First Alliance Church ATL

09-16-2018 Kevin Goins - 6 Steps to Peace, part 3

“Six Steps to Peace” (Pt 3) Proverbs 3:1-12
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. Today we look at the
second.

I Verses 1 and 2 focus on spiritual shalom.
II Verses 3 and 4 focus on another kind of peace God has for us: c______________ shalom, or peace with other p___________.

A. Words like “love,” “faithfulness,” “heart,” “favor,” and “a good name” all make it clear we are talking about _______________.
1. We did not c_______ community, God did, and he created us to n________ community.
2. So, we need peace in our community relationships, but we cannot have community w__________ God.

B. First, we need to look at the c____________ in verse 3.
1. When it comes to community, whether love, marriage, family, or friends, all we can control is _____ response to others.
2. We will do just about anything to make people w_____ to be in relationship with us or to s______ in relationship with us.

C. We cannot find peace by making people love us and remain faithful to us, but there is something we can do: we can ______ and we can be _____________.
1. We cannot love and be faithful to anyone simply by w________ ____.
2. Only ______can love and be faithful to others, but he is willing to do that through us, if we ______ ourselves completely to him.

D. As with the first command of verse 1, so also with the command of verse 3 there is a __________ for those who _________.
1. The promise consists of ____ parts:
a. First, f_________.
b. Second, a g_______ n_______.
2. The promise for obeying the command of verse 3 is peace in our c___________ of r_____________.

09-02-2018 Kevin Goins - 6 Steps to Peace, part 2

“Six Steps to Peace” (PT 2)
Proverbs 3:1-12

Our text today gives us six specific steps to how we can experience deep and comprehensive peace. Today we are looking at the first step.

I The six dimensions of shalom
A. First, there is community shalom.
B. Second, there is mental shalom.
C. Third, there is bodily shalom.
D. Fourth, there is financial shalom.
E. Fifth, there is disciplinary shalom.
F. Sixth, there is spiritual shalom.

II Of the six dimensions of shalom, Solomon begins first with ____________ shalom.

A. How do we get spiritual shalom? (3:1)
1. The first thing Solomon focuses on is r______________.
2. The second thing Solomon focuses on is t_________ and c_____________.
3. Solomon’s third emphasis: God’s Word must be i________________.

B. If we obey verse one, there is a p___________ (3:2). But there are those who d________ that obeying God’s Word prolongs life.
1. First, it makes sense from a r____________ point of view.
2. Second, it makes sense from a t____________ point of view.
3. It makes sense when you consider the a____________.

C. Many reject these verses because they deny u___________ and a_____________ truth.

08-26-18 Kevin Goins - 6 Steps to Peace

“Six Steps to Peace” Proverbs 3:1-12 (Pt 1)

Our text today gives us six specific steps to how we can experience deep and comprehensive peace. First, however, we need to figure out what peace actually is. That is what our text is about.

I Let’s begin with what peace is not: Shalom is not simply the
absence of w______ and c____________.
A. First and foremost, shalom means w___________ or c______________.
B. Let’s look at the parts of a whole human life, and in doing that we will get a b__________ definition of peace.

II First, there is c____________ shalom, or peace between p_________.
A. The Old Testament is filled with examples of people making t_________ and c___________ with each other.
B. For both the Old and New Testaments community peace means far more than peace between n_________.

III Second, there is m_________ shalom or peace.

IV Third, there is b_________ shalom or peace – the peace that gives health to our b_______.
A. In the Old Testament there are many examples of God giving peace to people by h__________ them.
B. In the New Testament Jesus sees his miracles of healing as a sign that the ________ ___ ______ is bringing peace to the world.

V Fourth, there is f____________ shalom or peace.
A. You might think this shalom gets the __________ emphasis in the Bible, but if you think that, you are _________.
B. God wants us to have the shalom of p_________, but be careful how you define that word!

VI Fifth, there is d____________ shalom or peace.

VII Sixth, there is s__________ shalom or peace.

07-15-18 Kevin Goins - 4 Things Our Children Must Know, Pt. 3

“Four Things Our Children Must Know: Watch Out for the Strange Woman”
Proverbs 2:16-19

If you had to select the four most important things children must know in order to survive and thrive, what would they be? Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote Proverbs chapter two for his son, and in this chapter he tells us four things which our children need to know. Today we look at the fourth.

I Our children should know how to get wisdom (2:1-4).
II Our children should know the benefits of having wisdom (2:5-8).
III Our children should know the danger of being influenced by bad men (2:12-15).
IV Our children should know the danger of being influenced by the s_________ w____________.
-What does Solomon say about the strange woman?

These women, or men, should be avoided because they rely on f__________ w_______ (2:16).
1. The Hebrew word translated “flattering” literally means s________
People flatter for a r__________; words of flattery are often followed by words of r_________.

B. These women, or men, should be avoided because they cannot be t_________ to keep their p____________ (2:17).
1. What is wrong with the man or woman who is unfaithful is not only that they make f________ of the people they try to seduce,
-but they tear to bits the h________ of the person they claimed to _______ when they first got married.
2. The Bible parallels our relationship with our s_________ with our relationship with _______.

C. These women, or men, should be avoided because they d______ their victims down to d________ (2:18).

D. These women, or men, should be avoided because the path they tempt people to walk is a o_____-w_______ s__________ (2:19).
-Solomon talks about avoiding the promiscuous man or woman as if they were the p________, but Jesus said we are to p_______ for those who would hurt and use us.

07-08-18 Kevin Goins - 4 Things Our Children Must Know, Pt. 2

“Four Things Our Children Must Know” (Pt 2)   Proverbs 2:12-15

If you had to select the four most important things children must know in order to survive and thrive, what would they be? Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote Proverbs chapter two for his son, and in this chapter he tells us four things which our children need to know. Today we look at the third.

I Our children should know how to get wisdom (2:1-4).
II Our children should know the benefits of having wisdom (2:5-8).

III Our children should know the danger of being influenced by b____ m_____ (2:12-15).
-Solomon makes four statements which tell us why these men are bad:

A. They are bad because they speak p___________ w_______ (2:12).

The Hebrew word tahpukah literally means “to t______ o______” or “to be u___________ d________.”

The problem with bad men who speak perverse words, Solomon says, is that they can i__________ many.

They are bad because they reject God’s w_____ in order to walk in d___________ (2:13).

1. In the Bible the r_____ walk is the s_________ walk.

2. The perverse choose to r________ what they l_________ about God.

They are bad because they e________ e_______ (2:14).

1. You cannot find d__________ in doing wrong unless there is something within you that can j________ doing wrong.

2. It is only evil within us that allows us to justify wrongdoing, but it is the nature of evil to d_______ its own e___________.

D. They are bad because they seek to d__________ (2:15).

IV There are bad people in our world - even secular psychiatrists and scholars admit it – but what is amazing is how often ____ _________ fall for them.

06-24-18 Kevin Goins - 4 Things Our Children Must Know

“Four Things Our Children Must Know” Proverbs 2:1-8

If you had to select the four most important things children must know in order to survive and thrive, what would they be?
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote Proverbs chapter two for his son, and in this chapter he tells us four things which our children need to know. Today we look at the first two.

I First, our children should know how to g____ w_________ (2:1-4). What do they need to do?

A. First, s______ up God’s Word (2:1).

B. Second, l________ out for wise words and t_______ about what we hear (2:2).

C. Third, be willing to a_______ _______ for wisdom (2:3).

D. Fourth, make getting wisdom a p__________ (2:4).

II Second, our children should know the b__________ of having wisdom (2:5-8).

A. The first benefit of seeking wisdom is not ________, but knowing ______ (2:5).

B. The second benefit is _______ wisdom (2:6).

C. The third benefit is v___________ (2:7).

D. The fourth benefit is p____________(2:8).

III Sadly, wisdom is _____ what most people are pursuing today. M_______, e__________, s______, and p______ are what people today seek.

03-18-18 The Terrible Problem That No One Has, part 2

“The Terrible Problem That No One Has” (Part 2)   Proverbs 1:8-19

Surveys show that when asked, “What is the most urgent problem in the U.S. today?” people respond, “Greed.” Strangely enough, however, when asked about their own personal problems, people rarely, if ever, talk about greed. The book of Proverbs lets us know that greed is not only everyone’s problem, it is a potentially deadly problem. Fortunately, Proverbs has some help for us. How does Proverbs help us with greed?

I First, Proverbs teaches us that if we want to escape the slavery of greed, we need to be taught how in the family (1:8-9).

II Second, Proverbs teaches us that if we want to escape the slavery of greed, we need to avoid the w_______ kind of relationships o___________ the home (1:10-14).

A. First, this warning isn’t just about greed itself, it is about being t_________ by p__________.

1. Notice, in verses 8-14 two very different kinds of i_________ are given to the person Solomon is addressing.

2. Notice, the invitation from the gang has two promises
intended to attract new members: the two promises are m________ and e___________.

3. Notice, the invitation from the gang is focused, not on g________ something to the one who joins, but on g______ something from him.

B. Second, this warning is e___________. Why?

1. Solomon’s target audience, on this occasion, is an a_______.

2. Solomon wants us to know that greed is d__________.

C. Third, this warning is r_________.

03-11-18 The Terrible Problem that No One Has

“The Terrible Problem That No One Has”  Proverbs 1:8-19

Surveys show that when asked, “What is the most urgent problem in the U.S. today?” people respond, “Greed.” Strangely enough when asked about their own personal problems people rarely talk about greed. It seems that greed is the predominant national problem which affects no one individually. This strange phenomenon calls for some study and that is what we want to do today.

I. Greed is a significant problem for human beings because greed is energized by d___________.

A. Greed is a big problem, not just for Americans, but especially for American _______________.

B. Not only does greed keep its presence secret, there are few sins that so c______________ our heart as greed.

II. How does Proverbs help us with greed?

A. First, Proverbs teaches us that if we want to escape the slavery of greed, we need to be taught how in the ________ (1:8).

B. There are two questions we need to ask of this verse:
1. First, Who is the t________?
a. The fact is, children learn from mother and father how to view ________ and __________.
b. Here is the challenge: not only is it necessary for ____ parent to have their greed under control, ____ must have their greed under control.
2. Second, who is the r___________ of the teaching?

III. Look at how Solomon reinforces his teaching: he says we have a powerful i___________ for listening to our parents (1:9).

IV. Solomon says, “Parents, we must inoculate our children against the world’s lie that money, and what it can buy, will make life w_______ l________.”

03-04-18 The Wisdom Test

“The Wisdom Test” Proverbs 1:1-7

Last Sunday we began our introduction of the Old Testament book of Proverbs.  In the first seven verses of the book we find three
crucial questions: 

First, what are proverbs? Proverbs are sayings composed or collected by Solomon (1:1).

Second, what is the p__________ of these proverbs?  (1:2-6)

1. With the exception of verse 5, we have five p_________ c________ or five r__________ for why God has given us these proverbs.
2. The first reason God gave us these proverbs, verse 2 says, is so that we might have w__________. Wisdom is l____-s______, the ability to handle what comes at us in life in the b______ p__________ w____.
3. We can use verses 2 – 6 to t______ our level of wisdom:

            Question 1: Am I willing to accept d__________?

            Question 2: Am I a good l_________?

            Question 3: When I make decisions, is my goal to do what is r_____ and j______ and f_____?

            Question 4: Am I s________ my wisdom with those who are i______________?

            Question 5: Am I g_________ in wisdom?

Third, how do we make Proverbs w______? (1:7)

Fourth, Proverbs begins and ends by telling us that if we want wisdom, one thing is required:  the f______ of the L______.

 

02-25-19 Kevin Goins - How Wise Do You Want To Be? Proverbs

“How Wise Do You Want to Be?” (Part one) Proverbs 1:1-7

Today we are going to introduce the Old Testament book of Proverbs.  We are currently working our way through the Gospel of John on Sunday mornings, and we plan to continue.  On occasion, however, we want to season our study of John with a little spice from the book of wisdom. 
Today we are focusing on the way Proverbs begins and over the next two Sundays we want to ask three crucial questions: 

I First, w____ are proverbs?   Proverbs are sayings c__________ or c____________ by Solomon.

1. There are four things we need to highlight about Solomon:
2. Solomon was the a_______ or e________ of many proverbs found in this book.
3. Solomon was ________ of __________.
4. Solomon was the w___________ human being in all of history.

II What Solomon says about wisdom brings up a crucial question:  Does everything stated in Proverbs apply u_______________?  Does it always apply e________ to every person in every situation?

1. The bottom line is that the principles of Proverbs do not allow us to accurately p____________ or c___________ how life will turn out.
2. Knowing this helps us with a verse which has caused a great deal of p_________ and c__________: Proverbs ____:___.
3. This proverb lays down a general principle: If you want a child to take the right way, you better train her when she is ___________.

III The fourth thing we need to know about Solomon is that he was, Proverbs 1:1 says, “the s____ of D______.”

1. The Old Testament prophets said M_________ would also be the “Son of David.”
2. Not only does Proverbs spell out a connection between Jesus and S_________, it also spells out a very strong connection between Jesus and __________.

IV What exactly is a proverb?

1. Kenneth Burk says, “proverbs are shorthand for situations in life that r________ often enough that people feel the need to have a n______ for them.”
2. The book of Proverbs ___ _______ the only place in the Bible where we find proverbs.