Lighthouse Community Church
Downs, Kansas
"Living the New Testament in today's world"
Pastor George Henry's Sermon Outlines.
For a List of Upcoming Sermons, Click Here
Recognizing
the Power
Matthew
12:22-37 NIV My
training in science and then theology: be critical, examine
everything, and test to see what will be revealed before accepting a
definition. I
learned that there was a difference between being critical and being
skeptical. The
Pharisees were skeptics who decided the outcome then interpreted the
events to support their conclusions. What
power is at work in our lives? The
power to divide or the power to unite? The
power to heal or the power to destroy? Jesus
tells me that if I am not in partnership with him I am in opposition
to Him. One
of the most important lessons of discipleship is that “Missing the
will of God is opposing the will of God.” I
can oppose God even if I am not doing anything “Wrong”. I
can oppose God by denying the truth. I
can oppose God by “Lording” when I should be serving. The
fruit of my life tells me when I am opposing Jesus. Every
broken relationship is a call to self examination. Every
good deed that turns sour is a warning sign. Every
act of healing or restoration that results in peace and joy is an
affirmation. There
is a clear and present danger in misjudging the powers at work in our
lives.
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Warned
to Flee
Matthew
3:1-12 NIV
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My
Prayer Psalm
61:1-8 NIV When
was the last time you felt like you were all alone? Like
you were weak or vulnerable? Like
the world was caving in on you? Many
people in the Bible experienced similar situations including king
David. How
could a man who faced the lion and the bear as a shepherd, who
defeated a giant in battle and who led armies to victory after victory
know loneliness, weakness and despair? David
is an example what a person of faith does when life is stacked against
us. Prayer
is seeking help from someone who is greater than myself. Prayer
recognizes that God has protected me in the past and will protect me
in the future.
Look
at Daniel and Paul: one was untouched and the other received strength
to be beaten, abused and imprisoned.
Prayer
takes me from where we are to where God is! Do
I desire to be as close to God as He desires to be to me? Probably
not because I spend so much time chasing after other things. David
put himself in God’s hands.
One
reason I miss out on experiencing God’s love and faithfulness is
that I am fighting Him as well as my problems. How are you
going to handle your weakness, you vulnerability, your lost causes? Are
you ready to seek someone greater than yourself? Are you ready to put yourself fully in God’s hands? |
This
Is Love
1
John 4:9-17 NIV Easter
is more than a celebration of new starts, it is the celebration of
physical resurrection! I
can testify that God has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world
because of what he has done in me.
God
loves us whether we love Him or not! God
loved us enough to send Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sins
when he could have left us in despair and futility. How
can I have confidence when I give an accounting to God for my life? 1.
Acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. 2.
Rely on the love God has for us. 3.
Receive His Spirit. 4.
Live in love: until love is made complete in me. The
celebration of Easter begins and ends with love: it starts with
God’s love and it ends with our love.
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Who
Is This? Matthew
21:4-11 NIV What
kind of person stirs up an entire city?
Imagine
a carpenter from Downs causing a spontaneous parade and rally in Is
Jesus just a prophet or something more? Jesus
is:
Son of David.
He
who comes in the name of the Lord. More
than a prophet from Jesus is our savior, our redeemer and our Lord. |
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Like
Wandering Sheep Isaiah
52:13-53:12 NIV
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The
Lord’s Will Isaiah
52:13-53:12 NIV
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When
the End Comes Matthew
24:21-44 NIV Many
people are talking about the end of the world. The more we
learn about our universe, the more we realize how fragile and vulnerable
we are. Jesus
tells us that as the end approaches there will be a season of great
distress that no one would survive if it lasted for very long. The
bad news: John tells us in Revelation that there is a time coming when
one in three people worldwide will die in a very short period of time. The
good news: God has set limits upon everything in this world. Jesus
tells us that false Christs and false
prophets who perform great signs and miracles must appear near the end.
There are great
dangers in following personality and power. Have
we forgotten that Pharaoh’s magicians could copy most of the signs and
miracles God performed through Moses? Deception draws
in those who are spiritually hungry like a dead animal draws in
vultures. I
risk being deceived when: 1.
I fail to heed a warning from God. To
avoid deception I read, reflect upon and obey God’s Word! To
avoid deception I pay attention to warnings that come from the Holy
Spirit. 2.
I stopped inspecting the fruit. The
fruit reveals whether the seed is of the spirit or of the flesh. 3.
I did not look down the road to see where it leads. Is
this person or group leading me towards Christ and His family or towards
a spiritual desert? My
own pride blinds me more than anything else. Famous
last words: “I know what I am doing.” Deceptions
opposed to deceptions are hard to unravel. The worst proof: “I am right because they are wrong.” Jesus
tells me to be ready and watching when the end comes. The
most important thing I can do is to spend every day with God.
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Giving
and Receiving Philippians
4:10-20 NIV How
many content people do you know? How
many discontent, disillusioned or desperate people do you know? I
am not talking about clinical depression! How
many have turned to seeking one cause or one conquest or one thrill or
one relationship after another looking for something to give life
meaning? How
many have turned to drugs or alcohol to forget the emptiness? How
many have simply become complacent? (People
who aren’t content, but have stopped trying to do anything about it) The
secret of my contentment is to do everything through Jesus Christ who
gives me strength! Am
I giving myself to God in any and every circumstance? Am
I relying on God in any and every situation? Do
my words and actions reveal that I completely trust God to meet all of
my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus? Someday
I will lose my home, my job, my health and my family: what will Irely
upon then? Is
Jesus Christ a partner in all that I am doing? Does
my life follow God’s leading? When
I fail to follow God things begin to sour rot and decay as time
passes. All
of the joys of this world are sour milk compared to the sweet, rich
cream of Jesus Christ. All
of the great memories of this world cannot compare with everyday
contentment of being a partner of Jesus Christ. Four
signs that I am learning the secret of being content: Giving
when I am in need.
Healing
when I am wounded.
Offering
life while I am dieing.
Receiving
as well as giving. Doing
them is not enough, we must be content before, during and after we do
them. The
only way to do any of these things and be content is to give myself to
Jesus, rely upon him and live as his partner first. We
live in a time when people only care about what happens to them today,
and some only care about what is going to happen in the next 5 minutes
because something very important is missing from their lives. We
have something to offer to every discontented person around us, but
first we have to prove that we have contentment ourselves. Nothing
proves our contentment better than giving and receiving with faith,
love and joy that point to God in every circumstance of life!
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Learning
To Do Right Isaiah
1:10-17 NIV All
of us can expect to have trials and troubles in this world! Trials
and troubles are packed with valuable lessons about life and faith. They
show me the flaws in my faith and love. I
believe: “The absence of God’s blessing in a believer’s life
means that God is emphasizing an important lesson.” God
is more concerned about my relationship with Him than He is about my
comfort. The
important lesson from this passage is that God is not satisfied with
people who only do the right things. Being here
every Sunday is not enough. Tithing
and giving to Faith Promise is not enough. Singing
the right song at the right time in the right key is not enough. Preaching
the truth is not enough. God
may see my acts of worship and say they are meaningless. God
may tell me that when I come to church I am only wearing out the
carpet. I am just
digging my own comfortable rut. God
may tell me that my religious acts are a burden to Him. Taking Chard
for a walk is a burden. Prayers,
offerings and songs have meaning when they are part of a spirit-to-spirit
meeting with God. An
obvious indicator of the value of my worship is how I treat people in
everyday life. Faith,
justice and love grow together: like the roots, branches and leaves of
a tree
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Pleasing Sacrifices Hebrews
13:8-16, 20-21 NIV Pleasing
sacrifices start with and flow from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There
is nothing that I can give that will save my soul. There
are things I can give that please God if they flow from my love for
Him. My
pleasing sacrifices: 1.
The fruit of
lips that confess Jesus’ name
Honoring God Praising
God Speaking
God’s word Speaking
only what is true and loving Doing
what I say Avoiding
careless and poisonous words 2.
Doing good God
has equipped me to do good and is He at
work in me.
How I do things is as important as what I do.
Satan
always offers an excuse for not doing what I can do. 3.
Sharing with
others This
is a lesson we should learn before we graduate from kindergarten. Jesus
tells me to give as I have received. Jesus
tells me to give what I would want to receive. Everyone
who is washed in the blood can offer the fruit of their lips, the
labor of doing good and the gift of sharing as pleasing sacrifices to
God.
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Living
Honorably Hebrews 13:1-7, 17-21
NIV
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Love
and Discipline Hebrews
12:5-13 NIV Some
of my hardships serve a very important purpose: they shape me into the
person God wants me to be. Discipline is
hardship that produces a positive change of thought and behavior for the
rest of one’s life. Experiencing
hardship as discipline from the Lord is a source of assurance that I am
a child of God. It
shows that God loves me too much to allow me to live in sin and evil. Over
time sin weakens, disables and kills me in body and spirit. The
presence of God’s discipline in my life tells me my judgment of myself
is incorrect. Discipline
tells me its time to reexamine my life. God is patient with
me and gives me many warnings and opportunities to learn things the easy
way, but there comes a time when God says enough is enough and I am
taught the hard way. God
is concerned about my eternal future, not just my present happiness. I
am not very good about figuring out the long-term costs of my actions. God
knows where each of my thoughts and actions will end. God’s
desire is that I be healed and share in His holiness. God
is working for a harvest of righteousness and peace in my life.
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To
Run With Perseverance
Hebrews
11:32-12:4 What
are the struggles of my faith?
Which
is stronger, my faith or:
my fear? my pain? my
comfort? my
dreams? Many
ministries die for a lack of faith to persevere through the risks,
difficulties and dangers that come with them. How
long and hard I struggle reveals a lot about my faith. What
hindrances do I need to throw off? What
holds me back? What
trips me up? What
binds my hands? What
catches my eye? What
plugs my ears? What
clouds my thinking? What
freezes my heart? What
demands my time? Paul
tells me to throw off everything that slows my progress towards the
finish line. Am
I following the marked route? Where
are my eyes fixed? I
wander when I am driving down the highway looking at wildlife, hunters,
etc. instead of at the road in front of me. Will
I finish the race? Many
people stop after they cross the starting line. Some
people make the first lap then fade or fall. How
many cross the finish line as “Heaven Class” spiritual athletes?
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To
Do Away With Sin
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List of Upcoming Sermons
| Date | Scripture Reference | Title |
| March 09 | Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 | Wandering Sheep |
| March 16 | Matthew 24:4 - 11 | Who Is This? |
| March 23 | 1 John 4:9 - 17 | This is Love |
| March 30 | Psalm 61:1 - 8 | My Prayer |
| April 06 | Matthew 3:1 - 12 | Warned to Flee |
| April 13 | Matthew 12:22 - 37 | Recognizing the Power |
| April 20 | John 14:23 - 31 | The Benefits of Loving God |
| April 27 | 1 Thessalonians 1:2 - 10 | A Model to All Believers |
| May04 | 2 Timothy 1:6 - 14 | A Roaring Fire |
| May11 | Matthew 26:6 - 13 | Unforgettable Love |
| May 18 | Luke 10:1 - 24 | Harvest Time |
| May25 | Hebrews 6:1 - 12 | Pressing on to Maturity |