DAD'S DAILY BREAD

Sermon notes Pastor Steve Walker

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2  but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4  The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6  for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Ps 1:1–6

God is our King holding everything in His hands! We don’t need to hide our emotions from God. The recipe for real happiness is found only in God’s Word. Don’t get lost in all the worldly options. Blessed- deep contentment and real happiness. Searching for happiness is like having a hunger for food you cannot find on this earth. Real happiness is being on the right path with God. Really happy people receive their guidance from God. Do not listen to ungodly voices! Reject the world’s counterfeit options for happiness. What voice has the most influence in my life? God’s Word brings true happiness. Ps 119:35

Really happy people build relationships with God’s people. Bad company corrupts good character! Are my closest friends helping me get closer to Jesus or dragging me further away? 2 Sam 12:13 We need help! God’s Word will make you feel truly safe. Ps 16:17 Real happy people fear God. Don’t get comfortable in your sin. Invite people to call out your sin and keep you accountable. Fear God- maintain 24/7 awareness of reverence and awe of His all knowing and ever present glory! Prov 23:17-18 Do not envy sinners and fear the Lord even more than you love Him.

Real happy people delight in God’s Word. True happiness is found in God’s Truth! God’s Word can answer every question for life. Every truth of scripture helps us to see God more and more clearly. The pursuit of happiness apart from God will always fail! Ps 14:1 Real happy people are well anchored. Like a tree planted by streams of water. Your happiness is anchored to the faithfulness of God. Escape the world’s corruption.

Real happy people are fruitful people. Having a spiritual impact. God works through us. Jn 15:5 God is our true source of happiness and peace. Real happy people are hopeful people. Our tree will never die. This world is not our home. Through faith in Jesus we will rise with Him. Jn 14:1-3 Trust Him alone. Real happy people help others find real happiness. Tell others about Jesus! Real peace and lasting value only comes from God through is word and trusting in Jesus! We possess an unshakable reason for living. Follow the wisdom of God and walk in His blessings.

APPLICATION:

Spend time in God’s Word everyday! Memorize Ps 1! Connect or reconnect with a godly friend or small group. Remove all unhealthy influences in my life. End an ungodly habit that is pulling you down! Pray more! Choose the path that leads to God and you will find true happiness!

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Ac 1:7–8.

I can only imagine what the disciples were going through after watching Jesus be put on the cross, watching Him die and then placing Him in the tomb and then silence… All the thoughts and fears and questions that they had to sit and ponder… Mind you they didn’t have the Holy Spirit at this point. Just relying on their own faith and having to rely on what Jesus told them. But being humans think of all the ways their sinful flesh tried to get into the way and bring them down. Then imagine the happiness and excitement when they saw Jesus again. Getting to spend over 40 days with Him, eating and drinking and getting more and more teaching as He prepared for His departure. Just think of all the questions that would flood your mind…? They wanted to know if this was the time that Christ was going to restore Israel to power and if Christ was going to rule His kingdom on Earth. Christ answered with power and wisdom telling them it is not for them to know and gave them a promise and a commission.

This is so convicting to read and apply to my life. So often am I lost in my thoughts thinking about things that just don’t really matter. Like why did I allow sin to take so much from me before I decided to believe and change. Or why would God allow my father to be taken from me so early. Or how could Christ forgive and restore someone as wretched as me. All these questions are exposing my lack of faith and there rendering me useless. If my sinful flesh can keep me selfishly focused on myself then the enemy wins. Instead of me sitting and wallowing in my past I should be using my testimony for His glory. These verses remind me not to worry about the things I cannot control but by the power of the Holy Spirit I need to remember what is important. It is not about me and what I want or how I feel. I need to be obedient to Christ and follow His instructions. We are to be His witnesses to the entire world.

Witnesses- people who tell the truth about Jesus Christ. The Gr. word means one who dies for their faith. Notice He does not say find a good job and buy a house and take your family on a bunch of vacations… He wants us to tell others about Him. Even if it costs you your life! Spread the Word so that all can be saved and come to know Him. That is what is truly important. Spreading the Gospel to the entire World. We are all sinful people and we all need a Savior! This world does a very good job at twisting the truth and making it hard to keep the main thing the main thing. Is spreading the Gospel the most important thing in your life? I would say yes but then you can look at my life and you would instantly know that I am lying. Lord please help me to change! Use my life and fill me with Your Spirit so I can step out and tell others about You. Allow me to use my testimony for Your glory and to stop selfishly worrying about things in life that just are not important! Making sure my kids have all the stuff they want with the next fresh new outfit will all be meaningless, in the end, if they’re not living for Jesus. I need to be an example to them showing them what is truly important. Do they see my life as one that is focused on work and making money or do they see me focused on God’s Word and making more disciples of Jesus? Lord please forgive me for my lack of faith and all the ways my selfishness and pride get into the way of Your glory! Help me to shrink and Your plan and Your glory be magnified! You are the King and i am not!

APPLICATION:

Stop dwelling on the past. If I catch myself thinking about anything related to the past I need to instantly get into my bible and get my focus back to where it should be. Stay in the Word. Feed myself Gods Word with every meal. Don’t give any room to sinful thoughts. Keep the truth in the forefront of my mind. Use it to filter everything I think, say and do! Focus on sharing God’s Word to my family. This is my mission field! Lead by example! Devote more time to prayer. Set an alarm and pray more! Be Thankful!

IN HIS NAME

Sermon notes Pastor Jon Walker

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Col 3:20–21

Obey your parents and encourage your kids. If your faith doesn’t work at home then it doesn’t work at all! Faith starts at home. Put off the old life and put on a life with Jesus. It starts at home with your family. Obey your parents and encourage your children because this pleases your good God. If you claim to love God then it should directly show itself in how you treat others. Obey your parents because this pleases the Lord. Obedience to your parents is not driven by their perfection but driven by God’s perfection and what He has done for us. Parents are a gift from God training us for God’s goodness!

Encourage your kids because this pleases the Lord. Don’t discourage them from actively trusting God. Eph 6:4 Encourage your kids towards the Lord. Repent to and in front of your children. Ask for their forgiveness when needed. Put God’s grace on display for them to see. Show them the grace that God offers and how to find it. Prioritize pursuing God with your children. Show them that He is worthy of being pursued! Put the character of God on display before them. Read the Bible and pray with them. Keep it simple. Show them God can be found! Suffer well in the sight of your children. Show them that He is unshakably good no matter what is happening! Will your children learn the good life God offers through you or will they have to go around you? If you don’t disciple your kids someone else will! So get to work!

Obey your parents and encourage your children because this pleases your God. God’s grace for me is powerful and constant. By God’s power we can change. By God’s grace we can change. Life is hard but God’s grace and mercy is sufficient! God’s power/not my own. There is always a way to honor your parents and kids with God’s help. He remains in pursuit of me. God’s grace guards us and guides us. God help me to be a better husband and father!

APPLICATION:

Quit making excuses and do a Bible study with my whole family. Read my Bible with them. Pray with my family. Show them that He is worth pursuing! Lord please give me the strength to be more like Jesus. Stay humble and thankful! Let God’s Word filter everything I think, say and do. Thank You Jesus!

in His name

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Gal 6:7–8

What a sobering piece of God’s Word. Paul is saying that you can truly see what a person believes by how they live their life. Paul uses farming by saying the seeds you plant and feed are what will grow. What you consistently plant in your life whether sinful desires or obedience to God will eventually produce a harvest. God cannot be fooled and He will faithfully bring the results of what is sown. The direction of your life is shaped by what you continually invest in. Plant seeds of the flesh and you will harvest corruption. Plant seeds of the spirit and you will harvest eternal life.

This is so true. A person cannot engage in the works of the flesh and expect to experience blessings and life with God. If you want true freedom you have to surrender it all! You cannot have sin that you deliberately repeat and then wonder why God isn’t moving in your life. You are sowing corruption by your very own actions. The consequence of your sin is corruption that eventually leads to death. There are a few things in my life that I continue to hold on to and I can feel the Lord tap me on the shoulder every time I’m struggling and He is saying are you done yet? God will not be mocked! He will not be fooled so me expecting to get His blessings without being obedient in all things is a mockery! It just won’t happen.

You can be doing great in almost every area of your life but then decide to keep one thing for yourself and boom your sin is sowing to your flesh. Bring light to the darkness and let God into every place. Trust Him and let go of the things you feel you cannot live without. His way is so much better! Don’t be deceived! Lord give me the strength to change the things I need to change! You deserve complete obedience! There is nothing more comforting than You!

APPLICATION:

Read God’s Word morning and night. Use it to filter my thoughts and my feelings and actions. Remove all sin from my life no matter how small it is. Trust that God is better and more fulfilling than anything I can create on my own! Stay close to God. Stay humble. Always be thankful. Pray more often. Trust the Lord no matter what I think or feel! Be obedient in all things!

IN HIS NAME

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Gal 5:16–17

This verse is a great reminder that everything you do has the opportunity to feed the Spirit or you could be feeding your flesh. But it is never doing both at the same time. Because they are in opposition with each other. Every action has a reaction. Even something good like providing for your family can turn into motives under the surface that end up only feeding your flesh. Your flesh can disguise itself as something good. Something that feels good and feels right usually ends up feeding an idol you have in your heart. Feeding envious and jealous motives that are created when you live in a world that is constantly racing to have more and better things.

A big one for me is my pride. Sometimes after work I will return home and when I feel like I’m not appreciated or respected I can instantly have a bad attitude and start to be unloving and harsh towards my family. In my mind I feel like I have been serving them all day and I deserve to be treated a certain way. When I should be serving the Lord first in everything I do. Regardless of how I feel. How can I be serving the Lord and at the same time allowing my feelings to dictate how I treat my family? In reality I am making it all about me. Serving myself and feeding my flesh. Sometimes I cant even see it until the Lord breaks through and shows me what I’m doing. The more time I spend in God’s Word the easier it is for me to recognize when I’m feeding my flesh.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Gal 5:22–24

The Bible can show you your motives. The best way I have found to expose what side I’m feeding is by measuring it with scripture. Am I living and acting out the fruits of the spirit or am I selfishly, self absorbed and focusing on myself. All it takes is to read those few verses and you can see what side you’re feeding. Be honest with yourself and be quick to ask for forgiveness! I am at a time in my life where the Lord has helped to destroy most of the large life dominating sins but that doesn’t mean the battle is won. Envy, pride, anger, comfort, jealousy and dissensions are all sins that lead to death. It is a daily battle so never give up and never stop fighting to be more like Christ! Thank you Lord for everything You do, every second of my life, to help me fight against my flesh! May You give me the strength to be victorious and to bring You all the glory. You are God and i am not. Help me to serve Your Spirit at all times even when It doesn’t feel good.

APPLICATION:

Read my Bible. Morning and night. Don’t react to my feelings but go back to scripture every time I feel uneasy. Don’t let my feelings dictate anything I do. Trust the Lord and not myself! Be humble and thankful at all times. Stay in the Word and pray all day long!

IN HIS NAME

Sermon notes Pastor Kobe Orr

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Col 3:16

The Word of God was never meant to visit our lives occasionally- it was meant to rule our lives completely. The Word of God first shapes our relationships. Teaching and admonishing each other in wisdom. Prov 2:6 It should control everything about every relationship. It is all about God’s principles and nothing about my opinion. We need to anchor our thoughts, actions and opinions in God’s Word. God uses us to refine each other. God’s Word should govern our entire life! Would someone conclude that God’s Word dwells in you richly??

The Word of God fuels our worship. Praise God for who He is and all the things that He has done. Praise God for His works and His grace and His love in our lives. When we are in God’s Word we are constantly confronted with our own sin and then instantly met with the love and grace and forgiveness that comes from Christ. Heaven will be roaring with praise to God! God’s grace drives us to physical affection for God. Does the Word of Christ dwell in me richly??

The Word of God fills us with gratitude. Be faithful by dwelling in God’s Word! Don’t lose sight of what Christ gives us everyday. Do not forget what we have been saved from. God does not take ungratefulness lightly. Your life must be rooted in God’s Word. It shapes all our relationships. Is Christ dwelling in me richly??

The Word of God governs our lives. When someone looks at me do they see Jesus? Are you living in a way consistent to God’s Word? Let the Word of God dwell in you richly! Wear God’s Word for the whole world to see. This is only possible with His help. Col 3 is our goal. Is my life ruled by God’s Word??

APPLICATION:

Read the Bible! Meditate on His Word. Always be memorizing scripture. 2 Peter Isa 41:10 Ps 116:7 Pray the scriptures. God has called us to allow His Word to dwell in us richly! Be obedient! Do the work! Let His wisdom transform my relationships!

IN HIS NAME

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Gal 5:13

This verse really does a good job at revealing my motives. All week I have been struggling with the word freedom. Because in my own life sometimes I don’t feel free at all. I feel like a slave to my job and a slave to my paycheck and at times I feel like a slave to my wife and kids… But when you really let this verse sink in you realize that Christ did not give us freedom to serve ourselves. He didn’t say be free so that you can be comfortable and happy. Just look at Jesus. He could have come down here and lived a perfectly comfortable life. He could have had anything He wanted and would have been perfectly justified in doing so. But instead He came to serve a bunch of people and love them when they were His enemy. When they didn’t deserve it, not even for a second. He served and loved to the point of shedding His own blood and dying a horrible death on a cross. Too many times I think being saved and a Christian means that my life will be easy and comfortable and I’ll be happy. But that’s just not what the bible says.

It says DO NOT use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh! Every time I feel like I’m a slave to something that is my flesh telling me you don’t need to do that. Go serve yourself, go do something you like and make yourself happy… How sneaky is that…? It comes out in so many different ways. Thank God for His Word and the truth that scripture brings into my life! Without it I would truly be lost! God loved me and served me before I even knew who He was. It had nothing to do with anything I have done or will ever do. I need to do the same thing with everyone in my life. Serve others and stop serving myself!

To my knowledge no where in scripture is God referred to as the “God of Happiness”. But I do see The God of Hope and Joy and Peace. Those are all things you get when you stop trying to serve yourself and, like Jesus, live your life to serve others! True freedom starts with surrender! True peace comes when you surrender all the things you think you need and start being obedient to God’s Word by serving others! Lord may you help me to be more like Jesus!!

APPLICATION:

Be honest with myself. Recognize when my flesh is controlling my thoughts and actions. Stay in the Word and read it every day. Stay connected to the vine and get involved by serving others. Pray more!

IN HIS NAME