses 2-3 Isaiah tells us what makes this new branch of David’s family so special:
1. In verse 2 he says, “The _______ of the ________ will rest on him.
2. Then he describes three pairs of spiritual qualifications which the Messiah will have:
a. The Spirit of w________ and u____________.
b. The Spirit of c__________ and of p___________.
c. The Spirit of k__________ and of the f_________ of the Lord.
II Second, God inspired Isaiah with a message of w__________(11:4-5).
III Third, God inspired Isaiah with a message of e______________(11:6-10).
Tuesday Nov 22, 2016
Tuesday Nov 22, 2016
“Thanksgiving is Good for You!” Ephesians 5:15-21
Many people understand that giving thanks to people is good for us; it reminds us that we are not self-sufficient, that we need others. Saying “thank you” to someone also creates a point of connection between us and another person. In the coming week we will celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday which emphasizes our duty to give thanks to God for all he has done. We know that he has given us our very life and that is good enough reason to thank him. But, does thanking God do anything good for us? The text we are looking at this morning answers that question with a big “Yes!” What does giving thanks to God do for us?
I First, it enables us to m_______ the m________ of the time God has given us (5:15-17).
II Second, thanksgiving p_____________ the filling of the Spirit in me (5:18-21).
III Third, thanksgiving enables us to live in v__________ over our circumstances (5:20)
Tuesday Nov 08, 2016
Tuesday Nov 08, 2016