08-21-11 AM - Getting Ready for Rough Times

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Zech. 14:1-21

2 Timothy 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
The NKJV has a note by that word perilous (times of stress.)                     
Matthew 24:8 …all these are the beginning of sorrows.

THREE THINGS IN PREPERATION
1.It often gets worse before it gets better. (1-2)
1 A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. 2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.

Zechariah tells Israel in vs. 1-2. Behold the day of the Lord is coming!...I will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem…

2 Thessalonians 2:3 …that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin (lawlessness) is revealed, the son of perdition (destruction).

Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Matthew 24:9-13 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13But he who endures to the end shall be saved.


2. No matter how bad it gets, the Lord is faithful to His people. (3-8)

3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him. 6 On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime--a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light. 8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.

GOD IS FAITHFUL

“very near” or “the way of escape shall be made easy”. If it is a proper name it may denote some place near the western extremity of the valley.                                                                                                                         

Revelation 19:11; 14 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war…14And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

In fact,   God’s goal is to give history a happy ending.

3. The Lord will be exalted. (v. 9-21)

9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. 10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. 12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day men will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. 14 Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected--great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. 16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 20 On that day HOLY TO THE Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty.

First, there won’t be any disagreements, arguing, or fighting over religion any more. The Lord alone will be worshipped in Spirit and truth, or as vs. 9b puts it …in that day it shall be [confessed] “the Lord is One and His Name is One”…

Secondly, vs. 10-15 tell us God’s people will live in absolute security. Jerusalem will be exalted as God’s capitol city, all of her enemies shall be defeated and destroyed, and for the first time in many centuries, the city of peace will enjoy peace and security.

Finally, vs.16-21  Everybody will worship the Lord as King.             

1 Cor. 16:22 Maranatha!= Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20 Even so, come Lord Jesus!

But God is faithful, (REPEAT THAT) and He will walk with you every step of the way, and carry you if He must.

08-14-11 PM - A Hallmark of our Faith

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A HALLMARK OF OUR FAITH
1Peter 5:5-75 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1. BE SUBJECT TO LEADERS VS. 5

The word “subject” in our text means to place oneself under the authority of a leader. Because the leaders are chosen by God they are to be esteemed, recognized, honored, followed, and obeyed.

The word “younger” is referring to the laity or the believers of the church.

1 Thess. 5:12-13 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

2. BE SUBJECT TO ONE ANOTHER Vs. 5                                        

A. The word “ALL” means everyone; all ages, genders and classes.

B. To subject is not enough we must do it in humility.

John 13:13-15 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

C. We are subject and clothed because God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. (Prov. 3:34)

Mt. 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

3. BE SUBJECT YOURSELF TO HIS MIGHTY HAND Vs. 6-7

For the humble He is salvation, security, care, protection, assurance and confidence.

For the proud He is warning and fear, anger and wrath, judgment and condemnation.

Heb. 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me

08-14-11 AM - Reproducing: The Final Frontier

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1 Cor. 11:1
-Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. NIV
-Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. NASB
-Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. KJV

Remember; having Christ in you is where the hope of glory rests.

Col.1:27 To them (The saints) God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

For too long churches have been attractional and not transformational. They have done a great job of drawing people but a terrible job at discipling people.

We looked at three aspects of being a disciple up to this point.
1.    What does it mean to personally pursue Christ?
2.    The importance of relationships/living in community.
3.    Serving out of our passions.

Today we want to look at the final aspect and that is reproducing.

The tell-tale sign of a “true disciple” is that they understand and have been changed by what they have learned, and in turn take others on the journey with them.

1.    IT’S NOT A PROGRAM BUT A PROCESS

Programs are formal, informational and time oriented. The process of discipleship is casual, relational, and open ended as far as time goes.

1 Cor. 4:15 Even though you have ten thousand guardians (tutors) in Christ, you do not have many fathers, (parents) for in Christ Jesus I became your father (procreate, to regenerate, concieve) through the gospel.

2.    IT’S ABOUT MAKING PEOPLE LIKE JESUS NOT US

John 15:1-17  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

3.    THE PRINCIPLES IN THE PROCESS STAY THE SAME

A.    Forgiveness- Matt. 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you

Mk.11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

Lk. 17:4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Lk. 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

B.    Humility- Prov. 22:4 Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.

Phil.2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Col.3:12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

1Peter 5:5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

C.    Servant hood- Gal. 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Phil. 2:7 …but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

D.    Love- In the New Testament there are 202 verses concerning love.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Christian maturity is best forged in the crucible of relationships.

08-14-11 AM - Japan Trip 2011 Testimonies

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Testimonies from CLC's Japan Trip 2011

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08-10-11 PM - Jesus in the Night Season, Pt. 2

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Pastor Ryan Miller

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08-07-11 AM Sermon - It's Time to Make a Change

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It’s Time To Make A ChangeWe Are the People Who Can Do It!

Faith Sets Us Free

• We must see Jesus
• Realize we are represented by Him
• Jesus was the perfect sacrifice made for us
• He now ministers on our      behalf in a Heavenly      Sanctuary

Our Offering

• Worship
• Praise
• Love
• Prayers
• Service
• Our Offering
• To know that nothing we do reaches God’s Throne through our imperfect state – it takes Jesus!

We Have A Better Ministry

• A greater promise
• We have God’s Grace
• We have a better covenant (contract)

Don’t Throw Rocks

The Work of the Holy Spirit

• It is the life’s blood of the new covenant (contract)
• The Holy Spirit is our convicting power
• I don’t need to remind my   brother of his obligations
• The Work of the Holy Spirit
• The new covenant (contract) is concerned with the intent of the law not the letter of the law
• The new covenant gets involved by putting His
• Will
• Word
• Way
• Into our hearts and minds by the Holy Spirit

08-03-11 PM - Jesus in the Night Season, Pt. 1

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Pastor Ryan Miller

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