Abundant Life Sermons

Our real solution today is to overcome inward battles and challenges that render us powerless to overcome. Nehemiah 5 gives us the real solution of prioritizing the Word of God with immediate obedience.Nehemiah 5:5, “It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”Nehemiah 5:2, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live.”This group wanted to buy enough food just to be able to eat and stay alive. They were poor, not able to contribute to the building of the wall because they were physically bankrupt.Nehemiah 5:3, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we may buy grain because of the famine.”The group would be preoccupied with the fear of losing their possessions so they would not be able to contribute to the building of the wall.Nehemiah 5:4-5, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery.”The cause of those who were powerless were the nobles and rulers who were exacting interest. They accepted the practices of the nations that they were once captive.Nehemiah 5:7, After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them.The solution was to restore their ability to live abundantly.Nehemiah 5:11, “Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money, and the grain, and the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”

In Nehemiah’s day, families faced opposition as they rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem. Today’s families also face opposition, and our goal should be to raise godly kids and embed the truth of God’s word in their hearts. This can be a year of Real Solutions for families to raise strong kids who walk in truth and rebuild walls around our families that the world has torn down.

Nehemiah had a vision that demanded divine intervention, and that vision demanded maximum participation. It takes all of us to do together what we could never do apart. One day we will stand before Jesus, and He will inspect our earthly lives and service to Him and reward us accordingly for all of eternity. Are you serving Jesus in such a way that you are ready to see Him?

Why is it so hard to do the work that God has called us to? Pastor Steve Brown shares with us on the meaning and importance of work in our lives as believers and in God's ultimate plan to redeem His creation.

What do you do when you follow a Star and find a stable? Sometimes God will take you through a mess to lead you to the Messiah.

Stars, Part 3Worship - Matthew 2Matthew 2:1-2, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him?”Worship is more than a song – it’s sacrifice. 1 Peter 2:5, You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.Worship is the sacrifice we make with our lips. Hebrews 13:15, Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.Worship is the sacrifice we make with our lives.Romans 12:1, Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (NASB)Matthew 2:9-11, When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.True worship is truly costly. The wise men brought very costly gifts as an act of worship. Worship that costs nothing isn’t really worship. Worship is “all of me for all of Him.”The wise men worshiped by offering gold, recognizing Jesus as our King. *In the ancient days, gold was always associated with royalty – it was the commodity most associated with kings. *Numbers 24:17, A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel…” Revelation 19:16, And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.The wise men worshiped by offering frankincense, recognizing Jesus as our Healer. In the ancient days, frankincense was used to make medicines and a healing ointment to be placed on wounds.Isaiah 53:5, But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.Isaiah 61:1-2, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted…”The wise men worshiped by offering myrrh, recognizing Jesus as our Savior. In the ancient days, myrrh was used to anoint and embalm the dead. Jesus came to die for our sins.Matthew 1:21, And she [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.Isaiah 53:6-7, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet he opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter…Jesus was not born to live but rather to die. Christmas is not about a baby lying in a cradle; it’s about the Lamb of God hanging on a cross.

The Journey - Stars, Part 2Matthew 2:1-2, 10, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him”…When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.The priority of the vision.Proverbs 29:18, Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.Colossians 2:6, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.Galatians 5:16, I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.Peripateo – to make one’s way, progress; to make due use of opportunities.Ephesians 5:15-16, See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.The principle of the path.Your path, not your promises, determine the place you end up. Proverbs 27:12, A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished.Matthew 2:11, And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.The perseverance to the prize.Hebrew 12:1-2, Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Stars, Part 1 - Matthew 2Which star will you follow?The world is full of stars, but only one will never fall. Numbers 24:17, “A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel…”Matthew 2:1-2, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”In all probability, the star the wise men saw was an angel God sent to shine as a sign of Christ’s birth. Throughout Scripture, “stars” are used as a symbol for angels (Job 38:7, Isaiah 14:13, Revelation 1:20, Revelation 12:4).The wise men weren't just watching the world, they were watching the Word. They were watching for the birth of a Savior. They were watching for the coming of the Jewish Messiah.The wise men weren't just studying the stars, they were studying the Scriptures.  Because the Jews had been led away into Babylonian captivity, the Magi had access to the writings of the Jewish prophets like Daniel who had been named “chief of the Magi” by both King Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar (Daniel 4:9, 5:11).Daniel 9:24-25, “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.”Like the wise men, as we study the Word, we should be watchful for Christ’s return!2 Peter 1:19, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”Only by following the Star of Jesus can your life shine brighter and shine forever. Proverbs 4:18-19, “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”Philippians 2:15-16, “…that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life…”Your life will only shine eternally when you’ve made Jesus the star of your story.

Thanksgiving - Abundant LivingPsalm 103Psalm 103:1-2, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”Abundant living is found through thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is medicine for the soul.It’s how you keep a healthy heart and healthy mind. A lifestyle of thanksgiving is how you battle depression, discouragement, fear, worry, anxiety, greed, discontentment, etc.Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”Four things to be thankful for…God has given us His mercy and saved us from sin’s penalty.Psalm 103:3, “Who forgives all your iniquities…”Psalm 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”Psalm 103:10-12, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”God has saved us both spiritually and physically.Psalm 103:3-5, “Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”Wickedness is temporary. God’s justice will reign eternally.Psalm 103:6, “The Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.”Psalm 103:19, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”We will live and reign eternally as members of God’s family.Psalm 103:13-17, “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting…”Psalm 103:1-2, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”We commonly ask God to bless us, but we should desire to bless God. The way we bless God is by not forgetting to be thankful.

The Motivation for World Missions - 2 Thessalonians 2:1-82 Thessalonians 2:1-3"Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition…"Three reasons to believe in the imminency of Christ’s return:1) The widespread apostasy within the modern “Church.” Apostasy is the abandonment and renunciation of the foundational tenets of Christianity. By definition, there are more apostate “churches” in America than true churches. God calls the end times church a “harlot” in Revelation 17:5.“It was the teaching of cheap grace. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession….Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”– Dietrich Bonhoeffer2) Israel recently signed a peace treaty with her traditional enemies. The Abraham Accords, brokered by the Trump administration, could possibly be the treaty used by the Antichrist to broker the seven-year peace treaty described in Daniel 9:27.2 Thessalonians 2:3-4"Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."3) Movement toward global Marxism, even in western civilization. Revelation 13 describes a global system of world Marxism that will temporarily unite the nations politically and economically.“This pandemic has provided an opportunity for a reset. This is our chance to accelerate our pre-pandemic efforts to reimagine economic systems that actually address global challenges like extreme poverty, inequality and climate change.”—Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister“The pandemic represents a rare but narrow window of opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and reset our world."—Klaus Schwab, Founder of the World Economic Forum2 Thessalonians 2:5-8"Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming."The nearness of Christ’s return should be our motivation to take the gospel to our neighbors and the nations! We are all called to be missionaries! The only question is, where?Life is fleeting. The world is fading. Only the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ will last forever!