Message Notes America At The Crossroads Part Two

Transcription

1 Loving God! Loving People! Loving Life! Message Notes America At The Crossroads Part Two Life Church Smyrna Sunday, July :30am Pastor Shell Osbon Joshua 5: One day, Joshua was near Jericho when he saw a man standing some distance in front of him. The man was holding a sword, so Joshua walked up to him and asked, Are you on our side or on our enemies side 14 Neither, he answered. I am here because I am the commander of the Lord s army. Joshua fell to his knees and bowed down to the ground. I am your servant, he said. Tell me what to do. 15 Take off your sandals, the commander answered. This is a holy place. So Joshua took off his sandals. (CEV) 1. We Need To Pray Boldly Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked but He hears the prayers of the righteous. (NLT) 2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (NKJV) James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (NLT) 2. We Need To Speak Boldly Ephesians 6:19 Pray that I will be given the message to speak and that I may fearlessly explain the mystery about the Good News. (CEV) 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 4 My message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. (NLT) Acts 4:29 O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching Your Word. (NLT) 3. We Need To Live Boldly Daniel 11:32b...the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits. (NKJV) Acts 4:13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. (NKJV) Ephesians 6: A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on all of God s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (NLT) 4. We Need To Forgive Boldly Matthew 6: If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NLT) Ephesians 4: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (NLT) Matthew 18: Peter came to Him and asked, Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? 22 No, not seven times, Jesus replied, but seventy times seven! (NLT) The big idea: America is at the crossroads and we must help guide her in the right direction.

2 part two Joshua 5: One day, Joshua was near Jericho when he saw a man standing some distance in front of him. The man was holding a sword, so Joshua walked up to him and asked, Are you on our side or on our enemies side 14 Neither, he answered. I am here because I am the commander of the Lord s army. (cont d) 1

3 Joshua fell to his knees and bowed down to the ground. I am your servant, he said. Tell me what to do. 15 Take off your sandals, the commander answered. This is a holy place. So Joshua took off his sandals. (CEV) part two 2

4 Missed a message? Click on Resources Download the notes and listen Subscribe to our podcast on itunes Crossroads are where roads intersect; a point at which a vital decision must be made. 3

5 Joshua wanted to know if the man standing in front of him was on his side or his enemy s side because that would determine how Joshua treated him. The man responded that he didn t come there to choose sides but to take charge! Some of us spend an inordinate amount of time searching the Bible to find scriptures which prove that God is really on our side so that we can justify how badly we treat those with whom we disagree. 4

6 The most well-known phrase from the Declaration of Independence is, We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 1. We Need To Pray Boldly 5

7 Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked but He hears the prayers of the righteous. (NLT) You can have confidence that God hears your prayers as you continue walking with Him. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (NKJV) 6

8 When we humble ourselves, when we pray, when we seek God s face and when we turn from our sins, God has promised to hear us, forgive us and heal our land. James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (NLT) We need to confess that we ve not done everything right and get on with seeing our nation healed. 7

9 Charles Spurgeon: Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the omnipotent muscle of God. 2. We Need To Speak Boldly 8

10 Ephesians 6:19 Pray that I will be given the message to speak and that I may fearlessly explain the mystery about the Good News. (CEV) Paul knew his opinions could not change anyone so he asked for prayer that he might speak the Good News of Jesus boldly. Dave Willis: God created our skin tones with beautiful variety but all of our souls are the same color. 9

11 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 4 My message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. (NLT) The things we speak today should be what God is speaking instead of always offering our own opinions. Jane Elliot: Racism is not part of the human condition. You have to be taught to be a racist. And, like anything else, if you can learn it, you can unlearn it. 10

12 Acts 4:29 O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching Your Word. (NLT) We need to speak God s Word boldly even in the face of great difficulty and opposition. 3. We Need To Live Boldly 11

13 Daniel 11:32b...the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits. (NKJV) You can live boldly and do great things when you truly know God! Acts 4:13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. (NKJV) You can live boldly even without an education or formal training if you will just spend time with Jesus! 12

14 Ephesians 6: A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on all of God s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. (NLT) You can live boldly because you are a child of God! 4. We Need To Forgive Boldly 13

15 Matthew 6: If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NLT) The way you forgive others is directly connected to the way God forgives you. Ephesians 4: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (NLT) It s easier to forgive others when you remember God has forgiven you through Jesus! 14

16 Matthew 18: Peter came to Him and asked, Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? 22 No, not seven times, Jesus replied, but seventy times seven! (NLT) Forgiveness should be unlimited! America is at the crossroads and we must help guide her in the right direction. the big idea 15

17 Loving God! Loving People! Loving Life! we re all about part two 16