There is nothing like a good rerun! It was great the first time. Wonderful the second time.

Today, you are getting a rerun of 2015. The best moments of the preaching and teaching and discipleship.

2015 was been a year of extremes for our church. Some individuals in the church experiencing the worst year of their life. Family problems, Illness, the passing of loved ones. Two dramatic flooding events with millions of dollars worth of damage. Then, on the other hand, as a collective group we have records broken at the church with attendance, giving, new members.

Let’s look at 2015 according to the numbers:

• On average, we have 88 people watch live each Sunday, however the archives have been watched and listened to 20,052.
• On an Average Sunday we had: San Marcos: 826 = Biggest: 1260 (2 weeks ago)
• 190 went through 101 (membership session)
• 74 – Promise Groups in 2015. Meeting every day of the week.
• 515 – Average number of people attending groups each week

Every week, we encourage you to give financially to support the work here.

• We gave $40,000 to international missions and $60,000 to local missions
• In our 2020 vision offering, we had $13,426 given and $54,368 pledged

We began the year wanting to THRIVE.

We want to eliminate the separation of positive faith “moments” at church/private devotion and mundane everyday life so that we can live in the healthy rhythm of a Spirit saturated life.

Ephesian 4: 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

God wants us to be spiritually mature and emotionally mature.  So we need to be aware of our self. Our emotions.   Knowing yourself helps you get to know God.   Awareness of yourself and your relationship with God are intricately related.  We won’t be afraid to admit our struggle, our emotional trouble. Instead we humbly take it to God.

If we want a FIRE of God in our life we need three key elements. Just like earthly fire needs heat, fuel, and oxygen.  Our relationship with God needs: God’s Presence (heat), Devotion (fuel) and Sabbath (air)  Intentionally and consciously plan to keep God at the center of everything we do.

One of those ways is to TALK TO GOD

Most of us have a problem talking to God because: We don’t understand how much God really likes us. We give a lot more attention to people that we like and those who we are connected to closely.

When it comes to prayer, God is not concerned with our oratory skills or what others think about our prayers. You don’t have to sound a like a preacher or a deacon. You need to sound like a child that is needing a Father.

God wants us to share our thoughts, desires, concerns with him. He cares for us.  We spent a whole sermon series going through the Lord’s model of prayer in Matthew 6.  It gives us a structure for our conversations with God.

We begin talking to God…”Father, I come in the name of Jesus Christ.”  The name of Jesus Christ is my ticket. My access.  Dropping the name Jesus gives us access, credibility and common ground in our conversation with God.

As we left winter and approached the Easter season, our mind focused on why Jesus goes to such great lengths.

When reading the Old Testament we actually hear the broken heart of Jesus. Listen to what he says.

Song of Solomon 3:1… I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not. 2 I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but found him not. 3 The watchmen found me  as they went about in the city. “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” 4 Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go…”

At each turn in the story, Jesus is making his way to you. He is searching the valleys and ascending the high mountains. Where is Pete? Where is Monica? Where is Robin? Where is James? Where is Sharon? I hear them crying. I know they are hurt. I know they are separated from me and are afraid. Afraid of life. Afraid of me.

But, I’m looking for you! You are my love.

We think we are different or weird because of our problems.

We often think that God is inaccessible to us because WE have separated from HIM. This separation is our fault and we don’t understand how he could still want us. After all when people leave us it is so difficult for us to accept them back into our lives.

We think that we will always be THE SAME.  The SAME ol’ SAME ol’  The SAME cycle of addiction – The SAME relationship issues – The SAME financial trouble.  If you are ready to change the SAME habits as your dad and granddad and great granddad …….   I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU!  God gives SAMEness a new look.

“the SAME” has been getting a bad rap because it mostly is associated with negative, boring, or monotonous patterns. God gives SAMEness a new look.

Look at the possibilities of when our SAMEness is transformed into His SAMEness!  Instead of focusing on our SAME brokenness, let’s focus on Jesus.  We as believer, can boldly say because of our faith in Jesus, “oh, yeah, I am the SAME.”  “I’m the SAME as HE has always been.” This begins to redefine your past, present and future. When you put your faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, then you have access to a new YOU.

When you get down to it….Most of us have a problem with our pattern. The problem of our lives is not our problems but our patterns. The problem is the pattern.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

We are to pattern our life after the original Word of God.

It is not complicated. It is not. Peaceful people are those that are following the pattern. Get over yourself, submit to a higher authority (Jesus), live for him, serve others.

When you change the pattern, you change the product! 

When we come to Jesus, he converts us through THREE BAPTISMS:

Salvation, Water, Spirit

• Salvation to all those who call on the Name of the Lord – brings eternal life.
• Water baptism ushers you into a new identity in Christ.
• Spirit gives confidence and clout.

We need that Confidence from God’s Spirit. We live in a very difficult, broken world!

There is true evil existing in the world and someday it will be dealt with efficiently and effectively. We can trust in our heavenly Father as the ultimate Judge setting all things right. In the meantime,

We should respond to it with the love and hope of Jesus.   We bring justice to our situations not by judging but by bringing Jesus.

Not by drawing guns (smoke wagons), but instead by turning the other cheek, being the salt of the earth, being a city set on a hill.  You can trust God today that He will take care of you.  He will heal your wounds now.  He will make sure that anything that needs to happen will happen.  You can rest.

Romans 12:17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the lord. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

We studied the book of GALATIANS in the month of July.

The book of Galatians brings clarity to the Gospel of Jesus. It gives a picture of a fake gospel that looks and sometimes feels like the real gospel, and then the actual Good News. The fake gospel says that you will be accepted and approved of by what you can accomplish as a good person.

Real Gospel is the Good News that you don’t have to save yourself from this world, but that God loves you so much He saves you

Galatians 3:6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles (all of us in here today) to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

And…

Everyone who calls on the name of the lord will be saved. “People of San Marcos, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. Jesus was nailed to the cross and killed. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.  (Acts 2)

We baptized 132 people in 2015.  We went to the San Marcos River on August 23^rd and baptized 68 people!

You were created with specific talents, skills, and abilities.  You have a unique personality.  You were created with Spiritual Gifts. 

1 Corinthians 12:4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts (abilities), but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

In Mark 2:1, When the crippled man needed to get to the feet of Jesus, his friends carried his mat to the house, up to the roof, tore off the roof, lowered him to Jesus. At the point of his greatest need, his relationships carried him to Jesus. Who is carrying your mat?

HOME WRECKERS

Matthew 7:24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.  26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.  27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Our finances wreck us because of our selfishness and lack of discipline.  Our desire to please our self.  Our marriages wreck us because we look to another human being to be our source of completion.

What Paul is saying is that contentment and peace comes from something besides what money can buy. It comes from something besides being married to a specific person.

Give to God your finances. Wives submit to your husbands. Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church.

These are INSEPARABLE. You can’t have one without the other. When these are together, this is where the magic happens.

Your home is built on a firm foundation.