Loving God! Loving People! Loving Life! Message Notes March Madness Part Four LIFE CHURCH Smyrna Sunday, March 27, 2016 10:30am Pastor Shell Osbon Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (NLT) 1. You ve Got To Focus Hebrews 12:2 We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross because He knew that later on He would be glad He did. Now He is seated at the right side of God s throne! (CEV) Proverbs 4:25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. (NLT) Philippians 3:12-14 12 I don t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (NLT) 2. You ve Got To Square Up Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (NLT) Proverbs 4:26-27 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. 27 Don t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. (NLT) Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV) 3. You ve Got To Follow Through Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God s glorious standard. (NLT) Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT) 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV) John 3:16-17 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (NKJV) John 1:12-13 12 But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn - not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. (NLT) The big idea: Never forget that you re on the winning team!
part four Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (NLT) 1
part two Missed a message? www.lifechurchsmyrna.com Click on Resources Download the notes and listen Subscribe to our podcast on itunes 2
Series Review: Part One: Listen to the coach, Get off the bench, Stay in the game, Make some noise and Get ready to celebrate! Part Two: You need to stay in bounds by being prepared, having a fitness plan and trusting God s escape clause. Series Review: Part Three: Don t forget to practice, Don t forget to stretch, Don t forget your uniform, Don t underestimate your opponent, Don t let your guard down and Don t forget your trophy. 3
Hebrews 12:2 We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross because He knew that later on He would be glad He did. Now He is seated at the right side of God s throne! (CEV) 4
Jesus kept His focus on what was awaiting Him just on the other side of the cross and didn t let anything stop Him from reaching His destination. Proverbs 4:25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. (NLT) Where you focus is exactly where you eventually will end up. 5
Philippians 3:12-14 12 I don t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, (cont d) 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (NLT) Don t let anything or anyone interrupt your focus. 6
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (NLT) 7
God is calling you to remove the junk from your life and you already know what most of those things are. Proverbs 4:26-27 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. 27 Don t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. (NLT) It is important that you don t get sidetracked by things that are not pleasing to God and that you stay on the right path. 8
Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV) You will have a lot of opportunities to get into trouble but God wants to help you to overcome them all. 9
Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God s glorious standard. (NLT) Everyone who has ever lived, except Jesus, has sinned and fallen short of what God expects. 10
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT) The payday for our sins is death but God offers us the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV) One of the ways you follow through is by confessing your sins to God and asking Him to forgive you. 11
John 3:16-17 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (NKJV) God has made if totally possible for you to have the greatest life ever if you are willing to receive Jesus Christ. 12
John 1:12-13 12 But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn - not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. (NLT) Your decision to accept Christ is the only follow through that results in you truly becoming a child of God. 13
the big idea Never forget that you re on the winning team! we re all about Loving God! Loving People! Loving Life! 14
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